Kiffin Bashes College Calendar

Lane Kiffin Complains About Crammed College Schedule

December 11, 2024

Good morning! Lane Kiffin calls the system “dumb”; Saquon Barkley is a marketing “unicorn”

Lane Kiffin Says Crammed College Calendar is 'a Dumb System'
"Just think if the NFL was getting ready for the AFC, NFC playoffs, postseason, and players are in free agency already,” Kiffin said during a videoconference call for coaches headed to the Gator Bowl. It's a really poor system, but we just try to manage the best we can through it, and hopefully someday it'll get fixed."
^ESPN

Saquon Barkley’s MVP Bid Elevates Unicorn Marketing Status
Sportico’s Eric Jackson writes, “Barkley, a Nike athlete who recently appeared in national TV spots for Applebee’s and Uber Eats, left Roc Nation for CAA in marketing representation last year. Berry and his team have been charged with helping the two-time Pro Bowler transition from New York to Philadelphia, the nation’s fourth-largest media market.

“You can take someone like him and place him in Timbuktu, and he would still be marketable, and people would still want to work with him,” Barkley’s agent Ed Berry, who works for CAA, said in an interview. “He’s a unicorn.”
^Sportico

$1 Million Per Homer? $27,000 a Point? $229 Per Second? Sports is Loaded With Money Oddities
AP News’ Tim Reynolds writes, “Soto’s $765 million, 15-year agreement with the New York Mets — the richest contract in terms of total value to a player in U.S. major sports history, a massive move by billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen — provides a chance to look at the numbers in some very silly ways.

“He’ll make $314,815 per game. Based on his numbers this season, he’d get $671,053 for every extra-base hit. Or $46,322 every time he swings the bat no matter if he misses…”
^{AP News}

Unrivaled Signs Under Armour as Uniform Partner
Unrivaled has landed Under Armour as its official uniform partner and outfitter as part of an exclusive multiyear deal that will put players, coaches, and staff in the company’s performance apparel. The arrangement will have players wearing Under Armour game uniforms for Unrivaled’s debut season, as well as clothing and accessories for on and off-court training.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Report: Saudi PIF Nearing Deal to Acquire Minority Stake in PGA Tour Enterprises
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is "nearing a deal to acquire a minority stake in PGA Tour Enterprises," according to sources cited by Tan, Turner & Hellier of BLOOMBERG NEWS via SBJ. Sources said the sovereign wealth fund is "in advanced talks about taking a roughly 6% stake in the PGA Tour’s commercial arm." An agreement, if reached, would follow a deal inked earlier this year with Strategic Sports Group, which can "invest as much as" $3B in PGA Tour Enterprises.
^{Bloomberg News via Sports Business Journal}

Netflix, NFL Set Full Announcer Lineup for Christmas Games
The Hollywood Reporter’s Rick Porter writes, “The NFL and Netflix are taking a mix-and-match approach to the announcing lineup for their Christmas Day doubleheader.

“CBS announcer Ian Eagle will take play-by-play duties for the 1 p.m. ET game (Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers) with analysts Nate Burleson and JJ Watt, both hosts of The NFL Today on CBS (Burleson has also been the analyst for CBS’ alternate telecasts on Nickelodeon). Melanie Collins (CBS) and Stacey Dales (NFL Network) will be the sideline reporters.”
^{The Hollywood Reporter}

‘The Simpsons’ NFL Alt-Cast Entertained With Blend of Football and Fun: Here Were the Highlights
The Athletic’s Alex Andrejev writes, “If NFL fans ever envisioned watching Homer Simpson toss passes to CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks for ‘touch-diddly-downs,’ they had to look no further than a ‘Monday Night Football’ alt-cast. ‘The Simpsons’-themed version of the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals matchup — which streamed on ESPN+, Disney+ and NFL+ — featured animated versions of each team’s players along with all the stars of Fox’s famed series…”
^{The Athletic}

NBC Agrees to Deal with Jamal Crawford to Call NBA Games, Interested in Reggie Miller: Sources
NBC secured a deal with Jamal Crawford, The Athletic sources briefed on the discussions said Tuesday. Crawford had been with TNT Sports and NBA TV before the new TV contracts with NBC/Peacock, ABC/ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video were agreed upon. NBC also has some interest in TNT’s lead analyst Reggie Miller for its game broadcast, according to the sources.
^{The Athletic}

Belichick Says He’s Had ‘Good Conversations’ With UNC Chancellor Amid Tar Heels’ Coaching Search
Speaking on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick said he had spent the 11 months since his departure from the Patriots taking a “longer look” at college football throughout the season.

“So I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Chancellor Roberts and we’ve had a couple of good conversations,” Belichick said. “So we’ll see how it goes.”
^{AP News}

With Juan Soto Gone, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman Discusses How He’s Grappling With Roster
“(Anthony) Rizzo’s a free agent,” Cashman said. “Gleyber (Torres is) a free agent. Jazz (Chisholm Jr.) can play second base or third, even though third was a developing position for him. If you stay on the infield a little bit, do I stay within what we have and give the young kids the opportunity to some growing pains? Do I import something out there on the outfield side?
^{The Athletic}

FIFA Considering United States as Hosts For 2029 World Cup
The Club World Cup could be hosted by the United States for a second consecutive time as FIFA considers taking the tournament back there in 2029, according to sources who spoke on the condition on anonymity. The U.S. will host the inaugural edition of the revamped Club World Cup next summer before hosting the men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026.
^{The Athletic}

Dillon Gabriel, Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, Cam Ward are Named Heisman Finalists
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Miami’s Cam Ward were announced as the Heisman Trophy finalists on Monday night. The Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player since 1935. This year’s winner will be announced Saturday in New York. The top four vote-getters determined by more than 900 voters are selected as finalists. The voting panel includes members of the media and former Heisman winners.
^{AP News}

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger Breaks News About The Mountain West On X/Twitter
The Mountain West is finalizing an expansion deal to add UC Davis to the conference, sources tell Yahoo Sports. The deal would be for all sports except football.
^{Yahoo Sports via Twitter}

Athletes in Landmark House Case Ask for College Players’ Association
FOS’ Amanda Christovich writes, “The House v. NCAA settlement proposal could allow schools to share millions of dollars in revenue with Division I college athletes starting next year. But for the plaintiffs themselves, that isn’t enough. On Dec. 2, three class representatives—ASU swimmer Grant House, TCU basketball player Sedona Prince, and Stanford soccer player Nya Harrison—wrote a letter to Northern District of California Judge Claudia Wilken asking to establish a players’ association.
^{Front Office Sports}

Yahoo! Sports featured Complete College Football Bowl Schedule For 2024-25: Games, Matchups, Times, Dates

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