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Afternoon Edition

February 20, 2025

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The 4 Nations Face-Off has made waves in the United States. In Canada, the Thursday night final might draw Super Bowl–esque viewership.

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

4 Nations Finale Could Draw Super Bowl–Level TV Ratings in Canada [[link removed]]

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

It’s no secret that Thursday’s final of the 4 Nations Face-Off will be a massive event for hockey, but the U.S.-Canada game is also primed to be one of the most-watched broadcasts on Canadian television.

The title matchup in Boston is fetching hefty prices on ticket resale markets [[link removed]] and garnering Stanley Cup Final–level coverage in the U.S. on ESPN [[link removed]]. In Canada, however, even more can be said of the broadcast plans for the highly anticipated clash.

The game will be shown in Canada on Sportsnet, owned by the powerful Rogers Communications [[link removed]], and the French-language TVA Sports. Both networks have relentlessly covered the tournament, and expectations are rising for a historic viewership total for the final.

A prior 4 Nations Face-Off matchup between the two teams averaged roughly 5.7 million viewers in Canada, a country of about 40 million people. That figure surpassed a U.S. total of 4.4 million [[link removed]] and represented the most-watched hockey broadcast outside of a Stanley Cup Final since 2019.

Not only did the Canadian audience beat the hefty U.S. one despite having about 12% of the population, the figure is roughly equivalent to an American viewership of more than 48 million. Such a total is higher than what the recent NFC championship game drew in the U.S [[link removed]].

As a result, the 4 Nations Face-Off final is becoming a Super Bowl–level event in Canada. Earlier this month, Super Bowl LIX, which drew record-level U.S. viewership [[link removed]], had an average Canadian audience of 8.5 million. The hockey game Thursday is poised to at least challenge that figure, if not beat it.

Bigger Trends

Just like in the U.S., the list of all-time television viewership in Canada is dominated by sports. In particular, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver claimed the top six slots.

The No. 1 broadcast is the men’s ice hockey final in those 2010 Olympics, which was a U.S.-Canada matchup dramatically ended by a Sidney Crosby overtime golden goal that is now a pillar of Canadian hockey lore. The average audience of 16.6 million represented nearly half of the Canadian population at the time, and 80% of the country watched some part of that event.

Given the Olympics’ established nature and the fact those Games were in Canada, it’s difficult to foresee the 4 Nations Face-Off rising to that level. The new event, however, taps into much of the same citizen pride and widespread love for Canada’s national winter sport.

A heightened geopolitical context also surrounds the 4 Nations Face-Off with U.S. President Donald Trump openly angling for Canada to become the 51st state—an idea sharply rebuked by many Canadians. Many of those tensions have filtered their way to the ice, where the prior U.S.-Canada game in the 4 Nations Face-Off featured three fights in the first nine seconds of play. There additionally have been widespread boos of the U.S. national anthem during tournament games in Canada. Such boos have been increasingly common in regular-season NHL games [[link removed]] amid an additional tariff battle.

Neither of the Canadian networks has issued a formal audience expectation for the 4 Nations Face-Off final, nor did Numeris, which measures viewership in Canada. Rogers, however, released tournament-related poll data Thursday that referenced the broader political issues, and said that roughly 60% of surveyed Canadians would find a victory “even more meaningful given the threats to Canada’s economy and national sovereignty.”

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CFP Seeding Changes Could Be Coming. Is Expansion Next? [[link removed]]

Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff appears likely to make format changes to the second iteration of the 12-team bracket in 2025—and eventually green-light further expansion potentially as early as 2026.

Following joint meetings between the Big Ten and SEC in New Orleans on Wednesday, the commissioners of the two most powerful conferences in college sports made it clear they would like to alter how the CFP seeds teams, after the inaugural tournament had several oddities.

“We’re in favor of going to a straight seeding, where there’s no difference between rankings and seeding like we had this year,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said. “We’re in support of that for next year.” The SEC’s Greg Sankey agreed: “I’m prepared to vote for a seeding change, but it has to be unanimous.”

How We Got Here

The format of the 2024 CFP was quite complicated. After the CFP selection committee decided on its final rankings at the end of the regular season and conference championship games, it wasn’t simply the top 12 teams that filled out the bracket.

Instead, the four highest-ranked conference champions (Oregon, Texas, Boise State, and Arizona State) received the top four seeds and first-round byes [[link removed]]. While Oregon and Texas held the top two spots, Boise State was ranked No. 9 and Arizona State No. 12.

No. 16 Clemson also received an automatic qualification as ACC champion, which led to No. 10 SMU (which lost the ACC championship game) controversially receiving the final bracket spot [[link removed]] ahead of No. 11 Alabama.

Any changes to the format for 2025 would require approval from the CFP management committee, which consists of 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, as well as the board of managers, comprising 11 university presidents and chancellors.

However, in 2026, power will shift to the Big Ten and SEC [[link removed]], which will have the majority of control on decision-making from then on under the CFP’s new contract.

Bigger Is Better?

Sankey and Petitti wouldn’t go into much detail about growing the CFP beyond 12 teams, but adding two or four more teams to the mix seems likely.

“I think there will be expansion,” Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said.

Further expansion could bring a number of other changes, like multiple automatic bids for the Big Ten and SEC, and the addition of more on-campus home games [[link removed]] for the CFP’s top seeds.

Verstappen Opposes F1 Swearing Fines, Hamilton on Ferrari ‘Magic’ [[link removed]]

Aaron E. Martinez-Imagn Images

For the first time in history, Formula One brought all its teams together to launch their new season’s livery in one event as the sport hosted F1 75 Live at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday.

The event served as a celebration of Formula One’s 75th anniversary, but also turned into a preview for the upcoming F1 season that starts March 16 in Melbourne.

One of the biggest storylines was the brewing animosity between four-time world champion Max Verstappen [[link removed]] and George Russell. Verstappen was penalized for impeding Russell at the Qatar Grand Prix, after which Russell said he “lost all respect” for the Dutch driver.

Both drivers said at F1 75 that they intend to focus on themselves this upcoming season—though that could definitely change when the lights are brightest and tensions fly on the track. The two alluded to that when asked about the new FIA guidelines [[link removed]] announced in January, which include fines that could extend to $125,000 or include bans and deducted championship points for repeat offenders.

“I understand you cannot swear anywhere. But in the heat of the moment, playing sport, sometimes things slip out a little bit,” Verstappen said.

The Red Bull driver, who participated in community service in Rwanda in December as a penalty for swearing at a press conference in September, said F1 leadership shouldn’t “take it so serious.” Despite their differences, Russell felt similarly about the new rules.

“It’s going quite far. As drivers we have to continue to show our personalities. We don’t want to be in a bubble. That’s pretty obvious,” Russell said.

“No Excuse” Norris, Hamilton Bleeds Red

Verstappen is expected to face his stiffest challenge in recent memory to his drivers’ championship this upcoming season after a Lando Norris comeback last season fell short.

Norris, whose McLaren team still broke Red Bull’s three-year streak as constructors’ champions, said there are “no excuses” [[link removed]] for him not to break through and be the first drivers’ champion for the Papaya team since 2008.

McLaren’s last champion was Lewis Hamilton, who will race with Ferrari for the first time this year and reiterated his belief in the Scuderia’s chances of helping him reach a record-breaking eighth world championship.

“This team already has an insane legacy; they are not short in how many world championships they have won,” Hamilton said. “The energy I am receiving from the team, there is magic here. … The passion here is like nothing you have ever seen. They have absolutely every ingredient you need to win a world championship, and it’s just about putting all the pieces together.”

The confidence is a far cry from Hamilton’s words at the beginning of last year with Mercedes, when he said it was his “least confident” [[link removed]] with which he won six drivers’ championships.

STATUS REPORT One Up, Three Down

Austin American-Statesman

CFB spring games ⬇ Texas is the latest school to decide against holding a spring football game this year, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian told the Up & Adams Show on Thursday [[link removed]]. USC and Nebraska also canceled their 2025 spring games, with Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule saying he didn’t want to give other teams a chance to scout his players who could be potential transfer portal targets.

NFL Draft ⬇ Shedeur Sanders, one of the top pro prospects, told Overtime [[link removed]] that he is unlikely to attend the draft in Green Bay, opting instead for a friends and family party in Colorado (where he played college football) or Dallas (where he grew up). The news is not surprising, as many top picks in recent years have chosen not to attend the draft.

Bobby Portis Jr. ⬇ The Bucks big man has been suspended 25 games without pay after testing positive for tramadol (a narcotic that’s often used as a painkiller), a violation of the NBA and National Basketball Players Association’s anti-drug program. The former Sixth Man of the Year is in the third year of a four-year, $45.58 million deal. Portis will likely be back in time for the NBA playoffs as the Bucks have 29 games remaining on their schedule.

Venus Williams ⬆ The 44-year-old former World No. 1 was awarded a wild-card spot to play at the BNP Paribas Open (colloquially known as Indian Wells) next month. Williams, who has not played since the Miami Open last March, has earned $42.6 million in her career, the most among active women’s tennis players [[link removed]], per Spotrac.

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The Consistency of Change

The Future of Sports virtual summit series returns, and this time we’ll be unpacking the transformational shift in the landscape of college athletics over the last year.

Join us [[link removed]] March 5 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Sea Change in College Sports, where we will sit down with leaders from various conferences as well as power players in NIL and hear directly from athletic departments.

This three-part event will discuss the changes in NIL, conference realignment, and the new rules of recruiting.

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Conversation Starters MLB: The Show will feature NCAA teams for the first time that players can choose to play on before going pro. These include LSU, UCLA, and Texas. Take a look [[link removed]]. Caitlin Clark’s agent said her client’s value to the WNBA is more than what the league can pay her [[link removed]]. MLB stars Freddie Freeman and Mike Trout surprised two young fans with sports memorabilia after they lost everything in the California wildfires. Check it out [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks NHL Showcasing Its Young Stars in 4 Nations Face-Off [[link removed]]by Meredith Turits [[link removed]]Their faster, flashier hockey will be the key to the NHL’s future. Luis Rubiales Convicted but Avoids Prison Time for World Cup Kiss [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]He was convicted of sexual assault but won’t go to prison. Sports Media Rallies Around Influential Blogger Andy Isaac [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]Tributes poured in across social media after Isaac’s announcement. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[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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