Chiefs = Team Fans Love to Hate

‘Chiefs fatigue was inevitable,’ explained Mike Lewis, author of “Fandom Analytics”

February 3, 2025

Once the Plucky Underdog, the Kansas City Chiefs Have Become the NFL Juggernaut Fans Love to Hate (VIDEO)
AP News’ Dave Skretta writes, “The Kansas City Chiefs were once the loveable NFL underdogs, led by the good-natured coach who couldn’t win the big one, the plucky quarterback with the Kermit the Frog-like voice, and the superstar tight end with charisma to spare. Five years after their first trip to the Super Bowl in five decades, though, things have changed.

“‘Chiefs fatigue was inevitable,’ explained Mike Lewis, author of “Fandom Analytics” and a professor of marketing at Emory University. ‘Pre-Mahomes, the Chiefs were an afterthought of a team; a small-market team was never a consistent winner. As the Chiefs grew into a dynasty, they became rivals to multiple teams, adversaries to overcome.’”
^{AP News}

From the Sports Licensing Tailgate Show: Possible End to Post-Pandemic Boom a Focus
From Feb. 12-20, the NHL will pause its season for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, a new event featuring teams of NHL players representing Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. in a round-robin tournament. The seven-game competition at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston replaces All-Star festivities on the calendar this season. 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Michigan Athletic Department Had $557K Surplus for 2024 Fiscal Year With $238M in Revenue
Michigan's budget surplus for the 2023-24 fiscal year was $557,061. This comes after a 2022-23 when U-M reported a $4 million surplus. According to the annual documents filed Dec. 20, 2024 with the NCAA, Michigan had $238,866,661 in operating revenues compared to $238,309,600 in operating expenses for 2023-24. This is the most operating revenue U-M's athletic department has ever created, surpassing last year by nearly $10 million when it generated $229,561,279 in revenue.
^{Detroit Free Press}

Pistons Owner Tom Gores Puts in Bid for Detroit to Receive WNBA Franchise: Sources
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted a bid for the city to receive a WNBA franchise, sources told Yahoo Sports. The Detroit Shock were a big part of early WNBA history, winning championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008 before moving to Tulsa in 2010 — and before being rebranded as the Dallas Wings.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Alabama Hires Ryan Grubb as OC, Reuniting Him With Kalen DeBoer: Source
Alabama football officially has a new offensive coordinator. Ryan Grubb is set to join the Crimson Tide staff in that role, a source close to Grubb confirmed to The Athletic. Yea Alabama, the school’s official entity dealing in Name-Image-Likeness, also announced the hire.
^{The Athletic}

Raiders Hiring Ohio State OC Chip Kelly in Same Role, Per Source: Is His Departure From Columbus a Surprise?
Four days after hiring a defensive coordinator, the Las Vegas Raiders are continuing to fill their coaching vacancies. The team is adding Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as their OC on Sunday, according to a team source. In his lone season with the Buckeyes, Kelly helped lead them to 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. Now, he’s teaming up with head coach Pete Carroll in the NFL.
^{The Athletic}

Tennessee Planning to Add Premium Space to Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
The newest batch of changes is set to include the “Riverside Club” premium space in the arena’s lower bowl. The plan would give access to various food and beverage options and a club area for roughly 1,500 seats.

White estimated the space could bring in around $7M annually in revenue and could conservatively cost less than half that to build. The plan is for the club to open in time for the 2025-26 basketball season.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Nebraska’s Spring Game Likely Canceled as Transfer Portal Has Made it Detrimental, Rhule Says
The Nebraska spring game, one of the best-attended in college football and a major revenue producer, likely won’t be held going forward because of coach Matt Rhule’s concern about other teams poaching his players.

“The word ‘tampering’ doesn’t exist anymore,” Rhule said Saturday at his midwinter news conference. “It’s just an absolute free open common market. I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world and have people watch our guys and say, ‘He looks like a pretty good player. Let’s go get him.’”
^{AP News}

🏀→🏀→ : Two Schools Retired Jerseys This Weekend 👇🏼

💛 Iowa honors Caitlin Clark by retiring her number and hanging it in the rafters
❤️ South Carolina retires jersey number of three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson

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