TURNKEY SPORTS POLL
The following are results of the Turnkey Sports Poll taken in November. The survey covered more than 1,100 senior-level sports industry executives spanning professional and college sports.
What best sums up your feelings about the past year in sports business?
In your opinion, which of the following was the biggest sports business story of 2011?
| NFL labor situation | 43% |
| NBA labor situation | 19% |
| NCAA conference realignment | 19% |
| Comcast-NBC merger | 11% |
| Qatar awarded 2022 FIFA World Cup | 5% |
| Fox secures 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup broadcast rights | 2% |
| Not sure / No response | 1% |
Which of the following was the most significant sponsorship deal of 2011?
| Farmers Insurance secures naming rights of yet-to-be-built NFL stadium in LA | 44% |
| MetLife secures naming rights of New Meadowlands Stadium | 29% |
| UPS secures deals with 70 colleges/universities | 11% |
| Sprint strikes a deal with the NBA | 5% |
| Anheuser-Busch renews FIFA World Cup sponsorship | 5% |
| Not sure / No response | 6% |
Source: Turnkey Sports & Entertainment in conjunction with SportsBusiness Journal. Turnkey Intelligence specializes in research, measurement and lead generation for brands and properties. Visit www.turnkeyse.com.
MOST SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS AMONG LEAGUES, TEAMS
| | Facebook
Dec. 13 | Twitter
Dec. 13 | Total,
Dec. 13 | Change in total
April-Dec. |
| MLB | 821,964 | 1,607,556 | 2,429,520 | 60.7% |
| New York Yankees | 4,839,185 | 490,510 | 5,329,695 | 36.1% |
| Boston Red Sox | 3,181,666 | 170,334 | 3,352,000 | 41.6% |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 1,112,991 | 661,442 | 1,774,433 | 21.9% |
| Chicago Cubs | 1,472,738 | 73,786 | 1,546,524 | 30.5% |
| San Francisco Giants | 1,240,172 | 206,692 | 1,446,864 | 40.6% |
| |
| NBA | 10,863,668 | 3,267,003 | 14,130,671 | 34.9% |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 11,053,031 | 2,213,583 | 13,266,614 | 43.3% |
| Boston Celtics | 5,652,995 | 254,827 | 5,907,822 | 50.1% |
| Miami Heat | 4,372,474 | 308,961 | 4,681,435 | 121.5% |
| Chicago Bulls | 4,075,524 | 212,204 | 4,287,728 | 130.6% |
| Orlando Magic | 1,118,110 | 1,052,131 | 2,170,241 | 21.4% |
| |
| NFL | 4,179,434 | 2,556,768 | 6,736,202 | 36.3% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4,094,761 | 237,159 | 4,331,920 | 68.0% |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3,712,505 | 226,128 | 3,938,633 | 77.3% |
| New England Patriots | 2,730,888 | 208,933 | 2,939,821 | 50.0% |
| Green Bay Packers | 2,407,788 | 189,918 | 2,597,706 | 71.2% |
| New Orleans Saints | 2,270,973 | 131,801 | 2,402,774 | 82.5% |
| |
| NHL | 1,965,801 | 807,230 | 2,773,031 | 38.4% |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1,157,628 | 109,725 | 1,267,353 | 134.3% |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1,026,965 | 148,163 | 1,175,128 | 99.9% |
| Boston Bruins | 1,052,209 | 114,622 | 1,166,831 | 97.7% |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 1,019,489 | 116,623 | 1,136,112 | 54.8% |
| Montreal Canadiens | 921,655 | 209,321 | 1,130,976 | 51.6% |
| |
| MLS | 56,281 | 279,944 | 336,225 | 74.9% |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 72,065 | 276,503 | 348,568 | 280.6% |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 33,329 | 233,352 | 266,681 | 39.6% |
| New York Red Bulls | 29,229 | 132,845 | 162,074 | 80.4% |
| Philadelphia Union | 22,650 | 88,257 | 110,907 | 49.3% |
| Chicago Fire | 20,412 | 81,319 | 101,731 | 57.7% |
Source: SportsBusiness Journal research
MOST-VIEWED SPORTS TELECASTS ON BROADCAST TV
| RANK | TELECAST | DATE | NET | RATING | VIEWERS (000s) |
| 1 | Super Bowl XLV: Packers-Steelers | 2/6 | Fox | 46.0 | 111,010 |
| 2 | AFC Championship: Jets-Steelers | 1/23 | CBS | 28.3 | 54,850 |
| 3 | NFC Championship: Packers-Bears | 1/23 | Fox | 28.1 | 51,884 |
| 4 | AFC Divisional Playoff: Jets-Patriots | 1/16 | CBS | 24.2 | 43,500 |
| 5 | NFC Wild Card: Packers-Eagles | 1/9 | Fox | 22.1 | 39,300 |
| 6 | AFC Divisional Playoff: Ravens-Steelers | 1/15 | CBS | 19.4 | 34,000 |
| 7 | AFC Wild Card: Jets-Colts | 1/8 | NBC | 18.7 | 33,400 |
| 8 | NFC Divisional Playoff: Seahawks-Bears | 1/16 | Fox | 19.1 | 32,500 |
| 9 | “NFL on CBS”: Dolphins-Cowboys (Thanksgiving) | 11/24 | CBS | 14.3 | 30,901 |
| 10 | NFC Divisional Playoff: Packers-Falcons | 1/15 | Fox | 17.0 | 30,817 |
MOST-VIEWED NON-NFL SPORTS TELECASTS ON BROADCAST TV
| RANK | TELECAST | DATE | NET | RATING | VIEWERS (000s) |
| 1 | World Series: Rangers-Cardinals: Game 7 | 10/28 | Fox | 14.7 | 25,403 |
| 2 | NBA Finals: Mavericks-Heat: Game 6 | 6/12 | ABC | 13.3 | 23,880 |
| 3 | World Series: Rangers-Cardinals: Game 6 | 10/27 | Fox | 12.7 | 21,065 |
| 4 | NCAA Basketball Championship: UConn-Butler | 4/4 | CBS | 11.7 | 20,055 |
| 5 | World Series: Cardinals-Rangers: Game 5 | 6/9 | ABC | 10.8 | 18,318 |
| 6 | NCAA Tournament: Final Four: UConn-Kentucky | 4/2 | CBS | 9.5 | 16,715 |
| 7 | NBA Finals: Mavericks-Heat: Game 4 | 6/7 | ABC | 9.6 | 16,126 |
| 8 | NASCAR Sprint Cup: Daytona 500 | 2/20 | Fox | 8.7 | 15,597 |
| 9 | NBA Finals: Mavericks-Heat: Game 2 | 6/2 | ABC | 9.3 | 15,522 |
| 10 | NBA Finals: Heat-Mavericks: Game 3 | 6/5 | ABC | 9.1 | 15,338 |
MOST-VIEWED SPORTS TELECASTS ON CABLE TV
| RANK | TELECAST | DATE | NET | RATING | VIEWERS (000s) |
| 1 | BCS National Championship: Auburn-Oregon | 1/10 | ESPN | 15.3 | 27,316 |
| 2 | Rose Bowl: TCU-Wisconsin | 1/1 | ESPN | 11.3 | 20,558 |
| 3 | “Monday Night Football”: Redskins-Cowboys | 9/26 | ESPN | 10.6 | 17,104 |
| 4 | “Monday Night Football”: Bears-Eagles | 11/7 | ESPN | 10.7 | 16,847 |
| 5 | “Monday Night Football”: Bears-Lions | 10/10 | ESPN | 10.3 | 16,378 |
| 6 | “Monday Night Football”: Patriots-Dolphins | 9/12 | ESPN | 9.1 | 14,568 |
| 7 | “Monday Night Football”: Giants-Saints | 11/28 | ESPN | 9.3 | 14,423 |
| 8 | “Monday Night Football”: Vikings-Packers | 11/14 | ESPN | 8.7 | 14,188 |
| 9 | Allstate Sugar Bowl: Ohio State-Arkansas | 1/4 | ESPN | 8.2 | 13,635 |
| 10 | FIFA Women’s World Cup Final: Japan-U.S. | 7/17 | ESPN | 7.4 | 13,458 |
MOST-VIEWED NON-NFL SPORTS TELECASTS ON CABLE TV
| RANK | TELECAST | DATE | NET | RATING | VIEWERS (000s) |
| 1 | BCS National Championship: Auburn-Oregon | 1/10 | ESPN | 15.3 | 27,316 |
| 2 | Rose Bowl: TCU-Wisconsin | 1/1 | ESPN | 11.3 | 20,558 |
| 3 | Allstate Sugar Bowl: Ohio State-Arkansas | 1/4 | ESPN | 8.2 | 13,635 |
| 4 | FIFA Women’s World Cup Final: Japan-U.S. | 7/17 | ESPN | 7.4 | 13,458 |
| 5 | NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Heat-Bulls: Game 1 | 5/15 | TNT | 6.2 | 11,109 |
| 6 | NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Bulls-Heat: Game 3 | 5/22 | TNT | 6.4 | 10,889 |
| 7 | Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma-UConn | 1/1 | ESPN | 6.2 | 10,819 |
| 8 | Discover Orange Bowl: Stanford-Virginia Tech | 1/3 | ESPN | 6.7 | 10,682 |
| 9 | NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Heat-Bulls: Game 5 | 5/26 | TNT | 6.3 | 10,407 |
| 10 | NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Heat-Bulls: Game 2 | 5/18 | TNT | 6.1 | 10,036 |
Note: Through Dec. 4
Source: The Nielsen Co.
TOP PLAYER SALARIES/WINNINGS
MLB (2011)
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | SALARY | POSITION | AGENT |
| 1 | Alex Rodriguez | New York Yankees | $32,000,000 | Third base | Dan Lozano |
| 2 | Vernon Wells | Los Angeles Angels | $26,187,500 | Left field | Scott Parker |
| 3 | CC Sabathia | New York Yankees | $24,285,714 | Pitcher | Greg Genske and Brian Peters |
| 4 | Mark Teixeira | New York Yankees | $23,125,000 | First base | No agent |
| 5 | Joe Mauer | Minnesota Twins | $23,000,000 | Catcher | Ron Shapiro |
NHL (2011-2012)
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | SALARY | POSITION | AGENT |
| 1 | Brad Richards >>>> | New York Rangers | $12,000,000 | Center | Pat Morris |
| 2 (tie) | Ilya Bryzgalov | Philadelphia Flyers | $10,000,000 | Goaltender | Rich Winter |
| 2 (tie) | Christian Ehrhoff | Buffalo Sabres | $10,000,000 | Defenseman | Rick Curran |
| 2 (tie) | Vincent Lecavalier | Tampa Bay Lightning | $10,000,000 | Center | Kent Hughes |
| 5 (tie) | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | $9,000,000 | Center | Pat Brisson |
| 5 (tie) | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | $9,000,000 | Center | J.P. Barry |
| 5 (tie) | Alex Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | $9,000,000 | Center | David Abrutyn |
MLS (2011)
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | SALARY | POSITION | AGENT |
| 1 | David Beckham | Los Angeles Galaxy | $6,500,000 | Midfielder | Simon Fuller |
| 2 | Thierry Henry | New York Red Bulls | $5,600,000 | Forward | Darien Dein |
| 3 | Rafa Márquez | New York Red Bulls | $4,600,000 | Defender | Eduardo Hernández |
| 4 | Landon Donovan | Los Angeles Galaxy | $2,300,000 | Forward | Richard Motzkin |
| 5 | Julian de Guzman | Toronto FC | $1,910,746 | Midfielder | Courtney James |
NBA (2011-2012)
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | SALARY | POSITION | AGENT |
| 1 | Kobe Bryant >>>> | Los Angeles Lakers | $25,244,000 | Shooting guard | Rob Pelinka |
| 2 | Rashard Lewis | Washington Wizards | $22,152,000 | Power forward | Tony Dutt |
| 3 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | $21,300,000 | Center | Lon Babby |
| 4 | Kevin Garnett | Boston Celtics | $21,200,000 | Power forward | Andy Miller |
| 5 | Gilbert Arenas* | Orlando Magic | $19,269,308 | Point guard | Dan Fegan |
*Waived Dec. 9
NFL (2011-2012)
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | SALARY | POSITION | AGENT |
| 1 (tie) | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | $18,000,000 | Quarterback | Don Yee |
| 1 (tie) | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | $18,000,000 | Quarterback | Tom Condon |
| 3 | Eli Manning | New York Giants | $16,300,000 | Quarterback | Tom Condon |
| 4 | Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona Cardinals | $15,000,000 | Receiver | Eugene Parker |
| 5 | Richard Seymour | Oakland Raiders | $15,000,000 | Defensive tackle | Eugene Parker |
NASCAR (2011)
| RANK | DRIVER | WINNINGS |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | $8,485,990 |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | $6,529,870 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | $6,296,360 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | $6,197,140 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | $6,183,580 |
PGA Tour (2011)
| RANK | PLAYER | WINNINGS | AGENT |
| 1 | Luke Donald | $6,683,214 | Jon Wagner |
| 2 | Webb Simpson | $6,347,353 | Thomas Parker |
| 3 | Nick Watney | $5,290,673 | Brian Newton |
| 4 | K.J. Choi | $4,434,691 | Michael Yim |
| 5 | Dustin Johnson | $4,309,961 | David Winkle |
LPGA Tour (2011)
| RANK | PLAYER | WINNINGS |
| 1 | Yani Tseng | $2,921,713 |
| 2 | Cristie Kerr | $1,470,979 |
| 3 | Na Yeon Choi | $1,357,382 |
| 4 | Stacy Lewis | $1,356,211 |
| 5 | Suzann Pettersen | $1,322,770 |
Note: Golf earnings through Dec. 11
Note: Figures do not include marketing deals
Sources: NHLPA, MLS Players Union, USA Today salary database, NASCAR.com, PGATour.com, LPGA.com
