Bloomberg Business of Sports

Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the latest controversy involving the New England Patriots. A film crew for the team was accused of illegally filming the Cincinnati Bengals sideline last weekend. Though the team has acknowledged its mistakes and denied anything nefarious, it's not the first controversy involving the Patriots and filming opponents. Also discussed is Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai's latest sports investment, a $10 million stake in European esports franchise G2 Esports, which values the team at around $100 million. Also talked about is the New York Yankees landing pitching free agent Gerrit Cole on a nine-year $324 million contract. It's the largest contract ever given an MLB pitcher, both in total dollars and per-year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the New York Yankees preparing a record $250 million-plus contract offer to free-agent pitcher Gerrit Cole. The Yankees have reportedly made signing Cole, who spent last season with the Houston Astros, their top offseason priority. Also discussed is the college football playoff, which features the top four teams in the nation. The matchups are: LSU-Oklahoma and Clemson-Ohio State. The brand name matchups ensure a good television audience for the championship game. Also talked about is Russia’s four-year ban from the Olympics and other international competitions over a persistent doping scandal. The World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia’s national team after officials in Moscow were accused of fabricating evidence to cover up the use of banned substances.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Premier Lacrosse League co-founder (and player) Paul Rabil joins Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including a breakdown of the inaugural season of his league. PLL launched in 2019 as a player-centric league, with an eye toward using new technology and a tour-based model to redefine professional lacrosse. Rabil discusses the five ways the PLL makes money, and its strategies around social media and merchandise. Rabil also mentions what the future holds for PLL and its path toward profitability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including Tiger Woods's decision to turn down a massive appearance fee to play a tournament in Saudi Arabia. Woods also turned down an invitation to last year's event, which offers an appearance fee of about $3 million. Phil Michelson and Dustin Johnson have said they would attend the Saudi Invitational, drawing criticism. Also discussed is the apparent cultural shift going on in the National Hockey League, where several prominent coaches and broadcasters have been dismissed for things they've said and done. Also talked about is the the demolition of The Palace of Auburn Hills, the suburban Detroit arena that changed the landscape of sports facilities. It opened in 1988 and included 180 luxury suites, the premium seating that has became commonplace in new arenas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the return of football coach Greg Schiano to Rutgers University, whose athletic program is one of the most subsidized in the nation. The Big Ten Conference school's most successful football coach is returning to New Jersey in an attempt to resurrect the program he took to six bowl games in his final seven seasons. Rutgers was 2-10 this season. Schiano went 56-33 as the school's head football coach. Also discussed is Major League Baseball's decision to grant local digital rights to its teams, a move foreshadowed by Amazon's investment in the YES Network. And also discussed is the National Football League's suspension of Arizona Cardinals player Josh Shaw for betting on games.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American Athletic Association Commissioner Mike Aresco joins Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including his take on how college football teams in his conference are treated by those who determine national rankings and, by extension, postseason invitations and matchups. Aresco, a former executive at CBS and ESPN, says his teams -- which include the University of Central Florida, Temple, Cincinnati and Memphis -- aren't treated fairly by a system that seems to value membership in what are called the Power 5 Conferences like the SEC and Big Ten. Aresco also talks about the importance of his conference's new $1 billion television agreement with ESPN, and how he intends to secure a spot for the AAC in a major bowl game moving forward. Aresco also discusses the sports media landscape, and the blue turf at Boise State.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including what Duke basketball’s home-court loss to Stephen F. Austin says about the business of college basketball. Duke generates about $36 million in revenue from hoops, while Stephen F. Austin brings in less than $2 million. The loss snapped the Blue Devils’ 150-game non-conference home winning streak. Also discussed is Silver Lake’s $500 million investment in English soccer team Manchester City, which was valued at $4.8 billion in the deal. The private equity firm bought 10% of the club controlled by Abu Dhabi’s royal family. And also talked about is Fox Sports selling out of its Super Bowl commercial inventory. Prices for the 30-second spots went for as much as $5.6 million.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including this past weekend's protest that temporarily shut down the Harvard-Yale football game. Spectators rushed the field to stage a climate change protest at halftime, delaying the start of the second half by almost an hour and causing the game to finish in near darkness because the Yale Bowl doesn't have stadium lights. Also talked about are possible changes to the NBA schedule and in-season format. Talks with the players' union are taking place over changes that would include the reseeding of teams in the semifinal based on regular-season record, and an in-season tournament modeled after European soccer. Also discussed is EBay's sale of its ticket marketplace StubHub to European rival Viagogo for about $4 billion, allowing the company to focus on its main retail site and address pressure from shareholder activists.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ticketmaster President Jared Smith joins Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports. Ticketmaster handles about $30 billion in transaction value each year for over 425,000 events, with sports and concerts each accounting for about 40 percent of that business. Smith discusses pricing strategy for events, the role of the resale market, and the biggest pain point for ticket-buyers: the added fees. The group discusses Ticketmaster's new SafeTix program, being used in NFL stadiums across the country, and a recent request by two senators for an antitrust probe into the ticket industry. Back in 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice gave Ticketmaster a 10-year consent decree as part of its merger of Live Nation -- an agreement that expires next July, and its future is unclear.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams and Michael Barr discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including an economist's examination into what certain student-athletes should have been paid while still in school. It was estimated that New Orleans Pelicans standout and former Duke basketball player Zion Williamson, for instance, would've made more than $5 million while with the Blue Devils. The study was done by David Berri, a sports economist and professor of economics at Southern Utah University. Also discussed are sagging National Basketball Association ratings this season, particularly those on national telecasts, and a plan being considered by the New York Times to offer its sports section as a standalone digital subscription. In addition, Barr has a discussion with auto racing legend Roger Penske, who recently reached agreement with Hulman & Co. to purchase the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.