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Afternoon Edition

January 3, 2025

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The NFL had to go up against some serious competition in 2024, from the election and the Olympics to the rise of women’s sports. Still, it managed to stay on top. We break down how the league held its ground and explore the broader TV landscape.

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

The NFL Had 70 of Top 100 Live TV Events in 2024, Down From 93 [[link removed]]

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The NFL weathered the viewership impact of the 2024 U.S. presidential election and the Paris Olympics about as well as possible, ending the year as once again the most dominant entity on American television.

The league finished 2024 with its 70 of the 100 most-watched events in the U.S. during the year. That number—while obviously far more than every other form of programming combined—is down sharply from the overwhelming 93 of the top 100 the NFL had in 2023 [[link removed]]. It is nearly identical, though, to the 71 slots it claimed in 2020, the last presidential election year.

While the sharp drop in the number of NFL games on the 2024 list could suggest some year-over-year erosion in the league’s viewership, that’s not at all the case. The calendar year started with a bang for the league, with each round of the 2023 season playoffs showing year-over-year audience growth, peaking with a U.S. television record audience of 123.4 million [[link removed]] for Super Bowl LVIII in February.

In the current regular season, NFL viewership has stayed steady with last year’s robust figure of 17.9 million per game [[link removed]]. Instead, the league’s peak games in 2024 were joined on the year-end list by a series of high-profile political events held over the summer and fall, including the more than 67 million who watched the Sept. 10 presidential debate [[link removed]] between Republican and eventual winner Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris across 17 networks.

Despite that, the league did not see a repeat [[link removed]] of the often-seen presidential-year audience decline that in particular reached 8% in 2016, and had been feared to some degree again in 2024 [[link removed]].

Other notable sports entrants on the top-100 list were multiple nights of the Paris Olympics [[link removed]] and Game 5 of the World Series [[link removed]]—each an event that showed significant audience growth in 2024 compared to recent predecessors—and the NCAA women’s basketball final between South Carolina and Iowa involving Caitlin Clark that drew a record audience of 18.7 million [[link removed]].

The NBA, whose viewership issues have been a dominant storyline this season [[link removed]], did not crack the list at all, particularly for a Finals in June that saw its audience fall 3% [[link removed]]. But that league hasn’t shown up on this top-100 list since 2019.

The NFL’s highlights for the year, meanwhile, include not only Super Bowl LVIII but also conference title games that generated historically high viewership [[link removed]] and, more recently, top regular-season games such as the Thanksgiving Day draw of 38.5 million [[link removed]] for a game between the Giants and Cowboys. The list also includes several streaming exclusives, including the historic Christmas Day doubleheader on Netflix [[link removed]].

NFL Coaches, GMs Brace for Black Monday As Regular Season Concludes [[link removed]]

Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

The NFL heads into the final week of the regular season with Black Monday looming, and the hiring cycle for new head coaches and GMs already heating up.

There are three head coaching vacancies from in-season firings by the Saints, Bears, and Jets, with New York also looking for a new GM. And there will likely be more moves after Sunday. Last offseason, there were eight coaching and four GM changes.

The Search Is On in New York

Teams can’t conduct in-person interviews with coaching candidates who are employed by other clubs until after the divisional rounds of the playoffs.

But the Jets have already been actively exploring their options, interviewing four GM candidates—ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Titans GM Jon Robinson, and Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy—as well as former Commanders and Panthers coach Ron Rivera and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel.

Former Jets and Bills coach Rex Ryan said he wanted to interview for New York’s opening, but nothing has been conducted yet.

Who Else Could Be Out?

Beyond the current openings, there is plenty of speculation about potential changes coming for the Patriots, Jaguars, and Giants, among others.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is in the final season of a five-year contract he signed with Dallas in 2020. The deal expires Jan. 14 [[link removed]], according to NFL Media, at which point McCarthy—who is 49–34 in Dallas [[link removed]] (and 1–3 in the postseason), including three consecutive 12-win seasons between 2021 and 2023—could interview with other teams. The Cowboys (7–9) will finish under .500 this season, one year after getting bounced by the Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

McCarthy, who coached in Green Bay for 13 seasons, led the Packers to a Super Bowl title following the 2010 season.

Next Man Up

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been a top head coaching candidate since the last hiring cycle. This season, offensive coordinators in Washington (Kliff Kingsbury), Tampa Bay (Liam Coen), Buffalo (Joe Brady), and Houston (Bobby Slowik) have become sought-after names, too.

Meanwhile, both former Raiders and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores could receive head coaching interest [[link removed]] despite their ongoing lawsuits against the NFL.

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From 3D game visualizations and live-betting integrations to AI-driven storytelling tools, their partnership leverages cutting-edge technology [[link removed]] to meet the demands of younger, multi-screen audiences.

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Read the full article. [[link removed]]

Browns Land Buy Fuels Stadium Plan As Cleveland Pushes Back [[link removed]]

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The battle between Cleveland and the Browns over the city’s intent to invoke Ohio’s “Modell Law” and keep the team from relocating to the suburbs is likely just beginning. Team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, however, are still moving forward with their ambitious plans to build a $2.4 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development.

The Haslams officially executed a clause Thursday to purchase 176 acres of land in Brook Park, Ohio, where they intend to build the stadium complex. The move arrived just three days after the city sent a formal notice regarding the Modell Law [[link removed]]—named for late former Browns owner Art Modell—stating that a pro team in Ohio playing in a publicly supported stadium cannot move without giving the city in question six months’ notice and an opportunity to buy the franchise.

Together, the two moves further show how divided the team and city leaders are on the Brook Park proposal. The Browns have already sued the city [[link removed]], seeking to have the Modell Law ruled unconstitutional, while mayor Justin Bibb is just as determined to protect Cleveland’s rights. The Haslams, however, made no reference to that ongoing dispute in its announcement of the land acquisition, and instead have also made several other related moves—including naming a development partner and an architect for the project as they proceed toward a planned 2029 opening.

“While work remains with our public partners on the project, this is a key step in our efforts to create a responsible, long-term stadium solution that delivers a world-class experience for our fans, attracts more large-scale events for our region, and positively impacts our local economy,” Haslam Sports Group COO Dave Jenkins said in a statement regarding the land deal.

The Browns have not finalized a financing plan for the effort, but have said they intend to have the public sector cover half the development costs.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL The PGA Tour’s 2025 Season Tees Off

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Front Office Sports tees up every weekend sporting slate with a ledger of the purses and prize pools at stake. Here’s what’s up for grabs this weekend:

PGA Tour: The Sentry

When: Thursday to Sunday Where: Kapalua, Maui, Hawai‘i Purse: $20 million First place (individual): $3.6 million

ATP and WTA: United Cup

When: Dec. 27 to Sunday, Jan. 5 Where: Brisbane and Sydney, Australia Purse: $11.2 million First place (team): Prize money plus participation fee based on world ranking [[link removed]] STATUS REPORT One Up, Three Down

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

ESPN ⬇ Technical difficulties marred two of the “MegaCast” feeds around the Sugar Bowl on Thursday. The “Command Center” on ESPN2 and “SkyCam” on ESPNNews were both down for nearly two hours [[link removed]], according to Awful Announcing.

NFL ⬆ The league will be hosting free Super Bowl LIX watch parties in all 30 team markets across the country on Feb. 9, including at 19 NFL stadiums. Officially named the Verizon Super Bowl FanFest, tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

NHL ⬇ The league’s annual Winter Classic broadcast drew a record-low TV audience [[link removed]] on New Year’s Eve, as 920,000 viewers tuned in to TNT and truTV for Blues-Blackhawks played at Wrigley Field [[link removed]], which is down 16% from last year’s previous all-time low, according to Sports Media Watch. This was the first Winter Classic not played on New Year’s Day or Jan. 2.

Heat ⬇ Jimmy Butler has requested a trade [[link removed]] from the team, according to ESPN. “I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball,” Butler said after Thursday night’s loss to the Pacers. “Wherever that may be, we’ll find out here pretty soon.” When asked whether that could be with the Heat, Butler said, “Probably not.”

Dream Matchup in Cotton Bowl

Few teams entered this college football season with higher expectations than Texas and Ohio State. After big wins this week, they’ll meet in the Cotton Bowl [[link removed]] on Friday, Jan. 10.

According to TickPick [[link removed]], the current get-in price is $479—54% more expensive than the cheapest ticket sold before the Buckeyes beat Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals ($310). Even standing-room tickets cost $447.

The average purchase price of the Cotton Bowl is $632. That’s 10% more expensive than last season’s Sugar Bowl semifinal game featuring Texas and Washington ($575).

Download the TickPick app and get $15 off your first purchase [[link removed]] of $99+ with code FOS15.

Conversation Starters After Notre Dame won the Sugar Bowl, linebacker Jaylen Sneed embraced his high school football coach, who made the trip to be there for his former player. Check it out [[link removed]]. Start-up 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled has unveiled its new jerseys. Take a look [[link removed]]. Stephen A. Smith is one of ESPN’s most influential on-air talents. Who else do you think should be on the list [[link removed]]? Editors’ Picks Charles Barkley Is Right About NBA’s Flawed Product [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The “Inside the NBA” cohost told Redick he’s “just a dead man walking.” Notre Dame’s Independent Status Means $14 Million CFP Payday [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Big Ten and SEC schools have made only a few million for themselves. $110 Million Denver NWSL Expansion Fee Shows Speed of Women’s Sports Explosion [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Colorado beat out Cleveland and Cincinnati, which was backed by Caitlin Clark. 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]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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