Afternoon Edition

September 10, 2026

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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

First Up

Exclusive: TGL parent company TMRW Sports is finalizing a new funding round that will value the business at north of $1 billion, FOS has learned.
After Tennis Australia’s CEO suggested Grand Slam tennis matches may be shortened in the future, the tournament said it’s not abandoning the five-set format.
Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry confirmed 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 throughout his career.

Mike Tomlin Shines in NBC Sports Debut

Mat Hayward/NBC Sports

Forget Myles Garrett or A.J. Brown. NBC Sports may have made the NFL’s most consequential move of the off-season by hiring Mike Tomlin for its studio coverage.

Tomlin made a strong regular-season TV debut on Wednesday night during NBC’s season-opening telecast of Seahawks-Patriots. The longtime Steelers coach demonstrated why he was the most desired NFL TV free agent since Tom Brady.

The Super Bowl-winning coach was commanding, succinct, incisive. Tomlin wasn’t Captain Obvious; a mistake many rookie sportscasters make. Instead, he understood from the jump that his job is to help viewers understand the complicated mindset of a Super Bowl-winning coach.

The Super Bowl champion Seahawks are now the hunted, not the hunters, Tomlin warned in the pregame show. They can’t be focused on rings, bling, banners, or the banquet circuit. They must retain their hunger and drive. And Seattle did it too, coming back in the fourth quarter to beat the Patriots 13-10.

Only the Chiefs and Patriots have repeated as Super Bowl champs in the 21st century. Tomlin wisely noted Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is likely using all the talk about the rival Rams to fire up his troops. “That’s low-hanging fruit for Coach Macdonald,” he said.

When host Maria Taylor noted Seahawks QB Sam Darnold wanted to bring his team’s defense up to the podium with him after winning Super Bowl LX, Tomlin reminded viewers that defense wins championships. “That’s a great leader right there. He understands how the bread is buttered,” he said.

The 54-year-old coach, who never had a losing record during his 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, wasn’t perfect. He mistakenly referred to Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba as “JNS.” Taylor laughingly corrected him, noting, “I’m not going to let you do it again.” Tomlin was also quick to turn to fellow analysts Jason McCourty or Jason Garrett when he finished his point, as if he was talking too much. As he gets more comfortable on the set, his body language should improve.

Still, those are quibbles. The bottom line is Tomlin showed huge TV potential. Football Night in America needed a kickstart. Tomlin instantly made the show and the cast feel bigger and better. He’s still young and could easily return to the league. The pull of the sideline is almost irresistible for most former coaches. But if Tomlin wants to do TV, it’s not hard to imagine him ripping off a decade-long run with NBC like Jon Gruden previously did with ESPN. When and if the 67-year-old Cris Collinsworth retires, could Tomlin join Mike Tirico in the Sunday Night Football broadcast booth as a latter-day John Madden? Why not? The pithy coach is known for his Tomlin-isms. He packs a lot of info into a few words. It’s perfect for the booth.

Other thoughts on NBC’s coverage of the Hawks-Pats Super Bowl rematch:

NBC dropped the polarizing Pro Football Focus grades that were previously displayed during player introductions. They were replaced by each player’s hometown. The switch comes months after Collinsworth sold the company’s enterprise business side to Teamworks, while retaining its consumer business division. CBS Sports’s J.J. Watt applauded the change, writing on X, “This is a fantastic development.”
NBC’s play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico tangentially covered the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini controversy. But he didn’t delve very much into it apart from noting the “offseason off-the-field headlines” surrounding the Pats. Front Office Sports previously broke the news that Russini, the former NFL insider for The Athletic, is “absolutely” planning a comeback. She’s currently in talks with several possible employers, say sources.

While Tomlin didn’t tackle the Vrabel-Russini elephant in the room on Wednesday, he previously weighed during NBC’s telecast of the preseason Hall of Fame game in early August.

“When games start, winning matters. If they get off to a fast start, they’ve got a chance to quiet some of that noise,” said Tomlin. “If they don’t, that noise could get extremely loud.”

With the AFC champs off to an ugly 0-1 start, the noise could just be starting in New England. “One word to describe the Patriots’ opening night loss in Seattle? Disastrous,” wrote columnist Dan Shaughessy of the Boston Globe. “I feel like my season is over guys… I just feel like we’re going 6-11 now. I’m so depressed,” added Bill Simmons on his eponymous podcast after Pats QB Drake Maye threw three interceptions.

The Ringer founder also noted that he had a tough time not thinking about the Vrabel-Russini scandal during the game.

“I didn’t know if I would think about the offseason with him during the game,” Simmons said. “But I thought about it 20 times.”

A Conversation With PGA Tour CEO

"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.

ONE BIG FIG

All Eyes on Kiffin

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

5.8 million

That was ABC’s average viewership for LSU’s 51-10 blowout win 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 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.

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. 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.

Matthew Stafford’s Johnnie-O Picks

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 of his favorite styles.

STATUS REPORT

Three Up, One Down

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 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. 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.

‘Front Office Sports Tonight’ Launches Sept. 14

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 for the station & air time in your area.