November 1, 2024

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Good morning. This year’s World Series was short, ending in five games, but it’s hard to argue it wasn’t sweet for MLB and Fox Sports. Full ratings for the series are in, and the sport drew its biggest audience in seven years—with quite a few recent high marks for individual games.

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

World Series Delivers 7-Year Ratings Record, Marking MLB’s Big Comeback [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Baseball came back in a big way on the national stage during the 2024 World Series, closing out the five-game Dodgers win over the Yankees with the event’s best showing since 2017.

Fox Sports said the taut series—far closer than the final margin would suggest—averaged 15.8 million viewers across all network platforms, 74% over last year’s matchup between the Rangers and Diamondbacks that drew a record-low audience [[link removed]]. Each of the five games this year carried a noteworthy element:

Game 1 (Oct. 25): 15.2 million viewers. The game was the best Fall Classic opener in seven years [[link removed]], providing a key early base for the subsequent viewership increases to come. Game 2 (Oct. 26): 13.8 million viewers. Competing against a full slate of college football, this game actually improved on the opener’s lift compared to 2023 [[link removed]]. Game 3 (Oct. 28): 13.6 million viewers. This contest won out in 2024’s only sports equinox and even gave MLB a rare head-to-head win over the NFL [[link removed]]. Game 4 (Oct. 29): 16.7 million viewers. Until Game 5, this was the most-watched MLB game since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series [[link removed]]. Game 5 (Oct. 30): 18.6 million viewers. The Dodgers’ clinching game [[link removed]] was up by 58% from last year’s Game 5, also a clincher for the Rangers. The contest peaked at a whopping 21.3 million viewers in the ninth inning as Los Angeles closed out the dramatic, comeback victory.

The overall lift also arrived despite the league and network missing out on a sixth and seventh game of the World Series that would have drawn even higher viewership totals, and tens of millions in additional advertising revenue for Fox Sports.

The high-profile matchup [[link removed]] included two of the league’s most popular teams and the two largest U.S. media markets. But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier during the World Series that totals such as these are both a culmination and acceleration of several league initiatives [[link removed]], including prominently marketing the game’s stars and leaning more in to the sport’s international appeal [[link removed]].

ESPN-Fox Pregame Battle in Focus at Ohio State–Penn State [[link removed]]

The Columbus Dispatch

College football fans may feel like they’ve already witnessed a few “games of the year” so far this season. But another is getting added to the list Saturday as No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 3 Penn State—setting up a rare showdown between the sport’s biggest TV networks.

Fox has the game broadcast at noon ET, but Saturday morning will feature a battle of the top two pregame shows as the network’s Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay descend upon the same campus for the second time this fall. In September, both shows broadcast from Ann Arbor ahead of Texas-Michigan.

The TV ratings for both pregame shows are impressive, but College GameDay has been able to extend its lead over Big Noon Kickoff after Fox made some gains on ESPN last season.

ESPN says College GameDay is on pace for its most-watched season, averaging 2.2 million viewers each week. That’s more than double the number of people tuning in to Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff every week, which is just under one million (and similar to its average in 2023).

Different Flavors

ESPN has been boosted this year by the addition of Nick Saban to the College GameDay cast [[link removed]] and has seen Pat McAfee’s field-goal-kicking contest turn into a weekly viral sensation—sometimes paying out six-figure sums to lucky students who can convert a 33-yard extra-point attempt.

Fox is in just its third season of regularly taking Big Noon Kickoff on the road each week, a practice it began in 2022 after the show launched in 2019. Urban Meyer highlights the list of hosts, which also includes Chris “The Bear” Fallica, a former member of College GameDay.

The rival shows may or may not converge at the same location again this year, but there’s no doubt the war for viewers at home will wage on.

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Everyone Wants In on the WNBA Expansion Gold Rush [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The WNBA aims to add another expansion team by the 2028 season—and there is no shortage of eager potential owners.

The league is already preparing to welcome three expansion franchises over the next two years, but WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said the league is evaluating up to “12 cities.”

Major sports figures are beginning to show their interest in joining ownership groups that will bid on the WNBA’s next team. Here is the list of cities and owners that have been reported:

Kansas City (Patrick and Brittany Mahomes): The NFL quarterback and his wife are part of the ownership group of the NWSL’s KC Current— which has met with the WNBA [[link removed]], according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. On Thursday, Patrick Mahomes called the decision to invest in a WNBA team a “no-brainer” [[link removed]] given the league’s success over the past few seasons. Patrick Mahomes is also in the ownership group of MLB’s Royals and MLS club Sporting KC. St. Louis (Jayson Tatum): On the other side of the state, the Celtics star forward has agreed to join a group looking to bring a team to his home city [[link removed]], according to Sportico. The 2023 NBA collective bargaining agreement included a rule allowing players the ability to own up to 4% of a WNBA franchise. Tatum, who could become the NBA’s first player to make $1 billion in career earnings [[link removed]], starts the first year of a five-year, $315 million deal next season. Milwaukee (Bucks ownership): The NBA owners have placed a bid for a WNBA franchise [[link removed]], according to Wisconsin Public Radio. It’s unclear which of the several majority owners of the Bucks—which includes Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam—have a hand in the bid, but longtime owner Wes Edens does not [[link removed]], according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Jacksonville (Donna Orender): The WNBA’s president from 2005 to 2010 told Sports Business Journal in September that she has joined an ownership group aiming to bring a team back to Florida [[link removed]]. Orlando (Magic front office): SBJ also reported in September the NBA franchise is “studying” the WNBA’s business model. The city had the Orlando Miracle for just four seasons before they were relocated to Connecticut. Denver (Robert Cohen, Navin Dimond, and Ashley Dimond): Engelbert visited Denver last August to assess the city as an expansion possibility. In 2023, The Denver Post reported the interested group [[link removed]] included Cohen, chairman and CEO of IMA Financial Group; and the Dimond family, who runs Stonebridge Companies, a hospital and hotel firm.

Other cities, like Miami and Nashville, have also been reported as potential expansion targets. SBJ reported there are “multiple” groups in South Florida exploring the situation.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Cal Ripken Jr. on World Series, Team Ownership, Soto Pursuit

FOS illustration

Cal Ripken Jr. watched the Dodgers win a World Series, and now he is hoping to bring a championship to Baltimore as part-owner of the Orioles. He joined the show to discuss the series, Juan Soto’s free agency, building a successful MLB roster, and how the new Orioles ownership will be different from the previous regime.

Plus, Front Office Sports newsletter writer Eric Fisher analyzes the MLB offseason, and how certain teams may be constrained by an uncertain media situation.

Also, Unrivaled expands, Patrick Mahomes wants a WNBA team, and media members try to drum up an NBA rivalry while the players involved brush it off.

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

NIL WATCH Valuable Verdict

Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

Front Office Sports keeps you updated on the latest NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals shaping college sports. Here’s who is cashing in now:

Athletes: Carson Beck (Georgia), Miller Moss (University of Southern California), Deone Walker (Kentucky), Brock Vandagriff (Kentucky), Chip Trayanum (Kentucky), Ashton Gillotte (Louisville), Quincy Riley (Louisville) Sport: Football Brand: Morgan & Morgan

The deal: The largest injury law firm in the U.S. announced NIL deals with seven college football players, including five from the state of Kentucky. The seven athletes will be featured in Morgan & Morgan advertisements on digital billboards, YouTube, and other social media [[link removed]].

Beck and Moss are both on On3’s NIL 100 list [[link removed]] with valuations of $1.8 million and $1.1 million, respectively. Walker, Gillotte, and Riley all have NIL valuations of at least $220,000, while Trayanum’s and Vandagriff’s valuations are undisclosed.

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How Sports Are Merging Forward

As investment surges across all sports levels—from pro to youth—by diverse investors, consolidation and mergers are on the rise. Promising companies are being rapidly acquired, and some competitors are merging.

Join us Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Mergers & Acquisitions [[link removed]], supported by the United Football League, to explore the future implications for teams, leagues, schools, and athletes.

In this virtual summit, industry leaders will share insights on the growing trend of team acquisitions, the impact of foreign investments on valuations, the role of mergers and acquisitions in reshaping the live sports media landscape, and behind-the-scenes details of the acquisition process.

Register now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Charles Barkley made another joke on Inside the NBA about TNT Sports losing the rights to the NBA to “another network.” Watch it here [[link removed]]. Mookie Betts is the only active MLB position player [[link removed]] with three World Series titles. Magic Johnson, who holds an ownership stake in the Dodgers, now has 15 championship rings [[link removed]] between his time as a player and team owner. Editors’ Picks Unrivaled Expands While Keeping Seat Warm for Caitlin Clark [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The women’s basketball league is adding six roster spots to bring the total to 36. Strauss CEO Calls Polarizing MLB Helmet Ads ‘Huge Success’ [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]Strauss’s deal with MLB goes until 2027. 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. Question of the Day

Do you enjoy “College GameDay” more or less since Pat McAfee joined the show?

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Thursday’s result: 42% of respondents care if the owner of their favorite sports team donates money to presidential candidates.

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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