Unrivaled Set to Rock Pro Sports

Startup Basketball League Unrivaled’s Unique Venue, Format & Revenue Sharing

January 13, 2025

Startup Basketball League Unrivaled Out to Make a Big First Impression With Unique Venue and 3-on-3 Format
SBJ’s Tom Friend writes, “Between its marquee brands, its $100 million broadcast deal, its household names and its ubiquitous social media presence, the league’s future (and arena LED) seems so bright, the players ought to wear shades.

“Actually, with Unrivaled’s inaugural 3-on-3 season tipping off Jan. 17, the players should be packing calculators, as well. Every single one has equity in the league (some more than others, based on their Q rating or cachet), and the result is that almost every player from Angel Reese on down is on TikTok recruiting a global audience. If Unrivaled has proved anything, it’s that a startup women’s league can have every game televised nationally in prime time…”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Lakers, Clippers Expected to Resume Home Play Monday After Los Angeles Fires Postponed Games
The NBA informed the Clippers and Miami Heat on Sunday that their game in Los Angeles Monday night is expected to be played as scheduled at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Lakers and Spurs are likewise expected to play their scheduled game at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.With fires still burning in Los Angeles, the status of each game remains subject to change.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

UFC Eyeing More Than $1B in Next Media-Rights Deal
The UFC is "looking to get" over $1B from its next media-rights deal, "more than double" what current contract holder ESPN pays, according to BLOOMBERG sources via SBJ. The fighting league's ESPN deal expires at the end of 2025, and the two are "entering an exclusive negotiating window later this month." TKO Group Holdings, the owners of UFC, is "looking to take advantage of a strong market for sports rights" with most major U.S. leagues already secured on long-term deals, making UFC "one of the biggest sports packages on the market for the next few years."
^{BLOOMBERG via Sports Business Journal}

McDonald’s Ends NASCAR Chicago Sponsorship
SBJ’s Adam Stern reports: “In March 2023, the Chicago-based QSR giant became the first company to announce it would sponsor the inaugural race that summer. NASCAR signed a three-year deal with the city of Chicago to host the event from 2023-25. But McDonald’s won’t be a part of this year’s edition as an event sponsor, according to sources, and its logo no longer appears on NASCAR Chicago’s partner page portion of its website.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Analysis: Venu Sports' Demise Comes as Media Market Continues to Shift
SBJ’s Mollie Callihane writes, “Skinny bundle deals like DirecTV’s carriage of Disney’s linear networks and DTC services -- including Flagship -- essentially eroded a need for Venu, which was intended to fill similar MPVD gaps in consumer demand. It’s also been no secret that Flagship, launching this fall, is the main priority for ESPN. The company had always considered Venu as only a small part of its much larger portfolio.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

ND-Penn State On Low End Of CFP Semi Viewership
According to SBJ, Notre Dame’s late win over Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday night averaged 17.8 million viewers on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU, a figure on the lower end of what a CFP semifinal has typically drawn since the multi-team playoff began in 2005. Only five semifinal games have been lower among 21 such semis (the audience for Friday night’s Ohio State-Texas game is not yet available). This was the first CFP game to be played on a non-holiday Thursday night, which may have impacted viewership.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Patriots Hire Mike Vrabel As New Head Coach
SI’s Liam McKeone writes, “What was expected has become official. The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as the franchise's new head coach, and will rely on the longtime linebacker to usher in the Drake Maye era.

“Vrabel and the Pats were an obvious match as soon as owner Robert Kraft fired rookie head coach Jerod Mayo hours after the team's final game of the 2024 season. Vrabel played for the franchise under Bill Belichick for eight years and won three Super Bowls.”
^{Sports Illustrated}

Titans Wrap Up 3rd Day of Interviews for General Manager Job With 2 More Candidates
AP News’ Teresa M. Walker reports: “The Tennessee Titans wrapped up a third straight day of searching for a new general manager Sunday with virtual interviews with Chicago assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and Kansas City assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi. The Titans are working to replace Ran Carthon, who was fired Tuesday after the franchise went 9-25 in his two seasons as general manager.”
^{AP News}

Philadelphia 76ers Reportedly Reverse Course, Won’t Build Contentious $1.3B Downtown Stadium
The Philadelphia 76ers have decided not to build a $1.3 billion downtown arena, a surprising move that comes just weeks after the team received approval for the controversial project from the city council. The team has reportedly struck a deal with Comcast Spectator to remain in the city’s sports stadium district, the newspaper said, but further details about the new proposal have not been released.
^{AP News}

Jets, Browns Join Jaguars in Hosting Games in London Next Season
The Jets and Browns will join the Jaguars as the home teams for the 2025 NFL London games. The Jets and Browns will play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the Jaguars again will play at Wembley Stadium. In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot notes the opponents, game dates and kickoff times “will be announced when the full 2025 schedule is revealed this spring.” The NFL this season “can play up to eight international games,” with games already planned for Madrid and Berlin.
^{Sports Business Journal}

'We're Going to Win It:' US Soccer Wants to Host 2031 World Cup
USA Today’s Nancy Armour writes, “The women's World Cup is coming back to the United States. If U.S. Soccer has its way, that is. Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone said Saturday that U.S. Soccer is committed to bringing the 2031 World Cup to the United States and Mexico, and is just waiting for FIFA to open the bidding process.”

"As soon as they do, we'll put our bid in," Cone said during an appearance at the United Soccer Coaches Convention.
^{USA Today}

Carson Beck Has Scored Nearly $10M in NIL Deals in 12 Months: Agent
FOS’ Daniel Roberts and David Rumsey write, “Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who led the Bulldogs to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals where the team lost to Notre Dame, announced Friday he has committed to Miami, just one day after he entered the transfer portal.

“Now his agents at ESM tell Front Office Sports Beck has secured close to $10 million in combined NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals in the past 12 months from a combination of his brand deals and money from the Miami NIL collective Canes Connection.”
^{Front Office Sports}

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