Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ Today:
- Why teams are rethinking upper decks
- Wisconsin AD McIntosh taking new position at Big Ten
- Avs, Nuggets introduce outdoor viewing for home playoff games
- Plus: ESPN studio shows see 14% Q1 viewership uptick; WNBA draftees to experience pay jump from past selections; Rory McIlroy feted by morning shows for Masters win; and other industry news from the day.
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Austin Karp: Rory goes back to back at Augusta to wrap a strong Masters; a surprise hire for the Big Ten office; the NBA Play-In tourney is set to debut on Amazon Prime Video; big investment news for baseball in Denver; and Joe Buck says he wants to stay at ESPN for the rest of his career. Listen >>
THE BIG STORY
Opens in new windowThe future of the cheap seats: Why teams are rethinking upper decks
Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group, remembers attending two Timberwolves NBA games with his middle school. He and his classmates sat in the Target Center’s top two rows. Live sports got into his bones.
Since pro and college sports moved into large stadiums and arenas, upper-deck seats have been the setting for many fans’ first live sports experiences. Ticket sales were sports’ primary revenue engine in the 20th century, and upper decks — providing big chunks of lucrative stadium and arena capacities — were valuable. The term “nosebleed seats” appears to have first been used in the 1950s, when upper-deck seats represented diehard fandom and were inhabited by supporters willing to cope with the often-uncomfortable experience because it could be the only way to see their team live.
Upper decks are frequented by families and single-game buyers, and have long served as a gateway to lifelong fandom. But the place where many fans have those moments is facing new scrutiny as stadium economics shift. SBJ’s Bret McCormick highlights the industry’s shifting approach to venues and their top sections.
5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING
1. Wisconsin AD McIntosh to take new position at Big Ten: Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh resigned from his position and joined the Big Ten as its newly created deputy commissioner for strategy, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy reported.
2. Avs, Nuggets introduce outdoor viewing for home playoff games: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment will welcome up to 3,500 Avalanche and Nuggets fans to watch each of the teams’ home playoff games outside Ball Arena.
3. ESPN studio shows see 14% Q1 viewership uptick: ESPN saw healthy viewership growth in Q1, and a 14% increase for its studio shows was a big part of that. “The Pat McAfee Show,” “Get Up” and “NBA Today” also saw record Q1 audiences.
4. WNBA draftees to experience pay jump from past selections: As significant as the identity of the No. 1 player selected in tonight’s WNBA Draft is, her rookie salary might be a bigger storyline. Under the terms of the new CBA, the top overall pick will make $500,000 at the top of the rookie scale.
5. Rory McIlroy feted by morning shows for Masters win: Rory McIlroy made history Sunday in Augusta, becoming just the fourth player to win the Masters in back-to-back years when he outlasted Scottie Scheffler by one shot. All three of the network morning shows this morning touched on the feat in their opening segments.
ON THE MOVE
- Nike Chief Innovation Officer Tony Bignell is leaving the company to “pursue his own creative and philanthropic interests.” He will be succeeded by Nike VP & Creative Director for Sportswear Andy Caine (Wall Street Journal).
- Oak View Group named Shazah Hakim as chief legal officer. Hakim joins OVG after serving as CLO of Remington Lodging and Hospitality in Dallas, Texas. Hakim will be based in Denver and will report to CEO Chris Granger (Oak View Group).
- ESPN has hired Josh Oshinsky as Senior Dir/Original Content Development. Oshinsky will work on storytelling across various platforms, including “30 for 30,” ESPN Films, ESPN Originals, podcasts and scripted projects (Austin Karp, SBJ).
NAMES IN THE NEWS
- Basketball HOFer Shaquille O’Neal became an investor in and brand ambassador for Tm:rw, a store in Manhattan’s Times Square selling innovative, futuristic gadgets, games, toys, robotics, and smart products for the home (Women’s Wear Daily).
- NBC Sports has partnered with rapper Ludacris for an NBA playoffs promotional spot called “It’s Time.” The song is Ludacris’ reinterpretation of the legendary “Time Has Come Today” by The Chambers Brothers (NBCSports.com).
- Zac Brown Band will headline what the MMA promotion is calling the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on Saturday, June 13. The Fan Fest will be held on The Ellipse in Washington, D.C., just south of the White House on both the 13th and 14th (Hollywood Reporter).
HOT READS
The WALL STREET JOURNAL went with the header, “Watching Sports on TV Is More Annoying Than Ever. Can the Government Help?” The Justice Dept. is investigating whether the NFL “has engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harmed consumers.” This probe “may thrill” those who wanted to watch the NFL and realized they “didn’t subscribe to its exclusive carrier.”
Also:
- Among NBA players, the least likely to star in a podcast is doing just that — Celtics guard Derrick White.
- Those Masters ads featuring kids recreating memorable Augusta moments aren’t just adorable. They’re raising money for a great cause.
- Tyson Fury may have won his comeback weekend, but he lost the moment to Anthony Joshua.