Sport & Story Daily February 5, 2024

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February 5, 2024

Good morning! Your digital footprint for Nielsen Ratings is about to get a whole lot bigger

Sports TV Ratings Are About to Get Even Bigger. Here’s Why.
As Sportico’s Anthony Crupi writes, “Sports TV ratings are about to enjoy another growth spurt, as Nielsen is preparing to beef up its out-of-home reporting system beyond the 44 markets it currently monitors. Set to kick in early next year, the expanded OOH scheme is expected to unearth hitherto undetected impressions captured in public venues such as bars, restaurants and gyms, which in turn should give the networks some leeway to raise their in-game advertising rates.”
^sportico.com

NFL Sponsors Get Las Vegas Sphere Ad Exclusivity During Super Bowl Week
As Ad Age reports, “Outside of in-game ads, one of the most valuable—and expensive—pieces of Super Bowl ad inventory is on the Las Vegas Sphere, the rotund arena whose massive outer shell, dubbed ‘exosphere,’ is expected to command major attention Super Bowl week. But when it comes to buying Sphere placements, NFL sponsors are getting special treatment.

League sponsors got exclusive rights to Sphere ads during Super Bowl week as result of a collaborative deal between the NFL and operators of the venue, an NFL spokesperson confirmed to Ad Age today. The league is expected to make an official announcement on the deal in the coming days.”
^adage.com

Michael Jordan’s NBA Finals Sneakers Fetch Record-Breaking Auction Sale Price
A set of six of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s NBA Finals-worn shoes broke a global auction sale record on Friday.

“The Dynasty Collection” sold for $8,032,800, which is a new record for game-worn shoes, according to Sotheby’s.

The collection of six shoes included one shoe from each of the years in which Jordan and the Bulls won the NBA title: Air Jordan VI (1991), Air Jordan VII (1992), Air Jordan VIII (1993), Air Jordan XI (1996), Air Jordan XII (1997) and Air Jordan XIV (1998). Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP title each of those years.
^si.com

Theo Epstein Joins FSG as Senior Advisor
Fenway Sports Group announced Friday that MLB exec Theo Epstein has “joined its group and will serve as a senior advisor,” according to Darren Hartwell of NBCSPORTSBOSTON.com. The new role “represents a homecoming” for Epstein, who served as Red Sox GM from 2002-11. Epstein had been working for MLB as a consultant with a “focus on improving the game” and “played a role” in MLB instituting the pitch clock as well as other pace-of-play rule changes.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Big properties are Getting Bigger, But are Rights Fees Flattening?
SBJ’s John Kosner and Ed Desser paired up to take on this admittedly daunting topic, noting, “Throughout our careers, premium sports properties have resembled growth stocks: rights fees headed skyward at double-digit rates. Sports perfectly exploited pay TV’s dual-revenue-stream-powered boom. National broadcast network deals grew, supported by station retransmission consent fees; powerhouse cable networks developed, propelled by affiliate revenue. Meanwhile, local pro team agreements drove near-ubiquitous distribution of RSNs. Sports advertising’s rising tide lifted all boats.

As we chronicled (SBJ, Dec. 11, 2023), the industry has entered a daunting new frontier. Recently, the Premier League, WWE, and NASCAR announced media deals more in line with inflation than growing at the previously hyper-inflationary levels.”
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

FIFA Picks MetLife Stadium for '26 World Cup Final
FIFA today announced the schedule for the 2026 World Cup, and the final will be held at MetLife Stadium. Speculation around the location of the final came down the MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium. While AT&T Stadium will miss out on holding the final, it will hold the most matches of any tournament host site with nine. That includes hosting a semifinal match alongside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Hard Rock Stadium will play host to the third-place match. The tournament's opening match will be held at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Auburn Board of Trustees Approves New Video Board for Jordan-Hare Stadium's North End Zone
“We are appreciative of the Auburn Board of Trustees for its continued support of Auburn Athletics and the Auburn Family,” Auburn athletics director John Cohen said in the release. “This video board project will not only take a big step in our efforts to provide a better aesthetic balance between Jordan-Hare Stadium’s north and south end zones and an improved sound experience, but more importantly, will continue to modernize the fan experience for our fan base.
^oanow.com

Bill Belichick Penned a Heartfelt Thank You to Patriots Fans in a Full Page of the Boston Globe
As USA Today’s Prince J. Grimes writes, “During his time as New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick didn’t show much affection for, well, anything. Now that his tenure is over, though, the man in the hoodie is showing a softer side.

Belichick took a full page out of the Boston Globe Sunday for a thank you letter to fans, nearly a month after his split from the team. The last head coaching vacancy was finally filled Thursday, leaving Belichick without a seat for 2024. But it didn’t leave him without gratitude for his previous stop.
^{ftw.usatoday.com}

Mailbag: Kliavkoff’s Status, a Replacement Option, ACC Scenarios For Stanford and Cal, Big Ten TV, Portal Problems and More
As the Mercury News’ Jon Wilner writes, “In ruling WSU and OSU were the sole members of the Pac-12 board of directors, a Washington state superior court in Colfax and the Washington Supreme Court in Olympia clearly believed the 10 departing schools relinquished their board seats upon announcing they were joining new conferences.

Kliavkoff’s early-September push to call a board meeting of all 12 schools, therefore, could be viewed as traitorous — a move that acted against the best interests of the Pac-12 — because WSU and OSU were the Pac-12.

Which means there could be a case to terminate Kliavkoff for cause and potentially avoid paying the remaining $8 million on his contract.

However, any attempt to terminate Kliavkoff for cause would assuredly result in a lawsuit and, ultimately, a negotiated settlement.

Because all 12 schools must share in liabilities, the difference between paying Kliavkoff his full buyout and a settlement amount would be negligible (on a per-campus basis). It’s likely several hundred thousand dollars per school.”
^{mercurynews.com}

Colorado Athletics Recorded Nearly $9.9 Million Deficit for 2023 Fiscal Year
As BuffZone.com’s Brian Howell reports, “Lower than expected distribution from the Pac-12 Conference and the cost of a coaching change in football contributed to the University of Colorado athletics department recording a deficit of nearly $9.9 million for the 2023 fiscal year.

In the recently published NCAA financial report for the 2023 fiscal year, CU showed a net loss of $9,086,178. The NCAA report includes some accounting differences due to definitions of certain revenues and expenses that they include which differ from CU’s actual budget. According to numbers provided by CU to BuffZone.com, the athletic department actually operated at a loss of $9,896,846 for the 2023 fiscal year.”
^buffzone.com

Baylor AD Critical of Refs After Scott Drew's First Ejection
"I'm not somebody that calls the officials or calls the league after every game," Baylor Athletic Director Mark Rhoades told reporters. "In fact, I never call when it comes to officiating. It's always about, 'We need to play better, we need to execute better, we need to play tougher,' all of those things. But tonight was an embarrassment for this league. We have the best basketball league in the country, and the officiating tonight did not match it. Period. End of story."
^espn.com

NCAA Files Response in Tennessee, Virginia NIL Lawsuit
“Allowing member institutions and associated groups or individuals to induce prospective student-athletes to attend a particular institution by offering NIL compensation would inevitably lead to a greater concentration of talent in a smaller number of member institutions,” the response states.

Tennessee and Virginia now have until Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to respond.
^on3.com

In reference to the above 👆🏼, Tom Mars writes, “I love the enthusiasm of UT fans about the lawsuit filed by the AG against the NCAA. However, every seasoned trial lawyer in the country would agree that well-intentioned fans staging a “walk” in Greenville the day of the PI hearing would be a mistake that could backfire badly.”
^twitter.com

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