Inside the NBA

NBA fans all across the country are hoping that their beloved Inside the NBA is here to stay. There is still much looming surrounding on who will land the NBA’s media rights that are set to expire at the end of next season. One thing though, that is becoming more likely is that TNT will not receive a portion of the upcoming deal. This would be bad news for many who love TNT’s Inside the NBA, starring Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Jonhson ,and Kenny Smith. It has won an astounding 19 Emmy Awards and is a fan favorite all across the NBA. The crew hope to continue producing the show through Charles Barkley’s production company. Although, this will likely be difficult as Ernie Johnson is planning to stay at TNT even if the network is unable to secure rights to the NBA.

The NBA and Disney reportedly reached a “handshake agreement” with the NBA. Disney doubled its annual payment from $1.4 billion to $2.8 billion despite receiving less games than it did in the previous deal. It was said that Warner Brothers’ CEO David Zaslav offered $2.1 billion annually, which was below the NBA’s asking price of $2.3 billion. Zaslav believe this was a steep ask for a package that wouldn’t make them the leagues primary broadcasting partner. Although there is nothing set in stone, the three main deals are with Disney, Amazon, and NBC.

PAC-2

The Pac-12 has officially had it’s final game. The University of Arizona Wildcats took home the Pac-12 baseball championship over the University of Southern California Trojans. The game marked the last ever sporting event in PAC 12 history for the once booming conference. The Pac-12 has been a legendary brand, the league of John Wooden, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Bill Walton, Mike Garrett, Marcus Allen, Jackie Robinson, more than 500 national titles, hundreds of Olympic gold medals and a dozen Heisman winners. Generations grew up watching Pac-12 schools dominate in all sports and now the league has officially crumbled. Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining members of the Pac-12 for the 2024–25 academic year. Their football teams will align with the Mountain West Conference, while their basketball and other sports will align with the West Coast Conference. Some have begun calling the remaining teams the Pac-2.

The start of the demise of the once great conference happened when UCLA and USC left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. The loss of the Los Angeles television market stalled Pac-12 talks for a new media rights deal, with the 10 remaining member schools making a counter-offer of $50 million per school to carry Pac-12 games to ESPN's initial offer of $30 million. This was much less than schools were hoping for and ultimately created tension within the conference.

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, who took over the position in 2021, serves as the recurring character for all of this conference turnover. Kliavkoff took over for Larry Scott, who had been at the helm of the conference since 2009. With Washington making the national championship, Oregon's success under Dan Lanning, and the Colorado media firestorm that followed Deion Sanders, another season on the media rights deal might have saved the Pac-12. Kliavkoff was reportedly was unliked because he wouldn’t respond to schools asking about negotiations, leading to the exodus of the eight members in 2023. First it was Colorado to the Big 12 in late July. Then, in early August, five more followed suit before Stanford and Cal rounded things out.Kliavkoff's "wait and see" approach to both negotiations and expansion — as Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark actively courted his members — ultimately doomed the conference, leading to its eventual dissolution.

Quick Reads

• The Tennessee Titans have released a time lapse of what their new stadium is going to look like.

• The NFL has confirmed that it's exploring playing a regular-season game in Australia.

• After three decades, controversial MLB umpire Ángel Hernández is retiring.

• U.S. viewership on NBC Sports platforms for the Premier League averaged a record audience of 546,000 per game this season, up 4% from last year and surpassing the previous mark of 541,000 set during the 2015–16 season.

• NBA legend, Bill Walton, passed away on Monday after battle with cancer

Job Openings in Sports

• Digital Marketing Specialist - FC Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)

• Graphic Design Intern - Premier League Lacrosse (Remote)

• Running Specialty Sales Rep - Diadora (New England)

• Brand Ambassador - New England Revolution (Foxborough, MA)

• Web Analyst - TaylorMade Golf (Remote)

Games of the Week

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• French Open - (All week)

• UFC 302 - Saturday @ 6 PM EST

• Florida Panthers vs New York Rangers - Thursday @ 8 PM EST

• San Francisco Giants vs New York Yankees - (Friday-Sunday)

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