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Sunday Edition
December 29, 2024
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After a 2024 that included massive transformations across investments, media deals, college sports, and more, it’s become clear that we’re broaching a new frontier in the business of sports. In short: Lots more changes are on the way. Readers agree. Here are our—and your—predictions for another big year.
FOS Crystal Ball: Predictions for the Business of Sports in 2025
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It’s our job day in and day out to follow the biggest and most important developments in the business of sports. We’ve spent much of the past two weeks looking back on an eventful 2024 [[link removed]], and now Front Office Sports staffers are turning our eyes to the future. We asked readers to do so as well.
Here’s a selection of what our writers and editors think will happen in the year ahead—and what you foresee too. For our staff’s full-length crystal ball predictions, head to the site [[link removed]].
Our Crystal Ball
With the lure of steady developmental playing time as well as the growing influence of NIL (name, image, and likeness) money, college athletes are staying in school longer than they used to. I think next year, at least one prospect with a first-round projection will return to school and play on a seven-figure NIL deal in hopes he can raise his standing even further with more seasoning. — Or Moyal [[link removed]]
We’re going to see more college coaches resign abruptly and blame the new landscape. In just the final months of 2024, Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett, Wake Forest football coach Dave Clawson, and Miami basketball coach Jim Larranaga all did it. They blamed the “current environment” (Bennett), “where the industry is right now” (Clawson), and “this whole new world that I was dealing with” (Larranaga). In 2025, college sports chaos will deepen and more coaches will throw in the towel. — Dan Roberts [[link removed]]
A PGA Tour–PIF deal, which was scrutinized by the U.S. Department of Justice, could have an easier time getting green-lit once President Trump’s administration takes office. But even if the two sides form an official pact, complications will persist surrounding how LIV players can return to the PGA Tour and if and how LIV will continue to operate. — David Rumsey [[link removed]]
This time last year, I was of the mind that the athlete employment classification was inevitable—two National Labor Relations Board cases and one federal court case all seemed to be trending that way. But the next Congress may be more willing to halt these cases. The NLRB’s national board will also have a more conservative makeup, especially after the Senate blocked the reconfirmation of left-leaning chairman Lauren McFerran. — Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]
Clashing with president-elect Trump—and billionaire associate Elon Musk whose X/Twitter platform houses official league accounts—is something league commissioners and college sports leaders would like to avoid in his second term. That could mean a repeat of championship teams skipping White House visits would be less likely, although individual athletes are another story. — A.J. Perez [[link removed]]
Roger Goodell & Co. will use the league’s global expansion to auction a new media-rights package of international games played in the U.K., Germany, and other far-flung locales. Such a Sunday morning package could fetch $1 billion or more from giant streamers like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, or Apple, according to sources. For football viewers, it would provide an all-day smorgasbord of games from morning to midnight. — Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]
New York baseball has already been the story of MLB’s offseason, with the Mets signing Juan Soto to a record-setting, $765 million contract and the Yankees essentially rebuilding the lost impact of Soto through several impactful acquisitions. Could both teams actually get better because of this? It’s quite likely. The Yankees and Mets will combine to draw more than six million fans—forming a key base of another attendance increase for the league—and a Subway World Series is a rather strong possibility. — Eric Fisher [[link removed]]
And Now for Your Predictions
Major sports leagues most likely will expand their reach internationally, with possibly more games played overseas while creating more partnerships with foreign teams. This will certainly create increased new revenue streams and fan bases in emerging new markets. —Gary Bernstein via email
A major gambling scandal will massively tarnish at least one of the Big Five pro leagues in North America. — Matthew Johnson [[link removed]] on Twitter
With the recent involvement of PE firms in NFL, another owner is going to cash in on the surge of professional sports team valuations and sell their team. — Morgan Greenman [[link removed]] on LinkedIn
Nike rights their ship under their new leadership. — Eric Crawford [[link removed]] on Twitter
After seeing how the 12 team CFP playoff goes, they’ll vote to expand to 14 or 16 teams and will only use two of the NY6 bowls for the semifinals. — Stanley M [[link removed]] on LinkedIn
Massive NBA ratings night for the debut of Inside the NBA on ESPN + ABC. — Sam Gmuer [[link removed]] on Twitter
New WNBA contracts’ highest salary will be $1 million. —Wendy Johnson on Instagram
A majority of teams will realize that streaming is still too complex and turn to the Vegas Golden Knights/Florida Panthers Scripps Sports method: having their own app for a monthly fee and broadcast their games through OTA’s for free for the local community. —Chris Ferara via email
Amazon NBA games get massively low ratings. — Marcus Ramsey [[link removed]] on Twitter
The Chicago Bears will give up its pipe dream of building a new stadium in the city of Chicago, and move to where the fans want the new stadium to be, in the suburb of Arlington Heights, Ill. —Rory Spears via email
NASCAR, wary of what could be revealed in discovery, will consider a settlement with 23XI and Front Row. But arrogance—“take it or leave it”—will prevail so it won’t. Meanwhile, the other teams will secretly cheer for 23XI and Front Row. — Michael Knight [[link removed]] on Twitter
College football coaching contracts will see a correction based on revenue sharing obligations once the house settlement is approved. The 2024 Oklahoma State and Florida State corrections will not be an anomaly and eight figure annual deals will be extremely rare. — Andrew Wamugi [[link removed]]on LinkedIn
NBA viewership will rebound with the infusion of young new talent still in high school and college. Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa alongside former NBA stars’ children like Dylan Harper, Kiyan Anthony, Cameron and Cayden Boozer, etc. will lead the charge. Maybe the new face of the league has yet to arrive. — Maurice Brown [[link removed]] on LinkedIn
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Major Moments of 2024 NFL Sets the Stage: The Year of Private Equity In Sports [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The NFL’s new structure capped a watershed year in the space. What’s Next for League Expansion After a Busy 2024 [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]New teams are coming in major U.S. leagues, especially in women’s sports. The Lawsuits That Defined the Business of Sports in 2024 [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Litigation was flying, and lawyers were busy this year. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Front Office Sports [[link removed]] Edited by Meredith Turits [[link removed]], Daniel Roberts [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]
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