October 28, 2022

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It looks like ESPN won’t be launching [[link removed]] its own sportsbook or betting app after all, despite early interest from the Disney-owned network. At Axios’ BFD Summit, ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said, “We just don’t feel like it’s appropriate for us to be creating a book. We’re not interested in being a place where people place their bets.”

Phillies Could Become Big Draw Again with World Series Win [[link removed]]

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

When the Philadelphia Phillies take the field in the first game of the World Series against the Houston Astros on Friday, they’ll have a lot more than glory at stake.

The Phillies’ attendance has fluctuated wildly since their last World Series win in 2008 — and so has their on-field performance.

The four seasons following their championship were the Phillies’ best attended, drawing 3.6 million to 3.8 million in each.The team posted a losing record every season from 2013 to 2018, which corresponded to an attendance drop of more than 500,000 fans each season from 2013 to 2015.Attendance lingered below 2 million from 2015 to 2017. The team drew 2.3 million fans this season.

Despite the wobbles in performance, the team’s value rose steadily each year from 2017 ($1.65 billion) to the present ($2.3 billion).

The Phillies set [[link removed]] a record for merchandise sales among pennant winners in the 24 hours following the team’s pennant win.

Steady ’Stros

The Astros hit a 13-year attendance peak following their 2017 World Series win, when the team drew just under 3 million fans. They also reached the World Series in 2019 and 2021.

The Astros’ 2017 win was called into question after they were found to be cheating [[link removed]]. MLB fined them $5 million, removed draft picks, and suspended executives.

Houston’s value saw a similarly steady climb since 2017 ($1.45 billion) to this year’s $1.98 billion, with the largest leap coming after its World Series win.

Fitness Drives Apple to Record Quarter [[link removed]]

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The largest public company in the world has kept up its momentum despite uncertainty in the tech industry and a large investment in sports.

Apple reported record fourth-quarter revenue of $90.1 billion — an 8% increase year-over-year — for the period ending Sept. 24. The tech giant’s wearables segment, which includes its fitness watches, posted $9.6 billion in revenue compared to Wall Street estimates [[link removed]] of $8.8 billion.

The California-based company — whose market cap is $2.32 trillion — continued to build its sports offerings and workforce in Q4.

Apple TV+ aired MLB games via its “Friday Night Baseball” package this season.In August, Apple had 60 jobs [[link removed]] with the word “sports” in the title or description.

In June, Apple agreed [[link removed]] to a landmark deal worth at least $2.5 billion with MLS, which will see Apple exclusively stream every match for 10 years starting in 2023.

As part of the deal, Apple will also stream League Cup matches, select MLS Next Pro and MLS Next matches, and a weekly live-match whiparound show.

Boost from The Big Game

In September, Apple Music secured [[link removed]] a multiyear deal to sponsor the NFL’s new Super Bowl halftime show for an undisclosed amount.

NBC’s broadcast of the Super Bowl LVI halftime show drew 120 million viewers.

Apple replaced Pepsi, which had held rights to the halftime show for the last 10 Super Bowls.

The company has also expressed interest [[link removed]] in acquiring a minority stake in NFL Media, which includes NFL RedZone, NFL Network, and NFL.com.

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Amazon Stock Slammed on Weak Q4 Projections [[link removed]]

Amazon

Amazon posted its first profitable quarter of 2022, but its stock took a serious hit on a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter projection.

The tech and retail giant saw its total sales climb to $127.1 billion in the third quarter, a 14.7% increase year-over-year. Net income dropped 9% to $2.87 billion. Amazon’s stock dropped 18% in early after-hours trading.

Amazon leaned into sports to draw users to its Prime subscription program.

The quarter marked the first one in which Amazon was the exclusive broadcaster of “Thursday Night Football.” The company boasted more than 15 million viewers for the program’s first game.The company also broadcast the UEFA Champions League in Germany and Italy, Ligue 1 in France, and the U.S. Open in the United Kingdom.The company installed retail technology that allows customers to purchase items without the checkout process and pay with their palms in several stadiums, including Crypto.com Arena and Lumen Field.

The company expects operating income between break-even and $4 billion in the fourth quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations [[link removed]] of $5.05 billion.

Stacked Friday

Next year, the company will merge one of its biggest media and retail days after winning [[link removed]] exclusive broadcast rights to the NFL’s first Black Friday game following Thanksgiving.

The company reportedly bid between $70 million and $100 million for the game, on top of the $1 billion it pays per season for “TNF.”

NWSL Championship Showcases League’s Rapid Growth [[link removed]]

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday’s NWSL championship match between the Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns, which takes place in Washington, D.C., arrives at a time of peak growth and investment in the league.

For the first time ever, the title game at Audi Field will air at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Originally scheduled for noon, the match was pushed into primetime thanks to the support [[link removed]] of Ally Financial, one of the NWSL’s corporate sponsors.

The NWSL title game will put a cap on a wildly successful season.

In May, the NWSL reported that its opening weekend was the most attended in league history, and the San Diego Wave set the record [[link removed]] for the best-attended regular-season NWSL game in September.The league’s quarterfinal games earlier this month broke attendance records twice in one day.The NWSL’s regular season drew more than 1 million fans — also a record.

Angel City FC lead investor Alexis Ohanian told [[link removed]] Reuters this month the league has “ammo” for negotiations when its $4.5 million TV deal expires.

High-Speed Current

The young league’s resilience has been formidable — for example, the Thorns are thriving despite being at the center [[link removed]] of an NWSL misconduct investigation — but the rocketing return on investment is especially evident in the Current’s resurgence.

They’re competing for a title after finishing their inaugural season in 2021 with a 3-7-14 record. Since then, the team’s owners finalized [[link removed]] plans for the first purpose-built NWSL stadium ($117 million) and opened an $18 million training facility.

SPONSORED BY MAGNIFI

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Register now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters The NCAA’s latest “clarifications” to its name, image, and likeness policy — released in a four-page document on Wednesday — appear to mandate new rules that contradict [[link removed]] previous NIL guidance. The basketball team for Donda Academy — the Los Angeles-area private prep school founded by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West — was barred [[link removed]] from several high-profile high school tournaments after the rapper made antisemetic comments.

Fox reportedly [[link removed]] wants Tom Brady for its coverage of Super Bowl 57 if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t make the Big Game. Devin Booker’s $3.2 million Arizona estate has views of the Phoenix Mountains from nearly every room. Take a look inside [[link removed]]. Today's Action

MLB

08:03 PM

Phillies (+140) at Astros (-165)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

NCAA

08:00 PM

East Carolina (+135) at BYU (-155)

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NBA

07:00 PM

Hornets (-155) at Magic (+135)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

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

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Have you played pickleball?

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Thursday’s Answer

60% of respondents use LinkedIn when looking for new employment opportunities.

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