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Afternoon Edition

January 9, 2025

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The fires ravaging Southern California have exacted a heavy toll, as nearly 200,000 people have left their homes. That is certainly the primary concern, but the sports world is preparing its own contingency plans, with a Monday night NFL playoff game ready to shift from Los Angeles to Glendale, Ariz.

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

As Fires Devastate L.A. Area, NFL Weighs Moving Vikings-Rams Game [[link removed]]

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While hardly the most serious factor in the ongoing Southern California wildfires [[link removed]], the NFL and Rams continue to weigh whether to move Monday’s wild-card playoff game against the Vikings from SoFi Stadium to a safer location—arguably the most notable sports-related issue connected to the disaster.

As of Thursday afternoon, a final decision on the status of the Vikings-Rams contest had not been made as five separate wildfires continue to devastate parts of the Los Angeles area. The league, however, did acknowledge a contingency plan late Wednesday, saying the game would be moved, if needed, to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., home of the Cardinals, and played at the same time.

“As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed,” the league said.

The Rams, meanwhile, added Thursday afternoon that “as of now,” the wild-card game remains set for SoFi Stadium, adding “we hope to see you Monday night.”

“The safety of the Los Angeles community is our top priority, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by the fires in the area,” the team said. “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of first responders who continue to protect our city and community, as well as individuals who continue to help our neighbors in need.”

Past and Present

The league grappled with a similar situation more than 21 years ago as it moved a Monday Night Football game between the Dolphins and then–San Diego Chargers to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., also then the Cardinals’ home, due to Southern California wildfires.

The Rams resumed practice Thursday after an off day Wednesday, though with unhealthy levels of air quality for both that team and the neighboring Chargers [[link removed]], also competing in a playoff game Saturday in Houston. The Rams have their headquarters and training facility in Woodland Hills, about 13 miles north of Pacific Palisades—the hardest-hit area—with the Santa Monica Mountains in between the two locales.

As that happened, the NBA also postponed a Lakers home game scheduled for Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, with a new date to be announced at a later date.

The potential placement of the Vikings-Rams game at State Farm Stadium, meanwhile, arrives as the insurance giant and facility naming rights sponsor is one of many carriers to have reduced homeowners’ coverage in the areas hit [[link removed]], including ceasing sales of new policies in the state.

Netflix Premiere of ‘Raw’ Draws Millions As WWE’s New Era Begins [[link removed]]

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The partnership between WWE and Netflix is off to a hot start.

Netflix announced that Raw’s streaming debut Monday averaged 2.6 million viewers in the U.S., up 116% from the 2024 household average of 1.2 million, according to VideoAmp. Nielsen [[link removed]], which Netflix did not use for this measurement, estimated Raw averaged about 1.6 million viewers per episode last year.

Comparing the Nielsen data with the VideoAmp data, the Netflix debut is up 49% from the show’s first episode of 2024 on the USA Network [[link removed]]. The number is also higher than any episode of Raw in 2024, when it breached two million viewers just once, on April 8, the Raw that followed WrestleMania 40.

One of the key components of the WWE’s 10-year, $5 billion media deal with Netflix was to make the product more accessible globally.

“This is the first time in history that Raw is broadcast simultaneously around the world,” John Cena said during his promo.

The Netflix debut delivered for WWE in that regard, as Raw attracted 4.9 million global viewers.

Just the Beginning

The strong viewership numbers continue a trend for Netflix, which posted record streaming ratings for the Mike Tyson–Jake Paul fight [[link removed]] in November and the NFL’s Christmas Day doubleheader [[link removed]] last month.

Despite the strong initial results, the jury is still out on the partnership, which has an opt-out in five years and a possibility of an extension to 20 years, according to Variety. WWE treated the Netflix debut as a special event, booking a WrestleMania-type card [[link removed]]. It’s Netflix’s first attempt at a weekly live sports event—though WWE is considered sports entertainment—so the question remains whether the fans will return to the streamer every Monday.

WWE and Netflix’s U.S. deal only includes live streaming Raw, while the global deal involves premium live events. The two sides may explore bringing PLEs onto the streamer, though the promotion is in the middle of a five-year, $1 billion deal with Peacock that ends in 2026. Chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque left the door open on WWE’s future with domestic PLEs.

“At some point this year, we’ll get into the deal with Peacock, who we love and they’ll get a lot of consideration for us as the existing partner. … I like to think that if we’re successful the way we think we will be, Netflix would be very interested and others will be as well,” Levesque told Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina [[link removed]].

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Sports Betting Is Growing, but Match-Fixing Continues to Drop [[link removed]]

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Sizable progress is being made in the global battle against match-fixing.

Sports data company Sportradar released Thursday the results of its annual integrity report [[link removed]], finding 1,108 occurrences of suspected manipulation across more than 850,000 monitored events during 2024. That figure is down by 17% from the year before, which then showed a flattening in the amount of suspicious activity [[link removed]].

The rate of suspected match-fixing is now down to one in 615 events globally, a marked improvement from one in every 467 during 2023.

The accelerating progress in fighting fraudulent activity in sports owes to several key factors:

Further improvement in artificial intelligence technology, which continues to play a significant role in detecting competition manipulation, and is now the primary method of monitoring in several major sports including tennis and volleyball Better access to and study of account-level betting data to spot improper movement Increased vigilance from various leagues and governing bodies, as well, helping deliver 104 total sporting and criminal sanctions around the role for compromising match integrity

“I see this as a positive, and hope it continues,” Sportradar EVP Andreas Krannich tells Front Office Sports. “It’s only a snapshot in a much larger period of time fighting for sporting integrity, and it won’t mean anything unless we continue it. We have to now train for the next season, so to speak, and stay vigilant in our fight against this cancer.”

The largest amount of suspicious match activity was again in Europe, with 439 of the 1,108 events in question, and soccer repeated as the sport with the most suspected manipulations. That European figure, however, fell by roughly a third compared to 2023.

Bigger Issues

The Sportradar data arrives as much of the U.S. sports industry went through a major reckoning in 2024 [[link removed]] with match-fixing and improper gambling activities.

Former NBA player Jontay Porter was banned for life by the league [[link removed]] last April for several improper activities, including manipulating his own playing availability for betting purposes. Less than two months later, MLB went through a similar situation [[link removed]] with infielder Tucupita Marcano, also banning him for life, and suspending several other players for a year.

Meanwhile, Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, stole more than $16 million [[link removed]] from the Dodgers superstar to help fund his illegal gambling debts. He pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud last June and is now awaiting sentencing.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Push

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UNC ⬆ New head football coach Bill Belichick has no plans to leave the university [[link removed]], sources told The Athletic, despite potential interest from NFL teams this hiring cycle. Belichick would owe UNC $10 million if he quit before this summer. Multiple NFL franchises, including the Raiders, where Tom Brady is a part-owner, reached out to Belichick recently [[link removed]], per NFL.com

Colorado ⬆⬇ Deion Sanders said [[link removed]] the only way he would step down from his position coaching the Buffaloes is if he could coach both of his sons on the same NFL team. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is projected to be a top-five pick in April’s draft, but Shilo, a safety, isn’t guaranteed to be drafted.

League One Volleyball ⬆⬇ The professional women’s volleyball league officially launched Wednesday night with games available on ESPN+. Some fans complained about broadcast issues, but LOVB was transparent about its early issues [[link removed]] and told fans on X/Twitter to “keep the feedback coming.”

TKO ⬆ The parent company of UFC and WWE is close to announcing a new boxing league [[link removed]] in partnership with a company owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, according to The New York Times. Despite controversies surrounding Saudi Arabia and its sports endeavors, TKO has held multiple events for its promotions in the country.

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Front Office Sports and Excel Sports Management are thrilled to announce Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Tommy John as official partners of The Breakfast Ball [[link removed]].

The Breakfast Ball is an ultra-high-end Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament and hospitality experience designed to entertain leading up to the Big Game this February.

We are excited to welcome the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and media to New Orleans for an unforgettable day out on the golf course on Friday, Feb. 7.

Learn more [[link removed]] about the event.

Conversation Starters Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers told reporters that through NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals, he can “pay my mom a salary.” Take a look [[link removed]?]. The Bills have released new renderings of their planned $2.1 billion stadium, set to open in 2026. Check it out [[link removed]]. Liverpool owners announced the club is not for sale [[link removed]] following statements from Elon Musk’s father, who said his son was interested in the team. Editors’ Picks Amid Realignment Mania, Notre Dame Stayed Independent. It Paid Off [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]How the CFP semifinal-bound Fighting Irish made their business model work. The Big Ten Has Been the Real Winner of the First 12-Team CFP [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The conference has been snagging prize money and bragging rights. Liverpool Denies Elon Musk Sale Rumors [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Musk’s father said his son is interested in buying the club. 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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