College Football's New Role: GM

SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “College football has an identity crisis.”

March 4, 2025

What’s in a Title?: The Swift Evolution of College Football’s General Managers
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “College football has an identity crisis. It’s one centered on athlete compensation and further professionalization of a system that has fought for years to maintain a distinct line between it and its NFL counterpart.

“Athletic departments have increasingly invested in roles such as chief revenue officers, bringing more business-oriented staffers into their ecosystem. That thinking has shifted to football programs, where general managers such as [Alabama General Manager Courtney] Morgan are at the center of the evolution.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Serena Williams Joins Ownership Group of Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s 1st Canadian Franchise
Serena Williams is joining the ownership group of the WNBA’s first Canadian franchise, the Toronto Tempo, the team announced Monday. She will partner with Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures for the Tempo, who will begin play in the 2026 season.
^{AP News}

Keeping Winter Cool
SBJ’s Chris Smith writes, “The Snow League is backed with nearly $20 million from a roster of powerhouse sports investors, including Left Lane Capital, Will Ventures, Ares Management, Ryan Sports Ventures, David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, and Kevin Durant’s and Rich Kleiman’s Boardroom Sports Holdings, among others.

“Many of those backers explained that White’s stardom — the very fame that can draw a crowd of children to gather around a frigid nighttime training run in Calgary — is a key growth driver for the league…”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Sports Stocks Slump in February as Consumer Spending Worries Emerge
The Sportico Sports Stock Index slipped 62 points in February, ending at 1,415 and failing to follow through on a scorching start to 2025. The index declined more than the broad market, which dropped a little more than 1% in the month, as consumer discretionary stocks across the board dragged down the S&P 500. Most sports stocks fit into the consumer discretionary category.
^Sportico

Jimmy Johnson Announces Retirement After Being Part of Fox’s NFL Coverage for 31 Years
Jimmy Johnson, who won two Super Bowls and a national championship as a coach, has announced his retirement from Fox Sports after being a part of its NFL coverage for 31 years. The 81-year-old Johnson made the announcement Monday during an appearance on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.”
^{AP News}

Nationals Free to Negotiate TV Deal Starting in 2026, Settle Lengthy MASN Dispute With Orioles
The Nationals and Baltimore Orioles ended a legal fight over television rights dating to 2012 when Major League Baseball announced Monday that Washington will be freed from its deal with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network after the upcoming season. MLB said Nationals’ games will be broadcast by MASN in 2025 under a new, one-year contract.
^{AP News}

Former Mets GM Billy Eppler Joins Brewers as Special Advisor: Sources
The Milwaukee Brewers hired Billy Eppler, formerly the New York Mets’ general manager, to a special advisor position within the front office, league sources confirmed to The Athletic.

This is Eppler’s first job in a Major League Baseball front office since the league suspended him in February 2024 for improper use of the injured list, including the “deliberate fabrication of injuries.” His suspension ended after the 2024 World Series.
^{The Athletic}

Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea Promotes Steve Gregory and Nick Lezynski to Oversee the Defense
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has promoted Steve Gregory to defensive coordinator and Nick Lezynski to co-defensive coordinator. Lea served as his own defensive coordinator last season after he demoted the previous coordinator, Nick Howell, after the 2023 season.

Gregory was associate defensive coordinator and secondary coach last season. He joined Vanderbilt following five seasons as an NFL assistant. Lezynski was hired as linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive run game coordinator in 2023.
^{AP News}

Legends Appoint Dan Levy as CFO and COO
Legends’ assembly of a new-look executive team under CEO Dan Levy continues as the company announced it’s hired Brett Parker as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Parker previously spent two decades as an executive with Lucky Strike Entertainment -- formerly known as Bowlero -- where he helped transform the company into a publicly traded entertainment center giant.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Touchdown Suites in New Nissan Stadium Will Bring Top-Level Premium to Nashville
The latest premium product that Titans’ VP of Ticket Sales Jim Rice and his team are selling is the field-level Touchdown Suite. There are 11 in the west end zone of the under-construction stadium that opens in 2027, with only a couple suites left following two months of sales.

The Touchdown Suites fit between 12 and 15 people and sit in front of a 2,000-square-foot, all-inclusive (F&B) Touchdown Club. The suites are level with the playing field (not below or above the playing surface like in other stadiums).
^{Sports Business Journal}

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Sources: ACC Nearing Agreement With Clemson, FSU to End Litigation
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel write, “The ACC and its two restless members — Clemson and Florida State — are inching closer to finalizing a settlement that could allow for league schools to buy back years of their media grant of rights and allow for defections from the conference earlier than the current 2036 timeframe.

“The agreement would see Clemson and Florida State end their litigation in exchange for a change to the conference’s revenue distribution structure and clarity around the grant of rights…”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

🏀 : March Madness Bubble For Men
⛹🏽‍♀️ : March Madness Bubble For Women

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