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WWE Reveals Vince McMahon Made More Hush Money Payments Than Previously Reported

BSM Staff
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After announcing last month that WWE would go back to 2019 and account for $14.6 million of payments chairman Vince McMahon is alleged to have paid to silence sexual misconduct allegations, the company has announced the amount is larger than original estimated, according to a report from Variety.

Days after McMahon announced he was retiring from the company, WWE discovered he had made two other payments totaling $5 million in previously unknown cases from 2007 and 2009, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company admits those payments should have been recorded in their statements for those fiscal years. They had previously hoped to have their revised statements available by Monday, August 9th, but the unearthing of additional payments made that goal unrealistic.

McMahon remains a shareholder of WWE with controlling interest. His daughter, Stephanie, was named co-CEO along with former television department head of CAA Nick Khan.

Dave LaGreca: WWE Will Improve Without Vince McMahon

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Dave LaGreca: WWE Will Improve Without Vince McMahon

Wrestling fans have connected with SiriusXM’s Busted Open, because they trust host Dave LaGreca to be honest with them about what is good and bad in the sport. One target that he has never been afraid to go after is former WWE boss Vince McMahon.

“You can’t think about it,” he said on the latest episode of The Jason Barrett Podcast when asked how the company has responded to his criticism in the past. “You kinda have to block it.”

One of LaGreca’s most famous rants is about the appearance of zombies at a WWE pay-per-view event last year. During that rant, Dave LaGreca shouted over and over that Vince McMahon hates pro wrestling.

He told Barrett that he doesn’t regret the rant and still believes every word of it.

“I stand by that statement. I don’t think Vince McMahon ever truly loved pro wrestling. He loved that term, ‘sports entertainment.’ He looked at pro wrestling the way a lot of mainstream people look at pro wrestling.”

Dave LaGreca is a wrestling fan. He said he and people like him have plenty of reason for optimism with McMahon’s son-in-law Triple H taking creative control of the company’s storylines.

“Triple H looks at pro wrestling as an art form. He’s said it before. He appreciates it. He respects it. He grew up an NWA fan. I am very high on the next 3-6 months with Triple H at the helm of creative.”

Barrett followed that up by asking what could come next for Vince McMahon. Dave LaGreca had a simple answer.

“Watches!”

New episodes of The Jason Barrett Podcast drop every Tuesday morning.

Amazon Prime Video Adding NFL Black Friday Game in 2023

BSM Staff
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Thanksgiving weekend is getting another NFL game.

Per a report from John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, Amazon’s Prime Video will add an exclusive game on Black Friday to their NFL package, beginning with the 2023 season.

Amazon, the largest retailer in the world, is expected to pay in the neighborhood of $100 million for this single game on Black Friday, one of the largest retail days on the calendar.

The NFL’s antitrust exemption prohibits the league from broadcasting games in primetime on Fridays during November, so, in all likelihood, it will be an afternoon game.

It has long been speculated this was on the table for Prime Video. Football Morning in America’s Peter King deduced the possibility was more probable than not when Prime Video became a player for NFL rights.

Liz Loza Joining ESPN As Fantasy and Sports Betting Expert

BSM Staff
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Liz Loza is joining ESPN as a fantasy and sports betting analyst on a multi-year deal, the network announced Wednesday.

Loza will be a contributor on multiple platforms, and will make regular appearances on Fantasy Football Now, Fantasy Focus Football, Daily Wager, and other studio shows.

“I am thrilled to join ESPN’s best-in-class team of fantasy and betting analysts,” Loza said. “Collectively collaborating and creating content with this esteemed group – and for such an expansive and loyal fanbase – is an absolute honor. Be warned that I’m buying the dip on Cam Akers, and am always ready to bet on an underdog!”

Loza, who previously worked at Yahoo! Sports as well as co-hosting Ekeler’s Edge with Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, will make her ESPN debut today.

Her addition comes on the heels of ESPN Fantasy Football expert Matthew Berry departing in July.

John Ourand: NBC ‘Played Possum’ With Big Ten Rights

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John Ourand: NBC ‘Played Possum’ With Big Ten Rights

On the latest release of The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand marveled at the job NBC did to secure the Big Ten’s media rights, which is expected to be announced in the coming week.

“NBC played possum,” Ourand said. “For the longest time, I didn’t think they were serious. I had heard that their early bids were really tepid. Didn’t suggest that they were very serious. They already have a Notre Dame game that goes in there, and now they’re going to have the Big Ten. So they’re going to have Notre Dame leading into the Big Ten on Saturday night. They have the most watched primetime telecast going on –what are we at now? 11 years running? — on Sunday Night Football. And they’re gonna have, on the weekends, a really strong lineup.”

Ourand also pointed out the importance of NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock, in the deal and what that could mean for its future.

“Peacock is going to have some exclusive games. I can’t imagine — it’s certainly not going to be Ohio State/Michigan — but they’re going to have some exclusive games. And I can tell you, as a Maryland fan, if that exclusive game is Maryland versus Indiana, I’m subscribing to Peacock. That’s the whole point of streaming. It gets you into these really passionate, local fan bases and gets them to stream those games.

“NBC, coming from nowhere, to get what I think is a really good package — because I’ve been told ESPN’s deal did not include direct-to-consumer on ESPN+, it was a strict linear television deal — so NBC was able to do this for this for Peacock, which they need to build.”

Andrew Marchand, sports media columnist for The New York Post, pointed out more games on Peacock could potentially be better for fans than fewer exclusives.

“When you add one game here and one game there, it will annoy people,” Marchand said. “Maybe they get your service, or maybe you’re teaching people not to watch all your games.”

Bleav Launches Kordell Stewart Podcast

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Bleav Launches Kordell Stewart Podcast

Former Pro Bowl quarterback Kordell Stewart is joining Bleav for a new podcast called On The Edge with SLASH.

“My Podcast will be an On The Edge experience however tough but fair. To be able to SLASH in and out of topics takes a team that BLEAVs in me,” Stewart said in a statement.

 “Kordell was electric on the football field, and we are thrilled for him to be electric in front of a microphone. Kordell will bring top notch insights to Bleav,” Bleav CEO Bron Heussenstamm said. “We are ecstatic to work with him!”

The 49-year-old Stewart, nicknamed “Slash” for his ability to play several positions, mostly played quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1995-2002. He also played for the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens during his NFL career

Urban One Revenue Up 10.4% in Second Quarter

BNM Staff
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Urban One Revenue Up 10.4% in Second Quarter

Urban One reported second quarter revenue rose 10.4% to $118.8 million. The company saw $107.5 million in revenue during the same time period in 2021.

“We had a strong finish to Q2, driven by continued robust growth in digital and cable television advertising, both of which were up double digits,” Urban One President and CEO Alfred Liggins III said. “Our spot radio business outperformed the markets in which we operate by 230 Bps, and I was pleased with our overall 10.4% revenue growth, as a result of which we were able to post adjusted EBITDA growth of 6.1% y-o-y.”

He also added, similar to other media companies, a third-quarter slowdown is expected, but with diversified holdings, revenue growths during the quarter are still expected.

97.1 The Ticket Creates ‘Hard Knocks’ Drinking Game

BSM Staff
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97.1 The Ticket Creates ‘Hard Knocks’ Drinking Game

The Detroit Lions are the featured team on this year’s Hard Knocks series on HBO, and 97.1 The Ticket created an interactive game for listeners to participate in as they watch.

The Valenti Show, guest hosted by Jim Costa Tuesday, created a drinking game for listeners to play at home while watching the first episode of the season, which premiered

“This is the hard liquor, Hard Knocks drinking game,” Kott said. “Or you can use beer if you’d like.”

There were rules for one sip, two sips, three sips, or finish your beverage entirely.

“One sip if you hear ‘Blue collar people. Hard working people’ describing the people of metro-Detroit, or any other Detroitisms,” Kott began. “If there’s a reference to Motown, the music, that’s a sip, for sure. Now if you see these fixtures of Detroit: The Spirit of Detroit, the Joe Louis fist, the Ren Cen (GM Renaissance Center), Henry Ford Museum, the QLine, the Ford plant, any assembly line workers. That’s also at the end of the one sip category.

Costa and the producers began to chuckle, adding they might be drunk by the end of the opening montage.

“Two sips if any former player is brought up,” Kott continued. Barry (Sanders), Calvin (Johnson), (Matthew) Stafford. Any of these guys that you see. Just cliche guys. Last year’s three-win season or record is brought up in any way. If any coach or player does the pep talk, hype up speech, that’s two sips.”

“Two sips for Jamaal Williams and any Jamaal Williams-like presentations,” Costa said, referencing a speech Williams gave that Hard Knocks had already shared on social media.

“Which would have been four sips, because he brought up the three win record last year,” Kott interrupted.

“Let’s go!”, Costa shouted.

“An additional sip if that pep talk/hype up gets you actually a little bit ‘run through a brick wall’ fired up,” Kott added. “And finally, finish your drink if the 0-16 season is brought up? You finish your drink.”

Kott also concluded if any Detroit musical artists were featured, if any 97.1 The Ticket signage or personalities were seen, you were to finish you drink. And also, you were required to finish your drink after Aidan Hutchinson completed his rendition of Michael Jackson’s hit “Billie Jean”.

Fescoe in the Morning: ESPN Has a History of Ignoring Non-Partner Leagues

BSM Staff
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ESPN is out of the running for the Big Ten football and basketball media rights. Those will be awarded to a combination of other networks and likely a streaming service. ESPN appears to be focusing on NCAA Championships next.

Josh Klingler, co-host of Fescoe in the Morning on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City, took time on their show on Tuesday to break down what that might mean for the Big Ten in terms of coverage.

“You’re (Big Ten) going to network television, which is better; more eyeballs and what have you,” noted Klingler. “But also, let’s not forget ESPN has a history of ignoring you when you’re not on their air. That’s the risk they are going to run.”

Klingler would add, “They are going to take the money. They are going to get network viewers, which is good. I guess the highlight and the hype and all those things that we are accustomed to doing that ESPN provides. We’ve already seen they ignore you if you’re not on their network.”

Bob Fescoe chimed in a reminder about another prominent league that chose not to partner with ESPN.

“Ask the National Hockey League what happened when they took the money from NBC and ran,” said Fescoe.

“They are risking being ignored by ESPN now,” replied Klingler.

“Right, but I think they are willing to do that for a billion dollars per year,” Fescoe responded.

Fescoe then said that the Big Ten might make up for the perceived shortcomings of not being on ESPN by being on network television.

“If you’re going to be on network TV in all three windows, Josh, quite honestly all your marquee games are going to be free,” said Fescoe.

“That’s exposure,” said Klingler.

NESN’s Dave O’Brien Says National Networks “Blew It” By Not Hiring Dennis Eckersley

BSM Staff
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On Monday, Dennis Eckersley decided to make it known that this season would be his last with NESN in the booth. He mentioned that after 50 years in baseball, it was time to go be with the grandchildren in San Diego.

His broadcast partner for a lot of those years in the NESN booth was Dave O’Brien. On the latest Sports Media Mayhem podcast, O’Brien joined show host Alex Reimer to talk about the retirement of Eckersley. Reimer pointed out that it took awhile before Eckersley became the main color analyst for the team. O’Brien remembered the time well.

“When he started, he was pre- and post- and he did that most of his career at NESN,” said O’Brien. “It was really, only the last six or seven years that he really started to get on as a game analyst.”

O’Brien was named the lead play-by-play announcer for NESN’s Red Sox coverage in 2016 which is about the same time Eckersley slid into the role of game analyst. In the time since, O’Brien has seen the work of Eckersley up close and is floored that he was working for a regional sports network and not somewhere more nationally prominent.

“I think the national people totally blew it on Dennis Eckersley,” blurted O’Brien. “And that includes Turner. They had an opportunity, I can say that because a lot of those people there now didn’t make the decision. He should have been the lead analyst doing national games. He should have been on ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball or FOX. I don’t know how they blew it as badly as they did but Dennis Eckersley should have been a national icon… they made a mistake on that. I hope somebody regrets it.”

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