On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the Super Bowl showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
They talk about the valuations of both teams—the Eagles at $6.75 billion and the Chiefs at $5.43 billion—and why they differ by more than $1.3 billion. That’s true despite the fact that the Chiefs under quarterback Patrick Mahomes have become the latest NFL dynasty. Mahomes is 29 years old and already has more playoffs wins than any NFL quarterback not named Tom Brady.
They talk about whether there is Chiefs fatigue among NFL fans—it has felt that way at times this year, particularly in the playoffs. They also talk about growing frustration among fans about the way the NFL determines the spot of the ball. That took center stage on Sunday after the referees ruled that the Chiefs stopped Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on a critical fourth down. The NFL has tested electronic line calling, but it had its own issues. Is there a silver bullet solution?
Next the hosts talk about the NWSL’s Houston Dash, who are formally for sale. Ted Segal acquired the franchise in a deal for MLS club Houston Dynamo in June 2021, a deal that assigned a negligible value to the NWSL club. The Dash are now worth $74 million, per Sportico‘s valuations. They talk about Segal’s role on the NWSL’s expansion committee and the fact that he’s one of the league’s longest-tenured owners.
The hosts also talk about the finances of Fanatics. Sportico recently reported numbers from the company about its revenue, its revenue by unit, its debt and its cash on hand. It’s an in-depth look at Michael Rubin’s company, which is spending to try to become a one-stop-shop for sports fans.
They close with a strange story out of F1. The FIA is moving to increase fines for drivers who curse during races or during press conferences. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said recently: “We have to differentiate between our sport—motorsport—and rap music … We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].”
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
