Utterly Predictable Super Bowl

Sport & Story Daily Jan. 27, 2025: The Chiefs and Eagles will now face off in Super Bowl LIX in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII in 2023.

The Eagles Beat the Commanders in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, While the Chiefs Beat the Bills For the AFC Championship

January 27, 2025

David Eulett, Getty Images

Super Bowl LIX Matchup, Date, Time: Chiefs to Face Eagles in Rematch in Quest for 3-Peat
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Owens writes, “The Super Bowl is set. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders in Sunday's NFC championship game, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills for the AFC championship.

“The Chiefs and Eagles will now face off in Super Bowl LIX in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The Chiefs won that game, 38-35 for the first of two consecutive Super Bowl titles and their third in five seasons. They'll now face the Eagles for a second time in their quest for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat. The Eagles, meanwhile, will be in search of their second Super Bowl victory after the franchise's first with a win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in 2018.”
Yahoo! Sports

NBA: All-Star Shakeup
SBJ’s Tom Friend writes, “On a scale of 1 to 10, eyewitnesses say Commissioner Adam Silver’s annoyance level was also about a 9 (give or take a few), considering the Olé defense and the infamous final score of East 211, West 186. With no easy answers — especially after [Larry] Bird had begged everyone to play D and the NBA shortened player intros so their bodies wouldn’t stiffen — it’s been back to the drawing board for the last 11 months, with an actual task force trying to save the league’s oldest tentpole event.”
Sports Business Journal

Disney CEO Bob Iger’s Pay Package for 2024 Jumps to $41 Million
The Los Angeles Times’ Samantha Masunga reports: “Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger received a $41.1-million pay package last year, according to a filing Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“That figure is about 30% higher than his 2023 compensation, which totaled $31.6 million. Iger’s pay was a mix of cash bonus, stocks and options, with a base salaryof $1 million. The executive’s payout is largely tied to company performance.”
Los Angeles Times

Bears Hire Former Saints Head Coach Dennis Allen as Next DC, Declan Doyle as OC
The new Chicago Bears coach hired both his offensive and defensive coordinators on Sunday afternoon, according to multiple reports. The team struck a deal with former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen to become their next defensive coordinator. They also agreed with Denver Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle to become their next offensive coordinator.
Yahoo! Sports

Breaking: NHL Has Begun Preparation for Gary Bettman Retirement in ‘Couple Years’
The executive committee of the NHL’s Board of Governors has begun planning for Gary Bettman’s retirement in “a couple years” and has started the process of finding a successor for the longest-tenured commissioner in North American sports, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold said on a podcast Wednesday and clarified with greater detail during a phone call with The Athletic on Thursday.
The Athletic

Seahawks Hire Klint Kubiak as Offensive Coordinator
The Seattle Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator on Sunday.

Kubiak’s hiring ends a nearly three-week search for Seattle, which fired coordinator Ryan Grubb on Jan. 6 after the Seahawks finished 28th in the league in rushing under Grubb’s pass-happy attack.

Kubiak spent 2024 as the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator. After the Saints fired coach Dennis Allen in early November, Kubiak stayed on under interim coach Darren Rizzi, but was free to leave for another job as the Saints have yet to hire a head coach.
AP News

Penn State Poaches Rival Ohio State DC With Record $9.3M Deal
FOS’ Colin Salao writes, “Less than three weeks after falling to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Penn State is pushing its chips in to chase a national championship next season.

The Nittany Lions have hired Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator on a three-year, $3.1 million per year deal which will make him the NCAA’s highest-paid coordinator, according to NBC Sports college football insider Nicole Auerbach. The average annual value would be in the top 60 of NCAA head coach salaries last season, based on USA Today’s database. 
Front Office Sports

Jets Hire Darren Mougey as New General Manager
"Darren is a trusted NFL executive who has experience working with an impressive collection of football leaders," Jets chairman Woody Johnson said in a statement released by the team. "He is a proven talent evaluator who impressed us with his vision for this team. His partnership with coach (Aaron) Glenn will revitalize this organization. I am proud of the thorough search we undertook and that it led us to the two best individuals to lead our football team going forward."
NFL

ESPN Pleased With 1st Season of Expanded College Football Playoff as it Looks to the Future
AP News’ Joe Reedy writes, “Nick Dawson, ESPN’s vice president of college sports programming and acquisitions, said the first year was a success from their standpoint as they begin taking a deeper dive into possible improvements going into next season.

The 11 College Football Playoff games averaged 15.6 million viewers according to Nielsen, as audiences increased during each round. According to ESPN, viewers consumed nearly 36 billion minutes of live coverage, a 63% increase over last year’s seven-game slate of the CFP title game and New Year’s six bowl games.
AP News

USC Poaches Notre Dame Football GM Chad Bowden for Reported $1 Million Salary
FOS’ Ryan Glasspiegel writes, “USC has nabbed a key figure from Notre Dame’s run to the national championship game. The Trojans announced Friday that they’ve hired former Notre Dame football general manager Chad Bowden to the same position.

“USC shelled out a ‘multiyear deal worth approximately $1 million annually’ for Bowden, according to the website Football Scoop, apparently more than tripling his salary with the Irish.

“The big payday represents the outsized significance that the GM role has taken in college sports. Programs are now grappling with how to recruit and pay players from a combination of revenue sharing— on the horizon in 2025—and NIL (name, image, and likeness) payments.”
Front Office Sports

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