June 16, 2022

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Sue Bird, one of the WNBA’s all-time greats, announced [[link removed]] that this will be her final season. Over 21 years, the 12-time All-Star has compiled an extensive list of accomplishments, including four WNBA titles, five Olympic gold medals, and the all-time lead in assists — in addition to one of the top-selling WNBA jerseys ever.

Bettman Says NHL Will Hit Record Revenue Marks [[link removed]]

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league is set to generate record revenue this season, bringing in at least $5.2 billion.

At his annual state of the league address before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, Bettman credited [[link removed]] the revenue increase to more scoring, which helped boost TV ratings. An average of 6.28 goals were scored during the regular season, the highest since 1992-93.

Bettman added that $5.2 billion is a conservative estimate, but the number is still a significant jump from the last full season’s $4.6 billion in revenue for 2018-2019.

More revenue is also flowing from the league’s $1 billion media rights deal [[link removed].] with ESPN and Turner Sports that started this season following a 16-year partnership with NBC Sports. The new agreements total more than double [[link removed].] what the league had been getting from its previous deals with NBC and ESPN.

This year’s opening game averaged 984,000 viewers on ESPN.Last year’s first game brought in an average of 972,000 viewers to NBC.

“Our playoffs this year, the first two rounds generated 88% of the revenues that we did in the first two rounds the last time we had normal playoffs [in 2019],” Bettman said [[link removed]].

The NHL’s salary cap is expected to grow $1 million to $82.5 million next season.

Pepsi on Ice

On Thursday, the NHL announced a 20-year extension of its North American partnership with Pepsi, but Gatorade is not included. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the pair’s previous deal [[link removed]] was between $10 million and $15 million annually.

Anheuser-Busch Ending Exclusive Super Bowl Deal [[link removed]]

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Anheuser-Busch will not renew its exclusivity deal for Super Bowl LVII, allowing other alcohol brands to advertise during the game for the first time since 1989.

The announcement [[link removed]] comes after the company renewed [[link removed]] its deal with the league in December for $250 million annually, and just months after announcing [[link removed]] that Bud Light will have a presence at all major NFL offseason events.

“The Super Bowl is a huge tentpole moment for consumers, but it doesn’t necessarily line up with the key moment of consumption for the beer industry,” said Spencer Gordon, Anheuser-Busch’s VP of consumer connections.

Anheuser-Busch, the parent of Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra, still plans to advertise during the Big Game, but now so can its competitors.Diageo bought the league’s hard alcohol rights for a reported $30 million per year last June.

The Super Bowl brought in 112.3 million viewers this year and remains the most-watched TV program in the U.S. Each ad cost around $5.6 million for this year’s game.

Gordon said the money previously spent on the brand’s exclusivity deal will still go toward the Super Bowl’s broadcast partners, but “on different moments throughout the year.”

Super Bowl Sorrows

Anheuser-Busch is the second company to pull its center-stage sponsorship from the Super Bowl. Last month, Pepsi pulled out as the exclusive Super Bowl halftime show sponsor, but will continue [[link removed]] its partnership with the league.

The NFL still has plenty of revenue coming in. Last year, the league signed [[link removed]] media deals worth more than $110 billion.

SPONSORED BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH

Meet The Rising 25 Class of 2022

Now in its sixth year, the Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]] presented by Anheuser-Busch has become one of the most competitive and prestigious awards in the business of sports.

This year, we received over 400 nominations highlighting young professionals whose drive to succeed inspired us. They crushed it in the workplace and carried that spirit “off the field” by championing philanthropic causes and advocating for diversity and inclusion.

Check out the Rising 25 Class of 2022 [[link removed]].

MLB Owners Approve Purchase of Stake in Guardians [[link removed]]

Syndication: Akron Beacon Journal

MLB owners approved David Blitzer’s purchase of a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians — a deal that lays out a path for the billionaire investor to take a controlling interest in the club.

A vote on Blitzer’s 35% purchase in the Guardians, which values the team at around $1 billion, took place Wednesday, sources told Front Office Sports. As part of the deal, Blitzer can increase his stake in the team over time.

Blitzer is “at a minimum six years away” from securing control of the Guardians, a person with knowledge of the discussions told FOS. The Dolan family purchased the MLB club for $323 million in 2000.

Blitzer teamed with billionaire investor Josh Harris to create Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in 2017, a group that consolidated its ownership in the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils, and the Prudential Center into one organization. Blitzer and Harris paid [[link removed]] around $60 million to purchase a stake in the English Premier League’s Crystal Palace Football Club in 2015. Blitzer teamed with Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith to purchase [[link removed]] MLS’ Real Salt Lake in January for close to $400 million. A Year of Change

Paul Dolan, who has served as controlling owner since 2013, announced [[link removed]] last July the club would change its name to the Guardians, a rebrand that came after years of pushback from Native American advocacy groups. The Guardians had to settle [[link removed]] with a roller derby team with a trademark for the name.

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, Everton FC is in discussions to sell a stake in the team, a new sports private equity firm seeks to raise $1 billion, England’s Royal Ascot has a record $10.5 million prize pool, and tech company Teamworks raises $50 million in Series D funding. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks acquired [[link removed]] rising star forward Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets in exchange for this year’s 26th pick and four role players. Colorado Avalanche winger Andre Burakovsky scored [[link removed]] 83 seconds into overtime to seal a thrilling 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. In Wednesday’s 9-2 win over the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros pitchers threw the 107th and 108th immaculate innings in MLB history [[link removed]] — the first time ever with two in the same game. Subscribe to Scoreboard for more [[link removed]].

SPONSORED BY PARAMOUNT+

The Veteran Needs a Win

The rookie needs to prove himself. The veteran needs a win. The untold story of the greatest game ever played … at least in esports.

The new original series Players is streaming now [[link removed]]!

From the creators of American Vandal, Players [[link removed]] follows a fictional professional League of Legends esports team as they pursue their first championship after years of close calls and heartache. To win it all, they will need their prodigy, a 17-year-old rookie, and their 27-year-old veteran, to put their egos aside and work together.

Players is now streaming exclusively on Paramount+. Try it for free [[link removed]]!

Market Movers

U.S. stocks experienced declines across all three major indexes on Thursday. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

FOX [[link removed]]

Fox Corporation

[[link removed]]

$29.81

[[link removed]]

-0.23%

[[link removed]] RCI [[link removed]]

Rogers Communications Inc.

[[link removed]]

$44.80

[[link removed]]

-1.93%

[[link removed]] MSGS [[link removed]]

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp

[[link removed]]

$145.63

[[link removed]]

-3.51%

[[link removed]] CMCSA [[link removed]]

Comcast Corp

[[link removed]]

$37.93

[[link removed]]

-3.95%

[[link removed]] GOLF [[link removed]]

Acushnet Holdings Corp

[[link removed]]

$38.46

[[link removed]]

-4.94%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 6/16/22) What to Watch

Hulu has all the things you love to watch. From full seasons of exclusive series, current-season episodes, live sports, movies, Hulu Originals, and kids shows, Hulu has something for everyone.

If you’re taking it easy this weekend, book a stay at Hulu. No judgments, no obligations, and no reason to stop with Hulu’s endless entertainment.

How to Watch: Stream all of your favorite content on Hulu [[link removed]]*

*Sponsored content.

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Written by Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]], A.J. Perez [[link removed]]

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

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Front Office Sports Learning [[link removed]] - Professional education at the speed of culture

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