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Afternoon Edition

November 7, 2025

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The E1 electric boat racing series makes its U.S. debut in Miami this weekend, after launching last year with a five-race season in 2024 across Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and Monaco. Celebrity ownership has been the biggest calling card for E1, with Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, and actor Will Smith just some of those who own teams.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]

Tom Brady–Backed E1 Boat Racing Series Makes U.S. Debut [[link removed]]

E1 Miami

MIAMI — It’s Tom Brady vs. Rafael Nadal—on the water.

This weekend in Miami marks the final race of the second season of E1, the electric boat racing series. It launched last year with a five-race season in 2024 across Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and Monaco; Friday’s and Saturday’s races will be the first in U.S. waters.

Team Brady, named after the seven-time Super Bowl champion who owns the squad, is in pole position to defend its 2024 E1 title. Heading into the season finale, Brady’s team is up three points on Team Rafa, also named after its superstar owner, the 22-time tennis Grand Slam winner.

The third-place team, owned by Indian cricket star Virat Kohli, and fourth-place team of DJ Steve Aoki, are also within striking distance of the championship.

Celebrity ownership has been the biggest calling card for E1. “It kind of just happened organically,” E1 cofounder Alejandro Agag said Thursday in Miami at Future of Sports: The Next Wave, an event cohosted by Front Office Sports. Former European soccer star Didier Drogba’s involvement led to Nadal buying in, which led to Brady, and so on.

Agag also heads up the electric motorsports series Formula E and Extreme E alongside fellow E1 cofounder and CEO Rodi Basso. E1 is also one of the many sports properties that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has poured money into (its official name is the UIM E1 World Championship Presented by PIF). The PIF is also an investor in Formula E and Extreme E.

Alongside the PIF’s involvement, E1 has a team named after the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Ula. Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James (that’s the team’s full name) joined E1 this year. James is listed as the team’s owner, although it’s unclear whether its Saudi ties bring additional ownership stakes beyond James’s.

E1

Other celebrity owners in E1 include actor Will Smith and singer Marc Anthony. Next year, the series has already revealed it will add a 10th entry, Team Monaco, co-owned by Monaco-based entrepreneur Chris Taylor and French 11-time kite-ski world champion Maxime Nocher. Agag said Thursday that E1 is planning to announce two more expansion teams ahead of its third season, which will give the sport a 12-team grid in 2026.

Agag is impressed with E1’s team owners’ engagement with the series. “They don’t have any obligation,” he said. “They come to the race when they want. They compete. And of course what they bring is a huge reach for the championship.”

E1’s celebrity owners even have a group chat they use for throwing jabs at one another around races. “All we do is we talk a lot of smack,” Brady told FOS in Miami, ahead of the first races.

The quarterback-turned-multisport investor said “nobody takes themselves too seriously,” and he called Anthony “one of my favorites” when it comes to trash talk. “He and I are close buddies.” Drogba? “So sweet.” Aoki? “Really fun.”

“Everyone’s involved,” Brady said. “It’s very competitive for us.”

Team owners have paid entry fees of roughly $2.6 million [[link removed]] but are also on the hook for operational costs, including buying or renting their team’s equipment as well as building out staff. Each team is required to use a male and female pilot at every event, alternating between the two for various sessions.

Veteran sports lawyer Shirin Malkani, who advised the Miami- and Nigeria-based teams, told FOS that figuring out E1’s financial model was critical for various investors.

“That was the biggest variable and one of the things that we were trying to get as much information from the league as possible—how to really think about the costs that sit on a league,” Malkani, co-chair of the sports industry group at Perkins Coie, said. E1 does pay out some prize money at its races, but the series does not have a traditional revenue-sharing model like most U.S. sports leagues do.

For teams, a big revenue opportunity is hosting a race in their home market, which can bring millions of dollars in ticket sales, sponsorships, and hospitality. This week’s Miami race is an example of E1’s local team taking up hosting duties; other cities will have similar opportunities when E1 finalizes its 2026 race calendar.

In many cases, local governments partner with E1 teams to host races. The Lagos State government was projecting to generate $100 million [[link removed]] in economic impact from last month’s race, although final figures have not been released.

Eventually, E1 wants to expand to 15 races, up from 7 this year. Earlier this year, Basso, E1’s CEO, said the series aims to reach a valuation [[link removed]] of nearly $700 million by 2030.

SPONSORED BY PEPSI

Cubanos, Creole, and Crowd Favorites at a Dolphins Game

Dolphins fans know that game day in Miami is about more than football—it’s about the food. On the latest episode of Stadium Eats presented by Pepsi [[link removed]], Front Office Sports teams up with local food creator Mr.Eats305 to explore Hard Rock Stadium’s South Florida flavors.

From crispy chicharrón and bao buns to Cuban classics like the choripán and Cubano, plus jambalaya, shrimp creole, nachos, and more—we taste it all, rate it, and reveal the ultimate Miami bite [[link removed]].

Watch Episode 3 now [[link removed]] and see which dish claims the top spot at Hard Rock Stadium.

Tom Brady Says His Sports Ownership Stakes Are About Mentorship [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

MIAMI — As Tom Brady’s sports ownership portfolio continues to grow, the seven-time Super Bowl champion insists he’s content taking laid-back leadership roles across the multiple professional teams he’s now part of.

“When I was on the field, it was much easier to influence the outcome of games,” Brady told Front Office Sports at an event for the E1 electric boat racing team he owns Thursday night, just as his Las Vegas Raiders were set to kick off their Week 10 NFL matchup against the Broncos in Denver.

“Now, I just get to play more of a mentorship role and try to provide my insight wherever necessary to help us go out there and compete,” Brady said.

Team Brady was crowned champions of the inaugural E1 season in 2024, and it enters this weekend’s Season 2 finale [[link removed]] in first place, in pole position to repeat as champions.

Alongside the Raiders and E1, Brady also has ownership stakes in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, Major League Pickleball’s Las Vegas Night Owls, and English soccer club Birmingham City FC, as the NFL legend looks to stay competitive in retirement.

“It’s been in my wheelhouse for a long time,” Brady said. “Fortunately, I love sports—all types of them. It just brings out the best in all of us, and the competitive stamina, the drive, the determination to succeed.”

That competitive drive has ruffled some feathers in the NFL [[link removed]], as Brady’s minority ownership stake in the Raiders (and particularly his involvement with the team’s football operations) has been a controversial topic [[link removed]], given his dual role as Fox’s lead game analyst.

But in E1, the three-time NFL MVP has happily leaned in to being the face of Team Brady, one of nine teams this season in the series, which also counts Rafael Nadal, LeBron James, and Didier Drogba among its celebrity team owners. “I love the competition,” Brady said. “And I love winning on the water.”

In July, Brady said during an appearance on Front Office Sports Today [[link removed]] that his sports ownership strategy isn’t about the money. “I don’t look at it from a business standpoint,” he said. “I look at it from a purpose-driven standpoint.”

Brady has attended multiple E1 races this season and regularly appears in Team Brady’s social media content—although his personal promotion of the sport is often dependent on an event’s results. “If he doesn’t win a race, you won’t see anything on his socials about the race—E1 doesn’t exist,” series cofounder Alejandro Agag said earlier Thursday at Future of Sports: The Next Wave, an event cohosted by FOS. “He’s a very competitive guy.”

As Team Brady looks to win a second straight E1 title Saturday, Brady’s busy schedule will allow him to be on-site in Miami for part of the weekend—but likely not any potential trophy presentation—as he has to jet off to San Francisco to call the Rams-49ers game for Fox on Sunday afternoon.

The long list of responsibilities isn’t bothering Brady, though, especially when there are more championships on the line. “I’ve been involved for a couple years with some great people,” he said. “Traveling around the world—[E1] is really a global sport—and seeing our team out there represent us in the best way has been amazing.”

Fox Fires Mark Sanchez After Indianapolis Arrest [[link removed]]

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Fox Sports has made a quarterback announcer change.

Drew Brees is replacing Mark Sanchez on the network’s third NFL team, a Fox Sports spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports.

Fox formally announced the Brees hire Friday, and a spokesperson told FOS, “We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network. There will be no further comment at this time.”

The Athletic first reported [[link removed]] that Brees was hired by Fox, and that the expectation was that this signaled the end of Sanchez’s time with the network.

Sanchez was arrested in Indianapolis last month in a bizarre incident in which he was accused of violently accosting a service worker who was tasked with removing grease from commercial kitchens at a nearby hotel. Sanchez had a dispute with the worker—apparently over where the man’s truck was parked—and was hospitalized after the worker stabbed him, allegedly in self-defense.

Sanchez’s charges from the incident include a felony charge [[link removed]] of battery resulting in serious bodily injury.

“Right now, I’m just focused on my recovery, and I just want to thank the first responders, Eskenazi Hospital, Marion County Sheriff, and the Indianapolis Police Department, metro PD,” Sanchez told reporters in Indianapolis about a week after the incident [[link removed]]. “But I’m focused on my recovery, and I just want to see my wife, I want to see my son, my two baby girls. There’ll be a day to answer all these questions, and unfortunately, today is not that day.”

While Brees is a Super Bowl champion and a leading candidate for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, he is something of a reclamation project for Fox [[link removed]]. He was previously a color commentator for NBC for Notre Dame games, but he did not succeed in the role. He will be working alongside play-by-play announcer Adam Amin for the rest of the season for Fox.

SPONSORED BY ESPN EDGE

Pushing the Limits of Sports Innovation

The fifth annual ESPN Edge Innovation Conference [[link removed]] is set for Nov. 13! Highlighting the work coming out of the ESPN Edge Innovation Center and ESPN at large, our event brings together accomplished leaders across sports, technology, and business for impactful conversations focused on thoughtful ways to champion innovation and push the boundaries of sports storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

The conference will be hosted by Arda Öcal, ESPN’s host of SportsCenter and NHL content, and will feature topics like animated telecasts, ESPN DTC, XR, and more.

Tune in virtually Nov. 13 from 5–7:30 p.m. ET at [[link removed]] and engage with us on social using #ESPNEDGE

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY What We’ve Learned From Studying NFL Ratings

FOS illustration

The NFL is having one of its strongest seasons in decades as ratings hit historic highs in the United States and abroad. From massive viewership for Chiefs-Bills to the league’s London, Germany, and Madrid expansion push, the NFL continues to build global momentum. Front Office Sports newsletter writer David Rumsey breaks down why this season is rewriting the record books and how the Cowboys-Chiefs Thanksgiving matchup could challenge all-time regular-season viewership. Meanwhile, FOS reporter Colin Salao details the relationship and actions between Congress and NBA commissioner Adam Silver over the sports betting scandal.

Plus, college football is entering one of the wildest coaching cycles in years, with buyouts approaching $200 million for this season alone. Former Penn State assistant coach and current trustee Jay Paterno joins us to explain why the transfer portal, NIL (name, image, and likeness) era, fan impatience, and massive contracts are reshaping the sport.

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

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Tony Parker ⬆ The former NBA star, who won four championships with the Spurs, has been named the coach of France’s under-17 team. Parker, 43, will lead the national team in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year.

Topgolf Callaway ⬆⬇ The company announced on its Q3 earnings call Thursday that it had recently laid off about 300 employees due to tariff impacts, which Callaway estimates will cost $40 million by the end of this year. However, the brand raised its full-year guidance, with its midpoint revenue estimate range rising from $3.86 billion to $3.92 billion.

Disney and YouTube TV ⬇ The ongoing carriage dispute [[link removed]] is set to carry on into another weekend of college football. ABC and ESPN networks have been dark on the No. 4 U.S pay-TV distributor since Oct. 31, with the streamer’s estimated 10 million subscribers being unable to watch major college football games, the NFL’s Monday Night Football, and some NBA broadcasts.

Luke Fickell ⬆ Wisconsin’s football coach will return for another season in 2026, despite leading the Badgers to just a 2–6 record so far in 2025. Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh announced the news Thursday. Fickell would be owed a buyout of more than $25 million if he were fired.

Conversation Starters Olivier Rioux, Florida’s 7-foot-9 freshman [[link removed]], just broke the record for tallest college basketball player ever. Rioux, who is from Quebec, is the Guinness World Records holder for tallest teenager, standing 6-foot-1 at age 8, 6-foot-11 by 6th grade, and over 7 feet the summer before entering 7th grade. Rice University is making $120 million worth of upgrades to the Rice Owls football stadium in Houston that will include premium club seating, private suites, and new spaces for media and game operations. Check out the renderings [[link removed]]. Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon met with coach Shane Steichen on the practice field [[link removed]] as Indianapolis prepares for the Berlin game against the Falcons this weekend. Since taking over the team after the passing of her father, Jim Irsay, in May, the Colts are 7–2 this season. Editors’ Picks NCAA Warns Schools Government Shutdown May Affect Fall Championships [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The 2025 fall championships require more than 1,000 trips. Panini Accused of Same Antitrust Violations It Leveled at Fanatics [[link removed]]by Daniel Kaplan [[link removed]]Wild Card sued Panini on Thursday, alleging its competitor strong-armed distributors. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you list the 5 schools with the most CBB national championships (men’s and women’s)?

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