F1 Adds 11th Team in 2026

F1’s 11th Team, A.I. in Sports, and Temple’s Uncertain Football Future

November 26, 2024

Good morning! General Motors is adding a Formula 1 team in 2026

Formula 1 Approves Addition of General Motors Team Starting in 2026
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg writes, “Formula 1 will have an 11th team in 2026 after all. The series announced Monday that General Motors’ bid to add a team to the grid in two seasons had been approved. The FIA had previously approved the GM-backed effort, but F1 and its teams had not signed off.

“The announcement comes after Michael Andretti stepped back from the Andretti Global effort to join F1. According to F1, the GM/Cadillac team will join in 2026 while the team will use GM engines ‘at a later time.’ That means the team will need to use engines from an existing engine supplier during its infancy.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

BradyGPT
Baratunde Thurston: Are there any less obvious, behind-the-scenes places for automation and A.I. to play a role in sports?

John Ourand: A prime example is the brand-new Los Angeles Clippers arena. There’s facial recognition to enter; they know whether or not you have a ticket on you so you don’t have to wait in line; they know that you like to drink a Miller Lite and generally buy a hot dog. Some of that is merely data science, but it can integrate with A.I. in important ways.

One of the fever dreams of all the leagues is that Netflix or Amazon take the rights, and with one press of a button, those streams can be consumed globally.
^Puck

Eagles to Sell Two Minority Stakes at $8.1B Valuation
Two families have each agreed to acquire small stakes in the Eagles, SBJ sources said, in deals that value the franchise at just north of $8.1B. The new investors will hold 8% of the club, assuming NFL owners approve the transactions. Eagles majority owner Jeffrey Lurie, who would still control 85% of the team, is not planning to divest further.
^{Sports Business Journal}

State Farm, JuJu Watkins Link Up For Brand’s Second NIL Deal
USC G JuJu Watkins continues to expand her sponsorship portfolio, with State Farm adding the USC basketball phenom to a large stable of women’s basketball endorsers (not to mention leaguewide deals with the WNBA and the soon-to-launch Unrivaled). This is State Farm’s second NIL deal after signing Clark last fall while she was starting her final season at Iowa.
^{Sports Business Journal}

The First-Ever College Basketball Tournament to Pay Players Has Arrived
FOS’ Amanda Christovich reports: “For the first time in NCAA history, a college basketball non-conference tournament will pay athletes for participation. The Players Era Festival, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 26, 27, and 30, will feature eight men’s basketball programs from across the country. A total of $9 million in NIL (name, image, and likeness) earnings are up for grabs for players on participating teams.”
^{Front Office Sports}

ESPN Wants to Renew F1 Deal as Cool Factor Balances Out Slower Ratings Growth
Growth in F1’s U.S. TV viewership has somewhat plateaued. However, ESPN wants to renew its rights deal with the motorsports property and believes it’s still getting a good ROI because it also considers things like the cool factor around the series, according to Tim Bunnell, senior vice president of programming. The Disney-owned network is in the second year of a three-year renewal with F1 after initially linking up with the property in 2018. ESPN now pays F1 between $75-90M a year after taking the deal for free in 2018 and upping the fee to $5M a year from 2020 through 2022.
^{Sports Business Journal}

East Carolina Planning to Promote Interim Coach Blake Harrell to Full-Time Job: Source
East Carolina plans to promote interim head coach Blake Harrell to the full-time role, pending approval from the school’s board, a person briefed on the decision told The Athletic. Harrell, formerly the defensive coordinator, is 4-0 since taking over as the interim coach, with wins against Temple, Florida Atlantic, Tulsa and most recently North Texas. ECU fired former coach Mike Houston, who had a 3-4 record in October before Harrell took over.
^{The Athletic}

Analysis: Second Year of Las Vegas Gran Prix Shows Progress in All Areas
The Las Vegas Sun’s Case Keefer writes, “F1 feels like it’s here to stay. That was much more up in the air after last year’s error-filled first edition.

“Both the city and the racing organization have agreed to stage the race for 10 years but detractors — of which there are many, in fairness — talked of a potential out after next year. The original contract was a three-year deal.

“Don’t count on any arrangements being ripped up if the racing continues to be as compelling as it was Saturday night.”
^{Las Vegas Sun}

Portland’s Mayor-Elect Optimistic About MLB Team Coming to Portland: ‘Confident it’s Down to Us and One Other City’
Portland Mayor-Elect Keith Wilson told Laurel Porter, host of “Straight Talk” on KGW-TV, that he attended a meeting about the city’s attempt to bring MLB to Portland. He came away from the meeting feeling good about the city’s chances.

The Portland Diamond Project group announced in September a plan to purchase land to build a new stadium at Zidell Yards on the South Waterfront, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said no decisions on a potential MLB expansion would take place until the Tampa Bay Rays [which is still in limbo, according to SBJ] and Oakland Athletics stadium situations are resolved.
^{The Oregonian}

Two US Senators Urge FIFA Not to Pick Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup Host Over Human Rights Risks
AP News Graham Dunbar reports: “Two United States senators urged FIFA on Monday not to pick Saudi Arabia [which has been the only candidate for 2034 since FIFA unexpectedly opened a fast-track nomination process in October last year] as the 2034 World Cup host next month in a decision seen as inevitable since last year despite the kingdom’s record on human rights. Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Dick Durbin of Illinois have told FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a letter, ‘We urge you to seek out a host country with a record of upholding human rights.’”
^{AP News}

Temple President Says School is 'Reassessing' Football Program Following Head Coach Firing
Temple President John Fry said the university is “reassessing its football program following the firing of its head coach,” according to Ryan Mulligan of the PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL via SBJ. The news comes amid speculation that the program “could be on the chopping block.” Temple is in a “difficult position” to turn the struggling program around, with rampant realignment and new NIL rules reshaping college football.
^{Philadelphia Business Journal vis Sports Business Journal}

NIL Charity BPS Foundation Raised $14M in 2023 Despite IRS Flags
Sportico’s Daniel Libit reports: “BPS Foundation, the nonprofit partner of NIL collective operator Blueprint Sports, took in $14 million in contributions last year—more than quadrupling its previous annual haul—despite mounting questions about the charitable purpose of it and similar organizations that pay NCAA athletes.

“The two entities’ relationship, as Sportico previously reported, has drawn scrutiny from nonprofit experts, who question the public benefit of paying college athletes—even if, as BPS Foundation asserts, it facilitates their engagement with other public charities.”
^Sportico

Ticket Prices Surging For the Return of Texas-Texas A&M Rivalry After 13 Years
The return of Texas A&M’s rivalry with Texas from a 13-year hiatus has “kicked ticket demand into overdrive,” according to Sam Khan Jr. of THE ATHLETIC via SBJ. Saturday’s game is at Kyle Field, which officially holds 102,733 and will be “bursting at the seams.” The winner will go to the SEC Championship Game to face off against Georgia. The median per-ticket price on StubHub was above $2,000 as of yesterday and SeatGeek “offers similar prices.”
^{The Athletic via Sports Business Journal}

Engineering Professor Makes Helmet Inserts to Lessen Crowd Noise for Michigan State Football Players
The 3D-printed helmet earhole insert helps drown out crowd noise for school football team players. Click the link above to watch the video.
^{AP News}

From Maui to the Caribbean, College Hoops’ Thanksgiving Tournaments a Beloved Part of the Sport
“When you see (ESPN’s) ‘Feast Week’ of college basketball on TV, when you see the Battle 4 Atlantis on TV, you know college basketball is back,” said Lea Miller-Tooley, the founder and organizer of the Battle 4 Atlantis men’s and women’s tournaments. “Because it’s a saturated time of the year with the NFL, college football and the NBA. But when you see these gorgeous events in these beautiful places, you realize, ‘Wow, hoops are back, let’s get excited.’”
^{AP News}

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