The NBA/NFL Grudge Match

SBJ’s Tom Friend Says the NFL is “Bogarting One Of Basketball’s Legacy Afternoons”

December 23, 2024

NFL vs. NBA: Battle For Growth and Viewers Means Head-to-Head Clashes More Often Than Just Christmas Day
SBJ’s Tom Friend writes, “Not that the NBA or anyone else blames the NFL for pursuing one of the highest HUT-level days of the year — HUT as in ‘households using television’ — but bogarting one of basketball’s legacy afternoons (NBA on Christmas Day) is inopportune timing for a league that’s recently faced a downturn in ratings.

“‘The NFL looks like a bully, no matter what, every room that they walk into,’ said Craig Sloan, CEO of Playfly Sports. ‘They command an out-shared portion of the attention. And so from that perspective, no matter what they do, it’s going to look like they’re potentially purposefully disrupting someone else. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think that they realize that they now have a 365 product.’”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Curry Brand Sets Sights on Building Legacy Brand in 2025
SBJ’s Na’Andre Emerson writes, “In 2024, Curry Brand made significant strides. It expanded its athlete roster by signing USC G MiLaysia Fulwiley and Lakers G Quincy Olivari. The year also saw the launch of Curry’s 12th signature shoe and Sacramento Kings G De’Aaron Fox’s debut shoe, the Fox 1, which launched last week.

“But as the brand looks ahead to the coming year, head of marketing Nana Dadzie aims to elevate the brand beyond just being another sportswear label, but rather into a lasting legacy similar to Jordan Brand, which has grown well beyond its namesake’s playing career.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

FIFA Sells U.S. Women’s World Cup Rights to Netflix in '27, '31
Fox and Telemundo have carried the past three Women's World Cups in English and Spanish, respectively, as part of their overarching deals with FIFA that also include the men’s World Cup rights. The deal with Netflix marks the first time the U.S. rights to the women’s event have been sold on their own. Puck's John Ourand had reported that FIFA was struggling to drum up the level of interest it anticipated before entering into exclusive talks with Netflix. 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Mavericks Launch New Streaming Service
The Mavericks on Friday unveiled a new streaming platform for MavsTV in collaboration with Endeavor Streaming and the NBA. The streaming platform will "enable local fans to watch all games not exclusively televised nationally, alongside exclusive footage, original on-demand content and highlights on more devices than ever before."
^{Dallas Sports Journal via Sports Business Journal}

Report: Fox Sports, LIV Golf Deal to Come With 'Modest' Rights Fee
Fox Sports’ deal to carry LIV Golf events is “just about done and should be announced in the next couple of weeks” -- a deal that would run for two years with a “modest rights fee,” according to sources cited by John Ourand of PUCK. SBJ's Josh Carpenter earlier this week first reported news of the deal. Fox will carry LIV events on its broadcast network and cable channels, while LIV will “produce the events, taking a big expense off the network’s plate.”
^{Puck via Sports Business Journal}

John Wall Gives Broadcasting a Try, While Still Holding Out Hope For One More NBA Shot
And now, for a bit of levity—along with some of the more traditional events like dodgeball and tug-of-war, the NFL will “sprinkle in a trivia element into some of the skills competitions for the 2025 NFL Pro Games,” according to The Athletic’s Larry Holder. Each quarterback answers five trivia questions about other Pro Bowlers from the 2024 season. Correct answers will allow passers more time to attempt to hit targets.
^{AP News}

Antwan Staley: If the Jets Want to End Their Postseason Futility, It All Starts With Woody Johnson
The New York Daily News’ Antwan Staley writes, “Just when you thought the Jets couldn’t get any more dysfunctional, they continue to prove otherwise. That never became more evident than after a damning report of Woody Johnson’s ownership of the franchise was published by The Athletic and laid bare the issues within 1 Jets Drive in Florham Park.

The report included explosive nuggets such as that Johnson has used video-game ratings to evaluate players, has his teenage sons involved in team meetings and that the Johnson family has openly trashed Gang Green players.”
^{New York Daily News}

How Executives are Preparing for the Super Bowl Hospitality Experience in New Orleans
SBJ’s Ben Fischer and Terry Lefton write, “For the Big Game’s 11th visit to New Orleans, the math is daunting but straightforward: Heightened demand after last year’s highly lucrative Super Bowl in Las Vegas — premium hospitality is easily the healthiest sector in the industry — combined with the smallest city to regularly host the NFL’s crown jewel. That leads to big prices and big challenges. To mention only the most obvious one: The Big Easy has about 124,000 fewer hotel rooms and considerably less event space than Las Vegas.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

NASCAR Mum on Chicago Street Race Future After '25
NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell is not commenting on whether 2025 will be the last year of the Chicago street race, or whether the series will eventually compete in Saudi Arabia, but he does maintain that domestic and foreign interest in the sport is significant. Next year will mark the final year of NASCAR’s original three-year deal with the city of Chicago to hold the street race.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Bills, Sabres Gauge Ideas On Improving Areas Around Venues
Sabres and Bills owner Terry Pegula has “already asked” COO & EVP Pete Guelli to “leave no stone unturned” in efforts to make areas around KeyBank Center and Orchard Park “busier and more vibrant,” according to Michael Petro of the BUFFALO NEWS. That has meant an “aggressive push” to bring additional events and entertainment to the arena and “start conversations with developers who own properties around the venue.”
^{Buffalo News via Sports Business Journal}

Home Teams Sweep First On-Campus CFP Games
FOS’ David Rumsey writes, “Home field advantage proved to be the defining factor of the first College Football Playoff games held on campus. Amid a quartet of rowdy sellout crowds to kick off the CFP’s expanded, 12-team era home teams went 4–0. Each host was heavily favored heading into the weekend, and the favorites dominated; every game ended with a double-digit victory for the home school.
^{Front Office Sports}

BIG EAST Road Trip Returns With 13-Stop Fan Mobile Tour, Concluding At 2025 Conference Basketball Tournaments
Approaching the holiday season, the BIG EAST Conference, in collaboration with Playfly Sports, is proud to announce the return of its 13-stop mobile tour, designed to enhance gameday celebrations for fans of its member schools. The “BIG EAST Road Trip” is set to deliver another round of interactive experiences, traveling to each city for men’s and women’s basketball matchups and concluding at the men’s and women’s conference tournaments in March.
^Playfly

Notre Dame’S Closing Collective Found Pot of NIL Gold in 2023
Sportico’s Daniel Libit writes, “Friends of University of Notre Dame (FUND), the nonprofit NIL collective supporting the Fighting Irish, generated over $20.5 million in revenue last year, according to a copy of its most recently filed tax return.

“Its 2023 earnings nearly doubled those of the University of Texas-dedicated Texas One Fund, and far outstripped the haul brought in by BPS Foundation, the nonprofit serving multiple schools’ collectives run by Blueprint Sports.”
^Sportico

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