On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including a rare glimpse into the financial strength of the NFL. Each year the Green Bay Packers provide the only real public look into the balance sheet of an NFL franchise, and the numbers are revealing—during the pandemic the NFL’s national revenue reached an all-time high, while local sales plummeted.
The hosts also discuss the upcoming Summer Olympics, which kick off this week in Tokyo despite a one-year delay, a state of emergency and a lot of local opposition. It’s become a difficult landscape to navigate for sponsors, with Toyota announcing that it will pull all of its TV ads in Japan out of sensitivity to the pandemic’s lingering effects. The Olympic movement is also starting to reckon with the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, which are also likely going to face COVID complications, not to mention geopolitical headwinds.
Lastly, the hosts talk about a new NIL deal in Michigan, where Wolverines football players will be able to profit from jersey sales that use their name and number. It’s the same kind of group licensing, on a smaller scale, that’s necessary for bigger national products like the EA Sports college football game.
This episode is presented by Marsh, a global leader in risk management. Click here to read Marsh’s full report on safely re-opening stadiums.
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