Hard Questions For The Big Easy

The Superdome has hosted the SB more than any other venue, but, as SBJ points out, “Competition is fierce and the game has changed.”

February 4, 2025

Super Bowl LIX: Hard Questions For The Big Easy
SBJ’s Ben Fischer and Bret McCormick write, “It [The Superdome] hosted the game six times in 25 seasons, a claim no other venue can make. This year, the building marks its 50th anniversary by hosting the game for the eighth time, the most of any venue, and this is the 11th time it has taken place in New Orleans, matching Miami for the most in Super Bowl history. 

“But just like on the field, competition is fierce and the game has changed. This year’s Super Bowl is the first in New Orleans in 12 years, and only the second in the past 23.

“And yet the Superdome endures. Can the venue and the Big Easy remain a regular part of the informal Super Bowl rotation? Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 will be the Big Game debut of Exhibit A for those who believe it can: the $560 million renovation of the Superdome completed last year.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Exclusive: Bret Baier to Interview Trump During Fox's Super Bowl Pregame
Axios’ Sara Fischer writes, “Why it matters: The four biggest U.S. broadcasters — Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC — air the Super Bowl on a rotating schedule. Trump's first Super Bowl back in office coinciding with Fox's broadcast this year is fortuitous, given the president's friendly relationship with the network.

“The tradition of presidents being interviewed during the Super Bowl pregame show by journalists from the game's host network goes back to 2004. Trump upended the tradition by skipping the pregame interview with NBC in 2018. Former President Biden skipped pre-game interviews for the past two years.”
^Axios

Some NFL Owners Hope to See 18-Game Season in the Next 'Two to Three Years'
There is a “growing conviction” among the NFL’s team owners that an “18-game regular season will be implemented through an agreement” between the league and the NFLPA before the expiration of their current labor deal, according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. And there are “hopes among some owners that it could occur within the next three years.”
^{Washington Post via Sports Business Journal}

Chip Kelly’s $6M Salary Latest Sign of Exploding Coordinator Pay
FOS’ David Rumsey reports: “The Raiders hired Kelly as their new offensive coordinator, giving him a salary ‘averaging $6 million per year,’ sources told The MMQB’s Albert Breer. That’s nearly triple the $2.1 million base salary Kelly was set to receive as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator in 2025. Kelly will be the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL, per Breer.”
^{Front Office Sports}

State Farm’s Super Bowl Pullout Part of Shrinking Industry Spend
Sportico’s Jason Clinkscales and Anthony Crupi report: “Advertising spend from the insurance industry has cratered in recent years as underwriting costs skyrocketed. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data for 2023 (the most recent full-year numbers available), Progressive, the largest spender in the category, was down 30% to $1.22 billion. Geico slashed its ad budget by 34% year-over-year to $838.2 million. Allstate cut its budget by 31% to $651.3 million.”
^Sportico

Roku Launches Women’s Sports Talk Show
Roku has teamed with Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine and Rich Eisen Productions for the new weekly talk show “Women’s Sports Now.” It’s the fourth collaboration between Roku and Hello Sunshine.

Suzy Shuster, Dream co-owner and former WNBAer Renee Montgomery and comedian Sarah Tiana will co-host the series, premiering March 20. Shuster will also executive produce, alongside Witherspoon, Sara Rea and Cassie Lambert Scalettar.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Kansas City Chiefs Go Hollywood, Team Launches Its Own Production Studio
THR’s Alex Weprin reports: “The new venture, Foolish Club Studios, will develop scripted and unscripted content for both shortform and longform platforms.

“While the team already has one in-house production team (65 Toss Power Trap Production group) that is focused on football content, Foolish Club will be focused more on entertainment fare that expands the boundaries of what the team is currently doing.”
^{The Hollywood Reporter}

Grand Slam Track Signs Media Deal With The CW, Peacock
Grand Slam Track, the start-up series founded by Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, has reached deal to broadcast its inaugural season on The CW and Peacock. 

The series kicks off in April with four stops in its first year. Peacock will exclusively air each Friday of competition as Grand Slam Track goes to Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, Philadelphia and L.A. The CW will broadcast those events live on Saturday and Sunday, with Peacock streaming those as well. Programming also includes highlights of the season to air on NBC.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Nielsen Out-of-Home at 100% Ahead of Super Bowl
Just in time for the Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl on Fox on Sunday, Nielsen has increased its out-of-home measurement to now cover 100% of contiguous U.S. markets, up from 66% last year. This update brings in primarily rural parts of the country, and was made possible by increased adoption of wearable devices for those in Nielsen’s persons panel.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Jaguars Hire Hall of Famer Tony Boselli as the Franchise’s Executive Vice President
Pro Football Hall of Fame left tackle Tony Boselli, the first draft pick in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been hired as the franchise’s executive vice president of football operations. Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced the move Monday, saying the trio of Boselli, first-time head coach Liam Coen and Jacksonville’s next GM will form “the football leadership unit.”
^{AP News}

Report: NFL Taking Three Regular-Season Games to Australia Beginning in 2026
The NFL is taking regular-season games to Australia, as the state of Victoria is “set to host up to three in-season matches … with the games spread over several years,” according to Shannon Deery of the Melbourne HERALD SUN via SBJ. The first game will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in October 2026 with the Rams “set to feature in the match with their likely opponent” being the Eagles.
^{Melbourne Herald Sun via Sports Business Journal}

Playfly Sports CEO Craig Sloan Talks About the Evolving Landscape of College Athletics, Work Culture, Media Rights, Fan Engagement and More
When host Gene DeFilippo asked the CEO about the ever-evolving college athletics landscape, Craig said, “It is a fascinating time. I have a lot of empathy for the Athletic Director and their staff. From the transfer portal to retaining coaches at the levels they’re having to pay…”

“[Athletic Departments] have to figure out new ways for revenue to come in beyond just putting in a new LED board or to add a new piece of inventory. It's got to be much richer than that. It's got to be a holistic plan of how they're gonna be able to do that in a sustainable way each and every year to know that you're gonna be able to bring back the revenue that's necessary to have a business that will operate in the black and not find themselves in really, some dire situations. And we see that across some of these schools already, that are already sort of in a challenging space as far as their financials go, and we think that we can help and accelerate growth."

You can also access the podcast episode on Spotify and Apple.
^{On the Fly Podcast via YouTube}

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