Twitter Has Sports Stronghold

Despite the Exodus From Twitter, Bluesky is No Threat to Sports on X

December 2, 2024

Good morning! Sports remain on X, and women’s sports continue to thrive

Why Bluesky Is Not a Serious Threat to Sports Twitter
FOS’ A.J. Perez writes, “Amid Musk’s changes to the platform, and accelerating recently as he went all in on personally supporting President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign (including an official role in the next administration), people are again threatening to leave for alternative options…This time it’s Bluesky, a decentralized Twitter alternative founded by original Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey. 

“But while news outlets like The Guardian and prominent individuals like author Stephen King have left…there hasn’t been a bona fide exodus of leagues, teams, or a groundswell of defections in sports media.” 
^{Front Office Sports}

The PWHL’s First Season Was a Success. The League Thinks the Second Season Will Be Bigger and Better
The Toronto Sun’s Gilbert Ngabo writes, “As the Professional Women’s Hockey League nears puck drop on its second season, officials are expressing a lot of optimism about the future of the game.

“In a news conference Tuesday, PWHL senior vice-president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said hockey fans across North America are in for an even more thrilling season…In what’s been billed the “Takeover Tour,” PWHL games will be played in cities such as Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Buffalo, Detroit and Raleigh, as well as Quebec City, Vancouver and Edmonton.”
^{Toronto Sun}

$200M Battle for WNBA Expansion Team Signals League Has Entered a New Era
Yahoo Sports’ Karla Marie Sanford and Kareem Copeland write, “The WNBA has never been more popular. Fans packed arenas this past season as rookie stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese became household names. TV viewership skyrocketed. The league’s revenue doubled from $102 million to $200 million between 2019 to 2023.

“Around a dozen potential owners are vying for the franchise, which experts say could fetch up to $200 million.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

MrBeast is Now the Internet’s Biggest Sports Broadcaster
Sportico’s Jacob Feldman writes, “With 334 million YouTube subscribers, MrBeast sits atop a universe of creators that sports properties are increasingly interested in working with (another metric: The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, F1, and ESPN accounts have a combined 69.3 million YouTube subscribers) as they chase Gen Z fans.

“Advertisers paid about $1.5 million per 30-second spot during the Turkey Day NFL contests. MrBeast, meanwhile, reportedly charges double that for sponsor shout-outs in his videos, though each of those normally runs longer.”
^Sportico

NBC Sports is Latest to Test NFL ‘Alt-Casts’ With EA Sports Madden Game on Peacock
NBC Sports plans to live-stream a match-up between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, December 21, on its Peacock broadband hub. The “alt-cast” will blend live action and video game elements from EA Sports’ popular Madden NFL franchise, which has long aimed for realistic depictions of football action. It will also feature player ratings and interactive data, just like the video game does.
^Variety

NFL Thanksgiving TV Ratings: Cowboys-Giants Deliver Most-Watched Game of 2024 Season
The dinner window of the NFL's Thanksgiving slate delivered a significant portion for the league, as the Giants vs. Cowboys game delivered the most-watched broadcast of the 2024 season and the fourth-highest ratings of any Turkey Day game ever with 38.5 million viewers. The broadcast topped out at 41.283 million from 6-6:15 p.m. ET.
^{USA Today}

Purdue Fires Coach Ryan Walters After Going 5-19 in His Two Seasons
AP News’ Michael Marot writes, “Athletic director Mike Bobinski fired the first-time head coach on Sunday, following a brutal 1-11 season in which the Boilermakers made all the wrong kinds of history. They lost their final 11 games to set the school’s single season record, endured the two most lopsided losses in program history, went winless in conference play for only the third time since 1946 and failed to beat an FBS opponent for the first time since 2013 and the second time in college football’s modern era.”
^{AP News}

‘Tis the Season For College Football Hirings and Firings
From FIU firing Mike MacIntyre after his third straight 4-8 season and Jerry Mack being hired as Kennesaw State head coach to Temple reportedly hiring Sam Houston’s K.C. Keeler as their next coach and West Virginia firing coach Neal Brown, The Athletic has all the news on this constantly evolving forefront.
^{The Athletic}

Stanford Brings Ex-Star QB Andrew Luck 'Home' as New GM
ESPN’s Pete Thamel writes, “Luck, 35, has accepted a newly created role at Stanford, which will place him above the entire program and is a distinct evolution from the traditional college general manager role. The hire could loom as a harbinger for structural changes in college football front offices across the sport.”
^ESPN

College Football Players Scuffle After Flags Come Out Following Rivalry Wins
The AP News writes, “Michigan scuffled with Ohio State after a group of Wolverines attempted to plant their flag in the middle of Ohio Stadium in Columbus following a 13-10 victory. There was a similar scene in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, after at least one N.C. State player tried to plant a Wolfpack flag on UNC’s field following a 35-30 win. And another skirmish in Tallahassee, Florida, after Gators edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. planted a flag on Florida State’s logo after a 31-11 win.”
^{AP News}

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily is the sports industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects readers to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

Feel free to read our Privacy Policy