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Morning Edition

January 23, 2025

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Ohio State and Notre Dame drew only 22 million viewers for the CFP title game, down from 25.1 million last year. We explain why the two high-profile programs played to a smaller audience.

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

CFP Title Game Draws 22 Million Viewers, Down 12% From Last Year [[link removed]]

USA Today-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff championship game was hit with a notable viewership dip in Year 1 of the expanded 12-team Playoff format.

Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame averaged 22.1 million viewers Monday on ESPN networks, down 12% from last year’s game between Michigan and Washington that drew 25.1 million. That number is up 28.5% compared to the 17.2 million who tuned in to TCU and Georgia’s title game in 2023.

Due to the expanded Playoff format, the title game was played after the second week of January for the first time in the CFP era. The latest date the championship game was played in the CFP era was Jan. 13 during the 2019–2020 season.

This year’s game also fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Next year’s game is scheduled for Jan. 19—also a Monday and MLK Day.

It likely also didn’t help nationwide viewership that the two teams in the title game are from the same region. Notre Dame’s campus in South Bend, Ind., is less than 300 miles away from Ohio State’s campus in Columbus, Ohio.

The viewership decline in the title game is in line with the trend from the semifinals [[link removed]]. The two games averaged 19.2 million viewers, a 17% decline from the 23.2 million last year. However, last season’s games were played on New Year’s Day, a holiday commonly associated with college football.

The first CFP quarterfinal games were scheduled on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1—though the tragic attack in New Orleans pushed the Sugar Bowl to Jan. 2—and those four games delivered 16.9 million viewers during the holiday season. That average is comparable to the low end of the semifinals viewership in the CFP era.

However, the numbers do not mean the first year of the expanded format was a failure. The format was meant to increase the volume of high-profile games, and it delivered in that respect. Even the first round of the CFP averaged 10.6 million viewers, which is higher than all but four regular-season games [[link removed]].

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How the Suns Added Draft Picks and Showed They’re All In on 2025 [[link removed]]

David Richard-Imagn Images

The Suns and Jazz executed a seemingly minor trade Tuesday—one that did not involve a single player—but it could have massive ramifications in Phoenix’s quest to acquire Jimmy Butler.

The Jazz traded three-first round picks to the Suns [[link removed]] in exchange for an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, which, before this trade, was the only first-rounder the Suns were allowed to move. Phoenix received first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, according to multiple reports.

However, the three picks the Suns received are expected to fall toward the end of the draft. The 2025 pick will be the least-favorable pick between the Timberwolves and Cavaliers (who currently hold the league’s best record), while the 2027 and 2029 picks will be the least favorable of the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, and Jazz.

While the Suns are risking an unprotected 2031 pick that could fall at the top of the draft, they have more flexibility in the short term to make trades. According to The Athletic, Phoenix, the team with the league’s highest payroll, is now free from the Stepein Rule, which bans teams from dealing a first-round draft pick in consecutive drafts, for the next six drafts.

ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, who was the GM of the Nets when they traded future assets for aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, said the Suns’ move showcases a team willing to mortgage their future to win now [[link removed]].

“If you think Phoenix is not all in and they’re going to pivot away from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, you are wrong. This trade just rubber stamps it that Phoenix is in business to try to go swing for the fences,” Marks said.

The Athletic also reported that there’s “rising optimism” [[link removed]] Butler could be moved to Phoenix following this deal. The Suns can use these picks to entice the Heat to take on the remainder of Bradley Beal’s contract (about $161 million for three years) or make more moves to entice a third or fourth team. The Suns can also now attach a late first-round pick to Jusuf Nurkić and see whether a team is willing to eat the remaining two years and $37.5 million in his deal.

On Wednesday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported [[link removed]] the Heat had suspended Butler for two more games, shortly after he returned from a seven-game team suspension. The report indicated that Butler missed a team flight.

But the biggest hurdle for this trade remains the same. Even if the teams find a deal that satisfies all parties, the Suns still need to convince Beal to waive his no-trade clause.

WNBA Free Agency Heats Up: Griner, Plum Among Stars in the Mix [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The WNBA has entered the second phase of free agency.

On Tuesday, teams were allowed to begin negotiating with free agents even though official deals can only be signed starting Feb. 1. Some of the most significant unrestricted free agents [[link removed]] include Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner as well as Connecticut Sun stars Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner.

Other players who could be on the move are those who received the core designation, which is akin to the NFL’s franchise tag, during the first phase of free agency that started Jan. 11. Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell—who was Caitlin Clark’s backcourt running mate last season—are some of the players who were given the designation.

Here are some notable updates on the free-agency market.

Brittney Griner: The nine-time All-Star will test free agency for the first time since joining the Mercury in 2013, her agent announced Tuesday in Miami [[link removed]]. Erica Wheeler: The Fever’s veteran backup guard hinted on social media [[link removed]] earlier this week that she may explore options outside Indiana, but tweeted Tuesday [[link removed]] that she was being a “troll.” Jewell Loyd: The six-time All-Star requested a trade [[link removed]] from the Seattle Storm in December. The Illinois native has been linked to the Chicago Sky. Satou Sabally: The Wings forward announced earlier this month that she’s working with Dallas to find her next destination. Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart: The two former MVPs are both technically on the market this season—the former as an unrestricted free agent and the latter given the core designation by the New York Liberty. But both are expected to stay with their respective teams on one-year deals before hitting the free-agency market next season. The Role of Unrivaled

This year’s WNBA free agency has a transitory feel [[link removed]], given it follows one of the league’s most successful seasons—but it’s also a year before a $2.2 billion media-rights deal and new collective bargaining agreement is expected to significantly increase player contracts. But it’s also the first year of Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 basketball league based in Miami, where 36 WNBA stars have congregated.

Sabally announced to reporters in Florida earlier this month that she would not return to Dallas, and has said Unrivaled has turned into a recruiting ground.

“You’re able to talk to other players directly and you can figure out what do they have, what type of resources, how important is their team to the owners? If you have an owner of a team that doesn’t prioritize the women’s team, they’re going to talk about it. And that’s a place where I would less likely like to go,” Sabally said.

Griner’s agent announced her client’s interest to test the market while in Miami, even though her fellow Mercury starters Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud are also in Florida and have been actively recruiting free agents [[link removed]].

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Utah Hockey Club Names Like Yeti Face Trademark Issues [[link removed]]

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

In many ways, the establishment of the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City has been a runaway success [[link removed]], with the team continuing to play to vibrant crowds at the Delta Center and contending for a playoff slot. The efforts to permanently name the NHL franchise, however, are proving to be a far tougher climb.

Since the Utah Hockey Club—now owned by Ryan Smith and his Smith Entertainment Group— began a team-naming initiative last spring [[link removed]] with fan input, expectations had been heavy that Yeti, or Yetis, would ultimately prevail.

Nearly six months later, the push to create the permanent name is running into significant obstacles. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month refused a trademark for the Utah Yetis, citing a “likelihood of confusion” with Yeti, the well-known manufacturer of insulated drinkware, bags, and coolers.

“An applied-for mark that is the singular or plural of a registered mark is essentially identical in sound, appearance, meaning, and commercial impression, and thus the marks are confusingly similar,” the office said in a report first cited by Salt Lake City TV station KSL [[link removed]].

The team will now have until early April to respond to the initial decision, which is not yet final.

The franchise is looking to have its permanent name in place for the 2025–2026 season, with that selection likely to be introduced soon after the end of the current season.

The other leading options—Mammoth, Blizzard, Venom, Outlaws, and retaining the Utah Hockey Club identity—all have varying issues with the USPTO, too, ranging from simple clerical matters to more troubling concerns with existing brands similar to the ones cited for the Yeti. The team filed applications on each as part of a standard vetting process.

The stakes, of course, are significant, as the final selection will not only be the name of the team, but also be used in a wide range of commercial applications, including across many forms of media and merchandising.

Conversation Starters Angel City opened its multimillion-dollar performance center, the largest in the NWSL. Check it out [[link removed]]. Billy Wagner was brought to tears after he received the call that he made the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was his 10th and final year on the ballot. Watch his reaction [[link removed]]. The Dodgers added 17-year-old Joseph Deng, the first player from South Sudan [[link removed]] to sign a contract with a major league team. Editors’ Picks Tom Brady Denies Interest in Leaving Fox Booth: ‘I’ve Had the Best Time’ [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Brady’s partial ownership of the Raiders presents a conflict of interest. Trent Baalke Out As Jaguars GM After Scaring Off Head Coach Candidates [[link removed]]by Dennis Young [[link removed]]At least three coaches were uninterested in working with Baalke. Mike Golic, Mike Golic Jr. Leaving DraftKings [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]A source tells FOS their contracts expire in late March. Question of the Day

Will the Suns be able to work out a trade for Bradley Beal and the $161 million on his contract?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: 76% of respondents think Netflix is taking the right approach to sports programming.

DISCLAIMER

*Marcus and Kiyomi Mariota are non-customer, paid promoters of Prudential Financial. Learn more about the material terms of their relationship with Prudential at [[link removed]].

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