Sport & Story Daily January 22, 2024

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January 22, 2024

Good morning! The Detroit Lions’ resurgence carries implications for the NFL

Roar Restored: Lions’ Resurgence Carries Major Implications Across Detroit, NFL
As Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher writes, “To get a sense of what the Detroit Lions’ resurgence means to the NFL, one need only look at commissioner Roger Goodell’s recent schedule. 

Goodell traveled to Ford Field on Wednesday for the annual partnership meeting of economic development organization Visit Detroit, in part to promote the city’s hosting of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he’ll head right back to the stadium Sunday for the Lions’ divisional playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He watched the team’s wild-card win over the Los Angeles Rams last weekend on TV and was immediately moved by the energy of Lions fans.”
^{frontofficesports.com}

On Eve of Move to Big Ten, UCLA Athletic Department Posts $36.6-Million Deficit
As the LA Times’ Ben Bolch writes, “UCLA’s approaching revenue stream can’t arrive fast enough after the school’s athletic department posted a deficit of $36.6 million for the 2023 fiscal year, the fifth consecutive year that the Bruins have run a shortfall stretching into 10 figures.

The debt figures have gone from $18.9 million in 2019 to $21.7 million in 2020 to $62.5 million in 2021 to $28 million in 2022, reflecting sustained financial struggles before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the recent run of red, UCLA’s athletic department had not experienced a budget shortfall since being $164,000 in the hole in 2004.”
^latimes.com

NFL Playoff TV Ratings Defy Gravity and Demographic Shifts
As Sportico’s Anthony Crupi writes, “If the Nielsen data weren’t sufficiently impressive, get a load of this: Excluding the Peacock game, the NFL’s network partners generated an estimated $337.9 million in ad revenue across the five televised Wild Card games.”
^sportico.com

Red Sox Chair Tom Werner Shoots Down Talks That FSG is Interested in Selling Team
Red Sox Chair Tom Werner and Red Sox President Sam Kennedy speak at the Red Sox Winter Weekend, where Werner “unequivocally shot down the idea” that Fenway Sports Group “could be looking to sell the team,” according to Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Is Amazon Building an NBA Portfolio to Support U.S. Rights Bid?
As Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey writes, “The NBA is less than four months away from opening up negotiations for its next set of U.S. media rights deals to companies beyond current broadcast partners ESPN and TNT. Those deals, which expire after the 2024-25 season, are worth $24 billion in total—and the NBA will no doubt be looking for a huge increase.

Amazon’s interest in acquiring NBA rights is no secret. Sources previously told Front Office Sports the company was exploring a deal for a package of games on Tuesday or Thursday nights. One of Prime Video’s top executives even went on record about the desire to buy playoff games as part of a potential streaming package.” 
^{frontofficesports.com}

Connect Extends Partnership With Kent State
Collegiate Sports Connect, Inc. (Connect), today announced an extended multi-year partnership with Kent State Athletics.

Kent State Athletics will continue to enhance its talent networking, identification, recruitment, and acquisition efforts by utilizing Connect's comprehensive professional intercollegiate athletics personnel database, robust search functionalities, and recruitment tools.
^{csconnect.live}

Nick Saban and Bill Belichick Offer Very Different Personalities to Broadcasting
As Barrett Sports Media’s Ryan Brown writes, “I think Saban would be perfect for television and Belichick would not. Both have a brain that would make the viewer much smarter when it comes to football, but Saban has shown he is willing to drop the iron curtain and show it more. This has been evident in his handful of postseason appearances on the College GameDay set. He’s shown a chemistry with the hosts and an ability to convert complicated football parlance into a language the everyday football fan can understand.”
^{barrettsportsmedia.com}

Sports Media Figures React to SI Layoffs
Reaction to the announcement that The Arena Group is laying off much of the Sports Illustrated staff came in fast this afternoon. ESPN’s Adam Schefter : “At its peak and even for a while after, Sports Illustrated was an institution. Its covers, and coverage, were legendary…”
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Northern Colorado Baseball Launches $1.5M Fundraising Effort for Turf at Jackson Field
“(UNC athletic director) Darren Dunn and I talked about it, and I told him I have goals beyond being the baseball coach and winning games,” head coach Mike Anderson said. “I want to develop a program people can respect and be relevant again. In order to get back to being relevant, we need some facility upgrades.”

Named the Jackson Field Turf Project, the multi-year effort is tapping into donations from former Bears players and others. Several weeks ago, the project received a big boost with a $150,000 donation.
^{greeleytribune.com}

Manchester United Finds New CEO From Nearby Rival
Less than a month after Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake in the club, Man United announced the hiring of Omar Berrada as its CEO. Berrada had previously been the chief football operations officer at City Football Group, which owns Man City and a dozen other clubs around the world. 

“The Club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do,” United said in a statement. “Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey.”
^sportico.com

UW Offered ‘Big Ten’ Contract to Kalen DeBoer, AD Troy Dannen Says
As The Seattle Times’ Mike Vorel writes, “When Dannen agreed to speak at the Bellevue Chamber luncheon in November, he did not expect to address football coach Kalen DeBoer’s departure to Alabama. Or the subsequent hire of Arizona’s Jedd Fisch two days later. Or the Huskies’ outgoing transfer-portal parade.

“But it’s a great time,” he concluded, donning a black suit and a purple tie. “Regardless of what has happened in the last 10 days, this is a great time in the history of the University of Washington, and our best times are still ahead.”
^{seattletimes.com}

Texas A&M Reports Over $279 Million in Athletics Revenue
The Texas A&M athletic department had $279.2 million in operating revenue during its 2023 fiscal year, its new financial report to the NCAA shows, which was obtained by USA Today Sports.

Texas A&M is attributing $53.2 million of its $115.4 million in contributions for the year to an unusual level of spending during the year on a series of facilities projects.
^usatoday.com

Old Dominion Announces Partnership with Teamworks
Old Dominion University announces the launch of Monarch Exchange, a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower student-athletes and revolutionize the way they navigate the burgeoning landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. This exciting development is part of an expanded partnership with Teamworks, offering a comprehensive suite of integrated software solutions that encompass scheduling, content management, personal branding, academic advising, compliance, and now, an innovative NIL exchange powered by INFLCR.
^{odusports.com}

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