Morning Edition

November 13, 2024

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Welcome back to our flagship newsletter, now named The Memo. New name, same schedule: you’ll get The Memo twice on weekdays, plus once on Saturdays and Sundays. Thanks for reading.

The Chiefs and Bills will play perhaps the most highly anticipated game of this NFL season on Sunday. CBS is going all-out to promote and cover the game, with great expectations in mind. Is a 2024 ratings high mark in play?

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

Chiefs-Bills Clash Could Set Ratings High, and CBS Is Going Big [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This Sunday’s Chiefs-Bills game from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., is no ordinary regular-season contest, and it certainly isn’t being treated that way, either.

The high-profile clash between the top two teams in the American Football Conference was already set for national-level coverage on CBS in the key 4:25 p.m. ET broadcast window, and it is being billed as the NFL’s game of the year so far. The network, however, is supplementing that status by bringing its The NFL Today pregame studio show to Highmark Stadium [[link removed]], an on-site broadcasting plan for that program normally reserved for the Super Bowl and conference championship game.

“Yeah!” The NFL Today’s Nate Burleson screamed on-air with clenched fists upon the network’s announcement of the on-location presence. “I can’t wait to go to Buffalo. Can’t wait!”

As a result, the matchup could challenge the 2024 league opener between the Chiefs and Ravens, which drew an average of 29.2 million viewers [[link removed]], as the most-watched game of the regular season.

Lots of Appeal

Beyond the on-field supremacy of both teams, there are plenty of storylines with each franchise—and between them—to help draw in viewers.

The Chiefs, of course, are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and will enter the game with a 9–0 record as Kansas City continues its pursuit of an undefeated season [[link removed]], one dramatically extended this past Sunday with a blocked field goal against the Broncos as time expired. The team has also supplanted the struggling Cowboys [[link removed]] as the top television draw in the NFL [[link removed]].

The Bills, meanwhile, have raced to their first 8–2 mark since 1993, the last of their four straight Super Bowl seasons during that early 1990s dynasty, and have one of the league’s most celebrated fan groups with Bills Mafia. Star quarterback Josh Allen has elevated his game even further to become a serious candidate for NFL Most Valuable Player. A forthcoming new stadium, also to be known as Highmark Stadium, is moving along in construction [[link removed]] and remains on target to open for the 2026 season.

Kansas City, meanwhile, has ended the Bills’ season three of the last four years, including a 27–24 divisional-round win last season in Buffalo, and a dramatic 42–36 overtime victory at Arrowhead Stadium in the same playoff round of the 2021 season.

Bears Revisiting Another Lakefront Location for New Stadium [[link removed]]

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The Bears are determined to keep the team in the heart of Chicago.

As the franchise continues to explore the next location for its proposed $4.7 billion domed stadium [[link removed]], the Michael Reese site, a 48.6-acre lot on the Chicago lakefront, is back in consideration [[link removed]], according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

Bears president Kevin Warren said earlier this year that the site—which sits about 2.5 miles south of Soldier Field and a mile south of the Wintrust Arena, home of the Chicago Sky—was part of 10 to 12 the team considered, but was previously rejected because it was narrow and “doesn’t work from an NFL standpoint.” [[link removed]]

The team’s preferred option continues to be a lakefront stadium adjacent to Soldier Field—but the proposal has not gained any traction with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker [[link removed]], particularly as more than half the cost would need to be shouldered by public funding. The proposal has also received pushback from preservation group Friends of the Parks.

The Reese site has been pushed as an option by Friends of the Parks and government research organization Civic Federation. It was purchased by the city of Chicago as a potential Olympic Village site, but it was never used since Brazil won the hosting rights to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

A Reese site stadium proposal could receive a more favorable reaction from the local government given the area is already undergoing a $4.3 billion redevelopment project [[link removed]].

Warren doesn’t seem to have closed the door on the Bears moving to Chicago suburb Arlington Heights, where the team purchased more than 300 acres of land in 2023 [[link removed]], saying in October the team has “stayed close with the individuals in Arlington Heights.” But according to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears are determined to stay within the city of Chicago [[link removed]]—and are more open to sites away from the lakefront.

On-Field Circus

The Bears fell to 4–5 following a loss at home to the Patriots on Sunday. Chicago is in the middle of a three-game losing streak, which started with the Hail Mary loss to the Commanders [[link removed]].

On Tuesday, the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron as the team has not scored a touchdown in its last 23 offensive drives. According to ESPN’s Marc Silverman, there are “a few veteran players” who have even requested second-year quarterback Tyson Bagent start [[link removed]] over 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.

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.

NBA’s Declining Viewership Gets Steph Curry Bump [[link removed]]

Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

A splash of Steph Curry helped curb the NBA’s declining TV viewership to open the season.

The first nationally televised game for Curry and the Warriors—a close win Wednesday over the defending champion Celtics—drew 2.14 million viewers on ESPN, the most-watched game since opening week and up 30% from the comparable game last year (Spurs-Knicks), according to Sports Media Watch.

Curry and the Warriors, along with LeBron James and the Cavaliers, were the league’s viewership darlings for most of the 2010s [[link removed]]. But the Warriors were not expected to make much noise this year following a season in which they finished 10th in the West and were ousted in the play-in—and were missing from the league’s opening-week schedule.

Curry has averaged just 22 points per game, his lowest since an injury-riddled 2019–2020 campaign, but Golden State’s depth has propelled the team to an 8–2 start.

Still Trending Down

The viewership boost comes after declines in viewership through most of the first two weeks of the season that sparked a conversation [[link removed]] about whether the waning fan interest is correlated to the three-point-happy style of play.

However, James and Kevin Durant weren’t able to carry the positive momentum into Friday’s games, as the ESPN doubleheader (Suns-Mavericks and Lakers-76ers) averaged about 1.36 million viewers. That number is down 19% versus the comparable window from last year—though last year’s nightcap saw James and the Lakers face off against Durant and the Suns, drawing almost two million viewers.

This year’s second game featured a healthy Lakers team against a Sixers squad missing Tyrese Maxey to injury and Joel Embiid to suspension [[link removed]]. Paul George was the lone “star” player [[link removed]] available for Philadelphia, but he was playing just his third game of the year as he returned from a left knee injury and was on a minutes restriction.

In-Season Hope

The second iteration of the NBA’s in-season tournament, now called the Emirates NBA Cup, tipped off Tuesday—and the league is hoping it bolsters interest in its regular season, especially during the period before Christmas. Last year’s tournament saw a 26% viewership increase versus viewership windows from the previous season [[link removed]].

The tournament, won by the Lakers last year, runs until the semifinals and finals on Dec. 14 and 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

ONE BIG FIG A Deficit in Dallas

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

$53 million

What the Mavericks effectively lost [[link removed].] when they ended their rights agreement with Diamond Sports Group and decided to broadcast games on their own through a new company, MavsTV. The Dallas Morning News reports the Mavericks made $85 million per year from their local TV deal in 2021–2022, but that amount dropped to $55 million last year and would have been $45 million if they’d remained with DSG this season. Instead, they spent $8 million to build their own streaming operation, with games also carried over the air by regional Tegna stations in multiple states.

EVENT

Tune in today at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Mergers & Acquisitions, presented by ReadyRefresh, to explore the evolving landscape of sports mergers and acquisitions, and the future implications for teams, leagues, schools, and athletes.

Register now [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Is Jerry Jones Holding the Cowboys Back?

FOS illustration

Jerry Jones says Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is unlikely to get fired during the season, despite the team’s 3–6 record so far. But according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the problems with Dallas start with its notorious owner. Schultz joins the show with the latest with the Cowboys, the Chiefs, and more.

Plus, we speak with Annika Sörenstam ahead of the celebrity pro-am LPGA event in her namesake, The Annika driven by Gainbridge.

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

SPONSORED BY WSC SPORTS

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More than 500 customers—including the NBA, Bleacher Report, the New Jersey Devils, and Clemson University—use WSC Sports [[link removed]] to automate the creation of highlights with speed, accuracy, and scale. Now WSC Sports’ powerful automation capabilities are coming to all content around the game as well.

Automate press conferences: Every in-game reference, quotable moment, and important topic automatically turns into short-form content [[link removed]] and is tagged with metadata

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Automate archival footage: Give greater context to content automatically by pulling in highlights from the past so fans can see related content and how it applies to today’s story

Fuel the fandom with around-the-game automation. Learn more [[link removed]].

TRIVIA

Test your skills in our new daily sports trivia game [[link removed]]! We’re giving our newsletter subscribers a hint for today’s question: Caleb Williams is one of the answers in the top five.

Conversation Starters A trailer dropped for the documentary It’s in the Game: Madden NFL, which premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 26. Check it out [[link removed]]. FOS Explains dived into how athletes like Michael Jordan and Serena Williams have transitioned from on-court superstars to business moguls. Watch it here [[link removed]]. The top-selling NFL jersey so far this season belongs to Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Take a look [[link removed]] at the top 10. Editors’ Picks On Brand Posts Record Sales, Says It’s No Longer ‘Just a Running Brand’ [[link removed]]by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]]The Swiss company credited its full-price strategy for its stellar quarter. The $23 Million Reason a Daniel Jones Benching Is Looming [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Injury guarantees have come into play for several quarterbacks in recent years. RFK Stadium Bill Could Clear Congress in Lame-Duck Session [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The legislation would grant D.C. a 99-year lease for the land. Question of the Day

Are you going to watch the Chiefs-Bills game Sunday?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s result: 29% of respondents think Diamond Sports Group will emerge from bankruptcy.

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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