Ohio State head coach Ryan Day had his contract extended through the 2031 season with a salary increase that averages $12.5 million in annual compensation, the school announced on Thursday. The move comes just over two weeks after Day’s Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national title. The new deal slots Day behind only Georgia’s …
MLB Approves John Seidler as Padres Control Person
Major League Baseball owners on Thursday approved John Seidler, an older brother of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, as the Padres control person. The approval, which Sportico has confirmed was a unanimous vote and took place at a baseball owners’ meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., was made despite an intra-family dispute over a Seidler family …
‘Puka Doncic’ Says Luka Trade a Win for Jordan Brand
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t the only brand that stands to benefit from acquiring former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić. Jordan Brand, the Nike-owned apparel company inspired by NBA legend Michael Jordan, will also get a boost from one of the biggest trades in NBA history. At least that’s how fellow Jordan Brand athlete and …
Chiefs-Refs Conspiracy Theory Is Just That: Super Bowl Data Viz
You’ve seen the memes. “The Chiefs warming up for today’s game” captioning a video of NFL referees stretching on the field. “Unnecessary roughness for breathing on Patrick Mahomes … 15-yard penalty, automatic first down.” This year’s AFC Championship was just additional evidence for many NFL fans that the league’s referees are biased towards the Kansas …
Rams’ Australia Trip Part of Six-Nation Marketing Plan
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 …