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Afternoon Edition

December 3, 2025

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Thanksgiving football broke all records this year. Chiefs-Cowboys drew a staggering 57.2 million viewers on CBS, setting a new high-water mark for regular-season NFL games.

— Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving Ratings Shatter NFL Regular-Season Record [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

A football season full of big NFL ratings continued on Thanksgiving.

As many observers predicted before the game [[link removed]], Chiefs-Cowboys set an all-time regular-season record, drawing 57.2 million viewers on CBS. This shatters the previous record of 42.1 million viewers set by Giants-Cowboys in 2022.

Fox announced Packers-Lions drew 47.7 million viewers in the early window between Fox and the Tubi streaming service, also the most-watched early Thanksgiving game on record.

The first two games were helped in particular by being close, compelling matchups. The Lions or Packers have won the NFC North five of the past six seasons. The Cowboys are historically the NFL’s biggest draw, and the Chiefs have star power with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid, who have won three Super Bowls together and reached two more.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have worked themselves out of the doldrums, winning three in a row to get to 6-5-1 and be in the hunt for playoff contention. The Chiefs, now at 6–6, will have to claw to reach the playoffs in the AFC.

Last year, Fox aired Giants-Cowboys in mid-afternoon, and it drew 38.5 million viewers [[link removed]]. The early game, Bears-Lions on CBS, averaged 37.5 million viewers. Dolphins-Packers on NBC had 26.1 million viewers.

This year, football ratings have surged. The NFL got its biggest numbers ever for its Sunday morning international games, which averaged 6.2 million viewers [[link removed]]. As of late October, CBS and NBC were on a record pace [[link removed]]. As of mid-November, college football ratings were up 2% versus last year.

Football ratings have been boosted this year in part because Nielsen has incorporated the use of Big Data + Panel [[link removed]], which has included a bigger sample of households in its measurement methodology.

SPONSORED BY FANATICS SPORTSBOOK

The NFL’s Most Unique Fan Perk

Fanatics Sportsbook quietly pulled off one of the most fan-friendly moves in sports—and Colts fans were the first to benefit. Ahead of the NFL season, select Indianapolis season-ticket members received $100 in FanCash. No contest, no promo code.

In a first-of-its-kind stadium partnership, the Colts and Fanatics Sportsbook turned sportsbook rewards into real in-stadium currency, granting fans the ability to convert FanCash to ColtsCash, within the Colts app to spend on concessions, jerseys, and merch anywhere inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

It’s a model that could reshape how teams reward their most loyal fans and supporters in stadium and throughout the season.

Watch the full video [[link removed]].

Clippers–Chris Paul Divorce Gets Ugly Amid Disastrous Season [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Clippers’ disastrous season has hit a new low.

On Wednesday morning, a little before 3 a.m. ET, Chris Paul, posted an Instagram Story [[link removed]]: “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home” along with a peace sign emoji.

The Clippers were in Atlanta ahead of their Wednesday game against the Hawks when Paul was informed that he was being sent back to Los Angeles, according to multiple reports. Clippers president Lawrence Frank released a statement [[link removed]] shortly afterward that the organization was “parting ways” with the 12-time All-Star.

Los Angeles has started the season with a 5–16 record, second-to-last place in the Western Conference. But Frank put out a statement saying he was “grateful” for Paul.

“Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise,” Frank said.

Moving off Paul will not help the Clippers from a financial standpoint. Los Angeles, which has $194.7 million on the books this year, is deep into the first apron. Paul signed a one-year veteran minimum deal in the offseason worth $3.6 million.

Reports began trickling out Wednesday that Paul had been feuding with team brass.

Ex-Clippers guard Lou Williams, who was on the team after Paul’s initial stint in Los Angeles, said on the Run It Back show [[link removed]] that Paul had been “holding people accountable” in the organization to the point that he even had to apologize to the team for his criticisms.

“There was another scenario where he was critical of the front office as well and I think that was the one that broke the camel’s back, the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Williams said.

ESPN also reported [[link removed]] that Paul’s leadership style “clashed” with the team, and he was “not on speaking terms with head coach Tyronn Lue for several weeks.” NBA insider Chris Haynes reported [[link removed]] that Paul requested to meet with Lue weeks ago, but the coach refused a meeting.

Frank then traveled to Atlanta to tell Paul that the team was done with him.

Despite the separation with the Clippers, Paul is still on the roster and will likely remain there for a few more weeks.

Because Paul signed a deal with Los Angeles in the offseason, he will be eligible to trade only starting Dec. 15. Due to salary-cap rules, Los Angeles cannot waive Paul and sign a replacement player until early January, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks [[link removed]].

However, the Clippers cannot just waive Paul outright because they would drop to 13 rostered players, which they can have for only a maximum of 14 consecutive days. It’s likely the team will exhaust trade partners for Paul until January, when it could waive him.

The Clippers currently have the fifth-best odds [[link removed]] at the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, but their draft pick will be sent to the defending champion Thunder [[link removed]] as part of the deal that sent Paul George to Los Angeles.

Paul spent six years in Los Angeles in the early 2010s, leading the team to the playoffs in all six seasons, the only time in franchise history it made the playoffs more than three consecutive times.

But he has struggled this year, averaging career lows across the board, and falling in and out of Lue’s rotation.

Two weeks ago, the 40-year-old announced he was retiring [[link removed]] from the NBA at the end of the 2025–26 season. The Clippers have been mired in controversy since before the season started, when journalist Pablo Torre [[link removed]] reported that the team allegedly circumvented the NBA salary cap by using Aspiration, a since-collapsed environmental tech company, to pay millions of dollars to star forward Kawhi Leonard.

The team is still under investigation by the NBA, while owner Steve Ballmer has been sued [[link removed]] by 11 former investors of Aspiration.

Browns Clear Final Major Hurdle for New $2.4B Domed Stadium [[link removed]]

HKS/Cleveland Browns

The Browns have cleared the last major obstacle in front of their $2.4 billion plan to build a domed stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park, Ohio, as the Cleveland City Council approved a $100 million settlement deal enabling the move.

By a 13–2 vote, the city council passed the agreement first struck in October [[link removed]] between the NFL team and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb—but not without some notable changes.

The original pact called for $70 million in cash payments from Browns owner Haslam Sports Group to the city, in multiple tranches, along with covering the estimated $30 million cost of razing the city-owned Huntington Bank Field. The city council’s assent retains that core of the agreement, which is focused in part on the redevelopment of the lakefront area where the current stadium is located. It adds, however, clarifying good-faith language, as well as up to $3 million in additional payments from HSG if the Browns stay at the current stadium beyond a planned exit in early 2029.

Perhaps most important to the Browns, though, the legislative approval also includes the release of legal claims that had threatened to scuttle the entire Brook Park project. City officials had attempted a variety of maneuvers to block the deal, and prior doubt around the council approval had represented another potential roadblock to the plan. Before these final modifications, Bibb had signaled there wasn’t wiggle room [[link removed]] in the HSG deal.

“From Day One, I made it clear that any deal involving our city’s assets must protect the city’s general revenue fund and deliver real value for Cleveland. This agreement does exactly that,” Bibb said. “It resolves longstanding issues, safeguards the city’s financial interests, and positions us to move ahead with clarity and purpose.”

Looking Ahead

The new venue is slated to open for the 2029 NFL season. Following the council vote, the Browns touted not only the forthcoming arrival of that project, but the remade lakefront and a forthcoming modernization of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, adjacent to the planned stadium.

“These projects all reinforce our belief that Northeast Ohioans should have it all,” said HSG president Dave Jenkins. “We are confident that with continued collaboration, our region is set up for incredible growth and prosperity.”

There are still two outstanding legal cases relating to the Browns’ planned move, one relating to Ohio’s former Modell Law, and another regarding the state’s use of unclaimed funds [[link removed]] to help fund the stadium. Both are still pending, and outside of the city’s purview. Neither, however, is expected to derail the project, even if they survive, and construction is expected to begin in earnest next year.

The Browns are part of a fast-growing stadium boom around the league, one that includes venues under construction in Buffalo and Tennessee, a recently approved deal in Washington, D.C. [[link removed]], a newly announced plan in Denver [[link removed]], and ongoing deliberations in Kansas City [[link removed]] and Chicago [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Inside the Rise of Prediction Markets

FOS illustration

Prediction markets are suddenly everywhere, and Baker Machado sits down with Dan Roberts to break down why platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are exploding. With huge valuations, bold marketing tactics, and league partnerships, these companies are reshaping how fans interact with sports outcomes, political events, and cultural moments.

Plus, the team discusses the social media strategies that have made these platforms impossible to ignore, from edgy AI-generated memes to viral trolling campaigns. They explore how these tactics attract a younger online audience, why investors are pouring in, and what the growth of prediction markets means for traditional sportsbooks trying to catch up.

Also, we look at Chris Paul’s surprising overnight departure from the Clippers and what it signals for his future, as well as how shifting league policies, state regulations, and major tech investors are influencing the next phase of sports betting. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that blends business, culture, tech, and the evolving fan experience.

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

STATUS REPORT Four Up

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Brent Key ⬆ Georgia Tech has signed its football coach to a contract extension through 2030. The Yellow Jackets have a 9–3 record and finished the regular season No. 22 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Key has a 27–19 record at Georgia Tech since taking over in 2022.

MLB Network ⬆ The league-owned outlet broke ground on its forthcoming headquarters in Elmwood Park, N.J. The channel has been operating in nearby Secaucus since its 2009 debut, but it will shift to the new, state-of-the-art location in 2028. MLB solidified plans for the Elmwood Park move earlier this year. In addition to having some live game rights, the outlet has long been a fixture of many other parts of the baseball calendar, including annual player awards, National Baseball Hall of Fame induction announcements, the hot stove period, and the draft.

Blue Jays ⬆ The defending American League champions continue to burnish themselves, signing pitcher Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million contract. Ponce was the Most Valuable Player of the Korea Baseball Organization this year, posting a 17–1 record with 252 strikeouts in 180 and two-thirds innings pitched. The Ponce deal follows a separate, $210 million one Toronto recently completed with free-agent pitcher Dylan Cease, and further signals how the team, and sports overall, is growing in importance [[link removed]] with Blue Jays owner Rogers Communications.

Colt Knost ⬆ CBS Sports has promoted the on-course golf reporter to analyst, putting the former PGA Tour player into the network’s tower coverage team alongside host Jim Nantz, lead analyst Trevor Immelman, and fellow analyst Frank Nobilo. Knost is taking the spot previously held by Ian Baker-Finch, who retired following the 2025 season.

Editors’ Picks Dundon in Talks to Sell Hurricanes Stake to Fund Blazers Buy [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]A deal could reportedly value the NHL team at $2 billion. NBA Fines Sixers—Again—Over Joel Embiid Injury Handling [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Embiid has only played in seven games this season. Small Number of World Cup Tickets Excluded From Dynamic Pricing [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Designated supporters groups won’t face the fluctuating, skyrocketing prices. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you list the last five No. 1 NWSL draft picks?

PLAY NOW [[link removed]]

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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