Front Office Sports Today

The NHL is looking to this weekend’s Stadium Series to help grow interest in the league. With team values rising, the league is expected to expand in the coming years. However, a hiatus from the Olympics and a fumbled response to the question of whether players can wear pride tape on their sticks shows a league that sometimes causes its own problems. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan joins the show to discuss the state of the league.Plus, Tiger Woods begins his next chapter, the Oakland A’s will have the first female lead play-by-play announcer in MLB history, and the Kansas City Royals campaign to fund a new downtown ballpark.This episode is sponsored by:Autotrader: autotrader.com/seeitfindit

The NFL just wrapped up arguably its biggest season yet, and now faces some compelling offseason questions: Will the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders secure new stadium deals? Can the league continue to push the envelope on streaming-exclusive broadcasts? What opportunities are there for the week one Friday game in Brazil?We dive into those issues, plus Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes, executive producers of an upcoming Apple TV docuseries on the New England Patriots, join to discuss how they chronicled one of the most dominant teams in NFL history.

Sin City saw its rise as a sports city come to fruition with Sunday’s Super Bowl, but more and more economists are questioning the value of hosting major sporting events. The city is also learning the quirks of Oakland A’s owner John Fisher, as he seeks funding for a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.FOS contributor Dan Kaplan and The Athletic columnist Tim Kawakami join the show to discuss the perils and profits that the city has felt as a high-profile sports destination.

The spectacle that is Super Bowl week is reaching new heights in Las Vegas. Long before kickoff, NFL players, media personnel, celebrities, and brands flooded the city for both business and pleasure. Ahead of the game, our writers on the scene join for a roundtable talk on the wild week. Plus, a development firm put out ambitious renderings for a new Chicago White Sox stadium, the NBA is embracing the flow of money from the Middle East, and Patrick Beverly broke the news of his own trade.

Disney’s quarterly earnings showed strength at ESPN and narrow losses from its streaming services. This week, ESPN announced both a joint streaming venture with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, and a separate standalone product that will put the ESPN cable channel on a streaming service along with ESPN Bet integration and other features. We dive into how the network is shaping its cord-cutting strategy.Plus, Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Phil Simms chime in from Radio Row, we have exclusive data on whether fans would pay to watch the Super Bowl, and the Boston Red Sox are getting the “Hard Knocks” treatment.

A ruling by the National Labor Relations Board puts college athletes on the path to becoming employees of their schools. While appeals are expected, the NCAA could face an equally tough audience from the Supreme Court, should the case progress that far.Plus, the mayor of Las Vegas responds to the reaction from her interview on this show, ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are launching a sports-focused streaming service, and we look back on the NFL season and ahead to the NFL draft with ESPN’s Matt Miller.This episode is sponsored by:Autotrader: autotrader.com/seeitfindit

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman applauds the city’s rise as a sports destination with one exception: the Oakland A’s. Mayor Goodman told Front Office Sports that she believes the team’s plans at the Tropicana site don’t make sense and that the team ought to stay in Oakland. She also discussed a potential NBA team there, and how the city will adjust in future years hosting Formula 1 to mitigate harm to small businesses.Plus, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his annual Super Bowl press conference, FIFA announced the World Cup final host, Inter Miami’s international tour has disappointed Lionel Messi fans, and the Kansas City Royals made one of the biggest signings in baseball history.

The NFL has embraced sports betting with its first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, but the league’s gambling by-laws present a maze of potential hazards for the hundreds of players that will be in Sin City for the week. Players on NFL rosters have to navigate detailed regulations on casino events and the rules around sportsbook locations. The situation is primed for rule breaking, whether intentional or accidental. Plus, Kylian Mbappe has reportedly picked a new team, NHL players will participate in the next two Winter Olympics, and we dive into the strange world of Super Bowl ads with USA Today’s Rick Suter.

A documentary film on Providence and its former head basketball coach Ed Cooley from an anonymous social media user known as “Blue Demon Degenerate” caused a huge stir. The project raises questions about creator content and journalistic ethics. The doc has rippled throughout sports media and prompted an apology from writer Jeff Goodman over messages he sent to the filmmaker.Plus, a University of Tennessee lawsuit against the NCAA presents another threat to amateurism, and Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for Ferrari.

Peter Angelos has agreed to sell the Baltimore Orioles after owning them for 31 years. The new ownership group is led by private equity executive and Baltimore native David Rubenstein. It includes Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill, as well as former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and prompts questions on how this will alter team operations and whether it will lead to the sale of the Washington Nationals. Sam Dingman, co-host of the Orioles podcast The Rumor, joins the show to discuss what this means for the team and their fans.Plus, the PGA Tour has secured a $1.5 billion investment that could rise to $3 billion as it continues to negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The deal bolsters the future of the leading golf organization as it works to determine the future of the sport.