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_Afternoon Edition_

_September 10, 2026_



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**Powered By**

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In the NFL season opener on Wednesday, Mike Tomlin showed why he was the most sought after NFL TV free agent since Tom Brady. The longtime Steelers coach, who was signed by NBC Sports in April, showed big TV potential as part of NBC’s coverage of the Seahawks-Patriots game.

==—==[Michael McCarthy]([link removed])


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## **First Up**

* Exclusive: TGL parent company [TMRW Sports is finalizing a new funding round]([link removed]) that will value the business at north of $1 billion, _FOS_ has learned.

* After Tennis Australia’s CEO suggested [Grand Slam tennis matches]([link removed]) may be shortened in the future, the tournament said it’s not abandoning the five-set format. 

* Former ESPN reporter [Britt McHenry confirmed]([link removed]) she will be a press advisor to the State Department. 

* Kenny Albert spoke with _FOS_ as the NFL season gets underway about what it’s been like [calling NFL games in roughly 60 stadiums]([link removed]) throughout his career==. ==


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###### SPONSORED BY WSC SPORTS

## A Conversation With PGA Tour CEO

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=="Off The Record" with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports" is an event series that features the biggest dealmakers in sports, talking about the future of sports media and technology in an intimate setting. Past guests have included Jimmy Pitaro, Rick Cordella, Gary Bettman, Jay Marine, Mark Shapiro, Hans Schroeder, Christian Oestlien, Don Garber, Gabe Spitzer and Matt Hong.==

Brian Rolapp, the second-year CEO of the PGA Tour, is the featured guest on Thursday,  Sept. 17, starting at 4:30 p.m. In this closed door conversation, Marchand will ask Rolapp about the PGA Tour's new competitive model, its potential impact on its media deals, and how he sees the future of media and AI.

The event is free and includes light appetizers and cocktails. Space is limited so signing up does not guarantee a spot. Request an invite [here]([link removed]).


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###### ONE BIG FIG

## All Eyes on Kiffin

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Caption: ==_Stephen Lew-Imagn Images_==

## 5.8 million

That was ABC’s average viewership for [LSU’s 51-10 blowout win]([link removed]) over Clemson, marking the most-watched Saturday game of Week 1 of the college football season. The game, Lane Kiffin’s coaching debut at LSU, started two hours late after a rain delay in Baton Rouge, which coupled with the lopsided result could explain in part why the TV ratings dropped significantly from last year’s LSU-Clemson matchup in Week 1—a 17-10 win for LSU that [drew 10.4 million viewers]([link removed]) on ABC.

Meanwhile, Oregon’s 34-27 victory over Boise State was CBS’s most-watched Week 1 college football game in 28 years, averaging 4.83 million viewers. Figures for Sunday and Monday’s Week 1 games are not yet available.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s 41-13 victory over Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sunday was the most-watched game of Labor Day Weekend, drawing 8.1 million viewers on NBC. Oregon’s 34-27 victory over Boise State on Saturday was CBS’s most-watched Week 1 college football game in 28 years, averaging 4.83 million viewers.


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###### LOUD AND CLEAR

## Racy Campaign

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_**“In some sense, it forces us into the national discourse.”**_

—Prediction-market platform CEO Jacob Fortinsky to _Front Office Sports_ about the ad it released this week [featuring actress Sydney Sweeney]([link removed]). The racy spot features an essentially naked Sweeney, covering herself with footballs, basketballs, and hockey pads. The commercial—one of three new recent ads from prediction-market platforms featuring celebrities that have generated buzz—immediately went viral. The “Euphoria” actress is also an equity holder in the company.


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###### SPONSORED BY JOHNNIE-O

## Matthew Stafford’s Johnnie-O Picks

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Golfers already knew, but quietly Johnnie-O has become one of the biggest names in men’s apparel and now it’s taking its brand to the next level with one of the biggest names in football—NFL MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford. 

Since joining up with the brand, Matthew has often been seen wearing the surfer logo with comfortable classics infused with a bit of performance being his go-tos. Some of his favorites include the Hoppin Ribbed Knit Quarter-Zip and the Motion Performance Hoodies stitched with the Los Angeles Rams and Georgia Bulldogs from the Game Day Collection. 

[See more]([link removed]) of his favorite styles.


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###### STATUS REPORT

## Three Up, One Down

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Caption: ==_IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Robert Deutsch_==

**Serena and Venus Williams** **⬆ **The sisters still have one of the strongest viewership pulls in tennis. ESPN announced it drew 1.2 million viewers for the Williams sisters’ Friday night US Open doubles match against Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan. The viewership drove the network’s 1.1 million viewership average for Round 3 of the Grand Slam, up 27% versus last year, and the most since 2022—the last time Serena played singles at the US Open. She lost in the third round.

**Team USA** **⬆ **The women’s basketball team advanced to the semis of the FIBA Women’s World Cup after blowing out Hungary on Thursday in Berlin, 108–56. They will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Australia and Spain. Team USA is filled with WNBA stars, including Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese. France, another team with WNBA players, is still alive on the other side of the bracket. USA narrowly defeated France in the finals of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

**Chicago Fire** **⬆ **Lionel Messi’s second game in the Windy City drew 63,094 to Soldier Field on Wednesday, a franchise attendance record. Messi first played in Chicago last year, drawing 62,538 fans. He was on the Inter Miami roster when they played the Fire at Soldier Field in 2023, but he did not suit up due to injury. It was the first time Messi faced recent Fire addition Robert Lewandowski in MLS. The Fire added Lewandowski in late June, and have [doubled their attendance]([link removed]) in the three home games he’s played.

**WTA ⬇ **The women’s tennis tour is in jeopardy of running out of money by the end of 2027, according to a report from _[Telegraph]([link removed])_. The tour reportedly presented its financial numbers to the board during meetings in New York this past week that shows it will only have $15 million in cash by the end of this year. One reason for the decline has been the end of the deal with Saudi Arabia to play the WTA Finals in Riyadh, which [prematurely ended this year]([link removed]).

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## ‘Front Office Sports Tonight’ Launches Sept. 14

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_Front Office Sports Tonight_, the first nationally syndicated daily show built entirely around the business and culture of sports, **premieres in less than one week **on Sept. 14. Emmy winner Matt Iseman will host the 30-minute show which will air six nights a week. Check the **[channel finder]([link removed])** for the station & air time in your area.


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# **Editors’ Picks**


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