While the long shadow of another quadrennial upheaval threatened to diminish the NFL’s stranglehold on American media consumption, the 2024 election cycle had relatively little impact on the league’s TV ratings. Unlike 2016, when NFL deliveries fell 8% in the face of the Trump-Clinton race, this season’s numbers are flat versus the heady year-ago turnout …
Saquon Barkley Skips Rush Record but Can Gain $3M With Bonuses
Saquon Barkley won’t break the NFL’s single-season rushing record, but he’s on pace to shatter his personal best earnings year. The Philadelphia Eagles running back was announced on the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster on Thursday for the third time in his seven-year career. That inclusion triggers a $250,000 Pro Bowl bonus that was baked into …
As LeBron James Turns 40, Earnings in NBA Exceed $1.5 Billion
LeBron James turned 40 years old on Monday and continues to defy Father Time on the court with a scoring average of 23.5 points per game on 50% shooting. The previous high-water scoring mark for a player in his 40s: 14.6 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the 1987-88 season. James’ off-court game is even stronger, with …
NBA Christmas Games Nearly Erase Season-Long Ratings Deficit
For the last two weeks, the sports-media cognoscenti have gotten themselves all worked up about the NBA’s TV ratings, divining disaster from a few desultory sniffs through the early-season results. For some, the declines were symptomatic of a greater disorder originating from within the league itself, something egregious enough to effectively drive a fifth of …
Rickey Henderson Caps 2024’s Lineup of Departed Baseball Greats
The last time I saw Rickey Henderson was late September in the Athletics’ clubhouse as the last, sad homestand at the Oakland Coliseum wound down to its final game. I’d known him since 1979 when he was brought up to the big leagues in his first run with the A’s. He was 20 at the …
Miami’s Larrañaga Leaves College Sports ‘Exhausted,’ Like Many Peers
Jim Larrañaga could handle—and repeatedly thrived—in the old college sports system, where athletes could only get paid under-the-table, even if that meant the Feds might subpoena his text messages. But the 75-year-old University of Miami head men’s basketball coach acknowledged this week that he didn’t have what it takes—at least not at this point in …
How the NBA Pulled Off Its ‘Jingle Hoops’ Christmas Ad
The third most-watched video on the NBA YouTube channel isn’t game footage or a dunk highlight reel. It’s a commercial. “Jingle Hoops” was a 30-second spot released in November 2013 promoting the NBA’s special Christmas edition uniforms and Dec. 25 game schedule. The video features five NBA stars shooting balls into baskets with tuned bells …
NASCAR Motion Denied as 23XI and Front Row Near Charter Status
In a move that shifts the gravity of the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports antitrust case against NASCAR to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell on Monday denied NASCAR’s motion to stay—pending NASCAR’s appeal to the Fourth Circuit—the injunction Bell ordered last week. The injunction, which applies …
23XI Racing, Front Row Dispute NASCAR’s ‘Tired’ Case
23XI Racing, which is owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports filed a brief Monday morning urging U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell to deny NASCAR’s motion for a stay of a preliminary injunction. Unless stayed by Bell or vacated on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth …
Cousins Benching Calls Attention to QB Succession Plan Pitfalls
For NFL teams, quarterback succession plans can be one of the toughest procedures to pull off smoothly. Just ask the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta surprised people around the league at the 2024 NFL Draft when it selected former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick one month after signing veteran QB Kirk Cousins …
NFL’s Clash With College Football Playoff Is Rooted in 1961 Law
For the better part of the last 63 years, the NFL has steered clear of scheduling Saturday games while school is in session, only to watch in bemusement as college football’s expansionist impulses have undone a lifetime of studied avoidance. That two of the first-round CFP games are on a collision course with a pair …
Shedeur Sanders Brings QB Skills, Cultural Clout to NFL Draft
Las Vegas Raiders fan Ralph Sotelo went viral during the team’s Monday Night Football matchup when TV cameras panned his way while holding a sign that read: Tank for Shedeur. That clear message spread across social media as one of the few memorable moments during the Raiders 10th straight loss. Many members of Raider Nation …
NASCAR Argues New Judge’s Mistake Led to Michael Jordan Injunction
NASCAR made several legal moves Thursday in hopes of preventing Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports from gaining ground in their high-profile antitrust dispute. NASCAR filed an emergency motion for a partial stay of an injunction U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell issued Wednesday in favor of 23XI Racing and Front Row and requested he …
Boston Celtics Sale Document Casts Light on NBA Business Model
The Boston Celtics won their record 18th NBA title this year, one more than their longtime rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. Boston now has another record in its sights—the most expensive NBA team ever sold, and potentially the most expensive team across all sports. A document prepared for prospective buyers outlines what factors may go …
NBA Team Values 2024: Warriors, Knicks Lead as Average Hits $4.6B
The NFL flexed its financial muscles this month with several LP-stake sales at rich valuations, including more than $8 billion for both the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL checks two boxes that make it the envy of every other sports league: cost certainty for each team and a $400 million-plus annual check from …