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NFL News
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 01:04 |
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Pat and Kevin Williams (not related) of the Minnesota Vikings sued the NFL over its anti-doping procedures over one year ago. The case finally went to trial Monday. The Associated Press reported that Kevin Williams testified Tuesday. During his time on the stand, Williams said he took StarCaps to "help me shed a couple extra pounds, for health reasons, keep coach off my back." Williams, 29, said he took the substance to get his playing weight down from 315 to 310, saying that his defensive line coach Karl Dunbar made him "feel read bad." He admitted to taking StarCaps at the start of training camp in 2007. Williams will be cross-examined by the NFL attorney on Wednesday.
The “Williams Wall” who both tested positive for the banned substance bumetanide, which can mask steroids, played every game last season while challenging the four-game suspensions that come with a positive test.
The NFL originally wanted the case decided in a federal court, but it went before a local judge in Minnesota. Home field advantage. A Minnesota judge said if the NFL is the employer, then the league is require to follow Minnesota state law. The Williamses’ suspensions have been on hold while legal challenges are decided.
The supplement the players claim to have taken is called StarCaps, which is an over-the-counter weight loss supplement. The players claimed they took the substance to meet a target weight and receive a $400,000 bonus. The two defensive tackles contend that the NFL is their employer therefore they have to comply with the Minnesota state law requiring three business days notice of a positive drug test.
During the opening day of the trial, Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the trial featured “numerous interruptions” as lawyers argued over what evidence would be admitted during the trial. On Monday, only one witness testified. That witness, Dr. John Lombardo, who is the administrator of the NFL’s drug-testing policy, testified that six players tested positive for the same substance between 2006 and 2008. Lawyers reportedly also fought over the lack of a suspension for the players. The basic issue, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com put it, is whether the players will be suspended by the NFL for four games.
The case could force other sports leagues to abide by state drug testing laws as well. The NFL argues that the laws could affect their ability to enforce steroid and other drug testing rules.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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NFL News
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Written by Maury Brown
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Friday, 05 March 2010 06:01 |
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The National Football League today announced that 531 players are free agents who now can negotiate with all 32 clubs.
Six players this year were designated by their clubs as “franchise" players. A franchise player is a special category for restricted and unrestricted free agents. The deadline for making these designations for 2010 was February 25.
There are two types of franchise players. Clubs retain exclusive negotiating rights to an “exclusive” franchise player by committing to a minimum offer of the average of the top five salaries at the player's position for the current year as of April 15, or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, or the average of the top five salaries at his position as of the end of last season – whichever of the three is greater. Other clubs cannot negotiate with exclusive franchise players. Defensive end RICHARD SEYMOUR of the Oakland Raiders was the only player this year that was designated by his club as an exclusive franchise player.
The second type of franchise player is offered a minimum of the average of the top five salaries of last season at his position, or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. This “non-exclusive” franchise player may negotiate with other clubs. His original club may match and retain the player, or receive two first-round draft choices as compensation if it decides not to match a new club’s offer.
2010 FRANCHISE PLAYER DESIGNATIONS
|
Green Bay
|
Ryan Pickett
|
DT
|
|
New England
|
Vince Wilfork
|
DT
|
|
Oakland
|
Richard Seymour**
|
DE
|
|
Pittsburgh
|
Jeff Reed
|
K
|
|
San Francisco
|
Aubrayo Franklin
|
DT
|
|
Seattle
|
Olindo Mare
|
K
|
|
** exclusive franchise player
|
Each club is permitted one franchise designation in any year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. A franchise player may sign a multiyear contract with his current club until July 22. After July 22, any contract signed by a franchise player can only be for one year. If he does not sign by November 16, he must sit out the season.
A club may designate a transition player in lieu of a franchise player in any year when the franchise designation is available. In the 2010 uncapped year, a club may also designate one additional transition player. A transition player must be offered a minimum of the average of the top 10 salaries of the prior season at the player’s position or 120 percent of the player’s prior year’s salary, whichever is greater. A transition player designation gives the club a first-refusal right to match within seven days an offer sheet given to the player by another club after his contract expires. If the club matches, it retains the player. If it does not match, it receives no draft pick compensation from that club. There are no transition player designations this year.
A club may withdraw a franchise or transition designation and the player then automatically becomes an unrestricted free agent either immediately or when his contract expires. The club cannot name a new franchise or transition player that year.
Unrestricted veteran free agents in the 2010 Final (uncapped) League Year are players who have completed six or more accrued seasons whose contracts have expired. They are free to sign with any club, with no compensation owed to their old club, through July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). At that point, their rights revert to their old club if it made a "tender" offer (110 percent of last year's salary) to the player by June 1. Their old club then has until the Tuesday after the 10th week of the season (November 16) to sign the player. If the player does not sign by November 16, he must sit out the season. If no tender is offered by June 1, the player can be signed by any club at any time throughout the season.
Restricted free agents in the 2010 Final (uncapped) League Year are players who have completed three, four or five accrued seasons and whose contracts have expired. They have received qualifying offers from their old clubs and are free to negotiate with any club until April 15, at which time their rights revert to their original club. If a player accepts an offer from a new club, the old club will have the right to match the offer and retain the player. If the old club elects not to match the offer, it can possibly receive draft-choice compensation depending on the amount of its qualifying offer. If an offer sheet is not executed, and the player receives the June 1 tender from his old club, the player’s rights revert exclusively to his old club on June 1.
The signing period for unrestricted free agents began today (March 5) and concludes on July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). The signing period for restricted free agents also began today but concludes on April 15.
NFL FREE AGENCY MOVEMENT
(Veteran Free Agents Who Signed With New Teams)
|
Category
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
|
Unrestricted
|
108
|
121
|
171
|
99
|
85
|
110
|
115
|
107
|
|
Restricted
|
8
|
7
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
4
|
|
Transition
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Franchise
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
|
TOTAL
|
121
|
132
|
179
|
105
|
89
|
117
|
118
|
111
|
|
Category
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
|
Unrestricted
|
93
|
130
|
111
|
124
|
104
|
149
|
126
|
132
|
128
|
|
Restricted
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
|
Transition
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Franchise
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
TOTAL
|
97
|
131
|
117
|
126
|
107
|
154
|
130
|
135
|
128
|
SELECT READ MORE TO SEE DETAILS FOR ALL OF THE FREE AGENTS BASED ON 5 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES:
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United Football League News
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 01 March 2010 20:51 |
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By the sounds of it, the Unitied Football League California Redwoods are headed to Sacramento.
UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, along with Redwoods head coach Dennis Green will hold a 2:30 PM press conference tomorrow at the Citizen Hotel in downtown Sacramento tomorrow.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter 
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Television
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 01 March 2010 16:05 |
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 The Miami Dolphins today announced a long-term extension of their radio partnership with WRXK 96K-Rock in Ft. Myers, a station of the Beasley Broadcasting Group, providing 96K-Rock with exclusive broadcast rights of its games in Southwest Florida.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
In addition, the station will air the live two-hour pre-game and two-hour post-game shows that run adjacent to the game broadcast. The station, along with sister station WWCN 770 ESPN, will also promote the Dolphins broadcasts, conduct special fan contests and create other promotions to give its listeners special opportunities to engage with Dolphins football.
“Beasley and 96K-Rock have been great partners so we are extremely pleased to extend the relationship for many more years and continue to offer our fans in Southwest Florida with high quality Dolphins programming,” said Mike Dee, Dolphins CEO.
“The Dolphins are the premier team in Florida with an incredible fan base,” said Brad Beasley, General Manager of WRXK 96K-Rock. “We’re delighted to continue to offer our listeners the excitement of Dolphins football for many years to come.”
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
Follow The Biz of Football on Twitter
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook
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NFL News
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Monday, 01 March 2010 04:42 |
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During the NFL regular season, there were 13 overtime games. Ten ended on a field goal. Five ended on the first possession.
Throughout the NFL season, every time an NFL game went into overtime NFL PR rep Greg Aiello would tweet something implying that the current system works. December 24th at 12:15 p.m., Aiello tweeted “On NFL overtime format, teams losing coin toss r 6-5 in 11 OT games this year. As commish says, toss doesn't determine outcome, players do.” Aiello not-so ironically, was the one to break the news to the Associated Press that the NFL may be changing its overtime format.
Under the proposed new format, both teams would get the ball at least once unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown. If the first team makes a field goal and the other team ties the game, action would continue until a team scores again. Of course, this would be quite a change from the current first-team-that-scores-wins (or sudden death) system.
After the New Orleans Saints victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King angrily said that the format doesn’t work if one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, Brett Favre, doesn’t get to touch the ball in the extra period. The uproar over the Saints victory caused the NFL’s competition committee to discuss putting the issue up to a vote at this year’s league meetings March 21-24.
“There have been various concepts that have been discussed in recent years, but this one has never been proposed,” Aiello said.
Some have proposed the league allow each team to have one shot regardless of the outcome of the first try.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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NFL News
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Written by Maury Brown
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Friday, 26 February 2010 17:22 |
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Following is the updated 2010 NFL Draft first-round order. The first round will start on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 PM ET with the second and third rounds on Friday, April 23 at 6:00 PM ET followed by rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 24 at 10:00 AM ET.
|
#
|
Club
|
Win
|
Loss
|
Tie
|
Percent
|
Strength of Schedule
|
Opponents’ Record
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.
|
St. Louis Rams
|
1
|
15
|
0
|
.063
|
.520
|
133-123-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.
|
Detroit Lions
|
2
|
14
|
0
|
.125
|
.523
|
134-122-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
3
|
13
|
0
|
.188
|
.555
|
142-114-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.
|
Washington Redskins
|
4
|
12
|
0
|
.250
|
.492
|
126-130-0
|
|
5.
|
Kansas City Chiefs
|
4
|
12
|
0
|
.250
|
.516
|
132-124-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.
|
Seattle Seahawks
|
5
|
11
|
0
|
.313
|
.477
|
122-134-0
|
|
7.
|
Cleveland Browns
|
5
|
11
|
0
|
.313
|
.512
|
131-125-0
|
|
8.
|
Oakland Raiders
|
5
|
11
|
0
|
.313
|
.527
|
135-121-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.
|
Buffalo Bills
|
6
|
10
|
0
|
.375
|
.516
|
132-124-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.
|
Jacksonville Jaguars*
|
7
|
9
|
0
|
.438
|
.496
|
127-129-0
|
|
11.
|
Denver Broncos (from Chicago)*
|
7
|
9
|
0
|
.438
|
.496
|
127-129-0
|
|
12.
|
Miami Dolphins
|
7
|
9
|
0
|
.438
|
.559
|
143-113-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.
|
San Francisco 49ers
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
.500
|
.477
|
122-134-0
|
|
14.
|
Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
.500
|
.527
|
135-121-0
|
|
15.
|
New York Giants
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
.500
|
.535
|
137-119-0
|
|
16.
|
Tennessee Titans*
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
.500
|
.539
|
138-118-0
|
|
17.
|
San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina)*
|
8
|
8
|
0
|
.500
|
.539
|
138-118-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18.
|
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
.488
|
125-131-0
|
|
19.
|
Atlanta Falcons*
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
.504
|
129-127-0
|
|
20.
|
Houston Texans*
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
.504
|
129-127-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21.
|
Cincinnati Bengals
|
10
|
6
|
0
|
.625
|
.492
|
126-130-0
|
|
22.
|
New England Patriots
|
10
|
6
|
0
|
.625
|
.516
|
132-124-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23.
|
Green Bay Packers
|
11
|
5
|
0
|
.688
|
.441
|
113-143-0
|
|
24.
|
Philadelphia Eagles
|
11
|
5
|
0
|
.688
|
.484
|
124-132-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25.
|
Baltimore Ravens
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
.523
|
134-122-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26.
|
Arizona Cardinals
|
10
|
6
|
0
|
.625
|
.445
|
114-142-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27.
|
Dallas Cowboys
|
11
|
5
|
0
|
.688
|
.488
|
125-131-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28.
|
San Diego Chargers
|
13
|
3
|
0
|
.813
|
.453
|
116-140-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
29.
|
New York Jets
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
.563
|
.516
|
132-124-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30.
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
12
|
4
|
0
|
.750
|
.441
|
113-143-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.
|
Indianapolis Colts
|
14
|
2
|
0
|
.875
|
.473
|
121-135-0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32.
|
New Orleans Saints
|
13
|
3
|
0
|
.813
|
.426
|
109-147-0
|
* Reflects the results of a coin flip.
Source: National Football League
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
Follow The Biz of Football on Twitter
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|
NFL News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:50 |
The following is a copy of a memo sent today by DeMaurice Smith, the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, to all NFL player agents - Maury Brown
MEMORANDUM
To: NFL Players and Contract Advisors
From: DeMaurice Smith
Date: February 23, 2010
Subject: CBA Negotiations/Restricted Free Agency
As we quickly approach the beginning of the uncapped year, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the NFLPA’s efforts to reach agreement on an extension of the CBA before the beginning of the uncapped year on March 5, 2010. It is our view that obtaining an extension to the CBA prior to the uncapped year is in the best interest of both the players and the owners. However, the terms of any CBA extension must allow for players to get their fair share of NFL revenues while at the same time address the owner’s issues in such a way as to allow them to continue to grow the game of football. All of the NFLPA’s proposals have been crafted with that in mind. The Player Representatives have also been advised of the NFL’s request that players take a pay cut that would move players back to the 1980’s in terms of their share of NFL revenues.
CBA Bargaining
There have been 12 general bargaining sessions with the NFL discussing issues relating to the proposed terms of a new CBA. Comprehensive written proposals and counter proposals have been presented to meaningfully address issues such as the overall player cost/free agency system, revenue sharing, rookie salaries, forfeiture clauses in player contracts, and off-season/pre-season work rules. In addition to NFLPA staff and outside counsel, NFLPA player leadership has been present at all of the sessions. Players attending at least one session include NFLPA President Kevin Mawae, Mark Bruener, Kevin Carter, Tony Richardson, Domonique Foxworth, Chester Pitts, Sean O’Hara, Jay Feely, Pete Kendall and Donovin Darius. These players have contributed valuable insight and perspective in support of NFLPA positions at the bargaining table.
On the NFL side, owner representatives in attendance have included John Mara (New York Giants), Mark Murphy (Green Bay Packers), Robert Kraft (New England Patriots), and Ozzie Newsome (Baltimore Ravens). The most recent session was held on February 6, 2010, just prior the Super Bowl, and was attended by the NFL Management Council’s Executive Committee, which is comprised of 10 owners, and chaired by Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
In addition to the general bargaining sessions, six sub-committees were created to address very specific areas of the CBA. Those sub-committees are as follows: Benefits, Drug Policies, Grievance Procedures, Working Conditions, Injury Data and Licensing/Intellectual Property Rights. The NFLPA has prepared detailed written proposals for each of the areas addressed by these sub-committees and each committee has held no less than three meetings to discuss their respective proposals.
In total, we have held more than 30 overall bargaining sessions with the NFL in the past six months. And while we have made progress in some areas, we continue to have significant disagreement with the NFL over their desire to have players take an 18% reduction in their share of revenues given the NFL’s failure to provide meaningful financial data to support the assertion that their costs have increased significantly since the capped system was put into place in 1993. Their demand that the players take such an historic pay cut is even more disturbing given the NFL’s continuing economic growth despite the worst recession in recent history.
The NFL has made it clear that the league and its clubs remain profitable. There has not been any statement, affirmative or suggested, by the NFL that any team is losing money. Moreover, the league has rejected any offer to discuss their profit margins, team profitability or any of their teams’ individual financial statements.
Players have always been willing to create incentives for NFL owners to develop new revenue streams for their clubs. The G-3 program contained in the existing CBA which provides salary cap credits for new stadiums provides a good example of our commitment to this philosophy. Our current proposal would allow NFL clubs to obtain substantially increased deductions for costs incurred to generate new revenue streams. Another general bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, February 25, 2010, at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Uncapped Year
While we are doing all that we can to reach a fair agreement with the NFL before the start of the 2010 league year, it appears likely that no new CBA will be reached and the 2010 season will be uncapped. For some players this means that they will be Restricted Free Agents instead of Unrestricted Free Agents since unrestricted free agency in the uncapped year increases from four (4) to six (6) Accrued Seasons. We are sensitive to the impact that this change in the free agency rules will have on these players. Because of this, our most recent proposal to the NFL contains an offer to continue the current capped system for an additional year which would allow the parties ample time to complete work on a long-term CBA.
The NFLPA just recently won a Special Master decision against the NFL and its clubs which will force the high revenue clubs to share millions of additional dollars with the low revenue, small market clubs during the 2010 season. The decision to pursue this action was based upon our belief that we had to make more money available to sign players in the uncapped year.
Remember also that the uncapped year provides just that -- no cap or limit on the amount of money a club may spend on player salaries. The last time there was an uncapped season in the NFL was in 1993, and in that season clubs spent collectively over 70% of league revenue on player costs. While we cannot predict what will happen in 2010, we suspect that it will be dependent on the individual player and team. Given the projected increases in NFL revenues for 2010, more money should be available for player salaries than ever before. In addition, keep in mind that each NFL club will be saving approximately $10 million in benefit costs as a result of their not having to fund certain benefits in the uncapped year. That money can and should be used for player salaries.
For those players negotiating new contracts in 2010, please keep the NFLPA updated on the status of your negotiations as it will allow us to be informed of the trends in the market for player services. With that information, we can then help all players maximize their ability to get the best contracts possible. In the meantime, the NFLPA will continue its efforts to reach agreement with the league on a new CBA.
Source: NFLPA
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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|
NFL News
|
|
Written by Jeff Levine
|
|
Saturday, 13 February 2010 16:46 |
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The NFL seems to be sticking with the Bob Batterman playbook.
In a move eerily similar to one used by the NHL, Profootballtalk.com is reporting that the NFL launched a Web site devoted to the league’s labor conflict with the NFLPA. The Web site, NFLlabor.com, provides both media and fans with information on the state of negotiations between the NFL and the Players’ Association. Categories include a FAQ section, a labor news section and a section where anyone can download the current collective bargaining agreement.
While Profootballtalk.com’s Mike Florio believes it is rather “unusual” for the NFL to launch its own site “that will focus solely on the labor issues,” this development should not be surprising at all. This is not the first time a league has launched its own Web site devoted to a labor conflict. In the stages leading up to its own lockout, the NHL developed its own portal dedicated to voicing its perspective on the ongoing negotiations with the NHLPA. This move proved very effective, as the Web site helped disseminate the league’s message and justified its position to media outlets and fans.
Veteran labor attorney Bob Batterman is credited with designing the NHL’s lockout strategy. He now works for the NFL in a similar capacity. It makes sense that the NFL is undertaking a strategy seemingly perfected by Batterman back in the early portion of the millennium.
This move allows the NFL to go on the PR offensive and spin its own message directly to the media and the game’s millions of fans. The Web site’s second entry features a quote by Commissioner Goodell in large block letters stating “we [the NFL] want an agreement.” Quotes of this nature effectively shift the PR burden onto NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith to respond to such a statement or face the risk of his constituency losing face and allowing the NFL to convince the public that the NFL is right on the right side of this conflict.
The Web site is just the latest sign that Batterman's blueprint is being resurrected. Those who question the likelihood of a lockout in professional sports need to consider these developments as confirmation that both sides are headed for a potentially contentious and drawn out negotiation that could span well beyond the current CBA’s March 2011 expiration.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
 Jeff Levine is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is a sports attorney, and the Executive Director of One Sports and Entertainment, International.
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NFL News
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 11 February 2010 14:53 |
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THIS IS BREAKING NEWS...
Shahid Khan, an Illinois businessman who is the president of Flex-N-Gate Corp., an auto-parts manufacturer is purchasing controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams, according to a report by Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Multiple NFL sources confirm in the report that Rams owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez have entered into a sales agreement with the Kahn.
The controlling interest being sold is said to be 60 percent. The sale must be approved by the NFL’s owners.
Currently, Stan Kroenke owns the other 40 percent of the Rams. The report goes on to say that it is unclear whether Kroenke would retain the minority ownership stake, but if not, Khan is interested in purchasing his stake. If that were to occur, Kahn would own 100 percent of the franchise.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Television
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Written by Maury Brown
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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 01:48 |
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The 2009 NFL season concluded with another record as Super Bowl XLIV reached a total audience of 153.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched show in U.S. television history according to Nielsen Media Research. The Colts-Saints championship game topped the previous mark of 151.6 million total viewers set last year (Cardinals-Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII). Super Bowls account for the 19 most-watched programs in history in terms of total audience.
Most-Watched TV Programs, Total Viewers
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Game
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Total Viewers
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Super Bowl XLIV (Colts-Saints), 2/7/10
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153.4 million
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Super Bowl XLIII (Cardinals-Steelers), 2/1/09
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151.6 million
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Super Bowl XLII (Giants-Patriots), 2/3/08
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148.3 million
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Super Bowl XXXVIII (Patriots-Panthers), 2/1/04
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144.4 million
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Super Bowl XL (Steelers-Seahawks), 2/5/06
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141.4 million
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Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research
In addition, a record average of 106.5 million viewers watched Super Bowl XLIV – topping the previous mark of 106 million for the series finale of M*A*S*H in 1983 and an eight percent increase over last year’s Super Bowl (98.7 million viewers).
Super Bowl XLIV earned a 45.0 household rating marking the highest-rated Super Bowl in 14 years (46.0 rating for Cowboys-Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, January 1996) and a seven percent increase over last year’s 42.0.
Source: National Football League
See a complete game recap, plus the Betty White/Abe Vigoda Snickers, The Last Airbender, Denny's screaming chickens, and Tim Tebow commericals from The Biz of Football's live game blog of Super Bowl 44.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook |
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