Warner Bros. Discovery Sports is among the contenders for NASCAR’s new midseason package of Cup Series races. Plus: the ACC is again seriously considering the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU; plus: a new morning sports show for Golic and son, and more.
WBD among three contenders for NASCAR midseason package
Warner Bros. Discovery has emerged as a contender for the new, six-to-eight week package of midseason races NASCAR has put up for bid, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The new midseason package would in essence be a reprise of the six-week NASCAR “Summer Series” that aired on WBD’s TNT from 2007-15. Between TNT (2001-15) and TBS (1983-2000), the former Turner Sports networks aired NASCAR for more than three decades.
WBD is competing against Amazon — whose interest in the midseason package has previously been reported by Sports Business Journal — and an unnamed third company. (Bloomberg 8.23)
ACC adding Stanford, Cal, SMU, back on the table
The ACC is said to be seriously considering the additions of Stanford, Cal and SMU and could come to a decision within days, per multiple reports Wednesday. Such a move appeared unlikely as recently as last week, as the conference was believed to be one vote short of approval (12 of the 15 members must vote yes and four were opposed).
A major factor in the apparent shift is the willingness of all three schools to make financial concessions. Stanford and Cal would join for a partial share of the ACC’s media revenue while SMU would forgo said revenue entirely for seven years.
Should Stanford and Cal move to the ACC or any other conference, it would leave the Pac-12 with just two members at the end of this season, almost certainly dooming any chance of the conference surviving. (Mercury News 8.23, ESPN.com 8.23, CBS Sports 8.23)
Golics to host Draftkings morning show
Father-and-son former ESPN Radio hosts Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. will host a new morning show for DraftKings starting next week, The Athletic reported Wednesday. The elder Golic spent more than two decades hosting ESPN’s primary morning radio show, first alongside Mike Greenberg and then Trey Wingo, before being let go in 2021. Golic Jr., a regular panelist on ESPN’s daytime talk shows in addition to his radio duties, left the following year. The duo will be joined by Jessie Coffield. (The Athletic 8.23)
Plus: Fowler extension, Van Gundy, WNBA Finals
ESPN announced Wednesday that it has reached a multi-year contract extension with lead college football and tennis play-by-play voice Chris Fowler. … Kimberly Van Gundy, wife of TNT NBA analyst Stan Van Gundy, has passed away at age 61. … ABC is slated to carry two WNBA Finals games this year, Games 1 and 3, marking the first time since 1999 that two Finals games aired on over-the-air television. (A previous version of this post mistakenly said ABC would air Game 5.) (ESPN PR, Miami Herald 8.23)
