November 11, 2024

Read in Browser [[link removed]]

POWERED BY

The Cowboys have spent the last 28 years as an interesting team—usually a good team—and a financial juggernaut capitalizing enormously on dynasties in the 1970s and ’90s. America’s Team is the most valuable sports franchise on Earth by every estimate, and it’s long been the NFL’s biggest TV draw.

However, as the team has its worst season in nearly a decade and TV executives see numbers decline, Jerry Jones’s worst nightmare may become a reality: the irrelevance that accompanies being flexed out of high-profile broadcast spots.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Cowboys’ Struggles Could Lead the NFL to Flex Out America’s Team [[link removed]]

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Could America’s Team be flexed out of some of the NFL’s biggest broadcast windows?

We’ll soon begin to find out as the Cowboys’ 2024 season continues to unravel from one starting with Super Bowl aspirations to potentially their worst campaign in nearly a decade.

Dallas was trounced at home Sunday by the Eagles 34–6, extending a winless season thus far at home for the Cowboys and dropping their overall record to 3–6.

After three straight 12-win, playoff seasons, the team is also battling a string of serious injuries to star players such as quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. And its best defensive player—pass rusher Micah Parsons—had missed the previous four games with a high ankle sprain.

Still, Dallas has lost four straight, and its next three games are locked in: a Monday Night Football matchup on Nov. 18 against the Texans and a Thanksgiving Day game on Nov. 28 against the Giants, currently 2–8. That late-afternoon Thanksgiving game is traditionally the most-watched contest of every NFL regular season, but that status could be threatened this year as 2025 draft positions will likely be most at stake there instead. In between those games is an early-afternoon matchup against the Commanders on Nov. 24.

After that, three of the Cowboys’ final five games are currently in key broadcast windows: a Dec. 9 MNF game against the Bengals, a Dec. 22 Sunday Night Football game against the Buccaneers, and a Dec. 29 national America’s Game of the Week slot at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox against the Eagles. All three of those games conceivably stand at risk for movement by the NFL in the league’s flex scheduling rules [[link removed]]—particularly given that Cincinnati and Tampa Bay also have losing records, and Philadelphia could have a postseason slot locked up by then.

That SNF game, as well as the Week 17 Eagles game, could be shifted with at least six days’ notice while moving the MNF matchup requires a minimum of 12 days’ notice.

The thought of the Cowboys not being in the leading broadcast windows is a major turn after the team has traditionally held bragging rights as the NFL’s top television draw. That status, however, now lies with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs [[link removed]], who are still undefeated [[link removed]] after a last-second blocked field goal Sunday against the Broncos.

The Cowboys, one of the NFL’s most popular teams for more than 50 years, are currently on pace for their worst season since 2015, when they finished 4–12. Still, there is some hope within the league of a late-season revival.

“They’re obviously having their troubles, but we haven’t given up on them,” an NFL source said.

More Troubles

The on-field and television issues, however, are hardly the only drama surrounding the Cowboys. In that loss to the Eagles on Sunday, receiver CeeDee Lamb dropped a potential touchdown pass due to sun glare coming into AT&T Stadium.

Lamb called for curtains to be installed [[link removed]], but team owner Jerry Jones instead lashed out at reporters after the Eagles game, sarcastically responding, “Well, let’s tear the damn stadium down and build another one. Are you kidding me?”

Such sun-related issues have cropped up occasionally in the facility’s 15-year tenure to date, also leading Jones to say, “Everybody has got the same thing. Every team that comes in here has the same issues.”

SMU’s Nine-Figure ACC Move Is Paying Off in Year 1 [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron/Imagn Images

SMU paid its way into the ACC—to the tune of nine figures—and its big-money move is already paying off in Year 1.

The Mustangs (8–1), slotted No. 13 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, are coming out of a bye week with three games remaining against unranked opponents, and a chance to put the once-blacklisted program in its biggest national spotlight in decades.

With their only loss coming to non-conference opponent BYU, SMU is now the last undefeated team in ACC play, following Miami’s 28–23 loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Hurricanes were ranked No. 4 in the CFP rankings.

Tuesday night’s next CFP rankings will reveal whether SMU has moved up in the standings, but it’s all about the finish: The ultimate ACC champion will be in line to automatically qualify for the CFP and receive a first-round bye under the new 12-team format.

SMU claimed two disputed national championships in 1981 and 1982, and it was hit with NCAA violations later that decade. Then, in 1987, SMU became the first and only college football program to receive the “death penalty” from the NCAA after it was found to be paying players. That resulted in the program canceling two football seasons. SMU didn’t make another bowl game until 2009, and it hasn’t yet played in the CFP or a New Year’s Six bowl game, either.

Time to Shine

In June, SMU’s athletic department announced it reached a new fundraising record of $159 million during the 2023–2024 fiscal year [[link removed]]. Most of those funds were secured during the week following the Sept. 1, 2023, announcement that the school would leave the American Athletic Conference and move to the ACC.

That came after influential SMU donor David Miller was able to get $200 million in donation commitments [[link removed]] from the school’s richest boosters last summer. SMU agreed to forgo a share of media-rights revenue to join the ACC, but the conference was initially concerned the Mustangs wouldn’t be able to compete without solid funding.

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee received a contract extension ahead of the ACC move, but because the school is private, his salary is not publicly available.

This season, SMU opened the Garry Weber End Zone Complex at the football team’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The 192,500-square-foot facility, which came with a $100 million price tag, includes a football center, human performance level, and hospitality level.

SPONSORED BY UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Inside the Rise of Sports Mergers

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]].

LOUD AND CLEAR No Mincing Words

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

“This game was absolutely stolen from us.”

—Utah athletic director Mark Harlan after the Utes lost a controversial game to cross-state rival Brigham Young, 22–21 on Saturday. Utah had appeared to win the game over BYU, but a late defensive holding penalty against the Utes kept a Cougars offensive drive alive, and they ultimately kicked the winning field goal in the game’s final seconds. Harlan made a rare move for an AD by taking the podium in the post-game interview room, continuing that he was “disgusted by the professionalism” of the Big 12 officiating crew.

Harlan’s comments drew a $40,000 fine, with conference commissioner Brett Yormark saying, “There’s a right way and a wrong way to voice concerns. Unfortunately, Mark chose the wrong way.” Harlan in a subsequent statement accepted the fine and acknowledged there are “more appropriate times and avenues” to address officiating.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

College football in Florida ⬇ The Sunshine State’s FBS and FCS teams combined to go 0–9 this past weekend, led by losses from the state’s three traditional top programs: Miami, Florida, and Florida State. The state is typically one of the epicenters of the sport, both among its local programs and from a broader recruiting perspective. But only the 9–1 Hurricanes even have a winning record this year among Florida’s FBS schools.

Coco Gauff ⬆ The tennis star completed an up-and-down 2024 season by winning the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, claiming a $4.8 million winner’s check, representing the biggest payout for a women’s tennis event. Gauff has now won $21.6 million in her career.

South Bay Lakers ⬆⬇ The Los Angeles Lakers’ G League affiliate sold out their season opener Saturday featuring Bronny James, son of L.A. superstar LeBron James, who was in attendance. South Bay defeated the Salt Lake City Stars, 110–96. But the younger James had an uneven performance with six points on 2-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, four assists, and a team-leading five turnovers. After the game, former NBA coach George Karl responded to a Legion Hoops recap of the game by tweeting [[link removed]], “Is Legion Hoops trying to create news by showing Bronny is bad, like everyone knew he would be?? This ain’t news.”

Formula One ⬆ The motorsports property is taking hosting bids for its 2026 Grand Prix schedule, and competition is heating up around the world, with even some countries’ prime ministers reportedly getting involved in the effort. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali further touted the circuit’s fiscal and cultural heft in a recent interview with CNBC [[link removed]]. “I know how big the American Super Bowl is in terms of economic impact. We are bigger,” he said.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Now is Your Chance

By popular demand, the deadline to take the Best Employers in Sports [[link removed]] survey has been extended to Nov. 13.

The Front Office Sports Best Employers in Sports Award [[link removed]] is an employee-driven award that recognizes organizations that do right by their employees through great leadership, focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, commitment to employee well-being, and more.

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.

You have two more days to take the free employee survey. Complete the survey [[link removed]] now or by Nov. 13.

Conversation Starters NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the league plans to hold regular-season games internationally [[link removed]] in 2025 across Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Germany, and the U.K. Is Pope Francis a #Saints fan? While we don’t know for sure, he has used the team’s official hashtag seven times in the past two weeks. Check it out [[link removed]]. Deion Sanders earned a $100,000 bonus for leading Colorado to its seventh win. With $400,000 in bonuses so far, he’ll now receive $100,000 for each win the team secures [[link removed]] for the rest of the regular season. The Buffaloes have three games left. Editors’ Picks Tennis Channel Suspends Journalist Jon Wertheim After Hot Mic Comments About Player’s Appearance [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]He said the comments were “inadvertently” broadcast. Bucks Limited by Salary Cap Woes Amid Early-Season Struggles [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]Milwaukee is one of four teams above the NBA’s second apron this season. Vandy QB Pavia Sues NCAA for 2 More Years of Eligibility [[link removed]]by Jeff Benson [[link removed]]Diego Pavia beat Alabama. Can he beat the NCAA’s eligibility rules? 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]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here [[link removed]].

Update your preferences [link removed] / Unsubscribe [link removed]

Copyright © 2024 Front Office Sports. All rights reserved.

460 Park Avenue South, 7th Floor, New York NY, 10016