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Morning Edition

January 15, 2025

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Viewership for the College Football Playoff semifinals fell 17% in the first year of the expanded tournament. We tell you why that’s not as dire as it seems.

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

CFP Semifinals TV Ratings Drop 17% in 12-Team Format’s First Year [[link removed]]

Austin American-Statesman

TV ratings for the College Football Playoff semifinals [[link removed]] were down roughly 17% in the first year of the new 12-team format, as the final four played out later in January than is typically the case.

This year’s matchups drew an average of 19.2 million viewers across ESPN’s standard multiplatform “MegaCast” approach, which is down by four million from last year’s CFP semifinals that averaged 23.2 million.

Ohio State’s 28–14 victory over Texas [[link removed]] in the Cotton Bowl drew 20.6 million viewers Friday night, while Notre Dame’s 27–24 win over Penn State [[link removed]] in the Orange Bowl had an audience of 17.8 million.

Rose-Colored Glasses

The important distinction is that last year’s semifinals played out on New Year’s Day, traditionally a huge TV day for college football.

There was also the benefit of Michigan-Alabama playing out at the Rose Bowl, which usually draws a big rating no matter who is playing, and last year had 27.7 million people watch. That was a bigger audience than the Michigan-Washington national championship game drew (25 million). The other CFP semifinal a year ago, Washington-Texas in the Sugar Bowl, drew 18.7 million viewers.

Further showcasing the power of the Rose Bowl, this year’s game on Jan. 1, which saw Ohio State defeat Oregon in the quarterfinals, is the CFP’s most-watched game so far, with 21.1 million viewers. Ohio State led 34–0 in the second quarter.

Next year, the Fiesta and Peach bowls will host the CFP semifinals, also on the second Thursday and Friday of January, which should make for a clean comparison to this year’s game.

Trending Up

With the CFP down to its final matchup, here’s a look at round-by-round average viewership heading into the title game:

First round: 10.6 million Quarterfinals: 16.9 million Semifinals: 19.2 million

ESPN and TNT Sports platforms each had two first-round game broadcasts [[link removed]], while ESPN carried all four quarterfinals [[link removed]] and both semifinals.

Darnold Dilemma Deepens: Vikings Face Questions After Wild-Card Loss [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A Cinderella season for the Vikings flipped on its head once the calendar turned to 2025.

First, Minnesota relinquished the NFC’s top seed after a loss to the Lions in last week’s regular-season finale. Then in the wild-card round Monday, the Vikings were blown out by the Rams in Arizona.

Minnesota scored just nine points in each of the last two weeks, putting the spotlight on the performance of quarterback Sam Darnold—who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings in March—and his future as the team’s signal-caller. Over the two-game stretch, Darnold was 43-for-81, threw just one touchdown, and was sacked 11 times.

Darnold was not expected to be a long-term solution after the Vikings drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick a month later. But after McCarthy tore his meniscus in August, Darnold had a career year, finishing top five in the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after Monday’s game [[link removed]] that it’s important the team consider “Sam’s body of work” when deciding on his future.

Darnold Dilemma

With McCarthy waiting in the wings, the Vikings have several options with Darnold this offseason.

A long-term deal: The team could believe the 27-year-old has room to grow. Spotrac projects Darnold as a “mid-range” starting quarterback following this year—which could mean a deal in the four-year, $160 million range [[link removed]]. The Vikings could then trade McCarthy, who could potentially command a first-round return in the open market given this year’s weak quarterback draft class. Franchise tag: Minnesota could test the waters by franchise tagging Darnold, which would mean a one-year, guaranteed deal of about $41.4 million, according to Over The Cap [[link removed]]. That would be more than twice as much as Darnold has made in any season. The Vikings could then try to trade Darnold, but if they choose to keep him, the team would remain in a state of limbo at the league’s most important position. Let him walk: Minnesota could let Darnold go and hand the keys to McCarthy. The question is whether the Vikings believe McCarthy is ready to take over coming off a serious knee injury—especially because the team has the ancillary pieces to compete now.

Justin Jefferson, the team’s biggest star, who last year signed the largest contract of any wide receiver (four years, $140 million), kept a neutral opinion on the team’s future quarterback.

“It’s not my job to say who is going to be the quarterback or who do I want to be the quarterback,” Jefferson said Monday.

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Philly Rips Page From Rival Playbook With Sports Complex Revamp [[link removed]]

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Philadelphia, of course, is a hardcore Phillies town, but mayor Cherelle Parker can’t help but talk about the local club’s divisional rival, the Braves, in envisioning the redevelopment of the City of Brotherly Love’s sports complex.

In unveiling the landmark arena agreement [[link removed]] this week between 76ers owner Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Wells Fargo Center and Flyers owner Comcast Spectacor, Parker repeatedly cited the Braves and that club’s Truist Park and the highly successful Battery mixed-use development [[link removed]]. That’s anything but a coincidence, as Comcast Spectacor had already been planning a massive overhaul of the South Philadelphia sports complex and its surface parking lots, previously bringing in the Phillies [[link removed]], and now the 76ers with the large-scale pact.

Talks are still ongoing with the Eagles, playing in neighboring Lincoln Financial Field, but Parker and Comcast Spectacor are laying out plans for a fundamentally retooled sports and entertainment district—involving at least several billion dollars in investment—that include a state-of-the-art arena, a smaller concert venue, a hotel, retail, and an outdoor plaza. A subsequent phase calls for the development of a “Phillies Plaza” adjacent to Citizens Bank Park, as well as a second hotel, residential units, additional retail, office space, and restaurants.

All that work is projected to have a distinctly Philadelphia flair to it, but Atlanta and what the Braves have done will be a major influence, just as they frequently have been elsewhere in the sports industry.

“When I saw this in real time in Atlanta, I immediately said to [Phillies owner] John Middleton, ‘Why don’t we have our own Battery in the city of Philadelphia?’” said Parker, who toured the Braves’ development last year. “We absolutely have the potential to do that here.”

Busy Calendar

The loose hope is for the forthcoming 76ers-Flyers arena—to be jointly owned and run by both teams’ ownership groups—to start construction in late 2026, with some other pieces in the broader development soon following. There will be many preliminary steps to take before then, including an extensive series of reworked development, zoning, and lease agreements.

Before that, though, there will also be many special events in the Philadelphia sports complex, including part of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, six matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and first- and second-round March Madness competition next year. The next big event, though, will be Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field between the Rams and Eagles.

That run of big sports events is not dissimilar to what’s forthcoming in Atlanta [[link removed]], further showing the similarity between the two cities.

Elsewhere in the NL East …

The Marlins have somewhat similar mixed-use development ambitions, striking a deal with The Cordish Companies to build an entertainment complex adjacent to loanDepot park. The Miami Live! project will feature indoor-outdoor dining and a variety of entertainment and gathering spaces—and also bear similarity to the Texas Live! complex developed by Cordish next to the Rangers’ Globe Life Field.

An official opening is planned for early 2026, but likely not in time for the NHL’s Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at the ballpark [[link removed]]—that league’s first-ever outdoor game in Florida.

Why NBA Trade Season Is About to Pick Up [[link removed]]

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

With the NBA trade deadline less than a month away, Wednesday serves as an important marker for the league.

Every Jan. 15, players who re-signed with their teams during the offseason may be traded, according to the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement [[link removed]]. These players must have also been signed to deals that either put their team over the soft salary cap number ($140.6 million) or signed to more than 120% of the salary in the final season of their last contract.

There are 17 players who fall under this criteria, including Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and Knicks forward OG Anunoby. These 17 add to the 85 players who signed contracts with new teams during the offseason who were allowed to become trade-eligible on Dec. 15 [[link removed]].

While 17 players may not seem like much (about 3% of the league), teams looking to be active before the Feb. 6 trade deadline could have held off until a certain player was made eligible. For example, the Thunder, who sit at the top of the Western Conference, could make a consolidation trade by packaging their hoard of draft picks with desirable role players. Guards Isaiah Joe (four years, $48 million) and Aaron Wiggins (five years, $45 million) are both fairly young role players on team-friendly contracts who are eligible for a trade as of Wednesday.

Other examples include Nets center Nic Claxton and Lakers guard Max Christie. The two teams agreed to a trade in December [[link removed]] that sent D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn and Dorian Finney-Smith to Los Angeles. Both teams could continue making moves, with Claxton serving as a trade chip for the rebuilding Nets and Christie as a young asset to help bring in established talent for the win-now Lakers.

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Conversation Starters Reds pitcher and Los Angeles native Hunter Greene is offering free cleats [[link removed]] to young baseball players affected by the wildfires in California. NBC released a commercial featuring Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum to promote the NBA returning to its networks starting next season. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Jimmy Butler has reiterated to Heat president Pat Riley that he wants to be traded [[link removed]]. His seven-game suspension, which was issued by the team for “detrimental conduct,” ends Thursday. Editors’ Picks Kevin Harlan Nearing Deal to Join Amazon NBA Coverage [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]The announcer is in talks to join Ian Eagle on Prime Video. UFL President: NFL Used to View Private Equity Like Gambling [[link removed]]by Daniel Roberts [[link removed]]The longtime NFL executive is stunned by the league’s evolution on PE. U.S. House Passes Ban on Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The bill would apply to all educational levels, from kindergarten to college. Question of the Day

Should the Vikings pay Sam Darnold or let him go and lean on J.J. McCarthy?

Pay Sam Darnold [[link removed]] Lean on J.J. McCarthy [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s result: 46% of respondents think Mike McCarthy will be in Chicago next season. 18% think he’ll be in New Orleans. 15% think he’ll be with another NFL team. And 21% think he’ll be on the couch.

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