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TV Stations, Leagues And Sponsors Have Changed My Attitude Toward Sports. That's Why I …
Passover has recently ended. For those not of the Jewish faith, Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. During the Passover Seder, four questions are asked, by the youngest person. The answers explain the meaning of Passover to young children.
I’m often asked a fifth question by two younger members of my extended family; Which teams do I root for, given that I watch sports on television and have had a lengthy career in various aspects of the sports industry. My answer is always the same:” I stopped rooting for a team during my early teens, when it became clear to me that the cartels that rule all aspects of the sports world don’t care a hoot about the fans, a belief that was reinforced during my career in the business.
And I told them that the actions of NFL brass regarding the televising of games last season once again corroborates my long held belief.
- Here’s why. But first, I want to go on record regarding two things:
1) I like sports and sports have been very, very good to me, first as a sports reporter and for much of my career as the sports marketing guru at Advance Public Relations, for 10 years, and at Burson-Marseteller, for almost a quarter of a century, before starting my own consultancy and being called in to formulate sports marketing strategies for various PR companies. (Although I must admit that as a sports journalist I couldn’t see myself spending a lifetime writing stories about hits, runs and errors or TDs for the remainder of my working days and asked to be transferred to a more important beat – politics or business. But before that happened the news outlet I worked at ceased publishing and one thing led to another, etc, eventually landing me into the sports marketing PR business.)
2) I’m not a great fan of television. I agree with what Newton Minow said, in part, when he was the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman to the convention of the National Association of Broadcasters on May 9, 1961. “Television is a vast wasteland.” And that was before those ridiculous reality shows became a staple of TV, or those before, mid-game or after games shows in which the “script” is for a coach or player never to say what they really think.
I originally stopped caring about which team won or lost because of the actions of team owners, threatening to move their franchise unless cities would pay for a stadium and raising the prices of tickets so high that many loyal fans couldn’t afford to go to a game, plus pricing hot dogs, peanuts and a drink as if a person was dining at a five star Michelin restaurant, instead of sitting next to foul mouthed, high and drunk fans.
But at least, until cable TV was forced upon viewers, I could sit back in the comfort of my home and watch a sporting event on television (without hearing juiced up fans shouting obscenities that were worse than any I heard during my days in the Army). But, slowly, that has been changing, as I predicted many years ago to the president of a Gillette company, when for eight years I managed its flagship sports marketing event, the fan balloting for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.
Asked what I consider could affect Gillette’s sports marketing sponsorships in the future, I said, “1 – “People not knowing which company was sponsoring an event because of the increasing clutter of brand commercials;” 2 – “The growing popularity of a “minor” sport in the U.S.,” (which in those days was soccer); and 3 – but most important, I said, “Was television’s movement to make audiences pay to watch an event.” That was in the early 1980’s. Today those predictions are now facts. (Paying to see a sporting event on TV began in the 1960’s but has accelerated in the past few years.)
Slowly, but assuredly, paid TV sports events are becoming the norm. I now predict that eventually watching a game on regular broadcast TV will become a rarity.
For several years, “tickets” to some games have been sold by Peacock, Cable and Amazon. The most recent trend of paying to see games occurred on Christmas Day, 2024, when the NFL awarded two games to Netflix, one featuring a halftime show by Beyonce’, (which I’d rather watch instead of listening to play-by-play announcers describe touchdown passes or
interceptions like it was the first time they ever occurred). The day after Christmas another NFL game was televised on Prime. So Christmas Day was not a happy occurrence for fans who couldn’t afford the Netflix “ticket.”
(The subscription service has a three-year deal for exclusive Christmas Day game rights. Not so Merry Christmas for NFL fans.)
On Dec. 24, a post by Fox Sports said, “This Christmas, NFL fans will be given the gift of a double-header for the holiday.” I always thought that gifts should be given without strings attached. But not so for the NFL and its pay to see partners.
A few days later, on Dec. 27, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a story on the first page of its BUSINESS & FINANCE section about the Netflix games that quoted the streaming service’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria. “Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered,” said Ms. Bajaria.
On the same day, on page one of its main section, the WSJ published an article that said holiday spending showed a split, with gains driven by higher income households; lower income ones were squeezed by higher prices. It’s fair to assume that football fans in lower income households were blocked from having a Merry Football Christmas by the money hungry NFL, which sold its games to Netflix despite what Ms. Bajaria. said.
In its Dec. 28-29 edition, the WSJ published another article headlined, “Netflix’s Big Game Is Just Getting Started.” Football fans looking for information about details of the Christmas Day games had to be disappointed. The entire article was about Netflix’s entry into the pay-to-see sports business and said, “The NFL broadcast and last week’s deal to stream the next two women’s World Cup events suggest Netflix is finally on the verge of becoming a major player in live sports.”
It’s only a matter of time that what is considered “free” TV sporting events will not be available to viewers. But in actuality people have been paying to see “free” sporting events for decades; the ticket prices are included in monthly cable bills.
It’s been decades since beer commercials were allowed on NFL (and other leagues) TV games broadcasts. Then a few years ago, hard liquor commercials were added to the mix, followed by gambling commercials.
The Christmas Day present delivered to NFL fans by the leagues, sports marketing sponsors and television stations was “a devil’s choice:”
Subscribe to those pay-to-see services or forgo those Netflix games and, instead, use the money to bet on one of the legalized bookie concerns that are prevalent on TV sports events. And while you’re deciding what to do, “Drink responsibly,” – but drink.
Even though I’m still playing the same price for a “sports package,” which is forced upon me by my cable operator, Optimum, and for the last few years have not been able to see games that are not televised on cable since the trend to streaming is picking up and blocking out previously available games, I’ve yet to receive a refund from Optimum. Less games, higher costs to customers seem to be their business plan.
As for me, my feelings regarding the teams that win or lose on Christmas Day next year, or any other year, can best be expressed by my saying “”Bah humbug.”
Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller, and was responsible for restructuring, managing and playing key roles in some of the most significant national and international sports and non-sports programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent contributor to public relations publications, consults on public relations projects and was on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He has been a key player on Olympic marketing programs and also has worked at high-level positions directly for Olympic organizations. During his political agency days, he worked on local, statewide and presidential campaigns. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr@juno.com.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes football program was selected Sunday to the 2025 College Football Playoff, receiving an at-large bid to secure the team’s first-ever trip to the CFP.
The Hurricanes are seeded tenth in the CFP field and will travel to College Station, Texas, to face seventh-seeded Texas A&M on Saturday, Dec. 20, at noon ET on ABC.
“We are excited to be making our first appearance in the College Football Playoff,” Vice President/Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “Congratulations to Mario Cristobal, our coaching staff and our student-athletes on a terrific regular season that was justly rewarded by the CFP Committee. We look forward to facing Texas A&M in the opening round and I know Miami fans will make their presence felt in College Station.”
Miami (10-2) closed the regular season as one of the most complete teams in the country, ranking second in the ACC in scoring offense at 34.1 points per game while leading the league in scoring defense at just 13.8 points allowed per contest. The Hurricanes also led the ACC in total defense, surrendering only 277.8 yards per game.
On offense, Miami averaged 425.8 yards per game. The Hurricanes posted 5,110 total yards with 50 total touchdowns across 12 games, including 27 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing scores.
Through the air, Miami led the ACC in passing efficiency at 165.47 while completing 73.88 percent of its throws for 3,310 yards. Defensively, Miami held opponents to just 86.8 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the ACC, while allowing only 190.9 passing yards per contest.
To stay up to date with the University of Miami football team, be sure to follow @canesfootball on Instagram, X and Facebook.
I am not an Ole Miss fan… Hail State. So, when Lane Kiffin left for LSU, “ne’er a tear fell.” Most likely, the same could have been said about our Egg Bowl rivals when Dan Mullen left MSU to go coach at Florida in 2017, leaving the Dawgs without a head coach for the TaxSlayer Bowl.
It’s just something about having a winning season that gets our Mississippi coaches snapped up for bigger and better things.
As history has shown us, however, these grandiose positions don’t always pan out. But as luck would have it for these men, the money keeps rolling in thanks to lucrative contracts that payout even when you’re fired.
Life is just not fair!
I guess some of you may be curious as to why I am even bringing up this topic. It’s not like I am any kind of football fanatic or guru.
Sure, I enjoy watching a game now and again, particularly when Mississippi State is having a winning season — I guess you can deduce that it’s not been too often these days — but what little enjoyment I have had in the past is certainly waning. And it seems this Kiffin contract is becoming the nail in the coffin.
Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari expressed a desire for the NCAA to adjust its eligibility rules when talking Saturday about aging rosters in the era of NIL and revenue sharing.
Calipari was asked Saturday what he thought about recent upsets including Gonzaga’s Friday blowout of Kentucky, Louisville’s Saturday upset of Indiana and Iowa State’s dominant Saturday win over Purdue.
“There are a lot of older gentlemen with beards playing basketball in college right now,” Calipari answered after the Razorbacks’ 82-58 Saturday win over Fresno State. “There are. So, the one that’s crazy, and the guy comes in, and he’s waving to his kids up in the seats. And you’re like, ‘Wait a minute. The guy’s got two kids. He’s still playing college basketball.’
“Crazy thing. He’s using NIL for his first wife’s alimony, and now he’s still playing college basketball. Are we nuts? So now you have these kinds of games, and these kind of scores.”
Calipari went on to estimate that the Razorbacks will be “one of the three youngest teams in the SEC” this season.
The head coach told reporters that creates mismatches with older teams both on mental and physical levels.
“Last year every team was old in our league. They were old,” Calipari said. “And so now, you’re going to have those kind of things. And you’re also going to have a team, like a Fresno, beat somebody because they’ve got all grad students, seniors, and their average age is 25, and your average age is 19 or 20.
“So, until we fix the eligibility thing, this is what it is.”
Average ages in men’s college basketball have been trending upward for the past decade.
The average age of starters in the Sweet 16 rose from 20.8 to 21.6 between 2019 and 2025, per Lev Akabas of Sportico.
Auburn’s starters had an average age of 23.2, which made the Tigers rotation older than the starting lineups of five NBA teams at the time, per Akabas.
That trend could become even more dramatic if the NCAA considers giving athletes an additional year of eligibility without a redshirt, which The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. and Ralph D. Russo reported in October some football and basketball coaches were expecting in the near future.
The NCAA answered with a memo in October stating that current eligibility rules giving athletes five years to play four seasons would remain in place at least through the 2026-27 academic year, per Khan and Russo.
The final College Football Playoff rankings have arrived, revealing the 12-team field selected by the committee along with the teams which just missed the cut. As conversation rages on about multiple bubble teams and their case to play into the postseason, the bracket is now set in stone.
The five highest-rated conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the field, but not a first-round bye. The remaining seven bids will be filled by seven at-large qualifiers who can be slotted according to their ranking.
A slight shift from last season’s format, this brings added clarity to the process throughout the season and ensures the top teams will benefit from their resume. Those who finish between 5-12 will participate in the first round, hosted by the higher seed before subsequent rounds are played at traditional bowl sites.
With all the data in, here is how the selection committee ranked the Top 25 teams and their spot in the upcoming 12-team College Football Playoff. Even with everything set, there is sure to be plenty more debate over the decisions.
Indiana finishes the season 13-0, winning its first Big Ten Championship in more than 50 years over Ohio State. For Curt Cignetti’s team, that victory all but sealed the No. 1 overall seed as the only undefeated team left in college football.
Now, they’ll top the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time. This team is firmly in the national title race.
Ohio State suffered a loss in the Big Ten Championship, dropping them to 12-1 on the season. Ryan Day’s team falls from the No. 1 spot it held for most of the season but remains high enough to secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Just like last season, they’ll go into the bracket with a loss in their final game before the postseason. Is it time to say, “repeat season?”
Georgia was crowned the SEC Champion after avenging its only loss of the season against Alabama, bringing them to 12-1 in total. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs will lock up a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff as a result.
Georgia looked dominant in their win over the Crimson Tide. That’s the type of defense that can win you a national championship as Smart looks for his third as head coach.
Texas Tech picked up a second win over BYU this season, helping the Red Raiders lift the Big 12 title at 12-1. Joey McGuire’s team will secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff as a result, paving their path forward in the postseason.
Speaking of a defense that’s dominant, Texas Tech has it. Jacob Rodriguez is in the Heisman conversation and he’ll look to add a national title to the Red Raiders trophy case.
Oregon is the top-ranked team which sat idle on conference championship weekend, standing behind their 11-1 record. Dan Lanning and his team will be able to host a first-round matchup as a result of the seeding.
Eugene should be on fire for the College Football Playoff in a couple of weeks. After getting a bye last season, Oregon will go right away in this year’s postseason.
Ole Miss finished 11-1 before head coach Lane Kiffin left for the LSU job, leaving the postseason in flux. Now, Pete Golding leads his team into the College Football Playoff with a chance to host the first round in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Aggies finished 11-1 this season and a loss to Texas kept them out of the SEC Championship. Still, they have made the College Football Playoff for the first time and will get a home game in College Station.
Mike Elko and crew will have a chance to rectify any errors at the end of the regular season. And if they win at home, they’ll take on the defending national champs: Ohio State.
Oklahoma finished the regular season 10-2, a good enough mark to keep them safely in the postseason picture. Brent Venables’ team will now host a first-round matchup after seeing the teams behind them playing in championship weekend lose.
Oklahoma gets the spot above Alabama, whom they will play in the first round in Norman. The Sooners beat them in the regular season so it’s officially time for a rematch for the right to play Indiana.
Alabama lost in the SEC Championship, dropping their final record to 10-3 before the selection committee met to rank the Top 25 teams. The Crimson Tide pitched their case behind Kalen DeBoer and argued conference championship weekend as additive.
They weren’t penalized though and DeBoer returns to the College Football Playoff, this time in Crimson colors. They’ll have a chance to get payback against Oklahoma in the first round.
Miami has made its head-to-head case throughout the season against Notre Dame, with the selection committee answering for the movement each week. Mario Cristobal’s team sat idle on conference championship week, but continued to be the center of bubble conversation.
So now, they’ll be in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Because of the conference championship results, the committee ultimately decided to reevaluate the bubble teams and came to the conclusion the Hurricanes were worthy this year.
The Fighting Irish were the first team left out of the College Football Playoff. Due to their head to head loss against Miami back on August 31st, the committee reevaluated the data as they were pitted against one another Sunday.
Since the rankings dictated both the Hurricanes and Irish were right next to each other, Miami would get the nod due to their win. The Irish won 10 in a row to conclude the year, but they’ll be subject to a high profile bowl game instead of the CFP.
BYU’s loss in the Big 12 title game basically ended any hopes of a College Football Playoff bid this season. The Cougars had to beat Texas Tech in order to get into the bracket.
They were on the outside looking in going into Saturday, so they would’ve needed some sort of miracle in order to land a bid this year. Kalani Sitake’s crew will go into a bowl game at 11-2.
13. Texas
14. Vanderbilt
15. Utah
16. USC
17. Arizona
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Tulane (College Football Playoff No. 11 seed)
21. Houston
22. Georgia Tech
23. Iowa
24. James Madison (College Football Playoff No. 12 seed)
25. North Texas
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will make its first appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day as the Big 12 champion Red Raiders were announced Sunday as the No. 4 seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
The Red Raiders will receive a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff and await the winner of the 5/12 matchup between No. 5 Oregon and No. 12 James Madison. Oregon (11-1) was an at-large selection into the College Football Playoff and will host James Madison (12-1), the champion of the Sun Belt Conference, in the opening round at a date and time to be determined later this afternoon.
Kickoff between the winner of that game and the Red Raiders is slated for 11 a.m. CT on Jan. 1 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Hard Rock Stadium is also the site of this year’s CFP National Championship Game, which pits the winner of the semifinal matchups at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
“This has been the goal of this program the entire season – to win the Big 12 title and play in the College Football Playoff,” head coach Joey McGuire said. “To be able to achieve that goal and play in such as prestigious event like the Orange Bowl is an added chapter to the story this team continues to write. We’re thankful to get a first-round bye to be able rest our team and get ready for either a very talented Oregon or James Madison team.”
Texas Tech’s path to the College Football Playoff is one rarely seen in college football season with 12 victories by 20-plus points. The Red Raiders, who improved to 12-1 overall with a 34-7 victory Saturday over previously-No. 11 BYU in the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship, joined the 2018 Alabama team as the only programs in the Associated Press era (since 1936) to record at least 12 wins in a season by 20-plus points prior to the bowl game.
Texas Tech’s second win over BYU this season Saturday secured the Red Raiders’ first Big 12 title and their first outright conference crown since winning the Border Conference in 1955. The win placed Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff for the first time, continuing a memorable season for the Red Raiders, who have already set a new school record with 12 wins behind a stifling defense and a high-scoring offense.
“On behalf of our entire athletics department and university, Texas Tech is excited to make its first appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “As a former resident of the Miami area, myself, I know Red Raider Nation will enjoy the hospitality and entertainment the Orange Bowl is known for and turn South Beach into West Texas.”
Ticket requests for the Capital One Orange Bowl are now being accepted from Red Raider Club members and current season ticket holders. Due to limited ticket inventory, Texas Tech will allow only eight requested tickets per Red Raider Club account at the $5,000 level or above and then four tickets for all other accounts. As a reminder, College Football Playoff tickets are not guaranteed and will be filled based on Red Raider Club priority points, while tickets remain.
Red Raider Club members and current season tickets holders can submit ticket requests now by logging into their account on TexasTech.com. The Texas Tech Ticket Office will open at 8:30 a.m. Monday and can be reached at 806-742-TECH for any College Football Playoff ticket information.
Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss Rebels capped the regular season with a Week 14 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The victory was almost overshadowed by the drama of coach Lane Kiffin leaving for the LSU Tigers vacancy.
However, at 11-1, the Rebels’ national championship hopes are very much alive. ESPN’s FPI gives Ole Miss a 100% chance of making the College Football Playoff.
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Much of the team’s success is tied to Chambliss. He has completed 218-of-333 passes for 3,016 yards, 18 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 157.6 passer rating. He’s also rushed for 470 yards and six touchdowns on 118 carries.
Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The Rebels’ successful season has created numerous name, image and likeness licensing opportunities for the redshirt senior. On Thursday, he teased a new partnership. Chambliss revealed his newest NIL deal with AT&T in a joint Instagram post on Saturday.
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“Y’all had eyes on the wrong transfer #ATTInfluencer #ad,” the caption read.
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Chambliss has capitalized on a deal with a company as recognizable as AT&T. On3 estimates his NIL valuation is at $665,000, which is estimated to be the 54th highest among college football quarterbacks.
It’s the fourth highest among Ole Miss players, behind offensive tackle Diego Pounds ($1.6 million), edge Princewill Umanmielen ($1.1 million) and running back Kewan Lacy ($927,000).
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This is Chambliss’ final year of eligibility. That means time is running out for him to take advantage of more NIL deals while at Ole Miss.
In the most recent College Football Playoff selection committee rankings, the Rebels earned the No. 6 spot. Chambliss and Ole Miss now await the final rankings, which will be announced at noon ET on Sunday on ESPN.
Related: Deion Sanders, Colorado Suffer Transfer Portal Blow on Friday
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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