Latest news with #BenFischer
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chargers opted not to protect Chiefs game from being picked for Brazil
The Chargers could have kept their "home" game against the Chiefs at home. They decided not to. The league reportedly has picked the Chiefs to be the Week 1 Friday night opponent for the Chargers in Brazil. The Chiefs game was not one of the two home games that Chargers chose to protect. Advertisement As recently explained by Ben Fischer and Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, teams exporting home games to the international series can protect up to two games. The Chargers, per the report, did not protect any of their three AFC West home games. The Chargers host the Chiefs, Broncos, and Raiders every year. They opted to focus on teams that visit less frequently, with the Steelers, Commanders, and Eagles specifically named as the games the Chargers were more inclined to protect. The specific two the Chargers protected haven't been identified. It doesn't matter. If the report that it will be the Chiefs is accurate (the official announcement comes Tuesday morning), the Chiefs game goes to São Paulo, and the other eight (Steelers, Eagles, Commanders, Texans, Colts, Vikings, Raiders, and Broncos) will stay at SoFi.
NBC Sports
18-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
YouTube, WBD, Amazon show interest in Brazil game
For the second straight season, the NFL's opening weekend will feature a Friday night game in Brazil. The TV rights for the game have not yet been awarded. Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal reports that YouTube, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Amazon are interested in the game. YouTube, per Fischer, is regarded by some to be the favorite. Last year, the game streamed on Peacock. This year's deal could include a Week 17 game. The NFL is able to play on the opening Friday of the season when it lands on the first Friday in September. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1960 exchanged a broadcast antitrust exemption for a requirement to avoid broadcasting games on Friday night or Saturday from the second weekend in September through the second weekend in December. The Chargers will host this year's game in Brazil. Its opponent has yet to be announced.
NBC Sports
07-04-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
NFLPA hires Liz Allen to serve as new chief external affairs officer
Last week, the NFL hired a new general counsel. This week, the NFL Players Association has hired a new spokesperson. Via Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, Washington insider Liz Allen will be the union's new chief external affairs officer. She'll oversee communications and public affairs. She replaces George Atallah, who left in January after more than 15 years. 'As we navigate the rapid pace of change in our sport, [Allen's] experience will help us elevate our members' voices and clearly convey their priorities, driving a more player-centric future for the NFL,' NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said in a statement. Allen has worked in both the Biden and Obama administrations. 'The 2,200 members of the NFLPA are the heart and soul of America's most popular sport, and they must play a leading role in determining how football evolves safely and sustainably,' Allen said, via Fischer. 'I'm eager to join the NFLPA and stand alongside our staff and members in this fight.' In theory, there's no real fight to be had until March 2031, when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. With the league planning to start negotiations for an 18th game as soon as June 2025, however, things could get interesting in the short term, as the NFLPA has to decide whether to refuse the overtures or to agree to an extra game in exchange for commensurate concessions.
NBC Sports
31-03-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
NFL considers moving Sunday games to Thursday night with only three weeks' notice
The NFL is considering switching games from Sunday to Thursday with only three weeks' notice. Owners will vote today on a measure that would change the league's flexible scheduling rules, according to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal. If the measure passes, a game could be moved from Sunday to Thursday only 21 days in advance. Currently games must be moved 28 days in advance. The league originally passed a rule in 2023 that would allow one or two games to be moved from Sunday to Thursday in Weeks 13-17, as long as the announcement was made 28 days in advance. That year, no games were flexed. In 2024 the league kept the rule in place and flexed one Thursday night, swapping out the originally scheduled Bengals-Browns game in Week 16 for a better Broncos-Chargers game. Flexible scheduling is a great deal for Amazon's Prime Video, the league's TV partner for Thursday Night Football, which gets a better game to show. It's also good for fans who want a better game in prime time. But it's a lousy deal for ticket holders, many of whom plan travel around supporting their favorite teams only to have their travel plans ruined because the NFL changes the date of the game. The scheduling rule will only change if 24 teams vote to change it.
NBC Sports
16-03-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Roughly 34 NFLPA employees took buyout offer
Earlier this year, the NFL Players Association offered buyouts to approximately half of its 150 employees. Approximately half of the eligible employees opted to make a voluntary exit. Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal recently reported that 'roughly 34' employees have accepted the buyout. They left on February 28, reducing the overall workforce by 23 percent. And involuntary cuts remain possible, per Fischer. Fischer adds that some NFLPA employees 'were perturbed' by the perception that executive director Lloyd Howell has given 'evolving explanations' for the need to shrink the workforce. When the package was first unveiled, Howell justified it as a financial necessity. During Super Bowl Week, he said the financial position is 'adequate,' explaining that players wanted 'more sophisticated' support and communication from the union. There's another possibility. This could be nothing more than another D.C. DOGE-ing of a payroll. Cutting for the sake of saving without regard to whether the savings will carry with them a much greater cost. Regardless, a chainsaw has been taken to the NFLPA workforce — and more cutting could be coming.
