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Afternoon Edition

January 15, 2025

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Does the NFL need the Cowboys in the postseason, or just more competitive games? Probably both.

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

NFL TV Ratings Down in Lopsided First Round; Cowboys Absence Felt [[link removed]]

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The NFL took another viewership hit over the wild-card playoff weekend, showing more ratings erosion compared to last year—even as the league continues to outstrip everything else in U.S. television.

The six games played over the three-day weekend collectively showed attrition from a year ago, following the 2% audience decline during the regular season [[link removed]]. Among the individual viewership results from the initial playoff round:

Chargers-Texans (Jan. 11): As the Texans played yet again in the early Saturday wild-card slot [[link removed]], the game averaged 31.1 million on CBS and Nickelodeon, up 7% from a comparable Cleveland-Houston game last year. Steelers-Ravens (Jan. 11): Amazon’s first livestream of an NFL playoff game made company history, averaging 22.1 million. The figure is by far the best individual NFL result in the company’s three years of streaming the league but is down 3% from the 23 million average for Peacock’s exclusive stream of a comparable Dolphins-Chiefs game [[link removed]]. The Amazon figure, likely impaired by Baltimore’s racing to a 21–0 halftime lead, also failed to match the average of more than 24 million [[link removed]] for Netflix’s streaming doubleheader on Christmas Day. Broncos-Bills (Jan. 12): This CBS game also averaged 31.1 million, essentially flat from a comparable Steelers-Bills game last year that was shifted to a Monday afternoon [[link removed]] due to heavy snow in the Buffalo area. Packers-Eagles (Jan. 12): This game averaged 35.6 million viewers on Fox, the largest figure of any of the six games last weekend. The total, however, trailed a comparable late Sunday afternoon game last year between the Packers and Cowboys by 11%, again showing the impact of a down Dallas season [[link removed]] on overall NFL viewership. Commanders-Buccaneers (Jan. 12): The primetime matchup on NBC averaged a total audience delivery of 29 million, down 19% from a comparable Rams-Lions game last year, and the worst-performing Sunday night wild-card game in four years. Vikings-Rams (Jan. 13): This game, relocated from Los Angeles [[link removed]] due to the ongoing and devastating wildfires there, averaged 25.4 million, down 13% from the comparable Eagles-Buccaneers game in 2024. The Monday night contest also saw viewer attrition in the second half as the Rams built a three-touchdown lead in the first half en route to a 27–9 victory, with the audience peaking before halftime at more than 30 million viewers. High-Profile Matchups

The divisional playoff round, meanwhile, offers more hope for a rebound. Saturday’s games will involve the two-time defending champion Chiefs, now the league’s top television draw [[link removed]], facing the Texans; and the Lions, now also a viewership power [[link removed]], are playing at home against the upstart Commanders [[link removed]].

Sunday’s games will include the Rams facing the Eagles in a South Philadelphia sports complex now being reimagined [[link removed]], and the showcase late-afternoon contest will include the Ravens facing the Bills in a matchup featuring the two top candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award: Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Sasaki Sweepstakes Heat Up: Blue Jays, Dodgers, Padres Lead Race [[link removed]]

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The gates are officially open in MLB’s latest international signing period, bringing the high-profile Roki Sasaki sweepstakes [[link removed]] a big step closer to its much-anticipated conclusion.

The destination of the 23-year-old Japanese pitcher has long been among the sport’s top offseason storylines, due to his prodigious talent and relative bargain cost [[link removed]] due to his not waiting until he turned 25 to leave Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

Wednesday marked the formal beginning of the 2025 period in which MLB clubs can sign international amateur free agents, the player classification that includes Sasaki, and have received a reset bonus pool to fund those signings.

The push for Sasaki, however, is now reportedly down to three teams: the defending World Series champion Dodgers [[link removed]], a Padres team that’s in ownership turmoil [[link removed]], and the Blue Jays, in the midst of their own corporate-level shift [[link removed]]. Other teams such as the Mets, Rangers, and Yankees are said to have been notified they are now out of the race for the pitcher, one of the game’s top young talents, featuring a blazing fastball that has topped 102 miles per hour and a wipeout slider.

Sasaki’s posting window closes Jan. 23. The heavy focus on Sasaki, however, by MLB clubs has turned their attention away from other international amateurs in the run-up to the new signing period— creating broader chaos [[link removed]] in this part of the player market, and the potential loss of deals for some others.

Sasaki’s age and four years of professional experience in Japan also make him stand out from most others in this class of international free-agent prospects, made up primarily of teenagers from Latin America. Other top talents include Dominican infielder Elian Peña, who signed Wednesday with the Mets for a $5 million bonus, and countryman Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who signed with the Giants for $3 million.

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Colts to Host First NFL Game in Berlin As International Schedule Grows [[link removed]]

The Indianapolis Star

The Colts will be the first NFL team to host a regular-season game in Berlin.

Expanding on the league’s presence in Germany [[link removed]], where games have been played in Frankfurt and Munich, the Colts will give up one of their nine home games during the 2025 season to play at Olympic Stadium against an opponent who will be announced when the full schedule is released in May.

Last year, the Colts acquired international rights in Germany and Austria as part of the NFL’s global markets program. In 2023, the Colts played in Frankfurt against the Patriots—one of nine other teams with marketing rights in Germany—who were the host team that year.

Berlin has a multiyear contract with the NFL, as all three cities in Germany that have hosted games should factor into the league’s long-term international plans, which could eventually see 16 games per season played abroad [[link removed]].

League Without Borders

The NFL can schedule up to eight games outside the U.S. in 2025, up from five in recent seasons.

The Browns, Jaguars, and Jets are set to host games in London. Madrid is the only other city guaranteed to host an NFL game—the host team for that matchup should be announced soon—but returns to Brazil and Mexico and a debut in Ireland are expected to happen [[link removed]], NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last fall.

AFC franchises are likely to host all international games next season, as teams in that conference have an extra home game in 2025. The Steelers are eyeing the Ireland game, Goodell previously said, and the Dolphins have rights in Spain.

The Broncos, Texans, Chiefs, Raiders, Dolphins, and Steelers are the AFC teams that have rights in Mexico, along with four NFC clubs (Cardinals, Cowboys, Rams, and 49ers). But it could be possible for a team without rights in a certain country to host a game there. The NFL asks for volunteers but can assign a team to give up a home game for an international contest once every eight years.

EVENT

Front Office Sports and Excel Sports Management are partnering to gather the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and media for an unforgettable day out on the golf course ahead of the Big Game.

Learn more [[link removed]] about The Breakfast Ball—an ultra-high-end Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament with official partners Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Tommy John.

LeBron James Admits NFL ‘Kicked Our Ass’ on Christmas Day [[link removed]]

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Moments after the Lakers narrowly edged out the Warriors on Christmas Day, LeBron James sent a message to the sports world: “I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day.”

However, in an appearance on the New Heights podcast [[link removed]] with Travis and Jason Kelce on Wednesday, James backtracked his statement. The Lakers star admitted he saw the viewership numbers for the NBA’s five-game slate compared to the NFL’s doubleheader on Netflix.

“You guys kicked our ass, all right. From a viewership standpoint, y’all kicked our ass,” James said.

The NBA, however, did post positive viewership numbers on Christmas with an average of 5.32 million viewers, up 87% from last year, which cut its overall season viewership decline [[link removed]] to 4% from 18%. The Lakers-Warriors clash was the league’s most-watched of the year, with an average of 7.76 million viewers.

Unsurprisingly, the NBA’s ratings paled in comparison to the over 26 million viewers [[link removed]] the NFL’s two games drew on Netflix. The NBA fared better when comparing social media numbers [[link removed]]—but the NFL also received a boost from the halftime performance of Beyoncé during the Ravens-Texans game.

Ultimately, James, who at 40 years old, is still one of the faces of the NBA [[link removed]], admitted he just felt the need to “stand up for the NBA” on Christmas.

The NBA has played games on Dec. 25 since the 1940s [[link removed]], while the NFL has only sporadically scheduled games on the holiday. However, the NFL has scheduled at least one game on Christmas every year since 2020 and is expected to continue as its deal with Netflix runs for two more years [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Amazon Prime Video ⬆ The streamer is in “serious talks” with legendary play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan to join its NBA crew, sources confirmed [[link removed]] to FOS media and entertainment reporter Ryan Glasspiegel. The Athletic first reported the news. Prime Video will start streaming the NBA next season as part of the league’s 11-year, $77 billion media-rights deal [[link removed].]. The streamer has already announced Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin, and Dirk Nowitzki will be a part of its studio team [[link removed]].

Jakub Menšík ⬆ The 19-year-old upset world No. 6 Casper Ruud in the second round of the Australian Open, a day after João Fonseca beat No. 9 Andrey Rublev. It’s the first time two teenagers eliminated two top-10 players in a Grand Slam since 2006. Menšík, who turned pro in 2022, has $1.6 million in career earnings [[link removed]] and is assured around $182,000 for making the third round in Melbourne.

NBA ⬆⬇ The league has completed a series of game reschedulings stemming from Southern California wildfires [[link removed]] and a winter storm in Atlanta. What started with three games initially postponed due to the severe weather and natural disaster ultimately became nine with new dates [[link removed]] after the resulting ripple effects on the involved teams.

Ella Hamlin ⬆ The TCU basketball walk-on, one of the school’s “Underfrogs” who helped save the team’s season last year, has earned a full scholarship [[link removed]]. A rash of injuries and player shortages had led the Horned Frogs to forfeit two games, but Hamlin, a sophomore guard, was one of four unrecruited students who joined the squad after open tryouts among the TCU student body to help preserve the 2023–2024 season—ultimately finishing with a 21–12 record.

SPONSORED BY UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The FOS Interview With UFL President Russ Brandon

In the newest FOS Interview [[link removed]], Front Office Sports editor-in-chief Dan Roberts sits down with United Football League president and CEO Russ Brandon to review the spring football league’s inaugural season post-merger of XFL and USFL [[link removed]]. They talk ratings, learnings, and future growth—as well as Russ’s view as a former NFL front office executive on private equity and how the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the UFL [[link removed]].

Editors’ Picks Quinn Ewers Picks NFL Over NIL [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Ewers likely won’t earn more than $6 million in his rookie year. Ohio State Merch Sales Spike 550% Ahead of National Championship [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Defensive end Jack Sawyer is also cashing in with a custom merch drop. Conor McGregor, Miami Heat Sued Over Alleged Sexual Assault at 2023 NBA Finals [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Miami police did not bring charges in the case. 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]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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