Sport & Story Daily June 19, 2024

Stay Ahead of the Game

June 19, 2024

Good morning! WNBA Proves to Be a Cash Cow

WNBA Team Values: Las Vegas, Seattle Lead, Average Hits $96M
As Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen writes, “[Al Davis’ son] Mark Davis is also a huge women’s basketball fan and bought the Las Vegas Aces from MGM International for roughly $2 million in 2021. He poured money into the franchise, including a $40 million practice facility, the first specifically built for a WNBA team. Two WNBA championships later, and the Aces are worth $140 million and tops in the league, by Sportico’s count.”
^Sportico

Here's What MLB's Expanding Challenge System for Balls and Strikes in Triple-A Looks Like
Major League Baseball is still testing out using technology to help call balls and strikes behind the plate and ESPN’s Jesse Rogers latest report shows the league may be moving in a different direction for the next phase of experimentation.

On Tuesday, Rogers said the league will begin using a challenge system for balls and strikes in all Triple A games beginning June 25 per a memo sent farm team directors. Rather than every pitch being subject to the ABS system, only those challenged will have their call confirmed or overturned.
^{USA Today}

The Celtics’ $600 Million Duo Fits Comfortably Under the NBA Salary Cap for Now
FOS’ Alex Schiffer reports: “Eleven months ago, the Celtics signed Jaylen Brown to the richest contract in NBA history, a five-year supermax extension worth $303.7 million. The investment paid off quickly. Monday night, the team captured its NBA-record 18th title, cruising past the Mavericks in five games. Brown was the Finals MVP after winning the same honor in the Eastern Conference finals. 

“Now to chase their next title, they’ll have to once again sign a player to the richest contract the league has seen. This time, it’s Jayson Tatum. By making all-NBA first team for the third straight season, Tatum is eligible to sign a five-year extension worth $315 million this summer. It’s slightly more valuable than Brown’s due to the increase in the salary cap.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Commanders Agree to $1.3 Million Settlement Following Virginia Season Ticket Deposit Investigation
The Washington Commanders agreed to a $1.3 million settlement with season ticket holders following allegations that the organization neglected to return ticket deposits and other fees.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Tuesday the agreement with the team, which has already returned over $600,000 in deposits to roughly 475 season ticket holders. Washington agreed to pay an additional $700,000 in penalties and costs as part of the two-year investigation.
^{The Athletic}

Nets Parent BSE Global Valued at $6 Billion as Kochs Land 15% Stake
The parent of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and Barclays Center was assigned a post-money enterprise value of about $6 billion in an upcoming stake sale, according an email sent Tuesday to NBA owners, among the highest valuations ever for a U.S. sports team in a transaction.

According to the memo, Billionaire Julia Koch and her family have agreed to purchase 15% of BSE Global, which is controlled by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, at that valuation. Sportico viewed a copy of the memo.
^Sportico

Sky-Fever Rematch Best WNBA Audience in 23 Years
Per SBJ, CBS drew the best WNBA game audience in 23 years around the second meeting of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, with the Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever game on Sunday at noon ET delivering 2.25 million viewers. The audience for Sky-Fever is the best for the WNBA (playoff or regular season) since L.A. Sparks-Houston Comets drew 2.5 million viewers on NBC back in late May 2001. Clark had helped set this mark earlier in the season with her debut on ESPN2 against the Connecticut Sun on May 14 with 2.1 million viewers. Sky-Fever on Sunday had strong competition as well on NBC from the final round of the U.S. Open.
^{Sports Business Journal}

NBA Finals Viewership Falls 3%, While Playoffs are Down 12%
Viewership of the NBA Finals was down 3% this year, while overall NBA playoff viewership was down 12%.

The five-game Celtics-Mavericks series averaged 11.3 million viewers across ABC and ESPN (Game 3 had an ESPN alt-cast added to the audience number). That’s down from 11.6 million for the five-game Nuggets-Heat last year on ABC/ESPN2 (Game 1 had the alt-cast in 2023).
^{Sports Business Journal}

Sunday Drama Helps NBC’s U.S. Open Audience
Per SBJ, NBC drew 5.9 million viewers for the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday from 12-7:02pm ET, down slightly from a West Coast primetime finish last year, but the strongest U.S. Open finale from the East Coast since 2013. Bryson DeChambeau beat Rory McIlroy by one stroke this year -- one year after McIlroy lost to Wyndham Clark by a stroke at L.A. Country Club.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Roger Goodell Rips ‘Below Standard’ NFL Network Broadcasts in Trial Testimony
FOS’ Alex Schiffer writes, “Roger Goodell found himself in a unique position for an NFL commissioner Monday: testifying in federal court. Among his revelations? He was not a big fan of his own product, the NFL Network. 

Goodell took the stand in the NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit, in which fans are alleging the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package at an inflated cost. 

While testifying about the package and the dynamics around it, Goodell said one of the reasons the league sold its Thursday night games that were previously exclusive to NFL Network was because of the broadcast quality. 
^{Front Office Sports}

Celtics Have Short To-Do List as They Look to Become 1st Repeat NBA Champion Since 2018
AP News’ Kyle Hightower writes, “It took more than a decade, savvy front office and draft moves, and some free agency luck for the Celtics to ultimately build the roster that brought an end to their 16-year championship drought.

“But with NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown already locked up long-term and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum set to join him in the $300 million club this summer, Boston doesn’t have nearly as much work to do this offseason to keep together a core that is set up to become the first team since the 2018 Golden State Warriors to repeat as champions.”
^{AP News}

USC-Ole Miss Home-and-Home Series Scheduled for 2025 and 2026 Canceled
Per The Athletic, the anticipated football games between USC and Ole Miss are no more. The home-and-home series featuring the two schools, scheduled for 2025 and 2026, was canceled, according to Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

The Clarion-Ledger was the first to report the cancellation news.

The series was announced in May 2020, a few months after Ole Miss hired Kiffin as coach. Kiffin coached USC from 2010 to 2013.
^{The Athletic}

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