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PUBLISHING NOTICE: The Closing Bell will return on Jan. 2. Enjoy the holiday break. 

PGA of America taps Derek Sprague as new CEO...Mavericks launch new streaming service...Fox hypes Paige Bueckers-JuJu Watkins matchup

PGA taps past president Derek Sprague as new CEO

By Josh Carpenter
Derek Sprague already served as president of the PGA from 2014-16Getty Images
The PGA of America on Friday ended a six-month search for its next CEO by tapping former PGA President Derek Sprague for the role. Former CEO Seth Waugh announced his intention to step down in late June after a successful tenure that included the move of the PGA from Florida to Frisco, as well as the transformation of the Ryder Cup into one of the biggest commercial successes in golf. 

Sprague's choice is perhaps a bit surprising because Roger Warren, the president of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, was seen as the likely choice earlier int he fall. In late October, SBJ reported Sprague, Warren and David Reasoner as the three finalists for the role. The PGA was expected to announce its new CEO in early November at its annual meetings. It did announce a new president in Don Rea Jr., but not a CEO. In recent weeks, Callaway CEO Chip Brewer was mentioned by industry sources as a possible candidate to lead the PGA.

Sprague is a past president of the PGA who's been the GM of TPC Sawgrass for the last seven years. During his time at the PGA from 2014-16,  he was instrumental in the PGA Junior League and the Ryder Cup Task Force. 

He has a big 2025 ahead, with the PGA agreeing to a compensation plan for U.S. Ryder Cup players for the first time, as well as the September event at Bethpage Black in N.Y.

The PGA used Spencer Stuart for the search.

Mavericks launch new streaming service

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The Mavericks on Friday unveiled a new streaming platform for MavsTV in collaboration with Endeavor Streaming and the NBA. The streaming platform will "enable local fans to watch all games not exclusively televised nationally, alongside exclusive footage, original on-demand content and highlights on more devices than ever before." Presented by Softtek, the new streaming platform is powered by the NBA’s Next Gen integrated digital platform and Endeavor Streaming’s Vesper Platform. MavsTV is available for fans to subscribe and stream via mobile, tablet and desktop web browsers as well as tvOS, Android TV and Fire TV. Releases for Roku, Samsung and LG TVs will be available in the near future. The new streaming service is currently available for fans via a monthly pass for $14.99 or season-long pass for $99.99 (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/20).

Fox hypes Paige Bueckers-JuJu Watkins matchup

By Mollie Cahillane
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In a big upcoming sports weekend, Fox may score the most-watched women’s college basketball event of the season with the 8pm ET Saturday matchup of Paige Bueckers and UConn against JuJu Watkins and USC.

Fox VP/Collegiate Sports Derek Crocker said the company always intended to put the game in primetime, but it came with a little “blind faith.”

Though the marquee event is facing off against the College Football Playoffs’ Ohio State vs. Tennessee first round, Fox feels confident in its placement. The game will follow the NFL’s Steelers-Ravens game.

“We had an inkling that we would potentially have an NFL lead-in but we weren't quite sure, so it was going to go in the primetime slot regardless,” said Crocker. “Not only us, but other networks have seen the power of what an NFL lead-in can do. It's also just an opportunity to showcase sports and expose it to viewers that don't traditionally watch these sports. It's just a great platform for women's basketball.”

So far this college women’s basketball season, the most-viewed game was 847,000 for Notre Dame-UConn earlier this month on ESPN.

This year, 18 college women’s basketball matchups will be on Fox, with five games in primetime. That’s up from 14 last season total, and three in Saturday primetime last year.

“[Saturday primetime] is basically our key window that we launched last year,” said Crocker. “That gets the most amount of promotion, the most amount of support from a marketing team, and an opportunity to put our best games, whether that’s men’s or women’s.” 

Netflix plans extra programming around WWC

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Netflix is "planning English and Spanish-language broadcasts" for its coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031, and the streamer "will also develop shoulder programming and studio shows to complement the live matches." The company will also "produce documentaries connected to the tournaments" in the lead-up to each one (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 12/20).

THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch writes the move by Netflix to acquire these rights "is an earthquake in the sports space" and "changes the game when it comes to soccer consumption" in the U.S. He notes it is also "a significant signal to the marketplace that Netflix has shifted from being interested in sports adjacent properties to a legitimate sports rights holder." The streaming giant "wants to scale ad consumption and revenue, and there are few better content plays to sell ads against than sports." Netflix will "either outsource the production of the games and studio coverage or build up a sports division to produce the content itself" -- which "would be an investment in the tens of millions" (THE ATHLETIC, 12/20).

Social Media reactions to the announcement:
  • Sporting News' Micah Adams: "Netflix saved F1 for the casual America audience. Netflix got 60 million viewers to watch boxing. Netflix built a great talent pool for Christmas NFL games. Netflix getting the women’s World Cup is precisely the out of the box thinking that sport needed."
  • Eric Wahl, brother of late soccer journalist Grant Wahl: "Seeing the news about Netflix winning the rights to broadcast the Women's World Cup, I can't help but think that kids from lower income families will be less able to watch. Grant and I wouldn't have been able to watch growing up. Just makes me a little sad."
  • Sporting News' Kyle Bonn: "The next two Women’s World Cups being on a purely streaming-only platform is a massive step back for the growth of women’s soccer. This is a huge disappointment."
  • CNBC's Alex Sherman: "It’s been clear for a while but Netflix is fully in live sports now"
  • IMG's Mitchell Marshall: "Woah. That happened a bit sooner than expected. Wonder if they'll pair with Fox to have a final air for free? This, to me, is the Netflix sports arrival."

Belichick to ride Madden bus for Fox SB special

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Bill Belichick is teaming up with Fox Sports, SMAC Entertainment and NFL Films for "The Madden Cruiser: A Bayou Adventure with Bill Belichick," a Super Bowl special that will see Belichick "travel across Louisiana in John Madden’s iconic Cruiser" en route to New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl LIX. The special will air on Fox at 12pm ET on Feb. 9. Guests joining Belichick include his former Patriots QB Tom Brady, as well as Fox Sports host Curt Menefee, Pro Football HOFers Michael Strahan, Ed Reed and Ty Law, former NFLer Archie Manning, Saints S Tyrann Mathieu and actress Rocsi Diaz. The special will also "commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, examining how the storm and its aftermath forever transformed New Orleans" (DEADLINE, 12/20).

NASCAR mum on Chicago street race future after '25

By Adam Stern
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NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell is not commenting on whether 2025 will be the last year of the Chicago street race, or whether the series will eventually compete in Saudi Arabia, but he does maintain that domestic and foreign interest in the sport is significant.

Next year will mark the final year of NASCAR’s original three-year deal with the city of Chicago to hold the street race. Asked about a possible extension, O’Donnell said: “For us, we’re just looking at 2025. It’ll be the third year of a three-year run and each year we’ve wanted to build upon the momentum that we have. We’ve learned things each and every year -- it’s our first street race, a lot of learnings came from that. A lot of weather challenges as well. ... We’ve made some tweaks to the event format and continuing to evolve that as well, so we’ll get through the event, see where things are, but concentrating on 2025 and making that event as successful as it can be.”

President Steve Phelps has said NASCAR has not been able to make a profit on the street race, which it spent $50M on the first year in 2023 and a likely smaller but still outsized amount in 2024. But he has credited the race with helping cement interest from the likes of Warner Bros. Discovery and Prime Video for new media rights agreements. O’Donnell said NASCAR is not naïve to the cost of street racing, but said NASCAR and the France family remain interested in the concept. “If it’s the right thing to do to grow the sport, I think NASCAR and the France family have shown that they’re going to invest,” he said.

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YOU STAY CLASSY SAN DIEGO: O’Donnell did not confirm nor deny NASCAR’s interest in San Diego as a potential location for a street race, talks that SBJ first reported in August. Such a move could achieve two aims by giving the series another spot to race in Southern California while also keeping its street circuit concept going if it doesn’t return to Chicago. O’Donnell said NASCAR has “a number of folks who are interested at looking at NASCAR from a street race (perspective).” He added: “We are certainly interested in California and the Southern California market, and that will continue to be a focus for us, but nothing to confirm at this point.”

SAUDI SAUNTER: NASCAR was also listed in October as an entity that Saudi Arabia’s planned Qiddiya entertainment mega city is talking to about bringing a race to the Speed Park circuit that’s being built there to open in 2028. NASCAR next year will compete in Mexico City in an event that will mark the Cup Series’ first points race outside the U.S. in 67 years, part of its growing international presence. Asked about that, O’Donnell said, “I wouldn’t put it specifically on Saudi,” adding the sport has received interest around the globe including Europe and Asia. O’Donnell: “We’ve got a finite amount of content we can bring but I think as you look at NASCAR from an international standpoint, it’ll be more around that Mexico model where we want to look to grow the overall sport and build it within the culture wherever we go. So we can certainly take a race from an exhibition standpoint or from a national series but you’ll see it coupled if we do go somewhere with a grassroots efforts as well.”

CCM named USA Hockey's equipment supplier

USA Hockey today announced a multiyear partnership with CCM Hockey, a designer, manufacturer and marketer of hockey equipment, to be the organization's official partner and equipment supplier. As part of the partnership, CCM Hockey will also be an official partner for USA Hockey's two national Try Hockey For Free Days, events that introduce families to the sport nationwide. Those events are held in November and February, with the next Try Hockey For Free day scheduled for Feb. 22 (USA Hockey). CCM Hockey was purchased in October by Altor Equity Partners for C$600M, including debt (SBJ).

Quick Hits....

"That means a lot for the players, it means a lot for the coaches, it means a lot for everybody...The atmosphere and the reaction of the fans tonight from the first period ... to overtime, don’t tell me you didn’t have goosebumps" -- Utah Hockey Club coach Andre Tourigny, on owner Ryan Smith giving away 2,000 limited-view tickets for free for Wednesday's game against the Canucks (DESERET NEWS, 12/19).

Around the World....

England Rugby Football Union Chairman Tom Ilube resigned from his position today "after an outcry about executive payouts." Community clubs were "gathering support for a possible vote of no confidence" in Ilube after clubs were "particularly critical" of RFU Chief Executive Bill Sweeney received a $1.4M bonus for FY 23-24, including a bonus of $448,000 despite FU announcing in September they were "cutting 42 jobs, and in November said it suffered a record operating loss" of $47.7M (AP, 12/20).

Welsh Rugby Union executive director Nigel Walker resigned from his role "weeks after he was implicated in a scandal involving Wales women's team." Huw Bevan, interim performance director, and community director Geraint John will assume Walker's executive duties in the short-term. A new director of rugby will be named in the New Year (London TELEGRAPH, 12/20).

The Australian Open will host the inaugural AO Pickleball Slam during the final weekend of January's tennis major "with $100,000 in prize money." Melbourne Park's court three will "transform into pickleball central" from Jan. 24-26 (REUTERS, 12/20).

Social Scoop....

Daily Download....

Netflix on Friday unveiled a trailer announcing upcoming series and films for Netflix Sports, including "Court of Gold," "Elway," "Untold: Liver King," "The Clubhouse," "Tyson," "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys," and new upcoming behind-the-scenes series following SEC football and WWE.

Quote Of the day

You got to do something. Obviously, the last couple of years have not been a great All-Star Game that Sunday night. It's not just the All-Star Game. It's our game in general. There's a lot of f***ing 3s being shot. So it's a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game.

-- Lakers F LeBron James, on his support for the new All-Star Game format while also commenting on the state of the league on the whole. YAHOO SPORTS, 12/19
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