Sport & Story Daily October 17, 2023

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October 17, 2023

Good morning! Flag football and lacrosse were among the sports that will get the global spotlight in 2028 as the IOC gives the greenlight to five new sports for the LA event..

Five sports added to 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
The additions are official. Five sports are now added to the 2028 Olympics docket in Los Angeles have after being approved by the International Olympic Committee's executive board. Three of the sports — baseball/softball, cricket and lacrosse — have been played at past Olympic games, while flag football and squash will make their formal debuts. The five sports are "in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. Read more here.

Amex partners with F1 in first new sports sponsorship for payment company in more than a decade
American Express is revving up for a multi-year partnership with Formula One, marking the first new sports sponsorship in over a decade for the global payment company. The deal will see Amex become the official payments partner of F1 in the Americas, spanning the global racing series’ stops in Austin, Texas; Mexico City; São Paulo; Las Vegas; Miami and Montreal. American Express will also sponsor F1 Academy. Read more here.

BOXXER and NBC Sports announce exclusive media rights partnership
BOXXER, the fastest growing boxing promotional company in the UK, and NBC Sports announced a landmark media rights partnership. Bouts will stream live exclusively in the United States on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock with select events airing on NBC. The deal will see multiple BOXXER events per year and BOXXER and NBC Sports will develop a boxing offering for Peacock subscribers to enjoy with the ultimate goal to bring BOXXER events to the USA. Read more here.

NBA sponsorship revenue hits record $1.66 billion
The National Basketball Association notched a record $1.66 billion in sponsorship revenue during the 2022-23 season, according to IEG, marking a 1.3% uptick over the previous year. Read more here.

Disney reportedly looking for two ESPN partners
The Walt Disney Company launched its search for a buyer for part of ESPN. According to the New York Post, the parent company is looking to find two partners, presumably digital and mobile platforms - such as Apple and Verizon - to take on ownership stakes and help push broad distribution of the long-running channels. The company is reportedly looking to sell approximately 10% of ESPN. Read more here.

TNT Sports and NBA sign multi-year TV and streaming rights deal in UK
TNT Sports has agreed a multi-year deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to broadcast more than 250 live games across its linear and streaming platforms in the UK. The joint-venture between BT and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) will show the league’s marquee events, including the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, the All-Star Games, and the playoffs, with more than 40 weekend games given primetime slots.
sportspromedia.com

Budweiser to sponsor Kevin Harvick at Homestead
Budweiser, the brand Harvick took to the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship when he clinched the title at Homestead by winning the race, will be back on his racecar for the 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1. The red Budweiser paint scheme that Harvick drove to victory on Nov. 16, 2014 will be back at Homestead as Budweiser, Busch Light and Stewart-Haas Racing came together to surprise Harvick with the throwback Budweiser paint scheme and firesuit for his final race at the South Florida oval.
jayski.com

Ja'Marr Chase dives into 7-Eleven partnership
Ja'Marr Chase got a quick partnership together with 7-Eleven after his massive game last week. He dove into the new chain and more following Cincinnati's win over Seattle.Chase confirmed a commercial may be in the works as the company smartly capitalized on associating with one of the game's best players.
si.com

YouTube TV already eclipsing previous NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers
Six weeks into the first year of NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, subscription numbers are an indication that the transition from pay TV to streaming has proven successful. Bloomberg last week reported that it’s estimated that 1.3 million have signed up for Sunday Ticket this year. That figure already exceeded the subscriber count for the service when it was on DirecTV.
barrettsportsmedia.com

National Women’s Soccer League announces schedule for 2023 NWSL Playoffs
The action kicks off as No. 4 seed OL Reign kicks off postseason play this Friday, October 20, hosting fifth-seeded Angel City FC at Lumen Field for the first quarterfinal match, set for 10 p.m. ET and streaming live on Paramount+. On the East Coast, the North Carolina Courage earned the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 seed NJ/NY Gotham FC in the second quarterfinal contest on Sunday, October 22 at 7 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park, airing on CBS Sports Network.
nwslsoccer.com

Dolly Parton to perform at Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game halftime show
Country music legend Dolly Parton will headline the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game halftime show, also known as the Salvation Army Red Kittle Kickoff Halftime Show, on Nov. 23. The Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving game annually attracts one of the top viewership ratings of the NFL season. The halftime show is often regarded as the second biggest in the league behind the Super Bowl.
valleycentral.com

NFL already touting another Super Bowl in Las Vegas
The NFL plans to include Las Vegas in a rotation of regular Super Bowl hosts — even before the booming sports market hosts its first league title game. With nearly four months before Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium, NFL senior director of events Nicki Ewell said Las Vegas is elevating itself to a status enjoyed by other multiple Super Bowl host cities such as New Orleans, Miami, and Phoenix.
frontofficesports.com

Mucinex named official cold & flu medicine partner of the New York Rangers
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. announced a marketing partnership with Mucinex the Official Cold & Flu Partner of the New York Rangers. Through the partnership, Mucinex will receive significant brand promotion during Rangers games at The Garden, including dasherboard signage, virtual dasherboard signage during games broadcasted on MSG Network and promotional in-game features on GardenVision.
yahoo.com

Aramark Sports + Entertainment unveils new food and beverage programs at seven NBA and NHL Venues for 2023-24 arena season
Aramark Sports + Entertainment and its team of culinarians are bringing fans a new gameday hospitality experience for the 2023-24 season. Guests can expect a wide range of new menu items and local partnerships, premium club and suite upgrades, and convenient technology to increase speed of service.
perishablenews.com

Ng, MLB's first female GM, leaving Marlins
Kim Ng, who became the first female general manager of a major professional men's team in North American sports when the Miami Marlins hired her in 2020, has decided to leave the club, the Major League Baseball team said on Monday. Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman said in a statement the club exercised its team option for Ng to return for the 2024 season but that she declined her mutual option.
reuters.com

Olympic committee president Thomas Bach says term limits at the IOC ‘are necessary’
IOC president Thomas Bach says presidential term limits “are necessary.” He also took a public swipe at potential successor Sebastian Coe because some colleagues think he is campaigning too early.
apnews.com

Tuesday Trivia
In golf, what is the term used for using a putter off the green?
Answer to last week’s question: Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

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Sport & Story Daily and Sports & Story College are the sport 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.

Chris Pursell is the founder of staple industry events such as the Cynopsis Sports Business Awards, the Esports Business Summit, the CMO Exchange, the Tempest Awards, and the Esports Newfronts. He was previously a reporter and editor for publications such as Variety and The Los Angeles Times and launched leading business publications for Cynopsis and PromaxBDA.

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