November 12, 2024

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Tropicana Field was battered by Hurricane Milton. The repair bill came back today, and it’s hefty: $55.7 million, with a one-year timeline for the project.

The stadium is not the Rays’ long-term home, but the club is also navigating new uncertainty on public financing for a future park expected to open in 2028. What does this development mean for their prospects next year—and much further in the future?

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Tropicana Field Repairs Will Cost $55.7 Million and Take a Year [[link removed]]

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

There’s both good news and bad news in the initial hurricane damage assessment of Tropicana Field. The facility, battered by Hurricane Milton last month [[link removed]], can be repaired and the $55.7 million projected cost to do so isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker. But the work will require about a year, leaving the Rays in a temporary facility for all of the 2025 season.

The St. Petersburg, Fla., city council received the initial, 412-page assessment Tuesday, with the report detailing that the 34-year-old ballpark is still “structurally sound.” But it will require substantial repairs, including $23.6 million alone to replace the shredded roof. In addition to the lost roof, the stadium took on substantial rainfall, and as an indoor facility, was not designed with a drainage system.

“Overall, the stadium appears structurally sound and would be a viable candidate to continue to serve the city (should they so decide) in providing continued service following hurricane damage repairs,” the report’s summary reads in part.

The findings provide more clarity to a notion already growing in recent weeks that the Rays will need a new facility not just for the start or some other portion of next season, but for all of it. Where that will be is still being evaluated, but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed a preference for the Rays to stay in the Tampa area [[link removed]], if possible, and wants to have clarity on their 2025 path by Christmas [[link removed]].

It’s increasingly likely, however, that the Rays will be in a minor league stadium, joining the A’s, who are playing the next three years at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park [[link removed]].

Bigger Decisions

The key question with Tropicana Field, however, is whether St. Petersburg will opt to make these repairs. The city owns the facility, which is now perhaps entering a lame-duck period with last summer’s deal to build a new, $1.3 billion ballpark [[link removed]] for the Rays with a projected opening in 2028. Upcoming changes in the city council membership [[link removed]], however, could also threaten that project happening.

City leaders have already filed an insurance claim to recoup some repair costs, and the Tampa Bay Times reported that the policy on Tropicana Field carries $25 million of coverage after a $22 million deductible [[link removed]]. But the coverage was reduced in March from a prior level of $100 million to save $275,000 in premium payments.

NBA In-Season Tournament Returns: New Name, Fresh Look, Bigger Payout [[link removed]]

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Emirates NBA Cup, now back for its second year, is no longer a novelty. But it is quickly establishing itself as a fixture in the league’s early-season calendar.

After a largely successful debut effort [[link removed]] won last year by the Lakers, the in-season tournament returns this year with a new name [[link removed]], a slightly raised top prize to $514,971 [[link removed]] for each player on the winning team, and a clear sense of purpose among competing players and coaches.

“It’s definitely a different energy that you feel, knowing that those games, I guess, mean a little more in a different way,” said Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. “It’s a fun thing that the NBA is doing. We take the approach of if they’re going to put it in, might as well try to win it.”

Like the debut iteration, the tournament is designed to resemble special in-season competitions common in European soccer and other sports around the world, injecting additional energy into the early stages of the regular season—particularly as there has been some erosion in initial viewership this season [[link removed]].

Group-stage play for the Emirates NBA Cup begins Tuesday with eight games and will culminate with the semifinals and final Dec. 14 and 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The start of the tournament Tuesday is also set to feature the season debut of 76ers center Joel Embiid, who has been criticized for his load management strategies and was then suspended following a locker-room altercation [[link removed]] with a Philadelphia newspaper columnist.

Look Down

Like last year, a key element of the Emirates NBA Cup is the distinctive floor designs, featuring no exposed natural wood [[link removed]], used in every arena around the league, and tying in part into the designs for Nike’s NBA Statement Edition and NBA Association Edition uniforms.

After complaints last year of the tournament floors being overly slippery, the NBA changed its process this year, using a longer production runway and working with a single manufacturer, Ohio-based Robbins, to make them.

Big Money, for Some

The top tournament prize this year features a 3% hike from last year’s $500,000 per player—in keeping with the NBA’s labor deal with the National Basketball Players Association and the Basketball Related Income (BRI) growth factor from 2022–2023 to the following season.

Regardless of specifics, though, that top prize money can be a substantial sum for a player at the end of the bench—who will receive the same check as the top star. The championship figure is nearly half of the league minimum salary this season of $1.16 million and comes close to the $578,577 for players on two-way contracts between the NBA and the G League.

SPONSORED BY EMIRATES NBA CUP

Who Will Capture the Cup?

[[link removed]]

It’s on! The Emirates NBA Cup [[link removed]] begins with some heavy hitters.

Group play kicks off tonight [[link removed]] with a doubleheader on TNT. The New York Knicks battle the Philadelphia 76ers at home at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Dallas Mavericks travel to face the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET. Group-play game nights are every Tuesday and Friday through Dec. 3. Eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. Las Vegas will host the semifinals and championship on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17.

Watch [[link removed]] Rosario Dawson and Michael Imperioli explain the tournament format.

Netflix NFL Christmas Doubleheader Will Be Tracked by Nielsen [[link removed]]

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Netflix is looking to break new ground, both for itself and for the NFL, with its three-year deal to show Christmas Day games [[link removed]]. In monetizing those events, though, the streaming giant is taking a much more conventional route.

The company said Tuesday that it will work with Nielsen on live ratings for its upcoming Christmas 2024 games: a Chiefs-Steelers clash followed by a Ravens-Texans matchup in a doubleheader that includes four 2023 playoff teams all currently poised to make it back this season.

This is the same methodology that Amazon uses for audience measurement of its Thursday Night Football games [[link removed]]—and is designed to provide advertisers with a greater sense of confidence that viewership is being tabulated in accordance with industry norms and can be compared more readily with game broadcasts on other networks. That Nielsen methodology was also recently expanded to include some first-party streaming data [[link removed]].

The Netflix Christmas Day doubleheader will feature rare NFL games played on a Wednesday and also marks a growing effort by the league to expand its presence on the holiday to more closely resemble the existing dominance on Thanksgiving.

Bigger Picture

The work by Netflix with Nielsen, meanwhile, additionally highlights the fast-growing role of advertising and live events in the company’s overall business. In Netflix’s most recent quarterly earnings [[link removed]], ad-tier membership grew 35%, easily outpacing a broader 15% revenue lift, and the company said Tuesday that more than half of its new sign-ups in ad-supported countries are on a subscription tier with advertising.

Not surprisingly, “all available in-game inventory” for the two Christmas Day NFL games is now sold out, and showcase packages were sold to FanDuel, which will be the games’ exclusive pregame sportsbook betting partner, and Verizon, which will be the kickoff sponsor.

“There has been continuous momentum over the last two years, but we’re just getting started and can’t wait to see what’s to come,” Netflix president of advertising Amy Reinhard said Tuesday in a company blog post [[link removed]].

The Christmas games aren’t the only NFL tentpole event to sell out early, as Super Bowl LIX in February, which will be shown on Fox, is also out of available inventory three months before the game [[link removed]].

AWARD

By popular demand, the Best Employers in Sports [[link removed]] survey deadline has been extended!

Take the free employee survey [[link removed]] by Nov. 13 for a chance to recognize your company as one of the best in the business.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant ⬆ The 14-time NBA All-Star could join a team eyeing a bid for a WNBA expansion team in Austin [[link removed]], according to Sports Business Journal. Durant has Lone Star State ties: He played for one year at the University of Texas. NBA players are allowed to have a maximum stake of 4% in a WNBA team. Learn more [[link removed]] about other athletes interested in joining a bid for the 16th WNBA franchise from Front Office Sports reporter Colin Salao.

On ⬆ The sports apparel brand released its Q3 earnings and reported a record in sales and profitability. Read more about the success of the Swiss brand [[link removed]] from FOS editorial director of news Lisa Scherzer.

Minnesota Lynx ⬇ Clare Duwelius is leaving her position as general manager to become the GM and EVP of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league launching in January [[link removed]] cofounded by Lynx star Napheesa Collier. The franchise also lost assistant coach Katie Smith, who joined her alma mater Ohio State as an assistant. On top of the losses in the front office, the Lynx, together with the NBA’s Timberwolves, are awaiting the results of the ownership arbitration hearings [[link removed]] that ended last week [[link removed]].

Lil Wayne ⬆ The rapper will appear once a week on NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network. Lil Wayne made consistent appearances on FS1’s Undisputed before Skip Bayless’s departure in the summer.

POWERED BY ESPN EDGE INNOVATION CONFERENCE

Pushing the Limits of Cutting-Edge Innovation

The fourth annual ESPN Edge Innovation Conference is set for Nov. 14 and will be hosted by Tony Reali, host of Around the Horn.

Highlighting the work coming out of the ESPN Edge Innovation Center and ESPN at large, our event brings together accomplished leaders across sports, technology, and business for impactful conversations focused on strategic ways to champion innovation and push the boundaries of sports storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

Tune in virtually on Nov. 14 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. ET at [[link removed]] and engage with us on social using #ESPNEDGE.

Conversation Starters Former Knicks GM Scott Perry took a stab at the FOS game Factle. Take a look [[link removed]]. FOS multimedia reporter Derryl Barnes tried all four flavors of Más+, the new energy drink of soccer superstar Lionel Messi, in the first episode of Athlete Lab. Watch it here [[link removed]]. 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 NFL Waited for Trump Win to Fine Nick Bosa for MAGA Hat [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The league usually issues such fines quickly, but waited weeks for Bosa. Endeavor to Sell OpenBet, IMG Arena to Its CEO Ari Emanuel [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The move is “a necessary step” as Endeavor seeks to go private. Premier League Ref Suspended for Wild Rants Against Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The unverified video shows the referee since 2018 disparaging Liverpool. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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