Sport & Story Daily September 16, 2024

Switching it Up

September 16, 2024

Good morning! Colleges are still switching conferences, and Crypto is coming back to sports.

Pac-12 poaches Mountain West schools to join Oregon State, Washington State as conference rebuilds
Oregon State and Washington State are the only schools left in the Pac-12 after many schools making conference changes around the country. Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State applied for Pac-12 membership and were all accepted. They will join the conference on July 1, 2026.
^{CBS Sports}

Report: Stephen Ross begins renewed attempt to sell piece of Dolphins
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross failed to sell a stake in the team to Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin. He is trying once again, but this time with some potential help from private equity.
^{Sports Business Journal}

The Champions League Is Back. So Is Crypto Sponsorship
Crypto.com will be plastered across digital advertising boards and post-match mix zones during the UEFA Champions League. The 2024-27 sponsorship between the European soccer’s governing body and Crypto.com caps a remarkable turnaround in crypto’s fortunes. The company surpassed 100 million global users in May.
^{Front Office Sports}

DirecTV, Disney Reach Carriage Deal, End 2-Week Blackout
ESPN and many other networks were in the dark for DirecTV users for about two weeks. This caused havoc for some 11 million U.S households. DirecTV and Disney have come to an agreement on a carriage deal. The parties agreed to market-based terms on pricing and that DirecTV had negotiated the rights to cave out multiple genre-specific packages, including a la carte sports and entertainment options.
^Sportico

WSC Sports brings AI tools to Snap in first social media platform partnership
WSC has its first direct partnership with a major social media network, Snapchat.
“This partnership is a great example of two tech companies coming together to provide a unique content experience for sports fans that also enables a new way for teams to monetise,” said Daniel Shichman, chief executive and co-founder of WSC Sports. “It’s a true win-win scenario that combines our vertical video and publishing capabilities with Snap’s consumer reach. We share many team partners with Snap and are excited to work together to find additional ways of bringing value to professional and college teams.”
^{SportsPro Media}

Chelsea Women appoint Aki Mandhar as first CEO, plus more
Women’s Super League champions, Chelsea, have appointed Aki Mandhar as the first chief executive. Mandhar will begin before the end of the year and is tasked with boosting the team’s off-field success.
^{SportsPro Media}

UFC sets commercial records at Sphere event
UFC became the first sports property to host a live competition at the Sphere on Saturday. This broke several of its commercial records in company history. The event drew a ticket sales revenue of $22 million.
^{Sports Business Journal}

49ers Denied Motion To Dismiss Wheelchair User’s Ada Lawsuit 
Levi’s Stadium is a the center of an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit. A federal district judge on Wednesday denied the San Francisco 49ers’ motion to dismiss an American with Disabilities Act Lawsuit. The case involves whether the ADA requires a team to provide alternative seating for wheelchair users whose ticket is not for a wheelchair-accessible seat.
^Sportico

FSU’s Guarantee Game Loss to Memphis Comes With $1.3M Price
Memphis beat Florida State 20-12 in Tallahassee. FSU is now 0-3 this season. They came into the year marked No. 10 in the preseason AP college football poll. FSU paid the Tigers $1.3 million to play the guaranteed game and lost.
^{Front Office Sports}

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