Sport & Story Daily January 26, 2024

Stay Ahead of the Game

January 26, 2024

Good morning! LeBron James named to 20th All-Star Game—the most in NBA history

NBA All-Star Game starters: LeBron James Named to 20th ASG, Most in NBA history; Giannis to Captain East
As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn writes, “We're less than a month out from NBA All-Star Weekend, and it is therefore time to start picking the rosters for the regular-season's marquee event. Just as a reminder: we're moving back to an East vs. West format after years of captains drafting rosters. Our 10 starters are chosen by a combination of fan voting (representing 50% of the selection process), media voting (25%) and player voting (25%). With all of that in mind, here are the chosen starters for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis…”
^{cbssports.com}

Charged Up: L.A.’s Other NFL Team Seeks Spotlight With Harbaugh Hire
As Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher writes, “One of the runts of the Los Angeles pro sports litter is making one of its biggest moves in franchise history, altering the shape of the local sports scene and the NFL in the process. 

On Wednesday night, the L.A. Chargers completed a five-year agreement to bring on Jim Harbaugh—fresh off his College Football Playoff championship run at Michigan—as its head coach, giving the Bolts a major jolt of energy aimed at resetting the team’s prospects both on and off the field.”
^{frontofficesports.com}

Super Bowl Social Media Strategies—How Brands Are Downplaying X and Focusing on TikTok
“Brands are always going to be leery about any sort of platform where the audience’s mindset isn’t open to brand messaging,” said Amy Luca, head of social at agency Media.Monks. “So, I think it’s going to be a tough year for X.”
^adage.com

ESPN’S NFL Booth Jackets Give Nike $2M in Free Publicity
As Sportico reports, “In an NFL playoffs full of streaming debuts and record ratings, those who watched the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans last Saturday may have noticed another notable first: ESPN anchors Troy Aikman and Joe Buck sporting matching Nike jackets.

It was the first time this year that Aikman and Buck, also the broadcast team for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, wore the jackets, and it worked out well for Nike. The sportswear giant received $2.05 million in publicity during the broadcast, according to Apex Marketing Group.

Nike didn’t pay ESPN for the privilege, nor were the jackets part of any relationship between the two companies, according to multiple people familiar with the process.”
^sportico.com

Levi’s, 49ers Extend Stadium Naming-Rights Deal With Increase
The deal is worth $170M, or $17M annually, a 55% increase over the inaugural 20-year, $220M deal signed in 2013. Levi Strauss & Co. and the 49ers have agreed to an early 10-year extension to the naming rights deal for the NFL stadium in Santa Clara.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Leonsis Addresses Monumental's Potential Va. Move
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chair & CEO Ted Leonsis today in a message to supporters outlined his "reasoning for potentially moving" the Capitals and Wizards out of D.C. and to a new $2B entertainment district in Alexandria, Va.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

If Tom Brady Bumps Greg Olsen on FOX, CBS Should Pair Him with Jim Nantz
“I was confident in myself that I could take advantage of this opportunity for as long as it lasted.” Olsen told Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000 earlier in the week. “We went in to it thinking it would be one year, ended up being two years. I got twice as much and we will see if there is a third. We will see what happens.” Olsen is no stranger to the competitive nature of the NFL, having been a player he understands the nature of the beast.
^{barrettsportsmedia.com}

NFL Championship Weekend Picks From the MMQB Staff: Ravens and 49ers Will Be Tested
One more duo of games, and the NFL world will have its two teams for Super Bowl LVIII. We’re officially nearing the end of the 2024 playoffs, and it’s all gone according to plan (some would say). The two No. 1 seeds will host their respective conference championships, with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers hoping their home-field advantage will help propel them one last time.
^si.com

What’s Next for Bill Belichick After Falcons Hire Raheem Morris
The former Patriots coach could get shut out this coaching cycle. Plus, this has been a bounce-back year for people of color in head coaching positions, and the favorites to become Sean McVay’s defensive coordinator.
^si.com

Former U of A Athletic Director Dave Heeke to Be Paid Through End of Contract
The University of Arizona will pay former Athletic Director Dave Heeke his base salary through March 2025, the end of his contract, along with any earned incentive payments, a UA spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

"We are honoring the financial terms of Dave Heeke’s contract," UA spokeswoman Pam Scott told the Arizona Daily Star Thursday, when asked to confirm those details, which were first reported by Star sports columnist Greg Hansen.
^tucson.com

Judiciary Committee Interest is Connected to NCAA's Interest in a Form of Antitrust Protection
As USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz writes on Twitter, “Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who chairs of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announces he has met today with NCAA President Charlie Baker ‘to discuss proposals to modernize Division I (D-I) athletics in the age of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for college athletes.’”
^twitter.com

As the NCAA Landscape Evolves, Oregon State and Washington State Stay Flexible and Play Their Cards Perfectly
As the Mercury News’ Jon Wilner writes, “It has been 21 weeks since they were completely abandoned, 21 weeks since Oregon State and Washington State became the last two, fighting for survival, revenue and relevance.

On Sept. 1, Stanford and Cal agreed to join the ACC, and the Pac-12 was reduced to a two-team conference starting next summer.

Since being cast adrift, the Beavers and Cougars have played their cards exactly right.

They took the worst poker hand in the history of college sports and did not fold.

‘They came out of this in as good of a position as anyone could have imagined,’ said an industry source unaffiliated with WSU, OSU or the Pac-12.”
^{mercurynews.com}

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