Sport & Story Daily June 14, 2024

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June 12, 2024

Good morning! Big 12 ⇢ Big [Insert Name Here]

The ‘Big’ in Big 12 Could Soon Be Replaced With a Sponsor’s Name
As Front Office Sports is reporting, the Big 12 is exploring what would be two of “the most significant changes to the college conference models to date.” Under consideration are selling the conference’s naming rights to a sponsor, as well as a private equity deal with CVC Capital Partners, Front Office Sports confirmed after several eye-opening reports Thursday.

With the Big Ten and SEC continuing to separate financially, a source told FOS that the Big 12 is considering taking unprecedented measures to close that growing gap. However, the conversations are still only in “exploratory stages.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Everything You Need to Know About the Schism Rocking Competitive Eating
As FOS’ Margaret Fleming writes, “One day after Major League Eating banned Chestnut from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest over his partnership with Impossible Foods, Netflix announced a head-to-head competition on Labor Day with the eater’s onetime biggest rival, Takeru Kobayashi. MLE is not involved in the contest whatsoever, but the league had previously told Chestnut it had no issue with him competing in an unbranded one-off. Its issue with Chestnut entirely rests on his Impossible deal.

“This story is about hot dogs, but it’s really about business…”
^{Front Office Sports}

Wimbledon’s Record $64M Prize Pool Spurs Tennis-Wide Pay Increase
FOS’ Eric Fisher reports: “Wimbledon is offering record-level prize money for the upcoming 2024 tournament, a move that will once again help establish the tennis major as a compensation trendsetter for the rest of the sport.

“The All England Club said Thursday it will pay out a $64 million prize money fund for the event starting July 1, an 11.9% increase from last year in raw terms and more than 13% when accounting for currency variations. Wimbledon singles winners will receive $3.45 million each, up from $3 million last year, while those losing in the first round of the singles tournament will get $76,636 each, up from $69,500 in 2023.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Fanatics to Debut NHL Jerseys With Little Margin For Error
Per Sportico, Fanatics is set to take over design of the league’s on-ice jerseys from Adidas at the end of the month. It’s a first for Michael Rubin’s fan-facing empire, which dominates licensed sports apparel but has yet to put its logo on the uniforms worn by pros. Fans will likely get some of their first looks at the new sweaters later this month at the draft in Las Vegas.
^Sportico

IndyCar, Fox Sports Formally Announce New Media Rights Deal
IndyCar and Fox Sports are formally announcing their new media rights pact that starts in 2025, with every race set to air on the Fox broadcast channel. Terms are not being released, but IndyCar is calling the deal a historic one for the series in that it provides the most broadcast windows in its history, with 19, including qualifying for the Indy 500.

While every race will be on Fox, practice and qualifying for most races will be on FS1 and FS2, and FS1 will air the majority of races for the second-division Indy NXT Series, which hasn’t been on linear TV in years.
^{Sports Business Journal}

U.S. Open: Brooks Koepka Wants the Media to Be More Creative
As Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee writes, “On Thursday, after shooting a reasonable even-par 70, Koepka declined media requests and left Pinehurst No. 2 without speaking to any reporters. Full credit to Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch, who reached out to Koepka to request an interview by text … and Koepka agreed. The full exchange is well worth reading, but here are a few highlights:

• “I opted not to do [news conferences] just because I didn’t feel like it,” Koepka wrote. “Same questions every week. The lack of creativity with questions is kinda boring. I know I’m not a media favorite either so it’s not like anyone will notice. LOL.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

NHL Broadcaster Kevin Weekes is About to Become a Free Agent
“I’ll be going back and forth between the cities, and I’m told it’ll be the most traveled Stanley Cup Final in league history,” Weekes says. “Whatever it takes. I’m really passionate about this sport and I just want to bring as much great coverage to the fans as possible. Just turn the camera on, and I’ll be ready to go.”
^Sportico

St. Pete City Council Shifts Tone Positively on Rays’ New Ballpark Deal
St. Petersburg City Council members “seem to be comfortable with the public contribution to the construction costs” of the Rays $1.3B ballpark, according to Breanne Williams of the TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL per SBJ. There was a “marked shift in tone” from the May council workshop that addressed the terms of redeveloping the property surrounding the ballpark. Williams noted St. Pete will contribute $287.5M toward the $1.3B ballpark construction costs, while the county will contribute $312.5M.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Northwestern Athletic Director Derrick Gragg Pushed Out: Sources
Northwestern Athletics Director Derrick Gragg is being moved to an athletics advisory job at the university, Northwestern announced Thursday. The university will begin a search for its new athletics director immediately, with Gragg remaining in his current role until the school hires its next AD.
^{The Athletic}

Reports: Multiple Group of 5 Conferences Considering Naming Rights Deals
The Big 12 “isn’t the only" FBS conference considering selling its naming rights to a sponsor as “at least three Group of 5 conferences have held discussions on the topic as well,” including Conference USA, the American and the Mountain West, according to sources cited by Chris Vannini of THE ATHLETIC per SBJ. CUSA has “discussed the idea for the past few years.” While a deal "isn’t imminent," it was "broached again among conference officials and schools at CUSA’s spring meetings."
^{Sports Business Journal}

House Committee Votes to Approve College Athletics Bill Aiming to Avoid Athlete Employment
As Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger writes, “Five years into their fruitless lobbying effort for congressional legislation, a college athletics bill is now one step away from a vote from a full chamber of the United States Congress.

“Members of the House Committee on Education and the Work Force voted Thursday along party lines, 23-16, to advance a Republican-backed bill dubbed ‘Protecting Student Athletes' Economic Freedom Act.’ The narrowly focused, four-page bill exempts college athletes from being deemed employees — one of the most essential requests from NCAA and conference leaders who wish to avoid an athlete employment model.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

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