THE LATEST ARTICLES
NEWSLETTERS
Dave Portnoy Barstool
John Ourand July 17, 2025
Talks between Barstool Sports’s Dave Portnoy and Fox Sports kicked off with horse racing, but soon moved to something more ambitious: a deal that would give Portnoy and his buds a new platform, bequeath the Big Ten a true-blue booster of their own, and offer Fox the kind of trouble that they could use right now.
Steve Phelps
John Ourand July 14, 2025
While Formula 1 seems to be grabbing all the headlines these days—from the wildly successful Hollywood movie to a rich new potential rights deal with Apple—NASCAR has quietly reinforced its position as the dominant domestic motorsport. Not gonna lie, as the kids say, it’s not even close.
f1 brad pitt
John Ourand July 10, 2025
Cupertino has its highest-grossing theatrical release ever in Brad Pitt’s ‘F1,’ and F1 execs think it’s time for ESPN to double the racing series’ rights deal. But Bristol doesn’t seem inclined to merge into the fast lane.
NFL
John Ourand July 7, 2025
Everyone in the sports-media industrial complex has been trying to game out the NFL’s strategy for exercising its change-of-control option in its CBS/Paramount deal. But the current idea gaining traction will throw everyone for a loop—especially the NHL and MLB.


mlb new york yankees aaaron judge
John Ourand June 30, 2025
Sports may be the last remaining jewel of live TV, but the era of the 10-figure rights deals is a thing of the past for everyone besides the NFL and NBA. The current marketplace tells the story.
NFL
John Ourand June 26, 2025
Venu, the sports frankenstreamer that died on the vine, did have one lasting impact on the sports viewing universe: It gave birth to skinny bundle offerings, like DirecTV’s, that were meant to compete against it.
Gunnar Wiedenfels
John Ourand June 23, 2025
The newly separated TNT Sports will keep bidding on sports packages… but rights holders are wondering if they’ll see big numbers in the Gunnar Wiedenfels era.
Rick Cordella
John Ourand June 19, 2025
NBC Sports president Rick Cordella chats candidly about Peacock’s streaming journey, leveraging premium sports to drive subs, the prophetic decision to carry the Big Ten, why they got into the NBA, and what linear and streaming still have in common.


Dale Earnhardt Jr.
John Ourand June 16, 2025
Racing legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. candidly discusses NASCAR’s post-pandemic blues, the lessons from F1, and the on-track value structure.
Brian Rolapp
John Ourand June 12, 2025
It’s not easy being Roger Goodell’s number two. Now, Brian Rolapp, a longtime resident of the NFL commissioner shortlist, is at the precipice of taking a job with the PGA Tour, instead.
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