November 14, 2022

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Front Office Sports is on the lookout for the Best Employers in Sports. Let us know [[link removed]] if you think your company deserves a shot at the coveted award before the survey closes on Nov. 28!

Controversy Won’t Stop Record Revenue at FIFA World Cup [[link removed]]

FIFA

Qatar continues to face criticism over its human rights abuses in the leadup to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the sport’s governing body is likely unbothered.

The tournament, which begins on Nov. 20, is expected [[link removed]] to deliver record revenue for FIFA, topping the roughly $5.4 billion Russia brought in at the 2018 World Cup.

FIFA has already sold around 240,000 hospitality packages, nearly 3 million tickets, and broadcasting rights — Fox and Telemundo purchased rights to the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in 2011 for a reported [[link removed]] $1 billion combined.

The body is expected to beat multiple financial targets for its 2019-2022 cycle, according to Bloomberg, primarily due to the World Cup.

FIFA will likely surpass its revenue target of $6.4 billion.In that time, marketing sales are projected to outpace their budgeted $1.8 billion.

Meanwhile, Qatar anticipates [[link removed]] $17 billion in economic impact.

Persistent Protests

On Thursday, the Danish Football Association said [[link removed]] FIFA rejected Denmark’s request to wear shirts that say “Human Rights for All” while they train at the World Cup. The announcement comes shortly after FIFA warned World Cup teams to focus on soccer.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said [[link removed]] earlier this week it was a mistake to award Qatar the tournament, and was quoted in a Swiss paper on Friday saying FIFA should bar Iran from the tournament after a woman died in custody of the morality police.

Vegas Resorts Going All Out for Formula 1 Grand Prix [[link removed]]

F1

Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is still more than a year away, but the race is already set to transform Sin City.

MGM Resorts announced plans to build a grandstand on the Bellagio’s lake to create a viewing area for the street race on Nov. 18, 2023.

“In addition to the Bellagio Grandstands, which will set new standards for event viewing, we will create a round-the-clock celebration worthy of this international spectacular,” said [[link removed]] MGM chief commercial officer Steve Zanella.Access to those seats will be limited to MGM’s packages that include tickets and rooms.

Demand has already been strong and F1 will release [[link removed]] additional rounds of tickets. Prices will start at $500 for a three-day general admission ticket, rising to $2,500 for grandstands and up to $10,000 for shared hospitality areas.

Changes Coming

F1 introduced a cost cap of $145 million last season, which dropped to $140 million this year and will be $135 million the following three years.

“This year, after four races every team had points,” Haas principal Guenther Steiner told Front Office Sports. “If that has ever happened, I cannot remember it.”

The sport will change even more in 2026, when new engine regulations will require sustainable fuel and more power from electrical sources.

“In ‘26, we will be four years into the cost cap,” Williams Racing principal Jost Capito told FOS. “With the technical regulations and engine regulations we will have even more exciting racing, as the teams will be even more balanced than they are now.”

SPONSORED BY NFLPA

Healium: Locking Arms with the NFLPA at Pitch Day

NFLPA Pitch Day [[link removed]] helps early-stage start-ups, led by diverse entrepreneurs, propel their business forward. Last Year, Sarah Hill, founder of Healium, pitched her innovative company to a slate of all-star judges and was named the 2022 Pitch Day competition winner [[link removed]].

“Pitch Day levels the playing field for entrepreneurs like me, and others from underrepresented groups and locations that struggle with traditional access to capital. Getting Healium in the same room with influential athletes and investors and locking arms with the NFLPA put our company on the fast track,” Hill said.

Healium reimagines mental wellness and sleep through extended reality stories that allow people to see their EEG brain patterns and heart rate come to life inside virtual worlds with patented technology that connects any consumer wearable to the metaverse.

Apply now [[link removed]] to be part of NFLPA Pitch Day on February 8, 2023!

Tennis Australia Inks Record Broadcasting Deal [[link removed]]

Australian Open

Tennis Australia has agreed to its biggest media rights deal ever.

The governing body announced [[link removed]] a broadcast extension with domestic commercial network Nine from 2025-2029 worth more than $283 million.

The price tag doesn’t take into account advertising rights, retained rights, and promotion, which make the agreement even more valuable — the advertising dollar value is worth around $6.7 million per year, according [[link removed]] to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Nine’s extension highlights the success of its current $230 million, five-year deal [[link removed]] with Tennis Australia.

The 2022 Australian Open, which generated [[link removed]] $405.3 million in economic benefit over the last two years and $2.71 billion in the past 10, attracted a record 3.84 million viewers across the country for its women’s singles final. The men’s final drew 2.33 million viewers — its highest viewership in 4 years.The all-Aussie men’s doubles final had the highest-ever rating of men’s doubles matches with 2.48 million tuned in.

Earlier this year, Tennis Australia extended its U.S. broadcasting deal [[link removed]] with ESPN through 2031.

Tennis Telecasts

In addition to the Australian Open and lead-in events like the United Cup global teams competition — which was announced [[link removed]] in October and begins in 2023 — Nine also has rights [[link removed].] to Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the French Open.

“Tennis attracts both a broad and very passionate following and is a perfect fit with Nine’s schedule, audiences, and advertisers,” said Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia.

Arizona Coyotes’ Fate in Voters’ Hands [[link removed]]

Arizona Coyotes

The fate of the Arizona Coyotes rests in the hands of the public.

The Tempe city council voted unanimously to put a proposed new arena and surrounding development before a voter referendum in May 2023.

For the vote to proceed, the city council first must approve [[link removed]] several agreements related to the project’s zoning, development, and general plan.Bluebird Development, owned by Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, has proposed a $2.1 billion development including a 16,000-seat arena, a practice facility, hotels, retail, apartments, and a theater.

Following a dispute with the city of Glendale over Gila River Arena, the team moved to Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena — whose 5,100-capacity facility is less than a third of the size of every other NHL arena.

Fierce Election Coming

While Arizona just went through two closely contested elections for governor and U.S. senator, it will have another political battle on its hands if the May referendum proceeds as planned.

The Coyotes’ project is opposed [[link removed]] by the city of Phoenix, which claims that plans for 1,000 residential units violate its land use agreement with Tempe.

Officials at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport have also raised concerns about the development being in its flight path. The project will likely need approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

The World’s Game Returns

This week, as the world’s attention turns to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Front Office Sports goes off the pitch with leading figures behind the ultimate sports spectacle in Global Goals: The World Cup and Beyond virtual summit [[link removed]].

Join us this Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET to hear from soccer analysts, former athletes, broadcasters and marketers on the experience of building one of the most impactful business and cultural events in sports and its reverberation on U.S. soccer [[link removed]]. In this virtual event you will:

Hear from renowned journalist Grant Wahl on the ground in Qatar to get an insider’s look at how the World Cup extravaganza comes together. Listen to veteran USMNT Forward and ESPN Analyst Herc Gomez discuss his own World Cup experience and his second act. Discuss the growth of the game and its return to North American soil in 2026 with acclaimed broadcaster, podcaster, author, and co-founder of Men in Blazers Media Network, Roger Bennett.

Register now [[link removed]]!

Conversation Starters Texas A&M is the first college football program ever to follow a No. 1 national recruiting class with a losing season [[link removed]]. Head coach Jimbo Fisher’s current buyout: $85.95 million. Hollywood power couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Conseuelos have become minority owners of Italian soccer side A.S.D. Campobasso 1919 through an investment [[link removed]] in the club’s majority owner, North Sixth Group. Gonzaga and Michigan State played the Armed Forces Classic on an aircraft carrier for the first time in a decade on Friday. Watch the USS Abraham Lincoln transform into a basketball court [[link removed]]. Today's Action

NFL

08:15 PM

Commanders (+390) at Eagles (-490)

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NHL

08:30 PM

Hurricanes (-215) at Blackhawks (+185)

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NHL

09:00 PM

Blues (+160) at Avalanche (-190)

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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

How many books do you read a year?

0 [[link removed]] 1-10 [[link removed]] 11-20 [[link removed]] 21+ [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

14% of respondents play video games often; 22% play video games sometimes.

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