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Morning Edition

November 22, 2024

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Army and Notre Dame are meeting as ranked teams on Saturday for the first time in 66 years. The two teams stand in sharp contrast, from their recruiting footprint to expectations and the money they can spend on their programs. We paint the historical context and what both the juggernaut and the overachiever have on the line.

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

Old Rivals, New Stakes: Notre Dame and Army to Clash in Yankee Stadium [[link removed]]

South Bend Tribune

Notre Dame and Army will face off for the 52nd time—but the first since 2016—on Saturday, as one of college football’s oldest rivalries looks a lot different in today’s evolving college sports landscape.

The programs played each other every year but one between 1913 and 1947, and then 17 times since, but never more than two years in a row.

Saturday’s contest is taking place at Yankee Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC) as part of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series, which regularly features the Fighting Irish in a neutral location. The most recent Army–Notre Dame matchup eight years ago took place at the Alamodome in San Antonio—a 44–6 rout by the Irish.

Big Stakes on the Line

The first season of the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff [[link removed]] is putting the game in a national spotlight it hasn’t had in 66 years.

No. 6 Notre Dame (9–1) and No. 19 Army (9–0) are meeting as ranked teams for the first time since 1958, which is the last matchup the Black Knights won (No. 3 Army beat No. 4 Notre Dame 14–2).

In the latest CFP rankings and projected Playoff bracket, Notre Dame would host Alabama in a first-round Playoff game, while Army would be left out despite its undefeated record so far. The Black Knights haven’t beaten a ranked team yet, so an upset victory over the Fighting Irish, who are favored by two touchdowns, would go a long way in improving their postseason chances.

Notre Dame’s only loss this year came in September against Northern Illinois, which was paid $1.4 million [[link removed]] to travel to South Bend, Ind., and leave with a stunning victory. Army and No. 20 Tulane have already clinched the two spots in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

Big Bucks vs. No Spending

Notre Dame entered the season as one of the nation’s 15 highest spenders on NIL [[link removed]] (name, image, and likeness) deals for its football players, according to On3. Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred from Duke, has signed deals with well-known brands [[link removed]] like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Rhoback.

In stark contrast to today’s top programs, Army—and every other service academy—prohibits players from accepting NIL deals.

That stance has been firm since NIL was first allowed in 2021, despite multiple recruiting arms of those same military branches striking NIL deals of their own with top college athletes at public universities. UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers partnered with GoArmy and journeyman quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in a campaign for the Marines.

Notre Dame and Army don’t have another football game scheduled as of now.

Rays $1.3B Ballpark Plans Stalled by Bond Delays, Hurricane Fallout [[link removed]]

Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have suffered yet another serious hit to their hopes of building a $1.3 billion ballpark and staying in the Tampa area, as the St. Petersburg, Fla., city council voted Thursday to delay issuing bonds funding part of the construction. But it’s the team itself that likely has rendered the largest amount of damage to the pursuit.

The decision by a 5–2 margin puts on hold $287.5 million of bonds—nearly half of the planned public-sector contribution toward the new stadium. The council also approved and then later rescinded its approval of $23.7 million in appropriations for repairs to the Tropicana Field roof, which suffered major damage last month from Hurricane Milton and represents the largest and most critical part of an estimated $55.7 million bill [[link removed]] for initial stadium restoration.

The city vote on the bonds for the new ballpark closely followed and mirrored Tuesday’s move by the Pinellas County commission to delay for a second time [[link removed]] its consideration to issue bonds supplying another $312.5 million toward the stadium. Like the county’s consideration, city leaders are grappling with using taxpayer funds for a new stadium during a time of extreme local need because of the storm.

“I need to know more. There’s too much that’s vague with our infrastructure needs,” said city council member Gina Driscoll.

What About the Team?

Both the Tropicana Field roof repairs and the larger bond issue will be revisited at future city council hearings. But there is now a serious question of whether any of the body’s actions will ultimately matter. Rays co-president Brian Auld was called to speak multiple times by the officials, and he said the deal for the new ballpark as originally constructed is now “dead” after the county’s prior moves to delay their bond issuance.

Additionally, he said the team harbors significant doubts about getting back into Tropicana Field for the 2026 season, and questioned the public-sector outlay for the repairs. Both situations, according to Auld, delay the Rays’ timetables and introduce additional costs they cannot bear.

“Our intention was never to threaten. It was, in a straightforward way, to be the bearer of bad news,” said Auld, who addressed the council at their request and referenced a perceived heavy-handedness by the team in recent days. “I’m very sorry about the way this is coming across. I think it’s crucial that we all deal with the facts on the ground.”

City administrator Rob Gerdes says he now expects the Rays to send a termination letter, canceling the agreement for the new stadium entirely.

The city’s decision to delay the bonds also perhaps became something of a foregone conclusion as a period of public comment that opened Thursday’s council meeting featured an extended series of local taxpayers questioning the need for taxpayer funds for the ballpark—particularly when St. Petersburg is still recovering from the serious damage levied by the hurricane.

Interim Issues

While the broader questions surrounding the Rays continue, there has already been significant progress in addressing some of the most immediate hurricane damage to the city-owned Tropicana Field. In recent weeks, initial steps taken include removing the remaining stray pieces of the dome fabric, implementing temporary weatherproofing, cleaning up the field, and remediating some water damage inside the stadium.

But whether that will be ultimately meaningless is yet to be determined. Following the county vote, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred urged patience with the situation [[link removed]] and with the hurricane-battered Tampa region, saying, “It’s only fair to give the local governments an opportunity to figure out where they are.”

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F1 Welcomes Second Chapter of Polarizing Las Vegas Grand Prix [[link removed]]

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The second chapter of Formula One’s Las Vegas Grand Prix started Thursday with significantly less buzz compared to last year—for better or worse.

The 2023 iteration was a spectacle planned in 18 months, which included building a $500 million paddock from scratch [[link removed]] in the middle of one of the country’s biggest tourist destinations. F1 chief commercial officer Emily Prazer admitted to Front Office Sports that last year was a challenge, and this year is expected to be a lot “calmer.”

“I think we obviously underestimated the timing and challenges of building an entirely new building,” Prazer said. “But I think last year was an incredible success.”

F1 announced a $1.5 billion economic impact [[link removed]] from last year’s race, which is 50% more than what the Super Bowl generated a few months later. Economic advisory firm The Boyd Company estimates the 2024 Vegas race will have a $1.1 billion economic impact.

Those numbers may still not please all the stakeholders—including restaurant owner Gino Ferraro, who told FOS the race did “nothing” for his business last year. Read more [[link removed]] about the sentiments of Las Vegas business owners like Ferraro on Front Office Sports.

Global Reach vs. Local Appeal

In June 2022, ESPN renewed its rights with F1 until 2025 through a three-year deal that ranged from around $75 million to $90 million [[link removed]] annually. At the time, F1 viewership had ballooned due to the success of the Netflix docuseries Formula One: Drive to Survive.

The 2022 season averaged 1.21 million viewers, the most watched in U.S. history. But last year saw a dip, averaging 1.11 million viewers, even with the addition of the Las Vegas race. This year’s races are averaging 1.12 million viewers when aired on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC following the Brazilian Grand Prix on Nov. 3, which is in line with last year’s average of 1.11 million after the same race.

The Vegas race averaged 1.3 million viewers last year, less than half the viewers of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix in May [[link removed]]. This is in part due to the 1 a.m. ET start time of the race, which is 10 p.m. local time. While F1 adjusted the time of free practice [[link removed]] this year following the delays caused by an accident involving Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz [[link removed]], they didn’t change the actual race’s start time in part due to Vegas’s late-night appeal, but also because the majority of its audience is not in the U.S.

“The other side is the European, Middle Eastern, and Asia broadcast piece,” Prazer said. “That’s our key territory. So a Sunday morning race in Europe is key for our broadcast figures, and we have to sacrifice something and sadly, the East Coast of America is that.”

Undecided Championship Battles

Unlike last year, when both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships were decided well before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, this year’s race has a lot more intrigue that could make up for its dwindling novelty.

With three races left on the calendar, only 49 points separate the top three teams as McLaren holds a 36-point advantage over Ferrari, which is ahead of Red Bull by just 13 points.

The race isn’t as close in the drivers’ championship—but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who is ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by 62 points, can clinch the title on U.S. soil if he beats Norris or loses by less than three points.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY What’s Next for Hapless Jets?

FOS illustration

The Jets are trending in the wrong direction, and Aaron Rodgers’s future with the team is up in the air because of it. Front Office Sports breaking news reporter Alex Schiffer joins to discuss where the Jets’ problems originate, and why the solution might not be as simple as parting ways with the quarterback.

Plus, we hear from SailGP chief revenue officer Ben Johnson on recent developments in pro sailing, Caitlin Clark has turned down the offer from Unrivaled, and Joel Embiid addresses leaks from the 76ers’ team meeting.

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

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Festive Gifts for Every Sports Fan

The Front Office Sports Holiday Gift Guide [[link removed]] is back, featuring an exclusive lineup of athlete-owned, represented, and partnered brands that sports fans will love.

This year’s guide showcases standout products from icons and innovators like Suni Lee, Caitlin Clark, Leslie Osborne, Lewis Hamilton, and Ilona Maher, alongside top brands [[link removed]] like LoveShackFancy, Wilson, and Maybelline. Whether you’re shopping for your stylish Secret Santa pick, your fitness-loving wellness guru, your corporate athlete colleague, or the ultimate sports enthusiast, we’ve got the perfect picks to make their season.

Win the gifting game and shop [[link removed]] the FOS Holiday Gift Guide now.

Conversation Starters The Pelicans shared a time-lapse video of the installation of their City Edition court. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Front Office Sports multimedia reporter Lindsay Zienty explained the journey of Jessica Campbell, the first female coach in the NHL. Check it out [[link removed]]. UConn brought out a live goat during the celebration of Geno Auriemma becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Caitlin Clark Has Told Unrivaled She Won’t Play in Inaugural Season [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]] and Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Clark has definitively told Unrivaled that she won’t be playing this year. ‘Around the Horn’ to End 23-Year ESPN Run in 2025 [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]ESPN had reportedly been thinking of canceling the show since the summer. TGL Considering Mixed Event, Women’s League Amid LPGA Talks [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The new league from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy launches in January. Question of the Day

Is Army the best underdog story of this college football season? If you have another team in mind, respond to this email telling us why. We may feature your reply in a future newsletter.

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Thursday’s result: 64% of respondents think Colorado will make the College Football Playoff.

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