Corso's Labor of Love

Sport & Story Daily September 1, 2025: It's fitting that Lee Corso’s nearly 40-year run with ESPN’s "College GameDay has reached its finale on Labor Day weekend.

September 01, 2025

🎤 It's fitting that Lee Corso’s nearly 40-year run with ESPN’s "College GameDay" has reached its finale on Labor Day weekend 🇺🇸

September 1, 2025

Jason Mowry/GettyImages

Lee Corso Caps Final ‘College GameDay’ Appearance on ESPN With Headgear Pick
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “Lee Corso’s nearly 40-year run with ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ has reached its finale.

“Corso, the longtime frontman for the college football pregame show that redefined the genre, slipped on a ‘Brutus Buckeye’ mascot head before a swath of scarlet and crimson Saturday at the 50-yard line at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State’s band had spelled out ‘Corso’ on the field.

“The headgear pick marked Corso’s 431st over his almost four decades as an analyst on ‘GameDay.’ That includes 46 selections for the Buckeyes.

“‘Give me my first love!’ Corso said in choosing OSU to beat Texas, slipping on the first mascot head he ever chose on ‘GameDay.”’
Sports Business Journal

Rich Barnes - Imagn Images

Barstool Sues For Millions Over Failed Sponsorship Deal
FOS’s Ben Horney reports: “Barstool Sports claims an accounting firm and an advertising agency owe more than $4.2 million they failed to pay as part of a $6 million sponsorship deal that included advertisements for the accounting firm on the Pardon My Take podcast.

“The suit, filed in New York federal court Thursday, alleges that Omega Accounting Solutions and O’Brien Sales & Marketing breached the deal, which was supposed to pay Barstool $6 million, in installments, through 2023. However, Barstool says it never received $4.2 million of that total. Omega owes more than $3.2 million, while O’Brien owes over $1 million, according to the complaint.”
Front Office Sports

Illustration by Lorenzo Gordon; Photo by Getty Images

SEC, Big Ten Football Ratings to Rise as Nielsen Ups College-Town Scope
Sportico’s Anthony Crupi writes, “For the networks carrying the fall roster of can’t-miss college football matchups, Saturdays are about to get positively Dionysian. The implementation of Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel currency already promises to help juice the TV ratings, and a recent tweak to the company’s out-of-home measurement system is expected to scare up even bigger crowds in hitherto underserved markets from South Bend to Tallahassee.”
Sportico

Taylor Townsend’s Instagram Following Up 147% During U.S. Open
Sportico’s Lev Akabas writes, “The 29-year-old unseeded Townsend first made headlines following her straight-sets second-round win over Latvian No. 25 seed Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday. When the two met at the net after the match, Ostapenko had heated words for Townsend, telling her opponent that she had ‘no class, no education.’

“All in all, Townsend’s Instagram following has exploded from 115,000 followers before the event to 284,000 (+147%) heading into the second week of the main draw.”
Sportico

Dalton Paley

University of Kansas’ Renovated Football Stadium Blends Three Facilities Into One
SBJ’s Bret McCormick writes, “The Jayhawk Club is one of many flexible spaces in a project that combined three building types — training facility, conference center and stadium — into one form. In the redesigned stadium, the Anderson Family Football Complex, a stand-alone building previously, was appended to the stadium’s southeast side, while the conference center was added onto the north side.

“Those three elements are key to the broader Gateway District vision, in which mixed-use development will hug the stadium in ways that generate revenue for the community, university and Jayhawks athletics, help KU football compete, and improve student life and fans’ game-day experience.”
Sports Business Journal

Tennis Channel. Vice President, Communications
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NFL. Director, Communications - Flag Football
The Director, Communications - Flag Football will lead the strategy to grow the sport’s awareness, credibility, and participation in the U.S. and internationally, supporting the broader flag ecosystem and the NFL’s leadership through NFL FLAG. This role sets the narrative for flag football—elevating access, inclusion, and pathways—while aligning internal and external partners to deliver compelling stories with measurable impact. Apply Now.

Chicago Bulls. Executive Director, Brand & Fan Marketing
The Chicago Bulls, one of the most iconic and well-known global sports brands, are building a future-looking marketing capability that applies a combination of data-driven insight and creativity to drive fan development and support organizational growth. The Bulls are seeking a dynamic and strategic Executive Director, Brand & Fan Marketing to help lead the vision, planning, and execution of initiatives that build brand equity, deepen fan loyalty, and grow our fanbase across key audiences and channels. Reporting to the Vice President of Fan Development and Growth Marketing, this individual will oversee two teams – Integrated Marketing and Brand & Fan Development – that are charged with cultivating our fanbase to support future org-wide growth, ensuring our org-wide efforts are aligned and consistent, and driving maximum, measurable impact. Apply Now.

StubHub. Director of Baseball & Football
We’re hiring a Director of Baseball & Football to lead StubHub’s Direct Issuance partnerships across the NFL, MLB, and emerging/junior football and baseball leagues. This role focuses on developing direct inventory partnerships with professional teams and affiliated entities — from major franchises to new and developmental properties. You’ll manage the full partnership lifecycle: identifying targets, building relationships, negotiating commercial terms, and bringing deals across the finish line. Apply Now.

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AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Road Woes Raise Questions About Alabama’s Direction Under 2nd-Year Head Coach Kalen DeBoer
AP News’ Bob Ferrante writes, “Alabama hasn’t looked the same since coach Nick Saban’s retirement. It raises speculation about the future of his replacement, Kalen DeBoer.

“The eighth-ranked Crimson Tide have dropped three of their last four games following a 31-17 loss at Florida State on Saturday, a game in which the Seminoles bullied Alabama on both [sides] of the ball.

“Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos said this summer that Saban wasn’t around ‘to save Alabama,’ and he didn’t see the Crimson Tide stopping the Seminoles. After racking up 230 yards rushing, Castellanos and Florida State clearly backed up his bold statement.”
AP News

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