Make the Super Bowl Great Again?

Despite his tumultuous relationship with the NFL during his first term, President Trump will be a guest of Saints owner Gayle Benson

February 5, 2025

Donald Trump Heading to Super Bowl LIX in Presidential First
FOS’ Margaret Fleming writes, “Donald Trump will become the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl Sunday in New Orleans as a guest of Saints owner Gayle Benson.

“Trump is a regular attendee at college football games, including an appearance this fall at Alabama vs. Georgia. But he had a tumultuous relationship with the NFL in his first term. He criticized the league, its players, and commissioner Roger Goodell in 2016 and years into his first administration as players kneeling during the national anthem roiled the league; in 2018, he suggested that players who kneel should leave the country.”
^{Front Office Sports}

NFL is Stenciling ‘Choose Love’ in an End Zone for the Super Bowl to Uplift Country After Tragedies
“The Super Bowl is often a snapshot in time and the NFL is in a unique position to capture and lift the imagination of the country,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said. ”‘Choose Love’ is appropriate to use as our country has endured in recent weeks wildfires in Southern California, the terrorist attack here in New Orleans, the plane and helicopter crash near our nation’s capital and the plane crash in Philadelphia.”
^{AP News}

Nuggets and Avs games Returning to Comcast as Deal Ends Altitude Blackout
Sean Keeler and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post write, “After almost six years, the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche are back on Comcast.

“Altitude Sports and Comcast have reached a new carriage agreement, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment announced Tuesday, ending a bitter contract dispute that caused local blackouts of Nuggets and Avalanche games dating back to September 2019. Altitude, the Kroenke-owned regional sports network that broadcasts Denver’s NHL and NBA franchises, will begin airing on Comcast’s Xfinity cable service Tuesday evening, when the Avs play the Vancouver Canucks.”
^{The Denver Post}

Titans Hire Travis Smith as Defensive Run Game Coordinator With Lori Locust Promoted
The Tennessee Titans have hired Travis Smith as their defensive run game coordinator and promoted Lori Locust to a defensive assistant coach.

Smith spent the past three seasons as Chicago’s defensive line coach with the Bears leading the NFL in fewest yards rushing allowed and fifth in yards per carry and gave up the second-fewest rushing touchdowns with eight. Locust has spent the past two seasons with Tennessee and was a defensive quality control assistant in 2024. Now she will be a defensive assistant coach as Brian Callahan continues tinkering with his coaching staff after his first season with Tennessee.
^{AP News}

Wisconsin Football Program Loses GM Max Stienecker to USC
Wisconsin’s football program is losing one of its most significant off-field staffers. General manager Max Stienecker has accepted a position within USC’s recruiting department, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Athletic. FootballScoop first reported the news.

As The Athletic’s Jesse Temple writes, “Stienecker, 24, was instrumental in helping build Wisconsin’s last two recruiting classes under head coach Luke Fickell. Wisconsin’s 2024 recruiting class set a program record with 11 four-star 247Sports Composite signees and was ranked No. 23 nationally — the second-best mark for the Badgers in the online ranking era. Wisconsin’s 2025 class, which signed in December, ranks No. 26 in the country.”
^{The Athletic}

FSU’S Hamilton Announces Resignation Amid NIL Lawsuit
Florida State head men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton announced on Monday he plans to step down at the end of the current season, just over a month after six former FSU players filed a lawsuit accusing him of misleading them about NIL compensation.

In a statement released by FSU’s athletic department, Hamilton said he was stepping down “with no regrets.”
^Sportico

Big 12 Will Kick Off 30th Football Season in Ireland, and Has Only 2 Weeks When All 16 Teams Play
The 30th season of Big 12 football will kick off with a conference game in Dublin, Ireland. That season-opening game overseas between Kansas State and Iowa State on Aug. 23 had been announced previously, but the Big 12 released the rest of its conference football schedule on Tuesday. Each of the 16 teams will play nine conference games, leading up to the league’s championship game Dec. 6 in Arlington, Texas.
^{AP News}

House Education Chair Questions Federal Funding For College Sports
Sportico’s Daniel Libit reports: “In a letter sent Monday to GAO comptroller general Gene Dodaro, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) asked the agency to determine how the multibillion-dollar college sports industry is funded by schools and, crucially, the ‘extent to which Title IV student aid subsidizes these costs through students’ tuition and fees.’

“Walberg’s request comes amid increased scrutiny over the financial structure of college sports, particularly in light of the House v. NCAA settlement that provides for direct payments from schools to players.”
^Sportico

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