Sport & Story Daily March 27, 2024

Stay Ahead of the Game

March 27, 2024

Good morning! Women’s Hoops Numbers Stun👇🏼

NFL Private Equity Policy Coming Together
The special committee on ownership policy presented a proposal to the other 27 owners during the NFL annual meeting in Orlando this week, and their tentative outline received less pushback than expected, sources told the SBJ. As expected, there was no formal action taken.

“They seem very close to sort of outlining an approach, and that approach is something we want to make sure the membership was aligned with,” Goodell said. “I think that’s true, and now we have a lot of work to do to take that approach into reality.”
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

MLB Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From Yankees to Marlins
The average MLB team is worth $2.4 billion, according to data compiled by Sportico. The New York Yankees rank first at $7.9 billion, while the Miami Marlins rank last at $1.2 billion.
^sportico.com

Messi Clothing Line Sold to Blackstone-Owned Centric Brands
As Sportico’s Brendan Coffey reports, “Centric is assuming the license from MGO Global, a publicly traded business co-founded by fashion veteran Ginny Hilfiger. MGO is selling the license to Centric for a $2 million cash payment; Centric will pay a €1.5 million ($1.6 million) royalty payment due to the soccer star, according to the term sheet of the transaction filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission Tuesday.”
^sportico.com

Canzano: Oregon State and Washington State Close to TV deal for Football Games
Per John Canzano, Oregon State and Washington State are putting the final touches on a television deal involving the broadcast of their 2024 home football games. The CW Network is believed to be the primary broadcast partner. The network was in extended talks with the Pac-12 as recently as a week ago, per sources.

One source told Canzano, “The goal was a broader reach with exposure than what we previously had on the Pac-12 Networks.”

The Pac-12 Network fluctuated between 12 million and 19 million subscribers during its run. The CW is carried on 203 stations that cover almost 100 percent of United States households.
^{johncanzanocom}

Cavaliers Show Off New Renderings of Planned Performance, Training Center
Per the SBJ, The Cavaliers have unveiled renderings of their new tech-infused training facility, a 210,000-square-foot complex on the Cuyahoga River that -- in concert with Cleveland Clinic -- will simultaneously become a global sports science and wellness center for the general public.

Known as the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center and designed by the architectural firm Populous, the building is the first vertical centerpiece of real estate firm Bedrock’s impending 35-acre, $3.5B mixed-use Cuyahoga Riverfront Master Plan to revitalize the downtown area.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Chiefs and Browns Could Break Tradition, Leave Longtime Homes
As FOS’ Eric Fisher reports, “Could two of the NFL’s most iconic locales—Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium and the Cleveland lakefront—be abandoned in search of other stadium sites? That’s the potential situation now developing as both the Chiefs and Browns look to solidify their venue futures…Amid continued uncertainty in both cities regarding planned stadium projects, the Chiefs and Browns are increasingly evaluating other options.” 
^{frontofficesports.com}

Manchester United Want Gary O'Neil Talks Over Possible Coaching Role - Sources
Manchester United want to speak to Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Gary O'Neil about a role in a potential new coaching setup at Old Trafford, sources have told ESPN.

As ESPN Senior Writer Mark Ogden writes, “With Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos group now in charge of football operations at United following the completion of their purchase of a 27% stake in the club in February, sources have said that the new regime, led by Ineos director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, are attempting to build a new coaching structure led by a head coach.”
^espn.com

Report: Washington Hiring WSU's Chun as AD
The Univ. of Washington is finalizing a six-year deal to hire Washington State AD Pat Chun as the school's new AD, according to sources. The hiring of Chun marks a "swift response to the sudden departure last week of Troy Dannen" to become Nebraska's AD after only six months on the job at UW.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Who is Kim Mulkey, the LSU Coach Battling The Washington Post?
As Sportico’s Jason Clinkscales writes, “A point guard at Louisiana Tech from 1980-1984, Mulkey spent 15 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach for her alma mater through 2000. In 2001, Mulkey was hired as the head coach for the Baylor Bears, where she built a resume as one of the best coaches in women’s college basketball history. A three-time AP coach of the year, Mulkey won national championships at Baylor in 2005, 2012 and 2019.

However, Mulkey courted controversy during her tenure at the Waco school. In a May 2013 interview with ESPN the Magazine, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner revealed that while at Baylor, Mulkey told her not to be public about her being a lesbian because it could hurt recruiting efforts and the program’s image. Griner told ESPN that ‘the coaches thought that if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn’t let their kids come play for Baylor.’”
^sportico.com

2024 DI Women’s Basketball Championship Celebrates Record-Setting Start
"We expected the historic success and quality of play and high level of competition from the regular season would carry through into March Madness. Our championship is again delivering," said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women's basketball.

As the NCAA reports: Championship ratings also continue to soar, with millions of fans tuning into coverage across ESPN platforms, inclusive of ABC. The NCAA Women's Selection Show on ESPN, which aired March 17, averaged 1.94 million viewers, which was up 52% from the 2023 Selection Show and was the most-watched edition in 20 years. Fueled by 236,000 viewers for the Arizona-Auburn game on March 21, First Four games averaged 184,000 viewers, up 24% from last year. Complete first- and second-round ratings will be provided by ESPN later this week.
^ncaa.org

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 reads 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