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The Varsity

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John Ourand John Ourand

Welcome back to The Varsity, my twice-weekly private email on
the personalities and deals that define the sports media business.

 

Congrats to my hometown Commanders, who are officially in the playoffs after notching their 11th win in a Sunday Night Football overtime contest against an Atlanta Falcons team that played like it was coached by Marchand. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the last time the District’s local team won this many
games in a season was in 1991. Does anyone remember who won the Super Bowl that season?

 

🚨 Pod alert!: Make sure you listen to yesterday’s episode of the Varsity podcast, which features my Terp buddy and ESPN star Scott Van Pelt. Interestingly, SVP was very forthcoming about the
deal points of fellow needle-movers, such as Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee, and his desire to find a contributing role on ESPN’s Inside the NBA. And look out for a new episode in your feed on Wednesday: The Ringer’s Joe House and Nathan Hubbard drop by for a deep dive into the dysfunctional world of post-LIV professional golf.

 

The Brady Meter: Week
17
Vikings 27, Packers 25
Grade: C

Just before the opening kickoff, Tom Brady was featured on camera
performing his normal pregame soliloquy dramatizing the game between the division-rival Vikings and Cheeseheads. While talking about the Packers, in particular, Brady mentioned...

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What Moves the
Needle-Movers?

What Moves the Needle-Movers?

Scott Van Pelt and Mike Greenberg on being your own brand C.E.O.,
the enduring thrill of getting the first shot at a newly crowned champion, and ESPN’s new open-marriage policy.

John Ourand John Ourand

In the post-cable universe—where ratings declines are inevitable, streaming
dreams are quixotic, and multiplatform appeal is the coin of the realm—ESPN appears to be pinning its hopes on an enormous investment in live sports rights, an even more enormous investment in new platforms (Flagship, Venu, etcetera), and the anointment of a core group of talent known in Bristol as the needle-movers. There’s Pat McAfee, whom ESPN is paying $17 million per year to license his show. There’s First Take host
Stephen A. Smith, who is drying the ink on a deal that will pay him at least $20 million per year. Then there’s Get Up’s Mike Greenberg and SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt, two other talents for which ESPN execs would gladly back up a Brink’s truck, though both Greeny and SVP make far less than...

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The Varsity
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Puck sports correspondent John Ourand and a rotating cast of industry insiders take you inside the executive
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    PREVIEW VERSION Start a free 14-day trial to unlock unlimited access to Puck.   John Ourand Welcome back to The Varsity, my twice-weekly private email on the personalities and deals that define the sports media business.   Congrats to my hometown Commanders, who are officially in the playoffs after notching their 11th win in […]
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