A big week for college sports; Layoffs hit MSG and takeaways from SBJ's Reader Survey.
A big week for college sports; Layoffs hit MSG and takeaways from SBJ's Reader Survey.
When I was younger, my goal was always to go to Major League Baseball's winter meetings. I always thought I'd get my first job in sports business, talking to a general manager or spending time with Peter Gamons. Well, MLBs Winter started yesterday in San Diego. It's the first time in a while as the meetings were canceled by the pandemic in 2020 and by the lockout in 21. We know there's a strong class of free agents on the market. It's been relatively quiet so far this off season. But look for baseball's hot stove. Talk to heat up at the winter meetings. And this is your morning buzz cast for Monday, December 5th. Good morning. I'm a mad core. Thanks for listening to the Buzz Cast. We are all set for the final four in football, as the CFP has Georgia taking on Ohio State while Michigan faces tcu.
I was at the ACC title game on Saturday night, and all the smart people I talked to outlined these match up. So there is not much controversy. There was talk about how Michigan and Ohio State could play in the semifinals or if Alabama might get into the mix somehow at the end. But in the end, the committee went with their gut and went with the best teams. So you have Georgia, Ohio State, December 31st at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. You have Michigan TCU playing at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona the same day. The National championship game is scheduled for January 10th at SoFi. Now, like I said, most agree, the committee got it right. It was a big setback for the PAC 12 as Utah beat USC in the championship game on Friday before a crowd of more than 60,000 at Allegion Stadium. That loss dropped USC from the CFP picture.
But the title game has been a strong success for the Pac 12. It was a sold out Allegiant stadium and the next few months we'll be very important for the PAC 12. You'll see a new media rights deal in the first quarter of 2023. And then could you see some expansion of the PAC 12? So that's a conference you're gonna wanna keep your eye on. Let's move on. A very tough day at Madison Square Garden. Last week when a number of talented and experienced staffers were let go in the company's marketing department, Madison Square Garden made some significant changes, including moving on from Chief Sales and marketing officer Ron Za, who has been with the company since 2008 in a former 40 under 40 honoree. Also senior vice president of Marketing Partnerships, hospitality Sales and client Services, Rob Sullivan. A six year MSG employee is no longer with the company and senior Vice President of Business Solutions, Evan Frankel and Mike Leer, who was senior vice president of Partnership Strategy.
Sales and management all gone. So the layoffs were part of a reorganization, which you'll see the Marketing Partnership Group report into msg Sports president and ceo Dave Hopkinson Sources said that overall more than two dozen employees across Madison Square Garden Sports lost their job. Let's move on to baseball. A big move late last week that increased MLBs diversity in its leadership ranks. The Milwaukee Brewer's name, Marty Roski as Chief Operating Officer and her promotion marks the first time the Brewer's front office has named a woman to the post of Chief Operating Officer. Roski will also be the highest ranking female executive for the team since Wendy Clic pre served as president and chairman. So Marty Roski is currently the only female executive to hold the COO title for any MLB team and only two women. Mariner's President of Business Operations, Katie Griggs and Marlin's President of Business Operations, Carolyn O'Connor, who was recently promoted rank higher at the team level.
Marty Roski will be entering her 20th season with the Brewers in 2023. She's currently the club's general counsel. Let's move on to other names. Deion Sanders boys. He hot and he is a topic and a name that will surely be discussed at our Intercollegiate Athletics forum in Las Vegas. And coaching. And coaching salaries will come up and building buzz around a program cuz Deion Sanders brings all that. He'll be Colorado's next football coach in a deal. Reported to be worth at least 4.5 million a year. He took the Colorado job even though there was interest in him from Cincinnati and South Florida. But this is a big hire by athletic director Rick George. It certainly energizes the fan base. Colorado's been a little bit sleepy in the PAC 12 and now they're really looking to make a statement change some of their transfer requirements. Bring on Deion Sanders.
He should immediately jump star interest in the program that is coming off a one and 11 season in three seasons at Jackson State. Deion Sanders lost only five games. Colorado has only had two winning seasons since 2006. So a big hire for Colorado and landing Deion Sanders. Check out s BJ's 17th Annual Reader Survey. We had more than 1100 participants. Answer 43 questions, great insights into what you're thinking. Live golf is the story of the year. The influence of name, image, and likeness is also one of your big stories of the year. Meanwhile, readers are really bullish on the growth potential of women's sports. As the NWSL was seen as the emerging league, that would prove to be the wisest investment. Meanwhile, the NFL was seen again as the hottest sports property. But how many of you expected Formula One finishing second In this category, it shows just how hot this sport has become as it just barely edged out the nba. Nascar, the Premier League, NCAA and MLB rounded out the top vote getters very interesting data from our 17th annual Reader survey. Read it all@sportsbusinessjournal.com. So that is your morning buzz cast for Monday, December 5th. I made Mad Core. Thanks for listening. I'll be out in Las Vegas for our Intercollegiate Athletics forum for the rest of this week. The Buzz Cast will be brought to you by David Albright. Stay healthy, be good to each other. I'll speak to you down the Road.