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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
John Ourand
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March 23, 2026
Is Goodell Overplaying His Hand?
The NFL wants more money from its broadcast and streaming partners and hasn’t been shy about its desire to rip up its current, and still-young, contract to get it. On the media side, there are quiet but growing questions about whether the league’s ask is too high.
John Ourand
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March 19, 2026
The World Baseball Classic Gold Rush
Tuesday’s U.S.–Venezuela blockbuster affirmed the World Baseball Classic as a sports and ratings powerhouse, with an audience equal to some World Series games. Now that the tournament is living up to its name, how can baseball make the most of it?
John Ourand
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March 16, 2026
Can Netflix Be Big in Japan?
The streaming giant used the World Baseball Classic’s huge Japanese audience to test live sports, while MLB gained a deep-pocketed streaming partner ahead of its 2028 rights talks.
John Ourand
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March 12, 2026
The Jordan NASCAR Rules
During the ’90s, the GOAT helped the NBA ascend to new heights of global popularity and profitability. Now, as the high-profile owner of 23XI, he’s having a similar effect on NASCAR’s usually sleepy spring season. And, of course, his team won the season’s first three races.
John Ourand
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March 9, 2026
Gary Bettman’s Heated Rivalry Fantasies
The NHL is having a breakout season thanks to its competitive parity, emerging stars, Olympic buzz, and, yes, Heated Rivalry. But with the NFL rights renegotiations about to potentially blow up the sports media marketplace, commissioner Gary Bettman knows that his league will need to stay limber to maintain its gains.
John Ourand
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March 5, 2026
Will David Ellison Remake the NFL Market?
When David Ellison plunked down $7.7 billion for UFC rights last fall, he may have inadvertently started another feeding frenzy. If he’d pay that much for MMA, what would he be willing to pay for the NFL? CBS, which needs the league now more than ever, is about to find out.
John Ourand
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March 2, 2026
Brett Yormark’s Hoop Dreams
In a football world, the Big 12 commissioner has made basketball a large focus of his efforts to keep his conference competitive with its Power Four peers. Now that the undervaluing of college basketball is a fashionable talking point, maybe he was onto something.
John Ourand
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February 23, 2026
The NHL Gold Medal Hangover
The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team’s exhilarating gold medal victory may be dampened by an inconvenient truth for the NHL: Olympic success hasn’t usually translated into ratings and attendance gains.
John Ourand
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February 19, 2026
The NFL Media Rights Industrial Complex
As analysts scramble to calculate estimates for the NFL’s market-busting media rights, the league must consider the long-term viability of its linear TV partners—and whether sky-high, cutthroat negotiations could amount to a mortal wound.
John Ourand
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February 12, 2026
Inside the NBA’s Tankonomics
With a number of teams tanking and the usual load-management mishegas, the NBA regular season is veering into spring training territory just as the league is trying to justify its multibillion-dollar value to media partners. As one executive recently put it, “The majority of the value of these media deals is centered around the postseason.”