October 31, 2024

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The Dodgers won the World Series in five games with a team featuring high-priced stars like Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani, but also quite a few underdogs who came through in big moments. The team already has a huge TV deal and MLB’s highest attendance, and its payroll ranked fifth this year. With trophies usually bringing a windfall, additional reinforcements could be on the way for the reigning champions.

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

Dodgers Winning Formula Blends Underdog Spirit With Big Dollars [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 2024 World Series champion Dodgers [[link removed]], in many ways, are a classic, big-market and high-dollar team. After all, the franchise boasts MLB’s top attendance [[link removed]], one of its largest local media-rights deals operating in the No. 2 U.S. market, the game’s highest-paid player in Shohei Ohtani, and the No. 5 player payroll this year.

But club officials are crediting much of their latest title—the Dodgers’ first in a full season since 1988—to still thinking and operating much like an underdog.

After topping the Yankees in a five-game series that was much more taut than that margin would suggest, key parts of the Dodgers’ success included looking beyond just the record-setting $700 million Ohtani signing last offseason. While that certainly was the team’s headline going into this season, the Dodgers then pursued other numerous player acquisitions and continued to scrap their way to an MLB-leading, 98-win season, even while grappling with injuries and numerous other setbacks.

Once in the World Series, the team then relied heavily on nearly every player on its active roster, including emptying its bullpen across Games 4 and 5.

“Every good organization is like that, and I think we are one,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said on the Yankee Stadium field, moments after accepting the Commissioner’s Trophy. “It’s not just 26 people [on the active roster], it’s not just the 40-man roster. It’s about everybody throughout the organization. It’s also about the people you add during the year, and we added plenty of significant, big-time contributors, and we’re very proud of that. … We are opportunistic. That’s how we are.”

A championship parade in downtown Los Angeles—something that didn’t happen after the team’s 2020 title due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic—is set for Friday morning [[link removed]] and will be supplemented by a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium.

“We’re bringing this home to our fans, our fans in L.A., across the country, in Japan [[link removed]], and around the world,” Kasten said.

Dodgers fans, meanwhile, powered the team to a new record with Fanatics for the most clinch-related merchandise sold in the first hour after winning, in any sport.

What’s Next?

Kasten, for his part, refused late Wednesday to look ahead to 2025, insisting the night was about “just celebrating.” But several key initiatives are still ahead for the club.

The Dodgers could very well be a strong candidate for one of their foremost World Series opponents, Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, who will now become a free agent [[link removed]]. Los Angeles is only one of a handful of clubs that could afford him, as he is set to get at least MLB’s second-largest player contract ever.

After landing both Ohtani and star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto before the 2024 season, the Dodgers also could be a suitor for 22-year-old star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki. It’s not yet certain, though, if he will be posted by his current club, Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines.

The Dodgers additionally will open the 2025 campaign in Tokyo against the Cubs, with a scheduled, two-game series set to be a major homecoming for Ohtani and Yamamoto, particularly after the former’s unprecedented season [[link removed]] with more than 50 home runs and 50 steals.

Regarding the impact of landing Ohtani in free agency, Kasten said, “I always thought Shohei made a lot of sense for us. We hoped he felt the same way. We didn’t know what was going to happen any more than any of you did. But I think we were the best team for him, and I think he did also. I think he made a really good choice.”

Comcast’s Olympic Gold: Paris Games Spark Peacock Subscriber Surge [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 2024 Paris Olympics were a major rebound for the entire Olympic movement after two prior Games marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we know how much they also boosted NBC Sports and Peacock parent Comcast.

The company said Thursday that it generated $32.1 billion in revenue, up by 6.5% from the comparable period last year, and $1.12 in adjusted earnings per share, up 3.3%, during the third quarter. Both figures beat analyst projections. Peacock, which showed all of the Paris Olympics live, increased its subscriptions by 9% from the prior quarter [[link removed]] to 36 million and increased its revenue by 82% to $1.5 billion.

While there are certainly many other facets of Comcast’s sprawling operations, Paris was the halo illuminating the company’s entire quarter. The event generated a company-record $1.9 billion in incremental media revenue from the Olympics, generated largely through advertising sales and new Peacock subscriptions.

“It was probably the proudest moment that I can think of since we’ve owned NBCUniversal, or certainly right up there,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said of Paris in an earnings call with analysts. “Just a tremendous team effort, really bringing the whole country into the drama. … We really look forward to [Los Angeles] in four years, we’ve got Milan in between [in 2026], and we go on from there.”

The Comcast earnings report was the first since the Paris Olympics, which generated an 82% viewership lift compared to 2021 [[link removed]].

A Different Corporate Structure?

Comcast president Mike Cavanagh, meanwhile, also announced Thursday that Comcast is exploring a spin-off of its cable TV networks such as CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, and E! into a separate, publicly traded company. The move comes as the linear television business continues to undergo unprecedented upheaval in an age of accelerating cord-cutting and cord-nevering.

“Like many of our peers in media, we’re experiencing the effects of the transition of our video business and have been studying the path forward for these assets,” Cavanagh said. “To that end, we are now exploring whether creating a new, well-capitalized company owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks would position them to take advantage of opportunities in the media landscape and create value for our shareholders.”

That consideration does not include NBC’s broadcast operations. The potential separation could also allow Comcast the ability to focus more on scaling Peacock, which is an increasingly important part of the company’s overall business.

Comcast’s cable distribution business also is facing more pressure, as it lost another 365,000 video subscribers during the period, ending the quarter at 12.8 million. A year ago, that subscription number stood at 14.5 million.

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Florida-Georgia Game Hits the Road Amid $1.4B Stadium Renovation [[link removed]]

Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

The “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” will hit the road due to the newly approved $1.4 billion renovations set for the Jaguars’ EverBank Stadium [[link removed]].

The annual Florida-Georgia college football game, which has been played in Jacksonville in all but two years since 1933, will be played in Atlanta and Tampa in 2026 and 2027, coaches for both programs confirmed Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s matchup. The No. 2 Bulldogs (6–1) are big favorites over the unranked Gators (4–3).

EverBank Stadium is set to have reduced capacity for Jaguars games in 2026 and will be closed in 2027, forcing one of college football’s oldest neutral-site rivalry games to look for a temporary home. (Coincidentally, the Jaguars could play some games at “The Swamp” in 2027 [[link removed]].)

Earlier this week, Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan said she was “optimistic” that a new contract to continue hosting the Florida-Georgia game in 2028 and beyond would be finalized soon [[link removed]].

Stadium Search

Georgia coach Kirby Smart indicated there were at least discussions about playing the 2026 and 2027 games in Athens and Gainesville, as was the case in 1994 and 1995—when the Jaguars’ current stadium was being built at the site of the old Gator Bowl. “I think that was a consideration,” Smart said during the weekly SEC football coaches’ media teleconference.

But the schools ultimately agreed to stay at neutral NFL sites [[link removed]], albeit ones that will give each school a more “home game” feel. The 2026 contest in Georgia will be played at the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the 2027 matchup in Florida at the Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium, according to the Action Network.

“Kirby and I probably both agree that it’d be awesome to play a home-and-home, but we also know that there’s a tremendous amount of revenue created by having this game in a neutral site,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.

For years, various coaches at both schools have lamented the missed recruiting opportunities of not being able to entertain top prospects on campus for such a big game. “I think the neutral site will present those same revenue opportunities, and that’s ultimately why the decision was made,” Napier said of playing in Atlanta and Tampa.

LOUD AND CLEAR Paying for ‘Needle Movers’

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“A lot of the changes that we’ve made on the talent side, in terms of role elimination, have been financially driven.”

—ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, on the company’s recent on-air talent changes during an interview with CNBC Sport [[link removed]]. Zach Lowe, Robert Griffin III, and Sam Ponder were some of the names laid off this year. The network, however, recently added Jason Kelce and Shams Charania—a replacement for senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who retired from journalism last month.

CNBC Sport’s Alex Sherman called these new hires “pricey,” but Pitaro pushed back and described them as “needle movers.”

In the same interview, Pitaro was also asked about the potential for ESPN to own a sports league. “I will tell you, it’s not something that we’re looking at or considering right now, primarily because we’re so pleased with our rights portfolio,” Pitaro responded.

Last year, ESPN had reportedly been in talks with the top pro sports leagues, including the NBA and NFL [[link removed]], to potentially take a stake in the media company.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes ⬆ The NFL star and his wife, together with the rest of the NWSL’s KC Current ownership group, have met with the WNBA about bringing an expansion franchise to Kansas City [[link removed]], according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The WNBA is looking to add a 16th franchise by 2028. The quarterback also has an ownership stake in MLB’s Royals and MLS club Sporting KC.

Peloton ⬆ The connected fitness company beat previous estimates for its first-quarter revenue for fiscal year 2025. Read more about Peloton’s latest earnings report [[link removed]] from Front Office Sports editorial director of news Lisa Scherzer.

Women’s Super League ⬆ Europe’s top women’s professional soccer league has agreed to a five-year media-rights deal with Sky Sports and BBC. The league described the deal as “the most significant broadcast partnership ever for women’s football.” According to The Athletic, the pact is estimated to be around $83.8 million [[link removed]].

Big 12 ⬇ There was a potential hack of the new coach-to-quarterback communication devices [[link removed]] that could expose the conference to cheating, according to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The issue first came to light during the Sept. 28 game between Texas A&M and Arkansas. However, it’s not clear whether any cheating has been committed due to the breach.

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Conversation Starters Nike paid tribute to the Dodgers and their World Series title by rolling the credits on the 2024 season. Watch it here [[link removed]]. New Balance paid homage to Shohei Ohtani, its star endorser. Take a look [[link removed]]. Under Armour also released an ad featuring World Series MVP Freddie Freeman. Check it out [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Here’s Every NFL Team Linked to Private Equity Investments [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The NFL gave the O.K. in August for PE firms to buy up to 10% of a franchise. The Untapped Revenue ‘Powder Keg’ of Women’s NFL Fandom [[link removed]]by Hilary George-Parkin [[link removed]]There’s a “boatload” of money at stake for brands and the league. Peloton Earnings Beat Expectations As It Still Loses Subscribers [[link removed]]by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]]Peloton tapped Peter Stern, former Ford executive and cofounder of Apple Fitness+, to be its new CEO. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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