Sport & Story Daily February 1, 2024

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February 1, 2024

Good morning! Tennessee mounts counteroffensive amid recent NCAA accusations

Did the NCAA Pick a Fight With Tennessee That it Can't Win?
As On3’s Andy Staples reports, “Shortly after a report from Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde revealed that Tennessee was under investigation by NCAA enforcement staffers, Plowman released a letter she sent Monday to NCAA president Charlie Baker. The letter makes two things abundantly clear:

• The NCAA is about to accuse someone affiliated with Tennessee — but, perhaps most intriguing, not employed by Tennessee — with breaking rules regarding NIL payments to athletes.

• Tennessee is going to fight those accusations in every way possible. 

Later, while listing multiple complaints, Plowman notes that ‘not one University of Tennessee employee has been named as committing any NCAA violation’ and that ‘neither the collective nor student-athletes broke any rule or guidance document as they existed at the time.’”
^on3.com

NCAA Sued Over NIL Rules After Tennessee Football Investigation
Tennessee is launching a counteroffensive. As the AP reports via ESPN, “The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday, a day after the University of Tennessee's chancellor ripped the association for investigating the school for potential recruiting violations related to name, image and likeness compensation rules.

The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee claims the NCAA is ‘enforcing rules that unfairly restrict how athletes can commercially use their name, image and likeness at a critical juncture in the recruiting calendar.’

‘These anticompetitive restrictions violate the Sherman Act, harm the States and the welfare of their athletes, and should be declared unlawful and enjoined.’"
^espn.com

Aaron Rodgers, Robert Saleh and How the Jets’ Season Fell Apart: ‘Something Has to Change’
As The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini write, “In an oft-repeated conflict at Florham Park, a star-studded defense that kept New York in games grew frustrated that the offense couldn’t find a way to put up more points. And offensive players felt like Rodgers’ hand-picked offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, failed to adjust after losing his quarterback and didn’t put them in positions to succeed. The Jets lost five games by 20 or more points and extended the longest playoff drought in the four major North American professional sports to 13 years.

‘It’s just such a f—ing mess,’ one Jets coach said.”
^{theathletic.com}

Fanatics Commerce Bolsters Exec Team
Fanatics Commerce has bolstered the C-suite of its management arm with the addition of three execs -- Stephen Dowling, Valerie Love and Justin Tsai. Dowling has been named to the new role of President, International, and will be responsible for growing Fanatics Commerce’s business…
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Your Vision Insights: Top 10 Most Avid Fan Bases in the NFL

From ear-piercing and raucous stadiums to fan bases that travel well, it’s a toss-up as to which teams have the most avid NFL Fans…until now. Take a look at Vision Insights' Top 10 most avid fan bases in the NFL.

We looked at US-based NFL Fans (aged 13+) and their self-reported fan avidity levels to identify which fan bases had the highest percentage of fans falling into the top 2 levels of fan interest (6 or 7). Outside a few fan bases, we see a large number of playoff teams in this ranker.

Netflix and ESPN+ in One Bundle? A Disney Activist Investor Wants It
As Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher writes, “An activist investor in ESPN parent Walt Disney Co. is reportedly pushing for an unprecedented building of the ESPN+ and Netflix streaming services—just as Netflix is accelerating its sports ambitions.

Nelson Peltz, whose Trian Fund Management controls nearly $3 billion in Disney stock, is set to publish a white paper detailing proposed reforms for the company, according to Bloomberg. For more than a year, Peltz has actively lobbied for Disney CEO Bob Iger and the company’s board of directors to take much more active steps to improve the value of the company’s stock, which is roughly half its value from March 2021. Trian is also seeking two seats on Disney’s board.”
^{frontofficesports.com} 

Sources: $16 Million Per Year for Jim Harbaugh
Per a report from NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, “It’s believed the former Michigan coach will receive an average salary of $16 million per year from his new team.

Harbaugh’s deal, based on prior reports, covers five years. If it’s all guaranteed, that’s an $80 million commitment.”

While impressive, CBS Sports reported back in December that Michigan’s contract proposal was for 10 years and $125 million, but the clause limiting NFL interest was the sticking point.
^{nbcsports.com}

Tour announces $3-billion investment by Sports Strategic Group to form PGA Tour Enterprises
The PGA Tour has finalized an agreement with the Strategic Sports Group that will infuse up to $3 billion into the Tour’s new for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises.

“This is a monumental day for our organization,” Monahan told players.

As NBC Sports’ Ryan Lavner writes, “In a historic aspect of the agreement, nearly 200 PGA Tour players will have access to more than $1.5 billion in equity in this new venture.”
^{nbcsports.com}

Nobody at ESPN Should be Surprised Doc Rivers is Back Coaching
As Barrett Sports Media’s Mark Kreidler writes, “The 2024 Major League Soccer season is underway and all the soccer matches will be streaming on MLS Season Pass, a service available on the Apple TV app. The MLS Season Pass offers all matches, but traditional cable channels — such as Fox, FS1 and Fox Deportes — will also broadcast select matches throughout the season.”
^{barrettsportsmedia.com}

Construction Start Date Comes Into Focus for Next Big Georgia Athletics Project
Construction on Georgia’s new outdoor track and field facility on South Milledge Road is being planned to begin this summer.

“We’re close, but we want to refine that number before we come to the board for that funding request,” athletic director Josh Brooks said. “I can tell you the fundraising’s already going very well for it, so, as with most of our projects, we’re trying to stay ahead and fundraise well before we break ground.”
^{onlineathens.com}

Texans OC Bobby Slowik Returning to Houston After Head Coaching Interest from Commanders, Falcons: Source
The Houston Texans reportedly won’t need to find a new offensive coordinator this offseason, as Bobby Slowik will return to Houston under a new contract that will feature a significant raise, according to a league source. Johnson was considered a frontrunner for the Commanders’ opening and had also interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks and three other teams.
^{theathletic.com}

Seahawks to Hire Ravens DC Mike MacDonald as Head Coach, per Report
The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly set to hire Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald as their new head coach. The deal is expected to be finalized soon, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 

MacDonald’s Ravens defense was an undeniable success, allowing the fewest total points (280) and points per game (16.5) in the NFL this season. Baltimore also ranked fifth in the league in total pass yards (3,263) and pass yards per game (191.9) allowed. 

MacDonald, 36, now becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL, usurping the New England Patriots’ Jerod Mayo, who’s 37 years old. 
^si.com

Michael Lev: Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer on Portal, Pac-12’s Passing, Path to Prosperity
As Michael Lev writes, “The Pac-12 Conference’s collapse last summer left Stanford and Cal in limbo. Desperate for financial stability and competitive viability, they joined the ACC — even though the ‘A’ stands for ‘Atlantic.’

“I'm really sad about it,” Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who’s been coaching at Stanford since 1985, said. “We love coming and playing (at) Arizona, Arizona State. I hope we can play them without it being a conference game — or maybe someday some smart people will get together and we'll be back in the conference together.
^tucson.com

University of Michigan Athletic Department: $4 Million Surplus for 2023 Fiscal Year
Per a financial report obtained by USA Today, the University of Michigan athletic department reported a $4 million operating surplus for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

The department created $229,561,279 in operating revenues compared to $225,548,280 in expenses for the fiscal year from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023—the most in a single year.

It's the second time the university has exceeded $200 million (without adjusting for inflation) in annual operating revenue in one year. The only other occasion was last year when Michigan set a previous high at $210,652,287.
^freep.com

Mountain West Announces Strategic Plan - Ascend Together: Our Path to Excellence
“Our strategic plan clearly defines the league’s vision, mission, value principles, and core strategic priorities,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “Our primary focus will be a best-in-class student-athlete experience. The tremendous work of the MW Strategic Planning Advisory Committee was based on input from nearly 10,000 members of the Mountain West community, including student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, presidents, members of the student body, media, alumni, former letterwinners, donors, and fans.”
^themw.com

FSU’S ‘Project Osceola’ Private Equity Push Began in 2022: Docs
As D1 reports from an article by Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams and Daniel Libit, “Florida State administrators spoke with both Sixth Street and Arctos Partners during much of the first half of 2023 about the possibility of providing private equity money to help fund the FSU athletic department…The heavily redacted documents also indicate Arctos – which is reportedly no longer in talks with the Seminoles – floated an initial investment amount of $75M.

A financial model dated August 2023 projected significant increases in the Seminoles’ revenue in the coming years, including a conference distribution uptick from $44.3M in 2023 to $84.5M in 2027, owing to an anticipated ‘bump’ in payouts from the College Football Playoff. The school projected those conference distribution figures reaching $187.7M by 2043.”
^sportico.com

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