MoneyCall Newsletter 📈 | This is The Athletic’s weekly sports business newsletter. Sign up here to receive MoneyCall directly in your inbox. Read past editions here.
Welcome back to MoneyCall! Name-checked today: Tom Brady, Stephen A. Smith, Roger Goodell, Luka Dončić, Caitlin Clark, Hubie Brown, Andraya Carter, Mina Kimes, Kendrick Lamar and more. Let’s go:
Driving the Conversation: Super Bowl goals for broadcaster Brady
Fox is paying Tom Brady $375 million to be the face of its NFL coverage, including Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX broadcast. (Andrew Marchand has the week’s must-read story on why that deal happened.)
Here is a staggering fact: There is a strong chance more people will experience Brady in the TV booth this weekend than ever saw him actually play in any one of his 10 Super Bowls.
So, what’s a fair way to define success for Brady in his latest Super Bowl debut?
🤖 He’s not a Tom-bot: In his playoff games this season, I have enjoyed those moments when he let his emotions through — joy over a well-designed play, disgust at bad execution. It’s OK to emote!
😯 Offers inside scoop: The awkward “Brady Rules,” the ones limiting the Raiders minority owner’s access to teams before broadcasting their games, have been temporarily lifted by the league. Make the most of it by mentioning some inside details.
🤯 “When I played in the Super Bowl …”: Normally, analyst call-backs to their playing days are brutal. In Brady’s case, he cannot tell enough of his own Super Bowl stories.
😬 Doesn’t mess up the ending. Simple enough, right? Not necessarily! Flashback: Tony Romo in last year’s Super Bowl.
As far as advice for Brady, I love what ESPN’s Joe Buck told Richard Deitsch about the advice Buck gave himself before his own first Super Bowl broadcast, which he even wrote on his formal play-calling board: “F— IT!”
Get Caught Up: Clark’s busy week, Hubie’s final game and more news
Big talkers from the sports business industry:
- Roger Goodell’s State of the NFL: Given the current environment on Capitol Hill, I found it notable the commissioner used his annual Super Bowl news conference to offer an unambiguous endorsement of corporate diversity efforts. (More ambiguously, the league is removing the “End Racism” messaging from its end zones in favor of “Choose Love” and “It Takes All Of Us,” as Mike Silver reports.)More from the commish: Sounds like the NFL’s much-discussed 18th game wouldn’t be added to the regular-season schedule before the early 2030s.
- Luka Dončić trade: Lakers exceptionalism is more of a key through line of the NBA’s business history than any other dynamic I can think of — Mikan, West, Wilt, Magic, Showtime, Shaq, Kobe, LeBron and now Luka.Related-ish: Back in the late 1980s, then-Lakers coach Pat Riley trademarked “Three Peat” in various forms. Fast-forward more than 35 years, and the Chiefs just did a deal with Riley to allow “Three Peat” merch if they win. (via CLLCT)
- The business of Caitlin Clark: Three CC-related things I deeply believe:
1. Way more player jerseys should be retired less than a year after the player leaves school. Why wait?Elsewhere, A’ja Wilson also had her jersey retired last weekend, five years after graduating from South Carolina. Big week for the three-time WNBA MVP: Nike just released the design of her first signature shoe, the A’One.
2. Back to Clark: She is totally right to skip the NBA All-Star stuff (she isn’t bigger than the NBA, but she does feel bigger than its All-Star weekend).
3. The Fever’s spring exhibition game at Iowa will have even higher ticket prices than last Sunday’s jersey retirement game.
- Denver gets NWSL franchise: Speaking of Clark, rare to see Caitlin Inc. take a business L. Here’s the inside story on how Team Denver topped the Clark-backed effort in Cincinnati, via The Athletic’s Melanie Anzidei.Related: Multiple groups (including from Detroit, Philly and Tennessee, with the latter featuring Peyton Manning and Candace Parker) have launched bids to earn WNBA expansion franchises. (“Tennessee Summitt” is a 10/10 team name.)
- State of sports gambling: Given the entire value proposition of an MLB umpire is having good judgment, sharing a betting account with a gambler does seem disqualifying.Also: Hot on the heels of this NBA mess with Terry Rozier, Robinhood just announced people who use their app to trade stocks can now … bet on the Super Bowl.
- Hubie Brown’s final TV call: Now give Hubie Brown a lot of credit — you’re 91 years old, okay? You’re one of the most beloved NBA TV analysts ever. You’re calling your final game Sunday. And you give an exclusive interview to Richard Deitsch about it. Just a fundamentally sound finish in the painted area.Related: Dick Vitale is back on ESPN after two years away (Duke-Clemson men’s hoops, Saturday at 6 p.m. ET).
Other current obsessions: “Who says no?” NBA trade deadline debates in the group chat … the Doechii x MLS collab … people asking “What channel is ‘Tubi?’” … Taylor Swift prop bets …
TA Edge: What I’m wondering about NFL media
“The Athletic Football Show” is set up at the Super Bowl on Radio Row, putting TAFS at the epicenter of activity in New Orleans this week. I checked in with co-host Robert Mays:
If you could ask your Radio Row guests a single question and they would be compelled to answer with absolute candor, what would it be?
Robert: I’d want to know what they really think about the bigger stakeholders in their building. Whether the coach is actually setting them up for success. Whether they think the QB is the answer, etc. A moment that sticks with me from last year is Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba telling some Chicago guys “good luck” with (since-fired OC) Shane Waldron. Seems instructive!
Grab Bag 💰
Time for a lightning round.
Ratings Point: 123.7 million
That was the record-setting audience number for last year’s Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl. Will LIX top it? Both of The Athletic’s media columnists think so (their official predictions coming later this week), and I agree.
(And so do you: 80 percent of MoneyCall readers polled over the last week are predicting a new Super Bowl TV audience record.)
Elevator Pitch: It’s Bluesky’s moment
The Luka trade reaction on X and Bluesky was reminiscent of classic Sports Twitter last weekend, but it also was a reminder of what has been missing on X recently — and that Bluesky’s stream still feels siloed.
I am very intrigued to see if Bluesky can have a breakthrough moment during the Super Bowl with a critical mass of sports fans looking for the kind of eclectic, smart commentary mix that made old Sports Twitter so distinctive and enjoyable.
- As with any platform, it’s all about who you hear from. My colleague Jourdan Rodrigue recommends following Mina Kimes’ NFL starter pack, which you can find here.
- And while you’re on Bluesky, definitely check out this curated list of folks from all around The Athletic who are on the platform. (I’m @danshanoff.bsky.social over there.)
Related: You won’t find the Chiefs or Eagles — or any other NFL team — with an official presence on Bluesky. The league would like to create an “official” partnership (read: pay us!) before allowing teams to use it. (This approach feels counterproductive, given the 30-plus million Bluesky users to be reached.)
Super Bowl Trivia
A business-relevant sneak peek from our new Super Bowl quiz: “Fox, the broadcaster for this Super Bowl, aired its first Super Bowl in 1997. Who won that game: Broncos, Patriots, Cowboys or Packers?”
I scored 18 out of 25. Take the entire quiz here.
The Big Number: 1,150 percent
That was the increase in eBay searches for “Luka Dončić” on Sunday following his trade news, compared to an average day during the previous week. His name was searched more than 80 times per minute that day, the company said.
Dončić was already among eBay’s five most-searched active basketball players (can you guess the others?). The answer to that, plus more on this topic, in Brooks Peck’s deep dive into what the deal means for Dončić trading cards.
Quote of the Week
“The worst thing you can do after a breakup is show up to the club with a downgrade.” — ESPN college basketball analyst Andraya Carter, talking about John Calipari’s highly anticipated return to Kentucky on Saturday night. (No downgrade for Cal, whose Hogs upset the ‘Cats in Lexington.) College hoops TV needs way more of the dynamic vibe Carter delivers.
File This Away
Netflix feed for WWE was a mess tonight. Frequent glitching, especially at the end of the show, ruining a big moment. Hadn’t had any issues the first few Netflix weeks. Not sure what happened tonight.
— Chris Vannini (@chrisvannini.com) February 3, 2025 at 10:30 PM
What to Watch: The SB LIX halftime show
It is Kendrick Lamar’s moment — and a coup for Roger Goodell to feature hip-hop’s top superstar during halftime.
The Athletic’s Culture team is bringing back its wildly popular halftime show live blog, so be sure to check the site Sunday night for analysis and the big moments. (For now: set list forecast.)
I slacked Culture editor Damon Sayles to ask which halftime storyline he is most intrigued to see play out:
Name to “Know”: 11-year-old with Skenes card
Why no actual name? Due to (very reasonable!) fears of harassment, the family of The Kid Who Pulled The Card requested anonymity before talking with Larry Holder. This is the industry now. Their first-hand account of the experience is worth your time.
Beat Dan in Connections: Sports Edition
Puzzle #134
🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟡🟡🟡🟡
🟢🟢🟢🟢
🟣🟣🟣🟣
⏱️ 01:12
Try the game here!
Worth Your Time
Great business-adjacent reads for your downtime or commute:
What is Cristiano Ronaldo at 40?
Two more:
📫 Back next Wednesday! This week’s challenge for you: If you’re headed to a Super Bowl watch party, encourage two people there to try MoneyCall (it’s free!) and text them this link to sign up. And check out The Athletic’s other newsletters, too.
(Top photos: Mitchell Leff, David Eulitt / Getty Images)
