Tom Brady intends to stay with Fox next year and beyond, per his agent; a new international basketball series is in development; LA’s Genesis Invitational will be relocated; and more.
Brady plans to play out Fox contract, per agent
Fox Sports NFL analyst Tom Brady intends to fulfill the remainder of his ten-year contract with the network, his agent told Sports Business Journal Thursday. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has received mixed reviews in his rookie season as an analyst, but put rumors to bed about an imminent departure with a clear statement through his agent, who said he is “really excited about the future with Fox” and indicated this season was “the first year of a long relationship”.
Brady’s conflict of interest as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders has raised eyebrows, especially as he is now is part of a search committee for the team’s next head coach. Brady has been unable to attend production meetings or access team facilities due to restrictions placed by the NFL.
Brady will conclude his first year providing color commentary for the Commanders-Lions NFC Divisional Round matchup on Saturday, the NFC Championship next Sunday, and Super Bowl LIX on February 9.
James’ business partner seeking investors for new league
LeBron James’ longtime business partner Maverick Carter is advising an investor group that is seeking to develop a new global basketball series, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Though the group is being advised by Carter, Front Office Sports reported that James is not involved with the new league at this time.
The competition format, which has been described as “Formula 1 for basketball”, would feature six men’s teams and six women’s team competing in a series of two-week events in eight cities around the world. Each city would host a full round-robin tournament and crown a champion, according to Puck News‘s John Ourand.
The initial Bloomberg report indicated that the new series was intended “to rival the National Basketball Association”, though that was disputed in the Ourand report. It is unclear if the league seeks to pull players away from the NBA (which could spark a groundbreaking shift in the sport similar to LIV’s disruption of pro golf), or merely compete alongside it in the offseason.
Genesis Invitational to relocate for 2025
The PGA Tour announced Thursday the 2025 Genesis Invitational will relocate from Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades due to the ongoing wildfires devastating the region. The event will remain its original position on the calendar — February 13-16, with weekend coverage on CBS — at a new location to be announced in the coming days.
The event could relocate to another venue in California or, as the Genesis is the final of event of the tour’s “West Coast Swing”, could move to Florida ahead of the tour’s four-week stint in the Sunshine State.
Plus: Kirk Cousins, NASCAR, Bleacher Report
— Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins will join Postseason NFL Countdown on Saturday as a guest analyst. The show will air on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+ beginning at 2 PM and leading into the Texans-Chiefs divisional round matchup. Cousins was featured in the Netflix’s “Quarterback” series chronicling the 2022 season, but has not made any other notable sports media appearances.
— NASCAR announced Thursday is launching a free ad-supported streaming channel (FAST), to be called the “NASCAR Channel”. The channel will feature classic races, encore coverage, documentaries, and original content from NASCAR Studios. The channel will launch on January 29 exclusively on Fox’s Tubi platform.
— The NFL has announced a multi-year partnership with TNT Sports, granting highlight rights for the company’s Bleacher Report and House of Highlights platforms on a non-exclusive basis. The partnership, which officially began prior to the Wild Card round last weekend, includes the ability to create original “access-driven” NFL content for the platforms as well.
