August 31, 2022

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Love him or hate him, people can’t stop talking about Jake Paul. We caught up with the boxing star on My Other Passion to talk about his next fight, launching a sports betting business, and the best advice he’s gotten from Mike Tyson and Drake. Check out the full episode on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], or YouTube [[link removed]]. 🥊

Serena Williams’ U.S. Open Match Averages 2.7M Viewers [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Serena Williams’ farewell tour during the U.S. Open is generating big TV ratings for ESPN.

The Worldwide Leader’s coverage of Williams’ straight-sets victory over Danka Kovinic on Monday night averaged 2.7 million viewers — nearly four times the viewership ESPN earned in the comparable primetime window in 2021.

It sets the stage for another big number Wednesday night as Williams takes on No. 2 seed Anna Kontaveit.

The frenzy surrounding the 23-time [[link removed]] Grand Slam winner’s expected final tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center generated enormous numbers all day for ESPN.

Viewership for Williams’ Monday night match peaked at 3.2 million between 9-9:15 p.m. ET. ESPN Digital Properties totaled 2 million unique users — the most-trafficked first day of a U.S. Open.ESPN averaged a record 1.7 million viewers for “Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM” from 7 p.m.-12:03 a.m. ET. — up 279% from last year and 40% from the previous high in 2019.The combined total day average of 843,000 viewers was up 4% from the previous U.S. Open best of 819,000 in 2019. ESPN’s Ace

ESPN signed [[link removed]] an 11-year, $770 million deal with USTA in 2013 for broadcasting rights to the U.S. Open. CBS, which held the rights for more than 45 years, had turned down a deal reportedly worth an annual $30 million.

Big 12 Presses Media Rights Negotiations, But Formal Status Unclear [[link removed]]

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The arms race for the most valuable resource in the Power 5 — media rights revenue — continues.

On Wednesday, the Big 12 announced that it will begin talks with current partners FOX and ESPN earlier than planned.

In a statement to Front Office Sports, however, ESPN cautioned that the discussions are not necessarily formal. “We regularly engage in conversation around the future with all of our partners, but to be clear, we have not opened the contractual negotiation window with the Big 12 at this time,” the network said.

The Big 12 is motivated by conference realignment.

The Big 12’s existing media rights deal is slightly more lucrative than those of the Pac-12 and ACC, but lagging severely behind the Big Ten and SEC.The current deal, which extends until 2025, contributed to payouts of around $38 million per school in 2020, per [[link removed]] tax returns.

If the Big 12 can get an indication of its worth when it loses Texas and Oklahoma but gains four other members, it may strengthen the conference’s position.

Race With the Pac-12

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff previously said the conference had begun media rights negotiations earlier than expected. The Pac-12’s contract, though less lucrative than the Big 12, ends in 2024. If the conference can beat the Big 12 to a new deal, it might have an edge in conference realignment.

New Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is likely trying to prevent that.

“Given the changing landscape, we welcome the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties,” Yormark said.

SPONSORED BY CISCO

Golf’s Drive Toward Inclusivity

For a sport often labeled as overly traditional and slow-to-change, professional golf has seen an incredible amount of upheaval lately – much of it played out very publicly and emotionally via everyone from players to fans to golf media.

But meanwhile, a much quieter and more impactful transformation is playing out at all levels of the game. The push towards a more inclusive, diverse future [[link removed]] for the sport is gaining significant momentum and making real progress.

Through the efforts of celebrities like Steph Curry and J.R. Smith, to the Advocates Professional Golf Association and the support of brands such as Cisco [[link removed]], the culture of golf is changing.

Read more [[link removed]] about the growing diversity in golf.

Crypto.com Backs Out of UEFA Deal in Latest Crypto Reversal [[link removed]]

UEFA Champions League

Crypto companies are reversing course on sports sponsorships — and European soccer’s governing body is just the latest victim.

Crypto.com backed out of a $100.6 million sponsorship deal for the UEFA Champions League this summer, according [[link removed]] to SportBusiness.

A drop of over $2 trillion in value in the crypto markets from November to June, plus another major hit [[link removed]] last week, has caused a course correction among crypto exchanges.

Rival crypto exchange FTX reportedly pulled [[link removed]] out of a jersey patch deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Another crypto company backed off a deal with the Washington Wizards.The bankruptcy of crypto exchange Voyager left a deal with the NWSL — one of the largest in the league’s history — in limbo. Voyager was also a partner of the Dallas Mavericks. Crypto’s Big Sports Play

The canceled transactions represent a reversal on what had been the biggest emerging trend in sports deals: Crypto companies were spending [[link removed]] billions of dollars on sports sponsorships.

The category rocketed to the NBA’s second-largest sponsorship category in the 2021-22 season, after being 43rd the previous year.

Crypto.com and FTX each made a major splash with an arena naming rights deal, with the former landing [[link removed]] the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings, and Sparks in a 20-year, $700 million deal, and FTX snaring the Miami Heat’s arena for 19 years for $135 million.

Conversation Starters Did you see the Mickey Mantle card that sold for $12.6 million earlier this week? There’s more where that came from: These are the 10 most valuable sports trading cards [[link removed]] ever sold. In The Leadoff, Peloton delays a required SEC filing, Fanatics secures a deal with the 2028 Summer Games’ organizing committee, the Oakland A’s dodge another obstacle to building a waterfront ballpark, and Sony plunges into mobile gaming. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. Sources tell [[link removed]] Front Office Sports there was nothing in former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza’s pre-draft report that hinted at sexual assault allegations. Tim Tebow is part of an ownership [[link removed]] group of a new United Soccer League franchise planned for Jacksonville, Florida.

SPONSORED BY ODDSCHECKER

$150 in Free Bets for NFL Week 1 Kickoff

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That means you have every incentive to get on the first real action since Super Bowl LVI. Whether you’ve got your sights set on the Bills vs. Rams on Thursday, September 8, Eagles vs. Lions on Sunday, September 11, or any of the other 14 games that day, FanDuel is there to make sure your first bet is nothing less than a touchdown.

Claim now [[link removed]].

Market Movers

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

CZR [[link removed]]

Caesars Entertainment Inc

[[link removed]]

$43.10

[[link removed]]

-0.76%

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

Rogers Communications Inc.

[[link removed]]

$43.04

[[link removed]]

-1.60%

[[link removed]] T [[link removed]]

AT&T, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$17.55

[[link removed]]

-1.65%

[[link removed]] NKE [[link removed]]

Nike, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$106.37

[[link removed]]

-1.67%

[[link removed]] UA [[link removed]]

Under Armour Inc

[[link removed]]

$7.59

[[link removed]]

-2.82%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 8/31/22) What to Watch

Catch every match of the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including Serena Williams’ quest to capture her seventh and final tournament title.

How to Watch: 11 a.m. ET on ESPN+ / Stream all of the U.S. Open live on ESPN+ [[link removed]]*

*Sponsored content. Match availabilities differ by market, check your local listing.

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Written by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]], Amanda Christovich [[link removed]], Owen Poindexter [[link removed]] Edited by Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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