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Franchises

NFL Teams Considering Signing "Madden" Gamers For EA Sports Tournaments

At least three NFL teams said that they are "considering signing top gamers of EA’s Madden NFL video game to represent the franchises in tournaments," according to Eben Novy-Williams of BLOOMBERG NEWS. EA recently "revamped the format for its pro tournaments around Madden and is adding four new events." It is also "expanding its television and digital broadcasts" and offering $1M in prize money. EA Chief Competition Officer Peter Moore said that the company has "met with the NFL about sponsoring gamers." Moore: "I don’t know why teams wouldn’t. It feels like a very small expense for what seems to get a large amount of publicity." Novy-Williams writes e-sports can "quickly extend a brand and broaden a fan base." Signing video game players is "an extension of the move over the past few years to professionalize e-sports." EPL clubs Manchester City and West Ham have "signed professional video gamers to represent the clubs when playing FIFA." Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04 and La Liga club Valencia have "invested in full teams of video gamers" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/15).

GAME PLAN: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Brustein & Novy-Williams noted video game publisher Valve, which makes "Dota 2" and "Counter Strike: Global Offensive," is "walking away from the rapidly expanding gambling ecosystem." Facing a "wave of criticism and legal action," Valve's decision is "potentially destroying an industry" that was expected to take in $7.4B in bets this year (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/13). Meanwhile, the DAILY DOT's Sam Nordmark noted streaming service Twitch is "forbidding broadcasters" from showing third party "CS:GO" gambling sites (DAILYDOT.com, 7/14).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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