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Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

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NBCUniversal on Thursday announced that it had edged out rivals for the coveted rights to broadcast Premier League soccer games in the U.S. for the next six years. 

Why it matters: The deal allows NBC to hold onto its existing Premier League rights, which will help the company drive subscribers to its streaming service Peacock. 

Details: The new deal gives NBC exclusive rights to air all 380 Premier League matches to U.S. audiences across NBCUniversal's array of linear and streaming platforms, including NBC, USA Network, Peacock, Telemundo and Universo.

The deal has a reported value of $2.6 billion over six years, which roughly triples the value of its current annual rights deal, per Sports Business Journal. 

NBC has had rights to air English Premier League games in the U.S. since 2013. 

In a statement, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, said, “NBC Sports has significantly strengthened the popularity of the League in the United States in that time through its fantastic coverage and promotion."

The big picture: The deal is a loss for NBC Sports rival ESPN, which had been eyeing the Premier League rights via a combined bid with CBS, per Sports Business Journal. 

ESPN has been leaning heavily into soccer to support its streaming platform ESPN+. It won the rights to air European's La Liga games in the U.S. in an eight-year deal beginning this past August. It secured U.S. rights to stream Germany's Bundesliga in 2019.

NBC retains English Premier League rights in 6-year deal

The new deal gives NBC exclusive rights to air all 380 Premier League matches to U.S. audiences.

Illustration of a goalie about to be hit by a giant soccer ball

Soccer

Media

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Axios Sports

Photo: Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images

The Sunshine State is having a college football season to forget.

Driving the news: Entering Saturday, Florida's seven FBS programs are a combined 28-42. None are ranked, and just one has a winning record.

The big picture: Florida is a recruiting hotbed, and its schools have appeared in eight national title games in the BCS and CFP eras, tied with Alabama for the most of any state.

But the three traditional powers — Florida, Florida State and Miami — have fallen behind in recent years, losing games they used to win and losing in-state recruits they used to land.

The Gators are in shambles after barely beating FCS Samford, the Seminoles are likely headed for their fourth straight losing season, and the Hurricanes have vastly underperformed their preseason No. 12 ranking.

Barring a miracle, all three schools will finish outside the top 25 for the first time since 1978. Heck, even UCF has fallen into mediocrity after emerging as a national power a few years ago.

The bottom line: Florida football has been fading for a few years. But not even the biggest haters saw this season going as badly as it has.

"In college football terms, this is as improbable as eating a bad meal in New Orleans or being unable to find a blackjack table in Las Vegas. You almost have to try to fail this dramatically."

Florida's football woes

Entering Saturday, Florida's seven FBS programs are a combined 28-42.

College football

 Kingsley Eguakun #65 of the Florida Gators in action against the LSU Tigers during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

NCAA

The world's second-most popular sport is preparing to make a splash stateside.

What's happening: The U.S. on Tuesday was named co-host of the 2024 T20 World Cup, a major global event that will take place a year after Major League Cricket — a domestic T20 league — debuts.

The backdrop: As MLC builds out its infrastructure, including a flagship stadium in Dallas, it will do so with the World Cup in mind. The U.S. will host 18 matches in 2024, while co-host West Indies will host 37.

Currently, there's just one World Cup-ready venue in the U.S. (Central Broward Park in Florida), with Dallas slated to open in late-2022 as the second. That number will have to grow before 2024.

Of note: Minor League Cricket, MLC's little brother, launched this summer, playing 200 matches at a variety of venues across the country.

The big picture: Cricket's 2.5 billion fans worldwide trail only soccer's 4 billion. The U.S. is home to just 30 million of those fans, but that number has more than doubled over the past decade.

"The cricket World Cup is one of the most-watched events in the world," Tom Dunmore, MLC's VP of marketing, tells Axios. "This will bring hundreds of millions of eyeballs to cricket in the Americas."

While traditional test cricket's five-day format may be a hard sell for an American audience, T20 matches are fast-paced and last just two to three hours. "It's really easy to get hooked on," says Dunmore.

Zoom out ... Consider soccer 30 years ago: FIFA's decision to award the U.S. with the 1994 World Cup was contingent on creating a top-tier domestic league. Two years later, MLS was born, and 25 years after that, the USMNT is ranked 13th in the world.

Looking ahead... The ICC has another goal in mind, too: Bringing cricket back to the Olympics, where it's been absent since 1900. They're aiming for 2028 — in Los Angeles.

Cricket sets sights on America

The U.S. was named co-host of the 2024 T20 cricket World Cup.

Illustration of a cricket wicket, ball and bat styled as a deconstructed US flag

The 25 highest-paid coaches in U.S. sports all make at least $8 million and include 14 from the NFL, seven from the NBA and four from college, per a new report from Sportico.

Top 10: Bill Belichick ($18M), Pete Carroll ($12M), Sean Payton ($12M), Andy Reid ($12M), Gregg Popovich ($11.5M), Mike Tomlin ($11.5M), Nick Saban ($10.7M), Jimbo Fisher ($9.5M), Kyle Shanahan ($9.5M), Steve Kerr ($9.5M).

What to watch: Michigan State is reportedly set to offer Mel Tucker a historic 10-year, $95 million extension.

Go deeper ... Report: College teams paid over $500 million in dead money over 11 years

The 25 highest-paid coaches in U.S. sports

Fourteen are from the NFL, seven from the NBA and four from college, according to Sportico.

Illustration of an $100 bill with football helmet on Benjamin Franklin's head.

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL

Sister Jean and the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers announced Tuesday that the school will be moving from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Atlantic-10 in 2023.

Why it matters: Loyola-Chicago is the 24th D-I school in the past five months to announce a new league affiliation — a reshuffling that began in July with a shocker: Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC in 2025.

State of play: The Sooners and Longhorns are moving because as good as the Big 12 is, the SEC is better and more lucrative. That decision has had a domino effect, with schools now playing musical chairs.

Joining SEC (2025): Oklahoma and Texas (from Big 12)

Joining Big 12 (2023): Cincinnati, UCF and Houston (from American); BYU (independent)

Joining American (2023): UAB, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and UTSA (from C-USA)

Joining C-USA (2023): Liberty and New Mexico State (independent); Jacksonville State and Sam Houston (from FCS)

Joining Sun Belt (2023): Old Dominion, Southern Miss and Marshall (from C-USA); James Madison (from FCS)

FCS moves (2022): Incarnate Word (Southland to WAC); Texas A&M Commerce (D-II Lone Star to Southland); Austin Peay (OVC to A-Sun)

Non-football moves (2023): Loyola-Chicago (MVC to A-10)

The big picture: The European Super League may have failed, but the idea behind it — money over everything — is alive and well in America.

Oklahoma and Texas will turn the SEC into a 16-team juggernaut, bringing college football closer to creating a super league of its own.

New rivalries will be born (or re-born, in the case of Texas-Texas A&M) — but only after old rivalries and beloved traditions die.

The bottom line: This isn't the first, nor will it be the last major wave of realignment. But amid a time of drastic change in college sports, it could end up being the most significant.

Catching up on the college conference realignment wave

Amid a time of drastic change in college sports, this realignment wave could end up being the most significant.

Illustration of the U.S. with arrows around it

National Collegiate Athletic Assocation (NCAA)

Nashville

Axios Nashville

The Titans this week ascended to the top of the Axios Sports' NFL power rankings after extending their winning streak to six games.

Respect has been hard to come by for the Titans. Despite knocking off AFC contenders Buffalo and Kansas City in October, they'd been slowly creeping up the rankings.

Following Sunday's win over the Saints, the Titans climbed three spots to No. 1.

Why it matters: The top ranking validates the belief this is the Titans' best chance at a Super Bowl in more than a decade.

Axios Nashville is calling it: Super Bowl or bust.

Titans claim top spot in NFL power rankings

National Football League (NFL)

Tampa Bay

With two weeks left in college football's regular season, there's not a single major Florida program ranked anywhere close to the top 25 and just one team in the Sunshine State with a winning record.

All this despite the fact that Florida is among the top states for producing college football talent.

Driving the news: After the Gators lost to LSU in the middle of October, our state didn't put a team in the Associated Press top 25 rankings for the first time since 2011. It's embarrassing.

What they're writing: "In college football terms, this is as improbable as eating a bad meal in New Orleans or being unable to find a blackjack table in Las Vegas. You almost have to try to fail this dramatically," wrote USA Today columnist Dan Wolken.

You know who's ranked higher than any team from the Sunshine State? The Utah Utes. And the San Diego State Aztecs. And the University of Texas San Antonio Roadrunners.

Flashback: Forget UF, FSU and Miami. Remember that week in 2007 when USF was ranked #2? Those were the days.

What we're (now) watching: Over in the FCS, Florida A&M is 8-2. Let's go Rattlers!

And, as Axios Sports' Jeff Tracy points out: Even though UCF has taken a bit of a step back after three incredible seasons from 2017-19, it's set to join the Big 12 in 2023, which should give Florida its fourth "major" program.

The sad state of Florida collegiate football

There's not a single major Florida program ranked anywhere close to the top 25.

Axios Tampa Bay, anchored by Ben Montgomery and Selene San Felice, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

Axios Tampa Bay

As World Cup qualifiers take place ahead of Qatar 2022, one nation never even had a chance to make the field.

The big picture: The Marshall Islands — perhaps best known as a post-war nuclear testing site — is the lone country among the 195 recognized by the UN that has never played an international soccer match.

The sovereign nation of 60,000 in Micronesia comprises 29 atolls and five isolated islands.

Athletics are part of Marshallese culture, but American influence stemming from WWII occupation means basketball and baseball are among the nation's most popular sports.

Looking ahead: The newly-formed Marshall Islands Soccer Federation (MISF) hopes to change the status quo, working to get soccer into schools and building out infrastructure to make future World Cups a reality.

Yes, but: The MISF is in a race against time, as the tiny country in the middle of the Pacific is among the most at-risk nations on Earth regarding climate change.

That's why they're building a stadium with a giant seawall to host the 2022 Micronesian Games, providing the country not only with its first real pitch, but also with protection against rising sea levels "that represent an existential threat," per a 2021 report from the World Bank.

Go deeper: The Marshall Islands: The last country on Earth without a football team (The Athletic)

Marshall Islands: The last soccer-less nation

It's the lone country among the 195 recognized by the UN that has never played an international match.

Marshall Islands' flag bearer Colleen Furgeson and Marshall Islands' flag bearer Phillip Kinono (L) lead the delegation during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Speedway Motorsports Inc.'s acquisition of the Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County gives the company momentum heading into the final stretch of its negotiations with Nashville Mayor John Cooper over renovating the fairgrounds racetrack.

Why it matters: The $131 million deal sets the stage for NASCAR to return to the fairgrounds track.

What’s happening: Bristol Motorsports, a division of SMI, and Cooper signed a letter of intent in March to renovate the 117-year-old fairgrounds racetrack.

The two sides have been in negotiations to finalize the financing and lease deal.

Renovations are a prerequisite for NASCAR's return to Nashville. The top series hasn't raced at the fairgrounds since 1984 and the last lower-level series race was in 2000.

Nashville displayed its appetite for more top-level auto racing with the excellent turnout earlier this year for the IndyCar Music City Grand Prix, which drew 110,000 fans. 

What they're saying: Norm Partin, a veteran motorsports executive, tells Axios there are two factors making it favorable for NASCAR to return to the fairgrounds on the heels of SMI's Wilson County deal.

"There is a move to more short-track racing like they have at the fairgrounds," Partin says. "Once the deal goes through, SMI will operate 10 racetracks and control 15 NASCAR Cup series dates. So that makes it easier to make one of those races at the fairgrounds."

Yes, but: If Cooper and Bristol strike a deal, the devil will be in the details. Neighbors are worried about the impact of auto racing on noise and traffic.

Bristol released a study earlier this year showing its sound wall and other mitigation measures will greatly reduce sound.

NASCAR giant corners Nashville's racing market

Speedway Motorsports Inc.'s acquisition of the Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County gives the company momentum

race car drives on track with sun shining above

Kyle Larson drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in June.  Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Chicago

Axios Chicago

 Local politicians flocked yesterday to the grand opening of a new Sunnyside dispensary in Wrigleyville, the company's fourth in the Chicago area.

Why it matters: According to Sunnyside, this "flagship" location is now the closest dispensary to a U.S. professional sports stadium. 

That got us thinking up some mottos for the new store: 

Giving new meaning to Cub Fan and Bud Man.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and edibles. 

Wrigleyville: Not just for drunks anymore. 

Our products help you forget Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez. 

You just paid $11 for a beer. You have money for weed. 

The helmet nachos at Wrigley never looked better. 

Flagship Sunnyside dispensary opens near Wrigley Field

We have some ideas for what its motto should be.

A photo of a building with cars in front of it. 

The new 10,000 square foot Sunnyside dispensary in Wrigleyville is housed in the old John Barleycorn's building. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios  

Food and Drink

News

Pro Rata

Axios Pro Rata

The Staples Center in Los Angeles will be renamed Crypto.com Arena, the arena's owner announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: Cryptocurrencies are pushing deeper into the American mainstream.

It's a 20-year naming rights agreement between Crypto.com, a Singapore-based crypto exchange and mobile wallet provider, and building owner Anschutz Entertainment Group. No financial terms were disclosed, but Axios hears the total value exceeds $700 million.

For context, SoFi paid over $600 million for 20-year naming rights to the new NFL stadium in Los Angeles, where the Chargers and Rams play, while Intuit paid over $500 million for 23-year naming rights to a new arena that will house the Los Angeles Clippers.

The official transfer will occur on Christmas Day, inclusive of the Staples logo being replaced on the building's iconic roof, just before the Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets. 

Behind the scenes: Staples originally paid around $120 million for a 20-year naming rights deal in 1999, when it was riding high as one of America's preeminent retailers. Ten years later, it renegotiated for permanent naming rights for an undisclosed amount.

What no one knew, however, was that AEG was eager to bring in a fresher name. In early 2019 it quietly bought back the naming rights from Staples, which by that point was owned by private equity firm Sycamore Partners.

Crypto.com this past summer heard that AEG was seeking out a new sponsor, and the two sides began hammering out a deal that involves several experiential and philanthropic components. 

Rationale: AEG gets to rebrand its building with something that feels more like the future than the past. For Crypto.com, it's about elevating its brand in the capital of America's entertainment and creator economy.

Rival crypto exchange FTX earlier this year paid $135 million for 19-year naming rights to the NBA arena in Miami.

If Coinbase.com and Robinhood weren't looking for arena deals yesterday, they probably are today.

Yes, there are some echoes of the dot-com boom, when Internet upstarts entered the naming rights game. One of them, CMGI, faltered before its football field even hosted a single game (instead, the New England Patriots play at Gillette Stadium). 

The bottom line: Crypto is in. Retail is out. 

Staples Center goes crypto

The building's owner quietly bought back the naming rights from Staples in early 2019.

Illustration of a coin with binary code being lifted by a crane in front of the Staples Center

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Thursday's sports stories