November 8, 2024

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Good morning. NASCAR TV ratings are on the rise, a new media-rights deal is imminent, and new locations are planned. The success of the 2024 season is inarguable but not unqualified, as NASCAR faces a lawsuit from team owner Michael Jordan over the organization’s charter agreement. But going into the year’s final race, there are many reasons to be bullish.

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

NASCAR Season Wraps Up With Major Momentum for 2025 [[link removed]]

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

NASCAR is in a prime position to close out its 2024 season on a high note as a boost in TV ratings during the playoffs has helped build momentum on and off the track heading into Sunday’s Cup Series Championship race in Phoenix.

After NASCAR’s penultimate race in Martinsville last weekend, Cup Series races this year have averaged 2.89 million viewers on Fox Sports and NBC Sports platforms. That’s up 2% compared to the same period in 2023, despite the sport’s biggest TV draw—the Daytona 500—taking a 27% ratings hit due to a one-day rain delay. Playoff races are averaging 2.26 million viewers, up 6% from last season.

After Sunday’s checkered flag, expect a busy NASCAR offseason as the sport gets ready for major changes in 2025, including:

The formal launch of $7.7 billion media-rights deals [[link removed]] with incumbent broadcasters Fox and NBC, as well as new partners Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports, and The CW The debut of a bracket-style in-season tournament [[link removed]] that will award the winning driver $1 million The first Cup Series race outside the U.S. in NASCAR’s modern history as the circuit hits Mexico City [[link removed]]

International expansion is one of the sport’s biggest initiatives right now, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell told Front Office Sports in an interview [[link removed]] this week. And Mexico may only be the first step.

“​​If we’re able to pull it off, we’d certainly like to be in both Canada and Mexico,” O’Donnell said. “I think North America deserves NASCAR racing on both sides of the border.”

Not Just Racetracks Anymore

Next season will be NASCAR’s third year racing in the streets of Chicago, and there’s no guarantee the Windy City’s expiring contract to host an event will be renewed. “Tough to say,” O’Donnell said when asked about remaining in Chicago. “I think what will be a permanent fixture is the idea of new venues.”

In 2025, NASCAR is moving its preseason exhibition, The Clash, out of the Los Angeles Coliseum after three years in favor of a track in Winston-Salem, N.C. “At some point, you look at things: Are they sustainable, year in, year out for the long term?” O’Donnell said of the decision.

He expects The Clash to keep moving around in the future but admits finding another football stadium to race in will be tough. “The initial idea was we were going to race at Soldier Field,” O’Donnell said of NASCAR eventually ending up at the L.A. Coliseum in 2022. The Bears’ stadium hosted NASCAR races in the 1950s.

“What we didn’t realize is they’ve turned that from what it used to be in the track to just a football field,” O’Donnell said. “So, there’s a limited number of facilities that have that kind of Olympic-sized track around it. You look in Europe, they certainly exist, but not many in the U.S.”

The MJ Dilemma

On Sunday, a champion could be crowned whose team is suing NASCAR [[link removed]].

Tyler Reddick is among the four drivers eligible to win the title. His team, 23XI Racing, owned by Michael Jordan, is in a legal fight with NASCAR [[link removed]] over the sport’s charter agreements. But despite the potential distraction, O’Donnell is looking at the positives.

“There’s no secret in terms of our position that we’re not publicly talking about lawsuits—we’re concentrating on what’s going on with the event,” he said. “And if you pivot to even what Michael Jordan said [Monday], he’s going to win a championship.”

Overall, Jordan’s “huge presence” is still a net positive for NASCAR, O’Donnell said. “He’s a fan, and we love that. I think we’re all fans of the sport, as well, and we share that in common. We share the enthusiasm going into the championship.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Joey Logano Talks NASCAR vs. F1, Chasing Third Championship

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Ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship this Sunday, Joey Logano, one of four drivers competing for this season’s title, joins the show to discuss his preparation for the race, recent fines issued by NASCAR, and the sport’s evolution.

Plus, we hear from Front Office Sports reporter Colin Salao about why the NBA’s ratings continue to decline and how much they actually matter.

Also, Florida addresses Billy Napier’s future, the Browns give a Deshaun Watson update, and Raygun retires.

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

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Whether you’re starting a business or funding an education, U.S. Bank is here by your side, proving day in and day out that there’s nothing as powerful as the power of us [[link removed]].

Cardinals Return to DSG at Reduced Fee, but Company’s Issues Remain [[link removed]]

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball’s Cardinals are returning to Diamond Sports Group in a revised rights deal. However, the formal stance of the league in the attempted reorganization of the bankrupt regional sports network operator is still uncertain.

The club and DSG announced a new, multiyear agreement that supersedes a prior pact that had been scheduled to run to 2032, and notably, includes direct-to-consumer streaming rights for the first time in that market for Cardinals games.

Like what DSG is attempting to do with most of its other MLB rights deals [[link removed]], the reworked Cardinals pact includes a rights fee reduction, estimated in this case at more than 20%. But even as other teams such as the Brewers, Guardians, and Twins have chosen MLB’s in-house model [[link removed]] for production and local games, the status quo was preferable for the Cardinals. Also helping fuel the reworked deal with DSG is the Cardinals’ position as an equity holder in the local FanDuel Sports Network Midwest.

“We valued the continuity of our fans staying on the same network as the Blues, and we are excited that we will now be able to expand access to our games,” said team president Bill DeWitt III.

The Cardinals join the Braves [[link removed]] and Marlins in DSG’s known baseball plans for next season. The local broadcast fate of the Angels, Rays, Reds, Royals, and Tigers is still uncertain as the situation continues.

Deadline Looms

MLB, meanwhile, has yet to file a long-expected objection to DSG’s reorganization plan, and a deadline to do so was shifted for the second time this week. After a prior deadline of Tuesday was changed to Thursday, a subsequent filing again moved that timing, this time to Friday afternoon.

While DSG struck revised rights deals with the NBA and NHL [[link removed]], shoring up its fall and winter sports programming, its relationship with MLB has been far more adversarial. For nearly two years, there has been steady rancor between the company and the league, and most recently, MLB pleaded with the court to get clarity [[link removed]] on DSG’s full broadcast plans for 2025.

F1 Revenue Dips As Q3 Race Count Slips, but Big Changes Ahead [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Formula One saw a slight revenue drop in Q3 based on an earnings report from its parent company, Liberty Media.

Primary F1 revenue dropped to $861 million from $887 million last year due to fewer media-rights and sponsorship fees, though this was more circumstantial as there were seven races this past quarter versus eight in the same quarter last year. There are 24 total races this year, the most ever for an F1 season, compared to 22 last season.

The Formula One Group, which includes Primary F1 as well as corporate and other revenue, was up to $911 million from $887 million last year. In October, the company secured a global sponsorship deal with luxury brand conglomerate LVMH [[link removed]] starting in 2025, a 10-year deal that could be worth as much as $1 billion [[link removed]], according to Fortune. The partnership means that Rolex, the official timepiece of F1 since 2013, is expected to be replaced by TAG Heuer.

Liberty reported a net earnings loss of $3 billion coming from discontinuing operations of Liberty Sirius XM holdings following its split with SiriusXM on Sept. 9. Liberty also spun off MLB’s Braves in July 2023 [[link removed]], which turned the franchise into a publicly traded entity. Their earnings were reported on Wednesday. [[link removed]]

Plenty Still on the Line

With three races left in the 2024 calendar, the drivers’ championship is Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s to lose as he holds a comfortable 62-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris.

However, the constructors’ championship is still a three-horse race as McLaren has a 36-point advantage over Ferrari, which leads Red Bull by just 13 points.

It’s unclear how much each team would win based on where they will finish in the standings, but Motorsport.com estimated Red Bull’s 2023 winnings to be $140 million [[link removed]], compared to $131 million for the second-place Mercedes and $122 million for the third-place Ferrari.

F1’s next race weekend is in Las Vegas starting Nov. 21, the second iteration of the race scheduled to grace the Strip once a year until 2032 [[link removed]]. Last year’s controversial race included a bevy of complaints from residents and local businesses [[link removed]], while a loose drain cover on the track was run over by Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz [[link removed]] during Practice 1, forcing him to change his car’s energy storage system and triggering a 10-place grid penalty.

LOUD AND CLEAR CFB Super League Lifeline?

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

“Urgent need.”

—Baylor president Linda Livingstone, who is also the chairwoman of the Big 12 board, on the importance of discussing recent proposals for super leagues in college football [[link removed]]. In a letter to other university leaders [[link removed]] obtained by The Athletic, Livingstone wrote, “The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors agrees there is an urgent need for the presidents and chancellors from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC to gather in person to discuss these and other topics impacting college athletics and each of our universities.”

Last month, the commissioners of the Big Ten and SEC said they were not interested in any super league plans [[link removed]]. Those two conferences also just happen to be exploring a potential scheduling partnership [[link removed]] around college football.

SPONSORED BY GAINBRIDGE

Parity Week Paint Scheme Hits NASCAR

A meaningful paint scheme will be on display at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway, supporting Parity Week by Gainbridge [[link removed]], a partnership among Gainbridge®, Parity, and the Women’s Sports Foundation® (WSF).

Gainbridge® has awarded 21 grants and $150,000 in total funding to organizations that support girls and women through sports and education. The grant recipients [[link removed]] are listed on the rear of the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that NASCAR driver Justin Haley will steer.

Each recipient is hosting an event this month supporting girls and women through sports and education [[link removed]]. There are 14 different states represented. The initiative was inspired by sports icon and equality advocate Billie Jean King, who started the WSF 50 years ago.

Gainbridge® and King are aligned through the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, which is also this month in Spain.

Conversation Starters One of Michael Jordan’s game-worn jerseys from the 1996–1997 season sold for nearly $4.7 million. Learn more [[link removed]] on Front Office Sports Today. Last Saturday’s game between Ohio State and Penn State averaged 9.94 million viewers, the most-watched college football game on Fox [[link removed]] this season. Want a chance to win $250? Help FOS improve by taking a few minutes to complete a brief survey [[link removed]]. As a thank-you, we’re offering a chance to win a Visa gift card or FOS merch of your choice. Submissions are open through Nov. 19. Editors’ Picks NWSL Signs First College Player Since Abolishing Draft [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The new era of true free agency in the NWSL has arrived. Florida Gives Billy Napier Vote of Confidence With Huge Buyout Looming [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Napier’s $26 million buyout would be second largest in college football history. Under Armour Turnaround Underway, Raises Profit Guidance [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]CEO and founder Kevin Plank returned to lead the company in April. Question of the Day

Are you planning to watch Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship?

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Thursday’s result: Only 6% of respondents think the Chiefs will finish the 2024 regular season undefeated.

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