Prime Video Changes by Staying the Same

If Prime Video starts winning Tier 1 sports broadcast rights, it won’t be because of a change in strategy. The hearts of sports executives around the world were sent aflutter after Bloomberg News reported that Amazon’s Prime Video unit is preparing a bid for exclusive broadcast rights to Italy’s top soccer league, Serie A. Why the fluttering

The Obvious Choice for Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo made the obvious choice when he extended his contract with the Bucks All is well in Bucks Forest! The uneven play in the bubble; the blown Bogdonavic trade; the team’s disjointed look through two preseason games… all are forgotten. Giannis re-signed. In a star-driven league, the Bucks have one of the youngest and

Beating the Bear

NBA television ratings are down, but everything else on TV is down more. That may not be good enough anymore. A decade ago, the Cancellation Bear became famous in television circles. The Bear was a gimmick that tracked the survival prospects of primetime broadcast television shows, on the now-shuttered TV By the Numbers website. The

Ready or Not

For better or worse, WWE signaled a changing of the guard at Payback. One, two, three. Randy’s shoulders on the mat. Keith Lee on top. It’s a whole new era in WWE. (For now.) New eras of wrestling are about as common as new eras of Batman movies. As soon as the financials start to

High Profile, Low Stakes: CBS Tries All-Star Racing in Primetime

One of the Worldwide Reader’s favorite #sportsbiz journalists, Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, broke the news this morning that CBS is getting back into the auto racing business with a six race, All-Star stock car racing series called Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). Once the home of stock car’s major league, NASCAR, CBS has been off

Brother, Can You Get ROI on $100 Million?

A pre-pandemic investment in LeBron’s SpringHill makes headlines. Finding a return in a post-coronavirus world is a different game. Kudos to Bloomberg, and to New York Bureau Chief Jason Kelly (who also writes #longform, I guess?). This morning they went viral with a press-release-as-journalism feature on investment, past successes and future plans for LeBron James’s

NFL Traveling Fanbases, Ranked by Tier

All thirty-two NFL teams’ fanbases, ranked in Tiers 1 through 5 by how well their fans travel to road games. Since every sportswriter with a cable modem is doing Rankings(!) and since the NFL schedule is released today, here are my Very Amateur Rankings of TOP NFL TRAVELING FANBASES Tier 1: Packers, Steelers, Raiders Other

Welcome to Aussie Rules Football

Hello, non-Australian sports fans! I want to give a quick overview of Aussie Rules Football. Every sport is shut down right now, except the Australian Football League (AFL). They play Aussie Rules Football. Aussie Rules Football is not Rugby. Aussie Rules Football is played on a cricket field. Cricket fields are massive! They are in

The Sinclair/YouTube TV Reveal

Sinclair’s RSN unit upset the Yankees by leaving them out of a YouTube TV deal. In hindsight, it wasn’t surprising. The best twists are the ones nobody sees coming, yet are obvious in hindsight. It is an old movie axiom with many examples. Nobody expected Luke to be Darth Vader’s son. Then it made sense

Supply-Side Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs could become a dynasty that leads the NFL to new heights… or they could become a one-hit wonder, like so many before them. Basketball is the offensive game; football the defensive one. Michael, Kobe and LeBron walked with ring-filled fingers. The pass rushers, linebackers and secondaries of the Packers, Steelers,