The (Mostly SEC) Madness Begins

Sport & Story Daily March 17, 2025: March Madness brackets are set, and the SEC dominates MBB with a record 14 teams.

March 17, 2025

NPR’s Becky Sullivan writes, “The Southeastern Conference, normally known for its dominance on the football field, has set a new March Madness record by sending 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.”

March 17, 2025


Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

March Madness Brackets Are Set. The SEC Dominates the Men's With a Record 14 Teams
NPR’s Becky Sullivan writes, “Move over, Big East and ACC: College basketball has a new heavyweight conference.

“The Southeastern Conference, normally known for its dominance on the football field, has set a new March Madness record by sending 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The SEC also boasts two of the tournament's four No. 1 seeds, Auburn and Florida.

“And the South Carolina women's basketball team, led by head coach Dawn Staley, earned a No. 1 seed in their journey to defend last year's national championship. But the women's field this year is packed with other serious contenders, including UCLA, USC and UConn.”
NPR

🏀👇🏼 Make sure to head to our College Sports section for a bunch more March Madness headlines…

Baseball: MLB Players' Olympic Participation Possible: Commissioner
Asked in an interview with Kyodo News on Saturday about the prospect of MLB players competing at the Olympics, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said, "Yes, it's possible, but we're not committed to it yet. It is possible."

"We're having conversations with the Olympics. We think LA presents a unique Olympic opportunity for us. We have to have some conversations with our players' association, and we're talking to the Olympic Committee as well. But we do see it as an opportunity."
Kyodo News

USC’s JuJu Watkins Becomes First Women’s College Athlete to Sign Exclusive Deal With Fanatics
USC standout JuJu Watkins signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading card division, Fanatics announced Friday. She is the first woman college athlete to sign such a deal with Fanatics.
The Athletic

Sphere Stock at 14-Mo. Low, Possible MSG Networks Bankruptcy Looms
Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen writes, “The stock market has tumbled 10% over the past month with President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war creating uncertainty in the economy and pushing the S&P 500 to its first ‘correction’ since 2023.

“One of the hardest-hit stocks has been Sphere Entertainment, which operates the eponymous Las Vegas venue and MSG Networks. On Thursday, shares of the Jim Dolan-controlled company closed at $30.94, down 35% over the last month and at a level last seen in January 2024.”
Sportico

Getty Images

The Next TV Move
SBJ’s Tom Friend writes, “NBA local broadcasts are facing their first domino of the year, as the entire league keeps chasing rights fees. Main Street Sports Group’s FanDuel Sports Network contracts with the Bucks, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Heat expire at season’s end, and multiple sources said those four teams — along with the Timberwolves, whose deal contains an opt-out — all have a soft deadline of April 1 to either extend through the 2026-27 season or exit the company.”
Sports Business Journal

Fanatics

Fanatics, MLB Open Retail Outlet at Tokyo Dome
Fanatics and MLB have opened a 31,000-square-foot MLB Ballpark Store at the Tokyo Dome ahead of the Cubs and Dodgers’ Tokyo Series games in the country on Mar. 18-19.

The Tokyo Dome store opened at 5:30 am local time Friday morning with 700 staff members, more than 300 products on sale, and 140 points-of-sale. It’s one of three stores scattered across the city; MLB expects around 100,000 total fans to visit them over the next five days.
Sports Business Journal

Rays Pitch Plan to Renovate Tropicana Field
In what feels like the never-ending saga, the Rays have “floated the concept of a major renovation of Tropicana Field beyond just repairing the shredded roof” amid their decision to pull out of their new ballpark deal. In the past month, the team has pitched the idea of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and the team “contributing equal amounts of funds” -- thought to be $200M apiece -- to “fix up the 35-year-old stadium and, in return, the Rays would agree to a 10-year extension that would keep the franchise at the ballpark through the 2038 season.”
Tampa Bay Times via Sports Business Journal

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AP Photo, Chris Carlson

⛹🏽‍♀️ MARCH MADNESS MANIA 🏀

The Athletic ➡️ West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio State, Boise State First 4 Teams Left Out of Men’s NCAA Tournament

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