In Texas, Brett Vito notes Univ. of North Texas AD Wren Baker and ESPN yesterday "quickly settled their dispute over the nickname 'Mean Green.'" Baker took to Twitter on Tuesday night after ESPN "used Mean Green" in a commercial promoting Saturday's Michigan State-Michigan game. Baker yesterday issued a statement thanking ESPN for "reaching out quickly" and "correcting the Mean Green usage." Vito also notes UNT's mascot is an Eagle, but the school has "gradually moved toward using Mean Green as the nickname for all of its teams" (DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE, 10/5).
CREW EXTENSION: Crew President of Business Operations Andy Loughnane has said that the team has "extended its broadcast partnership" for '18 with Sinclair, which includes WTTE-Fox, WSYX-ABC, CW Columbus and MyTV Columbus. Loughnane also said that the Crew "likely won’t announce any simulcast partners" for '18 during this season. In Columbus, Andrew Erickson notes Spectrum Sports has "aired all non-nationally televised" Crew games this season, along with Toledo-based BCSN. Loughnane added that year-to-date TV viewership for Crew broadcasts is "down approximately" 20% from '16 (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 10/5).
BUZZING TO THE BANK: In Charlotte, Erik Spanberg noted even though the Hornets "rank near the bottom" of the NBA in TV ratings, the team "seems poised to land a significant increase in rights fees next year." The current contract with FS Southeast ends after the '17-18 season. Team officials said that they "expect negotiations to begin this winter, with an agreement possibly in place before the end of the regular season in April." FSSE "became the team’s broadcast partner" in '08. Neither the team nor the RSN has disclosed terms, but industry experts "estimate its value in the range" of $10-15M annually. Given the "upswing in local media rights in recent years, analysts predict the next Hornets TV contract could generate" $20M or more for the team (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/4).
