Daily fantasy gets real
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In the past year, DraftKings and FanDuel have gone from virtual unknowns to billion-dollar valuations, partnerships with nearly every pro team and league, and a collective $575 million in new venture capital funding. That money in turn transformed the entire sports marketing landscape with a relentless level of advertising.
Now daily fantasy is on to the second act of the story, with several governmental entities openly challenging its legality, likening it to gambling, and moving to stop activity altogether in some jurisdictions. With heavy involvement from industry heavyweights such as Fox Sports, Comcast, the NBA and Major League Baseball, and soaring user participation, the final outcome for daily fantasy will be anything but quiet.
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Boston stumbles, L.A. steps in
U.S. Olympic Committee brass and Massachusetts politicians gathered on Jan. 9 to joyfully announce Boston’s candidacy for the 2024 Summer Olympics. But little else went right for the troubled bid, and public opposition grew more steadfast over the course of seven months. On July 27, it all came apart. Mayor Marty Walsh said he wouldn’t sign a financial guarantee for cost overruns, and hours later, the USOC board voted to walk away.
That trauma, however, opened the door to a revived Los Angeles bid. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Wasserman Media Group Chairman Casey Wasserman dusted off their plans, crafted a pitch-perfect introductory announcement with the USOC, and stepped in seamlessly for Boston. Now, the U.S.’s chances to host the Games for the first time since 2002 look better than ever, a remarkable turnaround from the dark days of July.
Tom Brady vs. NFL
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The NFL hit the New England Patriots and Tom Brady hard for allegedly deflating balls before the AFC championship game, a transgression no one had heard of before. It pitted Patriots owner Robert Kraft against NFL executives, the NFLPA against the NFL, and chipped away at Brady’s reputation.
A district court judge overturned the NFL’s four-game suspension of Brady, but Part 2 may transpire next year as the NFL appeals the decision. And if some legal experts are to be believed, the NFL, notwithstanding its somewhat questionable investigation of Brady, stands a chance of winning because of the deference accorded collective-bargaining agreements. That means the issue of a tiny amount of air pressure will continue to rattle around the NFL.
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Battening down in Bristol
The year that started with a record-setting college football telecast ended with a declining subscriber base, cost-cutting moves and layoffs. ESPN still is the country’s biggest sports media company by far, with a programming portfolio and license fee that far outweighs its competitors. But 2015 is the year that showed some that ESPN is not immune from the changing media landscape, including the loss of high-profile talent like Bill Simmons and Keith Olbermann.
MLS fires up new markets
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MLS launched its two newest clubs, Orlando City SC and New York City FC, to much excitement. They finished second and third across the league in average attendance, respectively, and remained in the playoff hunt until the end of the season.
With both clubs likely to improve in the standings next year — as well as the opening of Orlando City’s new stadium during the season — the buzz around the teams will likely only increase in 2016.
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Baseball’s new leader
Prior to the election of Rob Manfred as MLB commissioner, the arguments both for and against him rested heavily on the widespread assumption that Manfred would simply be a thematic continuation of Bud Selig’s tenure. It turns out both camps were wildly wrong.
In less than a year, Manfred has transformed baseball’s headquarters with an entirely new level of energy. He unified the sport’s business operations, and then moved on to creating a much deeper level of involvement with individual team owners, and a significant focus across all of baseball on youth engagement.
Plenty of serious challenges loom ahead, including a labor negotiation with players in 2016, the Pete Rose situation, and questions on how Manfred will handle domestic violence issues. But the new commissioner has quickly put his own stamp on the sport.
On top of the world
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The U.S. women’s national soccer team captured the hearts and minds of the country on their road to winning the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Led by tournament standout Carli Lloyd, the team’s victory in the final over Japan attracted more than 26.7 million U.S. television viewers, making it the most-watched soccer game in American history. The U.S. welcomed the team home with a ticker tape parade in Manhattan, the first time a team of female athletes has received that honor.
Next up for the women? The 2016 Rio Games and the quest for Olympic gold.
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FIFA under fire
FIFA found itself in the crosshairs of the U.S. Department of Justice, with an ongoing investigation into corruption, racketeering and conspiracy completely shaking up the global football organization and the soccer-governing bodies that operate under the FIFA umbrella.
With sponsors calling for massive reform, a special election on Feb. 26 set to replace now-suspended President Sepp Blatter, and even more stones likely to be overturned by the investigations, 2016 will be a crucial year for FIFA and its future.
Fighting for the spotlight
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She came in like a lion and went out like a lamb.
Ronda Rousey emerged as the UFC’s top drawing card in 2015, proving equally adept at landing movie roles and selling pay-per-views. But in the circuit’s second biggest-selling PPV ever, in front of a record crowd of 56,214 in Melbourne, Australia, in November, the seemingly invincible Rousey finished the night bloodied and broken, KO’d by a kick to the side of the head.
The good news for Rousey and the UFC: The much-anticipated rematch against new champ Holly Holm figures to be the most lucrative MMA show in history.
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All eyes on playoff
The inaugural college football playoff national championship between Ohio State and Oregon at AT&T Stadium delivered beyond expectations with a cable TV-record audience of 33.4 million viewers, the first cable broadcast with an average audience to surpass 30 million viewers.
With the help of the two semifinal games, the playoffs accounted for the top three most-viewed programs in cable history.
