See you in catch court
Plus: my nightmare (x2) and the ad we have to discuss.
As I continue to wrap my mind around “Indiana, college football champions,” here are six sports business items worthy of your attention at the start of the (short!) week…
Two Conflicting But Correct Takes 👨⚖️:
We’ve reached the most meaningful football games of the year, which means we’re once again melting down over “what is a catch!?!?”
A controversial Davante Adams grab on Sunday only re-opened the door to more griping over Saturday’s game-altering interception by Broncos corner Ja’Quan McMillian.
The refs got both (admittedly close) calls right, yet the league is still to blame for the fact that fans don’t seem to understand the (admittedly complicated) rules—and network officiating analysts aren’t doing much to help. The biggest issue I see is a conflation of controlling the ball vs. possessing it. In the real world, those are basically the same. But in the NFL rulebook, there’s a chasm between them. Catching the ball is not sufficient to register a completed catch. What’s not to get?
Taking an hour in the offseason to fully debate these controversial calls in a Supreme Court-style setting might help people better grasp the key concepts. At the very least, it would likely rate higher than most other live sporting events on the calendar. And hey, why don’t we make Joe Burrow one of the judges? He seems to get it.
Why The NFL Is So Great 📉: Using win probability models, data shows that NFL games stay unpredictable for longer than MLB, NBA or CFB games. That means closer contests over the course of the season—and more playoff battles that come down to controversial calls.
My Nightmare 😬: There’s probably a typo somewhere in today’s post (if so, I blame the fact that Eben is currently in Davos rather than proofreading). But at least it’s not in the first sentence (hopefully?), and we’re not a $6 billion enterprise (yet) firing our coach.
OK, My Actual Nightmare 😱: Over the course of the college football playoffs, numerous fans noticed (in large part thanks to Awful Announcing) that ESPN’s 4K presentations didn’t include commercials. On Monday night, they got an additional treat: A couple of fans stood in front of the stadium-corner camera that stays on during those ad breaks, seemingly oblivious to the fact they were being watched. At least for a while—midway through the game, the attendees could be seen scrolling through messages showing them on-screen. Then they turned to face their onlookers.1 ESPN ultimately adjusted its cameras but not before the conclusion of a fascinating social experiment.
What I Don’t Have To Worry About 🎴: There appears to be a troubling trend of trading card store robberies and collectible thefts. That’s not all that surprising, given the explosive rise in their value—and the social media spotlight put on those growing prices. Something similar played out in the art world as contemporary pieces began to go for millions in the 1970s. Missing out on the sports card boom finally has at least one benefit: a little more peace of mind.
What Made Me Laugh 🤡: People seem to love ragging on Tom Brady. Which is why I’m surprised more folks aren’t making fun of the noted health nut—who famously cut tomatoes out of his diet entirely—now hawking Pizza Hut? Has Brady’s popularity turned the corner to the point where he can get away with this?
Club Sportico is a community organized by Sportico, a digital media company launched in 2020 to cover the business side of sports. You can read breaking news, smart analysis, and in-depth features from Eben, Jacob and their colleagues at Sportico.com, and listen to the Sporticast podcast wherever you get your audio. Contact us at club@sportico.com.
This is where Eben, killer of fun, would point out that these instances would make for great guerrilla marketing opportunities.