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Afternoon Edition

April 29, 2025

NBA viewership was way down to begin this season. It surged since Christmas, however, and the first round of the playoffs has exceeded all expectations, with ESPN scoring historic early ratings.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]

NBA Playoffs TV Ratings Surge, With ESPN on Record Pace [[link removed]]

Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

ESPN platforms are on a record TV ratings pace early in the NBA playoffs.

After the second weekend of postseason action, the 11 NBA games that aired on ESPN or ABC averaged 4.45 million viewers, up 13% from last year, according to Nielsen ratings.

The most-watched game so far was Sunday’s Game 4 of the Lakers–Timberwolves series, as 7.34 million viewers tuned into ABC for Minnesota’s 116–113 victory to go up 3-1 in the series, one win away from eliminating Los Angeles.

That would also close the door on a potential second-round Lakers-Warriors series, which would be TV ratings gold [[link removed]]. TNT and truTV will both air Game 5 of Lakers-Timberwolves on Wednesday night, as well as Game 5 of Warriors–Rockets, with Golden State up 3-1 and looking to clinch the series.

Reversing the Trend

The big TV ratings for ESPN come after the opening weekend of the NBA playoffs was the most-watched in 25 years [[link removed]]. Those eight games averaged 4.4 million viewers across ESPN and TNT Sports platforms, which was up 17% over the opening weekend of the 2024 postseason.

The playoff numbers are a good sign for the NBA, which saw its regular season viewership dip 2% year-over-year [[link removed]] to 1.53 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, and TNT.

TNT will air its final NBA games during the Eastern Conference finals, as the league moves forward next year with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon under new 11-year, $77 billion media rights deals.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS HONORS

Innovating and Elevating

Building on last year’s partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, the Most Innovative awards spotlight the trailblazing organizations redefining the sports industry through creativity and progress.

The Most Innovative awards [[link removed]] consist of eight categories: venues, college athletic departments, leagues, teams, events, tech companies, brands, and media companies.

Sports Innovation Lab’s methodology utilizes in-depth research methods and data analysis—including proprietary transactional datasets and social listening tools, among others—to establish criteria for each award. Evaluation areas include partnerships, data and technology, and environmental and social impact.

The nomination window is now open through June 22. Submit now [[link removed]] for the best price.

Will Commanders Get Their Stadium? Public Funding Hangs in Balance [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Commanders are going to need legislative approval for their proposed $3.8 billion stadium, and as of now, they don’t have the votes.

Soon after the NFL team’s flashy announcement of its intended return to the District of Columbia [[link removed]], council chair Phil Mendelson said there aren’t currently seven votes on the 13-member body to pass roughly $1.1 billion in direct stadium funding and related infrastructure support.

“If this was before the council today, they would not vote for it,” Mendelson told WJFK-FM [[link removed]]. “In part because we don’t know enough, but in part because they would see the price tag as too high, and in part because we have not seen what the mayor [Muriel Bowser] is proposing with the budget and the cuts we know are going to be in the budget.”

Local History

Pro sports stadium development over the past 30 years is rife with examples of legislative bodies around the country that showed initial resistance and then ultimately supplied the requested public funding. In the District itself, support for the construction of Nationals Park and the redevelopment of Capital One Arena followed pushback that first greeted those projects.

In the case of Nationals Park two decades ago, the situation grew so dire that MLB briefly suspended the business operations of the Nationals while the stadium funding bill was put back on track.

The D.C. council in the Commanders’ case has comparatively more leverage. MLB owned the Nationals at that time and was willing to kill the team’s placement in Washington without the ballpark funding. Monumental Sports & Entertainment, parent company of Capital One Arena and three local pro teams, had a deal, though on shaky ground, to build a new arena and mixed-use development in Virginia that it abandoned to revive talks with Bowser [[link removed]].

No such alternate plan currently exists with the Commanders, even in concept. The team is planning to pay for more than three-quarters of the core stadium costs privately—a percentage well in excess of several other NFL stadium deals either in construction or proposed. Getting that final chunk of money, however, will require plenty of arm-twisting.

“If you look at the actual dollars, it’s one of the more expensive public subsidies. A billion dollars is a stiff amount,” Mendelson said. “You can’t make the argument [that] it’s going to bring in all this tax revenue, when all that money is just going to be reinvested into building the stadium.”

A key part of the arguments from the team and Bowser will rest on the potential to broadly revive the RFK Stadium area, a part of the District badly neglected since the departure of Major League Soccer’s D.C. United in 2017, and in many ways long before that. The development of Nationals Park did transform the Capital Riverfront area, and Bowser is looking for a similar situation.

“If you need to add revenue, as we do, you can’t leave 180 acres vacant,” she said of the RFK Stadium property. “If you need to add jobs, you cannot wait for an anchor to show up to start developing there. When you need to attract business, you have to be about business.”

LOUD AND CLEAR ‘The Fall of Favre’

Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

“Brett Favre ultimately destroyed my life.”

—Jenn Sterger, talking about the three-time NFL MVP who sent her unsolicited lewd photos and messages. Netflix released its first trailer for The Fall of Favre on Tuesday, featuring reporting by FOS. The documentary will tell the story of Favre’s pursuit of Sterger and his involvement in the Mississippi welfare case.

It’s set to debut on May 20, and you can watch the trailer [[link removed]]here.

Fox Sports Fires FS1 Exec Charlie Dixon [[link removed]]

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Charlie Dixon is out at FS1, three months after he was named as a defendant [[link removed]] in multiple lawsuits, Front Office Sports has confirmed.

“Charlie Dixon is no longer with Fox Sports. There is no further comment at this time,” a spokesperson told FOS in a statement. The news was first reported by The Athletic.

Former FS1 hairstylist Noushin Faraji [[link removed]] and former network host Julie Stewart-Binks [[link removed]] both filed lawsuits earlier this year.

Faraji accused Dixon of grabbing her buttocks at a birthday party. Stewart-Binks accused Dixon of forcibly kissing her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. In a subsequent court filing, Dixon claimed that “no sexual or offensive contact or intentional contact with [Stewart-Binks]” at the meeting.

Dixon’s attorney sent the following statement to Front Office Sports:

“Charlie Dixon is deeply saddened by the decision of Fox Sports to terminate his employment. After nine years in positions of increasing responsibility at the network, Mr. Dixon was told that he was being let go for violating company policy. According to the network, Mr. Dixon did not disclose to human resources or the legal department that a third-party production company had hired his wife as a temporary freelancer. But the reality is that Mr. Dixon had asked his supervisor about the hire and was told that there were no objections. It is noteworthy that a Fox spokesperson made no reference to the company investigation of sexual harassment claims in announcing Mr. Dixon’s [[link removed]]departure. Mr. Dixon has cooperated fully with the investigation and denies engaging in any inappropriate conduct.”

FOS previously reported that Fox has been in settlement talks via mediation [[link removed]] for both lawsuits. Fox initially suspended Dixon [[link removed]] in February.

Dixon joined FS1 in 2015 and became head of the network in 2017.

FOS TODAY Shaq’s Big Move, Nate Burleson’s Bold NFL Take

FOS illustration

In the debut episode of the new Front Office Sports Today, Nate Burleson joins Baker Machado and Renee Montgomery to discuss massive changes sweeping the NFL and why broadcasting is harder than playing.

We also explore how Wrexham FC is surging under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McEllheny’s ownership, and Shedeur Sanders being one of the NFL’s most marketable rookies despite his draft slide.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

NBA All-Star Game ⬆⬇ Commissioner Adam Silver said the league is exploring an international format for next year’s event, after February’s edition was the second-least-watched game on record [[link removed]]. “We’re discussing concepts with the players’ association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past,” Silver told The Athletic [[link removed]].

US Open ⬆ Revenue generated by the tennis grand slam in 2024 [[link removed]] rose 8.8% to $559.65 million, according to financial statements released by the United States Tennis Association. That accounted for 89.7% of the USTA’s total operating revenue last year.

Vice TV ⬆ The free streaming service has struck a media-rights deal with the Big3, the 3-on-3 pro basketball league cofounded by rapper Ice Cube [[link removed]], to broadcast 14 regular-season games this summer.

Christian Spears ⬇ Marshall’s athletic director will not have his contract renewed [[link removed]] at the end of this school year, sources told ESPN. Spears took the job in 2022.

Conversation Starters Eli Manning is reportedly putting together a group to bid for a stake in the Giants. Take a look [[link removed]]. Bengals rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight used to deliver for DoorDash after his college games at Charlotte to support his family. Now, as a second-round NFL Draft pick, he’ll make roughly $9 million over the next four years. Listen to his story [[link removed]]. In 2021, Ben Griffin was struggling as a professional golfer and even stepped away to be a mortgage loan officer. This past weekend, he got his first PGA Tour win [[link removed]] at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Editors’ Picks Pac-12 Gets One-Year Test-Run Media Deal Before Expansion [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]It’s the next step in the league’s rebuild. Adidas Warns of Potential Price Hikes From Trump Tariffs [[link removed]]by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]]Skechers pulled its full-year guidance last week. 49ers Shell Out For George Kittle With Purdy Extension Looming [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The team gave the tight end $40 million guaranteed. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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