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Sunday, Feb 5, 2:00pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... Today Is The Day 

Super Bowl Ticket Demand Third Highest In Recent History

Super Bowl LI ticket prices completed an up-and-down week on the secondary market with an average resale price of $3,996 at presstime, according to SeatGeek data. That is down from the comparable prices for the last two Super Bowls ($4,531 in '16 and $4,271 in '15), but it still marks the third most in-demand Super Bowl dating back to Packers-Steelers in '11. On the day the Patriots-Falcons matchup was set, the average resale price was $5,216, but prices dropped nearly 40% early this past week to as low as $3,159 on Tuesday. The current get-in price is $3,000, up a bit from yesterday when some tickets were available for under $2,500. Texas now leads the way in demand for Super Bowl tickets, with 22% of SeatGeek.com shoppers hailing from the host state, followed by Massachusetts at 17% and Georgia at 14% (Preston Bounds, Assistant Editor).

Meanwhile, the Houston chapter of Black Lives Matter, together with allied groups, began a "Super Bowl protest march" around noon CT. The protest began at Hermann Park and was slated to move toward NRG Stadium (CHRON.com, 2/5).

The weather forecast for Houston today called for scattered thunderstorms in the late morning and early afternoon. But that is expected to clear by game time, with "partly cloudy" skies and temperatures in the low seventies and high sixties from 7:00pm-11:00pm CT (WEATHER.com, 2/5).

Meanwhile, Pope Francis recorded a Super Bowl video message, conveying his wish that the game be a "sign of peace, friendship and solidarity for the world" (CHRON.com, 2/5).

Cowboys' Jerry Jones Elected To Pro Football HOF Class Of '17

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones yesterday was one of seven people elected to the Pro Football HOF. He "changed the way the NFL does business," altering the "financial dynamic of the NFL in his 27 years of franchise ownership." Jones was one of two candidates "nominated as contributors" along with former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was not elected to this year's class. Tagliabue was "subject of the longest discussion of the day" by the committee at one hour, and Jones "was next at 33 minutes" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/5).

The other members of the class to be enshrined Aug. 5 in Canton are LaDainian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner, Jason Taylor, Terrell Davis, Morten Anderson and Kenny Easley (ESPN.com, 2/4).

GoRout, Mobile Virtual Player, Windpact Win NFL's Tech Competition

By Daniel Kaplan

GoRout, Mobile Virtual Player (MVP) and Windpact won the NFL’s second annual 1st and Future technology event, a "Shark Tank"-style competition among nine companies. GoRout makes sideline devices to streamline coach-to-player communications; MVP produces mobile tackling dummies; and Windpact created a shock absorber for helmets.
The companies each won $50,000, entry into Texas Medical Center’s innovation accelerator and two tickets to Super Bowl LI.

The event occurred on the TMC campus, beginning with a conversation between NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. GE partners with the NFL on concussion technology research, and Immelt said that medicine had only a 1% understanding of injuries to the brain. “Diagnosing concussions is still an inexact science,” he said, calling it the definitive health care challenge of this era.

Fans Ask Goodell "Smart, Insightful" Questions During Fan Forum

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during Friday's fan forum in Houston fielded "smart, insightful and even a few humorous questions." Of the 20 or so questions asked, three "began with a mention" of the CBA. One dealt with the "possibility of expanding the regular season to 18 games, the second with potentially relaxing the league’s penalty for marijuana." None of Goodell’s answers were "earth-shaking or even newsworthy ... but the questions were impressive." Interviews with five of the 70 people in the audience "revealed that no one from the NFL had told them that any issue was off-limits, had screened their questions or even knew what they were going to ask before they were called upon" (USA TODAY, 2/4).

Michelin Making Super Bowl Debut; Fiat Chrysler Airing Three Spots

Michelin is "making its first in-game Super Bowl ad with a spot in the first commercial break after kickoff." The ad was created by TBWA/Chiat/Day, N.Y. (ADAGE.com, 2/4).

Fiat Chrysler confirmed that it will "have three spots" during the game. The company did "not reveal details about the ads, but it did say the first spot would air during the second quarter, the second spot would air in the third quarter and the third spot will air during the fourth quarter" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/4). Fiat Chrysler "typically does not air its Super Bowl ads ahead of time." The company has "become known for its Super Bowl ads over the past six years, using celebrities such as rapper Eminem and actor Clint Eastwood." Since '11, it has had "at least two minutes of ads during the Super Bowl" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/4). Given the automaker's new business strategy, it "seems likely" that its Italy-based Alfa Romeo brand "could get most – if not all – of the attention" (ADAGE.com, 2/3).

The NFL unveiled a 60-second Super Bowl ad that will air during break between the the third and fourth quarters. The spot, titled "Inside These Lines," was created by Translation, N.Y. (NFL). View the full spot on YouTube.

See our updated chart of Super Bowl ads.

Tom Benson Settles Lawsuit With Heirs Over Saints, Pelicans Ownership

The long-running court battle between Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson and his heirs "reached an end" on Friday. Attorneys overseeing the trusts for his daughter and her children said that Benson had "decided to settle the case," which was scheduled to go to trial tomorrow. Benson had "sought to remove the ownership stakes of the teams from trusts for Renee Benson and her children Rita and Ryan LeBlanc." The case was "expected to center around the value of the Saints and Pelicans shares Tom Benson was pulling out of the trusts" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/4).

NHL Panthers Owner Withdraws U.S. Secretary Of The Army Nomination

NHL Panthers Owner Vincent Viola "withdrew his nomination as U.S. Secretary of the Army, saying extricating himself from his extensive business ties has 'proven insurmountable.'" Besides Viola's ownership in the Panthers, he is the founder of trading firm Virtu Financial and has a majority interest in Eastern Air Lines. Viola had "planned to transfer ownership of the Panthers to his family," while Panthers Vice Chair & Partner Doug Cifu was "supposed to take over" as Chair & Governor of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment (MIAMI HERALD, 2/4).

Coyotes' Plans To Move To Tempe Dead After Arizona State Backs Out

A plan to build a new home for the Coyotes in Tempe "is dead" after Arizona State backed out. An email from ASU on Friday said the school has "no intention of proceeding to sign a development agreement." ASU's master developer, Catellus Development, had "negotiated with the Coyotes since November on a development plan that would have included ice rinks for the Coyotes and Sun Devil Athletics." ASU did "not say in its statement why it was ending negotiations" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/4).

Sacramento's MLS Bid Moves On As Republic Execs Reach Agreement

The ownership dispute that "threatened to derail" Sacramento's MLS expansion bid has been "settled." USL club Sacramento Republic FC co-Founder & President Warren Smith and Managing Partner Kevin Nagle "reached an agreement in principle that will allow Nagle," the club's lead investor who is spearheading the MLS effort, to "use the popular Republic FC brand in the bid." Smith will "continue to control the team until it starts play in MLS, assuming the bid is accepted." Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg "mediated a combined 12 hours of negotiations between the two men." Financial terms of the deal, "reached shortly before midnight Friday, weren’t disclosed" (SACBEE.com, 2/4).

Phoenix Open Sets Saturday Attendance Record, Eyes Total Mark

The Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale set an attendance record yesterday when "204,906 fans watched the third round." The previous record for Saturday "was 201,003, set last year." Already this week, 597,680 "have come through the gates." The record week-long attendance is 618,365, also set in '16. Sunday's attendance last year was 65,330, but the "weekly attendance will be broken if 21,585 fans show up" today (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/5).

NCAA Creates Fund For Athletes In Attempt To Settle Portion Of Lawsuit

The NCAA and 11 Division I conferences "agreed to create" a nearly $208.7M fund for the benefit of current and former D-I basketball and FBS student-athletes, settling the "monetary claims portion" of a grant-in-aid class-action lawsuit. The settlement, announced in a Friday statement, will be "funded entirely from NCAA reserves, and no conference or member schools will be required to contribute." The settlement is "subject to approval by the court and will award class members money up to, but not exceeding, their full cost of attendance" (NCAA.org, 2/3).

NBC's "SNL" Goes Heavy On Super Bowl With Multiple Segments

During the “Weekend Update” segment of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” cast member Michael Che said of the Super Bowl, “Everybody's talking about protests during halftime with Lady Haha, but after everything this year, I just want to watch football and Doritos commercials. I used to make fun of white guys for getting upset at Kaepernick for protesting the National Anthem, but now I get it. I'm exhausted, too. For three hours, I just don't want to talk about any social issues or politics. I just want to relax, turn my brain off, and watch the blackest city in America beat the most racist city I've ever been to” (“SNL,” NBC, 2/4).

“SNL” also featured a “Family Feud” skit depicting celebrity fans of the Falcons and Patriots. Cast member Beck Bennett, playing the role of Roger Goodell, said, “I absolutely love the Falcons. It doesn't have anything to do with not wanting to give the Super Bowl trophy to Tom Brady.” Other celebrities included Gisele Bündchen (played by host Kristen Stewart), Bill Belichick (Bobby Moynihan) and Lady Gaga (Melissa Villaseñor) (“SNL,” NBC, 2/4).


Speed Reads....

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Friday voted to "prohibit the use of smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco, dip and snuff at all sports venues, including Cardinals games at Busch Stadium" (AP, 2/3).

Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul has settled his invasion of privacy lawsuit with ESPN, a settlement that "does not require the network or Adam Schefter to apologize for their report" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 2/3).

The Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Cinco de Mayo bout "will take place at T-Mobile Arena" rather than AT&T Stadium. Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "made a substantial offer" to Golden Boy Promotions for the fight, but "richer seat pricing inside 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena and the tradition of big fights in Las Vegas won out" (L.A. TIMES, 2/4).

The Univ. of Illinois men's basketball team yesterday drew the newly renovated State Farm Center's "first sellout crowd," as 15,544 were on hand for the team's game against Minnesota (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 2/5). Fans lined up outside the arena in "hopes of having a photograph with the Cubs' World Series trophy" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/5).

Front Row Motorsports has "acquired a third charter member agreement after completing a deal with BK Racing." FRM will "lease the new charter to TriStar Motorsports" for the '17 season. It also "plans to field three Cup cars" in '18 (USATODAY.com, 2/3).

NFL sponsor Bud Light runs a full-page Super Bowl-themed ad in today's N.Y. Times: "2.5.17 Is Not Just About Football. It's About Friends." Gatorade also runs a full-page ad in the Times titled, "An Open Letter To Athletes" (THE DAILY).

Quick Hits....

"I'm pleased with the level of cooperation we've had from these teams" – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, on MLB clubs allowing players to leave Spring Training to play in the World Baseball Classic (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 2/4).

"I get more frustrated than I get hurt by it. It's like, come on, I'm just the guy in the suit telling you your team lost" – Fox' Joe Buck, on fan reaction to his calls (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, Feb. 5 issue).

"We felt really strongly that we wanted to reset the tone of the negotiations, and so we wanted to expand the leadership of the players association that would reflect what the P.A. wants and what our goals are" – USWNT D Becky Sauerbrunn, on former USWNT Players Association Exec Dir & General Counsel Rich Nichols (N.Y. TIMES, 2/4).

"I'm a businessman. I try not to do things without a benefit to the company, my community, myself. If we're throwing money down a hole, that's not something I'm going to do twice. I feel there is a good return on our investment" – WeatherTech Founder & CEO David MacNeil, whose Illinois-based company is running a spot in its fourth consecutive Super Bowl (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/4).

“Gatorade has this spontaneous moment they have been able to capitalize on for years. It’s hard to put a dollar value on 30 years of free advertising” – Adweek staff writer Kristina Monllos, on the traditional Gatorade bath in sports (“Sunday Today with Willie Geist,” NBC, 2/5). Super Bowl baths have generated an estimated $17M+ in "ad value for brand since 1987" (TWITTER.com, 2/5).

Weekend Hot Reads: Some Like It Hot-lanta

The N.Y. TIMES in a front-page piece noted Atlanta's "evolution, coupled with an effort by the owner of the Falcons, Arthur Blank, to promote a sense of community around the team, has strengthened its bond with the Falcons." ROLLINGSTONE.com went with the header, "Atlanta Looks For Respect With Falcons In Super Bowl."

Elsewhere:

Sunday Comic....

A sneak preview of SportsBusiness Journal's weekly editorial cartoon:

Twitter Me This....

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Today's Back Pages....

The Weekend Rap offers today's back page sports covers from some of North America's major metropolitan tabloids:

 N.Y. Post  N.Y. Daily News Newsday   Boston HeraldChicago Sun-Times

Hit The Ground Running: The Week Ahead

THE DAILY's Week Ahead Feb. 6-12

MONDAY
• ATP Tour Open Sud de France begins (Montpellier)
• ATP Tour Ecuador Open Quito begins
• ATP Tour Garanti Koza Sofia Open begins (Sofia, Bulgaria)
• World Alpine Ski Championships begin (Piz Nair, St. Moritz, Switzerland)

WEDNESDAY
• UEFA Exec Committee meeting (Nyon, Switzerland)

THURSDAY
• PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am begins – (Pebble Beach, Calif.)

SATURDAY
• UFC 208 – Holly Holm vs. Germaine De Randamie – Barclays Center (Brooklyn)
• Millrose Games – New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory, Manhattan
• Monster Energy AMA Supercross – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)

Note: Events are subject to change. Information about upcoming events can be sent via email to calendar@sportsbusinessjournal.com.