March 22, 2023

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Viewership for the first round [[link removed]] of Women’s March Madness was up 27% from 2022, with an average audience of 257,000. Notable standouts included Tennessee vs. St. Louis and UConn vs. Vermont — each of which pulled in over 600,000 viewers.

Leagues MLB Open to Tweaking Rule Changes Before Season [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher / USA TODAY NETWORK

Major League Baseball might tweak its major rule changes just before Opening Day.

This year, MLB is instituting a pitch clock, restrictions on defensive shifts, larger bases, and limits on how many times a pitcher can attempt a pickoff. Baseball officials have signaled [[link removed]] a willingness to make changes prior to the season, which begins on March 30.

With some time to experience the changes in preseason games, the MLB Players Association and individual players have expressed a handful of concerns about pitch-clock regulations.

Some feel that the 15-second timer should be relaxed when no one is on base, and that hitters should have a little more time to be in the batter’s box and “alert to the pitcher.” Currently, batters receive an automatic strike if they are not ready to receive a pitch with eight seconds remaining on the clock.

Hitters have also expressed the desire to call more than one timeout per plate appearance. Mets ace Max Scherzer has said he loves the new rules because they allow him to force hitters into holding their batting stances longer than is comfortable once they have burned their timeouts.

The new rules are already having their intended effects: Spring training games have been 25 minutes shorter than spring training games last year, while stolen base attempts are up [[link removed]] 50.3% from last spring as of earlier in the month, with a higher success rate.

Commerce Foot Locker Revamps Brick-And-Mortar Store Strategy [[link removed]]

Shutterstock

During its Investor Day on Monday, Foot Locker announced [[link removed]] big changes in an effort to streamline and bump sales.

Foot Locker and subsidiary brand Champs are revamping their brick-and-mortar sales strategy, having found that 400 U.S. stores in malls make up less than 10% of the brand’s total sales.

In result, the company plans on closing 400 Foot Locker locations across the country by 2026, as well as 125 Champs Sports stores.

But Foot Locker isn’t totally scaling back on in-person shopping. In place of the original stores, the company will open more than 250 new “concept” stores.

There’s also a plan to recalibrate which products Foot Locker prioritizes. Merchandising will have a much larger emphasis on the company’s partnership with Nike — with plans to increase the supply of old-school LeBron James and Kevin Durant shoes.

Foot Locker CEO and president Mary Dillon reportedly characterized the partnership with Nike as “revitalized.”

By market close on Monday, Foot Locker’s stock price had plummeted from $44.22 to $39.88. But on Tuesday, it made a decent recovery — hitting $42.82 by the closing bell.

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Law Brett Favre ‘Knew’ Mississippi Funds Transfer ‘Was Illegal’ [[link removed]]

Brett Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL. Syndication Usa Today

Brett Favre texted that the former head of Mississippi’s state welfare program deserved an overpriced Ford pickup — words that could come back to haunt him.

“Surprise him with a vehicle. … We could get him a Raptor,” Favre texted in January 2019 [[link removed]].

There’s no indication Favre paid close to six figures for that truck after John Davis helped to allegedly divert about $8 million to the Hall of Fame quarterback and his pet projects.

The Mississippi Department of Human Services — the same agency Davis led — detailed more allegations against Favre in an answer [[link removed]] to his motion to dismiss. In the filing, attorneys for the agency said Favre’s texts revealed he knew the scheme was “illegal.”

Front Office Sports has previously [[link removed]] reported [[link removed]] on Favre’s ties to the welfare money and whether he knew the funds were from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a federal program aimed at helping families living well below the poverty line.

Favre has denied knowingly obtaining welfare funds and has filed defamation lawsuits [[link removed]] against Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee in an attempt to clear his name. Sharpe’s case was removed [[link removed]] to federal court from a Mississippi county court on Monday.

PR Problem

The latest text messages likely won’t help former Green Bay Packers great recover his image after several brands [[link removed]] and media companies suspended deals with him.

“Will the public perception be that I became a spokesperson for various state-funded shelters, schools, homes, etc … and was compensated with state money? Or can we keep this confidential?” Favre had asked [[link removed]] Nancy New, a nonprofit founder.

Markets On Expects Huge Year With Boost from Tennis Stars [[link removed]]

On

Even in retirement, Roger Federer can still take over a game.

The stock price of On, the shoe and apparel brand backed by the tennis legend, surged after the company issued a prediction that its sales would grow nearly 40% this year. The company reported $397.6 million in revenue in the fourth quarter, up 91.9% year-over-year.

On expects the good news to continue with 61% year-over-year sales growth in Q1 2023.

On Holdings rocketed up 34% from last week, including a 29.5% leap on Tuesday – the company’s largest one-day increase since hitting the U.S. public market in September 2021.

On also added more tennis star power, signing top women’s player Iga Świątek and 39th-ranked men’s player Ben Shelton to endorsement deals.

The company billed the signings as a major push into tennis — a natural fit given its most prominent backer.

“The expansion of our professional tennis roster builds on our continued innovation in the fields of high-performance running and a growing ensemble of world-class track and long-distance athletes,” said On Co-CEO Marc Maurer.

In addition to the expected growth in tennis sneaker sales, On’s optimism for a big year is fueled by plans to cut expenses by reducing its use of air freight.

On is also looking to grow in Latin America, Japan, and China.

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After 20 years of playing beach volleyball professionally, Kerri Walsh Jennings [[link removed]] stepped away from the pro tour in 2019. Not because the five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist lost a love for the game, but rather because she thought it needed changing.

Walsh Jennings wanted to broaden the game and bring more people to the sport by highlighting all it encompasses – nutrition, wellness routines, and the overall lifestyle. That’s why in 2019, she and her husband launched p1440, a company dedicated to providing resources for aspiring athletes, coaches, and all interested in living a life of intention.

In the latest episode of Driven with Michelle Wie West [[link removed]], in partnership with PitchBook, learn more about Walsh Jennings’ journey to becoming an entrepreneur, the importance of the people around you, and more.

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Conversation Starters Longtime ESPN executive Rob King, who created “SC6” with co-anchors Jemele Hill and Michael Smith, has been ousted from the company after reported allegations of harassment. FOS reporter Michael McCarthy has the details [[link removed]]. Fairleigh Dickinson’s historic win over Purdue garnered [[link removed]] 4.37 million viewers on TNT — the most-watched opening-round game on cable since Turner became a March Madness partner in 2011. SlamBall is back. The hybrid sport combining basketball and football with trampolines will return in July with a six-week regular season and one week of playoffs in Las Vegas. FOS sports reporter Doug Greenberg checks in with the return of the sport [[link removed]]. FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY They Said What?

Courtesy of Jay Williams

“The thing that we reward the most is coming to the table and being authentically you … I really want to alter the sports landscape and try to become the male Oprah of sports.”

— Jay Williams on his plans to change the way we talk about sports. Williams joined Front Office Sports Today to talk through his experience as a show host on ESPN, his basketball career, and of course, March Madness

Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]]

Today's Action

NBA

06:40 PM

Cavaliers (-170) at Nets (+145)

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NBA

06:40 PM

Pistons (+625) at Hawks (-900)

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NBA

07:10 PM

Spurs (+600) at Pelicans (-850)

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