Tonight in Unpackings: The NFL is excited about players participating in the LA28 flag football competition, but as SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports in next week’s magazine, owners are also worried about the possibility of injuries.
- Mack Brown and Donor Support Help UNC Football Resume
- SBJ celebrates its New Voices Under 30
- LIV Golf does not rule out expansion before 2024
- MLB scores best LCS viewership since 2018
Listen to SBJ’s most popular podcast, Morning Buzzcastwhere Abe Madkour wraps up the week from Las Vegas with ESPN’s healthy finances, the KC Current’s big naming rights deal for its stadium and much more.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives have said they want active players to participate in flag football’s Olympic debut at LA28, but the views of those players’ employers – the owners – are more reserved.
The first Olympic medals for 5-on-5 flag football will likely be awarded within days of NFL training camp opening in July 2028. While most NFL executives like the idea that The Olympics serve as a marketing vehicle for the upcoming season and the sport in general, an injury to a star player could upend an owner’s business prospects in the blink of an eye.
Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president of the NFL, said the league saw a “desire and a path” to allow active players to participate in the Games; a handful of players – notably Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill – have expressed interest. The NFLPA had not commented as of press time.
Read Ben Fischer’s full story on the NFL and Olympic flag football as part of an early access preview of next week’s magazine.
A quick walk down Franklin Street offers visible proof of the fervor surrounding Mack Brown’s North Carolina team. Seven different players’ jerseys hang in the window of Chapel Hill Sportswear, in spots normally reserved for basketball jerseys. Outside the Shrunken Head store, a marker-inscribed sign reads: “It may be hurricane season, but not in Chapel Hill.” Day T-1 up 6-0.
The clearest physical evidence of Brown’s success comes in the form of improvements to Kenan Stadium, the Kenan Football Center and budget additions the school has committed to in recent years. Senior associate Rick Steinbacher estimates that North Carolina has spent between $100 million and $150 million on renovations at football-related businesses over the past decade, much of which was completed in the last five years.
Beyond facilities, North Carolina’s growing budgets have seen the school — and college football in general — spend more and more money on the program over the past decade. “(UNC) needed a catalyst. … Carolina football has been that for us,” said John Montgomery, executive director of the Rams Club, which raises money for UNC athletic scholarships.
Read Ben Portnoy’s full story on the Tarheels’ booming football program as part of a Early access to next week’s magazine
It was a celebration of the new sports business influencers Thursday evening in Las Vegas, reports SBJ’s Austin Karp. More than 100 industry executives, families and friends celebrated at Aria Resort & Casino’s Jewel Nightclub in honor of the 2023 class of New Voices under 30. The evening was supported by our presenting sponsors – TurnkeyZRG, Anheuser-Busch, Verizon and MGM Rewards.
Professional Bull Riders announcer Matt West was the emcee for the event, just before serving as the voice of the PBR Team Championship at T-Mobile Arena this weekend. The Drumbots, the LED percussion team of the NHL Golden Knights, brought the noise to the stage. Among the honorees who brought team pride to the evening was Nathan Goldberg Crenier, assistant general manager and director of soccer for Gotham FC of the NWSL, who wore his franchise’s sash all evening.
New Voices Under 30 winners party at Aria Resort & Casino Thursday night
Gary Davidson, COO of LIV Golf, would not rule out expanding its current structure of 12 teams and 48 players, reports SBJ’s Josh Carpenter.
Due to the LIV’s single start, where each group begins its turn at the same time, the league can only accommodate a maximum of 15 teams, he said. Although going from 12 to 15 probably isn’t feasible for next year, Davidson said he could add a 13th or 14th franchise. Davidson’s comments came just a day after Phil Mickelson posited that a wave of new players could join the league.
The first owners’ meeting of the post-Dan Snyder era was most notable for what it lacked: high-stakes tension. This is not to say that the meeting had no consequences: is there anything more important than a commissioner contract? — but there was a certain lightness around the Intercontinental Hotel, where happy subjects such as international growth and the solidity of the shareholders’ finances dominated, reports SBJ’s Ben Fischer.
This week’s SBJ Football newsletter also covers:
- Leaders stack up Germany’s business victories
- Bengals add new sponsor, Western & Southern, latest in wave of sales
- American Flag Football League announces venues and schedule
The IOC’s announcement that it will study the creation of an esports Olympics could be a watershed moment for competitive video gaming. Esports already has global appeal, but being part of the Olympic movement brings a different sense of legitimacy – and could potentially expose esports to audiences who would never have watched it otherwise, reports SBJ’s Kevin Hitt.
Also in this week’s SBJ Esports newsletter, Hitt reports on what esports organizations should focus on when building – or strengthening – their content creation arms.
- MLB records its best LCS viewership through five games since 2018, averaging 4.99 million viewers across Fox, FS1, TBS and truTV, writes SBJ’s Austin Karp. That’s a 13% increase from last year’s first five games, but there were no games on Fox in those first five matchups.
- Hispanic auto insurance company, Freeway Insurance, renews and expands its sponsorship of Trackhouse Racing and its driver Daniel Suarez, as the brand looks to continue leveraging NASCAR’s only Mexican driver to grow its business, reports SBJ’s Adam Stern.
- TendedBar will bring an automatic liquor machine to this weekend’s F1 Lenovo US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, notes Rob Schaefer of SBJ.
- Infinite Athlete, which synchronizes data and video delivery through its AI-powered FusionFeed API, is working with The 33rd Team, a media company providing advanced NFL content and analytics, reports SBJ’s Joe Lemire.
- The SBJ reader survey is back, and we want to hear from you. This year’s questions take a broad look at the industry and the many changes that have occurred over the past few years. Look for results in the Sports Business Journal the week of December 4.
