Front Office Sports Today

The NBA starts its season with looming questions about its next set of media rights deals, expansion, and how fans and players will react to the midseason tournament. NBA deputy commissioner and COO Mark Tatum joins us to discuss how the league is approaching all of those issues, plus the evolution of local broadcast rights as some teams are cutting ties with cable broadcasters. We also take a loo...

After seeing the success of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Amazon, the NBA is looking into crafting an exclusive streaming package of its own, with Amazon and Apple believed to be interested. We also take a look at the first player to defy the NHL’s pride tape ban and Michigan State’s nightmare season. Plus, Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion join to talk all things new in the NBA, including the mids...

For the first time in its history, Disney reported ESPN’s earnings separately from the rest of the company. The findings reveal quite a lot about the state of the sports media giant, and why Disney CEO Bob Iger has chosen to hang onto the company despite calls to spin it off. Plus, we hear from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown on Formula 1's United States Grand Prix in Austin, the Las Vegas GP next mo...

The NFL is thrilled with the progress of ‘Thursday Night Football’ on Amazon Prime Video with the league in its second year of an 11-year pact with the retail giant’s streaming service. We also hear more dispatches from the NFL owners’ meetings, including the league eyeing Spain and Brazil for regular season games and Roger Goodell’s new contract. Plus, Sports Illustrated editor in chief Steve Can...

Shaquille O’Neal is Reebok’s new president of basketball and he wasted little time in inking his first signature star: LSU’s Angel Reese. The move provides an early sign of how Shaq and vice president Allen Iverson are positioning the brand as it seeks to rebuild its stature. Plus, Howard University basketball coach Kenny Blakeney joins to discuss the school’s return to the NCAA tournament, its 20...

Kim Ng, the first female general manager in MLB history, has declined her mutual option and is leaving the Miami Marlins. Former team president David Samson joins the podcast to discuss her tenure, Derek Jeter’s previous role with the team, why the Tampa Bay Rays could be sold, and the MLB playoffs. Plus, Front Office Sports newsletter co-author David Rumsey joins to discuss why some want the WNBA...

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is buying a 25% stake in Manchester United, allowing Joel and Avram Glazer to retain a controlling interest in the club. Ratcliffe will have influence over roster-building decisions and could seek full control of the club. We also discuss the NFL, and commissioner Roger Goodell revealing that the league is mulling the idea of a London Super Bowl in the future. Pl...

Major League Baseball has made legal filings to compel Diamond Sports Group to declare which of the 12 teams for whom it has local broadcast rights it intends to broadcast in the 2024 season. MLB wants more time to prepare its media landscape after having to scramble when DSG dropped its broadcasts of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks mid-season in 2023. We also look into the intrigue...

Brett Favre has been preventing Mississippi authorities from accessing his tax returns. Favre is under investigation for allegations that he purposefully directed funds intended for needy families to a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi. Senior reporter AJ Perez joins to discuss the latest in the legal drama. Plus, we hear from the founder of Moolah Kicks, Natalie White....

AEG Global Partnerships' co-COOs join us to talk about their big year, new partners, and the multimillion renovations at Crypto.com Arena. Plus, newsletter co-author Eric Fisher discusses dips in MLB postseason viewership — and why there's a debate around the format of the playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NHL begins its 2023-24 season amid signs of growth for the league, including a rising salary cap and talk of expansion. Veteran player and broadcaster Eddie Olczyk joins the show to discuss the state of the league. Plus, State Farm CMO Kristyn Cook gives us an exclusive announcement on the sports-aligned brand’s next long-term athlete deal. The star will join Patrick Mahomes and Chris Paul as...

The deal that stands to upend the golf world is running into trouble, and now seems likely to miss a deadline at the end of the year. We delve into what it means for the future of the sport. Plus, Zaire Wade, son of NBA legend Dwyane Wade, joins to discuss his path in professional basketball, through the Basketball Africa League and the G League, which he hopes lands him in the NBA. Learn more abo...

The WNBA will be adding teams in San Francisco and, pending final approvals, Portland in 2025. The announcement signals the ongoing strength of the league and women’s sports generally. Plus, baseball play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson joins to discuss the MLB playoffs and the state of sports broadcasting ahead of the National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Ph...

FIFA has made the unprecedented move to start the 2030 World Cup in South America before the action moves to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Plus, reporter Amanda Christovich joins to discuss her exclusive report on big tech companies joining the race for College Football Playoff rights. Later, NFL All-Pro Marcellus Wiley join us to talk about the NFL, the Deion Sanders phenomenon, and his foundatio...

A complaint presented to the National Labor Relations Board challenges the NCAA’s amateurism model — and could lead to college athletes becoming employees. Front Office Sports reporter Amanda Christovich discusses the complaint and its chances of success. Plus, ESPN NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks joins to preview a high-stakes NBA season that will debut the midseason tournament and new rules...

NBC is exploring whether to obtain the rights to broadcast a slice of the expanded College Football Playoff in 2026. Senior Writer Michael McCarthy and newsletter co-author Eric Fisher discuss the news, along with their takeaways from Sunday's "Toy Story" NFL broadcast and Taylor Swift's appearance on "Sunday Night Football." Plus, Dallas Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts speaks with senior wri...

The MLB regular season is over, and the playoff picture is finally clear for 2023. Newsletter co-authors Eric Fisher and David Rumsey take a look at which teams made the cut, and how the new rules will affect the postseason. Fisher and Rumsey also discuss the scenes in Boulder after Colorado played USC, and the takeaways from this year's Ryder Cup. Plus, senior writer Owen Poindexter sat down with...

From the Prime Effect on college football to the NFL potentially going international, there's a lot of change happening on and off the gridiron. Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, and host of The Five Spot on Outkick, joins Owen Poindexter to discuss the state of the NFL, college football, and where he sees the sport going in the future. Plus, newsletter co-authors Eric Fisher...

The Milwaukee Bucks altered the balance of power in the NBA — and possibly the course of their franchise — by swinging a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard. We also check in on the woeful Chicago Bears, who are still in search of a new stadium and identity. Plus, with the Ryder Cup starting, PGA of America chief commercial officer Jeff Price tells us how his organization is le...

Just when you thought the NFL couldn’t get any bigger, pop star Taylor Swift and her rumored relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce has brought in a new, more female-heavy audience. Plus, executive director of sports law and business at Villanova, Andrew Brandt, joins to discuss private equity and sovereign wealth fund money potentially entering the NFL, the league’s grievance agai...

With the writer’s strike ending, major sports broadcasters such as Disney, Comcast, and Warner Bros. Discovery are breathing a sigh of relief, as are top agencies. We delve into the potential long-term impact of the five-month strike. Also, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are still acting like rivals, and Ken Griffey Jr. is enjoying a second career as a sports photographer. Plus, legendary soccer broadc...

The NFL is exploring Spain, Brazil, and Australia as potential sites for regular season games. The league also announced the main act for the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, and the Jaguars are threatening relocation if they don’t get around $1 billion in public funding. Plus the NFL Network’s Jamie Erdahl joins to discuss her career, the growth of “Good Morning Football,” and which people in the...

Rupert Murdoch has been arguably the most influential figure in sports media over the last three decades. As he steps down as chair of Fox and News Corp., we discuss his monumental and ongoing impact. Plus, MLB’s top three spenders are missing the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, the Milwaukee Bucks are at the mercy of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, and we hear from Topgolf chief brand o...

Boise State associate athletic director Michael Walsh has proposed a promotion and relegation system for college football among western U.S. schools. The proposal aims to create an exciting media product while reducing travel for non-football sports. Front Office Sports reporter Amanda Christovich joins to explain what she’s hearing on the idea from school and conference administrators. Plus FOS s...

The NFL has accused its players association of encouraging running backs to exaggerate injuries to gain leverage in contract negotiations — something that NFLPA president JC Tretter hinted at earlier this summer. Also, Colorado football has now sold out all its home games for the first time ever, and the XFL and USFL are nearing a merger. Plus, we hear from Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donn...