Sport & Story Daily January 8, 2024

Sport & Story Daily January 8, 2024

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January 8, 2024

Good morning! NILs, the CFP, the demise of the Pac-12…oh my—college sports are wild!

We’re One Year Out From a 12-Team CFP. It’s Anyone’s Guess What That Looks Like
With less than a year away from that first 12-team postseason, the CFP still hasn’t finalized some of the most important details of the transition. The reason: conference realignment. The Pac-12’s demise this summer created a domino effect, leaving a list of unresolved issues that includes everything from revenue distributions to the selection process. “We’re cutting [that] list,” says the CFP’s executive director, Bill Hancock, who will soon hand over the reins to Lieutenant General Richard Clark. But just a year away from kickoff, that list remains a long one. 
frontofficesports.com

NIL Collectives Take Tax Shelter Amid Storm of College Cash
Last spring, the IRS’s deputy associate chief counsel Lynne A. Camillo issued a memorandum addressing whether an NIL collective “furthers an exempt purpose under section 501(c)(3).”

As Sportico’s Daniel Libit writes, “While her memo amounted to legal advice, and was not precedential, it sent a shockwave through the nascent industry of collectives, many of which were applying to become or had already received recognition as 501(c)(3) charities. Immediately, a number of collectives ditched their nonprofit aspirations, for fear that potential donors would be scared off by the uncertainty.”
sportico.com

Audacy Files for Bankruptcy After Debt Restructure Deal
Audacy will "file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after reaching a deal with its debt holders to restructure." Audacy owns "more than 200 radio stations across the country," and also "operates dozens of digital radio channels."
sportsbusijnessjournal.com

Super Wild Card Weekend Schedule Announced
The NFL tonight announced the schedule of sites, dates and times for Super Wild Card Weekend, presented by Verizon, January 13-15 (all times ET).
nflcommunications.com

Minnesota PWHL Shatters Crowd Record
The PWHL's Minnesota franchise drew 13,316 to the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday for its home debut, which “shattered the attendance record for a women's professional hockey game," easily beating the previous record of 8,318 set days before in Ottawa.
sportsbusinessjournal.com

Women’s Basketball Community Sees New NCAA-ESPN Deal as a First Step With More Work to Be Done
Members of the women’s basketball community say the new NCAA eight-year deal with ESPN that will pour an estimated $65 million annually into the sport reflects the game’s growth.

“It’s a great step forward and it really shows how much progress has been made in just one year really,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “I think this definitely paves the way for a units program similar to the men. There’s still a lot left that we can accomplish and I look forward to it.”
apnews.com

ESPN and NCAA Reach New, Eight-Year Media Rights Agreement
ESPN and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have reached a new, eight-year agreement beginning Sept. 1, 2024, for NCAA championships media rights. The deal includes domestic rights to a record 40 NCAA championships – 21 women’s and 19 men’s events – and international rights to those same NCAA championships plus the Division I men’s basketball tournament.

“ESPN and the NCAA have enjoyed a strong and collaborative relationship for more than four decades, and we are thrilled that it will continue as part of this new, long-term agreement,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “
espnpressroom.com

Scott Clarke, ESPN Images

Pat McAfee: ESPN Executive Norby Williamson is Trying to Sabotage Our Show
“We are very appreciative and we understand that more people are watching this show than ever before,” McAfee started out. “We are very thankful for the ESPN folks being very hospitable. Now there are some people actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN. More specifically, I believe, Norby Williamson is the guy who is attempting to sabotage our program.”
barrettsportsmedia.com

NFL Swallows TV Whole, With 93 of the Year’s Top 100 Broadcasts
As Sportico’s Anthony Crupi writes, “As for the outlook for 2024, the NFL’s dominance over the field will face a challenge later in the year as the presidential election intrigue begins to come to a gentle simmer…It’s also an Olympics year. While betting against the Shield is a mug’s game, it’s safe to assume we won’t see a repeat performance of the NFL’s monocle-popping 93/100 run when it comes time to count the house a year from now.”
sportico.com

AP Photo/Stephen Hawkins

Larsen: Frisco Becoming for NCAA FCS Football what Omaha is For Baseball or Oklahoma City for Softball
North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen believes Frisco is becoming for FCS football what Omaha is for NCAA Division I baseball or Oklahoma City for softball.

“When you think about a championship location, every FCS program at the beginning of the year, their goal is to get to Frisco,” Larsen, vice chair of the FCS committee, said Friday.

This is the 14th time that the Football Championship Subdivision title will be decided in the 20,500-seat professional soccer stadium in North Texas. This is only the fourth time that the Bison haven’t made the trip from Fargo to Frisco.
kfyrtv.com

Royals, Chiefs Pledge Economic Commitment to Stay in Jackson County
The Royals and Kansas City Chiefs released a joint statement Friday afternoon saying that they will stay in Jackson County if voters approve an extension of the 3/8-cent sales tax on a ballot initiative this April.
mlb.com

Bill Speltz: Kent Haslam Believed in Bringing Back Bobby Hauck, and the Rest is History
“I do feel there is room for people to improve, make changes, grow up and acknowledge mistakes and learn from those mistakes,” Haslam expressed back in 2017.

Since then, Haslam has stood by Hauck, even when Hauck wasn't living up to high expectations on the field. Hauck's players have been model citizens in his second stint in Missoula, and Haslam's belief in the feisty coach has led to this point, an FCS title showdown with South Dakota State.
helenair.com

Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh Calls for Revenue Sharing, Comments on Future With Program
“We're all robbing the same train here,” Harbaugh said at the College Football Playoff championship game media day Saturday. “Like coaches, administrators, media, television stations, conferences, NCAA. … I would say this, anyone who is profiting from the student-athletes right now, myself included … take 5 to 10% less. ... 5 to 10% less and maybe a 10 percent tax from the television station more, into one pot for the student-athletes.”
sportsillustrated.com

College Football Playoff Championship: Michigan vs. Washington by the Numbers
As Variety’s Lev Akabas writes, “A quick peek at Sportico’s College Sports Finances Database is all you need to figure out why Washington is making the move. In the 2021-22 school year, the Huskies spent more on their football team than Michigan in several categories, and thanks to a one-time severance payment Washington totaled $70.5 million in football expenses to Michigan’s $52.4 million. Despite the hefty budget, the Huskies pulled in only $91 million in football revenues, which was dwarfed by the $131.4 million generated by the Wolverines.”
variety.com

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