Inside the YouTube/ESPN standoff … who will blink first?
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Good morning! Is the hot stove on yet?
TV Squabbles: The annoying fight with no end in sight
Imagine a week’s sports headlines dominated not by the NFL, nor college football, nor the MLB offseason starting, but by a dispute between a TV network and a streaming platform. Bleak, right?
And yet here we are, as Disney and YouTube TV find themselves at a remarkable impasse, with one weekend of football already largely erased on a platform with 10 million subscribers unable to watch any ESPN/ABC-aired games. One of the most popular internet TV giants and the sports world’s leading rights holder are beefing at fans’ expense.
Before we gaze ahead, let’s clear up a few points:
- As Dan Shanoff explained yesterday, despite the outsized impact on sports fans, neither of these companies really needs a deal to happen immediately. Or, to clarify: their parent companies — Disney and Alphabet, respectively — are behemoths, and these pockets are notable blips on their radar, but nothing more.
- I’ve seen plenty of people wonder if this is a ploy by ESPN to drive people to its new direct-to-consumer app to watch games. Not so fast: As Andrew Marchand noted this week, pulling such a move simply doesn’t make financial sense.
Will we go another weekend without football? I asked Andrew for any glimmer of hope for our viewing future:
“Eventually, YouTube TV and ESPN will have a deal. The fact that they blew past college football last weekend and then ‘Monday Night Football’ is not an encouraging sign. YouTube TV’s 10 million subscribers are a significant number. At this point, it is hard to see how YouTube TV could have much of a business without ESPN, while ESPN needs YouTube TV. So a deal will happen, just a matter of when. I wish I could tell you exactly when that will be, but no one can.”
Bleh. As Andrew wrote just after he joined The Athletic last year, maybe someone should just reinvent cable. Meanwhile, here are some streaming alternatives.
Also: Who’s to blame? Dan has a poll up about that, which you can vote in here.
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Texas Tech, BYU fans unite to support barber
Days before Texas Tech and BYU play the biggest game in the country this weekend, fans of both teams came together after the wife of Red Raiders team barber Ivan Ortiz suffered severe injuries in a car crash. Ortiz’s GoFundMe had an initial goal of $25,000; as of last night, more than $100,000 had been raised by Tech fans, BYU fans and even ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. Read more in our full story.
Ohtani, nachos and a polygraph
Dodgers fan Carlos Mendoza’s entire life changed when he decided to toss his recently purchased nachos in order to dive into some nearby bushes during Game 4 of the NLCS. What he pulled out, as Larry Holder wrote yesterday, was Shohei Ohtani’s second home run ball of what might be the best single-game performance in MLB history. Mendoza stands to earn seven figures for the ball, though he had to pass a polygraph first. The full tale is great.
More news
- Alex Ovechkin can add a new line to his resume: founding member of the 900-goal club.
- Drew Brees is Fox Sports’ newest NFL analyst, potentially replacing Mark Sanchez on the network. Read more here.
- Wrexham winger James McClean admitted to punching a Cardiff fan in the parking lot last week. See his full explanation.
- Steph Curry didn’t play in Golden State’s loss to Sacramento last night due to a lingering cold. This toddler dad nods.
- Former WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike signed with Project B, another startup women’s pro basketball league.
- The NWSL and its players association issued statements of support for Orlando Pride star Barbra Banda, a cisgender woman, who’s been the target of transphobic attacks. More context here.
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Pulse Polls: Maybe defenses will help us
Justin K. Aller / Getty Images
Time is slipping, and we are still in the red. I’ll start worrying in December, though. Your options for this week’s reader bet (odds via BetMGM):
- Jets and Browns UNDER 38, because I don’t know how points will happen here
- Auburn (+6.5) at Vanderbilt, because I believe in the post-firing surge
- Lions and Commanders UNDER 49.5, because I worry about Washington’s offense without Jayden Daniels
Vote here:
What to Watch
📺 NCAAF: UTSA at South Florida
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The Bulls are tied in a glut of one-loss teams atop the American Conference, and technically have plenty of opportunity to be a Playoff team. Plus, USF coach Alex Golesh will be a name to watch on the coaching carousel this offseason. Flip it on if you have time.
📺 NFL: Raiders at Broncos
8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Denver has won six straight and leads the AFC West at 7-2 … and I’m still not sure the Broncos are actually good. Bo Nix has split his time this year as one of the league’s best quarterbacks whose lowlight tape would put most people on the waiver wire. I don’t know if 2-6 Las Vegas will provide us clarity on this point, but I’ll be watching anyway.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
At one point, gawking at Mike Trout’s Baseball Reference page felt like watching a legend grow in real time. Now it’s just a reminder of what Trout has lost. How did the best baseball player of a generation fade away?
We have two arguments for potential Baseball Hall of Famers today: Steve Buckley threw his support behind Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, while Keith Law made the case for Dale Murphy.
I loved Ira Gorawara’s story on the real central focus of game days at Alabama: the fashion.
Ja Morant sure seems on his way out of Memphis. Trading him is harder than you think, though.
Dane Brugler picked his early NFL All-Rookie Team. All hail Jaxson Dart.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: NFL trade deadline grades.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Draymond Green unplugged, again.
