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Peacock Boosts Comcast Revenue

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – Peacock parent company Comcast reported Thursday that its streaming service added 3 million subscribers during its live broadcast of the Paris Olympics.

Comcast, which also owns NBC Sports, said it made $32.1 billion in total revenue during the third quarter, which was boosted by Peacock’s 9 percent subscription growth from the prior quarter. Peacock now has 36 million subscribers and saw its revenue jump 82 percent to reach $1.5 billion.

“It was probably the proudest moment that I can think of since we’ve owned NBCUniversal, or certainly right up there,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said. “Just a tremendous team effort, really bringing the whole country into the drama. … We really look forward to (Los Angeles) in four years, we’ve got Milan in between (in 2026), and we go on from there.”

After the prior two Games were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, viewership jumped 82 percent from the 2021 Olympics that were held in Tokyo. The Paris Games averaged 30.6 million viewers in the U.S. — the most for the Olympics since 2012 — on NBCU platforms. The earnings report Thursday was the first since the Paris Olympics, which lasted 17 days.

The next Winter Games are scheduled to be held in Milan in February 2026. Los Angeles is set to host the Summer Games in July 2028.

–Field Level Media

Shanahan, Holmgren Ready for Canton

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CANTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Super Bowl-winning head coaches Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and George Seifert are among the nine semifinalists from the coach category nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Only one from the group can be named a finalist to be considered by the full Hall of Fame Selection Committee for possible election in 2025.

The Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee narrowed a list of 14 candidates to these semifinalists: Bill Arnsparger, Coughlin, Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy. All but Arnsparger, Knox and Seifert reached the semifinalist stage in 2023.

The same committee is scheduled for a virtual meeting on Nov. 19 to nominate one finalist to be considered for enshrinement.

Earlier this week, the Hall of Fame semifinalists from the contributor category, from which one finalist will be up for consideration with the next Hall of Fame class, were released: K.S. “Bud” Adams, Ralph Hay, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Art Rooney Jr., Seymour Siwoff of the Elias Sports Bureau, Doug Williams and John Wooten.

A grand total of 20 finalists are presented for debate at the selection committee’s annual meeting in advance of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, including 15 modern-era players, three seniors, one coach and one contributor. Between four and eight new members will be selected, according to the Hall of Fame’s selection process bylaws.

–Field Level Media

Down Goes Draft Kings

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Online gambling institution DraftKings was back online Thursday afternoon after a widespread outage that impacted its sports betting platform for several hours.

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Beginning around 2:00am (ET). Thursday morning, odds across all sports in each of the states in which DraftKings operates were unavailable and replaced by an error message.

“We are aware that customers may be experiencing issues with certain features on our Sportsbook,” the company’s customer support team posted on the social media platform X at 8:29 a.m. ET. “This is currently affecting players in all jurisdictions. We are working on resolving this as quickly as possible.”

The company posted on X that “sportsbook functionality has been fully restored,” at 2:13 p.m. ET.

The 12-hour outage came on a sports day that includes the “Thursday Night Football” game between San Francisco and Seattle to begin Week 6 of the NFL schedule, along with a pair of Major League Baseball playoff games and Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

While numerous DraftKings users took to social media to vent, the issue did not have a significant impact on the company’s stock, which was down only 0.34 percent as of 3:00pm (ET).

–Field Level Media

Twins for Sale

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MINNESOTA – St. PAUL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Pohlad family, owner of the Minnesota Twins since 1984, announced its begun steps to sell the team.

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“For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family’s heart and soul,” said Joe Pohlad, the team’s executive chair, in a news release. “This team is woven into the fabric of our lives, and the Twins community has become an extension of our family. The staff, the players, and most importantly, you, the fans — everyone who makes up this unbelievable organization — is part of that. We’ve never taken lightly the privilege of being stewards of this franchise.

“However, after months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins. As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public.”

Pohlad said the family intends to sell to an “ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins.”

Toward that end, the Pohlads retained investment bank Allen & Company to guide a potential sale.

Sportico valued the franchise at $1.7 billion, or 19th among the 30 MLB teams. Earlier this year, Forbes placed the value at $1.46 billion, ranked 21st on its list.

Only three ownership groups have controlled a team longer than the Pohlad family — the New York Yankees (1973), the Chicago White Sox (1981) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1981).

“After four decades of commitment, passion, and countless memories, we are looking toward the future with care and intention — for our family, the Twins organization, and this community we love so much” Pohlad said.

The most recent team to change hands was the Baltimore Orioles. MLB owners approved the sale in March to a group led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein for a reported $1.725 billion.

The late Carl Pohlad paid $44 million to buy the Twins.

Minnesota finished the 2024 season with an 82-80 record, four games out of a wild-card spot following a late-season swoon.

–Field Level Media

Major Damage to “The Trop”

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TAMPA-St. PETERSBURG  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Tampa Bay Rays organization will assess the damage done to Tropicana Field, inflicted on Wednesday night as Hurricane Milton bore down on the region.

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The roof at the stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla., broke apart amid the wind and rain from the Category 3 hurricane. The Rays didn’t address whether the “Trop,” as it is called, will be playable to start the 2025 season.

“During the past couple weeks, our beloved city, region and state have been impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We are devastated by the damage incurred by so many,” the team noted Thursday afternoon in a statement posted to social media.

“Our priority is supporting our community and our staff. We are fortunate and grateful that no one was hurt by the damage to our ballpark last night. Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field. In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building.

“We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are assisting those directly impacted by these storms.”

The stadium, initially called the Florida Suncoast Dome when it opened in 1990, has been the Rays’ home since the franchise played its first game in 1998. It had been set to serve as a staging area for first responders in the storm.

Tropicana Field cost $138 million to build. The 1.1-million square foot building was covered by what the team media guide calls “the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof,” which is “made of six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and supports itself with 180 miles of cables connected by struts.”

It was built to withstand winds up to 115 mph.

The Weather Channel reported wind gusts of up to 102 mph in St. Petersburg. Parts of the downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg were drenched by as much as 17 inches or rain, per the report.

There was good news at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however. NFL Network reported Thursday that the stadium and the Bucs’ practice field sustained only “cosmetic” damage.

–Field Level Media

Ohtani 50/50 Ball to Auction

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RUNNEMEDE, NJ – (Staff and Wire service Report) – The owner of the ball that Shohei Ohtani hit for his historic 50th homer of the year remains in dispute, but the souvenir will continue to be auctioned off while legal proceedings continue.

Goldin Auctions announced Monday that the lawyers for the fans who are arguing over the ball’s rightful owner agreed to let the auction continue. With another two weeks to go in the auction, the latest top bid was $1.5 million, which would see the buyer owing more than $1.8 million when the auction house’s fee is included.

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The ball has significant value because of its place in baseball history: When that ball cleared the fence in Miami on Sept. 19, Ohtani became the first player ever to amass 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same year. The Los Angeles Dodgers star ended the season with 54 homers and 59 steals.

After the ball landed in the left field stands, Chris Belanski wound up with it, and he is the one who initiated the auction. However, two other fans, Max Matus and Joseph Davidov, subsequently filed separate lawsuits alleging that they had possession of the ball before it was taken from them.

Davidov’s attorney, Devon Workman, told Front Office Sports on Monday, “Parties have agreed to let the sale proceed and then the parties will continue to litigate over ownership over the final proceeds of the sale.”

Goldin said in a statement, according to ESPN, that “all parties want the 50/50 ball to be auctioned by Goldin, and have agreed to convey any and all of their ownership interests in the 50/50 ball to the winner of the auction, giving the winner full assurance that they will receive free and clear title to the 50/50 ball.”

The record price for a baseball is $3 million, which was paid for the ball Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homer in 1998.

–Field Level Media

Vanderbilt Fined $100,000; Arkansas Fined $250k

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NASHVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Southeastern Conference announced on it will fine both Vanderbilt University and the University of Arkansas for “violations of the league’s access to competition area policy,” or in layman’s terms, for not preventing fans from storming the field Saturday.

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Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-1 SEC) scored the biggest upset in school history, taking down a No. 1 team in Alabama for the first time ever, 40-35. Meanwhile, Arkansas (4-2, 2-1) also recorded a top-five upset (its first in 15 years) by defeating then-No. 4 Tennessee 19-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.

In the wake of both upsets, as is customary in big wins, fans charged the field to celebrate with their teams. In Vanderbilt’s case, the fans took down the goalpost and carried it out of the stadium, eventually depositing it in the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville.

After fans took to the field in Arkansas, Volunteers defensive lineman Omari Thomas was attempting to exit but was seen on video shoving a male fan into a female and both fell to the ground.

Thomas apologized on Sunday.

“I apologize for my actions during the chaotic postgame scene,” Thomas wrote on social media. “Even though we got run into multiple times by fans while trying to exit the field, that doesn’t condone my actions or define my character. I sincerely apologize. I wish Arkansas and their fans all the best.”

Per policy that was revised in 2023, Vanderbilt received a fine of $100,000 as a first-time offender. Arkansas was levied a $250,000 penalty for its second offense. The Razorbacks’ first offense was last November during men’s basketball season when fans stormed the court following an 80-75 victory over No. 9 Duke.

For conference games, the fines are paid to the opposing institutions.

Alabama dropped to No. 7 after the loss. Tennessee fell to No. 8.

–Field Level Media

Pac-12 Reloads with Four Schools

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SAN RAMON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Mountain West representatives Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State will join the Pac-12 in the 2026-27 academic year, the latter conference announced Thursday morning.

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The Pac-12 board of directors unanimously approved the additions of the four schools to join Oregon State and Washington State, the last two remaining schools after an offseason that saw 10 members jump to other power conferences. Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Southern California moved to the Big Ten; Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State shifted to the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State officially will join the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026.

“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”

The NCAA gave the Pac-12 until July 2026 to have a minimum of eight universities if the league is to remain part of the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Mountain West additions still leave the league two short, although officials are pursuing additional options.

The four schools joining the Pac-12 would have to pay an exit fee of $18 million. The Pac-12 also would owe the Mountain West $43 million for taking schools away, part of the deal it reached to arrange scheduling of football matchups for Oregon State and Washington State this year.

MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez released a statement late Wednesday to address reports that the four schools were exiting the conference.

“The Mountain West Conference is aware of media reports regarding the potential departure of several of our members, and we will have more to say in the days ahead,” Nevarez said. “All members will be held to the Conference bylaws and policies should they elect to depart. The requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12 should they admit Mountain West members. Our Board of Directors is meeting to determine our next steps. The Mountain West has a proud 25-year history and will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”

Colorado State and San Diego State have been in the Mountain West since the league’s founding in 1999. Boise State joined the conference in 2011, and Fresno State followed in 2012. One of those four schools won or shared the league’s football championship in 10 of the past 12 seasons.

“We are ecstatic to be joining the Pac-12 Conference,” San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker said. “While we are grateful to be a founding member of the Mountain West with 26 years of success in the conference, we are excited at what lies ahead with these new opportunities. We will continue to compete for conference championships on the field and to graduate leaders in the community.”

–Field Level Media

Dutch Gold

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PARIS – The Netherlands won gold in the men’s 3×3 basketball by edging France 18-17 in overtime in the final at the Paris Olympics on Monday, just a few minutes after Germany earned their first international title in the women’s tournament.

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France was backed by a passionate crowd, but Worthy de Jong, instantly recognizable with his bleached blond hair, tied the score in the last seconds of regulation and sealed the title for the Dutch with a two-point, long-range shot in overtime.

On the women’s side, Germany beat Spain 17-16 after Sonja Greinacher hit a two-pointer that gave them a decisive lead with 30 seconds remaining at Place de la Concorde.

Greinacher had already scintillated in a back-and-forth semifinal contest against Canada, delivering 11 points and five rebounds for a 16-15 win.

“We definitely wanted that gold medal,” Greinacher said after getting a congratulatory hug courtside from compatriot and 14-times NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.

“I think we just wanted to enjoy our last game together as a group. That was the biggest goal of it all, to just enjoy.”

The men’s bronze went to Lithuania after they dispatched Tokyo gold medalists Latvia 21-18, who picked a bad day to suffer their only two losses of the tournament.

The United States, who won the women’s gold in Tokyo, prevailed over Canada 16-13 to claim bronze this time around, a consolation prize after losing 18-16 to Spain in overtime in the semifinals.

“After we lost this morning and had our gold dream crushed, we were down,” American Hailey Van Lith said.

“We were kind of feeling sorry for ourselves. It took a lot of mental toughness just to compete in this game.”

In their bronze medal game, the United States had to rely on close one-point shots and five free throws to beat Canada’s Plouffe twins, Katherine and Michelle, the Nos. 1 and 3-ranked players in the world.

The Americans had a difficult start to the tournament, losing their three opening pool games to Germany, Azerbaijan and Australia before finally finding their groove.

The Paris 3×3 tournament was even more complicated for the U.S. men’s team, who were making their Olympic debut with a revamped squad after failing to qualify for Tokyo.

The Americans had to play four of their seven games without top-ranked player Jimmer Fredette, who suffered two torn ligaments in his adductor, and failed to break out of their pool.

France’s women, runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, were just as disappointing, finishing last in the pool phase behind Azerbaijan.

–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media

Lakers Honor Kobe and Gianna

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – On the symbolic date of 8/2/24, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the second of three statues commissioned to honor Kobe Bryant near Crypto.com Arena.

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The new statue depicts Bryant alongside his daughter Gianna. The two were among seven people who died in a Southern California helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. Kobe Bryant was 41 when he died; Gianna was 13.

 

 

In the statue, the two are seated, with the father’s arm around the daughter as angel wings spread behind them. Kobe Bryant, identified as “Most Valuable Girl Dad,” says in a quote at the base, “Gianna is a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. She’s got it. Girls are amazing. I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.”

The date was chosen because 8 and 24 were the numbers Bryant wore in his Hall of Fame career for the Lakers, and 2 was the number Gianna wore.

The same numbers were in play when the Lakers unveiled the first Bryant statue outside their home venue. The team has yet to announce when the third statue will be ready.

Also on Friday, the locker Bryant used at the arena for his final 13 NBA seasons sold at auction for $2.88 million. ESPN, citing auction house Sotheby’s, reported that the amount was a record for a sports locker.

 

 

The locker had a value estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million, according to Sportico.

–Field Level Media