On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the latest from the NFL playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs are one of four teams remaining in the conference finals, which means Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are still a dominant storyline across the country.
It’s hard to avoid the Chiefs tight end, his popstar girlfriend, or his bearded, beer-chugging brother. Travis Kelce scored two touchdowns against the Bills and was featured in multiple national ad campaigns during the commercial breaks. The TV cameras cut to Swift in her box after nearly every Kelce catch, and they also lingered on Jason Kelce, who was drinking without a shirt on. Love it or hate it, the NFL and its media partners will milk the storyline for as long as it can.
The hosts talk about a number of other angles in the NFL playoffs, including the success of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, how the auto industry is woven into the success of the Detroit Lions, and how the San Francisco 49ers are expanding their portfolio beyond the NFL. They also talk about the league’s $120+ billion in new media deals, and whether the NFL should have pushed for an opt-out before seven years.
Next they discuss the NBA’s little-discussed escrow for player salaries. Each year the league withholds a certain amount from player salaries (it was 15% last season) to ensure that players don’t get more than 51% of overall revenue. In most years, players eventually get all of the money that was withheld. In the most recently completed season, they are getting almost all of it.
Lastly, they discuss the collapse of Sports Illustrated. The once-popular magazine was the standard-bearer for sports journalism for decades, but those times have changed. Its publisher defaulted on a quarterly payment last week and a vast majority of the staff was laid off, just the latest sad chapter in Sports Illustrated’s decline. The company that owns the SI brand mostly just licenses it out, for sports betting, resorts, ticketing and other e-commerce opportunities.
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