Weekend Rap

Apple and F1 executives projected confidence that F1 will not lose visibility by going off linear TV in the U.S., as some in the industry worry that the series could face the same questions that MLS has. The London-based property on Friday formally announced the five-year, $700M media rights pact with Apple after months of reports, with the timing coinciding with F1’s U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. F1 will take a step that not even the biggest sports properties in America have taken by fully bypassing linear TV. While MLS has some linear exposure, the majority of its matches are exclusively streamed on Apple TV. Asked during a media teleconference why the F1 industry should not have concerns about potential minimized visibility, Apple SVP/Services Eddy Cue said: “It’s the many millions of Apple TV viewers that we have in the U.S., many of them are Formula 1 fans hopefully, and we know that many of them are not yet, that we’re going to be able to bring to the table right away. That’s very much low-hanging fruit and obviously we touch a tremendous amount of U.S. customers with our products. And so just like we did with the movie, you will not be able to not know that F1 is available and ready to be watched and that you should watch it.”

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali interjected, saying: “And we don’t have any single doubt about it. We do believe that this is the best amplifier of our passion in the U.S., definitely so.” Cue wouldn’t say whether Apple will routinely release viewership figures but noted he expects some sort of figures to eventually be shared. The F1 deal is different from MLS’s in that soccer fans have to purchase a separate package to watch those games while the F1 races will be available to anyone with an Apple TV subscription, a number that Apple has suggested is at least around 50 million people.

F1 Chief Media Rights & Broadcast Officer Ian Holmes added that incumbent ESPN’s business “is evolving, in terms of the launch of their app and their streaming services,” and Puck reported the terms ESPN offered for a renewal would have seen some F1 races exclusively streamed on the new ESPN app. Holmes: “What I think excites us most about the deal is the fact that it helps us address how more people are consuming content in more different ways and on different devices. We think by partnering with Apple we are best placed to really look to the future and have an offering that will talk to the broadest possible audience in all of the different ways that they consume.”

F1 announced an eight-year extension to keep the U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin from 2027 to 2034. COTA Chair Bobby Epstein in a statement: “We’re glad Formula 1 has found a home in Texas, and are grateful to the fans, teams, and the entire F1 community who have consistently supported us and made The United States Grand Prix a favorite stop on the global calendar.” The annual race brings in tens of thousands of visitors and international attention to Central Texas (SBJ).

MLS and Apple are offering the league’s entire slate of playoff matches to all Apple TV subscribers at no additional cost, making the games available to a wider audience than just those who subscribe specifically to the MLS Season Pass service. The move builds on a strategy shift from the regular season and Leagues Cup that involved increasing the number of games available to those who subscribe to the broader entertainment service.

The league concluded its regular season with a full slate of Decision Day matches yesterday. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake each clinched playoff berths on the final day of the season at the expense of the Earthquakes and Rapids. The 18-team playoff field features some of this season’s highest-profile stars, including Inter Miami MF Lionel Messi (who led the league in both goals and assists), LAFC F Son Heung-Min and Whitecaps MF Thomas Müller.

The MLS Cup Playoffs begin Wednesday with two Wild Card matches (No. 8 vs No. 9 in each conference), with the full best-of-3 Round One beginning on Friday. This will be the league’s third season under this playoff format, which shifts to single elimination in all subsequent rounds. MLS Cup is scheduled for Dec. 6.

In addition to matches Apple TV and MLS Season Pass, select playoff games will also be available through Fox Sports in the U.S. (FS1 and Fox Deportes) and on TSN and RDS in Canada. MLS Cup will air on Fox’s flagship broadcast network.

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The Aces gathered outside T-Mobile Arena on Friday to celebrate their third WNBA title in four years with another parade, as “pink wigs and tambourines stretched along Toshiba Plaza” and “thousands of fans stretched along Park Avenue.” Aces G Jewell Loyd, who won her third WNBA title after winning two with the Storm, said, “Now this is a parade. I been to some other ones, but this one? This one hits a little different.” The Aces “walked a red carpet after being unloaded from double-decker buses with ‘2025 World Champions’ decals wrapped around them.” Aces C A’ja Wilson, G Jackie Young and G Chelsea Gray “exited the final bus with each player holding one of the Aces’ three championship trophies.” Hip-hop group Crime Mob “performed a four-song set,” which included the Aces’ warmup song, “Knuck If You Buck.” R&B artist Mya “took the stage for a longer set list,” followed by hip-hop artist Ludacris. A video played of “WNBA pundits and reporters saying the Aces’ run of dominance was over.” Coach Becky Hammon said, “This never gets old. We should do it again next year. Same time, next year. Let’s do this” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/17).

In Las Vegas, Adam Hill wrote under the header: “There’s no debate. Aces are greatest dynasty in WNBA history,” noting the Aces’ three titles in four years are superior to the Comets’ four in a row and the Lynx’s run of four titles in seven years and six finals appearances. Hill: “Please stop. It’s settled” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/18).

An official estimated attendance was not immediately released, but posts on social media showed thousands on hand (X, 10/17).

During an appearance on the “Fitz & Whit” podcast, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked by Ryan Fitzpatrick how many text messages he gets Sundays from owners, players and coaches. “A lot,” he said, laughing. “You know they’re coming, and I usually send a few myself. … The inputs are important. Some of them are funny, some of them will piss me off too, but that’s OK. That’s the way it works.” Goodell said his staff “hates it” when he’s home watching the games because “I’m sitting with my pad writing down notes the whole time about things I see, things I want to see, things we can do better” and he comes to the office Monday with the list. He said on Monday mornings the league office goes through “every play that I would call controversial or significant impacting” to see what could be done in the future in similar situations (“Fitz & Whit,” 10/15).

Lions players voiced their frustrations with a promotional video NFL Films sent out on social media for the show “Turning Point” that “highlighted a rough game” by S Brian Branch that “ended with a postgame altercation that led to his suspension” for this week’s game. Lions DT DJ Reader said, “As a player, how can you trust the shield now? If y’all willing to release this and that’s how you shedding light on it?” He added, “People up there in New York, I can’t trust them. Can’t have them like -- I can’t believe that they’re truly going to have my back or they care about my safety or well-being. Like they don’t -- the people who care about you don’t do that.” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who narrated the video, posted an apology on social media, writing that he has “‘nothing but respect’ for the entire Lions organization and saying the episode ‘didn’t come across the way it should have.’” The NFL in a statement said, “NFL Films wants all of its shows to have a distinct voice and point of view. … That particular sequence felt different to NFL Films as part of a 9-minute breakdown of the Lions-Chiefs game than it did as a standalone excerpt on social media. On X, it felt overly critical to Brian Branch so it was taken down” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/17).

The Sharks “inadvertently displayed what appeared to be a message supportive of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation efforts” on SAP Center’s scoreboard on a night meant to “celebrate their commitment to the local Hispanic community.” During first intermission Saturday against the Penguins, the scoreboard message read, “SJ SHARKS FANS/LOVE ICE !!/GET ‘EM BOYZ !” The Sharks in a statement shared on social media said, “An offensively worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard.” The Sharks on Saturday hosted their 9th annual Los Tiburones game, which, according to the team’s website, is “a celebration of the team’s commitment to the Bay Area’s vibrant Hispanic community.” Sharks President Jonathan Becher on X posted, “Disappointing that this slipped through our internal controls, but even more disappointing that a fan somehow thinks this is acceptable” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/19).

Sky F Angel Reese “opened up about her contentious relationship with the media” during an episode of her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast. Reese said during the episode released Thursday, “Seriously, I’d rather take the fine sometimes rather than talking to the media because it always gets flipped.” Reese: “For me, the media is really scary. That’s why I have never been on anybody else’s podcast.” Reese has said that comments critical of the Sky that she made last month were “taken out of context” but she was suspended for the first half of a game as a result and ended up missing the rest of the season with a back injury. Reese said; “I’m terrified of what the media is about to ask. It could be the nicest question, but it’s going to get flipped or put into a different light or a different perspective. It’s like, are you here intentionally to start mess or are you intentionally here to ask a question?” (N.Y. POST, 10/18).

More than 80% of the 750+ homes listed on HomeExchange in Austin have been reserved this weekend, according to data provided to SBJ by the home swap company, as fans head to Circuit of The Americas for the F1 U.S. Grand Prix.

From Oct. 10 through 24, a period that includes a week before and after the race weekend, rentals are up 17.5% compared to the same period last year. October exchanges are also up 135% compared to September, when the market hosted three Texas Longhorns games and a Le Mans series weekend at COTA.

Visitors to Austin pay 11% in occupancy taxes when they stay in a hotel or short-term rental such as Airbnb or Vrbo. However, as no money is exchanged between hosts and guests on the platform, exchanges in Austin are not considered commercial rentals and are exempt from those taxes. HomeExchange members pay $235 per year for access to unlimited swaps within the network of 400,000+ homes in 155 countries.

With the Mariners one win away from making the World Series, local businesses are “playing off the buzz.” A cycling studio, a bookstore and a nail salon may “not have inherent ties to the sports industry, but they are finding their niches in the Mariners madness to cater to fans.” When the Mariners win, “so do businesses across sectors, from fashion to food to fitness.” Chad Little, the owner of Doctor Funk’s Gallery, an online store specializing in rare and vintage sportswear, “usually serves Mariners fans,” but now he “expects ‘constant demand’ for team merchandise moving forward.” Little said, “There’s always value to vintage Mariners pieces that I see.” Kenzie Chase, the owner of Reworked by Kenz, an online seller of reworked and handmade clothing, “doesn’t usually design sportswear.” But Chase on Tuesday said, “I ordered a bunch of Mariners fabric last night because, if they go to the World Series, I gotta crank some stuff out.” Spin instructor Dianne Won “intends to tap into the Mariners high” by using C Cal Raleigh’s “‘Big Dumper’ as the motivation behind an upcoming themed cycling class.” Studio owner Jen Bunder said, “It very much will bring in new faces” (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/18).

Saudi General Entertainment Authority Chair Turki Alalshikh said that he “wants to bring the NFL to” Saudi Arabia. Alalshikh on Thursday during the Joy Forum conference in Riyadh said, “Britain got it; Brazil got it. Hopefully, Saudi Arabia will be next.” The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In March, Fanatics, an NFL licensing partner, will host a flag tournament in Saudi Arabia (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/17).

Meanwhile, Holiday Bowl organizers “pursued the possibility of playing January’s game in Saudi Arabia” amid the game’s “ongoing financial hardships.” Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville “visited the country in June for meetings and to discuss logistics.” However, ACC officials “reportedly put an end to the idea.” Neville said, “We are always looking at considering ideas to make us better, to keep things fresh and new and innovative.” He added, “It would have been foolish to say, ‘No way.’ Of course, we’re going to consider this.” The Holiday Bowl matches a team from the ACC against a current or former member of the Pac-12. The plan was for teams to have “played Jan. 2 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the 60,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.” The combined payout to the teams participating in the Holiday Bowl is $5.9M, but it would have been “substantially greater for a game played in Saudi Arabia.” Sports San Diego also would have “received significant money to move the game there as a one-off event, helping ease some of the financial strain.” The game’s financial reserves were “exhausted when COVID-19 forced the 2020 and 2021 contests to be canceled” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/18).

James Franklin spoke publicly for the first time Saturday since he was fired as Penn State football coach Oct. 12 on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

Franklin said Penn State AD Patrick Kraft informed him 15 minutes before a scheduled team meeting on the day after the loss to Northwestern.

Franklin said, “The AD walked in and said, ‘We’re going to make a change, I’m sorry.’ I was in shock, obviously. Really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know, so they wouldn’t find out on the internet, and then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving. It really, that was it, it was that quick.”

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban said the firing was “unfair at hell.” Asked whether the firing was unfair, Franklin said: “That’s for other people to decide. The decision that was made, that was hard for me to comprehend at the time, but ... I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there, 12 years. … It’s the people at the end of the day: the coaches, the staff, the families, the kids. What I don’t think people realize is how many people this affects. A ton of people. That’s where my heart breaks.”

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The Giants are “closing in on hiring” Univ. of Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello, according to sources. Vitello transformed Tennessee from an “SEC bottom-feeder into one of the most talent-rich programs in the country.” But his hiring would be an “extraordinary and nearly unprecedented leap for someone with no professional coaching experience.” Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey was “seeking a big personality who could imbue the Giants’ clubhouse with confidence,” and Vitello’s “dynamism and charisma have been on full display in both his recruiting efforts and the Volunteers’ brash and buoyant style of play.” Vitello is the second-highest-paid coach in D-I with an annual salary of more than $3M, meaning he was “already making more than half the managers in the major leagues” (THE ATHLETIC, 10/18).

Mass layoffs at Paramount Skydance are expected to start earlier than anticipated, beginning the week of Oct. 27, with the company’s Q3 earnings call scheduled for Nov. 10. About 2,500-3,000 employees based in the U.S. are expected to be impacted with “overseas cost savings still being calculated.” The October cuts are considered the first round, with layoffs expected to continue until the end of the year. Paramount has said it is aiming for $2B in cost savings. The company, which is considering a $60B takeover bid of Warner Bros Discovery, declined comment (DEADLINE, 10/17). Paramount has about 18,600 employees (full and part time) in 32 countries, according to its most recent 10K filing with the SEC. That follows a 3.5% “reduction of its domestic staff” in June before the closing of the Skydance deal. Skydance’s website says it has “more than 500” employees (VARIETY, 10/18).

Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin is “attempting to pump the brakes” on the deal between the Browns and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb regarding the team’s planned Brook Park stadium and “says he is forcing the mayor’s negotiators to explain themselves to Cleveland City Council” before the $100M settlement proceeds. A memo said that Griffin has “given the law director a ‘strict mandate’ to not dismiss any lawsuits against the Browns without council approval.” Whether Griffin and the council have that authority “is dubious.” Many issues may be “hashed out at a 10 a.m. hearing Monday, where Griffin is bringing in Bibb’s negotiation team to answer questions” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 10/17).