Also: One of Serie A's biggest clubs reports record financial loss. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
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Front Office Sports

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When Arizona Cardinals star J.J. Watt retires at the end of this season, he’ll bow out as the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid defensive player — and with over $128 million in career earnings, he’ll crack the league’s all-time top 30 at any position.   

Media

‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ Could Cost $300 Per Season

Jamie Germano / Imagn

Expect some big changes to “NFL Sunday Ticket” after this season — but also new options to access the service.

The out-of-market games package could reportedly cost $300 per season when Google’s YouTube TV takes over. “Sunday Ticket” plans from DirecTV range from $79.99 to $149.99 per month.

  • Fans will be able to add “Sunday Ticket” to YouTube TV, which costs $64.99 per month, or purchase it as a standalone service.
  • There may be a cheaper option that would allow fans to watch out-of-market games for one team.
  • The NFL’s deals with CBS and Fox reportedly include provisions that mandate that the subscription price for “Sunday Ticket” not fall below a certain level.

YouTube won the rights to “NFL Sunday Ticket” in a seven-year deal for a reported annual value between $2 billion and $2.5 billion. DirecTV pays $1.5 billion annually for “Sunday Ticket” in its current deal.

Bundle Up

YouTube TV bundles more than 80 channels, including longstanding NFL broadcasters CBS, NBC, and Fox. 

While other “NFL Sunday Ticket” bidders such as Apple would have likely provided a more siloed experience, YouTube may provide a bridge for cord-cutters who want to retain some options similar to cable and broadcast TV.

“We have chosen a partner that actually supports, in many ways, our existing distribution with Sunday afternoon and night, and Monday night,” said NFL senior vice president of media strategy and strategic investments Dhruv Prasad, who added that the model should provide “a real benefit with existing partners.”

Teams

Juventus Closes Books on $255M Loss, Enters New Era

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Juventus finalized its numbers for a tumultuous financial year as it looks to its next chapter as a club.

Shareholders approved the team’s financial statement ending June 2022, which showed a $254.8 million loss.

  • The club attributed the record financial hit to the pandemic and an early elimination in the UEFA Champions League.
  • The publicly traded team released a revised financial statement on Dec. 2 following questions from CONSOB, Italy’s regulatory body for securities markets.
  • Juve announced on Nov. 28 that its entire board of directors would resign over irregularities in its financial statements regarding player transfers

Juventus’ stock is down nearly 7% on the year but up 25.4% since the board announced its resignation. 

The club currently sits in third place in Serie A, which would be an improvement over the previous two years’ fourth-place finishes but below the team’s lofty standards. Juventus was the top team in Serie A for nine consecutive seasons ending with the 2019-20 campaign.

Probe Goes Into Extra Time

Italian prosecutors are seeking to reopen an investigation around the accounting practices of Juventus and other clubs. 

A court previously cleared all 11 clubs and 59 individuals under investigation, including Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, who has since resigned. Prosecutors are seeking revised charges against nine clubs, including Juventus and 52 people.

Fitness

Peloton Hopes Consumers Take A Spin With Refurbished Bikes

Peloton

Peloton is trying to turn the corner with a new offer for its connected fitness bikes. 

The New York-based fitness giant has begun selling refurbished bikes at discounts up to $500 lower than the asking price of its newly manufactured models. 

The move follows multiple rounds of job cuts and shares of the company plummeting nearly 80% in the last year, including seven consecutive days of losses through Dec. 23.

  • Peloton’s refurbished bikes retail between $1,145 and $1,995
  • The restored models are only available in the U.S. and Canada.
  • Each refurbished bike comes with the same 12-month limited warranty as new models. 
  • Subscriptions to Peloton’s fitness offerings are not included with refurbished bike sales. 

In October, Peloton announced 500 layoffs, its fourth round of job cuts in 2022. 

The company reported lackluster earnings a month later with $616.5 million in revenue in fiscal Q1 2023, down from $805 million for the same period the year prior. The company failed to meet its own expectations of projected revenue between $625 million and $650 million in Q1. 

Diversifying Business 

Peloton is taking steps to alleviate the losses with a deal with the Hilton hotel chain. As part of the pact, Hilton will feature at least one Peloton bike in all 5,400 of its brand hotels in the U.S.

The deal makes Hilton the first hospitality brand to feature Peloton bikes across its portfolio.

Earlier this year, Peloton secured a deal with Dick’s Sporting Goods to bring its equipment to brick-and-mortar stores, marking the first time Peloton’s products have been sold in retail locations outside its namesake stores.

Conversation Starters

  • The Washington Commanders’ new mascot could lead to a trademark fight with five legendary former players, sources told Front Office Sports.
  • Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders said his recruiting resources were limited at Jackson State, but there’s “a lot of money in Boulder.”
  • Actor Bill Fagerbakke’s two passions came together when he joined Nickelodeon’s broadcast of the Los Angeles Rams vs. Denver Broncos game as Patrick Star.

What to Watch

The Wisconsin Badgers (6-6) face the Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5) on Tuesday night at Chase Field in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. 

How to Watch: 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN 

Betting Odds: Badgers -3.5 || ML -192 || O/U 44.5

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