October 31, 2024

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An elimination game—and a lack of competition—can go a long way to boost TV ratings. The Game 4 World Series numbers bore that out, with viewership climbing to its highest point of the series. However, the Dodgers’ dramatic series-clinching Game 5 win Wednesday night will likely set a new high, while also serving as validation of the franchise’s free-spending approach under its current ownership group.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Money Well Spent: Dodgers Top Yankees in World Series [[link removed]]

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

After more than 12 years of pursuit, big ambitions, and perhaps even bigger resources, the Dodgers have finally and fully reached Major League Baseball’s mountaintop in the era of current ownership group Guggenheim Baseball Management.

The Dodgers closed out a five-game World Series win over the Yankees on Wednesday night, coming back from a 5-0 deficit in the game to win their first full-season title since 1988, long before the Mark Walter–led Guggenheim group took over the Dodgers in 2012. The club also won the title in 2020, in the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. But between the highly abbreviated, 60-game length of that season, the extensive steps required to even play that year, and the lack of a victory parade in Los Angeles due to mass-gathering restrictions, that championship has carried something of an unofficial asterisk.

No such qualification applies in 2024. After storming out to an MLB-leading 98 wins and their 11th National League West division title in the last 12 seasons, the Dodgers beat the Padres, Mets, and Yankees in the playoffs— the league’s No. 15, No. 1, and No. 2 spenders on player payroll [[link removed]], respectively, this season.

Of course, the Dodgers are an economic force themselves, and like the Rangers last year [[link removed]], used their wallet liberally to advance their push for a World Series title. Backed in part by a 25-year, $8.35 billion local media-rights deal with Spectrum, a revitalized Dodger Stadium, and a perennial status as MLB’s attendance leader [[link removed]], the Dodgers and Guggenheim last offseason secured the game’s most coveted free agent ever: Shohei Ohtani.

The Japanese superstar signed a 10-year, $700 million pact with the Dodgers [[link removed]], shattering all prior records in U.S. team sports, and then doubled down on the uniqueness of the contract by deferring $680 million of that money [[link removed]] until after the decade-long term. Ohtani then outdid even the lofty expectations of that deal, becoming MLB’s first player with 50 home runs and 50 steals in a season [[link removed]], and entering the World Series as the biggest star [[link removed]] in an event full of them.

It was another, earlier free-agent deal, however, that made the most difference in the World Series: the six-year, $162 million pact for first baseman Freddie Freeman struck in March 2022. Freeman, who has had three solid seasons for the Dodgers, hit a home run in each of the four World Series games, including the walk-off grand slam in Game 1, and was the obvious choice for Most Valuable Player. Freeman’s 12 runs batted in tied a World Series record.

The fairly quick dispatching of the Yankees also cut short what had been the most-anticipated Fall Classic in many years [[link removed]].

World Series Game 4 Draws 16.7M Viewers, Up 92% From 2023 [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The resurgent energy [[link removed]] to the World Series also translates to domestic television ratings, as Game 4 of the high-profile matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers drew an average audience of 16.7 million across all Fox Sports platforms, the best showing for the Fall Classic thus far.

The figure—up by 92% from the audience in the comparable game last year—was part of a triple dose of good news for the league and Fox Sports. The figure beat the draws of 15.2 million, 13.8 million, and 13.6 million for the three prior games, respectively. It also leaves the 2024 World Series still on track to have its best final viewership since 2017. The Yankees’ 11–4 win in Game 4 on Tuesday, meanwhile, ensured a sweep would not happen.

Every additional World Series game brings tens of millions of dollars in additional advertising revenue to the network, and viewership often escalates dramatically in Games 6 and 7—accelerating the trend now seen with Game 4 viewership. Game 4 on Tuesday is also the most-watched baseball game of any type, and on any network, since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series.

The Dodgers closed out a five-game World Series win on Wednesday, dramatically prevailing in a 7-6 Game 5 win, giving the team their first full-year league championship since 1988. Los Angeles also overcame the biggest deficit of any team in a clinching World Series game.

Final event viewership is expected on Thursday. Prior to Game 5, Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill suggested in a tweet [[link removed]] that the contest could draw an average audience of 17.5 million—which would close out the World Series on a crescendo even if a coveted sixth and seventh game didn’t materialize.

No Competition

Game 4, meanwhile, had little in the way of serious competition on Tuesday night after MLB narrowly prevailed the night before [[link removed]] in 2024’s only sports equinox, which also included a Monday Night Football game between the Giants and Steelers.

Other broadcast and cable programming going up against the World Series was primarily made up of reality shows and early-season action in the NBA and NHL. That situation no doubt further enhanced the draw for Game 4.

FOS SPECIAL REPORT

Tracking Owners’ Donations

Election Day is Nov. 5, and this is projected to be the most costly election ever [[link removed]]. Which team owners have donated to U.S. political candidates, and how much? We tracked them across every major sport, with the Mavericks’ Dr. Miriam Adelson leading the way by a wide margin.

Read the full report from Alex Schiffer and Margaret Fleming here [[link removed]].

PGA Tour Could Get More Exclusive Under Proposed Rule Changes [[link removed]]

The Clarion-Ledger

The PGA Tour doled out roughly half a billion dollars in prize and bonus money in 2024, but the opportunity to earn some of that cash may become more exclusive.

Tournament field sizes, tour membership cards, and qualifying chances could all be reduced under proposed changes from the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council [[link removed]]. On Nov. 18, the tour’s policy board is set to vote on changes that would take effect in 2026, including:

The maximum number of players allowed in a tournament dropping from 156 to 144 (from 132 to 120 in some cases) Fully exempt tour status dropping from 125 players to 100 each season Decreasing the annual tour memberships given to second-tier Korn Ferry Tour players from 30 to 20

Other proposed changes include reducing open qualifying spots for some tournaments, reallocating spots reserved for sponsor exemptions, and adjusting how points are distributed for the FedExCup, which paid out $100 million [[link removed]] in season-ending bonuses this year.

Cutting Loose

No changes were proposed to the number of players making a tournament cut, which is typically the top 65 and ties after two rounds. That’s key, as only players who make the cut receive prize money at any given tournament. That keeps the PGA Tour in compliance with Official World Golf Ranking rules, unlike LIV Golf, which does not receive ranking points [[link removed]] for its 54-hole events that have roughly 50 players and no cuts.

This is the latest move to consolidate more prize money and rankings points for the PGA Tour’s top players. Signature events will return in 2025 with limited 70–80 player fields and elevated $20 million purses.

SPONSORED BY MAGNIFI

AI Redefining Global Sports Engagement

As the sports world continues to evolve, localization and regionalization [[link removed]] of content have become key strategies in connecting with diverse fan bases.

With AI-powered technology, video content can be tailored to different regions and audiences more efficiently, ensuring that sports organizations are able to provide personalized experiences at scale. This tech transformation empowers sports organizations to also bring their global audiences closer to their favorite leagues, teams, and athletes.

The latest white paper from Magnifi [[link removed]] explores how AI is transforming sports video content, helping organizations meet the growing demand for localized content while optimizing their workflows and maintaining high-quality production standards.

Read the full white paper [[link removed]].

Controversy, Championship Battles Keep F1 Viewers Tuned In [[link removed]]

Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images

While the buzz surrounding Formula One in the U.S. seems to have cooled compared to prior years, the viewership has seen a slight uptick over last year, a credit to the close battle at the top for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

ESPN is averaging 1.12 million viewers through 20 races this year, 1.8% higher than the 1.1 million final viewership average in 2023, but down 7.5% from 2022. Nine F1 races in 2024 have seen viewership gains over the last year, another sign of the relatively flat viewership numbers.

Saturday’s Mexican Grand Prix had an average U.S. audience of 1.12 million viewers, the second-highest viewership for the GP, but a 3% decline compared to last year’s record audience. Last week’s U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, which happened on the same weekend as the Georgia-Texas college football tilt [[link removed]], had 1.3 million viewers, up from 2023 but short of the 1.4 million average in 2021.

A Competitive Final Stretch

Max Verstappen and Red Bull ran away with the F1 championship races the last two years [[link removed]]. In 2023, Verstappen sealed the drivers’ championship with six races left.

However, despite a hot start to this season, the Dutch driver is facing pressure from McLaren’s Lando Norris, who sits 47 points behind with four race weekends and two sprint races remaining. The gap is wide enough that Verstappen could finish second in all remaining races and still win the title, however, he placed sixth in Mexico to Norris’s second—a 10-point differential.

In Austin, Verstappen received two controversial 10-second penalties during incidents with Norris.

“I think today it was just not fair, clean racing,” Norris said. “Therefore, I think he got what he had coming to him.”

Verstappen said he thought the 20 seconds in total penalties he received was “a lot,” but declined to share his opinion on the actual racing incident.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz ended up winning the race, with his teammate Charles Leclerc finishing in third, lifting the Scuderia above Red Bull and just 29 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship.

Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez is on the hot seat again following a scoreless 17th-place finish Sunday at his home race. While it’s unclear the difference in payouts for constructors based on their place in the championship, Autosport estimated last year’s winners [[link removed]] were awarded $140 million, compared to $131 million for second and $122 million for third.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY How Your Favorite Team Is Impacting the 2024 Election

FOS illustration

With the 2024 presidential election just five days away, Front Office Sports breaking news reporters Alex Schiffer and Margaret Fleming joined the show to reveal their findings on political giving from owners.

Plus, Blake Griffin might be the next big name to launch a broadcasting career. “Tuned In” columnist Michael McCarthy discusses Amazon’s and NBC’s interest in the former All-Star.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Survey Is Open for One More Week

Whether it’s great leadership; focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; or commitment to employee well-being, the Front Office Sports Best Employers in Sports Award [[link removed]] recognizes organizations that do right by their employees.

How do we determine who wins the award? We don’t—employees do! The award is based entirely on anonymous survey results from sports industry professionals.

Responses will be evaluated in collaboration with our primary research partner, Canvs [[link removed]], using patented AI technology free from all subjectivity and human bias. There is no word count limit and you can even use slang, text abbreviations, sarcasm, and emoji to complete the survey.

There is less than one week remain to take the free 2024 employee survey! Complete the survey [[link removed]] by Nov. 6 for a chance to recognize your company as one of the best in the business.

Conversation Starters FOS multimedia reporter Derryl Barnes visited the Intuit Dome last week and explored some of the unique features of the Clippers’ new $2 billion home. Check it out [[link removed]]. More than half of the WNBA’s teams have made head-coaching changes. FOS reporter Colin Salao joined Front Office Sports Today to talk about what may be triggering the turnover. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Jameis Winston led the Browns to an upset win Sunday over the Ravens in his first NFL start since 2022—then quoted Eminem in his postgame interview. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Lululemon-Fanatics Collab With NHL Sees ‘Explosive’ First-Day Sales [[link removed]]by Meredith Turits [[link removed]]The premium collection made up 80% of all NHL merch sales. Buffalo Bills in Talks to Sell Stake to PE Firm Arctos: Report [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Arctos already has a slice of Paris Saint-Germain and the PGA Tour, among other assets. Kids Rarely Watch Sports. Media Executives Are Concerned [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The average age for broadcast prime-time NFL viewers is 62.5. Question of the Day

Do you care if the owner of your favorite sports team donates money to presidential candidates?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: Only 14% of respondents are still interested in watching Aaron Rodgers and the Jets despite their 2–6 record.

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