Some Twitter users followed suit with questions about O’Neal’s health, while many others shared well wishes and supportive messages.
The viral photo has over 6.5 million views and 34,000 likes as of Monday.
(L-R) Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley commentate during the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19, 2023 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NBAE via Getty Images
Earlier this month, O’Neal was sitting court side at the Big 12 basketball tournament championship game between the Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks at T-Mobile Center.
The NBA legend shared a moment with veteran broadcaster Dick Vitale during the game, where the smiling pair was photographed shaking hands at the scorers table.
Dick Vitale talks with Shaquille O’Neal at the Big 12 Tournament Championship game between Texas and Kansas at T-Mobile Center on March 11, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. Getty Images
O’Neal, who turned 51 last month, celebrated with a “Sneaker Ball” birthday bash at The Bank in Atlanta, Ga. on March 10.
The four-time NBA champion rocked a rose-printed suit jacket and diamond chains for his party — which included a red carpet and black-tie dress code, with the exception of “fly kicks.”
Shaquille O’Neal attends his 51st Birthday Celebration at The Bank on March 10, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.WireImage
Last year, O’Neal opened up about his weight loss transformation, revealing that he was motivated to slim down with help from his “NBA on TNT” co-host, Charles Barkley.
“I like to create crazy motivation,” O’Neal said during an appearance on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast. “I was looking at myself and I had that Charles Barkley retirement body.
“I didn’t want my stomach to be over the belt anymore. So I was just like, ‘Let me go ahead and get slim.’ After that [picture] went viral, now I’ve got to live up to it.”
O’Neal was referencing a now-viral video clip he shared to Instagram that showed off his abs.
“I was 401 pounds. Now I’m 365. I’m trying to take it back to 345. I want to have muscles everywhere, and I want to do an underwear ad with my sons [for] Fruit of the Loom, baby,” O’Neal said, adding that he “wants to become a sex symbol.”
The Basketball Hall of Famer said he began taking his health more seriously after a doctor’s visit that discovered he had sleep apnea.
Sign up for Andrew Marchand’s Sports Clicker, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Stan Van Gundy is expected to be in as a game analyst on CBS/Turner’s NCAA Tournament coverage and Reggie Miller is out, The Post has learned.
Miller made the decision to give up the tournament, which allows him a little more of a break in his NBA commitments.
Background: Miller had worked with Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner in years past. Van Gundy is expected to slide in with Harlan and Bonner, but nothing is set in stone.
The tournament is one of the hardest jobs, if not the hardest, for top sportscasters to prepare for because you only find out on Sunday night the eight teams whose games you will call on Thursday or Friday. The announcers have rarely watched many of the lower-profile teams or haven’t seen them at all during the season. You then call six games over two days.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright will join CBS/Turner’s coverage of the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.NBAE via Getty Images
New look/old look: The tourney will have a bit of a new look this year after Jay Wright joined CBS/Turner. It is also the last season for Jim Nantz as the voice of the Final Four. Next year, Ian Eagle will take over as the CBS/Turner’s No. 1 NCAA game-caller.
ESPN’s big moves
In naming Burke Magnus as the president of content, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro in some ways is replacing the position that executive vice president Connor Schell relinquished when he left at the end of 2020. However, Magnus’ title is bigger, his power is larger and ESPN’s manifest destiny is greater.
The new Disney setup under Bob Iger has made it so ESPN will report its own breakout financials.
Burke Magnus is taking on a new role as ESPN’s president of content.screenshot via YouTube/New York Post
Pitaro is still the most important executive at ESPN, but the future of the company will largely depend on Magnus and Rosalyn Durant, who becomes ESPN’s executive vice president, programming and acquisitions.
While Pitaro and Magnus will be involved, Durant will be the one figuring out what makes the most sense with the NBA and future rights deals.
ESPN has been the Yankees of sports media. In this setup, Pitaro is Hal Steinbrenner, Magnus is a Randy Levine/Brian Cashman hybrid and Durant is Aaron Boone.
Quick Clicks
Stephen A. Smith (left) and Molly Qerim (center) made news with their anti-hockey takes on ESPN’s “First Take.”ESPN
It’s amazing the social media relevance “First Take” has achieved. Throwaway lines from Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim about the NHL were treated as ESPN treason. With Michael Kay on the show as a guest debater, Qerim asked which New York team would be the next to win a championship. Kay said the Rangers. Qerim replied, “They don’t count.” No disrespect to the Rangers, she added. Smith chimed in that he doesn’t know anything about hockey except the puck is black and he apparently is buddies with Gary Bettman. If I’m ESPN, Smith and Qerim, I’d be pretty happy that any little thing you say becomes a big deal. Yes, it was a little insulting to hockey fans, but Smith is the center of the show and they were looking for the answer to be one of the NBA, MLB or NFL teams.
…WFAN’s Nets broadcast with Chris Carrino and Tim Capstraw is art. Carrino is so precise on all the calls, and Capstraw fills in all the analysis. But what makes it stand out even more is during the flow of the game, they find a way to somehow mention baseball’s new pitch clock and old Buck Williams stories. If young broadcasters want to hear how a game should be called, they should tune in.
SNY is on-site with Eduardo Escobar and the Mets, enhancing its spring training broadcasts.AP
…SNY’s spring training games sound way better than those on YES Network because SNY has its announcers on-site. YES is saving a few shekels, but there is a feeling missing when you are not live. By not being on-site, it also hurts you during the regular season because there is a flow to covering the game.
MSG pay-per-view
A few years ago, a very top TV executive said to me about cord-cutting and streaming: “We are just going to make less.” That’s the reality of the situation.
This brings me to MSG Networks’ forthcoming MSG+, which will cost $30 per month and then will offer the capability to purchase individual games for $10. It feels priced not to succeed or, at least, designed to keep people paying for cable.
Right now, cable subscribers pay 12 months a year for MSGN, but why would anyone who chose the streaming package do that? From the end of the NBA and NHL regular season in mid-April until the next season starts in October, there is nothing to pay for. That’s nearly six months. MSG+ is offering a yearly rate of $310. Why wouldn’t people just turn it on and off for $180? Or will people just turn back to cable?
MSG+ will offer cord-cutters the chance to stream the Knicks, for $30 per month or $10 for an individual game.AP
One point that is lost in this conversation: Who is not getting these games who wants them? There are definitely some folks. But at $30 per month?
(MSG does have a dispute with Comcast, so a Comcast user could be one potential subscriber. Beyond that, the market is pretty full.)
The move to offer streaming needs to be done, but in an effort to try to make as much money as cable networks once did, some of these plans feel as if they may not make much, if any, money. At least in the near term.
It is complicated because of relationships with cable subscribers, but if the pricing doesn’t feel fair — and $30 per month seems too steep — then I’m not sure where the audience will come from.
Kay was posed the question as to which New York professional sports team would be the next one to win a championship, and he answered the Rangers, who are 35-17-9 this season and just acquired Patrick Kane from the Blackhawks.
“Oh Lord,” sighed Smith.
Host Molly Qerim informed Kay that “They don’t count!”
Smith said, as he has before, that “the only thing I know about hockey is that the puck is black and I love [NHL commissioner] Gary Bettman — that’s my buddy, who I always go to the hockey games with.”
ESPN is one of the NHL’s television partners along with TNT.
Qerim said that it was no disrespect to the Rangers or Kane but politely asked Kay to pick another team.
Kay responded by splitting the baby: “Yankees or the Mets — one of those two.”
Patrick Kane speaking to reporters Thursday for the first time since the Rangers traded for him.Mollie Walker The Rangers acquired Patrick Kane from the Blackhawks this week.Getty Images
Smith acted as though it was blasphemous for Kay, who has called Yankees games on TV or radio for over 30 years, to suggest that the Mets might hoist the World Series trophy before the Bombers.
They also acquired pitcher Jose Quintana, reliever David Robertson and outfielder Tommy Pham.
The Mets furthermore retained outfielder Brandon Nimmo on an eight-year, $162 million deal plus closer Edwin Diaz for five years and a total of $102 million.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has opened up his wallet for a massive spending spree this offseason.Newsday via Getty Images
This season, the Mets and Yankees are both listed at +750 to win the World Series on BetMGM.
There is nothing not awkward about this exchange between Charles Barkley and Draymond Green.
The Warriors star got a tad defensive when the basketball Hall of Famer said that Golden State is “cooked” this season during the NBA All-Star broadcast. Green was serving as a sideline reporter and Barkley and the “Inside the NBA” crew were commentating on the festivities, which aired on TBS and TNT.
“I hate to say it, but the Golden State Warriors are cooked,” Barkley said.
“That’s crazy,” Green replied. “You said that last year, but we all know you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
When Barkley denied Green’s claim, the Warriors forward fired back: “You said it every year. You said it every year since I’ve been in the league.”
Warriors star Draymond Green interviews Jayson Tatum of Team Giannis during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NBAE via Getty Images
Barkley continued to disagree, saying, “That’s not true, but y’all are cooked now… y’all are done… I’m telling you, y’all are done.”
Green hit back with a jab about Barkley never winning a championship in his career.
“This is crazy… Are we?… That’s four ahead of you, boss,” Green said, referring to his number of championship rings.
Barkley apparently went on to say that Golden State’s younger core has yet to step up in a big way this season while the team’s stars are getting older — adding that All-Star point guard, Stephen Curry, is “starting to break down.” Curry has missed 20 of the Warriors’ 58 games this season and is currently out with a leg injury.
Mascot Jazz Bear of the Utah Jazz delivers donuts to celebrate Charles Barkley’s birthday during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19 at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NBAE via Getty Images Charles Barkley celebrates his birthday during the 2023 NBA All-Star game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, Feb. 19, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Green didn’t like that comment.
“He’s starting to break down? He got hit in the knee and hurt his knee!” Green said. “He didn’t just get hurt. He also got his arm snatched back, they’re contact injuries. Thank God he don’t look like you in Houston.”
The tense exchange occurred when Barkley rehashed a comment made by Grizzlies star Ja Morant during a sideline interview with Green.
At one point in the All-Star game, Green asked Morant if he was still not worried about any teams in the Western Conference following the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9. The Nets traded Kevin Durant to the Suns on the night before the 3 p.m. deadline.
Reggie Miller and Draymond Green smile during the broadcast of NBA All-Star Saturday Night as part of 2023 NBA All Star Weekend on Feb. 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NBAE via Getty Images
“Definitely you got to look at Phoenix now with adding KD,” Morant said. “Obviously, we can’t shy away from y’all [the Warriors]. Everybody knows y’all are always in contention… still Boston, man.
“But yeah, I’m still fine in the west.”
The defending champion Warriors are sitting in the ninth spot in the Western Conference with a 29-29 record.
Golden State defeated the Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals, which secured their fourth championship in eight seasons.
Green signed a multi-year contract with Turner in January 2022 and is expected to join the “Inside the NBA” team whenever his playing career concludes.
Sign up for Andrew Marchand’s Sports Clicker, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Apple is very secretive, which makes it even more fun to break news about them. So let’s do it.
The Post has obtained Apple TV+’s Friday night MLB broadcast schedule through July 14. The Mets and Yankees each will be on twice in that time.
April 21: Blue Jays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET
May 26: Padres at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET
June 23: Mets at Phillies, 7:05 p.m. ET
July 14: Dodgers at Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET
Remember: These games are exclusive to Apple TV+ — there is no other way to watch them. The Yankees and Mets are slated to have two more Apple games apiece in the second half of the season.
We’ll print the entire Apple TV+ MLB schedule at the bottom of the newsletter. Apple declined to comment on the schedule.
Alex Faust is expected to become the play-by-play voice in one of Apple’s two MLB booths, per sources. via Instagram/@faust_alexvia Instagram/@faust_alex
The other crew, according to sources, is expected to be LA Kings and Fox Sports play-by-player Alex Faust and Rockies analyst Ryan Spilborghs.
Apple news 3.0: Let’s do some more: Apple is not doing doubleheaders for most of the first half. There are some weeks when the games aren’t simultaneous, but even most of those are staggered starts rather than back-to-back 7 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET starts. The new timing probably makes sense because this is streaming and not linear TV, for which you need to fill out a schedule.
NFL TV free agency: The Rex effect
Rex Ryan’s potential return to the coaching ranks would create an opening on ESPN’s marquee NFL studio show.Getty Images
During Super Bowl week, we listed our top NFL TV free agents, which might become an annual list. As we noted in the column, what makes the offseason fun is surprises. And we could have a whopper if ESPN’s Rex Ryan ends up leaving an NFL TV studio and joining Sean Payton on the Broncos sidelines. Ryan would be fun as a defensive coordinator, but it also would open up a spot on “Sunday NFL Countdown.”
The move for ESPN seems pretty obvious: to add either Marcus Spears or Mina Kimes. After years of “NFL Live” being a bit of a slog, the show got it right by featuring the team of Laura Rutledge, Dan Orlovsky, Kimes and Spears. But that doesn’t mean ESPN shouldn’t have upward mobility.
These are the types of folks ESPN should be promoting. Spears is the rare player-turned-analyst who can own a TV screen. Kimes is a rarity as a woman NFL analyst, and she stands out because her opinions are well-reasoned.
Quick Clicks
Matt Ryan is a broadcasting name to watch if he retires as an NFL quarterback.AP
Someone to watch whom we didn’t mention in the NFL TV free agent column is Matt Ryan. The veteran quarterback still could play next season, but if he doesn’t, we are told he is very interested in a career in broadcasting. He almost won a Super Bowl with the Falcons and has had a nice career, but would have to prove it in the booth to one day be a No. 1 analyst. Tom Brady and Tony Romo, who had stature as a former Cowboy, were able to land jobs in a top network booth without ever putting on a headset. With the big money available in the booth, any future top analyst openings would spark a competition with current Fox No. 1 Greg Olsen, Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin (if he ever left the sideline) all potentially part of the mix. … To be clear, the Pac-12 will get a TV deal. It is just hard to see how the conference gets one that will be incredible. Fox will only do a sweetheart agreement. Amazon is not going to go crazy. Mickey Mouse just told ESPN to watch its wallet for items that are nice but not must-haves. Speculation alert: Could Apple be a savior? Like the Pac-12, the company is West Coast-based, but even if they came up with a nice number, I would have serious concerns about college football putting its best games on a streamer at this point. There are too many games on Saturdays, so — as with the Apple TV+ MLB deal — there are many other options for fans who like a certain team. Yes, the Pac-12 will get a deal, but I don’t see a great one out there. At least not at the moment. … MLB Network will have a new look this season as Stephen Nelson, Scott Braun and Fran Charles will not return. Nelson left to be a Dodgers play-by-player. The specifics of Braun’s and Charles’ next moves are not known yet. … Brandon Gaudin feels like a strong choice by the Braves as Chip Caray’s replacement. … Correction: We always want to give you the right info. The most watched Super Bowl of all time was NBC’s Patriots-Seahawks in the 2015 Super Bowl with nearly 115 million. In the email version of the newsletter, I had that game as Patriots-Panthers.
Unreleased Apple TV+ schedule
Shohei Ohtani’s Angels will appear exclusively on Apple TV+ on April 14, June 9 and June 30.AP
(Fridays, all times ET)
April 7: Rangers at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. April 7: Padres at Braves, 7:20 p.m.
April 14: Giants at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. April 14: Angels at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m.
April 21: Blue Jays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. April 21: Astros at Braves, 7:20 p.m.
April 28: Phillies at Astros, 8:10 p.m. April 28: Cardinals at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.
May 5: White Sox at Reds, 6:40 p.m. May 5: Twins at Guardians, 7:10 p.m.
May 12: Royals at Brewers, 8:10 p.m. May 12: Cubs at Twins, 8:10 p.m.
May 19: Orioles at Blue Jays 7:07 p.m. May 19: Mariners at Braves, 7:20 p.m.
May 26: Padres at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. May 26: White Sox at Tigers, 7:10 p.m.
June 2: Brewers at Reds, 5:10 p.m. June 2: Guardians at Twins, 8:10 p.m.
June 9: Royals at Orioles, 7:05 p.m. June 9: Mariners at Angels, 9:38 p.m.
June 16: Pirates at Brewers, 8:10 p.m. June 16: White Sox at Mariners, 10:10 p.m.
June 23: Pirates at Marlins, 6:40 p.m. June 23: Mets at Phillies, 7:05 p.m.
June 30: Brewers at Pirates, 7:05 p.m. June 30: Diamondbacks at Angels, 9:38 p.m.
July 7: There are no games currently listed for the Friday prior to the All-Star Game.
*July 14, Dodgers at Mets, 7:10 p.m.
*At the moment, there is only one game listed for July 14.
Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Dan Martin, exclusively on Sports+.
YES Network is working toward offering its service direct-to-consumer by Yankees Opening Day at the end of March, The Post has learned.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. While the aim is to be up and running by the time the Yankees face the Giants on March 30, YES won’t press go unless everything is lined up, so the start date could be moved. In late July, Yankees president and YES chairman Randy Levine said on WFAN’s “Carton & Roberts” that YES would have a DTC product “very soon.”
2. While a DTC offering would allow viewers to bypass cable and satellite providers, YES is working with its current distributors in an effort to make it work for all parties.
3. The price is not decided.
4. NESN jumped into the direct-to-consumer RSN game last year, pricing it at $30 a month for Red Sox and Bruins games, but also added eight tickets to games at Fenway. While the initial price was high enough to make it feel designed to keep people on cable, the tickets really sweetened the offer, which probably didn’t please NESN’s legacy distributors.
With the most valuable regional sports network product in the country, YES broadcasts of Yankees games with Michael Kay and David Cone may be available direct-to-consumer by Opening Day.Robert Sabo for the NY POST
5. Where will YES DTC be available? Only in the local rights area, not everywhere. Maybe one day distribution will expand, but in the near term, if you are in the tri-state area where you can get Yankees games on YES, you’ll be able to buy this new product without cable.
Bottom line: The Yankees have the most valued regional sports product in the country. YES also has the Nets, but going direct-to-consumer with Yankees games and more will be a big deal for the business when the product launches.
It is no coincidence that the YES app logo has been part of network game broadcasts in the right hand corner for some time now. The Yankees, beginning last year, started streaming 21 games via Amazon Prime Video. So this would be a potential further expansion into the streaming world.
What about SNY?
Mets broadcasts featuring Ron Darling, Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez (assuming he signs a new deal with the network) aren’t slated to be available on a DTC product for at least another season.SNY
From what we understand, SNY is most likely to wait another year before they jump into the direct-to-consumer game. It will happen. They are just taking it a bit slower.
The question that SNY, and each of these networks considering DTC has to ask: Are there a lot of people who must have games that don’t have access? If not, there might not be a need to rush. Eventually, all RSNs, leagues and networks will have it. You want to be a little ahead of the curve, but it is a needle that is being thread.
And MSG Network?
Post Business reporter Josh Kosmanreported in November that MSG Network hoped to have its DTC product ready for the second half of the Knicks and Rangers seasons, and it would be priced at $20 to $25 per month.
The Post reported last fall that Rangers and Knicks broadcasts were expected to cost $20-$25 per month once MSG started its DTC service.Robert Sabo for the NY Post
“We are progressing in the design and development of our direct-to-consumer offering, and remain on track to launch in the second half of the current NBA and NHL seasons,” MSG Network President and CEO Andrea Greenberg told Kosman in November. “So while the media landscape is certainly evolving, we continue to believe in the value of our premium content and our ability to innovate, to drive value for partners, advertisers and viewers alike.”
Quick clicks
Tony Romo and Jim Nantz seem to have lost the fundamentals of what once made them arguably the NFL’s top broadcasting booth.AP
The issue for CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo is that the broadcast is not fundamentally sound. Until that improves, the calls of the games are going to be crucified by fans and experts alike because they are all over the place and lack cohesion. Romo has come under increasingly harsh criticism, and he’s earned it. What made him a success — his gunslinging approach from the booth — is a weakness now because he is not just off the field and doesn’t study enough to be off-the-cuff anymore. So he spends what seems like half his time gushing over quarterbacks, like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. We get it, they are really good. Meanwhile, Nantz isn’t on the same page with Romo. For all the passion and skill Nantz has on golf, he lacks it on football. He also can’t volley quick enough and lead Romo to bring some continuity to the broadcast. Unless Nantz and Romo can somehow improve their fundamentals, they will have problems. … Nantz did make me laugh in the post-game. As usual, he came down from the booth to do the trophy presentation. At the end of the game, Nantz dubbed the Super Bowl the “Andy Reid Bowl.” When interviewing Reid, Nantz quoted himself. …
Brock Purdy’s elbow injury not only limited him essentially to handing the ball off after he returned, but gave Fox broadcasters a less-than-inspiring game to cover.Getty Images
Fox Sports was served a dud of a championship game with the depleted 49ers, but its broadcast got better as the game went along. They were a little slow on whether or not Brock Purdy could return to the game or not, which was quickly the biggest story. With Purdy out with an elbow injury, Fox showed video of him warming up. Sideline reporters, even one as accomplished as Erin Andrews, can only do so much, because the teams decide during games what information they feed, but we needed some analysis about what possibly was going on. To start the second quarter, analyst Greg Olsen did a fine job explaining that the elbow injury could be impacting the feeling in Purdy’s right throwing hand. Purdy did eventually return, but didn’t really throw the ball. Throughout the game, Burkhardt gave Olsen a lot of room to analyze, and, overall, Olsen did well. … Burkhardt grew up an Eagles’ fan in Bloomfield, NJ. In two weeks, he’ll call the Eagles in his first Super Bowl. … Chris Fowler furthered the mockery that was ESPN not sending its top play-by-players and analysts to the Australian Open. During the men’s semifinals, ESPN tried to fool the audience in its open by positioning Fowler and John McEnroe in front of a screen with the Australian Open crowd behind them. To a trained eye, it may have been obvious that they weren’t there, but most people are watching for the sport. After the high temperatures were noted by a sideline reporter in Melbourne, Fowler said it was 35 degrees in Bristol. And the ruse was over. Hopefully, next year, ESPN treats the Australian Open like a grand slam and not a second rate event. …
Soon to be 85, John Sterling may need Sweeny Murti’s eventual successor to be able to pinch-hit for him on occasion over the long season.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
WFAN plans on replacing Sweeny Murti. It hopes to have someone who can do the post-game and be a pinch-hitter if — when? — John Sterling needs some days off. As is his nature, Sterling, 85 in July, is currently pushing to do all the games, but there is a good chance that he will change his mind when the grind of the season starts to be felt. That is why someone like Justin Shackil could be the choice for FAN. Shackil filled in for Sterling on games last year and did well. He has been working on Yankees-related shows from in-stadium to a Jomboy podcast with David Cone, while also doing boxing work for DAZN. …Mike Francesa’s appearance on Wednesday with his former partner Chris Russo on ESPN’s “First Take” is a win for … Stephen A. Smith. You could argue that Smith has already surpassed “Mike & the Mad Dog” in his career impact, but for Smith, who has toiled in and out of New York radio, where Russo and Francesa have been kings, it has to be pretty sweet to have the duo on his program.
Knicks ratings disaster
Even with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson guiding the Knicks into playoff contention, MSG viewers have not guided themselves to watch the team as much as last season.Jason Szenes for the NY Post
The Knicks ratings on MSG Network are down 22 percent compared to this time last year, according to a source with access to the Nielsen ratings. MSG, unlike most other networks, does not release its ratings. This secretiveness is unsurprising for a James Dolan company.
The Knicks are averaging 110,000 viewers per game, which is better than the Nets at 66,000. The Nets are down, but just six percent.
Anyway, with all the drama around the Garden, this may not be a big worry, but that is a significant drop year-over-year. The Garden doesn’t acknowledge the ratings, so if it has a reason for the plunge, it is unknown. It probably doesn’t help that MSG Network remains off Comcast systems, but that was the case last year, too.
Pac-12 dilemma
The Pac-12 TV deal is something to watch, because, while I think it has some suitors in Amazon, ESPN and Fox Sports, the sense I keep getting is none of them view it as a must-have. So where does the conference find leverage? In theory, it could look outside those three, but others all come with issues — namely exposure — because NBC, CBS and Apple TV+ would want to make it mostly a streaming deal, if they were even interested. Apple, of course, doesn’t have a broadcast network, while NBC has its new prime time Big Ten games starting in the fall and Notre Dame home games in the afternoon. And CBS has afternoon Big Ten on broadcast. Maybe there is an opening for a Saturday night Pac-12 schedule on broadcast TV, but it doesn’t feel like a match; at least not for big money.
The Pac-12 may find more exposure in its next media rights deal as part of a streaming package more than on traditional broadcasts, many of which have already been scheduled with other conference games.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The idea of Amazon Prime Video taking on the tonnage of the Pac-12 may not fully line up unless it is at the right price. Amazon doesn’t have a linear lineup to fill out, so it doesn’t need programming. ESPN and Fox Sports do, but between their other deals (ESPN with the SEC, ACC and Big 12, and Fox Sports with the Big Ten and the Big 12), they don’t necessarily need the extra games the Pac-12 would provide. With the economy in question, no one is looking to break the bank.
Amazon did well with Thursday Night Football, but, beyond the obvious fact that the NFL is a far different animal than the Pac-12, TNF also is a standalone game. Pac-12 matchups are in competition with endless other college games.
There are going to be deals to be made for the Pac-12, but will they be strong enough to stave off more realignment; especially with the Big 12’s agreement with ESPN allowing for further payments if Power 5 schools are added? The Pac-12 should be able to get close to the nearly $32 million per school that the Big 12 received, but the Pac-12 will have to realize that is more the comp, not the Big Ten.
On top of all of this, the Pac-12 may owe Comcast $50 million for overcharging. Not good.
Sign up for Andrew Marchand’s Sports Clicker, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Fox Sports and ESPN have decided to have second-rate operations for some major sports, which reflects poorly on the networks and the events they are covering.
Let’s start with Fox Sports, which embarrassingly failed to have its announcers at each of its college football games in the fall, reportedly did not initially plan to send many of its broadcast teams to the World Cup (eventually it did, thanks in part to a sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways), didn’t have announcers at MLB games that aired on FS1 and now, in the latest absence, failed to have announcers courtside for a big Pac-12 men’s basketball battle between No. 5 UCLA and Arizona State this week.
As for ESPN, it is treating the Australian Open as if it is not a grand slam. Chris Fowler, John McEnroe and the rest of its top announcers are in Bristol — not in Melbourne.
What is ESPN saying to its tennis audience? What is it saying to its partners? It is saying it is not very important to have the best coverage.
ESPN’s top announcers are not on-site at the Australian Open, where Sebastian Korda has surged into the quarterfinals.Getty Images
Backlash: Substack’s John Canzano spoke to Arizona State senior associate athletic director Doug Tammaro.
“When I saw they weren’t coming on an email, I was bummed,” Tammaro said. “You’re just bummed out.”
Declined comment: Fox Sports and ESPN both declined comment when asked how much money they are saving. With the pandemic health protocols no longer a legit excuse, this is just a money decision. It’s a way to cut corners.
Be careful: If you tell viewers that what they are watching is not important, they will eventually believe you. If you tell your broadcast rights partners they are not that important to you, they will go elsewhere at some point. You also are putting your announcers in a bad position.
The networks are deciding a lower-quality broadcast is worth it to them to save money. Maybe, but it is hard for me to see how any TV decision-makers who care about production value and being the best could support not putting their people in the optimal position to succeed, especially on top college basketball and tennis events.
Quick Clicks
Bill Walton has the perfect personality for an alternative NBA broadcast with Jason Benetti (right).AP
MLB Network will have the Hall of Fame announcement at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. They have ancillary programs before and after the reveal of who (if anyone) will get into Cooperstown. … NBC Sports said it had 808,000 viewers for the Jan. 15 stream of Tottenham-Arsenal on Peacock. The numbers were courtesy Adobe Analytics, via NBC. That seems like a significant figure. These soccer numbers might show that a dedicated audience will migrate to streaming for highly desirable programming. … Bill Walton’s alternative cast on NBA League Pass app is a good idea because Walton has the type of personality that can work on these broadcasts. On a regular call, Walton can get a bit in the way if you are really into the actual game you are watching. But when you are opting in to view Walton, Jason Benetti and friends, it makes sense because you are choosing to go in the way-out machine. Alternatives such as this and the Manningcast are not the future of broadcasting. These alternative broadcasts will be a part of some presentations, but it is going to be a long time, maybe never, before the traditional two-person or three-person crews that call games are replaced. … Dreaded Oops: Fox Sports’ Rob Gronkowski, on the big desk Saturday, was so close, yet so far, to saying Eagles’ offensive coordinator Shane Steichen’s name correctly. Gronkowski said, “Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Spikeman.” Here’s the clip. Meanwhile, after the Chiefs win, NBC’s Maria Taylor either had a little slip of the tongue or really doesn’t like Kansas City. Here’s the clip.
LIV and let live
In golf parlance, LIV Golf’s TV deal with The CW starts in the bunker, but has a good lie that with a proper wedge could land on the green.
The first thing for LIV that makes it not great: It’s not Fox Sports. With NBC, CBS and ESPN/ABC thought not to be real contenders for LIV, Fox Sports potentially could have been a fit, but Fox said no to the revenue sharing with no fee that The CW ultimately agreed to with LIV.
Phil Mickelson and other stars of LIV Golf will be relegated to being seen on The CW.AP
Besides Fox Sports’ superior reach, this would have made LIV more mainstream with a better chance for acceptance and growth.
With the opening rounds of its tournaments available exclusively on The CW app, LIV will feel very niche — even with some of the world’s top players involved. And though the Saudi-backed tour’s goal may be able to succeed with “sportswashing,” there doesn’t really seem to be a plan at the moment for having a viable business. The CW deal is a start, but the network is actually distributed less widely than YouTube, and I don’t think, as opposed to a platform such as Fox, it will give potential LIV sponsors enough of a cover to really want to get too involved. And though LIV officials are acting as if it was all good, it really isn’t that great.
“Alert to an opportunity to impress his boss, LIV’s chief media officer, Will Staeger, conjured a version of events that would have even George Santos calling for narrative restraint.
“‘Following a competitive bidding window with multiple U.S. networks and streaming platforms, the sports story of 2022 has just moved into pole position for the top story of 2023,’ [Staeger] wrote in a social media post.
“Staeger’s comment raises two questions for those among us predisposed to cynicism: did autocorrect change ‘begging’ to ‘bidding,’ and how does a competitive process among multiple parties result in giving away the product for free to the worst-case option?”
FAN’s old guard out
Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti (with Chasen Shreve at spring training in 2018) is the latest member of WFAN’s old guard to leave the station.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
All media is evolving, and WFAN — the top sports radio station in the country — is no different. Sweeny Murti, gone after three decades with the station, joins a long list of FAN’s core that is either no longer with the station or has a reduced role. Murti, who announced his departure on Friday, joins Mike Francesa, Steve Somers, Joe Benigno, Eddie Coleman, John Minko and ex-program director Mark Chernoff as former staples of 660 AM/101.9 FM.
Murti had been on the Yankees beat for 22 years, but in recent years had stopped traveling. FAN also has become less reliant on regular spots, most notably in the afternoons, when Craig Carton is not a fan of them, which follows the philosophy of “Boomer & Gio” morning producer Al Dukes, who doesn’t like most interviews.
Murti had remained full-time even as his role went from traveling with the team to doing just the post-game show. FAN offered to keep him on the post-game part-time, but he declined.
The sports media business has changed, and COVID has accelerated for some outlets (not The Post, thankfully) the idea that you don’t have to be there to cover a team properly.
Institutional knowledge is lost, which the people who either don’t know better or don’t want to know may not fully understand. Murti had a very nice run on New York radio for three decades. The FAN loses that institutional knowledge without him. Good thing its hosts can still read the papers.
Bill Belichick did not want to talk much about Tom Brady’s movie.
The film “80 for Brady” comes out in February, featuring four elder women traveling to Houston to watch Brady and the Patriots play in Super Bowl LI in 2017. The trailer for the movie features Brady’s former teammates such as Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.
Belichick was appearing on his weekly spot on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI, and was asked if Brady had invited him to appear in the movie.
“Yeah, I’ll leave that to Tom,” Belichick said, as covered by NESN. “I’m not going to get involved in anything that he does. Whatever comments there are to be made, they should be made by him, not anybody else. But thanks for asking.”
To this, Hill responded, “Bill would play himself. I feel like you should be in the film, Bill. That’s just me, my own personal opinion.”
Belichick did not respond to this comment, and several seconds passed.
Bill Belichick reacts during the Patriots’ win over the Dolphins on Jan. 1. USA TODAY SportsTom Brady passes during the Buccaneers’ win over the Panthers on Jan. 1. Getty Images
“Alright, Bill, thanks, and we’ll talk to you next week,” Hill said.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made some noise last week by intimating that Turner Sports might not do a new agreement when its deal with the NBA ends in three years.
This caused my phone to buzz as sports media folks wondered whether, after four decades, Turner and the NBA could be headed toward a breakup.
What Zaslav said:
From The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint:
“Sports is hard.” — Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on rising costs and ratings challenges. Sports once “lifted all the boats.” Says we have favorable deal(s) on March Madness, NHL and baseball playoffs. On NBA he says, “We don’t have to have NBA.”
“It has to be a deal for the future, it can’t be a deal for the past.” — Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on next NBA rights deal.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David ZaslavGetty Images
What he previously said: During a WBD earnings call on Nov. 3, Zaslav spoke about the NBA, and this was a part of it:
“We love the NBA. But we’re going to be disciplined. In the end, if there’s an NBA deal, it’s going to be a deal that’s very attractive for us and very attractive for Adam [Silver, NBA commissioner]. But we have a lot of tools in that we have a lot of sports assets that no one else has. We got a global sports business that nobody else has. And we have a platform, a high-quality platform like HBO Max that could generate 30 million people watching within a short period of time for a great piece of content. Imagine what that could do with sport. And we’ve had very good luck with sport in Europe. So I think it’s an opportunity. We like the NBA, but we’re going to be disciplined. I’m hopeful that we can do something very creative.”
What he’s done: TNT signed Charles Barkley to a 10-year deal that immediately raised his salary significantly from $10 million per year. TNT also signed the rest of the iconic “Inside The NBA” crew to extensions. This was an indication of TNT’s plans and how much the network wanted to keep the NBA. The language in the Barkley deal, I’ve been told, calls for his contract to be revisited if TNT loses NBA rights, though it is not immediately clear what that would entail.
What Zaslav’s comments mean: They mean something, not everything. I would hone in on these two quotes for real guidance.
“It has to be a deal for the future, it can’t be a deal for the past,” Zaslav said.
Charles Barkley and Co. recently signed contract extensions with Turner Sports.NBAE via Getty Images
This suggests Zaslav would like the NBA to help drive HBO Max subscriptions while likely trying to keep Turner’s revenue stream. This is what ESPN is doing in every new deal, securing rights for all of its platforms.
The future for global companies such as WBD is to try to sell subscriptions globally, which might be what Zaslav is partly thinking when he talks about Turner’s future relationship with the NBA.
ESPN/Disney, Amazon, Apple and other companies likely will be interested in the same concept. It will cost a lot, and, ultimately, I think the NBA will have more than just two distribution partners. The current partners could slim down their number of cable games. For TNT, think maybe just Thursdays, but not Tuesdays.
There is also the matter of the new in-season tournament that the NBA hopes becomes a thing.
Global superstars such as Stephen Curry put the NBA in a good position to negotiate its next set of rights deals, which begin with the 2025-26 season.Getty Images
Turner will be very active in retaining NBA rights, but there are no guarantees, especially as Zaslav emphasizes profit as opposed to just growth.
Cut & spend: One final point. WBD is in the midst of layoffs, which started with 70 behind-the-scenes employees who worked on sports. There is a feeling the company may be cutting before doing some more big spending.
Get plugged in on the latest in sports media
Sign up for Andrew Marchand’s Sports Clicker, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Quick Clicks
The World Cup started poorly for Fox Sports, which isn’t entirely the network’s fault because it didn’t have anything to do with the bribery that led Qatar, a country that demeans the rights of women and gay people, to be the host. Still, though, it wasn’t great. With the World Cup moved from the summer to the winter and the NFL king in the U.S., the opening game aired on FS1, not Fox, which diminished its importance. FS1 is a network that routinely doesn’t send announcers to other games, which tells you how much it values production and says a lot about how much we should value the network. John Strong, Stuart Holden and Jenny Taft were on hand for Ecuador’s 2-0 victory over Qatar, but there was no post-game show. When the Qatar supporters section was shown, there were no women in sight. Fox Sports chose to ignore this while the network runs ads about how Qatar is so great. Again, some of this is due to circumstances that Fox did not create, but it just feels smaller than it should. And, even for those who love soccer and are used to it being run poorly, it is ugly that a country that disdains equal rights is the host. Fox probably needs to address it a little, if not a lot.
Notice something missing from this photo?Getty Images
… LeBron James’ alternate broadcast of Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” was pretty good. As with most of these secondary listens, it is not perfect if you are really into the game. James was mostly joined by non-football players — Dez Bryant and Jalen Ramsey were the exceptions. The key to this version of “The Shop” was Jamie Foxx. This is kind of self-explanatory — he’s Jamie Foxx. He’s very funny, so that added a lot. Ramsey gave the show a viral moment by saying James will be accused on Twitter of lying. It was good because, with everyone in person, it gave the feel of hanging out with LeBron and friends for a game. It didn’t give you the same level of expertise as the Manningcast, but it did enough that it may be worth checking out again when TNF has a bad game in Raiders-Rams on Dec. 8. … Among the layoffs from WBD was Turner Sports PR man Jay Moskowitz. Moskowitz is a thorough, hard worker.
Will Apple and MLS grow the game?
The pricing for streaming all MLS games on Apple TV+ next season was released last week, and it immediately raised eyebrows around the entire sports media stratosphere.
The numbers: Let’s go through it, citing the company’s “Apple Newsroom” press release:
Starting February 1, fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $99 per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 per month and $79 per season.
Gareth Bale (center) celebrates with Los Angeles FC teammates during their win in the 2022 MLS Cup.USA TODAY Sports
Golazo!: I think most people have a fundamental misunderstanding of subscriptions, and I think Apple does not.
Apple says these games will be available on billions of devices around the world. So when I predictably conducted a very unscientific poll, the idea that people won’t subscribe “won.” Among the first 5,000 who responded, only 4.6 percent said they would subscribe.
But this is what is misunderstood about subscription businesses: You don’t need everyone. You really don’t need most. And what you want to do is get as much money as possible from your diehard fans who are willing to pay the most. So let’s do some simple math. Let’s use the results of our unscientific poll (which admittedly has a bias toward engaged American sports fans), round up to 5 percent and say Apple has a billion devices out there. That would be 50 million subscribers. (Easy math, because I was a journalism major.)
There is no way they are getting 50 million subs! You are correct. No chance.
However, I’m using that outlandish number to show how Apple could recoup the $250 million per year the company is paying MLS for the rights (MLS is covering the production costs, so the league probably nets more like $200M, give or take).
MLS commissioner Don GarberUSA TODAY Sports
If we use the easy math (again) of $100 per subscriber, Apple/MLS only needs 2.5 million subscribers to get to $250 million per season. I’m not saying they will hit that benchmark, but we are talking about the ability to reach the entire world with no blackouts. We shall see if they can.
In understanding subscription economics, and factoring in that soccer is the world game and Apple says there are more than a billion people who actively use an iPhone, it is conceivable that Apple can reach .25 percent of those users to subscribe to MLS.
So as a business proposition for Apple, it may make some sense. Heck, I get a monthly bill from Apple for $1 for storage for my kids’ phones that I’m not positive they use. You almost think they may be able to reach .25 percent of Apple devices by mistake.
You could base these calculations on a ratio of Apple TV+ subscribers instead. Apple doesn’t officially give out how many subscribers it has, but the internet has the figure at around 30 million (I don’t really trust the internet, but let’s stay that is right). If Apple got two percent of 30 million existing users to sign up, it would be just 600,000 for MLS.
MLS thinks the product will have reach because the league features players born in 82 different countries, 37 of whom are on World Cup rosters.
There’s buzz around Lionel Messi potentially playing in MLS at the end of his career.AFP via Getty Images
And, here’s something we wrote previously: How about if MLS adds Lionel Messi? Could Messi pay for himself with digital subscription economics?
Yellow card: What I don’t understand is why MLS and Apple are giving away subscriptions to teams’ season ticket-holders. This is supposedly 300,000-400,000 freebies. These are MLS’ most loyal customers with money in their pockets.
If Apple and MLS release numbers one day, these people will be included as subscribers, but they aren’t paying. MLS and Apple are hoping to have these people evangelize the product. I’d let them do that — and take their money.
Yellow card II: Two of the most popular sports in the world are soccer and basketball. The NBA is by far the best pro basketball league in the world. MLS is not even close to the best soccer league. Many people around the world, including in the United States, have access to watch the Premier League, Champions League and every other soccer match they want. If the NBA were to try the MLS-Apple game plan, it might really work, though as stated above, I doubt it does a one-party, exclusive deal and probably would advise against that, at this point.
MLS has yet to announce deals with ESPN and Fox to continue to have games simulcast on broadcast and cable TV, though it still appears to be in the cards. I know the folks at the networks like MLS commissioner Don Garber, but I’m not sure why they would want to prop up MLS’ 10-year agreement with Apple.
An agreement, which, by the way, could wipe the networks’ businesses off the map if it really works. When it is all said and done, there will be plenty of free MLS games in front of the Apple paywall and some select games on ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, ABC and Fox.
NYCFC’s Alexander Callens defends Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya during the MLS conference finals.USA TODAY Sports
Yellow card III: I tend to doubt MLS will grow as a global league, though a move for a legend such as Messi prior to the 2026 World Cup in North America could add some juice. MLS, to the frustration of American soccer fans, has shown no real appetite yet to fight for talent with the big boys of soccer.
So this might work in terms of being a good money deal — no one was close to Apple’s $250M — but, at the same time, the growth that big American soccer fans want to see in the level of MLS doesn’t feel fully as if it’s on the horizon. Without that leap and with convenient access to better leagues already in place, does MLS grow?
Red card: MLS is making me, a huge soccer fan, decide: Do I need it or not? If it were part of a bigger service, incorporated into the price, such as in ESPN+’s deal with the NHL (out-of-market MLS games previously were included with ESPN+, but there were blackouts), the value proposition is with the overall content, not just a thumbs up or thumbs down on MLS.
The huge MLS fan is going to put his or her thumbs up. That’s why sports are so vital in the media landscape. We will pay for the games we love.
But if you are in charge of a growing league, do you want someone like me — who is already watching Premier League, Champions League and the World Cup — to decide whether I want to put my thumbs up for $14.99 per month? Not so sure about that.
Extra time: Though we did break the fact that Apple and MLS were getting together in this here newsletter in January, we also discussed MLB’s deal with the company. Here’s what is not totally clear: What is Apple’s strategy? My belief is they want the MLS format to become ubiquitous. The rights don’t come up for so many leagues for so long that it is kind of irrelevant to even consider. (This is also why the NBA is in prime position with its rights deals expiring soon.)
NBA commissioner Adam SilverAFP via Getty Images
Could Apple replicate the MLS model with another sports property? Maybe, but my gut tells me the NBA — though I’m a bigger believer in subscription — doesn’t ultimately do a deal like this if Apple wants the rights to everything. (It actually is basically impossible in the relatively near term unless something changed with all the teams’ RSN deals.)
The one-stop shopping is smooth and easy, which is what Apple and Amazon do so well, making them transformative companies. However, the NBA is not going to give them everything. NBA commissioner Adam Silver may be watching, but he is going to want games to be on broadcast and probably cable TV to go along with the addition of streaming.
This MLS-Apple deal might be a transformative deal or it could really stall growth for the league. Apple basically owns the league for the next decade. Players even will wear Apple patches on sleeves. It was the only deal MLS really had — the money was not comparable in any other offer.
How this works might be more interesting (from a sports media perspective) than watching the Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake.
Programming note: There will be a podcast next week, but no newsletter the following Monday. Back on Dec. 5.
I admit it. I’m jealous, envious and more than a little resentful. It’s why I can’t have nice things.
Throughout this World Series you had the option to save your sanity by eliminating the sound of Fox’s John Smoltz’s relentless, sleep-inspiring pitching recipe recitals that reduced the Series to a late night curative for enjoyment.
I was, however, stuck with him, like a schnook assigned to cover the annual Diet Ginger Ale Festival in Lambertville, N.J.
As Groucho Marx, in the role of Professor Wagstaff, told the audience in the 1932 movie “Horse Feathers”: “I’ve got to stay here, but there’s no reason why you folks shouldn’t go out into the lobby until this thing blows over.”
As the insufferable comes with the annual understanding that it defies treatment and defines neglect, Fox again proved there is only one party that finds Smoltz both irreplaceable, unredeemable and irresistible: the head shot-caller at Fox.
Again, this Series, there wasn’t even evidence that Fox suggested to Smoltz that he take even one pitch off from being the guy no one wants to sit beside.
Reader Larry Trent suggests that MLB is instituting a pitch clock only to limit “Smoltz’s interminable dissection of every pitch and release point.” Hadn’t thought of that.
John SmoltzGetty Images
And the four-seam spin rate is apparently directly proportionate to viewers’ audio exit velocities.
If the pitch is swung at and missed, Smoltz delivers a scientific, microscopic tribute to the pitcher. If it’s hit, an autopsy follows.
But to his credit, Smoltz doesn’t cause headaches; he causes brown-outs, make the lights dim. He saves us money on our electric bills.
Kyle Tucker flips his bat during Game 1.AP
Surely, he must say something worth hearing over three-plus hours, but that has been drowned in his vat of dreary stew within minutes of the national anthem.
The sorriest part is that Smoltz is no better and no different from his first day in Fox’s booth in 2014. He still operates under the misconception that he should describe and examine every pitch until, somewhere in the second inning, we no longer pay attention.
But Fox’s overall productions were no easier on the better baseball senses. Crowd shots — endless, countless, redundant crowd shots — supplanted the logical design to televise World Series baseball.
Runners on base? Who cares where the defense is playing? The length of a runner’s lead? No extra charge for inattention to game circumstances.
Phillies fans react during Game 5.Getty Images
Fox, again, will scour the stands to find an overly wrought woman, her hands clasped in despair or prayer, awaiting the next pitch as if on the precipice of madness.
It’s part of all networks’ plan to best serve those least likely to be watching.
Of course, the one “play” Fox paid closest attention to wasa bat flip by Houston’s Kyle Tucker after he hit his second home run in Game 1. Fox made sure to show that several times, and at least once in slow-motion. Though Tucker’s team lost the game, that move is now the essence of televised baseball.
But why, in 2022, would we have expected better?
Unnecessary violence is perfectly legal in NFL
For all the NFL rules designed to protect players from needless injury, among the most indefensible and inexcusably dangerous “tackles” remains ignored — and technically legal.
You’ve seen it countless times, but let’s use the Patriots-Jets game last week on CBS as an example.
Pats QB Mac Jones was forced to run. He sprinted toward the far sideline. Heading out of bounds to avoid a hit, he couldn’t have stopped if he tried.
But as he was about to step out of bounds, defensive back D.J. Reed lowered his shoulder and blasted Jones. No flag — it was a legal hit, because Jones was still in-bounds by inches — but a sideline hassle, naturally, erupted as the Jets celebrated Reed’s brutal hit as if he’d done something special other than creamed canned corn.
All Reed needed to do was nudge, push or, at most, shove Jones, and he’d have been out of bounds.
After Bears wide receiver N’Keal Harry caught a short touchdown pass in man-to-man coverage against the Cowboys last Sunday, Fox’s Daryl “Moose” Johnston gave it the Moose Johnston replay treatment, meaning he spoke an endless stream of genuine gridiron gibberish:
Bears wide receiver N’Keal Harry (8) catches a pass for a touchdown as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph.USA TODAY Sports
“Now here is [DB] Kelvin Joseph right here (Johnston circled him with his telestrator). Now, he has no help to the left. He is playing heavy outside leverage in their coverage.
“There is nobody to his left. He has no help on that side. Don’t know why he was playing such heavy leverage to the side of the field where he had some help.”
Got that?
The replay simply showed Harry making a quick, tight move to the outside, Joseph doing a pretty good job sticking with him, and QB Justin Fields hitting Harry with a nice, tight pass.
Heavy leverage? That was Harry’s first TD catch since 2020. Previously this season, he’d caught one pass. Was Johnston advocating double coverage? If so, who would he have left in single coverage or uncovered?
Or was Johnston just eager to use the term “heavy leverage,” whatever it meant?
But now in its 20th season of throwing Johnston at us, Fox surely knows what it’s doing.
In comes stream madness
So, The Eagles-Texans NFL game and the NHL’s Rangers-Bruins game on Thursday night were both the exclusive viewing property of streaming networks. Brilliant marketing.
Those who pay for the Rangers over MSG were given the cool breeze. More to come, a la the Yankees and Mets this past season.
This is known as teaching fans to live without — abandoning longtime detovees to cast bait among the young.
Look what pay-per-view did for boxing. Go ahead, try it: Name the current middleweight champion of the world. Choose from any of the six now listed. Last we knew was Bernard Hopkins, more than 10 years ago.
Reader Ed Grant claims there is no more redundantly stupid new-age expression in broadcast sports than football’s “positive gain.” Yeah, that one makes me perspire sweat.
Still, the kings of them all — the ones that makes me revert back to the past — are the triple-redundant, “bases-loaded, grand slam home run” and the “leadoff, solo home run to start the game.”
Kyrie Irving and Steve NashNBAE via Getty Images
Time for Kyrie Irving to make up his mind. Are Jews agents of Satan or is he letting them off the hook? Did the Holocaust occur or didn’t it? Are Jews going to hell or aren’t they? The world awaits.
In the meantime, Kyrie, what should Jews do with all those slaves they’re holding?
One last thing, Kyrie: Wanna buy some Nets tickets? I’ve got two down low for Fringe Lunatic Appreciation Night.
Reader Of The Week comes right out of Ripley’s Believe It or Get Lost:
Shortly after the Nets fired coach Steve Nash and were in the throes of Irving’s profoundly ignorant social media seminar on world and religious history, reader Ron Zajicek emailed that the team is so messed up it might now hire disgraced, suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
This email, time coded, arrived roughly two hours before word was first delivered that the Nets had asked for and been granted permission to solicit Udoka!
“I was just joking!” Zajicek later wrote.
That’s the problem, the NBA has become bad joke-proof, drowning in its own bilge.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
