Sport & Story Daily March 7, 2024

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March 7, 2024

Good morning! SBJ Tech Week leads to NFL game-changer

NFL Exec Endorses Optical Tracking for First Downs
As SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports, “The NFL’s tests with optical tracking technology for line-to-gain rulings were ‘extremely successful,’ and the competition committee is behind the notion, NFL Chief Information Officer Gary Brantley said Wednesday on stage at SBJ Tech Week in N.Y.

‘The testing was successful, it was extremely successful,’ said Brantley. ‘I think we have very good buy-in from the committee in order to get this done.’

NFL owners will meet in Orlando March 24-27. Even if approved, it would not be fully implemented for the 2024 season, but last week, NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte told SBJ testing would expand this season to MetLife Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and the Caesars Superdome for Super Bowl LIX.

‘What we’re looking at today will put us at the forefront of it all,’ Brantley said.”
^apnews.com

LIV Golf to Begin Direct Lobbying Campaign With Major Championships for Exemptions
After yesterday’s report from here in Sport & Story Daily about several golfers not being eligible to play in the 2024 Presidents Cup, LIV Golf's Greg Norman has “pleaded directly to the four majors to change their qualification criteria and afford access” to the LIV golfers.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

MLB The Show 24 Unveils Female Player Mode ‘Women Pave Their Way’
MLB The Show 24 has unveiled a female player mode for this year’s video game.

“For the first time ever, you can create and play as a female ballplayer, with a unique Road to the Show story that evolves with the player over the course of your career,” the video game’s website reads.

The trailer features a nod to Kelsie Whitmore, the first female player in an MLB-partnered league. Whitmore is a pitcher and outfielder for the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League.

“My hopes for this project is to educate others that women/girls do play baseball and that they are capable of competing in this game at every level,” Whitmore said in a statement.
^apnews.com

Your Vision Insights: Top Performing NHL TV Visible Assets This Season

Of all the exposure being generated by TV Visible graphics and placements during NHL games, here are the Top 5 assets in terms of share of value…

LeBron James' Next Deal, and Every Contract Option With the Lakers or Another Team
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Dave McMenamin write, “The Lakers and James can pair on another first this offseason. Should he agree to a new, multiyear contract, L.A. will be guaranteed to be the first and only team that James will have played eight consecutive seasons with, eclipsing the seven-year start to his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As rocky as James' relationship with the Lakers has appeared at times, it's hard to imagine any other franchise providing the elements that aligned Saturday night in L.A.

But James, nearing 40 years old and in his 21st season, has options as he approaches free agency for the fifth -- and perhaps final -- time in his career.

James has made more than $482 million in salary in his career and will become the first player in NBA history to pass the $500 million mark next season, by either opting in to his $51.4 million salary, signing a new contract with the Lakers or, in a less likely scenario, signing with another team.

James said Feb. 3 that he has not yet made a decision on his player option. He has until June 29 to decide to opt in or become a free agent.”
^espn.com

Peyton Manning Pursuing Bill Belichick to Join Omaha Productions: Sources
Peyton Manning is pursuing Bill Belichick to sign the longtime New England Patriots head coach with Omaha Productions, Manning’s entertainment company, officials briefed on the plans told The Athletic.

Manning hopes to bring Belichick into his company, which has partnerships with many big-name athletes, including David Ortiz, Sue Bird and Manning’s brother, Eli.

As The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports, “If Manning were to sign Belichick, the idea of teaming with ESPN to create a Belichick and Nick Saban ‘Manningcast’ is expected to be broached, according to officials briefed on the plans. Saban, considered by many the greatest college football coach of all time, joined ESPN’s “College GameDay” after retiring from Alabama.”
^{theathletic.com}

Celtics and Nuggets to Play in Abu Dhabi in October in Two NBA Preseason Games
“We’re excited to bring two of the best teams in the NBA to Abu Dhabi in the Celtics and the Nuggets,” NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in a statement. “There is incredible momentum around basketball in the UAE and across the Middle East, and we believe these games as well as our year-round grassroots development and fan engagement efforts will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in the region.”

The NBA said the two games will reach people in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media. They are part of a multiyear collaboration between the NBA and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism.
^apnews.com

Missing in Action: New A’s Stadium Rendering Excludes Many Key Pieces
Yesterday, Sport & Story Daily released the renderings for the A’s new stadium. Today, FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “The newly released A’s renderings for the club’s planned new stadium in Las Vegas were aimed significantly at quelling rising doubts around the planned franchise relocation and signaling that the much-maligned plan was still on track—mission not accomplished.

Instead, the highly anticipated drawings for the planned $1.5 billion facility showed an extensive series of omissions and only heightened questions about whether the stadium will actually become a reality. The latest renderings…show a fixed-roof dome with five overlapping layers and a sail-like design similar to Australia’s Sydney Opera House. The A’s insist that the global landmark was not an influence but rather the 33,000-seat stadium design was described by Bjarke Ingels Group as a ‘spherical armadillo.’”
^{frontofficesports.com}

Sources: Around 60 NFL League Employees Take Voluntary Buyouts
NFL league employees had to confirm by the end of February if they were taking the buyout. Around 60 NFL league employees have taken a voluntary buyout offered to around 200 workers in early January, according to industry sources.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Nick Saban: NIL Money, Transfer Portal Influenced Retirement
Nick Saban revealed new details about his departure from Alabama, including how NIL collective money and the transfer portal played a factor, in a story published Wednesday on ESPN.

As FOS reports, Saban said he was upset with how his players handled themselves after the Crimson Tide’s Rose Bowl loss to Michigan: “throwing helmets” and expressing frustration in ways uncharacteristic to Alabama football. Then, back home in player meetings, more problems arose.

“I thought we could have a hell of a team next year,” Saban said, “and then maybe 70 or 80% of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?”
^{frontofficesports.com}

How Mack Brown and Texas Built a Prestigious (and Perilous) Early Recruiting Phenomenon
From The Athletic: “When [Mack] Brown coached at North Carolina in the 1990s, he noticed Big Ten programs offering elite local prospects before the Tar Heels could.

‘John Cooper and Joe Paterno were getting all the in-state players wrapped up in Ohio and Pennsylvania early, and then they would be able to go recruit nationally,’ Brown said.

So Brown started a junior day at UNC.

Texas junior day wasn’t the only one of its kind, nor was it the first, but it became best-in-class. Although junior days are now standard practice nationwide, they weren’t widespread when the Longhorns launched theirs 20 years ago.”
^{theathletic.com}

Emmitt Smith’s Words a Good Step but Black Stakeholders Must Unite to Create Real Change
As The Athletic’s Jim Trotter writes, “Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith does not have a history of speaking out on controversial issues, so his public criticism of the University of Florida’s decision to eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and fire the 13 employees within the department is noteworthy.

‘I’m utterly disgusted by UF’s decision and the precedent that it sets,’ the Florida alum posted Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘We cannot continue to believe and trust that a team of leaders all made up of the same background will make the right decision when it comes to equality and diversity. History has already proven that is not the case.’

The university’s hand was forced by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who last May signed into law a ban on state funding for DEI programs at public universities.”
^{theathletic.com}

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