Eyes on Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, league-wide attendance numbers add to the NWSL's momentum; the CFP's leadership future decided and the next step for the Oakland A's quest to relocate to Las Vegas.
Good morning. It's Monday, November 13th and this is your SBJ Morning Buzzcast. I'm Reginald Walker filling in for Abe Madkour.
All eyes are on the Big Ten right now and it's worth watching how new Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti gets through this ordeal with Michigan after his suspension of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh late Friday. These are the type of decisions that of course can determine a person's leadership and future. It was striking that a report in SI by Michael Rosenberg noted that Michigan's region's "Discussed possibly leaving the Big Ten" if Petitti suspended Harbaugh without what the school considered due process. The fact that the idea was even discussed should tell you how angry Michigan is right now about how Petitti has handled this. Most national media early on anyway aren't fully supportive of how Tony Petitti handled this decision and obviously will take some time to sort through it. Many of those national media members questioned the timing of the suspension as it occurred or was handed down, if you will, after the team, Michigan, had already left Ann Arbor and boarded a plane for Pennsylvania to play Penn State last Friday. Michigan has retained Williams & Connolly LLP to represent them in court over the suspension.
One of the most talked about and biggest tech innovations last year was the NHL Big City Greens Classic that the league did with Disney. And it's not a surprise that ESPN is bringing it back for a second edition this spring. Debuting this past March, the Big City Greens Classic is an animated alt cast that uses NHL EDGE tracking data and the rendering engine of Sony's Beyond Sports to recreate a Capitals Rangers game in the world of the Disney cartoon. The first collaboration performed very well and drew significantly younger and more female than traditional coverage. An exact date or game has not been specified. Only that it would be in 2024.
A great few days for the NWSL, which was in the spotlight with its championship weekend in San Diego. More than 25,000 fans turned out the Snapdragon Stadium for the championship on Saturday with Gotham FC winning the title over OL Reign 2 to 1. As the season ended, the league had to feel good about its new media rights deal, which we talked about on Friday, but also the growth in attendance. The NWSL drew more than 1 million during the regular season and reached that mark earlier than ever before, setting its overall attendance record. They also set a single game attendance record when more than 34,000 filled Lumen Field for forward Megan Rapinoe's final regular season home game with the OL Reign. 8, count them, 8 of the NWSL's 12 teams set or equaled individual attendance records in 2023 while 10 teams saw their average crowd size increase from last year's numbers.
Next up for the league, more expansion. The league will search for a 16th team. The NWSL has once again engaged with Inner Circle Sports to manage the expansion process. The league said it has more than a dozen qualified investors groups from different markets around the US who are interested in the NWSL. Ownership groups were specifically mentioned in Denver and Cleveland. The debut of Bay FC and the return of the Utah Royals next year will bring the league up to 14 teams while an expansion club in Boston is slated to begin play in 2026.
Back to college sports now as a surprising choice for the next leader of the college football playoff, Lieutenant General Richard Clark, the Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy was announced to succeed current Executive Director, Bill Hancock. It was certainly surprising news to me to hear the name of Lieutenant General Richard Clark, someone I'm not overly familiar with, especially in this space of the sports business. But his hiring ends a more than two month long search featuring a wide range of candidates put together by the college football playoff with assistance from Parker Executive Research.
We've talked about this role and it's a great job, looking to build the exposure and footprint of the CFP, and there were many people interested in it, including school presidents, Power Five athletic directors, [inaudible 00:04:24] directors, and professional sports leaders. This comes just in time as the college football playoff is expanding from 4 to 12 teams next season, and playoff leaders are in the midst of negotiations for a new television package.
Let's end the Buzzcast on this. A big week for Major League Baseball as owners are expected to vote this week to approve the A's relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas. 23 of 30 owners are required to approve the move and the item is on the agenda for the owner's meetings beginning tomorrow, Tuesday in Arlington. It should be known that votes rarely occur unless Commissioner Rob Manfred has confidence it will pass. But even if owners are behind the move, it sure seems like there's still a lot to do. There was a report the A's have a new ballpark design, which they haven't unveiled, and there's also a discussion about where they would temporarily play. Obviously some things that would be worked out between Major League Baseball, Oakland and Las Vegas, so keep an eye on this story. We'll keep you posted right here on the Buzzcast.
So that is your Morning Buzzcast for Monday, November 13th. I'm Reginald Walker filling in for Abe Madkour. Have a great day and we'll see you back here tomorrow morning.