Sport & Story Daily September 7, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

September 7, 2023

Good morning! The iconic sports newsmagazine series, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, will bow out of the TV lineup, with Gumbel confirming the end of the award-winning show…

🥂 Long-running Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel to end
It is the end of a storied road for HBO's “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” which will go dark after 29 years, spanning 300 episodes. Gumbel told Deadline that “Since day one at ‘Real Sports’ we’ve consistently tried to look beyond the scoreboard, and focus instead on the many societal issues inherent in the world of sports,” Gumbel said. “In the process we’ve had the opportunity to tell complex stories about race, gender, class, opportunity and so much more. Being able to do so at HBO for almost 3 decades has been very gratifying.” Read more here.

⚽ European soccer clubs renew UEFA deal and will share $4.7 billion
Flush with billions in prize money to distribute from the revamped Champions League next year, UEFA is reportedly poised to pay more based on merit and share more among teams across Europe that don’t qualify. The Champions League is getting an overhaul next year with 36 teams instead of 32, each guaranteed eight games, and total commercial revenue of 4.4 billion euros . Read more here.

✈ Tom Brady to toss passes for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is booking former star quarterback Tom Brady as a “long-term strategic adviser” for the airline. The company said Brady will play a role in marketing and help the Atlanta-based airline develop training and teamwork tools for its more than 90,000 employees. He will also appear on a series of Bastian’s “Gaining Altitude” video interviews to discuss topics including overcoming adversity. Read more here.

📺 Warner Bros. plans to offer sports free on Max service
Warner Bros. Discovery is making moves to offer live sports at no additional cost on its Max streaming service for a limited period of time later this year, according to Bloomberg. The company is betting that its sports such as basketball, baseball and hockey will reel in new customers. Read more here.

⛳ Report: Mets’ Cohen bringing NY TGL team to new league
TGL, the new golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, reportedly has its fourth team owner. Sportico reports that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will join the all-star owner lineup with a New York-based team, joining teams in Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta. The golf league will blend technology and live action with teams of PGA TOUR stars competing in a purpose-built arena in Palm Beach, Florida, across a season of matches starting in January 2024. Read more here.

Your Vision Insights: Growth Injected into the Inter Miami CF Fanbase
The summer has been very exciting for MLS fans with all the intrigue around Leagues Cup action and Lionel Messi making his way to the league. But no other party has received all the benefits to recent developments quite like Inter Miami CF. Since the start of the 2023 MLS Season, Inter Miami has witnessed 30% growth in their national fanbase, with a large uptick occurring in June (coinciding with Messi’s announcement) and continuing through July.

NBA 2K League and NBPA announce groundbreaking partnership 
The NBA 2K League and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced a groundbreaking partnership that paves the way for NBA players to promote the NBA 2K League and its 25 teams. Through this marketing partnership and additional activations, NBA players will be featured in a wide variety of NBA 2K League and team promotions at league events, in content, on broadcasts and during other league and team activities.
basketballnews.com

UFC partners with ProhiBet to strengthen regulatory compliance for prohibited sports 
Designed to safeguard sports integrity and ensure adherence to state-specific regulations, ProhiBet will play a pivotal role in monitoring specific individuals such as UFC athletes, coaches, employees, and officials who are prohibited from placing bets on UFC events.
ufc.com

NFL and STN Videosaign multi-year partnership extension
STN Video and the National Football League (NFL) have signed a multi-year partnership agreement extension that will help STN publishers deliver official highlights, game recaps, top plays, interviews and more to their users.
prnewswire.com

The Volume & DraftKings announce multi-year partnership
Barrett Sports Media has learned that The Volume and DraftKings are entering a multi-year partnership. The sportsbook will become the presenting sponsor of all of The Volume’s podcast and video content. The DraftKings logo and the company’s advertising messages will be present on Volume content immediately. DraftKings will also create new content under the Volume banner. barrettsportsmedia.com

IOC postpones decision on sports program for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
An IOC Executive Board meeting was scheduled for Friday (September 8) when one of the items on the agenda was a report by the IOC Olympic Programme Commission on the new sports in Los Angeles. However, it has been moved due to "ongoing discussions" between the IOC and the Organizing Committee while it was also announced that an online press conference which was supposed to take place on the same day has been postponed.
insidethegames.biz

ESPN adds new studio show, Monday Blitz, to its weekly lineup
ESPN will feature a fresh Monday studio lineup for the 2023-24 football season, as Monday Blitz – a new afternoon offering, debuts on ESPN from 3-4 p.m. ET. The newest program will feature both NFL and college football-centric conversation, with an emphasis on where the two entities overlap.
espnpressroom.com

Slamball reveals metrics for this summer’s Slamball League: Series 6 in Las Vegas
According to the league, SlamBall’s engagement surpassed the competition of other major sports leagues during the lead up and run of the season, with engagement rates of over 6% vs the competition average of 1.62%. The only league that came semi-close was the Premier Lacrosse League at 2.7%. SlamBall’s average of 105,000 was on par with other live broadcasts in the time slot.
slamballleague.com

National Lacrosse League refreshes its brand logos and introduces its new NLL authentics initiative
The National Lacrosse League unveiled a refreshed brand identity system detailing how the NLL league and team brand architecture operates, communicates, and interacts with various audiences. The League’s updated branding includes a refined primary logo, stylized wordmark, and for the first time, a French language “Ligue Nationale de Lacrosse” family of marks.
nll.com

Rich Eisen expands deal with Cumulus
Rich Eisen is expanding his partnership with Cumulus Media. He has signed a new deal with the Cumulus Podcast Network to distribute, market, and monetize everything that is and will be on the Rich Eisen Podcast Network. Currently, that includes The Rich Eisen Show and Overreaction Monday. Starting next week, a new podcast joins the lineup.
barrettsportsmedia.com

Study: NFL jersey patch revenue worth US$673m
The National Football League (NFL) would make up to US$673 million in revenue if it was to introduce a jersey patch program, according to a new study from sponsorship valuation platform Turnstile.
sportspromedia.com

Cleveland Browns enhance fan experiences and streamline stadium operations via Clover Sport
When Cleveland fans arrive to cheer on the Browns for the 2023 season, they’ll be welcomed by technology that enables faster, more convenient purchasing experiences throughout the stadium. Technology upgrades will enable digital and contactless ordering, including third-party Clover Sport integrations that connect fans to mobile ordering, integrated loyalty, and stored value embedded in their ticket.
businesswire.com

ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry assumes larger TV tole; Jeremy Fowler signs new multi-year agreement
A day away from the start of the 2023 NFL season, ESPN elevated Lindsey Thiry to National NFL Reporter, where she will cover games and other league events, conduct interviews and contribute to feature storytelling. Additionally, ESPN announced a new multi-year agreement with Jeremy Fowler, maintaining his role as an NFL insider where he reports on the latest news and information surrounding players, coaches, league matters and more.
espnpressroom.com

ESPN Deportes introduces new voices for Monday Night Football
ESPN Deportes’ new Monday Night Football commentator team will feature Rebeca Landa on the play-by-play, with Sergio Dipp as analyst, and Katia Castorena as sideline reporter. John Sutcliffe will continue to be part of the team, providing reports from site. The new team will make its debut during Monday Night Football season opener on September 11.
espnpressroom.com

BBC Sport director Slater to retire in 2024
Barbara Slater will retire from her role as director of BBC Sport next spring, the UK public-service broadcaster has announced.
sportbusiness.com

UCI and CNOSF chief Lappartient to chair first IOC Esports Commission
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has emphasized its focus on the development of esports by forming the first Esports Commission. International Cycling Union and French National Olympic and Sports Committee President David Lappartient has been appointed as the chair of the Esports Commission. insidethegames.biz

XFL names Nish Mehta SVP of Sponsorships & Business Development
The XFL today announced that Nish Mehta has joined the League as SVP of Sponsorships & Business Development, as part of the League’s commercial team under the direction of Chief Commercial Officer, Josh Cella.
xfl.com

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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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Sept7