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The Super Bowl Will Never Be a Pay-Per-View Event

Garrett Searight
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The Super Bowl Will Never Be a Pay-Per-View Event

There are a lot of things we need to worry about during the next few years. Solar flares. Climate change. Famine. Literacy rates. All things that should be on the front burner. You know what we don’t have to worry about? The Super Bowl ever being a pay-per-view event.

Former ESPN President John Skipper raised eyebrows last week after saying the NFL could make billions by turning the Super Bowl into a pay-per-view event. When someone of his stature says that — heck, I introduced the man as “former ESPN President” which has enough gravitas behind it before you peruse his professional accomplishments — it holds weight. A lot of weight.

And Skipper is absolutely correct, the NFL could make billions by doing that. But they won’t. And there’s a simple reason for that: they’re already making billions from the Super Bowl.

When you look at the new television contracts signed by the league after the 2021 season, ESPN is now paying $2.7 billion per year for their package, which will now include a Super Bowl it didn’t receive in its old package. That number is $500 million more than FOX, and $700 million more than NBC. And do you know why ESPN was willing to pay it? Because it gave them a Super Bowl. So…and the going rate for a Super Bowl is an extra $500 million per year over a 10-year deal? I’m no math professor, but that’s doing ok from the league’s perspective.

And guess what? FOX, NBC, and CBS are also paying a yearly premium for the rights to the Super Bowl in years they don’t have it, either. So, if you think about it that way, the league is already making $1.5 billion off one game to begin with. Add in ticket sales, sponsorship dollars, the halftime show, etc…the league doesn’t have to worry about finding ways to make more money from that event. It’s every other event they’ll focus on.

Because sometimes — and I know this is antithesis of everything we know about the NFL — the league is somewhat competent and understands that it is about scale rather than profit. 113 million people watched the Super Bowl (which is probably a lowball estimate, honestly). ESPN is willing to fork over an additionally $500 million every year for a decade because 113 million people will be tuned into the nation’s largest television event twice in that decade. And conceivably, if a 30-second commercial went for $7 million in 2023, what does that number look like in 2026 and 2030? $10 million? $12 million?

Scale matters to the NFL and it matters to the league’s television partners. Almost for that reason alone we’ll never see a Super Bowl PPV. Because ESPN, ABC, NBC, and FOX aren’t going to pay the league in the neighborhood of $24 billion a piece to stick the event on their streaming services and make people fork over what Skipper estimated at $250 per household.

People are as frugal as ever. That attitude is why the cable television bundle has been decimated: ‘I’m no longer paying for things I don’t use’. And I think you’d be hard pressed to find 50 million Americans who will pay $250 to watch commercials — that would absolutely still exist in a Super Bowl PPV — just so they can chat with their co-workers about it on Monday morning.

I completely understand John Skipper’s thought process. He’s dead on. The NFL is an ever-hungry corporate monolith with only one goal in mind: make as much cash as possible. And his background is in a similar position: make ESPN as much cash as possible. It’s a logical stance for him to take.

But even the league and its owners are smart enough to recognize that the quest for more dollars isn’t best served by limiting eyeballs on its marquee event. There will be countless other avenues for the NFL to scratch out an extra billion here or there, but limiting the audience of the Super Bowl won’t be the way they do it.

White Sox Pitcher Mike Clevinger Threatens 670 The Score With Lawsuit

BSM Staff
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670 The Score in Chicago, and the show Parkins & Spiegel in particular, have found themselves in the crosshairs of White Sox newcomer Mike Clevinger.

Clevinger was signed by the White Sox late last year and the team has come under fire for doing so his behavior issues. Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into his conduct and domestic abuse allegations.

Last week, Parkins & Spiegel interviewed Olivia Finestead, who claims Clevinger once choked her and prevented her from contacting law enforcement. The woman, with whom Clevinger has a child less than a year old, also claimed Clevinger abuses drugs and is unfaithful.

Clevinger sounded off on the interview, saying The Score coordinated the interview as a means to drum up interest in the story.

“It’s the world we’re living in,” Clevinger told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everyone wants the clicks. It doesn’t matter what the real truth is.”

“But that was really trashy of them,” Clevinger added. “That was some lowlife material right there.”

Clevinger also alluded to the fact that he is seeking out some kind of legal action against the station for having his accuser do an interview.

“My lawyers are paying attention,” he said. “My lawyers are getting in contact with them, and they probably already sent a cease-and-desist for defamation. So they just got themselves involved in this, too, so good for them.”

Bill Walton: ‘Joe Lunardi is a Troll’

BSM Staff
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Bill Walton doesn’t have time for any Pac-12 disrespect from ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi.

With March Madness just around the corner, mock brackets are abound. In his latest prediction, Lunardi only had Stanford and UCLA representing the Pac-12 in the NCAA Tournament.

The subject of March basketball came up during a Utah/Arizona broadcast on Pac-12 Network last week, and Walton said it was clear that Lunardi is a Pac-12 hater.

“Look, Joe Lunardi is a troll who has no respect or consideration for the conference of champions,” Walton said.

Roxy Bernstein, who was Walton’s broadcast partner that night, pushed back at Walton a little bit in response.

“That’s not true,” Bernstein said.

Walton said it was true, but he would agree to disagree with Bernstein.

“You’re entitled to your opinion, even when you’re wrong,” Walton said.

Unless Lunardi changes his tune and starts showing the Pac-12 the proper respect Walton thinks the conference deserves, it’s probably safe to say that Lunardi won’t be getting a Christmas card in the mail this year from Walton.

Blue Jays Radio Crew To Call Road Games Remotely Again in 2023

BSM Staff
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Blue Jays Radio Crew To Call Road Games Remotely Again in 2023

The Toronto Blue Jays are sticking with plans to not have the team’s radio broadcast crew travel for road games in 2023.

According to the Toronto Star, Sportsnet – the franchise’s TV and radio rightsholder – will have its TV crew travel for all road games. This is the second year in a row that radio play-by-play voice Ben Wagner will be broadcasting road contests remotely.

Wagner called a good portion of road games remotely last season but did eventually return to regular travel.

He is currently with the team at its spring training home in Dunedin, Fla.

2023 will be Wagner’s sixth season with the Blue Jays.

John Kincade Welcomes Listeners to 97.5 The Fanatic Studios For Open House Week

BSM Staff
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In Philadelphia, 97.5 The Fanatic is pulling back the curtain and allowing listeners to experience firsthand how radio magic is made. John Kincade is leading the charge.

This week, The Fanatic is holding an open house at Beasley Media Group’s new HQ. Listeners can sign up to sit in with Kincade and co-hosts Bob Cooney and Pat Egan. It is a chance for listeners who may be looking for a new option in the mornings following the retirement of WIP’s Angelo Cataldi to see what The Fanatic has to offer.

“More than any show in Philly sports radio, we have always been interested in getting out and interacting with our listeners,” Kincade said. “This is a great way for us to welcome our listeners behind the scenes at our brand-new performance studio to get even better connected with the show.”

Several special guests are lined up for the week including 76ers radio broadcaster Tom McGinnis and TV announcer Kate Scott, Flyers radio broadcasters Tim Saunders and Steve Coates, The Athletic’s Zach Berman and ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

NBA Renews Local Streaming Deal With Bally Sports Networks

BSM Staff
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NBA Renews Local Streaming Deal With Bally Sports Networks

It is widely assumed that Diamond Sports Group, owner of the Bally Sports regional networks, is on its way to bankruptcy. While Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says his league has a contingency plan, the NBA raised a few eyebrows by renewing a deal with the troubled media company.

Sources tell John Ourand of Sports Business Journal that the NBA has renewed its local streaming rights deal with Diamond. The deal technically runs through the 2024-25 season, which is the same year its other media contracts end, but is structured as a series of one-year deals.

The league reportedly gave Diamond Sports Group a list of 13 conditions for renewal. All 13 have currently been met. The teams who have their local media rights with a Bally Sports network will continue to have those games streamed through the Bally Sports+ app.

That doesn’t mean that Diamond is out of the woods yet with the NBA. If the company files for bankruptcy as expected, it would be in violation of the agreement and the NBA can take the streaming rights away.

Ourand reports that the NBA has its own contingency plan should Diamond Sports Group enter freefall while in bankruptcy.

Al Michaels on Finding Out Tim McCarver Would Replace Howard Cosell: ‘One of Greatest Calls in My Life’

BSM Staff
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Working with Howard Cosell was not easy. Al Michaels knows that for a fact. On Friday, he joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about the late Tim McCarver. Patrick pointed out that going from Cossell to McCarver as his partner on ABC’s baseball coverage had to be a complete 180.

“Number one, I loved Tim! Loved him!” Michaels began. “Hall of Fame human being, Dan.”

It seemed like he had a completely opposite feeling about working with Cosell. During the 1985 season, Cosell was one of several analysts that Michaels worked with. He said that the mood of the crew changed whenever Cosell was working a game.

“Howard Cosell had become cantankerous, to use a word he loved to use all the time, and bitter. He would pretty much cast a pall over the entire crew because he didn’t want to be there and we didn’t want him to be there.”

In his book, I Never Played the Game, Cosell took several shots at ABC boss Roon Arledge and the network. Al Michaels said that was the last straw.

He got a call from his producer saying that Cosell would not be coming back. The booth for ABC during the playoffs would be Michaels with analysts Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver.

“That was one of the greatest phone calls I ever had in my life,” Michaels laughed.

The trio worked four World Series’ together. Al Michaels has covered a lot of sports and worked with a lot of partners in his career. He said that Palmer and McCarver are among his favorites to work with.

“Three-person booths are tough. You know that. It’s very tough and I have had a few of them in my career. This was one, I have to say, where the three of us together, Palmer, McCarver, and myself, we were better as a threesome than any combination of the two of us.”

The trio worked the 1989 World Series. Game Three of that series was postponed after an earthquake rocked San Francisco during the pregame. Al Michaels remembers that Tim McCarver was in the middle of breaking down a play from the previous game when the ground started to shake.

“Tim put a death grip on my leg,” he said. “Tim would always say I grabbed his leg and I would say ‘Tim, I have the scars on my leg to prove it.”

Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick Return to Host Indianapolis 500 for NBC Sports

BSM Staff
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The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 is 100 days away, and NBC Sports has already plotted its coverage plans for the race, as Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick are returning to host the event for the network.

Tirico has hosted NBC Sports’ studio coverage of the event since its debut on the network in 2019. He will once again be joined by Patrick — a former INDYCAR driver who finished her career with six top-ten finishes in the event — for the 107th running of the event.

The INDYCAR booth for NBC Sports will remain unchanged in 2023, with Leigh Diffey providing play-by-play and Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe continuing as analysts.

2022 saw the most-watched season for the INDYCAR Series in the past six years. The 2023 schedule begins on Sunday, March 5th with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Sean Pendergast: ‘Angelo Cataldi Spent His Last Day On The Radio Doing What He Does Best’

BSM Staff
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Make no mistake, Angelo Cataldi is a legend in the sports radio world. So legendary in fact that not one, but two Texas sports stations took time out to talk about this being the WIP morning man’s last week on air in Philadelphia this week.

On 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday, Shan Shariff took shots at Cataldi and Eagles fans as they mourned the loss in Super Bowl LVII. On Friday, it was Sports Radio 610 in Houston that talked about Cataldi’s final day on air.

Payne & Pendergast asked their listeners if they would trade Houston’s current standing in the sports world for Philadelphia’s. Philly has no titles but has seen their teams make it to the World Series, Super Bowl, and MLS Cup Final in the last calendar year. Meanwhile, Houston has two World Series titles but is not even close to being competitive in the NFL and NBA.

Sean Pendergast said that as a fan, you want a title. As a sports radio host though, there is a lot of value in multiple teams making it to a championship game or series.

Sports Radio 610 then played audio from Cataldi’s final show on 94 WIP.

“Here was Angelo Cataldi on his final day as a radio host in Philadelphia doing what he does best,” Pendergast said in introducing the audio.

Listeners then heard Cataldi laying into former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, calling him a “horse’s ass” and shouting “shame on you” to Eagles fans not blaming the new Arizona Cardinals coach for the loss.

Pendergast says Cataldi has him convinced that the Texans dodged a bullet by not hiring Gannon, which seemed likely at one point. He then played audio of Cataldi talking about Gannon’s interview with the Cardinals, in which all he brought was his handwritten playsheet from the Super Bowl loss.

“He was attempting to take this large turd and get some turtle wax and polish it all up because I can tell you whatever garbage he handed to those morons in Arizona and they would still hire him!” Cataldi said. “The idea that all you would bring in would be the trophy of your failure is beyond belief!”

Angelo Cataldi spent the entire morning being sent off by listeners and current and former colleagues. It was easy to predict that there would be plenty of love shown to him in Philadelphia, but the outpouring of support from around the country is probably a nice surprise.

Dave Portnoy: Nothing Changes Now that PENN Owns Barstool

BSM Staff
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PENN Entertainment announced it had officially acquired complete control of Barstool Sports this morning, but founder Dave Portnoy says nothing will change now that the deal is complete.

During an appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, Portnoy told Will Compton and Taylor Lewan that just because the company is now wholly owned by another entity doesn’t mean anything changes in regards to Barstool’s content.

“No, because it really — for lack of a better word — that hierarchy was already there,” said Portnoy. “If PENN came down and said ‘We want you to do this’, theoretically, (Peter) Chernin could have said ‘We still own the majority of the company.’ So no, but they knew they were selling it to PENN, so it really hasn’t changed. PENN doesn’t tell us what to do on the content, it’s more on the back end starting now to migrate systems over, accounting, things like that. The content’s pretty separate. They know why they bought it.”

PENN originally purchased a stake in the digital sports outlet in 2020, before announcing last year it would acquire the remainder of the company in a subsequent deal.

In total, PENN Entertainment purchased Barstool Sports for $551 million.

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