Sport & Story Daily April 8, 2024

Stay Ahead of the Game

April 8, 2024

Good morning! Despite Loss, Caitlin Reigns

Women’s Basketball Finally Has a TV Deal to Match the Excitement. Now What?
As FOS’ Amanda Christovich writes, “On a Monday night in April, a record number of people tune in to watch as those two sensational women and their teams face off in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA tournament. Subsequently, every national news outlet sends reporters to cover the Final Four in Cleveland, where ticket prices surpass the men’s version and where one semifinal, between UConn and Iowa, again shatters records. There even grows talk that the women’s final TV ratings could easily surpass the men’s, too.

“It wasn’t always this way. For decades, the women’s tournament was undervalued, held back by structural inequities. Only now is it finally getting significant investment and visibility; and only next year will it finally receive a media-rights contract that comes close to reflecting its worth.”
^{frontofficesports.com}

NCAA Mulls Ways for Women's Basketball Teams to 'Benefit Financially’
"We just signed a new contract with ESPN and women's basketball is a big and important part of that deal," Baker said. "It will also send a huge signal to women's basketball generally about the fact you play in the tournament, you do well, you will benefit financially as well as in the other ways."

As ESPN reports, teams that make the women's NCAA tournament currently do not earn anything financially, unlike teams that make the men's NCAA tournament, where units are awarded to conferences for each game played before being distributed to schools.
^espn.com

Report: Coyotes' Meruelo Talking to Potential Buyers to Gauge Interest in Team
Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has “spoken to multiple potential buyers ... to gauge their interest in purchasing the NHL franchise from him,” according to John Gambadoro of ARIZONA SPORTS via SBJ. Those potential buyers are located inside and outside of Arizona. Meruelo is seeking “upward of $1 billion” for the franchise that he bought in July 2019. He recently met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman “regarding the team’s future.”
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

WNBA, Prime Video Extend Exclusive Media Rights Deal for Two More Years
Ahead of the WNBA Draft, and with the WNBA season tipping off May 14, Amazon Prime Video and the league have extended their media rights agreement for two more years. Prime Video will broadcast 21 games in the 2024 season, up from 20 in the previous deal, including the championship game of the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup. Financial terms were not disclosed. The extension comes as women's sports are enjoying record growth, and the WNBA anticipates a fresh crop of talent, led by Caitlin Clark.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Iowa-UConn Draws 14.2 Million Viewers, Racks Up Records
While we’re sure this news will be beaten by yesterday’s game between Iowa and South Carolina, this is still newsworthy: 👇🏼

As FOS reports, “Friday’s women’s Final Four matchup between UConn and Iowa was the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history, ESPN announced. The thrilling Iowa win, featuring stars Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, averaged 14.2 million viewers. The game, which ended with a controversial foul call against UConn that took over the online conversation Friday night, peaked at 17 million.” 
^{frontofficesports.com}

Coyotes Unveil New Plan for Phoenix Arena Development 
The 110-acre Phoenix site on which the Coyotes would like to build a privately funded mixed-use development anchored by a hockey arena has been put up for auction by the Arizona State Land Department, and the team has unveiled the first public details about the proposed project. Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez said the team expects to win the auction, which is set for June 27 and plans to build a 17,000-seat arena costing between $800M-1B as part of a roughly $3B mixed-use development.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Caitlin Clark Effect Pushes WNBA Champts to Larger Vegas Venue
As Sportico’s Jason Clinkscales writes, “Even the defending WNBA champions are preparing for Caitlin Clark mania. The Las Vegas Aces announced that their July 2 game against the Indiana Fever will move from their home at Michelob Ultra Arena and head a mile up The Strip to the larger T-Mobile Arena. The champs will be facing the presumptive top overall pick in the WNBA Draft, Clark, along with the Fever’s current franchise cornerstone and reigning Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston.

Tennessee Hires Marshall's Kim Caldwell as Women's Basketball Coach
Per Yahoo! Sports, Tennessee has found the next coach to lead its women's basketball program. Kim Caldwell will leave Marshall for Knoxville, as first reported by Talia Goodman. Caldwell takes over for Kellie Harper, who was fired last week after five seasons coaching the Lady Vols.

In Caldwell's lone season at Marshall, the Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt's regular season and tournament championships, going 26–7 overall and 17–1 in conference. That performance earned Marshall an NCAA tournament bid as a No. 13 seed, but the Herd lost in the first round to No. 4 seed Virginia Tech.
^{sports.yahoo.com}

Top Exec Norby Williamson Out at ESPN After Nearly 40 Years
Longtime ESPN Executive Editor & Head of Event & Studio Production NORBY WILLIAMSON is “out” at the company effective Friday after a tenure that stretched nearly four decades, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of the N.Y. POST. A source said that Williamson and ESPN President of Content BURKE MAGNUS “did not share a vision that aligned with ESPN’s long-term strategy,” and Magnus "made the decision to part ways" with Williamson.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

South Carolina Cements Dynasty With Win Over Caitlin Clark, Iowa
As Sportico’s Barry M. Bloom and Eben Novy-Williams report, “South Carolina won its second NCAA Women’s basketball title in the past three years, defeating Iowa and its powerhouse star, Clark, 87-75, in the championship game of the Women’s NCAA Tournament Sunday at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“At 38-0, the Gamecocks, coached by Staley, are the first undefeated team to win the women’s tournament since University of Connecticut in 2016. It’s their third national championship since 2017, and they’ve been to the Women’s Final Four six times in the past nine years.”
^sportico.com 

👀 👉🏼 Even SNL got in on the March Madness women’s hoops fun.

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily is the sports industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects reads to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

Feel free to read our Privacy Policy