1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,600
Speaker 1: Hello, I'm Scottsnik and I'm Michael Barr, and this is

2
00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,880
Speaker 1: the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast where two thirds of

3
00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:09,360
Speaker 1: we we say we we did it, We did it.

4
00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,959
Speaker 1: Evans like backpacking in Canada. He does this every year.

5
00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,720
Speaker 1: Oh that's right, Yeah, he and his boys go to

6
00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,919
Speaker 1: Canada and you know, do stuff in the frigid cale

7
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,520
Speaker 1: do lll being catalog looking stuff. You know. You know

8
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,280
Speaker 1: what Evan said he wanted for his birthday like two

9
00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,000
Speaker 1: years ago, like a little hand hatchet, you know that

10
00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:31,880
Speaker 1: that that you know with a cool handle and that

11
00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,760
Speaker 1: that's lows for that well, you know it had to

12
00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,120
Speaker 1: be the cool handle whatever. They all have cool handles.

13
00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,159
Speaker 1: You haven't been out to his cabine in the Poconos,

14
00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,360
Speaker 1: have you can't believe? Well you you right that? How

15
00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,320
Speaker 1: have you not been there? I'd be insulted. First of all,

16
00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:51,920
Speaker 1: you got to come to the Poconos and come see us. Yes,

17
00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:53,320
Speaker 1: by the way, I had to do in the Super

18
00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:58,080
Speaker 1: Bowl box pool. I'll let your breath. Uh, let's say

19
00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,360
Speaker 1: I won the first too and the second to one

20
00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:08,200
Speaker 1: by congratulations. Everybody associated with the show except for me.

21
00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,160
Speaker 1: I like your thought though you said you're gonna put

22
00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,560
Speaker 1: your name next to my box. Yes, I wanted to

23
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,560
Speaker 1: be close to you because I figured you'd be close

24
00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:23,600
Speaker 1: to winning. But you are got a lot got issues

25
00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,399
Speaker 1: to talk about. But there's really only one Super Bowl.

26
00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,800
Speaker 1: Congratulations to the New England Patriots. They beat the Los

27
00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:37,240
Speaker 1: Angeles Rams in the lower three? Were you thinking this

28
00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,680
Speaker 1: is as the game is going, are you thinking like

29
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,840
Speaker 1: this is boring to you? Think that? No, you don't

30
00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,320
Speaker 1: what see this is? And I'm in the minority about

31
00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,480
Speaker 1: this because I like a good defensive game and it was,

32
00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:53,600
Speaker 1: you know, not three Patriots up at halftime. And it's listen,

33
00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:58,840
Speaker 1: some of the greatest plays in the history of football

34
00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,760
Speaker 1: came from low scoring games. The Immaculate Reception. It was

35
00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:09,240
Speaker 1: seven six, they were behind the Steelers, behind the Raiders,

36
00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,920
Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, Frank o'harris who was

37
00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,400
Speaker 1: a rookie at the time, it happens and then they

38
00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:16,600
Speaker 1: win the game. So I mean this, I like the

39
00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,080
Speaker 1: graphic that win Romo went through it punt punt, punt

40
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,280
Speaker 1: that it was like nine punts. Yeah, they only had

41
00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,280
Speaker 1: like five plays on one drive. You a punt punch

42
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:26,639
Speaker 1: had a good job punting. By the way, that was good.

43
00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,000
Speaker 1: I was thinking the m v P could be the

44
00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:29,840
Speaker 1: puncher if they win this game, like six three could

45
00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,919
Speaker 1: have been the Yeah. I don't know his name, but

46
00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,919
Speaker 1: it could have been. Could have been a punch I wish.

47
00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,160
Speaker 1: I know. Look, you know, I know people when they

48
00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,480
Speaker 1: go see baseball games, they would love to see an

49
00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,080
Speaker 1: eleven ten baseball game. But sometimes you got pictures duels,

50
00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,720
Speaker 1: and this is a defensive duel. Is what you kind

51
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,639
Speaker 1: of had? You did? I mean, this is Belichick at

52
00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,200
Speaker 1: his best. This is what he does. Right. He gave

53
00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,560
Speaker 1: Belichick two weeks to prepare. Yes, that's the standard line.

54
00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,160
Speaker 1: Brady didn't look too good either. No, he didn't. No,

55
00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:02,600
Speaker 1: you know, I thought he missed some passes. He know,

56
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:04,440
Speaker 1: it wasn't just pressure, Like there were a couple of

57
00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,880
Speaker 1: passes he normally hits and he missed. I know the

58
00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,640
Speaker 1: Saints fans are thinking if we got there, that's what

59
00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,119
Speaker 1: they're thinking. We would be winning. That is what they're thinking.

60
00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,359
Speaker 1: I don't have the numbers yet for New Orleans because

61
00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,840
Speaker 1: I'm curious to see what the ratings were in New Orleans.

62
00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:24,160
Speaker 1: But overall, the overnight which is the fast rating, that's

63
00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,640
Speaker 1: the lowest since the Steelers and the Cardinals in two

64
00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,960
Speaker 1: thousand and nine. Yeah, Boston did a fifty seven four

65
00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,600
Speaker 1: l A six, So I find it interesting that l

66
00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:38,720
Speaker 1: A at six was lower than the national average. Unlike

67
00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,400
Speaker 1: Kevin dem Off on our show saying l A is captivated,

68
00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:42,760
Speaker 1: it seems like they had some other things to do.

69
00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,480
Speaker 1: And I wonder about that because, well, because it was.

70
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,520
Speaker 1: There was also a thing where I think they were

71
00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:51,080
Speaker 1: saying that Netflix streaming was at its lowest when the

72
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,360
Speaker 1: super Bowl was on. But at the same time too,

73
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,120
Speaker 1: it's like, you know, people were watching other things. So

74
00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,760
Speaker 1: and I think part of it is because I mean,

75
00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,040
Speaker 1: my time that the Patriots have been to the super Bowl,

76
00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,440
Speaker 1: you got some Pats fatigue. Do you think it's a

77
00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,520
Speaker 1: little Pats fatigue? But I always do this. I call

78
00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,000
Speaker 1: it like the Howard Stern effect. Howard Stern had great

79
00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:14,960
Speaker 1: ratings because half the people love them, half the people

80
00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,960
Speaker 1: hate him, and then I know it doesn't make mathematical sense.

81
00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:19,440
Speaker 1: I had a little bit in the middle there and

82
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,280
Speaker 1: wanted to see what he'd say next. So the Patriots,

83
00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,359
Speaker 1: you're tuning because you want to see him lose. So

84
00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,640
Speaker 1: you're just rooting for because think about this and I

85
00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,400
Speaker 1: don't remember who made this point, but it is a

86
00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:32,200
Speaker 1: fun one to consider that you would would you not

87
00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,360
Speaker 1: agree that the general sports fan was pulling for the Rams.

88
00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,840
Speaker 1: They want to see the Patriots your general right. This

89
00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,560
Speaker 1: is an owner, a multibillionaire owner, who ripped his team

90
00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,400
Speaker 1: away from St. Louis to go, you know, and yeah,

91
00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,359
Speaker 1: he's the good guy. Yeah, oh the Ram that the

92
00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,800
Speaker 1: ready anybody but the Patriots. There's a lot of stand

93
00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,560
Speaker 1: cronky hatred out there if you're in St. Louis, man,

94
00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,799
Speaker 1: and I get it, because the this was your team.

95
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,080
Speaker 1: You supported the team, you were behind it. All of

96
00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,760
Speaker 1: a sudden, here come the Mayflowers and then, well, let's

97
00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,360
Speaker 1: not forget that. The Patriots also had a press conference

98
00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,479
Speaker 1: once on the city hall steps in Hartford saying we're

99
00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,800
Speaker 1: moving to Hartford. And that's so. This is sort of

100
00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,640
Speaker 1: the playbook for professional sports. And if nothing else, if

101
00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,000
Speaker 1: people listen to this show, but I'd like them to

102
00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,760
Speaker 1: take out of this show is to forget the notion

103
00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:32,960
Speaker 1: of these teams as civic trusts. I hate it when

104
00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,760
Speaker 1: owners say, you know, I'm just a steward of the franchise.

105
00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,320
Speaker 1: It really belongs to the fans. No, it does that,

106
00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,640
Speaker 1: all right, it's a Walmart, it's it's it's just like

107
00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,200
Speaker 1: any other business, folks, So you should approach it as such.

108
00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:53,120
Speaker 1: Don't get your heartbroken when it leaves. See, this is

109
00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,440
Speaker 1: we we fall for the Oky Dog as a fan

110
00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,359
Speaker 1: about that. You know, well, what team is it? That

111
00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,080
Speaker 1: the Marlins and they they win and then all of

112
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:08,200
Speaker 1: a sudden they sell off all the parts and they

113
00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,160
Speaker 1: that's what happened. This is it's a business, folks. It's

114
00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:15,200
Speaker 1: the business of sports. And as we heard from Kevin

115
00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,560
Speaker 1: and other guests, is real estate. There's media. Yes, the

116
00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:23,240
Speaker 1: teams are the centerpiece. However, these folks, these owners these

117
00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,279
Speaker 1: days and Demo said this, and others have said this

118
00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,920
Speaker 1: as well. They run this like they do their core business.

119
00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,160
Speaker 1: It's not okay if it's losing money. If if they're

120
00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:35,760
Speaker 1: winning Super Bowls, winning World Series, but they're losing money

121
00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,960
Speaker 1: for most owners, that's not okay. See, and you know,

122
00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:44,120
Speaker 1: I'm going to bring the trade into this. Remember the Tigers, Yeah,

123
00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:46,880
Speaker 1: when they made it to the World Series and that

124
00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,400
Speaker 1: team I'm trying to I forgot the year, like you know,

125
00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:54,479
Speaker 1: like oh something whatever. When they had Max Scherzer you

126
00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,960
Speaker 1: had J. D. Martinez justin Verlander. I mean, I can

127
00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,640
Speaker 1: go on in all on and it's like this team

128
00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:05,320
Speaker 1: can't lose. Is like wait till next year, and all

129
00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,480
Speaker 1: of a sudden people started going out left and right.

130
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:10,120
Speaker 1: By the way, you want me to bring up Detroit?

131
00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:12,840
Speaker 1: How about me bringing a little Detroit into this. You've

132
00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,040
Speaker 1: got Tom Gores. You know he runs uh Platinum Equity,

133
00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:17,960
Speaker 1: and we've been talking about the r s N S.

134
00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,880
Speaker 1: So Tom Gorse, from what I'm told, Platinum Equity Equity

135
00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,560
Speaker 1: wanted the Fox Sports Detroit. Makes perfect sense. He's got

136
00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,080
Speaker 1: the team there. Um. Liberty Media owns the Atlanta Braves.

137
00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,280
Speaker 1: John Malone they wanted the Fox Sports South. That makes

138
00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,560
Speaker 1: sense that the team is there, um, but seems like

139
00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,440
Speaker 1: the sailor isn't gonna be piece mail. It's like take

140
00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,240
Speaker 1: one rs N S or don't take anything. So now

141
00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,920
Speaker 1: you may have Gores and Platinum and John Malone and

142
00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:48,640
Speaker 1: Liberty teaming up to perhaps go after rs N S.

143
00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:50,920
Speaker 1: There's gonna be a Rockey month in that RSN sales

144
00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:56,000
Speaker 1: very interesting, that is, and see rs NS and people

145
00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,520
Speaker 1: we we cannot forget and then we get slapped in reality.

146
00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,920
Speaker 1: How valuable of a commodity. The rs ns are well yeah,

147
00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,440
Speaker 1: I mean yes, spits out about five million dollars in

148
00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,920
Speaker 1: ibada um. But there's risk. Now in a world of

149
00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:16,320
Speaker 1: cord cutting, you have to wonder how much leverage do

150
00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:21,360
Speaker 1: you have with the cable operators. So he going by

151
00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:22,800
Speaker 1: the window right now, I'm not to bang on the window.

152
00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:30,400
Speaker 1: The Wilpons are going by. Hold one second, all right,

153
00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:31,720
Speaker 1: that's I just want to say how to jeffre and

154
00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,480
Speaker 1: Fred Wilpon by the window right? No, right by that

155
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,560
Speaker 1: You never know what's going on who's walking by, So

156
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,600
Speaker 1: keep our heads up and there go to Wilpon um.

157
00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,760
Speaker 1: So you just don't know right now. A lot of

158
00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:45,760
Speaker 1: these rs ns are on your basic tier, so they

159
00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,320
Speaker 1: have the full distribution and you get your whatever the

160
00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,040
Speaker 1: prices per month per subscriber. Do the math. But if

161
00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,760
Speaker 1: you're not on that basic tier, that number comes down dramatically.

162
00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:56,800
Speaker 1: So is one of the bidders in this thing told

163
00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:01,400
Speaker 1: me this is a risky business. Now at juncture, this

164
00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,679
Speaker 1: is a risky business. This is not a slam dun Well.

165
00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,840
Speaker 1: What I don't understand though, is it so you brought

166
00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,440
Speaker 1: up the scenario where you can get a consortium, I guess,

167
00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:17,679
Speaker 1: and which makes perfect sense. So why why don't we

168
00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:22,840
Speaker 1: see that more with other major ones like with maybe, Uh,

169
00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:28,079
Speaker 1: I'm trying to pick a major city with Baseball that's

170
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,080
Speaker 1: only one because that's only one network. Here, you're talking

171
00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,600
Speaker 1: about twenty one networks, and you're gonna need far distribution

172
00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:38,800
Speaker 1: in these sort of get togethers, the strategic partner and

173
00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,720
Speaker 1: in this Clay in this case right now, it seems

174
00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,000
Speaker 1: like Sinclair is the big one, and obviously Liberty would

175
00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,480
Speaker 1: be as well. You need some heft behind you, even

176
00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,920
Speaker 1: if you're Apollo or somebody else, you know, big, big money.

177
00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,560
Speaker 1: You need a distribution guerilla next to you to make

178
00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:56,920
Speaker 1: sure that you're going to have at least some decent

179
00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,839
Speaker 1: distribution here. But but I get that that you're talking about,

180
00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,960
Speaker 1: But why can't you have a consortium for each individual market?

181
00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,240
Speaker 1: Is what I'm trying. But you could have just not

182
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,680
Speaker 1: needed like the Yankees can do. Yes. I mean they're

183
00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,400
Speaker 1: they're even bringing in capital partners here that they're Ontario Teachers, Amazon,

184
00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,839
Speaker 1: because this is a reimagined thing. Now, what is Yes

185
00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,000
Speaker 1: gonna look like in five ten years? It's gonna be

186
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,600
Speaker 1: an app it's gonna be O T T. I had

187
00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,200
Speaker 1: somebody tell me that by and you can tell me

188
00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:27,080
Speaker 1: yes or no, bar By. This person wanted to bet

189
00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,040
Speaker 1: me the NBA because the NBA is more willing to

190
00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,040
Speaker 1: take risk. They were the first to take everything to cable.

191
00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:39,600
Speaker 1: The NBA will be one O T T. I could

192
00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:43,840
Speaker 1: see that, No, I could. I could see that. Okay,

193
00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,640
Speaker 1: And and they're doing their micro transactions now, O T T.

194
00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,440
Speaker 1: You want to buy the last quartering by the fourth quarter, Okay,

195
00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,079
Speaker 1: you want to buy the first Okay, but that's the

196
00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,200
Speaker 1: world we're heading into. That's the easiest sport to do.

197
00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,280
Speaker 1: The O T T just like that. Well, they were

198
00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,600
Speaker 1: the first O T T. The the NBA League Pass.

199
00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,160
Speaker 1: People forget this league pass was the first. O T No,

200
00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,400
Speaker 1: you're right, but I mean, but football is going to

201
00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,240
Speaker 1: be the easiest to do because simply a lot of

202
00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,480
Speaker 1: people like, let me check on the fourth quarter. I mean, yes,

203
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,960
Speaker 1: I know they do that with the NBA whatever, but

204
00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,120
Speaker 1: let's compare it. Let's put it this way. Let's compare

205
00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,640
Speaker 1: to to the Super Bowl. People just want to see

206
00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,000
Speaker 1: what the fourth quarter was because they thought it was boring. Yeah,

207
00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:22,800
Speaker 1: but if you're betting. You want more than that, and

208
00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:24,720
Speaker 1: that's what we got to see. What's the engagement, right,

209
00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,240
Speaker 1: I want the whole thing. But if you can go

210
00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,000
Speaker 1: O T T and streaming a whole betting product, yeah, absolutely. Well,

211
00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,680
Speaker 1: now that the NFL season is in the books, the

212
00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:37,560
Speaker 1: league could be looking for a rule change after the

213
00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:42,360
Speaker 1: controversial no call, he said, he brought up the stats

214
00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,640
Speaker 1: and you were bringing up the stole time was man

215
00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,840
Speaker 1: in the NFC championship games. He used to wear bags

216
00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:51,240
Speaker 1: on their heads. I remember that the arch Manning area. Yeah,

217
00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,040
Speaker 1: they used to wear bags on their heads. But that,

218
00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:57,079
Speaker 1: you know, the stuff change. The Saints beat us H,

219
00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,480
Speaker 1: you know, with the Detroit Lions of the longest kick

220
00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,680
Speaker 1: in the history, Tom Demsey. I'll never forget that. Don't

221
00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:07,400
Speaker 1: get me started. Uh. Bloomberg Radio producer Rich Truman caught

222
00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:10,880
Speaker 1: up with Rich McKay and he's the Falcons president and chairman,

223
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,360
Speaker 1: as you know, of the NFL Competition Committee at the

224
00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,280
Speaker 1: Super Bowl in Atlanta. To get the tales. It's a

225
00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,640
Speaker 1: call that you want called. Everybody would expect that to

226
00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,200
Speaker 1: be called. Um. One thing about big games, UH have

227
00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,080
Speaker 1: been fortunate enough to be around a lot of them,

228
00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,400
Speaker 1: growing up and then in my professional career is you know,

229
00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,240
Speaker 1: there is that tendency not to throw flags because you know,

230
00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,360
Speaker 1: you kind of have it in the officials mind of listening.

231
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:35,520
Speaker 1: You don't want to be the one to side in

232
00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,440
Speaker 1: this game, so you better, you better really see what

233
00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,439
Speaker 1: you see. And that's why in those in those championship games,

234
00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,960
Speaker 1: it's interesting we always end up with, you know, ten

235
00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,720
Speaker 1: or twelve fouls a game. A regular season game, it's

236
00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,160
Speaker 1: sixteen to seventeen fouls a game. And there's a reason, right,

237
00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,679
Speaker 1: they'll tell you, Oh, it's because the teams are better, maybe,

238
00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,640
Speaker 1: and maybe it's the situation that you let the players

239
00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:56,680
Speaker 1: play a little bit. But in that one when the ball,

240
00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,520
Speaker 1: when you see the replay, the ball goes behind the

241
00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:01,880
Speaker 1: defenders back, you realize, listen, his ability to catch the

242
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,920
Speaker 1: ball and get to the ball was blocked. Um. I

243
00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,079
Speaker 1: think I knew, as I knew the day I was home.

244
00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,160
Speaker 1: Uh and I saw Dez Bryant catch a ball against

245
00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,400
Speaker 1: Green Bay and then it get overturned and replay. I

246
00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:15,040
Speaker 1: told my wife at that point, I said it would

247
00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:18,200
Speaker 1: be an interesting offseason. Uh and uh, I knew when

248
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,240
Speaker 1: we saw that play that there be discussion. Um, Listen,

249
00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,280
Speaker 1: technology today in our league has gotten way better, and

250
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,360
Speaker 1: uh we we'd uh we would be foolish not to

251
00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,040
Speaker 1: look at technology and and use it to our benefit. Um.

252
00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,520
Speaker 1: I think the one thing we know from history in

253
00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:36,040
Speaker 1: the NFL, though, when it comes to replay, is it

254
00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,360
Speaker 1: replay didn't cure everything, and you have to make sure

255
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,560
Speaker 1: that when you do anything with replay that you have

256
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,880
Speaker 1: thought through all the implications of how it might impact

257
00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:48,760
Speaker 1: the game, both from how they play it and how

258
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,720
Speaker 1: it's viewed both because in eight six to ninety two,

259
00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:56,360
Speaker 1: we had a replay system, uh that involved people upstairs

260
00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,320
Speaker 1: deciding what to review and not review, and we voted

261
00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:04,240
Speaker 1: it out. It lost, it was gone from we brought

262
00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,800
Speaker 1: it back because we limited replay was very limited. So

263
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,520
Speaker 1: we have to keep replay within those guidelines of not

264
00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:13,800
Speaker 1: taking the game over and not slowing the game and

265
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,920
Speaker 1: not changing the game. But we should always look at

266
00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,600
Speaker 1: when we have a play, is that significant it impacts

267
00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,040
Speaker 1: the game at that time? Okay, is there something that

268
00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:25,000
Speaker 1: should be done here that would catch that play that

269
00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,360
Speaker 1: type of play, And that's what we'll do this offseason. Now. Realistically,

270
00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,920
Speaker 1: the casual fan thinks there's going to be a rule change,

271
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,600
Speaker 1: but we know it's objective versus subjective and those kind

272
00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,880
Speaker 1: of situations. So what can we expect in the off season. Yeah,

273
00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,800
Speaker 1: it you bring up the point of of we have

274
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,760
Speaker 1: as a league really tried to stay away, uh in

275
00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,240
Speaker 1: the replay space from from dealing with subjective We've always

276
00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,160
Speaker 1: dealt in bright lines, in other words, did the ball

277
00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,480
Speaker 1: cross the goal line? Did the feet land inside or

278
00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,320
Speaker 1: outside of the sideline? If we've always had an objective

279
00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,080
Speaker 1: boundary to go against and tried to stay away from

280
00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,480
Speaker 1: what we what is the official thinking um and what's

281
00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,800
Speaker 1: their subjective judgment. It doesn't mean that you couldn't get

282
00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:07,680
Speaker 1: into it, but when you get into it, you're gonna

283
00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,800
Speaker 1: have to figure out what's the standard gonna be. Is

284
00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:12,960
Speaker 1: the standard gonna be that you get to you get

285
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:15,360
Speaker 1: to use your judgment to substitute for my judgment on

286
00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,120
Speaker 1: the on field official and I've judged this, and now

287
00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,120
Speaker 1: you're the upstairs official and you've judged it differently. I mean,

288
00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,680
Speaker 1: we just got to think through all those implications. But

289
00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,960
Speaker 1: I think what we do well as a league we

290
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:28,920
Speaker 1: have no pride in our rules. In other words, we

291
00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,920
Speaker 1: don't sit there and say, uh, you know, home play

292
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,040
Speaker 1: to first base is ninett. We're never going to change

293
00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:36,000
Speaker 1: it now. We we will change it. We we have to.

294
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,680
Speaker 1: We changed our hash marks. We've you know, we'll change

295
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:40,400
Speaker 1: our goal posts. We moved the goal post from the

296
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,480
Speaker 1: goal line back ten yards. We we change the extra point.

297
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,600
Speaker 1: We will will do whatever we need to do to

298
00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,360
Speaker 1: modernize the game when the game can become more competitive,

299
00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,440
Speaker 1: and we should do that with replay. We should look

300
00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,360
Speaker 1: at it. We should figure out is there a way

301
00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:55,360
Speaker 1: it can make us better, But we should do it

302
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,440
Speaker 1: in a way that says, at the end of the day,

303
00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,840
Speaker 1: the game is most important, and we need to make

304
00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:01,840
Speaker 1: here that when we do it, we're not just doing

305
00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,480
Speaker 1: it to pacify people, but to make the game better.

306
00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,200
Speaker 1: Explain to us what's going to happen in the off season.

307
00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,040
Speaker 1: The process begins now because right now we have a

308
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,080
Speaker 1: survey that we we do every year. Competition Committee. Does

309
00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:15,680
Speaker 1: we go to all thirty two clubs, We ask them,

310
00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:18,360
Speaker 1: you know, thirty questions, and then we also have catch

311
00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,200
Speaker 1: alls to tell us some things you want to talk.

312
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,400
Speaker 1: Be assured that this will be on at least New

313
00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,400
Speaker 1: Orleans survey saying we want to talk about this. UM

314
00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,120
Speaker 1: we'll go to New York uh in uh two weeks. Uh.

315
00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,960
Speaker 1: We're there for two days. Competition Committee, there's seven of us.

316
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,760
Speaker 1: We'll bring out those surveys, will we'll make a list

317
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:40,920
Speaker 1: of all the things we want to talk about. Clearly,

318
00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:43,120
Speaker 1: this will be one of them to play with significant

319
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,640
Speaker 1: enough where it's gonna be uh. We'll discuss it a

320
00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,200
Speaker 1: little bit there, not a lot. We'll go to Indianapolis

321
00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,600
Speaker 1: at the Combine. We'll meet for five days and we'll

322
00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,440
Speaker 1: we'll really vet a lot of things. We'll then go

323
00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,480
Speaker 1: to Arizona for five days to six days and and

324
00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:00,120
Speaker 1: we'll finalize what our recommendations are. So you'll have of

325
00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,840
Speaker 1: club proposals. I'm sure we'll get a club proposal or

326
00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:05,280
Speaker 1: two on this, and then you'll have Competition Committee proposals.

327
00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,199
Speaker 1: And our proposals are traditionally a little bit of what

328
00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,119
Speaker 1: the clubs gave us, a little bit of what the

329
00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,400
Speaker 1: research is, a lot of us talking through with the officials,

330
00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:15,560
Speaker 1: how would you like this written? How how could you

331
00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,360
Speaker 1: be able to officiate this or use it and replay

332
00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,040
Speaker 1: And then we'll go have a vote with the membership,

333
00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,960
Speaker 1: and the membership will vote listen. Our job this Competition

334
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,439
Speaker 1: committee is to get things on the table. But you've

335
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,800
Speaker 1: gotta get twenty four votes. Uh. And I've been on

336
00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,560
Speaker 1: this committee twenty five years. Uh, I know what votes

337
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,600
Speaker 1: looks like. It's not the easiest thing. Um. And it

338
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:42,159
Speaker 1: usually requires that you have a very well thought out proposal.

339
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,480
Speaker 1: You don't just throw something out there because these are

340
00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,119
Speaker 1: bright people that know the game well and if you

341
00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,399
Speaker 1: haven't researched it and you don't have every angle covered.

342
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,800
Speaker 1: It took us six years, seven years to get the

343
00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,320
Speaker 1: extra point change to get to twenty four votes. So

344
00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,920
Speaker 1: it's just, Um, it's a process, but that's the how

345
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,440
Speaker 1: the process will play out and gets your god feeling.

346
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:03,119
Speaker 1: Do you think they'll be past interference on instant replay

347
00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,080
Speaker 1: coming next season. I'm not guessing yet. I appreciate the question,

348
00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:09,760
Speaker 1: but I'm not guessing yet because I've seen this process

349
00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,000
Speaker 1: a lot. I think the one thing about it is

350
00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,919
Speaker 1: we shouldn't go into it with um any preconceived notion

351
00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:21,160
Speaker 1: because the game has evolved and technology has evolved. So

352
00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,480
Speaker 1: if there's a way that we can make the game better,

353
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,639
Speaker 1: and it would involve that reviewing a passing affairs or

354
00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,600
Speaker 1: no call or call whatever it may be, that we

355
00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,120
Speaker 1: should consider it. But I just want everybody to understand

356
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:36,520
Speaker 1: it's not simplistic. It is complicated because there's timing involved,

357
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:38,800
Speaker 1: there's there's just a lot of things that go into it.

358
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,400
Speaker 1: Um but it will be talked about and it will

359
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,400
Speaker 1: take our off season. Last year we had the catch

360
00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,160
Speaker 1: rule that everybody was concerned about. And what we tried

361
00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,320
Speaker 1: to do there I think was good was we said,

362
00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:50,960
Speaker 1: get rid of the history, get rid of it belt

363
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,399
Speaker 1: let's just take the rule and tear it up and

364
00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,520
Speaker 1: let's start over. If we could start over, how would

365
00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:58,720
Speaker 1: we do this? And I think I think we've got

366
00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,520
Speaker 1: ourselves to a good place of us a lot of

367
00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:02,600
Speaker 1: years to get there. But in this one, I think

368
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,800
Speaker 1: we'll have a similar mindset of Okay, don't don't get

369
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:07,320
Speaker 1: caught up in what the past was, what's the future

370
00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,479
Speaker 1: and why why should it be that way? Rich Truman,

371
00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:14,040
Speaker 1: thank you, serry, interviewed Rich McKay. He is the Falcons

372
00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:19,159
Speaker 1: President and chairman of the NFL Competition Committee. From the

373
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,360
Speaker 1: Super Bowl, there must have been some free food nearby.

374
00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:24,640
Speaker 1: Truman was hanging near the free food and like Rich,

375
00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,640
Speaker 1: Rid k just happened to walk by. Excuse me, rich

376
00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:30,160
Speaker 1: rich Hey he was he was hanging tough on radio Row.

377
00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:36,879
Speaker 1: I got two takeaways to to well, I got a

378
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:41,080
Speaker 1: lot that that. No, I will keep them short. The

379
00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,040
Speaker 1: first thing he was saying was that, Okay, it's gonna

380
00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:47,600
Speaker 1: be uh because a lot of times it's a bang

381
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,160
Speaker 1: bang sort of thing. So should you have instant replay

382
00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:56,600
Speaker 1: for it? The problem with this is the play where

383
00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:01,920
Speaker 1: there was past interference in the same RAMS game. It

384
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:06,040
Speaker 1: was so blasted obvious it was ridiculous because not only

385
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,280
Speaker 1: did you have passed interference, you had helmet to helmet.

386
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:13,160
Speaker 1: I mean, you couldn't miss it. So I say, once again,

387
00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:18,760
Speaker 1: obviously you could. Obviously one could well. But the way now,

388
00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,240
Speaker 1: legend has it that one refer is ready to throw

389
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,840
Speaker 1: the flag and the other ref came in and said no, no, no, no, no, no,

390
00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,400
Speaker 1: throw the flag. What do you want me to talk?

391
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,160
Speaker 1: That's that's that's my first take. I don't get worked

392
00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:35,280
Speaker 1: up by this stuff. So yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm

393
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,760
Speaker 1: an old man. The second thing is, how do you

394
00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,639
Speaker 1: do if you do bring this in, how do you

395
00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,520
Speaker 1: do it so you don't slow up the game? Yes,

396
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,560
Speaker 1: they're very concerned about the pace. You gotta whatever it is.

397
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:49,280
Speaker 1: And this is my take on what's going to happen.

398
00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,200
Speaker 1: They have these off season meetings in some really nice place.

399
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,400
Speaker 1: They'll be looking at blue water. They'll be dining on

400
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:02,320
Speaker 1: crack crab something like that, sleeping on a high thread

401
00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,360
Speaker 1: count sheet. Someone's gonna say, remember that play, and they're

402
00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:10,720
Speaker 1: all gonna say what play? And that no changes woke

403
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,760
Speaker 1: a distant memory at that point. So you're gonna say,

404
00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,119
Speaker 1: I won't. I won't say what I was gonna say. Okay,

405
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:23,000
Speaker 1: but but a certain place in Switzerland has that kind

406
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,240
Speaker 1: of a problem. Oh, I'm just gonna go ahead and

407
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,440
Speaker 1: say it. Davos always does this all the time, where

408
00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:32,440
Speaker 1: they have these great ideas and then it seems like

409
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,320
Speaker 1: it's not car So you're equitting the World Economic Forum

410
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:43,200
Speaker 1: to the NFL owners. Okay, there's something that's I'm willing

411
00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,000
Speaker 1: to bet there's some crack crab and some high thread

412
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,399
Speaker 1: count sheets both. That's what I'm saying. This is the

413
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 1: Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast on Michael Barr along with

414
00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,800
Speaker 1: Scott Sash and missing Evan Nolvie Williams, and he's gonna

415
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:59,000
Speaker 1: miss Wednesday too, right, sorry everybody, but we we, you

416
00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:03,000
Speaker 1: and me. We are here every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday exploring

417
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,000
Speaker 1: the world of money in sports and join us again

418
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,440
Speaker 1: at the end of the week when we speak with

419
00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:10,159
Speaker 1: Remember remember who our guest is this week at the

420
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,840
Speaker 1: end of the week, do you remember? I do? And

421
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,840
Speaker 1: then and then I forgot? You forgot? I forgot. I'm

422
00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:20,480
Speaker 1: gonna let you keep staring on this. What do we got?

423
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:27,960
Speaker 1: We got? What do you call it? And Rudy Kline Thomas,

424
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:33,879
Speaker 1: he is the liaison between the technology where the investment

425
00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,280
Speaker 1: community and professional athletes. Yes, yes, and and that was

426
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:40,800
Speaker 1: a great interview. Yeah, Rudy was great. Like you're listening

427
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,520
Speaker 1: to Bloomberg Business of Sports on Bloomberg Radio around the

428
00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,640
Speaker 1: world and online wherever you get your podcasts.