February 3, 2022

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A 24-hour TV channel devoted entirely to covering female athletes — on and off the field — is launching this summer. L.A.-based Fast Studios plans to launch the Women’s Sports Network on free, advertiser-supported streaming platforms.

Tom Brady Could Command $25M Annually On TV

Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY/Design: Alex Brooks

The feelers started going out to Tom Brady’s agents almost as soon as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season ended with a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 23.

Would Brady be interested in doing TV for the 2022 season? If he is, the seven-time Super Bowl champion could land the richest pact in sports broadcasting history.

With Troy Aikman possibly leaving for Amazon, Fox Sports has inquired about the newly retired Brady, sources told Front Office Sports. ESPN is also interested, said sources. Ditto for Amazon, which takes over “Thursday Night Football” in the 2022 season.

WME’s Josh Pyatt handles the 44-year-old’s off-field opportunities.Don Yee handled Brady’s on-field contracts with the Bucs and New England Patriots over his 22-year NFL career.

Fox said it won’t comment “on contracts or on personnel hires.” ESPN, Amazon, and WME declined comment.

Money Talks

CBS Sports’ Tony Romo is currently the highest-paid [[link removed]] announcer at $18 million per year, but Brady’s deal would “blow Romo’s out of the water,” predicted one source.

“The opening bid would be $20 million a year — and it could go as high as $25 million … There’s no way in hell Brady would make less than Romo.”

If Brady does want to work in TV, Fox could compete against Amazon or Apple [[link removed]], which is bidding on the “NFL Sunday Ticket” package.

“Back up the Brinks truck: Everybody is going to want to be in the Tom Brady business,” said another source. “He will do whatever deal he wants. Everybody will want to play ball with him.”

Meta Posts $33.7B Quarter Amid Metaverse Pivot

Oculus/Meta/Design: Alex Brooks

Meta is still looking to become a force in gaming and fitness.

Facebook’s parent company brought [[link removed]] in $33.7 billion in fourth-quarter 2021 revenue, up 20% year-over-year.

“I’m encouraged by the progress we made this past year in a number of important growth areas like Reels, commerce, and virtual reality, and we’ll continue investing in these and other key priorities in 2022 as we work towards building the metaverse,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The company’s Reality Labs segment, which includes its VR and AR efforts, posted its best revenue of the year, $877 million, up 22.3% year-over-year.However, that segment recorded an operating loss of $3.3 billion.The company hinted at further spending in that area in 2023 and beyond, noting that “Reality Labs products and services may require more infrastructure capacity in the future,” but “are not a significant driver of 2022 capital expenditures.”

Meta’s full-year revenue rose 37% to $117.9 billion — but the stock tanked [[link removed]] in after-hours trading as active user totals and the company’s Q1 2022 revenue forecast missed analyst expectations.

Meta’s World Piece

Meta has been among the main driving forces behind the metaverse, acquiring companies and hiring [[link removed]] hardware, VR, and AR engineers to fuel that effort.

In June 2021, its VR division, Oculus Studios, acquired online VR game maker Big Box VR. It has also made fitness a key part of its metaverse play, acquiring VR fitness company Within in November 2021.

In January, Meta partnered with at-home fitness company Liteboxer, which is producing VR fitness classes and content.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Debut NASCAR Team

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced plans to debut his NASCAR team, The Money Team Racing, at the Daytona 500.

The team plans [[link removed]] for a partial Cup Series this year and will enter with 23-year-old driver Kaz Grala. The Chevrolet, bearing No. 50 to represent [[link removed]] Mayweather’s 50-0 boxing record, will need to qualify to compete in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 — the team doesn’t have a charter that guarantees a spot in the race.

Grala placed 28th in last year’s race — which averaged [[link removed]] 4.83 million viewers — with Kaulig Racing.

The Money Team Racing’s general manager William Auchmoody told Associated Press the team would like to run as many as 15 races.

The team secured [[link removed]] a sponsorship from sunglasses manufacturer Pit Viper.StarCom Racing’s CFO Bill Woehlmann, CEO Michael Kohler, and president Matt Kohler reportedly hold a minority stake in the team.

Earning more than $1.1 billion over his career, Mayweather is the richest boxer of all time. He made [[link removed]] $275 million just from his fight against Conor McGregor.

NASCAR’s Celebrity Owners

Mayweather isn’t the only celebrity — or athlete — to emerge in the last two years as a NASCAR owner. Last February, NBA legend Michael Jordan debuted [[link removed]] his own team, 23XI Racing, with co-owner Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace behind the wheel.

NASCAR’s Trackhouse Racing team, which added [[link removed]] Pitbull as a team partner in January 2021, announced [[link removed]] a partnership deal with UFC president Dana White on Tuesday.

Ferrari Reports Strong Finish to FY2021

Ferrari/Design: Alex Brooks

Ferrari continues to benefit from Formula 1 following the release of the iconic car brand’s latest earnings report.

The Italian automaker generated $1.3 billion in revenue in Q4 2021, compared to $1.2 billion for the same period the year prior.

Ferrari saw its sponsorship, commercial, and brand segment generate $174 million in revenue during the quarter, up 10.4% compared to Q4 2020, thanks to F1 sponsorship deals and a favorable race calendar.

The brand’s engines segment saw revenue reach $214 million in Q4, a 26% increase year-over-year, in part from rentals to other F1 racing teams.

Full-year revenue reached $4.8 billion; a 23% increase compared to FY2020.Total shipments in FY2021 were up 2,036 units compared to the year prior.Industrial and R&D costs increased by $75 million in FY2021, partly due to F1 expenses.

Ferrari also reported organizational changes that support green initiatives on and off the racetrack. Ferrari plans to participate in LMDh, a hypercar class that demands clean energy, by 2023. Last April, the brand announced that its first all-electric vehicle will debut in 2025.

Plans to Increase Engagement

Last December, Ferrari signed [[link removed]] a multiyear deal with Switzerland-based blockchain firm Velas Network to create exclusive digital content for fans.

The deal also makes Velas the title sponsor of the Ferrari Esports Series and the automaker’s esports team competing in the F1 Esports Series, a digital championship that includes every participant in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

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Conversation Starters More than 50 million people tuned into Fox for the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the biggest [[link removed]] audience for an NFC Championship Game since 2014. Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault, and as a result has been removed [[link removed]] from versions of “FIFA 22” and suspended from playing or training with the team. LIV Golf – backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – will reportedly increase its total investment in the Asian Tour to $300 million. The golf industry has seen increased amounts of funding at all levels since the onset of the pandemic. Learn more from our FOS Insights [[link removed]] report. Data has become foundational in today’s competitive and demanding brand marketing environment. Join our next webinar [[link removed]] to learn how Germania Insurance and the Texas Rangers are using analytics to maximize partnership outcomes.*

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Today's Action

NBA

08:40 PM

Heat (-170) at Spurs (+150)

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NBA

07:30 PM

Suns (-210) at Hawks (+175)

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NBA

07:10 PM

Timberwolves (-305) at Pistons (+240)

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*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See [[link removed]] for details.

Question Of The Day

Do you think Tom Brady will land a broadcasting deal?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s Answer

45% of respondents think Google will become a leader in the fitness space.

Written by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]], Owen Poindexter [[link removed]], Justin Byers [[link removed]], Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]]

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The Leadoff [[link removed]] - Daily Business of Sports Podcast

Front Office Sports Insights [[link removed]] - The most promising opportunities where sports meets industry

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