An expansion to the College Football Playoffs could open the door for additional media companies to get a piece of the action.

ESPN has signaled a willingness to share the media rights — which could be worth as much as $2.2 billion annually — to the expanded tournament.

“We’ve been clear to anyone who is interested that we are very willing to be flexible here and be creative in terms of this expansion,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

• The expansion from four to 12 teams could come as soon as 2024.
• ESPN reportedly would want to hang on to the championship game and several playoff games in any arrangement. Last year’s final between the University of Alabama and University of Georgia drew 23 million viewers.
• Amazon and Apple could both enter the picture as they seek to expand their sports portfolios.

ESPN pays a reported $470 million on average to broadcast the CFP in a deal that runs through 2026. 

Total Package

ESPN, which inked a seven-year, $2.8 billion deal with the NHL last year, is also gearing up for upcoming negotiations with the NBA.

The league’s current deals with ESPN and Turner Sports pay $2.6 billion annually in a deal that runs through the 2024-25 season. Previous reports indicated that the NBA could seek to bump that figure to as high as $8 billion.

Todd Boehly purchased Chelsea FC with Clearlake Capital for roughly $5.2 billion in May, and the U.S. billionaire already has big plans for the Premier League club.

Boehly said Tuesday that he was keen on building a multi-club ownership group and would consider buying teams from other European soccer leagues. The model would be similar to City Football Group, which has full or partial ownership of 12 global soccer clubs including Manchester City, New York City FC, and Melbourne FC.

Boehly named Belgium and Portugal as target countries for other clubs.

Chelsea FC has made several other changes since its new owners took over.

• Earlier this month, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was fired and replaced with Graham Potter, the former head coach of Brighton & Hove Albion. 
• In July, the club raised $957 million in debt to boost the team’s operations and stadium.

Premier League Proposals

Boehly also suggested the Premier League should consider an all-star match, as it would increase clubs’ revenues and help fund lower divisions, as well as a “North vs. South” match between the bottom four sides to help fund lower-ranked Premier League teams.

“[Major League Baseball] did their All-Star Game in L.A. this year — we made $200 million from a Monday and a Tuesday,” the co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, and Sparks said.

“Ultimately, I hope that the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports.”

LIV Golf will make history in October when its players compete for a $50 million purse — the richest in golf history — during the controversial upstart series’ season-ending team championship. 

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, LIV Golf has shelled out millions of dollars to compete with the PGA Tour and persuaded several top golfers to defect from the organization.  

• The championship will take place at Trump National Doral Golf Club from Oct. 27-30.
• It will have 12 four-man teams compete for a $16 million first-place prize.
• Second place will split $10 million, third will win $8 million, and fourth gets $4 million. 

LIV Golf’s record purse tops the PGA Tour — which has 47 tournaments on its 2021-22 schedule — by a large sum, even though the U.S. golf tour organizer has prize money totaling $481 million.  

The Tour Championship — the crowning event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup — has $75 million up for grabs, but the prize money is considered a “bonus pool” for its season-long implications. 

The PGA Tour’s Players Championship — won by current LIV Golf player Cameron Smith in March — has the largest purse at $20 million, with $3.6 million being awarded to the winner. 

New Opportunity

On Monday, Arizona State golfer David Puig announced that he intends to forgo his senior season to join LIV Golf. The 20-year-old — ranked as the No. 9 amateur in the world by the World Amateur Golf Rankings — previously played in LIV’s London and Bedminster tournaments as an amateur.

Michael Jordan is gunning for the top again — this time, in the tequila market.

The tequila brand launched by NBA legend and Charlotte Hornets owner, along with four other NBA owners, is releasing a blend for $349.99 a bottle.

• Cincoro was launched in 2019 by Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, Boston Celtics CEO Wyc Grousbeck, and Grousbeck’s wife Emilia Fazzalari.
• Fazzalari is CEO of the tequila company.
• Cincoro Gold will be the brand’s fifth blend. It has already sold 1.5 million bottles in the U.S. and won 23 awards in accredited spirit competitions.

Last year, tequila sales grew 27% by value and nearly 40% for high-end brands.

Company Man

Jordan’s business empire has flourished since his playing days.

In addition to the Hornets, he is the majority owner of NASCAR team 23XI Racing and the private golf club Grove XXIII in Hobe Sound, Florida.

In 2017, he bought a 0.5% stake in the Miami Marlins as part of a $1.2 billion sale with an incoming ownership group that included Bruce Sherman, who bought 46% of the team, and Derek Jeter, who bought 4%. Jeter has since divested from the club. 

Last month, Jordan Brand announced a 20-year partnership with Howard University, among the nation’s top Historically Black College and Universities. 

The brand had previously pledged $100 million over 10 years to “organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice, and greater access to education.”