Weekend Rap

The 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl between BYU and Georgia Tech on Saturday was played before 34,126 at Camping World Stadium in what was “3.5 hours of must-watch football and mascot chaos.” BYU as the winner was “gifted two edible Pop-Tarts Mascots from Team Sprinkles for their winnings through a giant toaster.” Before being “lowered down into the toaster, Team Sprinkles’ Frosted Cherry and Frosted Cookies & Creme stood with signs that read, ‘Live Your Dream’ and ‘Dream It, Achieve It.’” The 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl marked the “first time that the bowl allowed fans to choose which of the two mascot teams would be ‘sacrificed’ for consumption after the game: Team Sprinkles, or Team Swirls.” Team Sprinkles being “‘sacrificed’ was just one of several antics and shenanigans put on by the Pop-Tarts Mascots throughout the game, with other antics including box unveiling of the flavors, the Protein Slammin’ Strawberry mascot doing curls with toasters, a dunk contest challenge and more.” BYU also was “given a fully functional toaster trophy” designed by GE Appliances (USA TODAY, 12/27).

The Pop-Tarts Bowl “fully embraced the absurd, featuring deep-fried Strawberry, Brown Sugar Cinnamon and Frosted S’mores creations, along with nachos, trifles and hot-fudge waffle cone sundaes” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/27). The bowl is “absurd” and “funny.” It is “basically what bowl season should be outside of the College Football Playoff” (YAHOO SPORTS, 12/27).

The Pop-Tarts Bowl drew reaction on social media:

• Cllct’s Darren Rovell: “Pop Tart executives and their experiential agency Momentum should start a business just focusing on maximizing bowl sponsorship. They run an absolute clinic around everyone.”
• Barstool Sports’ Dan Katz: “The Pop Tarts Bowl was awesome, non CFP Bowl games can still be awesome!”
• Podcaster Adam Kramer: “When people ask you why you love college football, show them an individual dressed as a giant Pop Tart doing a cannonball off a stage to create a bowl game story arc for next season.”
• DraftKings’ Jordan Moore: “It blows my mind why other bowl sponsors don’t go all in like pop tarts does. Every marketing team should be doing something creative like this.”

Michigan today formally introduced Kyle Whittingham as its new football coach, as the former Utah coach was brought in “to replace fired and disgraced football coach Sherrone Moore.” ESPN reported the five-year contract is 75% guaranteed and averages $8.2M per year. It will be Whittingham’s “job to attempt to make pristine Michigan’s football program” (DETROIT NEWS, 12/26). Whittingham is “about as far away as you can get” from Moore (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/27). Michigan “hired a coach renowned for stability and integrity, an instant credibility boost.” Whittingham is “riding in to clean things up.” He is the “ideal fit at the ideal time for the Wolverines” (DETROIT NEWS, 12/27).

Michigan’s football program “turns to Whittingham to restore some order -- and credibility -- in a time of crisis.” Whatever fans think of decision-makers “who’ve led them to this hiring, it’s hard to argue this isn’t a sensible path forward” (DETROIT NEWS, 12/26). As a “clean break from the past,” Whittingham is a “beyond-solid hire for Michigan football.” An “individual with a clean record and a history as a pillar of stability were paramount in this hire.” Whittingham “nails both of those criteria” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/26). Michigan “just brought an adult back into the room.” Whittingham is “everything this program needs so desperately: A serious, disciplined coach with a sterling reputation.” If “nothing else,” Whittingham can “get the ick and stench out of this program” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/26).

The Univ. of Colorado is “targeting New Mexico AD Fernando Lovo in its athletic director search,” according to sources cited by YAHOO SPORTS. No deal is finalized, and the CU Board of Regents “must authorize any move.” Lovo spent the last year at UNM (X, 12/27). Sources both within and outside the UNM athletics department confirmed that Lovo to CU “appears to be a done deal.” Lovo was in attendance at Friday’s Rate Bowl in Phoenix with the UNM football team. The athletics department during Lovo’s tenure had “record fundraising, new revenue from the state legislature, national championships in track and cross country” and the nation’s “top year-over-year home attendance jump for football” (ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL, 12/27).

The ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association have a “tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement to end a strike that lasted two days.” The league and union on Saturday announced that the deal “still needs to be ratified by the board of governors and the full player membership.” A total of 28 games had been postponed Friday and Saturday since the PHPA went on strike. The sides released “no details about the CBA that they believe will bring players back to work.” It was “not immediately clear when play would resume” (AP, 12/27).

TGL is “getting a jump on its second season” today with a rematch of last year’s championship, as the Atlanta Drive and N.Y. Golf Club will face off at 3pm ET. After a full first season on ESPN and ESPN2, TGL makes its “network television debut with the season 2 season open on ABC” (GOLFWEEK, 12/27).

TGL’s graphics “have been upgraded.” Spectators in the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., “will have ear buds to listen to play banter more easily.” Golf course architects are designing holes, with each team having a “signature hole that reflects their city” (AP, 12/23). The green complex “has been reimagined.” It is “bigger, boasts more potential hole locations, and the turf around the green is all down grain so that players face conditions more conducive for cool, nippy, spinny shots that will make fans vocalize their excitement when pulled off correctly.” There are “some question marks,” as Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, two of the biggest names competing in TGL, “will be sidelined for at least part of the season due to injuries” (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/27).

The NFL once again turned over the controls to Netflix to broadcast its afternoon slate of Christmas Day games, and “unfortunately, for a second straight season, the production has left fans displeased.” While the NFL has partnered with a handful of streaming platforms over the last several years to air some of its prime-time matchups, “none have drawn as much disdain as Netflix has.” Whether it be “due to their mixed-and-matched groups of announcers, some oddly timed Zoom-hosted interviews with former players, or a scorebug that looks like it’s AI-generated, Netflix became the butt of the joke -- or was just outright ripped by fans -- across social media on Thursday.” The “most specific gripe” fans had with Netflix was its decision to have announcers Ian Eagle, Nate Burleson, and Matt Ryan interview Pro Football HOFer Emmitt Smith and former NFLer Clinton Portis -- via Zoom -- in the middle of the Cowboys–Commanders game (SI, 12/25). The interviews with Portis and Smith during the game “were distracting and too long.” The “Stranger Things” promotion “was overkill, but hey, at least the actors were paid well and a few more seats at Northwest Stadium were filled” (WASHINGTON POST, 12/26).

Basketball HOFer Charles Barkley is “not a fan” of the NFL’s recent move into Christmas, and he “made that clear” during ESPN’s NBA pregame show on Thursday. He said, “The NFL got greedy and started adding Christmas games. We used to have this day to ourself, but Roger Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always want to hog every day of the week now. Christmas is an NBA day.” The NFL has had at least one game on Christmas since 2020. The league held three games last year, even though the holiday fell on a Wednesday (SI, 12/25).

Rapper Snoop Dogg “took over” for the NFL’s second-ever Christmas Halftime show on Thursday, “enlisting a star-studded set of cameos” from the likes of country singer Lainey Wilson, the singers behind KPop Demon Hunters‘ Huntrix and Martha Stewart. The first “surprise of the performance came at the top, with Stewart reading the introduction to the performance” -- a twist on “T’was the Night Before Christmas.” Huntrix performers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami performed a rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” in what was “one of several covers of holiday classics.” Wilson sang “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” while vocalists Andrea and Matteo Bocelli sang “White Christmas.” Thursday marked the second time the NFL held a halftime concert between its Christmas games, following Beyoncé’s Emmy-nominated “Beyoncé Bowl” last year (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 12/25).

The show was a “holiday-tastic mix” of Snoop Dogg‘s greatest hits and Christmas favorites. Snoop Dogg and friends, which also included rising singer Tonio Armani, provided a “modern spin on a feel-good, sing-along musical Christmas event.” However, there was some “chatter online about the weak audio quality on Snoop’s vocals for telecast viewers” (VARIETY, 12/25). The show was “not short on creativity or production value,” as it had “Super Bowl halftime show-adjacent quality.” Some fans also had to “appreciate the mixture of Snoop’s classics interspersed with Christmas carols” (USA TODAY, 12/25).

After Beyoncé headlined Netflix’s first-ever NFL Christmas Day halftime show last year, the streamer “knew it had big shoes to fill.” Unfortunately, it “seemed to miss the mark with Snoop Dogg in 2025.” This halftime show “felt disjointed and disappointing.” In the end, the show “may have been memorable for all the wrong reasons.” Not as “show-stopping as Queen B’s performance last season, and not nearly as iconic as Snoop’s Super Bowl LVI halftime show that he co-hosted years ago, this just fell flat and lacked any cohesion” (SI, 12/25). Snoop “must have known he couldn’t match the star power on display during last year’s Emmy-nominated spectacle.” None of the numbers “were that memorable,” but the “mere sight of such an eclectic cast made you giddy” (MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE, 12/25).

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said state taxpayers “will not be at risk at all” for the Chiefs’ stadium deal that will see STAR bonds pay for 60% of the new project, which includes a Wyandotte County stadium. Many have “criticized Kansas for the deal,” arguing the state is “essentially providing a taxpayer handout to the billionaire Chiefs ownership group.” Kelly said that one “needs to take into account the ‘unique’ way the state can help pay for the stadium through bond financing.” She said Tuesday that she “believed repayment of these Chiefs STAR bonds would move ahead of schedule.” She said Chiefs owner Clark Hunt “wasn’t going to sell his soul to come to Kansas, and I wasn’t going to sell out Kansas to get them to come.” She added underneath it all, “we both are very pleased with the fact that we were able to reach agreement” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/24).

Chiefs’ fans had “mixed emotions” during the Christmas Day tailgate before taking on the Broncos. While some were “excited for the new stadium, other dedicated fans were worried about what it meant for season ticket holders.” Fans who live in Kansas were “more excited about the news, happy to have a stadium closer to them.” But they also “wanted developers to be able to keep the tailgate atmosphere intact at the new facility” (K.C. STAR, 12/26).

In the next two months, Olathe officials will “have to hold a public hearing and vote on sending local tax dollars toward the new” Chiefs facilities to be built as the team jumps across the state line to Kansas. The Olathe City Council has to “conduct a public hearing, vote and adopt an ordinance that would pledge all new incremental general sales tax” generated within the STAR bonds program area, to the project. Dates for the City Council’s public hearing had not been set as of Dec. 24 (K.C. STAR, 12/24).

Chiefs will “rent -- not own -- the planned state-of-the-art domed stadium,” which will have to open in time for the 2031 season. The agreement says that before the STAR bonds can be issued, the Chiefs must “convey ownership of the land the stadium will be built on to the state.” The public ownership aspect of the deal means the Chiefs “won’t be responsible for paying Wyandotte County property taxes on the stadium.” The agreement also leaves the door “open for possible public ownership of the practice facility and headquarters that would maximize further tax savings for the Chiefs.” The Chiefs will pay a base rent of $7M, adjusted annually for inflation, compared to their $1.1M annual lease at the Truman Sports Complex (K.C. STAR, 12/24).

Fever G Caitlin Clark, comedian Michael Che, rapper Travis Scott and more appeared in a “debut Nike commercial” released Christmas Day for Clark’s upcoming signature shoe. Clark is expected to have her signature shoe release in spring of 2026. Her debut brand commercial was released on a “marquee sports day” with three NFL games and five NBA games. The spot started with Clark “being challenged by a girl in her driveway, then boys in a gym.” Her Univ. of Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, making a cameo in the ad, stood near Clark’s record-breaking 3-point shot at Carver Hawkeye-Arena. Others appearing in the spot were Che, Scott, former NFLer Jason Kelce and Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/25). The commercial “builds around a recurring challenge from a montage of people, who continually ask Clark, ‘Can you make it from here?’” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/25).

The Sabres are at an NHL-high eight wins in a row after Saturday’s game, which saw get-in ticket prices in “triple digits for the top of the 300 level and more than $200 for the 100 level.” KeyBank Center was “packed Saturday and the building was wired” as fans have “quickly been taken” by the team’s recent success. The Sabres said that they “exceeded 6,300 individual-game tickets sold for Saturday’s game, the most they’ve moved for a single contest since the ’22-23 playoff push.” Saturday’s game was “already the fifth sellout of 19,070 this season, one more than all of last year.” The average attendance is “up to 16,814 -- up 1,008 per game.” That is a “significant jump in sales.” Even though the 88.1% of capacity is still at the “bottom of the league,” the per-game improvement is “surpassed only by San Jose at this point in the season” (BUFFALO NEWS, 12/28).

The Bills have “sold out their PSL inventory” at the new Highmark Stadium, and they will “be taking 75% of their current season ticket holders with them when they move next season.” The Bills were able to sell “more than 54,000 seat licenses,” even after some “initial trepidation ... and some sticker shock when the team first rolled out PSL prices.” That is the “highest number of current season ticket holders to go from an old to a new building on a project led by Legends Global,” which has collaborated on selling seat licenses for six new NFL stadium projects since 2009. The Bills are “considering making available up to 1,000 single-game tickets and as many as 1,000 standing room only section tickets,” but Bills EVP & COO Pete Guelli said that the “standing room availability would be phased in over the course of multiple seasons after first making sure the building operates as anticipated.” The new stadium’s 6,162 club seats, which required a PSL, “also sold out, as did the suite and loge inventory of 1,755 seats,” which did not require a PSL (BUFFALO NEWS, 12/26).

A lawyer representing Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia in a legal filing argued that the NCAA’s recent decision to allow a 2023 NBA draft pick to return to college should “also permit Pavia and more than two dozen other former junior college athletes like him to participate in NCAA football in 2026 and 2027.” Even though Pavia “plans to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, he is following through with the lawsuit against the NCAA that challenges the organization’s policy of counting junior college seasons against Division I eligibility.” Baylor on Wednesday announced that C James Nnaji, the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, will “join the Bears after playing professional basketball in Spain and Turkey.” He has yet to play in an NBA game or sign an NBA contract. Pavia’s attorney Ryan Downton, in the briefing filed in federal court Friday in Nashville, argues that “if athletes’ years of prior professional experience don’t count against their eligibility, then athletes’ previous JUCO experience also shouldn’t count” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/27).

Former Georgia DE Damon Wilson II said that the school’s athletic department is “attempting to illegally punish him for entering the transfer portal” in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. It is part of an “ongoing dispute that could have far-reaching implications on how player contracts work in college sports.” Wilson transferred last January to Missouri “weeks after signing a term sheet for a 14-month” NIL contract with Georgia’s booster collective. He “collected $30,000 in an initial payment for what was a $500,000 deal before leaving.” Georgia filed a lawsuit last month claiming that Wilson owed the athletic department $390,000 in liquidated damages for leaving the team. Wilson’s countersuit, filed in Missouri state court, claims that Georgia has “‘weaponized’ a liquidated damages clause in an unenforceable way to ‘punish Wilson for entering the portal’” (ESPN.com, 12/23).

Wilson’s attorneys claim Georgia “tried to sabotage their client’s potential destinations after employees ‘falsely’ told ‘at least three programs that -- if Wilson left Georgia and joined their programs -- Wilson would be subject to a $1.2 million buyout.’” The complaint claims Georgia “‘continued to assert similar demands in an effort to harass Wilson and impair his on-field performance for a conference rival’ throughout the 2025 regular season” (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/23).

Georgia’s filing against Wilson was the “first known instance of a school taking a current/former player to court over an NIL buyout,” while his complaint “appears to be the first time a player has sued a school regarding an NIL deal.” The resolution “could hinge on Wilson’s argument that the NIL agreement with Georgia’s collective was a binding contract.” Whether contracts are “binding is, to some degree, an open question and affects whether players can essentially act as free agents every year.” This case is “one of the first, best looks into how the issue might be resolved” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/23).

The news didn’t stop just because SBJ took a brief break for the holidays. Here’s a look at some more headlines you may have missed over the last few days.

• Koepka leaving LIV Golf a ‘significant’ hit to Saudi league
• Judge halts using unclaimed funds for Browns stadium
• Report: NBA looking at anti-tanking measures after gambling scandal
• Former NBA draft pick commits to Baylor midseason
• Martha Stewart takes minority stake in Swansea City
• General Atlantic invests in Liga MX club ahead of World Cup
• Louisiana Gov. calls to fix ‘broken’ college athletics in op-ed