There have been several intriguing reports on the NFL in the last few hours. First, it looks like Netflix will get the Australia game, per The Athletic and Puck, with Puck adding that Netflix will also get the Thanksgiving Eve game. That’s consistent with CNBC reporting that Netflix and YouTube will share the “mini rights package” that’s been in the market this spring.
Separately, Sportico has ID’d two bidders for the Seahawks: Celtics limited partner Aditya Mittal and former Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, which SBJ independently confirms; and Vinod Khosla, who bought into the 49ers in 2025.
A rendering of the Bears' proposed stadium in Arlington Heights, Ill. Manica, Chicago Bears
The Bears have seen signs of progress with the Illinois legislation they want to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, Ill., rather than relocate to Indiana, which rolled out the financial and political red carpet. But a legislative win in Illinois is far from certain, and this week a strong statement of opposition from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson raised fresh doubts about their path.
Johnson spoke out against the so-called “megaprojects” deal now in front of the Illinois Senate, promising to use, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, “whatever political muscle he has” to block the bill. “I don’t know why any Chicago legislator would vote for anything that doesn’t benefit the people they represent,” Johnson said.
On Wednesday, there were signs he’d had success. Chicago Democratic Senator Willie Preston, who is also senate chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, said he’s with the mayor and opposes the legislation, which would enable major developers across the state, including the Bears, to negotiate long-term property tax breaks with local jurisdictions.
If true, Preston’s opposition could be curtains for the Illinois stadium plan. But then Preston later said he was misinterpreted, and it’s not clear where the Senate Democrats or the Black Caucus stands.
The thing about Johnson’s desire to keep the team in Chicago is that it seems far too little, too late. Unless the Bears are playing a very elaborate word game, the choice now is Indiana or the suburbs — Chicago’s simply not in the mix. If Johnson’s successful, the result would be to start construction in Indiana, not more negotiations.
The Bears have been clear that, while theyhave a viable option across the state line, they are giving Illinois legislators a chance to develop their own offer, and that they intend to make a decision before the start of training camp. Furthermore, the notion that the Bears have options to build inside Chicago city limits is a year out of date.
To sincerely play this hand, Johnson must believe at least one of three things: 1) The Bears aren’t serious about moving to Hammond; 2) That moving to Hammond would be better for Chicagoans than a move to Arlington Heights (it is closer to the city); or 3) The Bears aren’t serious about deciding by this summer.
Early on, there had been speculationthat the Indiana option is just a “stalking horse,” but by now the Bears are repeatedly on record about their plans. It would be quite a bet for Johnson to gamble on them backtracking. Then again, perhaps Johnson knows Chicago has lost the Bears and he’s just trying to save face.
If there’s good news for the Bears and the Illinois cause, it’s that being mayor of Chicago isn’t what it used to be. When it comes twisting arms in the state government, Brandon Johnson is no Mayor Richard J. Daley. But he doesn’t have to be. If his view of the world holds sway with even a few Chicago Democrats in the state house and Senate, then the vote counting gets that much harder.
The Texans' planned Toro District HQ has 14 flag football fields. Texans
At its core, flag football is a participation and development tool for the NFL and its 32 teams. But as the discipline has matured, football strategists have seen other benefits too — community relations, sponsorship development, brand extension and maybe even a spectator property in its own right. Outside Houston, it’s good real estate strategy, too.
Take the Texans’ planned Toro District, the 83-acre, mixed-use development that will include the team’s new HQ and practice facility in Bridgeland, Texas. The Toro District will include 14 flag football fields, including two dedicated flag surfaces and 12 more created by subdividing four 11-on-11 practice fields.
The centerpiece, a 10,000-capacity field house, is already slated to host key high school games, but the venue anticipates youth or scholastic flag tournaments too. Those events could draw hundreds of families into the district for entire weekends, generating demand for the retail, restaurants and hotel planned there.
If you have any doubt, visit The Star in Frisco, four hours to the north, on a Thursday or Friday night. It’s obvious how high school football draws hundreds, maybe thousands, of visitors into the Cowboys’ ecosystem. The Texans think flag could do the same.
“The capability to enhance the experience of every parent who’s taken their kid to some tournament that has multiple games throughout a weekend and having the district set up to deliver and make that experience better, that certainly benefits us from a foot traffic standpoint,” said Texans President Mike Tomon.
Since 2023, the Texans Foundation has made expanding girls flag football in the region a cornerstone priority, using the tagline “She’s Next,” with 130 schools participating now and more coming. At the Toro District, flag football also became part of the public-financing equation. The Texans believe the sport’s growth potential strengthens the argument for broad community benefits tied to Harris County’s $150 million funding commitment to the development, alongside high school games, graduations and a sports management apprenticeship program.
The Toro District aims to be a “mixed-use district that can be programmed with participation,” Tomon said. With such rapid economic growth around them in northwestern Harris County, the Texans think that’s a winner.
The invitation to the Rams’ sponsor summit, which is being reimagined as a B2B conference under the "Rams IQ" brand. Rams IQ
The Rams are launching a business marketing and thought leadership platform under the brand Rams IQ, which they hope better connects sponsors with each other for networking, leads and new ideas. If it matures, officials say, Rams IQ can become a series of events and an asset to sell to sponsors, one that exists separately from the traditional assets connected to the football team.
Thursday marks the brand’s launch after a test run during Super Bowl week, with the team’s traditional offseason partner summit now being called the “IQ Summit presented by the Los Angeles Rams.”
The idea, said Athena Chen, senior director/commercial marketing and experiences, is to do less of the usual work at such meetings — where the Rams talk to sponsors about their business — and promote more cross-pollination between the Rams’ roster of more than 100 sponsors.
“The big focus for us is that we want to curate a really special content and programming roster,” said Chen. “We’re looking at a mix of speakers with subject matter expertise and who can provide tools to partners.”
Some speakers Thursday and Friday include Albert Lai, global director/telco, media and technology for Google Cloud; Chris Detert, chief communications officer for Influential, an influencer marketing agency; and Zillow VP/Brand, Product and Integrating marketing Beverly Jackson. The event is taking place at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
“We’re trying to think about the audience and the key decision-makers we’re engaging with, and bringing them together,” Chen said. “That’s our top priority, along with being able to program this day in a way to facilitate their engagement with each other.”
The Rams recognize this is not a new concept, but they think it’s time for a more concerted approach. Chen says there’s been a notable increase in demand for B2B programming from brands, who frequently ask to attend Rams events alongside other sponsors.
“They have a desire to engage with those businesses and individuals, because they recognize what that could mean for their businesses to get in the same room as them,” Chen said. “This is a very coordinated, cohesive and thoughtful way to respond to the ask.”
NFL SVP/Communications Katie Hill, the league’s top day-to-day PR executive for the past five years, will leave her role for a similar position at the N.Y. Times, the Times and the league confirmed.
Disney CFO Hugh Johnston on a call with Wall Street investors Wednesday morning said that ESPN and Disney “haven’t yet engaged” with the NFL on early renewal conversations surrounding ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” deal, which runs through the end of the 2030 season, writes my SBJ colleague Austin Karp.
Sources also tell Karp that a key issue in the carriage stalemate between Disney and Comcast Xfinity over NFL Network has to do with the question of whether seven games will continue to be on the cable network beyond this coming season.
The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation, the Panthers owner’s charitable organization, donated $1 million Thursday to fund girls flag football programs in North Carolina and South Carolina, a day after N.C.’s state high school athletics sanctioning body approved girls flag football as a varsity sport. Also this week, New Jersey sanctioned flag as a girls varsity sport, making it 22 states now to have taken that step.
