The SBD/SBJ editorial staff compiled the top sports business stories of '13, in no particular order. Today, we present five of them.
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Concussion issues made major headlines in '13,
including the NFL's settlement with former players |
NFL’S CONCUSSION SETTLEMENT: Facing mounting scrutiny over its handling of head injuries, the NFL moved to end what has been its biggest public relations challenge. While admitting no wrongdoing, the league proposed a $765M (almost $1B with legal fees) settlement for thousands of claims against the NFL by former players for alleged injuries they suffered. More lawsuits have already begun, however, promising to keep the issue in the spotlight.
FOX RAISES THE STAKES: FS1’s imprint on the sports landscape occurred well before its August launch. In fact, it occurred well before Fox announced plans to turn Speed and Fuel into all-sports networks, FS1 and FS2. It was the creation of these two channels that caused Fox Sports to invest so heavily in sports rights over the past years, cutting deals with everyone from MLB and UFC to college football and basketball.
NASCAR DRIVES A HARD BARGAIN: With TV ratings stabilizing, NASCAR signed media rights deals with Fox and NBC that are worth $820M annually through ‘24. That figure represents a whopping 46% annual average increase over NASCAR’s previous deals with ESPN, Fox and Turner. After years of suffering through declining TV ratings, the new deals ensure the sport’s financial health into the next decade and illustrate the value networks place on live sports.
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Bach (l) was elected to succeed Rogge (r), and is
pushing the IOC for improvements in many areas |
NEW LEADERSHIP AT THE IOC: The era of Jacques Rogge, who restored credibility and solvency to the IOC during his 12-year presidency, came to an end in September. The organization elected German attorney Thomas Bach as his successor, making Bach only the ninth president in the IOC’s 119-year history. Bach has begun pushing the organization in a new direction, calling for changes to the way sports are selected for the Olympics, and wanting improvements to the bid-city process for hosting the Games.
A TRAGEDY IN BOSTON: The bombings at the Boston Marathon echoed throughout the sports industry, forcing a review of the planning, logistics and spending around event security. But the weeks following the tragedy also demonstrated the ability of sports to unite people, helping them to heal and find hope in the shadow of incredible grief.
