September 9, 2022

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Sunday night’s matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the most expensive [[link removed]] NFL Week 1 ticket, garnering an average price of $411.

NFL Dominates World’s Most Valuable Sports Team Rankings [[link removed]]

Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has reasserted its prowess over global sports by once again dominating the ranks of the world’s most valuable sports teams.

Thirty of the 32 NFL teams secured a place on Forbes’ top 50 list [[link removed]], with six in the top 10. Together, the 50 teams are worth $222.7 billion, representing a 30% year-over-year increase — the biggest in five years.

The Dallas Cowboys top the list with an $8 billion valuation — Jerry Jones purchased the team in 1989 for $150 million. The New England Patriots took the second spot at $6.4 billion, with the Los Angeles Rams following at $6.2 billion.

Nos. 4, 5: New York Yankees, New York Giants ($6 billion)Nos. 6, 7: New York Knicks, Chicago Bears ($5.8 billion)Nos. 8, 9: Golden State Warriors, Washington Commanders ($5.6 billion)No. 10: Los Angeles Lakers ($5.5 billion)

The NFL hasn’t had at least 30 teams on the list since 2014.

Lost From The List

Chelsea FC came in at No. 50 with a $3.1 billion valuation, but still beat out every team from several other professional leagues.

The New York Rangers are the most valuable NHL team at $2 billion. The Indian Premier League’s most valuable team, the Mumbai Indians, sits at $1.3 billion, and MLS’ most valuable club, Los Angeles FC, has an $860 million valuation.

Disney CFO Shuts Down Suggestion of ESPN Spinoff [[link removed]]

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Disney isn’t interested in letting ESPN go anytime soon.

When Daniel Loeb’s Third Point increased its stake in Disney last month, the activist investor sent a letter [[link removed]] to Disney CEO Bob Chapek calling on him to spin off the sports network.

“ESPN would have greater flexibility to pursue business initiatives that may be more difficult as part of Disney, such as sports betting,” Loeb wrote.

On Wednesday, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy said [[link removed]] the company likes “the hand we have with ESPN.”

McCarthy added that Disney’s teams are always looking for alternatives “where we would be better off doing something different.” She said Disney sees “ESPN as being part of our overall portfolio.”

Prior to Loeb’s comments — which also called for cost cuts, a revamped board of directors, and a faster Hulu takeover timeline — outlets reported that Disney was considering a spinoff, but had abandoned [[link removed]] the idea.

Disney recently reported $21.5 billion in third-quarter revenue.

A Big Gamble

Whether or not Disney would spin off ESPN, sports betting seems to be in the company’s current discussions. Chapek said in Disney’s last earnings call that the Mouse was in talks with sportsbooks about integrating betting opportunities during sports broadcasts.

“Our sports fans that are under 30 absolutely require this type of utility,” Chapek said.

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WNBA Finals Opener Pitted Against First NFL Sunday [[link removed]]

Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The WNBA has enjoyed another viewership upswing this postseason — an increase of 42% compared to last year’s playoffs.

But that trend now faces a big challenge: Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on ESPN goes head-to-head Sunday against Week 1 of the NFL regular season — one of up to three times the Las Vegas Aces and the Connecticut Sun could compete for eyeballs against the behemoth that is The Shield.

ESPN and WNBA work to avoid such conflicts, and last year’s finals didn’t begin until October.The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup — which starts later this month — contributed to a condensed WNBA schedule and made conflicts inescapable, those close to the schedule’s composition told Front Office Sports.

Even Mark Davis — the Las Vegas Raiders’ controlling owner who purchased [[link removed]] the Aces last year and has been a regular at games since — has a choice to make. The Raiders kick off on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers about 80 minutes after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals tips off around noon local time on Sunday.

Beyond Current TV Deal

The WNBA receives $25 million per season through 2025 from its TV deal with ESPN. The next package is expected to result not only in a major rights fee bump, but also more freedom in scheduling.

“The new deal will be crucial for the growth of the league, especially when it comes to gender pay equity,” said Khristina Williams, founder of Girls Talk Sports TV [[link removed]].

Cricket Australia Expects Bigger Media Rights Deal [[link removed]]

Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia is looking to increase the asking price for its next domestic media rights contract after securing an expensive deal to broadcast games in India through Disney.

“We’ve got a great product,” Cricket Australia chair Lachlan Henderson said [[link removed]]. “Cricket currently is undervalued in terms of its media rights.”

In 2018, Cricket Australia signed [[link removed]] a six-year, $809 million domestic media rights deal with Foxtel and Seven Network.Before the pact, Cricket Australia had spent four decades airing games domestically through free-to-air TV broadcaster Nine Network.

In July, Seven initiated [[link removed]] court proceedings in Australia’s federal court in an effort to terminate its $310 million media rights deal with Cricket Australia, claiming that the national governing body of cricket has breached its contract.

Australian cricket’s Big Bash League, whose last two seasons were disrupted by the pandemic, is reportedly at the center of the dispute.

Seven reportedly saw its average national TV audience for the 2020-21 BBL regular season drop [[link removed]] by 10%, while Foxtel reported a 28% increase with an average audience of 256,000.

The claim came as a surprise to Cricket Australia, which stated it delivered “two very successful cricket seasons.”

Global Reach

In July, Cricket Australia landed a deal [[link removed]] with Disney worth $250 million to broadcast games in India via Disney Star — an Indian subsidiary of the entertainment giant.

For seven years starting in 2023, Disney Star will air international matches and both men’s and women’s BBL games.

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My Other Passion, presented by Netsuite [[link removed]], brings you conversations with the most influential athletes, celebrities, and executives about what drives them – beyond the sports or businesses they’re famous for.

In our latest episode, Ernest Baker, Editor in Chief of Front Office Sports, sits down with Anthony Katz, founder of recovery tech company Hyperice, to talk about the company’s rise, working with superstar athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Naomi Osaka, how feedback from LeBron James and Kobe Bryant influenced the business, and his love for music and film.

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Conversation Starters The Buffalo Bills opened up the NFL season with a 31-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Josh Allen, who threw for three touchdowns, has the best-selling NFL jersey [[link removed]] since training camp started. Derek Jeter is jumping into [[link removed]] the trading card industry with a new business venture. The Arizona Cardinals just opened [[link removed]] the first sportsbook at an NFL stadium. Fox Sports’ Doug Gottlieb has fully retracted [[link removed]] his statements that alleged MLB agent Casey Close withheld an Atlanta Braves offer from Freddie Freeman, leading to the first baseman’s trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Which TV network has the best [[link removed]] NFL theme music? Today's Action

MLB

08:10 PM

Tigers (+115) at Royals (-135)

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MLB

08:10 PM

Guardians (-110) at Twins (-110)

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MLB

07:05 PM

Red Sox (+110) at Orioles (-130)

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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 plan to watch Super Bowl LVII?

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Thursday’s Answer

24% of respondents have competed in or considered competing in a triathlon.

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Written by Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]], A.J. Perez [[link removed]], Justin Byers [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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