September 24, 2021

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Golfers’ heart rates are being tracked during the Ryder Cup using data from WHOOP’s newest fitness band. Ian Poulter’s heart rate shot from 112 BPM to 133 BPM as he stepped to the first tee. Even the best feel the intensity.

NFL Reportedly Prefers Apple for ‘Sunday Ticket’

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

The NFL already has media deals with every major traditional U.S. broadcaster and an e-commerce giant, but it would like to add another household name.

The league is hoping to sell its “Sunday Ticket” package to Apple, per The Athletic, creating a partnership with the leading phone maker and world’s largest company by market cap.

Amazon was reportedly in the lead for the out-of-market games package, for which the NFL is seeking $2 billion to $2.5 billion per season. Disney is interested as well.

The league is considering offering different versions of the package, allowing fans to purchase all the games of a single team, or even individual games.

  • AT&T-owned DirecTV has offered “Sunday Ticket” since 1994, and currently pays $1.5 billion per season for it. AT&T is reportedly uninterested in renewing when its deal expires after next season.
  • The next “Sunday Ticket” deal could include an equity stake in NFL Media.
  • The NFL hired Goldman Sachs to find potential investors in its media properties, including the NFL Network and NFL RedZone.

On the heels of its breakout hit “Ted Lasso” — a sports-comedy series about a football-turned-soccer coach — Apple is ramping up its presence in the streaming wars.

The company invested $6 billion in AppleTV in 2019, and the media operation is a major component of the company’s $430 billion domestic spending plan over the next five years.

U.K. Sports Teams Likely To Lose Front-of-Shirt Gambling Sponsors

Premier League/Design: Alex Brooks

The U.K. government is getting closer to finalizing its gambling review, with multiple sources reporting this week that it will likely result in the ban of gambling sponsorships from sports jerseys.

The review is looking at reforming the Gambling Act of 2005 — there are reportedly 400,000 problem gamblers in the UK — as well as “white label deals,” which are considered a loophole as overseas betting companies can form sponsorships with U.K.-based soccer clubs by paying another firm to use their license, avoiding government check-ins.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed a new gambling minister this week, “thought to be keen on reform,” according to the Daily Mail.

If the ban is finalized, it would have a huge impact on the sports market in Europe. Gambling logos appear up to 700 times per match.

  • The English Football League, which oversees the three professional tiers under the top, said last year that revenue generated from the gambling industry could be “vital” in recovering from pandemic losses, and the ruling could cause some clubs “to go under.”
  • This season, nine Premier League clubs, or 45% of the league, have front-of-shirt sponsorships with gambling companies, which are worth a combined $79.22 million.
  • La Liga was told to drop betting deals by the end of the 2020-2021 season. The league’s president said that teams would lose a combined $105 million.

Gambling companies expect branding in venues could be affected, too.

The review is not expected to be published until this winter, and then would need a three-month consultation period before heading to Parliament. If the changes go through, they would likely not take effect until 2023.

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Barstool CEO Says Revenue Will Top $200M

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini predicts the company will top $200 million in revenue by early 2022. 

Barstool’s revenue grew 57% to $150 million in 2020. If the company surpasses $200 million by the end of 2021, that would be a roughly 33% increase. That’s double the $100 million in annual revenue it had generated back when Penn National acquired a 36% stake in Barstool for $163 million in cash and stock in January 2020.

The media brand is being embraced by giants like Walmart. Advertisers are drawn to Barstool’s young audience (half under 30 years old) and 135 million social media followers. 

“The world is opening up for us,” CEO Erika Nardini told Front Office Sports.

Among Barstool’s new initiatives: 

  • Barstool Bites: Barstool will launch its own Barstool Bites menu of “couch food” in October. Customers can have chicken wings, sandwiches, and chips delivered at home. 
  • One Bite: Founder Dave Portnoy’s new frozen pizza will hit 3,600 Walmart stores at the end of September. 
  • Branded sports bars: The company’s planning its first standalone bars in Chicago and Philadelphia this fall.
  • New tourney: The brand will launch the “Barstool Hockey Cup,” a weeklong women’s hockey tournament, in April. 

Barstool also wants to own and operate more live events. 

“There isn’t a category that we haven’t disrupted,” Nardini said.

Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters

  • In today’s Leadoff, we covered Nike’s $12.2 billion quarter, NFL owners being required to reveal financial data, U.S. companies clashing over legacy U.K. gambling operators, and Comcast’s approach to obtaining sports rights. Click here to listen.
  • Mexico’s anti-monopoly commission fined 17 soccer teams on Thursday for capping the salaries of women soccer players. Each of the teams received a $9 million fine. 
  • Tim Tebow is a former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team member and currently works with the organization to help select the newest members — recognized for their commitment to community service. On Friday, Allstate announced it is pledging $1 million to honor the 22 college football players who were selected. Read Sports Section’s interview with Tebow and click here to subscribe for more.
  • Wake up to the W. Get a Sausage or Bacon, Egg & Swiss Croissant at Wendy’s for $1.99. Order breakfast today.* 

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Market Movers

U.S. stocks experienced declines across all three major indexes on Friday following three sessions of gains. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

(Note: All as of market close on 9/24/21)
What to Watch

What to Watch

The electric start to the season continues as NFL action rolls on in Week 3.  

Justin Herbert and the L.A. Chargers head to Arrowhead Stadium to face AFC West foes Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Both squads are looking to rebound from tight, late-game losses in Week 2.

How to Watch: 

1 p.m. ET on CBS / Stream your local CBS game live on Paramount+*

Who ya got? 

Reply to this newsletter with your prediction for the Chargers-Chiefs winner and final score. We can’t wait to see these two dynamic QBs take the field.

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Win a Pair of LaLiga ElClásico Tickets

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