Sport & Story Daily October 31, 2023

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October 31, 2023

Happy Halloween! Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS underwear brand landed a major deal, inking a multi-year agreement with the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball…

SKIMS gives support to NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball in multi-year partnership
The NBA drew a bevy of headlines for its first-ever underwear deal, as the league locked down a multiyear partnership with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand. The deal will cover the NBA as well as the WNBA and USA Basketball. SKIMS celebrated the launch with a new brand campaign, “Every Body is Wearing SKIMS”, starring NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. As part of the partnership, SKIMS will also receive media exposure across a variety of league platforms, including through on-court virtual signage during NBA and WNBA national broadcasts as well as the leagues’ official social and digital platforms. Read more here.

NBA debuts In-Season Tournament courts for all 30 teams
Speaking of the NBA, with the NBA In-Season Tournament tipping off on Friday, the league revealed playing courts that teams will play on throughout the inaugural event. The courts will be used for Group Play and the Quarterfinals, and marks the first time that the league has implemented an alternate court for all 30 teams. Read more here.

World Series opens with new low
Game 1 of the World Series stumbled out the gate as the contest averaged a 4.6 rating and 9.17 million viewers on FOX. That ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Game 1 on record for the series, dipping even below the 2020 bubble matchup. Across all platforms, the game reeled in 9.354 million viewers. Game 1 averaged an 18.8 rating and 49 share in Dallas-Ft. Worth and a 16.0/45 in Phoenix. Read more here.

Judge dismisses Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe
A federal judge dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe on Monday over comments made about his alleged links to the Mississippi welfare scandal. The judge wrote that Sharpe’s comments are protected by the First Amendment, and granted the motion to dismiss with prejudice, meaning Favre won’t be able to refile the case. Read more here.

FIFA bans Luis Rubiales from soccer for 3 years for forcibly kissing Jenni Hermoso
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee announced Monday that former Spanish Football Association (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales is now banned from all national and international soccer activities for three years after forcibly kissing Spanish national team player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's victory at the Women's World Cup. Specifically, Rubiales violated article 13 of the FIFA disciplinary code, "offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play." No other details of the disciplinary hearing were made public. Read more here.

Women’s soccer and brand opportunities take center stage again
The inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup will mark another milestone in the expanding popularity of women’s soccer (football). Kicking off Feb. 17, 2024, with the final match set for March 10 on Paramount+ in English language, the competition promises to serve as 2024’s first must-attend gathering for the women’s soccer community, and a new opportunity for brands to invest in the sport’s growing popularity.
adage.com

Disney now reportedly focused on leagues as ESPN equity partners
There’s been an incredible amount of back-and-forth around the idea of Disney selling an equity stake in ESPN over the last few months. That started when Disney CEO Bob Iger first brought up the idea of “strategic partners” for ESPN (and possibly selling off ABC and other networks) in a July CNBC interview.
awfulannouncing.com

Former NBA star Magic Johnson becomes fourth billionaire athlete
A fourth athlete has joined the world's billionaire club, according to Forbes. Former NBA point guard Magic Johnson is now a billionaire, joining fellow NBA players Michael Jordan and LeBron James as well as golfer Tiger Woods as the only athletes to do so. The business magazine and media site estimates Johnson's worth to be around $1.2 billion.
usatoday.com

2023 Cricket World Cup sees 364.2m live viewers tune in for first 18 games
The men’s 2023 Cricket World Cup has set record-breaking figures as hundreds of millions of fans tune into the tournament across television and digital platforms, according to new data released by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Live broadcasts of the first 18 matches of the 2023 Cricket World Cup saw 123.8 billion viewing minutes registered on linear television with a total of 364.2 million viewers tuning in.
sportspromedia.com

Golf Nation launches FAST channel On Vizio
Golf Nation said it will launch its first free ad-supported streaming television channel on Vizio’s WatchFree Plus platform. Content from Golf Nation, created by NBTV Channels and NBTV Studios, will also be available on-demand on Vizio smart TVs.
nexttv.com

ACC announces future conference football schedule model
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today its future football schedule model for the next seven years, 2024 through 2030. With the addition of the ACC’s three new member institutions next summer – University of California (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University – the new football scheduling model will go into effect beginning with the 2024 season. The new schedule will continue with no divisions, feature 17 schools and will increase the number of annual conference matchups from 56 to 68.
theacc.com

A’s relocation vote still on track, but Las Vegas concerns linger
Major League Baseball remains on track to vote next month on the Oakland A’s planned relocation to Las Vegas, but acknowledged that legal issues in Nevada present a potential obstacle. Team owners are set to vote on the A’s move at meetings planned for Nov. 14-16 in Arlington, Texas. If approved, the relocation will represent MLB’s second franchise shift since 1971. The timing of the vote has been targeted since last month.
frontofficesports.com

BetMGM and Philadelphia 76ers extend sports betting partnership with enhanced fan engagement activations
iGaming and sports betting operator BetMGM has renewed its strategic partnership agreement with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. The two parties initially entered into a relationship in 2020 to establish BetMGM as the sports betting partner of the club. Under the agreement, BetMGM will continue acting as an Official Sports Betting Partner of the team. The multi-year extension includes the addition of BetMGM VIP fan experiences and watch parties, exclusive in-market odds boosts, and increased courtside signage at Wells Fargo Center.
yogonet.com

Ruffles and the Toronto Raptors drop capsule collection with Canadian streetwear designer
As a new NBA season tips off, Ruffles is teaming up with the Toronto Raptors and star player, Pascal Siakam, to pay tribute to “all the things that make Canadian basketball fans stand apart from the crowd.” Known as the Cut Different collection, designed by Spencer Badu, an MVP of the Canadian streetwear scene.
globenewswire.com

Mike Breen inks contract extension with ESPN
Mike Breen, the lead play-by-play announcer for the NBA on ESPN and longtime voice of the NBA Finals, has reportedly agreed to a two-year extension that will be added on to his existing contract at the network. The deal begins taking place in two years, a time when ESPN has yet to secure broadcasting rights for the NBA and when the network reportedly expects to have a direct-to-consumer product on the market. News of the deal was first reported by Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
barrettsportsmedia.com

Tuesday Trivia
Which sports team has a mascot named Squatch?
Answer to last week’s question: Star Wars.

Thanks for reading!

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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