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John Ourand & Eriq Gardner
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Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (Thursday is an Inner Circle exclusive)
A professional-grade rundown on the business of sports from John Ourand, the industry’s preeminent journalist, covering the leagues, players, agencies, media deals, and the egos fueling it all. Plus, the latest intel from Eriq Gardner on the sports legal beat.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
YouTube’s Skinny Sports Rights Diet
For a while, it seemed as though YouTube was coming to eat everyone’s lunch in the sports media business. But after its recent miss on a suite of NFL games, many media insiders are wondering how much the Google guys really want to be in on the actual game action—and if they need the league at all.
John Ourand
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June 16, 2026
Zen Garden
After decades of dysfunction, the Knicks won their first title since 1973 thanks to Jim Dolan, of all people, finally trusting the right basketball specialists and resisting the mistakes that defined the previous 25 years. Mike Breen, the voice of the team, and clutch ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst break it down.
Can Fox Avoid the Skipper Tax?
As the NFL continues to draw congressional heat, it’s growing increasingly tired with Rupert Murdoch for instigating the fuss. With the league’s coveted antitrust exemption theoretically in the crosshairs, might Fox have bitten the hand that feeds it?
John Ourand
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June 9, 2026
YouTube’s NFL Discipline & NFL Partner Math
Rich Greenfield, the LightShed partner and sports guru, weighs in on the looming NFL rights renegotiation bonanza: who wins, who blinks first, and why the league still has all the leverage in the post-cord-cutting era.
Searching for Conor McGregor
The UFC is at the beginning of a seven-year, $7.7 billion media deal, the envy of every other emerging sports outfit in the world, and about to reach the ultimate mark of Trump II cultural dominance with a much-hyped fight card on the White House lawn. So where are all its new stars?
John Ourand
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June 2, 2026
The Magnus Carta
ESPN’s indomitable content chief, Burke Magnus, on losing talent to the NBA sidelines, the heat around the NHL, and what he learns from the way his kids watch sports.
Sankey Is From Mars, Petitti Is From Venus
The commissioners of college sports’ two biggest conferences have thrown a stray shot or two at each other this spring over the College Football Playoff. But as just about everyone acknowledges, they both know they’ll have to be much more aligned to tackle the myriad issues they face.
John Ourand
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May 26, 2026
The Optimist’s Case for the UFC and F1 Megadeals
Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino offers up his candid thoughts and surprising bull case for Paramount’s UFC deal and F1’s partnership with Apple—and why the mega-trend media universe keeps gravitating toward superstars.
Netflix’s 17 Seconds in Heaven
Obviously, the short-lived Rousey–Carano title fight wasn’t the ideal scenario for Netflix’s M.M.A. debut. But it also wasn’t a refutation of the streamer’s “eventized” sports content strategy.
John Ourand
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May 19, 2026
How Much Is Too Much for a Super Bowl Commercial?
Horizon Media’s Adam Schwartz on the amplifying value of a Super Bowl ad, MLB’s events strategy, and why the 30-second spot is still the backbone of television advertising.