The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat weren’t limited to the playing field this year, as sports business saw its share of both hits and misses. Here’s a look back at some highlights and lowlights from ’15.
HITS: WINDS OF CHANGE: After 50 years at Radio City Music Hall, a scheduling conflict prompted the NFL to take its draft to Chicago. The locale, along with a fan-friendly format, breathed new life into the event, drawing more than 200,000 people over the course of three days. While the draft could become a traveling show, Chicago certainly made a strong case for an encore performance.
Also:
* Maryland’s move to the Big Ten starts paying both financial and competitive dividends.
* Kansas Speedway finds a hit with its SpongeBob Squarepants-themed Sprint Cup race.
* Curt Schilling’s suspension from the air leads to fantastic, barrier-breaking debut for ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza.
* Las Vegas plays its cards right with an NHL ticket drive, proving the city’s viability as an expansion market.
MISSES: BLACK HOLE SHUNNED: In an effort to keep the Raiders from moving to L.A., developer Floyd Kephart, contracted by the city of Oakland and Alameda County, laid out a financing plan for a new stadium on the Coliseum site. SportsCorp’s Marc Ganis called it the "worst stadium proposal" he had ever seen, and finance experts derided it, saying that the plan made a Raiders move to L.A. even more attractive.
Also:
* The NFL posts a video from its Rookie Symposium in which Cris Carter tells rookies to find a "fall guy" to take the rap for them.
* Red Sox fans take issue with the team’s callous dismissal of longtime broadcaster Don Orsillo.
* NFL Network captures and broadcasts footage of naked Bengals players, leading to a discussion on the league’s locker room policy.
* The Marlins host their charity casino night, but not a single current player shows up.
