Sport & Story Daily February 14, 2024

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February 14, 2024

Good morning! College sports are in utter disarray as the future of the NCAA lies in question

With College Sports at Key Juncture, What Does the Future of the NCAA Tournament and CFP Look Like?
As Ross Dellenger writes, “The joint venture that the Big Ten and SEC announced Feb. 2 creates a ripple felt in every pond of college athletics, from Division III and up. But perhaps the move’s most impacted entities are the two conferences, the ACC and Big 12, that reside alongside their richer counterparts within the most elite rung in the hierarchy of college athletics dubbed as the Power Five, or soon-to-be Power Four.”
^{sports.yahoo.com}

Tiger’s Post-Nike Future Comes With a New Business Plan
As David Rumsey of Front Office Sports reports, “Tiger Woods is returning to competition on the PGA Tour at this week’s Genesis Invitational not only with a new look, but also the next evolution of his business career.

The 15-time major champion is believed to have made at least $500 million from multiple contracts with Nike throughout his 27-year tenure with the company that officially ended last month. Now, after much speculation and anticipation, Woods has unveiled his new apparel brand, Sun Day Red, which is actually its own company, under the TaylorMade umbrella. (Woods has used TaylorMade clubs since 2017.)”
^{frontofficesports.com}

NBA All-Star Weekend Will Feature Online Stars, Too
As Sportico’s Jacob Feldman writes, “NBA All-Stars won’t be the only stars in Indianapolis this weekend. The league has also invited more than 100 digital content creators and influencers to town, taking over a comedy club for a series of invite-only events and collaboration opportunities. 

The goal is simple: to keep some of the internet’s biggest personalities within what executives call ‘the NBA family,’ ensuring that they’re closely connected to the game—and therefore so are their followers. But sports leagues also face a risk as they embrace the web’s celebs: What if, one day, fans care more about the faces in the stands than those on the floor?”
^sportico.com

College Football Playoff, ESPN Agree to 6-year Extension Worth $1.3 Billion Per Year: Sources
ESPN and the College Football Playoff are in agreement on a six-year, $7.8 billion extension that will make the network the home of the 12-team tournament through the 2031-32 season once CFP leaders sort out the specifics of how the postseason’s new era will operate, sources briefed on the deal told The Athletic.
^{theathletic.com}

Disney Has Created a Complicated Spiderweb for ESPN’s Digital Future
As Barrett Sports Media’s Demetri Ravanos writes, “Last week on an earnings call, Iger told Disney investors that the company was partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery and FOX to launch an app that would bundle all three companies’ sports properties. Finally, the public would have an option to watch nearly all major sports in their homes without having to subscribe to cable. 

It could be a game changer. There are several challenges to that reality (more on that momentarily). What is certain is that Disney now suddenly has its hands full with determining ESPN’s digital future.

According to Iger, whatever this super app is called, it is different from ESPN+. It is also different from the network’s so-called ‘Project Flagship,’ the plan to make the entire portfolio of networks available as a direct-to-consumer streaming product. It also is different from the linear cable channels.”
^{barrettsportsmedia.com}

Proposed Location for Kansas City Royals’ Ballpark Unveiled
Jeff Rosen tweets, “Check this out: Precise location of Kansas City #Royals' proposed new downtown ballpark. It butts right up against the original @KCStar building and fronts Grand. This is from the Royals' renderings set - Jackson County voters will decide.”

The #Pac12 Has Formally Begun the Process of Separating From Commissioner George Kliavkoff
Nicole Auerbach followed up on Twitter with this report: Statement from the Pac-12: "The Pac-12 Conference Board has given the departing 10 schools notice of a proposed leadership transition with an invitation to provide comment. We expect to provide more information following a decision in the coming days."
^twitter.com

Helmet Communication in College Football Nears Approval After Positive Bowl Trial Run
As the Athletic’s Chris Vannini writes, “College football is closer than ever to allowing widespread usage of helmet communication and sideline tablets, finally catching up to the technology available at other levels of the sport.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee meets at the end of February and could come out of that meeting with proposals to allow permissive use of both pieces of tech, meaning whoever wants to use them could use them. Based on the insight gathered by the committee so far, the experimental use of helmet and tablet tech during the 2023-24 season’s non-CFP bowl games was a rousing success.
^{theathletic.com}

Former Pac-12 Schools Likely to Still Play in Bowls With Pac-12 Tie-Ins
“Out of a series of not-great options, the most workable — short of blowing up the bowl system and the (35 non-playoff) bowl contracts — is to have the former Pac-12 schools sent to Pac-12 bowls for two more years,” a source said.
^{actionnetwork.com}

Unpacking Tennessee vs. NCAA Hearing and What Judge Will Decide About NIL Rules for Athletes
As Knox News’ Tyler Whetstone reports, “The states argued in favor of a preliminary injunction, which would freeze the NCAA's rules regarding name, image and likeness benefits for athletes, which they called "a broken market," until the case concludes. Judge Clifton Corker heard arguments for and against an injunction for just over an hour − rocking back and forth in his chair − but ultimately chose to issue a ruling at a later date.
^knoxnews.com

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