ESPN valued at $30 billion, Disney new NFL deal

Sport & Story Daily February 3, 2026: ESPN is valued at $30 billion and Disney's stake is worth $3 billion.

Author

Kelsey Middleton
February 03, 2026

ESPN valued at $30 billion, Disney new NFL deal

February 3, 2026

ESPN Valued at $30 Billion As Disney Reveals New Details on NFL Deal
ESPN is valued at around $30 billion. The National Football League’s 10 percent equity stake in the sports media giant is valued at $3 billion. Disney and the NFL closed their mega deal in the last week, giving the lease its non-controlling interest, leaving Disney with 72 percent and Hearst with 18 percent. Disney will have the option to reacquire the NFL’s stake in ESPN after July 2034.
The Hollywood Reporter

Anthropic and Atlassian Williams F1 Team announce multi-year partnership, naming Claude the team’s ‘Official Thinking Partner’
Anthropic and Atlassian Williams F1 Team announced a multi-year partnership. Claude is the team’s Official Thinking Partner. Claude will be integrated across the entire Williams organization, working alongside engineers and team strategists to support how the team thinks, plans and performs across race strategy, car development, and operations.
Williams F1

"F1" Movie Scores 2026 Grammy With Chris Stapleton After Three Nominations
The F1 movie has picked up another trophy aas Chris Stapleton won the 2026 GRAMMY for Best Country Solo Performance for his track Bad As I Used To Be from the blockbuster. F1 received three nominations for the 2026 GRAMMY Awards. Tate McRae was nominated for Best Dance Pop Recording for her track Just Keep Watching from the movie. F1 The Album was also nominated in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category.
Motorsport

Milan Olympic organisers give assurances over unfinished ice hockey arena
Milan Cortina 2026 organizers say that all ice hockey matches will go ahead as scheduled. However, they admit that the flagship host venue will not be complete before the Winter Olympics begin later this week. Unipol Dome has a capacity of 11,800. The roads are still closed around the arena, hospitality boxes and food and drink stalls are unfinished.
Front Office Sports

Australian Open Attendance Boom Fuels Ambitions, Fan Frustrations
The Australian Open smashed all of its attendance records with a historic 2026 event. Now, organizers are facing growing questions about the impact that unprecedented turnout had on fan experience. Carlos Alcaraz is now the youngest man to win a career Gran Slam. The final attendance was 1.37 million for the three-week run. That is up 12% from last year’s draw.
Front Office Sports

Niners promote team president Al Guido to role of chief executive officer
The San Francisco 49ers promoted team president Al Guido as the chief executive officer. The 49ers are hosting the Super Bowl this week. The previous CEO was Jed York. York will still remain heavily involved as owner of the team with Guido. Guido was team president for 10 years.
NFL

NBC Lands Votto to Complete MLB Talent Triple Play
NBC Sports is returning to covering the MLB. The network is finalizing deals to make Joey Votto, Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Rizzo part of its baseball plans this spring. This would be a clean sweep by NBC of the top three TV free agents on the board heading into 2026.
Front Office Sports

Phoenix Suns. Payroll Clerk
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Payroll Clerk to join our team. In this high-impact role, you will support processing bi-weekly, semi-monthly and off-cycle payments to salaried and hourly Team members within company pay policies and requirements of all applicable Federal, State and Local laws. Perform functions necessary to maintain accurate employee records. Provides excellent customer service to both internal and external clients. While playing a key role in broader department initiatives. Apply Now.

Los Angeles Sparks. Data Scientist
The Los Angeles Sparks are seeking a Data Scientist to help elevate the team’s competitive decision-making through statistical modeling, automated reporting, and data-driven insights. This role works closely with coaches, scouts, performance staff, and front-office leadership to deliver actionable analysis that supports coaching, player evaluation, roster construction, and player development. The ideal candidate is a strong quantitative thinker with basketball domain knowledge, experience working with complex datasets, and the ability to turn data into clear, impactful insights used in realistic basketball solutions. This position reports to the Assistant General Manager, Research & Development. Apply Now.

Real Salt Lake. Seasonal Assistant Athletic Trainer
Seasonal Assistant Athletic Trainers are expected to assist the sports medicine staff in providing the highest quality care to Real Salt Lake athletes. You are also asked to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to become an integral part of patient care and rehabilitation. In addition to the details, you are also expected to aid in common daily Athletic Training duties, pre-training set-up and breakdown, and assist Real Salt Lake staff however necessary. Due to the cyclical nature of the entertainment industry, the employee may be required to work varying schedules to reflect the team needs including, but not limited to working game nights, weekends (including Sunday’s), and holidays. Apply Now.

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Florida State’s Gus Malzahn, who previously led Auburn and UCF, retires from coaching at age 60
Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn announce his retirement from coaching. The 60-year-old spent last season with the Seminoles after serving as head coach at UCF 2021-2024, Auburn 2013-2020 and Arkansas State 2012. He won the 2010 national championship as an offensive coordinator with Auburn.
AP Sports

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