On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including Ohio State‘s national championship. The Buckeyes won the first 12-team College Football Playoff, beating Notre Dame 34-23 on Monday night.
It’s a victory for the country’s richest athletic department. Ohio State spent $274.9 million on athletics in fiscal 2023, by far the largest total in the NCAA. As college sports enters its revenue-sharing era, universities are scrambling to free up more money to pay athletes. While there’s a lot of uncertainty about what it might look like, or how it might impact competitive balance, one thing seems clear: The richest schools will remain on solid footing. The hosts also talk about how big-name boosters will continue to play a prominent role in team finances.
Next they talk about massive changes underway in junior hockey. For years, NCAA rules prohibited athletes who had been paid in Canadian juniors from playing at U.S. colleges. That rule has been lifted, resulting in a shift of junior talent across North America. At least one USHL team, the Youngstown Phantoms, are seeking to jump from the USHL to Canada’s OHL, a move being blocked by USA Hockey. The Phantoms have hired noted sports litigator Jeffrey Kessler to help sort out the mess.
Next they discuss the latest Netflix earnings. The company had its best ever quarter of new subscriptions, which coincided with its new push into live sports like boxing and the NFL. The hosts talks about what might come next, and also how to view the company’s recent price increases.
They close by talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates. The MLB team previously offered a package that included 30 years of season tickets to whoever pulled a 1-of-1 Paul Skenes trading card. That card was found recently by an 11-year-old in California.
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