Allie LaForce will remain a prominent presence across TNT Sports’ coverage after agreeing to a new multiyear contract extension that ensures the veteran reporter continues contributing to several of the network’s highest-profile properties, including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Big 12 football coverage and the women’s basketball league Unrivaled.
LaForce has built a long-standing relationship with TNT Sports that dates back more than a decade. She first joined the network in 2015 before transitioning into an exclusive role three years later, and her latest agreement further solidifies a partnership that has grown alongside some of the network’s most visible live sports programming.
Throughout her tenure, LaForce has become one of the most recognizable sideline reporters in sports television, contributing regularly to Turner’s coverage of March Madness while also appearing on a variety of studio and event broadcasts tied to the company’s expanding college sports footprint.
“TNT Sports really has become a family to me,” LaForce said in an interview with The Sports Business Journal. “The emphasis on college sports kind of takes me back to my beginning as a sports journalist. That they were doing Big 12 football kind of lets me jump back into the college football scene.”
Beyond traditional broadcast assignments, LaForce has also taken a strong interest in the continued growth of women’s sports, particularly the rising visibility of Unrivaled, the new professional women’s basketball league that has generated attention for its energy and fan engagement.
According to LaForce, the crowd atmosphere inside the arena rivaled, and in some ways surpassed, environments she has experienced at NBA games.
“The loyalty, the excitement and the energy from the fans was greater than what I had witnessed in the NBA,” LaForce said. “There was such a variety of old and young and women and men and celebrities. It was inspiring because people weren’t just looking for something to do. They specifically sought out this event.”
LaForce’s new contract extension ensures that viewers will keep seeing her on some of TNT Sports’ most visible broadcasts for years to come.
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For more than two decades, Emily Jones stood as one of the most familiar figures connected to the Texas Rangers television coverage. That run is now over after the club’s newly announced broadcast lineup did not include Jones among its on-air contributors.
The team’s television home, Rangers Sports Network, revealed its broadcast roster Thursday while outlining several adjustments ahead of the upcoming season. Jones, who first joined the organization’s coverage in 2005 as a pre- and postgame host before later moving into a field reporting role, will not appear on game telecasts for the first time since she began working with the club more than 20 years ago.
Although her on-air presence will end, the Rangers plan to keep Jones involved with the organization in a different capacity moving forward.
The club said she will serve as a “host/ambassador,” a role expected to include appearances tied to sponsorship initiatives, partnership programs and charitable events connected to the franchise. Team officials also indicated that Jones is currently involved in developing several special projects, though details about those initiatives will be shared at a later date.
“Emily has always been a valued member of the broadcast team and she was there to cover some of the biggest moments in team history,” the Rangers said in a statement announcing the change. “The club is excited that Emily has agreed to remain part of the Rangers’ family and maintain a connection with fans in this new role.”
Jones earned six regional sports Emmy Awards during her tenure covering the team, building a reputation as one of the most recognizable personalities associated with the Rangers’ television broadcasts. In recent seasons, however, she began scaling back her schedule as she shifted time toward family commitments and outside projects.
That transition led the network to bring in Laura Stickells during the 2025 season as the primary field reporter, while Jones continued to appear periodically.
Jones still worked approximately 20 games in that role last year, yet the newly released 2026 broadcast lineup confirms she will not appear on telecasts this season. Stickells will return as the primary field reporter for a second consecutive year, while the network could add a part-time reporter to handle coverage when scheduling conflicts arise.
In a lengthy post shared on social media Thursday, Jones reflected on her time with the organization and expressed gratitude to those she worked alongside during her lengthy tenure.
“Thank you to the organization who allowed me to be unapologetically me, even when it wasn’t conventional or popular,” she wrote. “Thank you to the broadcast and production crew who made me look way better than I ever was.”
Jones also thanked players, coaches and staff members for welcoming her inside the clubhouse environment during her career, noting that the relationships formed throughout those seasons represented her most meaningful accomplishment.
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Two of the most recognizable voices in Philadelphia sports radio recently offered a candid assessment of the current state of the format and the station where each built a legendary reputation. Former 94 WIP hosts Angelo Cataldi and Howard Eskin shared their thoughts during a recent episode of The Howard Eskin Show, reflecting on how the industry — and the tone of sports talk in Philadelphia — has evolved since their time behind the microphone.
Cataldi, who retired in 2023 after more than three decades hosting mornings on WIP, admitted that he no longer listens to the station that helped define his career. According to the longtime host, tuning in became more frustrating than enjoyable as he heard approaches to the format that clashed with his own philosophy.
“I stopped listening,” Cataldi said. “I don’t listen at all anymore. The reason is because I would hear something that I would go, well, no, that’s not the way you should do it. I did it for 33 years. I know how to do it. It got to the point where it was just so frustrating for me that I don’t listen.”
Beyond his personal listening habits, Cataldi believes the tone of sports talk in Philadelphia has softened compared to the environment that once defined the city’s sports media landscape.
“People emailed me all the time,” Cataldi said. “The Phillies would lose a big playoff game and the next day the host would talk about how nobly they fought. That’s not the Philadelphia I was in. When you don’t win here, you should pay a price.”
Eskin, who spent decades as a fixture in Philadelphia sports media and also hosted shows on WIP, broadened the discussion to include the overall health of radio as a medium. While acknowledging that sports talk radio provided both men with successful careers, Eskin suggested the industry faces mounting challenges as audiences shift to digital platforms.
“People don’t want to turn the radio on anymore,” Eskin said. “Radio is a dying business. It’s sad because both our careers were great for sports talk radio, but it’s a business that’s almost dead.”
He also expressed concern about the financial realities for younger employees entering the field, claiming that some producers at WIP earn wages that make it difficult to build a sustainable career in radio.
“I found out within the last week that WIP pays a lot of producers $13 an hour,” Eskin said. “Nothing against McDonald’s, but you can make more money at McDonalds. The kids want to get into radio, and I understand that, but that’s so unfair to them. Just be fair to him. That’s all. Just be fair.”
Despite his strong opinions, Eskin said he avoids discussing the station with his son, Spike Eskin, who currently hosts afternoons on WIP.
“We don’t talk about it,” Eskin said. “He’s a smart guy and he knows what he’s doing. He plays the radio game the way they play it now, which I don’t totally agree with. We don’t discuss it”
Ultimately, Eskin believes the challenges facing WIP mirror a broader issue throughout the industry: a shrinking pool of standout on-air talent.
“They have some good people there [94 WIP],” Eskin said. “But they don’t have enough good people there, and they’re not alone. Talent doesn’t exist the way it used to in talk radio. It’s just the way it is”
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Lotus Communications has announced new promotions for Andrew Adams and Jeff Connell for its Seattle cluster.
Adams will serve as the General Manager of the company’s Seattle operations. He joins Lotus after previously serving in a similar role for Stephens Media Group in Spokane. Adams also spent 13 years leading the Salem Media operations in Seattle, and also worked at Mapleton Communications.
“Andrew is a positive and supportive leader who is deeply focused on helping people succeed,” said Lotus Chief Operating Officer Jim Kalmenson. “His management style centers on supporting sellers, strengthening teams, and building smart, effective creative packages that help advertisers achieve real results. Radio has been part of Andrew’s life for decades. He started in the business while attending his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, and has continued in the industry ever since. He truly cares about our industry and believes deeply in what we do.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Connell has been elevated to the role of Director of Operations and Brand Management. He has worked as the Regional Program Director for 101.5 Hank-FM in Seattle, as well as 107.1 Hank-FM in Boise. He also helped lead the cluster’s marketing and promotions efforts.
“Jeff has been an integral part of the Seattle team and has played a key role in strengthening the Hank FM brand while helping advance collaborative programming, marketing, and promotional initiatives across the cluster,” Kalmenson said. “In this expanded role, Jeff will provide leadership across programming, production, marketing, digital content, and promotional strategy for all Lotus Seattle stations.”
Connell will also add oversight to 570 KVI and Northwest NewsRadio as part of his duties.
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Slipstream has acquired Los Angeles-based production music library Megatrax, a move that significantly expands the company’s global catalog and strengthens its footprint in international markets, particularly across Latin America.
The transaction grows Slipstream’s music catalog to more than one million tracks available for commercial licensing worldwide while bringing one of the industry’s most established production music libraries under its expanding distribution umbrella.
Company executives say the deal aligns with Slipstream’s broader strategy of consolidating premium music catalogs while modernizing the way clients license and access music for creative projects.
Although Slipstream now owns Megatrax, the Hollywood-based company will continue operating independently while its catalog gradually integrates into the Slipstream licensing platform during the coming months.
That transition period allows Megatrax to maintain its established relationships with composers, agencies, and media producers while the companies combine their distribution infrastructure and licensing tools.
“This acquisition reflects our long-term consolidation strategy,” said Dan Demole, CEO of Slipstream. “Megatrax is a highly respected, composer-led catalog with decades of history in television, film, and advertising. By integrating it into our proprietary licensing platform. We can modernize distribution, expand directly into Latin America, and improve Slipstream’s offering to our clients around the globe.”
Megatrax was founded in 1991 and headquartered in Hollywood. The company built its reputation supplying music for television productions, film projects, and advertising campaigns. The company also provides music for other media content requiring professionally produced soundtracks.
The company’s catalog now includes more than 200,000 tracks. This collection includes creations by composers, songwriters, and musicians. Elements from a wide range of genres and styles designed for production use.
Slipstream leadership said the acquisition reinforces its commitment to professionally composed music. The move comes as artificial intelligence tools continue reshaping content production workflows across creative industries.
The company said it plans to continue investing in music intellectual property created by human composers. It will also expand global distribution channels that deliver those works to producers, advertisers, and media companies.
The Megatrax purchase marks the latest step in Slipstream’s aggressive expansion strategy during the past two years. In 2024, the company acquired Anthem Entertainment’s production music division. This included well-known catalogs such as Jingle Punks, 5 Alarm Music, and Cavendish Music. Those additions significantly increased Slipstream’s presence across North America and Europe while expanding its overall licensing inventory.
Executives say Megatrax also provides an important strategic foothold in Latin America. A region that continues to experience rapid growth in both media production and brand marketing.
“Latin America is one of the most dynamic growth regions in media and brand marketing,” says Jesse Korwin, chief revenue officer at Slipstream. “Megatrax brings established relationships and a catalog that reflects authentic, region-specific genres across multiple Latin American markets. There is rising demand for culturally specific music across traditional advertising, television, and digital streaming platforms, and this positions us to meet that demand at scale.”
Megatrax co-founders Ron Mendelsohn and JC Dwyer said the partnership ensures the company’s catalog remains competitive as the music licensing landscape evolves.
“For more than three decades, Megatrax has been committed to providing our clients with high-quality music coupled with top-tier customer service,” the pair said in a joint statement. “Joining Slipstream positions our label for the future. It also allows our catalog and composers to benefit from modern licensing infrastructure, global reach, and a company built for the evolving needs of producers and brands.”
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The war of words between Ben Shapiro and Megyn Kelly continued on Thursday, with Candace Owens joining the conversation.
Both Shapiro and Kelly have been trading barbs in recent weeks, following Shapiro’s December comments that Kelly was a “coward” for failing to call out comments from Owens for what he labeled as a “logical absurdity.”
At the time of his original comments, Shapiro stated he believed Megyn Kelly was his friend. Kelly has shared similar sentiments in the months that have followed, but has routinely taken shots at The Daily Wire co-founder for calling her out.
The feud reignited on Thursday with Shapiro taking Kelly and Piers Morgan to task for their recent comments and platforming guests he believes are anti-Israel and could be described as Nazis.
He, again, called Megyn Kelly a “coward”, while labeling Piers Morgan a “clickwhore.”
In response, Ben Shapiro lambasted Megyn Kelly for continuing to stay close with Candace Owens, who has repeatedly suggested that Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was involved in the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk.
“Don’t worry, Megyn. I’d never ask you to protect me. You won’t even protect Charlie Kirk’s widow from the monster accusing her of murdering Charlie,” wrote Shapiro.
Don’t worry, Megyn. I’d never ask you to protect me. You won’t even protect Charlie Kirk’s widow from the monster accusing her of murdering Charlie. https://t.co/EBATwm57os
“You think protecting Erika means calling out Candace; I think if you don’t wish to call attention to a negative attack, don’t call attention to it,” she said. “Does that work for you Ben? May I have your approval now? No, I don’t think so.”
Kelly added that she has been disappointed with how Shapiro has handled the entire feud.
“You handled your anger toward me in the most despicable way possible,” she began. “Did you call me? Text me? Raise it with me privately after all we had been (through) together over the years? No, you attacked me on stage at the Turning Point event without so much as a heads-up. (Because) you were too chicken (expletive) to say it to my face.
“I texted you afterward and you never responded. You didn’t have the balls to have a face-to-face talk or even a text or call about it,” she continued. “You are the coward, Ben. And your moral preening, priggish lectures, and holier-than-thou judgments are the reason you are losing fans and, more than that, friends, at a record rate.”
You think protecting Erika means calling out Candace; I think if you don’t wish to call attention to a negative attack, don’t call attention to it. Does that work for you Ben? May I have your approval now? No, I don’t think so.
That is when Candace Owens inserted herself into the conversation. She took issue with Shapiro’s attempts to paint Megyn Kelly and herself as the bad people in the situation. Owens argued that Shapiro’s exhibited “behavior of a maggot rotting on a corpse.”
“It is genuinely one of most despicable things that I have ever seen in politics that Ben Shapiro— WHO CHARLIE KIRK COULD NOT STAND AND WHO CHARLIE KIRK HIMSELF ROUTINELY EXPRESSED WAS A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING—has so shamelessly tried to reimagine himself as a guardian of Charlie’s legacy,” Owens wrote. “EVERYONE in politics knows Charlie hated Ben. Everyone. Not a single person will dispute this narrative.”
Owens continued by stating that no one believes Shapiro cares about Kirk’s legacy.
“You can’t keep stealing what other people build because your daddy told you that you were special,” she concluded. “No one on either side of the Atlantic is buying that you give a single shit about Charlie’s legacy or family.”
You can’t keep stealing what other people build because your daddy told you that you were special. No one on either side of the Atlantic is buying that you give a single shit about Charlie’s legacy or family.
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Baltimore rock radio 98 Rock officially welcomed veteran broadcaster Priestly to its lineup, marking another chapter in a career that has spanned more than three decades in multiple major markets.
During Thursday’s morning’s edition of The Justin, Scott & Spiegel Show on 98 Rock (WIYY), hosts Justin Schlegel, Scott Reardon and Spiegel introduced Priestly to the audience and celebrated the arrival of a broadcaster whose resume includes a long run in Baltimore radio along with experience in programming and national satellite radio.
The introduction carried the tone of a reunion as much as it did a new hire. Priestly, who spent nearly two decades on afternoons at Hot AC station Mix 106.5 (WWMX), has remained a familiar name to Baltimore listeners even as his professional path evolved in recent years.
“It’s a great day at 98 Rock,” the morning show team said while bringing Priestly on air and officially welcoming him into the station’s family.
Priestly’s addition comes nearly a year after his departure from WWMX, where he wrapped up an 18-year run in afternoon drive in March 2025. Over the course of that lengthy tenure, he built a strong following among Baltimore listeners while establishing himself as one of the market’s most recognizable personalities.
While Baltimore audiences know him best from his years at Mix 106.5, Priestly’s career includes several notable stops that illustrate both his versatility and longevity within the industry.
Before and during his time in Baltimore, Priestly held programming roles with SiriusXM, helping guide several of the satellite platform’s most recognizable music channels. His programming credits include “20 on 20,” “Pop2K,” and “90s on 9,” stations that reached a national audience and helped shape the sound of SiriusXM’s pop-focused offerings.
His on-air experience also extends across several prominent East Coast stations. Earlier in his career, Priestly hosted nights at Baltimore CHR station B102.7 (WXYV), a role that introduced him to many listeners who would later follow him throughout the market. He also spent time working part-time shifts at major-market outlets including WHTZ in New York and WIHT in Washington, D.C., giving him experience in two of the nation’s largest radio environments.
“”I am soo happy,” wrote Priestly on Facebook. “98Rock rolled out the red carpet and had me on this morning to announce my Homecoming! Back on FM on the legendary 98 Rock Baltimore!”
Priestly’s first program airs this weekend.
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Former WFAN host Joe Benigno believes the station that helped define sports talk radio in New York still matters, but he does not expect it to ever look the way it once did.
During a recent appearance on The Jake Asman Show on YouTube, the longtime New York radio personality reflected on the legacy of WFAN while discussing both the station’s current direction and his own limited role on weekends. According to Benigno, who still hosts weekend programming on the station, the larger-than-life era that defined WFAN through the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s created a standard that simply cannot be recreated.
“WFAN will never be what it once was,” Benigno said. “The days of Don Imus, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo. The days of Steve Somers and myself overnight. Ed Coleman and Dave Sims. Those days are — you know — we’ll never see anything like that again.”
Benigno emphasized that the changes surrounding WFAN should not be viewed in isolation. Instead, he believes the station mirrors a broader shift across the sports radio industry, which once thrived on dominant terrestrial brands before podcasts and streaming platforms fragmented the audience.
“We’ve all seen the heyday of WFAN and sports radio in general as far as I’m concerned,” Benigno said.
The comments arrive years after Benigno stepped away from his longtime weekday role at the station, where he spent decades building a loyal audience that connected with his passionate reactions to New York sports.
While many longtime listeners still wonder whether a full-time return could happen, Benigno indicated that he has little interest in revisiting the daily grind that once defined his career.
“I don’t miss it at all, bro,” he said. “I’m happy I do my little show on a Saturday, my little podcast. I do not miss the commute into the city like I did it for so many years. It was a great run. I was fortunate to be able to do what I did, but I really don’t miss it. To be very honest with you, it ran its course for me as far as an every day thing.”
Instead, Benigno appears comfortable maintaining his current role at the station. He hosts a weekend program while producing content outside traditional radio. The veteran host said recent conversations with station leadership reassured him. He believes the arrangement can continue indefinitely as long as he still enjoys the work.
“It sounds, to me, after talking to the powers that be at WFAN. It sounds like I can do this for as long as I want,” Benigno said. “Right now I’m enjoying doing it on a Saturday. I do it from home. I’m back to doing five to nine again — back to doing a four-hour show from five to 9 a.m. — so right now, I’m good with it.”
For now, Benigno seems content watching the next era of WFAN unfold while maintaining a smaller presence on the station that helped define his broadcasting career.
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Care to look at 2026 through a different lens? How about a lens recommended by Nielsen that isn’t what you may think?
For RockTernative programmers, what if it’s not about Share.
Across the hall at Sales, what if it’s not about Rating.
Both metrics have value, and it’s easy to see why they can cause sleepless nights — or even celebrations at the pub. But they also may be leading the industry away from better indicators of product health and sales potential.
In a recent edition of The Industry According to… I connected with Rich Tunkel, Managing Director at Nielsen Audio. We covered many topics, including panel size, wobbles, the “3-minute rule” vs. today’s revenue reality, “best practices,” and the overall health of the industry.
One exchange stood out because it challenged the daily habits and thinking of many movers and shakers inside the walls of radio.
Here was the question:
There are several metrics in a Nielsen Audio report. Programmers focus primarily on Share. Sales teams prioritize Rating. If you had to single out one data point for programmers and another for sales teams, which would they be? Which two matter most today, and why?
Rich Tunkel’s Answer
For Programmers: Average Quarter-Hour (AQH) Persons and Time Spent Listening (TSL). The programmer’s core job is to build and maintain a strong audience base. The new environment rewards engagement. AQH Persons is the engine of the station’s core audience, and TSL is the key indicator of product quality. If TSL is up, the product is sticky, and the listener is engaged.
For Sales Teams: Cume (Reach) and Attribution Metrics. Radio’s superpower is its massive reach (Cume). Sales should lead with that massive scale to compete with digital. However, the most critical “new” data point is Attribution. Sales must pivot to showing how radio advertising drove a measurable result (foot traffic, sales, website lift). This is the language of modern advertising and the only way to prove radio’s value beyond GRPs (Gross Rating Points).
Today’s Reality
Now compare Rich’s thoughts to how most stations operate:
Programmers may glance at TSL, often dismiss it as another number that wobbles — and rarely give heavy attention to AQH Persons.
Sales teams understand Cume, but don’t usually sell it. The goalpost remains Rating, unless the buy is strictly attribution-based.
Before anyone starts rewriting bonus plans or tearing up sales decks, a few habits matter:
Many ad buyers are wired — or tasked — to talk and buy Rating (GRPs). That may not change overnight, but radio can at least negotiate or fight for dollars with more data-based facts and clearer rationale.
PDs aren’t typically bonused on AQH Persons or TSL, but they are two of the best indicators of brand health, even though both can be impacted — like Share or Cume — by a panel change.
Format realities still matter. Alternative won’t nationally out-Cume Country, and very few brands will ever beat NPR in TSL. That doesn’t mean Country wins all revenue or that NPR PDs should lead the league in bonuses.
The Opportunity
What can change is the narrative.
Rich is right: Cume — pure reach — is one of radio’s most compelling selling points, and sales teams should wave that flag every chance they can. TSL tells a powerful story about audience usage and product stickiness — a story that matters to advertisers trying to achieve reach and frequency efficiently.
There will always be complaints about ratings. Nielsen freely admits they are statistical estimates, not literal headcounts. But from one data nerd to another: if we focus on the right numbers to define success, there are stories to be found in the data that we often miss — even in a down book.
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I bet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is a big fan of the band Queen. How’s the lyric go? “I want it all, and I want it now.” Can you blame him? The man is in charge of the biggest sport in the country. He’s making money hand over fist for the owners he represents. Is it greed? Some would say it is. Others would say he’s capitalizing on opportunity.
Every time the NFL announces a new initiative, schedule tweak, or added international game, all I hear is “cha-ching.” Is investing in a professional flag football league good for the health of the sport or the back pockets of owners? How many international games will the NFL hold next year? Nine — a new record high after playing 62 regular-season games internationally so far. Plus, Goodell has openly discussed a goal of 16 international games per season, one for each of the NFL’s 32 teams.
Then came news this week that the NFL is considering placing a game on Thanksgiving Eve as early as this coming season. Once again, the question surfaces. Is it greed or just smart business? And can there ever be too much football?
Without question, Roger Goodell has done a masterful job as commissioner of the National Football League. Since taking over the role 21 seasons ago, he’s experienced a number of highs and lows. He navigated a lockout, two collective bargaining agreements, landmark player discipline cases, and attacks from controversial politicians. Oh, and there was also a global pandemic and a social justice reckoning within the sport.
Through all of that, business in the NFL has never been better.
Last year, the average NFL franchise was valued at $7.65 billion. That represents an 18% jump from 2024. The NFL salary cap has climbed from $167 million in 2017 to a record $301.2 million this season — the first time it has crossed the $300 million mark.
Owners are making more. Players are making more.
In 2025, NFL attendance dipped 0.8%, but games still averaged 69,055 fans. That still remains the fifth-highest leaguewide average since 2004.
Television contracts tell the same story. The league is currently in the middle of a $110 billion media rights deal and will open discussions for the next one later this year. What once included FOX Sports, CBS Sports, ABC Sports/ESPN, and NBC Sports now also features YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, and likely others soon.
And Goodell is still pushing for an 18-game regular season.
The league has a stranglehold on sports in America. NFL free agency collides with March Madness and the World Baseball Classic. The NFL Draft overlaps with the start of the NBA and NHL postseasons. Training camp coverage dominates attention during the dog days of the MLB calendar.
College football isn’t immune either. The NFL added games on Black Friday to invade college football’s rivalry weekend. NBA on Christmas? Why bother when the NFL is playing multiple games that day.
In the eyes of many fans, the league already owns Labor Day, October baseball, and the start of the NBA and NHL seasons. So what’s left to own?
That’s where Goodell is a genius.
Thanksgiving Day viewership, which the NFL has long dominated, set new regular-season records last year. An estimated 57.2 million watched the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys while sitting down for dinner. The three Thanksgiving Day games combined averaged 44.7 million viewers.
Then came Black Friday. Prime Video carried a matchup between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers that drew an average audience of 16.3 million viewers — the most-watched sporting event on that day since 1991.
If the audience is there, networks will pay for it and fans will watch it. Even on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
So why wouldn’t the NFL place a game on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving? It’s another day to own and another opportunity to cash in.
NFL now is exploring playing a game on Thanksgiving Eve as early as this season. This year this would be Wednesday, Nov. 25. pic.twitter.com/ZFTrOIjTYV
Yes, the NFL remains the most violent sport in America. Careers end too soon and added games increase the risk of injuries. The league protects players more than ever before because it has to. If everyone associated with the sport is going to make more money, the league must protect the people needed to make the games happen.
Moving an already scheduled regular-season game from Sunday to Wednesday isn’t necessarily “too much” football.
If history and ratings data are any indication, there may not be a way to fully satisfy the nation’s appetite for the sport. Fans continue to watch, buy tickets and merchandise, gamble, and flood social and traditional media with reactions to every play, injury, and headline.
For every sports media voice shouting from the mountaintop that the NFL’s greed knows no limits, you’re probably right. But you would do the same thing if you had Goodell’s job.
He’s doing nothing different than a great sports talk show host does every day: strike while the iron is hot and play the hit as often as possible.
As much as it stinks for teams to lose a home game for an overseas trip, they don’t lose money and they expand their brands internationally each time. For every complaint about how the league doesn’t care about players, the salary cap continues to rise.
When Roger Goodell says he isn’t competing with the NBA or MLB, he means it. He says the NFL is competing with Apple and Google. And increasingly, the league is winning that race. The NFL’s influence now stretches far beyond the games themselves. That’s a credit to Goodell and should be celebrated more than criticized.
Maybe that’s the real lesson here.
The NFL isn’t succeeding because it plays it safe. It’s succeeding because it pushes boundaries. It tests ideas. It expands until someone tells it to stop. So far, no one has.
Roger Goodell isn’t apologizing for wanting more — more games, more viewers, more revenue, more reach. Because as long as fans keep showing up, turning on the television, clicking the stream, and arguing about every call online, the NFL has no reason to slow down.
The appetite for football keeps growing. Goodell’s job is simply to feed it.
So if another game appears on the schedule or another holiday suddenly belongs to the NFL, don’t be surprised. When you run the most powerful sports league in America, you don’t wait for opportunity.
You take it all. And you take it now.
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