USA TODAY's Sam Amick notes as the NFL has had to "navigate its way through the concussion crisis" and a ratings decline last season, the NBA "continues to progress." The Celtics-Cavaliers trade this week was the "latest example" of how the NBA has "become a year-round affair." With every "water cooler-worthy headline, the NBA has connected with the cord-cutting crowd and the wisdom of its digital approach becomes more apparent." That is "not to say that the NFL should be scared yet." However, the "sheer volume of relevant NBA storylines has set the stage for another compelling season among their contenders" (USA TODAY, 8/24).
PUMP THE BRAKES: In Austin, Kevin Lyttle notes MLS "registered trademarks this month on two possible names for a potential Austin franchise" -- Austin FC and Austin Athletic. But yesterday, MLS "tamped down any special significance." MLS Exec VP/Communications Dan Courtemanche said, "It is not unusual for Major League Soccer to trademark names that could be used for a variety of business purposes unrelated to expansion." Courtemanche also said that only the 12 markets that submitted bids on Jan. 31 will be "considered for the next four MLS expansion teams, and he pointed out that Austin was not among those bidding" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 8/24).
GROWING THE GAME: ESPN.com's Jacob Wolf noted several NFL owners believe EA's new Madden NFL Club Championship is just the "beginning of business opportunities for NFL owners and their businesses." One NFL exec said that they believe this will "create new opportunities for audience overlap between the NFL and the Madden player base" (ESPN.com, 8/20).
