A Noteworthy Super Bowl Twist

Broadcasters to Air This Year’s Super Bowl in Spanish For First Time Ever

October 17, 2024

Good morning! Alternate Super Bowl Broadcast Could Boost Ratings

Alternate Super Bowl Broadcast Could Boost NFL’s Record Ratings
FOS’ David Rumsey writes, “In February, a Super Bowl–record 123.4 million people watched the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25–22 in overtime to secure Kansas City’s second consecutive Lombardi Trophy. In four months, yet another innovation from the NFL could help bring in even more viewers.” Two broadcasters will air the game in Spanish for the first time.

Rumsey notes that Super Bowl LVIII had the “ultimate on-field drama,” with megastar Taylor Swift supporting her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Beyond that, it was the first Super Bowl to feature an alternate broadcast on another channel besides the main network partner. Paramount’s Nickelodeon presented its own kid-friendly Super Bowl LVIII alongside CBS.
^{Front Office Sports}

Linehan: Boston NWSL Club Misses the Mark With BOS Nation FC and Marketing Campaign
The Athletic’s Meg Linehan writes, “The 15th NWSL team, announced in September 2023 as one of two expansion teams joining the league in 2026, will be called BOS Nation FC. The ownership group announced the name and club’s colors via a marketing campaign centered on the idea of ‘Too Many Balls.’

“Tuesday’s launch was official confirmation of a report from CBS’s Sandra Herrera that had dropped Monday to much immediate and overwhelmingly negative reaction. But no one could have been prepared for the announcement video. Someday, they’ll study this team launch as a case study of what not to do in marketing classes.”
^{The Athletic}

Former Athletes Interested in Bills Minority Stake
Basketball HOFers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and former USMNT F Jozy Altidore "are interested in and in talks about buying a minority stake" in the Bills, according to a report via SBJ. They were "in town and at the game" against the Jaguars on Sept. 23 "as guests of Bills owner Terry Pegula,” who earlier this year hired an investment firm to potentially sell a minority ownership stake in the team.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Two Circles to Buy Marketing Firm Kore, Raising Valuation to $650 Million
Sportico was the first to report that Kore was for sale. It’s unclear what Two Circles is paying. Still, the value of the new combined company—existing business plus purchase price—will be about $650 million, according to someone familiar with the details. The majority of that number was Two Circles before this acquisition.
^Sportico

Audience Analysis: ABC Leading Top College Games With SEC on Board
Per SBJ, adding SEC games to ABC has helped give the network seven of the ten most-watched games during the college football season and 11 of the top 15. Leading the way is Georgia-Alabama from Sept. 28, with just under 12 million viewers on ABC.
^{Sports Business Journal}

WNBA Playoffs Viewership Experiencing 25-Year High 
The WNBA Playoffs heads into tonight’s Game 3 of the Lynx-Liberty Finals with the league’s best viewership across ESPN networks in 25 years (since the inaugural 1997 season). The league is averaging just over 1 million viewers per game during the playoffs to date across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, up 131% compared to the same point of the 2023 postseason (435,000 viewers) and up 119% from the same point in 2022 (457,000).
^{Sports Business Journal}

Updated NFL Coach Hot Seat: Who Will Be the 2nd Coach Fired After Robert Saleh?
Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab writes, “The time when it's reasonable to fire a head coach during the season seems to keep moving up. We had one fired after five games this season, and it seems like others could happen before Thanksgiving. Maybe Halloween.

“The NFL is getting more impatient, whether it's with draft pick development, quarterbacks or coaches. Robert Saleh was fired by the New York Jets after a 2-3 start. Maybe that emboldens other teams to make a move in the first half of the season.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Thomas Tuchel Hired as England Head Coach Ahead of 2026 World Cup and Targets ‘Second Star’ 
AP News’ James Robson writes, “Thomas Tuchel was hired as England coach on Wednesday and tasked with the challenge of ending the national team’s decades-long wait for a trophy.

“The German, who previously managed Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, has signed an 18-month contract that begins in January and runs through to the 2026 World Cup in the United States.”
^{AP News}

NFL Owners Approve Jaguars’ 1.4 Billion Stadium Renovation Project
According to The Athletic, NFL owners unanimously approved the $1.4 billion renovation of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ EverBank Stadium. With the approval, construction on the “Stadium of the Future” project is set to begin in February 2025. It is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2028 NFL season.

“The venue will be world-class by every definition,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “It will impressively serve the Jaguars and their fans, attract major sports and entertainment events to our region, and serve as an economic catalyst for decades to come.
^{The Athletic}

Where Rays Will Play '25 Home Games in Question Amid Damage Assessment of Tropicana Field
It is likely that the Rays "won't be able to open the 2025 Major League Baseball season" at Tropicana Field as the team faces several major unknowns, such as "where [they] play, how long they are displaced and what repairs beyond a new custom roof are needed to return," according to Marc Topkin of the TAMPA BAY TIMES via SBJ. The Rays must “get a sense on whether they are looking for a temporary home for a few months, for a full season or for all three years.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

NCAA Pushing Change to 12-Men Penalty This Week After Oregon Used Intentionally
On 3’s Pete Nakos writes, “Days after Dan Lanning and Oregon took advantage of a college football rule loophole, the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee is actively engaged in making an in-season action. The Ducks sent 12 defenders onto the field with 10 seconds remaining against Ohio State on a third-down play. The Buckeyes threw an incomplete pass as Oregon was penalized, with four seconds running off the clock.

“NCAA rules currently do not require the clock to be reset after a 12-men penalty is called. The NCAA is now evaluating in-season action after the controversial call impacted Oregon’s win over Ohio State.”
^{On 3}

Big East Seeking Supplementary Media Package for Men’s, Women’s Basketball
After securing a six-year deal with Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and TNT Sports for its main media rights package earlier this year, the Big East is hunting a supplemental package, Commissioner Val Ackerman told SBJ.

SBJ’s Ben Portnoy reports: “The Big East’s main TV package is reportedly worth around $75 million to $80 million annually—good for a per-school distribution of $6 million to $8 million between media rights and other payouts.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

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