Tom Dundon’s ownership of the Hurricanes is only part of what has become a substantial sports portfolio. In addition to being a key investor behind Topgolf prior to buying the Hurricanes, Dundon has become the most influential behind-the-scenes figure in the fast-growing sport of pickleball. He also briefly took over the Alliance of American Football, a spring football league he shuttered before the end of its first season in 2019.
And now his deep pockets and swift success with the Hurricanes have made Dundon a top choice to be a potential lead investor for a group aiming to bring an MLB team to the state.
As SBJ’s Alex Silverman discovers in next week’s cover story, Raleigh’s reputation as a professional sports market in 2024 is stronger than it’s ever been, and much of the credit for that is due to Dundon.
SBJ Voices: The Masters tees off with Big Get Matt Barrie of ESPN; plus, LPGA and UFC 300
This week's Sports Media Podcast strolls toward the azaleas of Augusta, as ESPN's Matt Barrie is the Big Get. The "SportsCenter" anchor previews the Masters with SBJ's Austin Karp. It's an event Barrie dearly loves. The two get into Barrie's favorite traditions of Masters week, along with some talk of the "Tiger effect" and the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf.
The show kicks off with Octagon's William Mao for the "Who's Up/Who's Down" segment. Later, SBJ's Josh Carpenter delves into the LPGA with Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan and Matthew Chmura, its chief marketing, communications and brand officer. The show wraps up with SBJ's Adam Stern setting the stage for Saturday's UFC 300.
On the latest SBJ Live, GameChanger President Sameer Ahuja, NBC Sports Next SVP/GM for Youth and Recreational Sports Brett MacKinnon and Unrivaled Sports EVP/Business Development and Brand Strategy Amanda Shank join SBJ’s Dan Kaufman for an in-depth examination of the state of youth sports in 2024.
Did you miss the sports business stories that SBJ’s Abe Madkour is following? Check out this week’s episodes of Morning Buzzcast.
On the job
We’ve heard everyone's concerns about jobs and internships, and we want to help. SBJ is teaming with TeamWork Online to connect students to listings for internships and entry-level positions in sports business. We’ll highlight several jobs in this newsletter and provide links to the complete lists. TeamWork Online provides the following tools for job seekers looking to find their niche in the sports business.
- Profile builder to match you to jobs
- Job applications to your favorite sports or live event organizations
- Face-to-face career fairs and networking events
- Information on educational programs and universities to strengthen your skills
Some positions that are available:
A’s relocation to bring economic boom to Sacramento
The A’s temporary residence at the home of the Class AAA Sacramento River Cats (a Giants affiliate) could generate approximately $4 million in lodging revenue and more than half a million dollars in related taxes, according to SBJ research from David Broughton’s in this Early Access look at next week's magazine.
There are 368 hotels (29,400 rooms) in Sacramento, according to industry analyst CoStar, including 29 properties (3,000 rooms) categorized as “luxury” or “first class.” MLB clubs typically require approximately 55 hotel rooms per night for teams from Opening Day through August, according to several MLB sources, and five more each night when rosters expand in September. The MLB-MLBPA collective-bargaining agreement requires teams to put their players in “first class” hotels.
Approximately two-thirds of the city’s rooms -- and only about half of the rooms at first-class hotels -- were occupied on any given night during the 2023 minor league season.
Could a combined men’s-women’s Final Four be the future of college basketball?
Women’s basketball has enjoyed a boom in recent years. The South Carolina-Iowa contest, which brought in a record 18.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN and outdrew the men on TBS, truTV and TNT for the first time in history, set the bar one step higher. That’s left those in college athletics circles wondering if there’s merit in merging the NCAA’s two preeminent postseason events.
“Take Grand Slam tennis -- Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, the French Open -- think about how ludicrous it would be at this stage to separate out any of those events [between] men and women,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said. “They’re made better together. Basketball would be made better together ... if we were all in the same place, and not having sponsors and fans and NCAA brass and dignitaries having to choose. But that’s what we’re doing. We’re asking people to choose.”
The general thought among those in favor of staging the Final Fours in the same city suggests marketing opportunities and advertisers may pony up more if they know they’re getting a bigger bang for their buck and more exposure with two events in the same place. However, this doesn’t mean a combined Final Four is a consensus, as SBJ's Ben Portnoy reports in this Early Access look at next week's magazine.
Inside ESPN’s Women’s Final Four studio show
It was a coming out party for women’s basketball.
The 2024 NCAA final between South Carolina and Iowa averaged 18.9 million viewers on ABC, nearly doubling 2023’s 9.9 million, and breaking a record set less than 48 hours before.
And while the gameplay in Cleveland attracted the millions of fans tuning in, ESPN’s studio coverage around the tournament made headlines as well.
Hosted by Elle Duncan and featuring Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter, the Final Four broadcasts added Aliyah Boston and Carolyn Peck, bringing natural chemistry, whip-smart analysis and general entertainment to the women’s game. The on-site studio coverage began Friday and continued through Sunday’s championship.
Ahead of the Final Four games on Friday, ESPN hosted a digital-only show on the plaza outside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, followed by an hourlong studio show, both inside and outside the venue.
In 43-degree weather, the hosts were just trying to stay warm with electric blankets, hand warmers and gloves. The weather had proved tricky -- it had hailed that morning in Cleveland. ESPN had a backup plan to relocate the show inside the arena, should the Ohio climate not cooperate.
But at 5:58pm ET, it was go time. Duncan hyped the crowd behind her as a seasoned host. “Let’s go Hawks” chants reverberated around the plaza, indicating the massive Iowa fan base that had made the 8½-hour drive to Ohio.
“If all else fails, we vibe,” Duncan said to her co-hosts right before the show went live.
Read Mollie Cahillane’s full story on SBJ’s website.
News and views
IF THE SHOE FITS: SBJ’s Joe Lemire reports on Plantiga’s wearable sensors, which seek better real-world biomechanics data to support female athletes.
‘SAVING SAKIC’: SBJ’s Erik Bacharach examines how Harrison Ford and the Hollywood blockbuster “Air Force One” helped the Avalanche keep a star player.
UNRIVALED SPORTS: SBJ’s Chris Smith explores how Josh Harris, David Blitzer and The Chernin Group jumped into youth sports with their newly launched company.
THE K.C. BLUEPRINT: SBJ’s Bret McCormick looks at the sprint, big swing and important women’s sports context of the Current’s new purpose-built CPKC stadium.
UNITED FRONT: In next week’s Opinion column, SBJ contributors Ed Desser and John Kosner send a message to the NCAA Tournament: Don’t expand. Combine.
THAT’S GOLD, JERRY! GOLD!: SBJ’s David Broughton reports the Brooklyn Cyclones have turned a magic loogie into the biggest night of the year, leaning into the “Seinfeld” TV series for a yearly Festivus-worthy promotion.
Get in the know
Please also be sure you and your students are taking advantage of SBJ's nightly newsletters.
Encourage your students to share their stories of how they are handling remote coursework or summer internship/work experiences.
Parting notes
We’re looking for listings to include in the new calendar section of our updated SBJ On Campus portal. It’s as simple as going to the portal and entering the information.
As always, we want to know about research projects you’re working on that would be of interest to other professors and students, or if you have questions for our staffers, send us a note to collegecontent@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
For questions about your accounts or for access issues, or to sign up your program for SBJ On Campus, email Abby Shipp at ashipp@sportsbusinessjournal.com.