Why the West Dominates the NBA

The West Has Had the Better Record For 23 of the Last 26 Seasons

November 21, 2024

Good morning! Yahoo! Sports dissects the NBA imbalance; plus, MORE coach firings

Yahoo Sports AM: The NBA's Conference Imbalance
Yahoo Sports’ Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy write, “The NBA has two conferences. So far this century, one has been far superior to the other.

“Decades of dominance: Western Conference teams are 37-18 against Eastern Conference teams this season, putting the West on pace to finish with the better head-to-head record — and thus the better overall record — for the 23rd time in the past 26 seasons.

“So what's behind this imbalance? I discussed some theories with two of Yahoo Sports' NBA experts, Kevin O'Connor and Tom Haberstroh. A few of my favorites…”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Sets U.S. Record for Biggest Gate for Bout Outside of Las Vegas
The LA Times’ Chuck Schilken reports: “The Jake Paul-Mike Tyson bout that brought massive viewership numbers to Netflix last week also resulted in a record-setting gate. Paul’s unanimous-decision victory over Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday has netted a gate of $18,117,072, a number that Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions says shatters the U.S. record for a boxing or MMA event held outside of Las Vegas. More than 72,300 fans were in attendance, MVP said, with an average ticket price of $304.”
^{LA Times}

Rafael Nadal Bids Farewell to Tennis at Davis Cup
FOS’ Colin Salao writes, “Rafael Nadal took the court Tuesday at the Davis Cup, his first match since getting knocked out by Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris Olympics in July. It also ended up being the final match of his illustrious 23-year tennis career as Spain was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. The 38-year-old announced last month that he would retire from tennis after the tournament.

“Nadal retires with 22 Grand Slams and more than $135 million in career earnings, the second most among tennis players.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Silver Lake's Durban Has Deal for Stake in Raiders
Silver Lake co-CEO and Endeavor Board Chairman Egon Durban has a deal in place to acquire 7.5 percent of the Las Vegas Raiders, SBJ sources said. If completed, Endeavor would have to divest WME Sports’ football representation business under NFL conflict-of-interest rules. One possible scenario is that WME Sports’ football division would be spun off into a new entity backed personally by Endeavor Executive Chairman Patrick Whitesell, which Durban nor Silver Lake would personally hold a stake in.
^{Sports Business Journal}

LPGA to Offer Record Prize Money in 2025
The LPGA released its 2025 schedule today, featuring 33 official events and a total prize money payout of over $131M, an all-time high. The five majors next year are collectively offering a total purse of $47.8M, with the U.S. Women’s Open leading the way at $12M.
^{Golf Digest via Sports Business Journal}

Chiefs-Bills Delivers Massive Audience For CBS
Chiefs-Bills, which had 100% of the national window on Sunday, delivered CBS the best non-Thanksgiving/non-Christmas regular-season NFL audience since 2007. The matchup, which saw the Bills give the Chiefs their first loss of the season, drew 31.2 million viewers to CBS.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Comcast Set to Spin Off NBCUniversal Cable Channels
According to SBJ, Comcast’s $7B spin-off of NBCUniversal’s cable channels is full steam ahead. An official announcement was made this morning after the Wall Street Journal first reported the news last night. The cable TV networks, which include news and entertainment channels MSNBC, CNBC, E!, Oxygen, USA, Syfy, and Golf Channel, will be part of a new venture with Mark Lazarus and Anand Kini at the helm.
^{Sports Business Journal}

'Ready, Fire, Aim': After Ousting Joe Douglas, Jets Ownership is Last Problem Standing. It Gets Thornier After Reported Push to Bench Aaron Rodgers
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson writes, “The overriding belief: If the Jets could make a strong run the remainder of the season and get into the playoffs, it was possible all three [general manager Joe Douglas, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers] would still be a part of the franchise in 2025. But stumble and fizzle out, and suddenly every option was on the table, including a total reboot of the team’s holy trinity — general manager, head coach and quarterback.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

NHL Coaching Hot Seat: With Jim Montgomery Out, Who is Next?
The Athletic’s Sean Gentille writes, “Now, with Jim Montgomery officially out in Boston for all the boilerplate reasons — bad start, spotty roster, poor goaltending — it’s time to revisit the field. Vegas sportsbooks are going to generate a new list, and these are the names you’re likely to see. Not all of them deserve to lose their jobs. Maybe none of them do. It’ll happen, though, because it always does. Montgomery reminded us of that.”
^{The Athletic}

PFL Signs Dubai Deal for Multiple MMA Fights in United Arab Emirates
Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen reports: “The Professional Fights League has signed a multiyear agreement with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Dubai Sports Council (DSC) to bring regular pro mixed-martial arts bouts to the United Arab Emirates.

“The first Champions Series event will be held Jan. 25 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, headlined by Bellator Lightweight World Champion Usman Nurmagomedov versus rising contender Paul Hughes. In May, PFL held its first bouts in Saudi Arabia.”
^Sportico

OKC Clears the Way For New USL Soccer Stadium
According to SBJ, Oklahoma City Council approved Echo Investment Capital’s donation of nine acres of downtown land to the city yesterday during a city council meeting, paving the way for a new $71M city-owned soccer stadium to be built on the site. Associated with the deal, Echo signed a 15-year ground lease, with two 5-year extension options, to operate the 12,300-capacity stadium and will relaunch a USL Championship soccer club to play at the venue when it’s completed in 2027.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Florida State is Losing Recruits at Nearly the Same Pace That it’s Losing Games in 2024
AP News’ Bob Ferrante writes, “His [Coach Mike Norvell's] long-term plan included adding talented transfers, winning games, and getting the program in position to recruit many of the state’s top players. It appeared on track in 2023 as the Seminoles went unbeaten in the regular season and won the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

“Their current recruiting class, however, is shaping up to be as much of a debacle as anything that’s happened on the field in the past three months. Florida State (1-9), the biggest disappointment in college football this season, has lost nearly as many recruits as games in 2024.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Ohio Governor Signs Executive Order Allowing Universities to Directly Pay NIL Compensation to Athletes
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order Monday that allows colleges in the state to directly pay athletes for their name, image and likeness. According to On3, the executive order was signed as the House v. NCAA lawsuit remains on track to be approved. The settlement would bring revenue sharing – up to $20.5 million in the first year – to college athletics beginning on July 1, 2025.

Effective immediately, this order allows Ohio schools to directly compensate or offer compensation to athletes for their NIL. Similar laws are in place in Georgia, Illinois, Virginia and California. The executive order will expire once the settlement is approved and comes into full effect.
^On3

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