January 6, 2023

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The Los Angeles Rams may not have successfully defended last year’s Super Bowl title, but head coach Sean McVay always has a fallback option [[link removed]] if he wants to take a break. A source told Front Office Sports that networks have highly coveted McVay for a spot on their NFL announcing teams over the past year.

College Athletics Some CFP Title Game Tickets Going For Six Figures [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The College Football Playoff Championship between Georgia and TCU is days away, and tickets to California’s SoFi Stadium are in high demand.

As of Thursday afternoon, the least-expensive tickets for Monday night’s game on Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, and StubHub ranged between $350 and $400, with some tickets in the lower bowl surpassing more than $8,000.

On SI Tickets, the average price for a seat on Wednesday was posted [[link removed]] at $1,427. Fans wanting a VIP or suite experience might have to shell out [[link removed]] as much as $225,000 for their tickets.

Total sales for the game by Wednesday afternoon were outpacing last year’s championship by over 16% compared to the same period in 2022, according to StubHub, an official ticket partner of both schools.

Unsurprisingly, the most tickets have been purchased [[link removed]] from Texas (37%), California (19%), and Georgia (7%). Michigan and Arizona take up 3% of sales each.

CFP Prices

With a few days left until kickoff, StubHub says total sales for all three College Football Playoff games have already equaled last year’s total — while total sales for the semifinals jumped 15% year-over-year.

The Peach Bowl, a playoff semifinal that saw Georgia survive against Ohio State, had some seats selling [[link removed]] for north of $50,000.

Leagues NBA Players Association Assets Hit Record $428M [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA players association saw both its assets and debts increase as it gears up for its next round of labor negotiations.

NBPA assets [[link removed]] hit a record $428.1 million in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022, per its annual filing with the Department of Labor.

That represented a 9.5% increase from the previous year. Net assets tumbled 21.9% to $209.9 million as liabilities grew from $122.3 million to $218.2 million. Most of that added debt came from increased licensing revenue withheld from players — money owed to players nearly doubled year-over-year to $199.9 million.

The NBPA and NBA are in the midst of negotiations around a new collective bargaining agreement. The league is seeking a harder salary cap, which the players oppose.

Mind The Cap

The cap for this season is $123.6 million, but teams may exceed that figure to retain players through contract extensions. Teams over the cap are not only limited in trades and signings, but have to pay a luxury tax.

All but four teams are currently over [[link removed]] the cap. The Golden State Warriors are $78.4 million in excess, followed by the Brooklyn Nets at $70.9 million.

League revenues are expected to grow substantially with the next media rights package, which could triple the current deals with Disney and TNT that currently pay the league $2.6 billion annually.

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Tech ‘Fortnite’ Maker Working with Sony, Honda on EV [[link removed]]

Epic Games

Get ready to play “Fortnite” on PlayStation 5 — in your car.

Sony and Honda are working with the iconic game’s makers on an electric vehicle, the “Afeela,” which will incorporate technology from Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.

Sony Honda Mobility, the two companies’ joint venture, revealed the Afeela prototype at the CES conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of SHM, said the company expects to take pre-orders in 2025 and ship the first cars to North American customers in spring 2026. The executive’s presentation showed screens on the back of each front seat, as well as one on the dashboard.

The vehicle will incorporate gaming into its entertainment system. Previous reports suggested that the Afeela would have a built-in PS5 — and one of the screens displayed [[link removed]] in the presentation was “Horizon Forbidden West,” with “captured on PS5” visible on the screen.

Honda Revs Up

Honda will provide the automotive expertise for the Afeela at a time when it faces an uncertain future in racing.

The company currently partners with Red Bull on its Formula 1 vehicles, but the F1 champions will be bringing their construction and operations fully in-house by 2026. Honda has expressed interest in remaining part of the series after that date.

World Pickleball Soars to 37M Players in U.S. [[link removed]]

Andy Abeyta / USA TODAY NETWORK

Pickleball is coming off of its best year yet.

The sport, which exploded in popularity during the pandemic, saw more than 36.5 million people in the U.S. play between August 2021 and August 2022, according to a report [[link removed]] by the Association of Pickleball Professionals. Before the report, around 5 million people played pickleball.

About 14% of Americans played at least once between August 2021 and August 2022. Over 8.5 million people played more than eight times during that same span.

Major League Pickleball will look to capitalize on the growth in 2023 with a new format [[link removed]] and schedule. The league will hold events in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Southern California.

The 2023 MLP season will have $5 million in prize money and payouts up for grabs.

Star-Studded League

Pickleball’s popularity has drawn the interest of investors and the world’s best athletes.

In 2022, LRMR Ventures, the family office of LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter, purchased [[link removed]] an MLP team. The purchasing group also included NBA stars Draymond Green and Kevin Love, investment firm SC Holdings, Relevent Sports Group co-owner and CEO Daniel Sillman, and SpringHill Company CMO Paul Rivera.

Tom Brady and six-time tennis Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters purchased [[link removed]] an expansion MLP team that will begin play in 2023. Thirty Five Ventures, the investment firm founded by Kevin Durant, also has an expansion [[link removed]] franchise.

Editor’s note: SC Holdings is an investor in Front Office Sports.

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Conversation Starters Vince McMahon, who stepped down as WWE’s executive chairman over the summer amid sexual misconduct allegations, is reportedly returning [[link removed]] to explore a sale. Tulane wrapped up a historic season with an impressive 11-2 record, fueling [[link removed]] a major increase in donations to Tulane NIL collective “Fear The Wave.” Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro paid [[link removed]] $10.5 million for a (non-waterfront) home in suburban Pinecrest — reportedly the largest sum ever paid for a house in the affluent Miami village. On Wednesday, Pat McAfee announced [[link removed]] on his show that he and his crew would host another MegaCast on ESPN2 for Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Today's Action

NHL

10:00 PM

Avalanche (-155) at Canucks (+135)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

NBA

07:10 PM

Trail Blazers (-105) at Pacers (-115)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

NHL

07:00 PM

Panthers (-145) at Red Wings (+125)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

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

Question Of The Day

Have you attended an esports/gaming event?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] No, but I want to [[link removed]]

Thursday’s Answer

60% of respondents would consider owning investment property; 17% already do.

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