College basketball viewership jump 17%

Sport & Story Daily March 18, 2025: IndyCar fans have slammed FOX Sports for an underwhelming broadcast of the Good Ranchers 250.

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Kelsey Middleton
March 18, 2026

College basketball viewership jump 17%

March 18, 2025

College basketball viewership jumps 17% for 2025-26 regular season
College basketball saw a 17% year-over-year increase in viewership for all Nielsen-measured men’s and women’s games. There were 353,000 viewers for the sports vs. 301,000 last season. That’s just under 1,400 games vs. around 1,300 last season. Men’s hoops led the increases, with all games up 20%. Clocking in at over 1,100 games for all rated networks, men’s hoops averaged 381,000 viewers, up from 317,000 during the 2024-25 season.
Sports Business Journal

NBA, Coca-Cola announce new partnership deal
The NBA and The Coca-Cola Company announced a new global marketing partnership. Sprite will be the league’s Official Global Soft Drink Partner. The agreement marks the return of one of the NBA’s most iconic brand collaborations, reuniting two names that have shared a deep connection to basketball culture for decades. The Coca-Cola Company first partnered with the NBA in 1986, and for nearly three decades, Sprite helped shape how basketball connects with fans across sport, music, fashion and self-expression. 
NBA

WNBPA, WNBA confirm progress as CBA negotiations continue
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said progress has been made in collective bargaining negotiations. However, a delay to the 2026 season could not be ruled out as WNBA labor talks stretch into a seventh day in midtown Manhattan. They've spent over 70 hours since last Tuesday working toward a new collective bargaining agreement that aims to be "transformational" for the players and the league.
ESPN

Ram Launches ‘Race for the Seat’ A Bold New Reality Series with a NASCAR Future on the Line
Ram has teamed up with Dana White and Thrill Sports Productions to launch Race for the Seat. It is an eight-episode unscripted competition series that gives 15 aspiring racers the chance to earn a spot on the Kaulig Racing team and drive a Ram 1500 in the 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
Mopar Insiders

Fifa responds to Iran request to move their World Cup games from United States
Fifa appeared to rule out the possibility of relocation Iran’s matches at the World Cup to Mexico. Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj said Iran was negotiating with Fifa to move the team’s matches outside the United States due to ongoing conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he did not believe it was “appropriate” for Iran to play games in America “for their own life and safety”.
Yahoo Sports

Flames’ new arena among host venues for World Cup of Hockey
The new home arena of the Calgary Flames will be one of the host venues for the returning World Cup of Hockey in 2028. The new stadium will open in fall of 2027. It will share hosting rights with Rogers Place, home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, and Prague’s O2 Arena. The tournament will feature eight national teams and will be held in February 2028. Calgary and Prague will each host six round-robin games and one elimination game, while the two semi-finals and the championship game will take place in Edmonton.
The Stadium Business

MLS Statement on Ernst Tanner
The MLS has suspended Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner without pay through June 1, 2026. On November 19, 2025, MLS reopened its investigation into allegations of inappropriate and insensitive comments and Mr. Tanner was placed on administrative leave. Based on new information obtained during outside counsel’s independent review, the investigation substantiated violations of MLS policies and standards of professional conduct required of League and Club leadership.
MLS Soccer

UFC. Partnership Marketing Manager
The Partnership Marketing Manager serves as the primary day-to-day lead for assigned brand partners and is responsible for planning, developing, and executing integrated partnership marketing programs. While the position is based in Las Vegas at UFC headquarters, the role supports partnerships across the broader TKO portfolio, including UFC, WWE, PBR, On Location, and IMG. Apply Now.

MLS League Office. Director, Apple Partnership
We are looking for a Director, Apple Partnership to continue advancing and evolving our strategic partnership with Apple. This person will lead a matrixed team of internal and external constituents to achieve goals and objectives. Apply Now.

MADE Hoops. Account Executive
We are seeking a passionate brand partnerships sales account executive who can deliver and execute on new partnerships and elevate existing partnerships to grow MADE’s world-class brand partnership portfolio. The brand partnership account executive will lead project delivery across strategy, activation, and brand storytelling, and will collaborate closely with other MADE departments to deliver MADE’s white glove, world-class experience to our Brand Partners. Apply Now.

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Genius Sports & Pac-12 strike wide-ranging integrity, tech and AI partnership to power authorized betting, moment-based advertising, and performance analysis
Genius Sports announced a new multi-year integrity, technology and AI partnership with the Pac-12 Conference to power the next generation of authorized and responsible sports betting, integrity, fan engagement and monetization, and performance analysis in college sports. Genius Sports will deploy GeniusIQ, its data and AI platform, in every venue across Pac-12 football and men’s and women’s basketball competitions – creating a single, intelligent foundation for tracking data and video capture, real-time insights, and commercial activation.
Genius Sports

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