NFL viewership down 2% after late season drop
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Ted Keith: Previewing a big football weekend featuring the CFP & the NFL Playoffs; a look at the viewership for TGL's debut and an update on the ownership future for two MLB franchises
A proposal from the power conferences stands to “potentially remake the NCAA governance and championship structure, shifting more authority to the power leagues over rule-making, policy decisions and, even, postseason events." The proposal would “grant the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC rights to manage postseason championships,” such as the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, "assuming control over events that have long been operated" by the NCAA. The proposal is described only as a “working document” and is “not a complete or approved product.” But it indicates a “clear direction” from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, which “want an expansion of their previously existing autonomous legislative powers." Such changes to the NCAA governance structure “may require a vote of the full Division I membership -- likely a difficult majority to obtain” (YAHOO SPORTS, 1/8).
Main Street Sports Group is expanding its senior leadership team with the appointment of former ESPN exec Norby Williamson as President of Production & Programming, effective January 13. Williamson will be responsible for overseeing live productions for NBA, NHL and MLB events, as well as original programming for FanDuel Sports Network’s 16 RSNs. Williamson’s career at ESPN stretched nearly 40 years, beginning in the mailroom in 1985. His most recent title was Executive Editor & Head of Event and Studio Production. His duties at Main Street Sports Group will include pre-game, game and post-game strategy and innovation, along with managing operations and content across linear and digital platforms. Williamson will report to Main Street Sports Group CEO David Preschlack. The moves follows Main Street Sports' rebrand from Diamond Sports Group after emerging from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings (SBJ).
The Titans have been "granted permission to interview" Browns Assistant GM & VP/Football Operations Catherine Hickman for its open GM position after firing Ran Carthon earlier this week. Hickman has been in her role with the Browns since 2022 after being hired in 2019 as the football operations coordinator for the Eagles. Hickman is currently the NFL’s highest-ranking female executive with a team. Meeting with Hickman will help Tennessee meet the Rooney Rule that requires a team to interview at least two outside candidates who are either a person of color or female (AP, 1/8).
Scrum Ventures, an early-stage investment firm based in Tokyo and S.F., has closed its first sector-specific fund, Scrum Sports & Entertainment Fund I, at $68M. Scrum previously raised four other general purpose funds that included startups working in the sports space -- including Zippin, Maestro and LiveLike -- but SSE will hew more closely to the sports and entertainment theme, although still do so broadly.
The managing directors of the new fund are Mike Proman, a former Coca-Cola and NBA executive, and Kazuhiro Kiyoshige, a longtime international sports marketer at Dentsu. Proman indicated that Scrum Ventures will approach the vertical “in a way that probably isn't as industry endemic as some of the peer funds that do invest in sports technology.”
SSE has already made 20 investments in 16 companies, deploying about half of the new fund. Among the notable startups in its portfolio are TMRW Sports, Misapplied Sciences, Campus Ink, Bandit Running and Volo Sports.
“If I dissect our initial 16 companies, many of them wouldn't necessarily qualify as a sports tech company on its face, and I think that's just a reflection of how the industry has evolved,” Proman told SBJ by phone while roaming the aisles at CES. “Sport and entertainment is now more or less ubiquitous with general culture and lifestyle.”
When asked about themes of interest right now, Proman said, “AI is a huge one for us. The other ones are looking at areas that support massive disruption -- licensing is a good example of that in the space. Anything that touches strong IP is a general theme, or can further accelerate or democratize IP.”
He added that Scrum keeps its eyes on “nascent pockets of the industry,” such as college athletes and legalized sports betting which are a few years old but still relatively new when viewed through “the venture lens.” He also recently wrote a piece for Crunchbase, noting the appeal of “tribal tech” -- platforms that build community and purpose.
On the pod this week, co-hosts Austin Karp and Mollie Cahillane take a deep dive into the CFP semifinals as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas look to get to the championship. The duo also discuss the NFL playoffs getting underway (with the Houston Texans in a familiar Wild Card window). They are then joined by ESPN SVP/Digital, Social & Streaming Content Kaitee Daley and she shares her insights on what keeps her group so successful. Later in the show, S&P Global Ratings Managing Director Naveen Sarma breaks down what Wall Street is eyeing around sports.
Former NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter, who settled a lawsuit with the league last fall pertaining to his 2023 contract that was not renewed, announced on social media Wednesday that he "is now retired" (SI, 1/8).
SI went with the header, "Jessica Berman Is SI’s 2024 Innovator of the Year." Berman joined the NWSL as commissioner "in a moment of crisis." The league was "roiled by a series of abuse scandals" and it "had only just started to negotiate" its first CBA with its players’ association. Berman had a long career in professional sports, but she "had never worked in soccer." It was "daunting to consider taking on a situation where trust was that broken." And the league’s place in the sports landscape was "tenuous." There were "major questions" about what the league would do without the support of U.S. Soccer, which had managed the league prior to Berman's arrival. It "needed to grow in order to survive." The NWSL "did that over the last two years," and the moves it "pulled off to keep building momentum this season" have made Berman Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Innovator of the Year.
Also:
Notice a pattern:
— Damien S. Butler (@Damien_Butler8) January 8, 2025
Antonio Pierce: Fired after 1 season.
Jerod Mayo: Fired after 1 season.
Lovie Smith: Fired after 1 season.
David Culley: Fired after 1 season.
Steve Wilks: Fired after 1 season.
Ran Carthon: Fired after 2 seasons.
Great day to hit the slopes... or maybe @IMS? Who would've thought the first lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2025 would be @jdouglas4 on a snowboard. A little bit slower than an IndyCar, but the greatest spectacle in racing is getting closer. #IsItMayYet #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/ogDUervHdM
— Eric Graves (@ReporterEric) January 9, 2025
"The last claim awarded under this act was in 1988, 126 years after it passed, for a parcel of land in Alaska."
The Morning Buzz offers today's back pages and sports covers from some of North America's major metropolitan newspapers:
"What is the Homestead Act?"
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