Afternoon Edition

August 28, 2026

Nike has been outfitting college sports teams for decades, with its logo currently gracing more than half of Division I FBS football jerseys. This year, the retailer wants its apparel worn by a different group of campus celebrities: sorority members. Nike has sponsored sorority rush events this month at colleges including South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona State, calling the sisters “campus athletes.”

—Ellyn Briggs

First Up

Exclusive: Roxanna Scott is out as ESPN editor-in-chief less than 10 months after taking the job.
First at FOS: The NFL will place anti-racism messages on fields and helmets for a seventh straight season, the league told Front Office Sports.
The Rays will have a new, $2.36 billion ballpark in Tampa after the Hillsborough County Commission and City of Tampa council each approved public funding.
Women’s tennis world No. 3 Jessica Pegula told FOS that the player-selection process for the new Grand Slam Advisory Council has yet to be decided.

Why Is Nike Suddenly Part of Sorority Rush Season?

Nike

Nike has been a mainstay in college sports locker rooms for decades, and currently outfits more than half of Division I FBS football programs. This back-to-school season, the retailer made clear that another on-campus group is also top of mind: sororities.

Throughout August, Nike sponsored rush events for at least six sororities at colleges across the country, including South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona State.

Nike supplied some of its latest training, running, and sportswear products to sisters, who donned the gear in videos posted to their personal and sorority-wide social media channels—often to the tune of millions of views. Giant Nike-branded banners featured prominently in the background of most videos, usually unfurled over the stone columns of the chapters’ Greek Revival houses.

Although the company has seeded product on campuses before, it’s the first time that the brand has formally engaged with sororities, Emily Johnson, Nike’s college business director, tells Front Office Sports. She says the company refers to sorority members—along with other engaged, active college students—as “campus athletes.”

“We know now more than ever that students are looking to their peers for inspiration,” Johnson says, adding that “18- to 22-year-old females are powerful cultural forces on college campuses.”

Nike’s play is new, but sorority rush has been an annual fixation for a while.

In 2021, dozens of Alabama freshmen went viral for documenting their experiences (and outfits) while trying to score a bid. (One of the original stars of so-called #RushTok, Kylan Darnell, now frequently appears on ESPN platforms.) In the years since, brands have pounced on the monthlong moment, including many of Nike’s younger, more niche competitors in the activewear space, such as Alo Yoga and Set Active.

Still, Nike says it has not seen any of its major sportswear peers activate around sorority rush in such widespread fashion—and Johnson suggests it’s not a one-time deal. She tells FOS the brand is focused on “creating long-term relationships with campus athletes,” like sorority members, who are “helping drive” the conversation around sport, style, and culture forward “in a really unique way.”

Nike declined to share how these sponsorships are brokered, or whether the company provided any compensation beyond gifted product. Several national sorority organizations and university offices of fraternity and sorority life did not respond to FOS requests for comment about their involvement.

At least some of the partnerships appear to be facilitated by a company called Campus Launch, which bills itself as a “Gen Z marketing agency making brands go viral on campus.”

Nike has also dabbled in brand deals with other new-age female tastemakers lately, including Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Abby Summers and Substack lifestyle writer Madeline Hill. The women-centric swings come as challenges mount at Nike, which is navigating a plunging stock price and struggling revenue as its turnaround slogs along.

The sorority tie-ins, at least, are a well-received effort that Nike says is moving the needle for them. “We’re thrilled with how this collaboration launched,” says Johnson, “and we will continue to learn and reshape how we can best partner in this space.”

‘Front Office Sports Tonight’ Coming Soon

Front Office Sports Tonight, the first nationally syndicated daily show built entirely around the business and culture of sports, premieres Sept. 14. Emmy winner Matt Iseman will host the 30-minute show, which will air six nights a week.

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EXCLUSIVE

Bulls Planning Analyst Rotation to Replace Late Stacey King

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Bulls don’t plan on replacing late color commentator Stacey King with another analyst—they plan on replacing him with multiple analysts. Front Office Sports has learned the team plans to deploy a rotating squad of analysts to sit alongside play-by-play broadcaster Adam Amin on CHSN telecasts this season. One of those being considered is former Timberwolves forward Robbie Hummel, who was an NBA analyst on NBC last season. King, who won three NBA championships with the Michael Jordan–era Bulls, died earlier this year.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Good Good Golf CEO Speaks

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“We removed people responsible for the ad.”

—Good Good Golf CEO Matt Kendrick when asked whether the marketing team had been disciplined for creating an ad depicting a Good Good cofounder shoving a woman. Negative online reaction led the brand to apologize and quickly pull the ad, which was made to promote its new co-branded driver with Callaway. Nonetheless, Callaway and others cut ties with the brand this week.

Kendrick tweeted early Friday morning: “Interesting that @CallawayGolf asks us to make an ad then approves it then asks us to take the fall then drops us in a coordinated media blitz and covers it up by giving a million dollars away thinking everyone will be ok with it.” In an interview Friday with Front Office Sports, he struck a more conciliatory tone, saying, “They were nothing but great to us the entire time we were together. I just hate that this is how it ended.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Hear From ESPN Legend Chris Berman

One of the most recognizable voices in sports media is coming to Tuned In.

Chris Berman has been synonymous with ESPN for more than 45 years, helping define the network and the way generations of fans experience sports. From NFL PrimeTime and Sunday NFL Countdown to his iconic highlight calls, Berman has become one of the most influential and beloved broadcasters in the industry. With ESPN recently extending his contract, he’s on track to become the network’s first 50-year employee.

Join us as Berman reflects on the evolution of sports media, the future of broadcasting, and the moments that shaped an iconic career.

You don’t want to miss the chance to be in the room with this legendary voice—get your ticket now before prices increase next week.

STATUS REPORT

One Up, Three Down

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg’s Debut Patch ⬆ A 1-of-1 Topps NBA Debut Patch basketball card featuring the Mavericks forward is going to auction after its owner, Jason Williams, declined multimillion-dollar offers from card collectors. He also rebuffed an offer from Dallas that included season tickets, a signed rookie jersey, photo shoots, team meet-and-greets, and other perks. The card could go for even more than the Victor Wembanyama 2023–24 rookie card that sold for $5.1 million earlier this year.

Tony Romo ⬇ The football color commentator has been issued three more citations from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office in connection with his arrest on July 23, when he was cited for refusing to take an intoxication test: “first-offense operating while intoxicated, unsafe passing on the right side, and possessing open intoxicants in his vehicle,” according to the New York Post. CBS placed Romo on indefinite leave after the incident and replaced him with last year’s No. 2 analyst, J.J. Watt.

Winnipeg Jets ⬇ Star goalie Connor Hellebuyck has gone public with a trade request, amplifying a prior, private pursuit to leave the franchise as the 2026–27 season approaches. Hellebuyck has won three Vezina Trophies as the league’s top goalie and an NHL Most Valuable Player award, but the Jets have found a suitable trade offer difficult to obtain. Despite Hellebuyck’s extensive track record of success, he turned 33 in May, is owed $39.5 million over the next five seasons, and had a career-worst .895 save percentage last season. In a statement, Winnipeg praised Hellebuyck’s contributions and said it will “continue to work through the situation in a thoughtful manner.”

The “Old Firm” ⬇ The Scottish Football Association has ordered Rangers and Celtic to play their upcoming Scottish Cup home games behind closed doors, meaning no fans will be permitted at the games. The punishment was handed down to the “Old Firm” rivals in response to fans of both teams storming the field after Celtic beat Rangers in last year’s Scottish Cup quarterfinals. Celtic went on to win the Scottish Cup for a record 43rd time. Celtic and Rangers dominate the Scottish Premiership, winning 56 and 55 league championships, respectively, going into the 2026–27 season.

ONE FUN THING

Inking Out a Win

Courtesy of Josh Johns

With the Knicks trailing the Spurs by 29 points in the third quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, it looked like the Spurs were about to even up the series before heading back to San Antonio. New York’s win probability on ESPN’s Gamecast fell to as low as 0.4% before the Knicks launched the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, culminating in OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left.

One New York fan memorialized the comeback—on his arm. Josh Johns tattooed the full win probability chart on his arm as he said goodbye to “the Summer of the Knicks.”