Saturday Goodies; Yahoo Builds A Media Bridge, Wall Creates An Opportunity, and Digging Into Media Rights Challenges…

Giving a sampling of content: Interesting the key sports biz players who have had hard paywalls like Sports Business Journal   who are now putting select content outside those walls. Much like The Athletic now allowing free shares, the need for more eyes than those with $$ is inevitable for most. Now they don’t giveaway all the content smartly, it becomes a front porch for those who may know of but don’t know a great of, and my feeling is that the hard wall for many still blocks those who frankly, can find the content elsewhere. If it’s good and I pay for it let me share. If it’s good and I don’t pay for it give me a taste, maybe I will buy.

Kudos to the folks at Yahoo for seeing the way forward and building their own platform as well.

Breaking Down Walls With Opportunity: Some may roll their eyes when they see high profile athletes becoming “General Managers” of college programs. You have someone like Andrew Luck, obviously deep in the weeds at Stanford making real decisions, and you have Shaquille O’Neal at Sacramento State, where as a volunteer can he make that much of a difference without being Luck-like in being hands on? Then you have the natural fits like Steph Curry being involved t his alma mater Davidcson, a school which he knows the in’s and out’s of. For most, maybe it’s a few phone calls and a zoom, for others, will it make a tangible difference in retaining, recruiting and building long term value? One of the more interesting ones this week was John Wall being named  president of basketball operations at Howard. The Bison have had a solid run in recent years but still will have to scramble to cut through mid-major clutter, fend off the transfer portal that has made many schools in that mix not much more than weigh stations for their best players on the way to elsewhere and help craft a narrative on two fronts…bringing long term value well beyond just playing and some NIL cash, and crafting a story that makes Howard stand out as a place where, even if you pivot and move to an irresistible offer after a few years, you are telling people you meet that this is a great stop. Now Wall is not an HBCU grad, but he is one of the most active and hands on and thoughtful former NBA players in the DMV, and he is not one who seems to be doing things just for the buzz. Taking a title, even with no money changing hands, holds great responsibility, and for universities that think the buzz is what the value is, there will be a fallout when these relationships fizzle. On first look, the guess would be that Howard and a dedicated individual doing this not just for ROE…return on ego…but for ROI for a host of young people of color in a city he knows well is a fit worth watching, and one that maybe others can follow IF they find the right person. That’s not easy, as very few of us have the focus to stay with something like developing young people holistically when we get pulled in many directions. For Howard, this shouldn’t just be about wins and losses on the court, it should be about long term wins for these athletes who have way too many whisperers around them…and now maybe a loud voice they will listen and learn from.

 Lastly, I have been remiss in culling our podcasts this quarter. With all the shuffle of streaming and media rights a recent one worth your time is with Patrick Crakes, Principal of Crakes Media and longtime Fox Sports executive.  Drawing on decades of experience, Crakes explains why the industry hasn’t undergone the “overnight disruption” many predicted, and instead has seen a slower, more complex transition where traditional pay TV still underpins the majority of sports economics. He dives into the role of Big Tech, highlighting how companies like Amazon and YouTube are approaching sports rights strategically, not disruptively, and why profitability remains a challenge across streaming. The conversation also explores key industry dynamics, including the importance of broadcast distribution, the decline of regional sports networks, and the challenges leagues face in balancing local and national media strategies. Crakes offers insight into why the NFL continues to dominate the marketplace, how portfolio thinking shapes rights valuations, and what metrics actually matter when assessing media value. He also unpacks recent changes in Nielsen measurement and how out-of-home viewing is reshaping perceptions of sports viewership growth. Give it a listen here.