The Los Angeles Rams have held designated NFL commercial marketing rights in Australia since 2021, when the nation became one of their six International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA). LA will be able to strengthen its footprint there as the nominal home team for a 2026 NFL international game in Melbourne against a still-to-be-determined opponent, the …
Tom Brady Has Mastered the Art of Saying Nothing. Good for Him.
If Derek Jeter invented the strategy of preemptive blandness, a verbal jiu-jitsu move that cloaks every utterance in a gauze of impenetrable nothingness, Tom Brady has earned a Vantablack® belt in the discipline. Speaking to media reporters on a pre-Super Bowl LIX conference call convened by Fox Sports Wednesday, Brady used his well-honed deflection skills to …
MLB Owners Put Padres Control Decision on Meeting Agenda
Major League Baseball could decide this week on whether to approve John Seidler, an older brother of the late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, as the Padres control person. The topic is on Thursday’s agenda for the MLB owners’ meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., Sportico has learned, though a decision might not happen until later. Any approval could …
Sporticast 420: MLS Valuations Breakdown
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Jacob Feldman are joined by Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen to discuss Sportico’s recently published MLS valuations. The average team is now worth $72 million, up 6% from 2024, but there is a growing divide between MLS’ top franchises and the rest of the pack. Badenhausen explains what …
NHL Salary Cap Projected to Soar $25.5M After Stagnant Six Years
The NHL and its union announced a significant increase to its salary cap over the next three years, projecting a jump from $88 million this season to $113.5 million for the 2027-28 season. The NHL cap has barely budged in the last six years, since it was set at $79.5 million for the 2018-19 season. …
Terry Rozier Betting Probe Shows Feds’ Wide-Ranging Power Over NBA
The unique and pervasive powers of federal prosecutors are key to unpacking an ongoing criminal investigation into illegal sports betting schemes that might touch on Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. In short, federal authorities might uncover information about an NBA player that the NBA doesn’t uncover. As reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, prosecutors from the Eastern …
MLS Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From LAFC to CF Montréal
The average MLS team is worth $721 million, according to data compiled by Sportico. Los Angeles FC ranks first at $1.28 billion, while CF Montréal ranks last at $450 million. Below are the values of the league’s 29 franchises, which are collectively worth $20.9 billion. The league will expand to 30 teams this season when …
Chiefs, Bills Set AFC Title Game Record With 57.4M Viewers
After conspiring to deliver the biggest regular-season ratings for a Sunday NFL game this season, the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs reconvened last weekend for what would prove to be the most-watched AFC championship game on the books. According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, Kansas City’s 32-29 win over the Bills in the conference …
Ohio State Athletics Spending Rose to Nearly $300M in FY24
Ohio State University, which has led the nation in athletic department spending for the past six years, reported a total of $293 million in expenditures for the 2023-24 season, according to its latest NCAA financial disclosures. That was an increase of roughly $17 million the school said it spent on athletics in 2022-23. Of its …
Bills LP Jozy Altidore Crosses Sports Border in New NFL Role
A New Jersey native, Jozy Altidore grew up a New York Giants fan. But nowadays the former United States national team soccer player sports a different shade of red and blue. Altidore recently joined the Buffalo Bills ownership group as a limited partner—part of a consortium of minority owners that includes former NBA stars Tracy …
College Football Title Ratings Fall 12% as Pay-TV Erosion Accelerates
The first College Football Playoff National Championship under the expanded 12-team format took a bit of a ratings hit, as Ohio State’s victory over Notre Dame averaged 22.1 million viewers, good for a 12% decline compared to the year-ago mark. Deliveries peaked from 8:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. ET, when 26.1 million fans were tuned …
NFL Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From Cowboys to Bengals
The average NFL team is worth $5.93 billion, according to data compiled by Sportico. The Dallas Cowboys rank first at $10.3 billion, while the Cincinnati Bengals rank last at $4.71 billion.
Brendan Donohue, Ex-NBA 2K League President, Joins Elevate
Former NBA 2K League president and longtime NBA executive Brendan Donohue is joining sports consulting firm Elevate, the company announced Tuesday. Donohue will contribute to the company’s North American strategy as a special adviser to the CEO and step in as managing partner of Elevate Talent, an arm of the business launched last year after Elevate acquired …
Under Armour Lucks Out With Notre Dame Sponsorship
When Notre Dame faces off against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Monday night, the game will also be a showdown of the school’s apparel sponsors: Under Armour (Notre Dame) vs. Nike (Ohio State). College football championships are old hat for Nike, as the partner of recent champions Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU …
Lamar, Allen Highlight a Historic Season for Dual-Threat QBs
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have been two of the league’s most talked-about players as the NFL season has reached the playoffs. The leading MVP candidates have accelerated the league’s progression from an era littered with passing QBs like Tom Brady to one largely dominated by dual-threat quarterbacks. This season, NFL quarterbacks ran for 11,015 …