Sport & Story Daily December 22, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

December 22, 2023

Good morning! SBJ names the big industry stories for ‘24, including a women’s sports boom

^{*Just a quick note to let you know that Sport & Story Daily will be off next week to enjoy the holidays and will be bringing you all the sports trends and business news the following week}

SBJ Tech: What the Industry is Watching For 2024
As SBJ’s Ethan Joyce writes, “For this final newsletter of 2023, my colleagues and I asked a number of our contacts one question: What will you be paying attention to in 2024? Those who answered represent companies that are mixed into every layer of pro sports, from the betting space to venue tech and throughout business operations.” The answers covered personalized fan experiences, a booming women’s sports market, and teams/leagues navigating media rights.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Grading Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Contract With Los Angeles Dodgers
As ESPN Sports Writer Bradford Doolittle writes, “In the end, the Dodgers just made the biggest splurge a team has ever made on a pitcher (at least one who isn't also a 40-homer hitter, like Yamamoto's new teammate, Shohei Ohtani). They did this for a 5-foot-10, 176-pound, 25-year-old righty who has never thrown an inning in the major leagues.”
^espn.com

Martin Scorsese Makes His Super Bowl Directing Debit For Squarespace
Squarespace tapped Martin Scorsese to direct the brand’s 10th Super Bowl commercial, David Lee, Squarespace’s chief creative officer, told Ad Age. It marks Scorsese’s directing debut in a Super Bowl commercial, but Lee wouldn’t comment on any of the actors participating.
^adage.com

CBS, TNT Sports Interests Could Come Together Under Mega-Merger
Multiple outlets are reporting that Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery are holding early talks about a merger that would have wide-reaching implications for live sports rights in the U.S. The two companies already work together in sports around March Madness, which is broadcast annually by Paramount’s CBS and WBD’s trio of TBS, TNT, and TruTV. 
^{frontofficesports.com}

Knicks project Mitchell Robinson is Out for Season, Apply for DPE, Per Sources: What it Means
The New York Knicks have applied to the NBA for a disabled player exception worth $7.8 million as the franchise projects center Mitchell Robinson will miss the rest of the season, league sources said Wednesday.
^{theathletic.com}

UEFA, FIFA Ban On Super League Ruled Illegal Bu EU Top Court
The European Super League can exist. 

In a landmark decision Thursday, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found that UEFA’s and FIFA’s rules requiring new interclub competitions—such as the Super League project—to receive prior approval are contrary to EU law. Therefore, the soccer governing bodies acted unlawfully in blocking the formation of the Super League in 2021 and threatening to punish the clubs involved.
^sportico.com

FOX Changed the NFL, and Sports TV as a Whole, 30 Years Ago
As Barrett Sports Media’s Andy Masur writes, “30 years ago, when you wanted to watch the NFL, you tuned to CBS, NBC, and ABC. FOX was not in the picture in early 1993. It was a network known for The Simpsons and shows geared towards young adults, but not football. That all changed quickly with a mega bid by Rupert Murdoch to bring the league to his upstart channel. Three decades have come and gone, and the game has changed forever. Money, technology, and entertainment. The trilogy was FOX’s calling card and is to this very day.”
^{barrettsportsmedia.com}

WATCH: Athletic Director Pat Kraft's Full Press Conference
AD Pat Kraft covered several topics during a press conference yesterday, including the status of Beaver Stadium renovations. Kraft says the Nittany Lions are 30% into the design. “We feel really good about where we’re headed, but literally we are looking at everything in this building – from the east concourse to the main concourse to the bathrooms to the west side to the premium. I mean there is not a thing we’re not evaluating in this process.”
^{247sports.com}

Kenny Payne Returned to Save Louisville. Now a School and a City Wonder What’s Next
As the Athletic’s Brendan Quinn writes, “Kenny Payne sounded like a man looking for hope in a hard reality. His Louisville basketball team came close, so painstakingly close, to finally doing it — winning one of those games upon which corners are turned. Instead, No. 19 Texas pulled away late, handing Payne his 30th loss in 36 games as coach of the Cardinals. This was four weeks ago, what, in hindsight, feels like four years ago.”
^{theathletic.com}

What's Next for Florida State and the ACC?
Florida State has now called a board meeting for Friday, where sources indicate they are expected to begin the process of challenging the ACC grant of rights—in other words, the school's long-term future in the league. This would set the stage for a legal standoff between FSU and the ACC, which could be one of the highest-stakes legal battles in college athletics history.
^espn.com

Alabama QB Tyler Buchner Returning to Notre Dame to Play Lacrosse
Alabama quarterback Tyler Buchner is heading back to Notre Dame, but this time, he’ll be on the lacrosse team

“I’ll be continuing my initial commitment to Alabama Football through the playoff and finishing what I started,” Buchner, who played football with the Fighting Irish for two seasons, said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued support.”
^{theathletic.com}

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily is the sports industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects reads to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

And feel free to read our Privacy Policy