ESPN and CFP officials have "agreed that there will be no advertising for daily fantasy games during the telecasts of the national semifinals or the national championship game this season," according to Marc Tracy of the N.Y. TIMES. CFP Exec Dir Bill Hancock yesterday in an email "confirmed the decision, which was made last month." An ESPN spokesperson "also confirmed it." The NCAA "had already informed its broadcast partners that it would not permit daily fantasy ads during its championship broadcasts." But the NCAA "does not administer" the CFP. Several conference commissioners have "publicly expressed concern over the influence of the games on college-age consumers." The NCAA "bars its athletes from sports wagering," including DFS, "which it considers gambling" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/10). NCAA President Mark Emmert yesterday said that the the governing body, under terms of a TV deal with CBS and Turner Sports, is "able to block ads from FanDuel, DraftKings or any other daily fantasy site" during the men's hoops tournament. But he said that the NCAA "has no jurisdiction over media contracts of conferences or individual schools." Emmert added that he was "unhappy at the contradiction inherent in a recent college basketball event at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center, the FanDuel Legends Classic." Emmert: "Here we’ve got rules that say if a student participates in this activity, you’ll be suspended. And oh by the way, we’re advertising it. I think that sends a completely bad message" (USA TODAY, 12/10).
TEEING OFF: GOLF.com's Pete Madden noted the PGA Tour is the only major U.S. league that "has yet to dive headfirst into the high-risk, high-reward waters" of DFS. Tour officials "met with the office of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on June 3 and emerged convinced that a 'conservative approach' was the best way to navigate the uncertain future" surrounding DFS. PGA Tour CMO Ty Votaw said, "We're just kind of sitting back and seeing how it all plays out. It's still very unsettled." Votaw "wouldn't say whether an interest in aligning the Tour with the daily fantasy sports business prompted the meeting, only that it was 'part of (the Tour's) due diligence.'" Madden noted the PGA Tour "sent a memo to its players on Sept. 24 banning them from playing or endorsing" DFS. The Tiger Woods Foundation inked a deal with DraftKings back in March that named the company "Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner" of the Quicken Loans National and the Deutsche Bank Championship. But Votaw said that he is "'not sure' whether those arrangements will remain in place next season" (GOLF.com, 12/9).
