NFL voting on complicated playoff scenarios; why Lacob finds the Angels opportunistic; Intrigue at the WWE and another key departure at LIV Golf
Nominations for the 2023 Sports Business Awards will close on Monday, January 23rd, so you have just under two weeks to submit your nomination. We have new categories, Deal of the Year, and Best in Sports Betting. This is the biggest honor in the sports business. Nominees will be announced on March 13th. To submit your nomination today, visit www.sports-business-awards.com. And this is your Morning Buzzcast for Friday, January 6th. I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast.
A big weekend coming up for the NFL, and there is still a lot of uncertainty. There are a lot of scenarios the league is still working through after the game between the Bengals and the Bills has been officially canceled and will not continue. Because of this canceled game, NFL owners will meet and supposedly vote today, on Friday, on scenarios approved by the Competition Committee, that involve a neutral site for an AFC Championship game.
Under a revised system, the AFC Championship Game could be played at a neutral site under certain conditions. Those circumstances involve the Bills or the Bengals reaching the game as the road team. So it really boils down to if Buffalo and Kansas City have the same record, a Bills-Chiefs Championship Game will be at a neutral site, and any Bengals or Bills versus Chiefs Championship Game will also be at a neutral site. But, for example, if the Buffalo Bills end up being the number one seed, they would host an AFC Championship Game. So there are a lot of scenarios.
In an interesting side note, Bengals' executive VP, Katie Blackburn, is on the Competition Committee. She, according to ESPN, urged the committee members to vote against this possible scenario and suggested the league use the usual standard of winning percentages to determine home field. She also argued that the process for any rule changes should be done in the off-season and not during the season. But NFL owners will meet today on Friday. They will likely vote and likely have to approve some of these scenarios because the league needs some clarity. So a lot of very difficult and very political decisions left to be made when it comes to the AFC.
Meanwhile, CNN is reporting the NFL is working on plans to recognize Damar Hamlin ahead of every game this upcoming weekend. Now, the plans on how they will recognize Hamlin have not yet been finalized.
We haven't heard a lot of talk about the possible sale of the Anaheim Angels, but it's now starting to heat up as Golden State Warriors' owner, Joe Lacob confirmed to the LA Times that he is exploring a possible purchase of the team. He has long been interested in MLB team ownership. We know that he's a very successful MBA owner. He sees great possibilities with the Angels and he is very bullish on the LA marketplace. Remember, the Phoenix Suns went for a record $4 billion. The Angels are expected to sell for at least $2.5 billion, which would be a record price for a Major League Baseball team. I still think that number is low, honestly, but remember, you have competition. You also have the Nationals for sale as well. So there are believed to be at least six parties considering a bid for the Anaheim Angels. They're reviewing the team's financial data and bidding is expected to start in February, so the sale of the Anaheim Angels starting to heat up.
Keep your eye on the WWE because there could be some major changes coming in the wake of Vince McMahon's un-retirement and his plan to return to the WWE and lead a sale of that business. The Wall Street Journal had a report yesterday that a lot of people in the sports business were talking about that Vince McMahon, who vacated his CEO position in July following reported multiple payouts to women amid allegations of sexual harassment, told the WWE that he is looking to return to the board and bring along with him two longtime executives, former co-presidents and directors, Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, who had left the company a couple of years ago. And he wants them to return to the board with him.
Now, that doesn't mean it will happen because the moves would require three existing members of the board to vacate their seats, and the board has really rebuffed any attempt from McMahon to return to the company, but he does retain the majority of the voting power. So again, it's complicated, but Vince McMahon wants to return and expedite a sale of the WWE before the WWE's media rights deals end in 2024. He believes those rights will be highly valuable in any potential sale. The WWE currently has deals with USA Network and Fox. So why is the story interesting? Well, this deals with a lot of relationships. People in the sports business are close to the WWE, and it's also family. Remember, the company is now run by co-presidents, Nick Khan, who's very well regarded, very, very influential, and also Vince McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon. Meanwhile, Stephanie McMahon's husband, Paul Levesque, Triple H is also in a key leadership role. So there's a lot of intrigue here.
The Wall Street Journal reported that it's unclear what would happen with the leadership team if Vince McMahon does somehow return. The current leadership has led the organization to what the WWE is projecting as record revenue and profits in the past year. The company posted over a billion dollars in revenue in 2021 and currently has a market value of over $5 billion. And there would be very interested suitors if the WWE is in fact for sale, but a lot of intrigue around that organization right now.
Let's move on. There have been calls for UFC President Dana White to take a leave of absence following the documented physical altercation he had with his wife on New Year's Eve. That incident has also led to the delay in the television debut of Dana White's new Power Slap League, which will be delayed by a week or so. ESPN is reporting that the Power Slap League will now debut January 18th on TBS rather than the initial launch date of January 11th. Now, the Power Slap League is being launched by Dana White and his former UFC business partners, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. As I understand it, the Slap League consists of two people alternating slaps to the face for three rounds or shorter if someone gets knocked out. It is a sanction in Nevada. But certainly, the timing of the launch of Dana White's Slap League is not ideal in the aftermath of his incident, which he has apologized for. But we'll continue to monitor the launch of Dana White's new league in the days ahead.
Finally, let's end the Buzzcast around people. Another blow to the executive ranks of LIV Golf. Matt Goodman, who became president of franchises for LIV Golf in May, is no longer with the golf organization, and this marks the second departure of a senior executive in less than a month for LIV Golf, which is really at a critical stage as it prepares for its second season of competition just next month. Remember, in December, Atul Khosla stepped down from his role as chief operating officer. Both executives, Khosla and Goodman were viewed as key figures for LIV Golf because LIV Golf is looking to bolster its business model and they're looking at just traditional ways of generating revenue specifically around franchises, and Goodman was leading that strategy about developing franchise policies, revenue branding, and other efforts. So Goodman's departure comes as LIV Golf is preparing to begin an expanded 14-event schedule, with its first event starting next month, February 24th in Mexico. So another senior leader departing LIV Golf.
And that is your Morning Buzzcast for Friday, January 6th. I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast. As always, thanks for spreading the word on the Buzzcast. Stay healthy, be good to each other. Have a great weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday.