The Big Ten commissioner position is open again. Plus: the NFL decides where an AFC neutral site game will be held; Apple and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announce their broadcasters for MLS and US Soccer coverage, respectively; and more sports media news.
Kevin Warren leaves Big Ten for Chicago Bears
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is leaving the conference to become the CEO and president of the Chicago Bears, it was announced Thursday. Warren’s three-year tenure included the COVID-plagued 2020 season, the conference’s expansion to include USC and UCLA, and a new $7 billion media rights deal with CBS, Fox, and NBC — the largest ever deal for a collegiate athletic conference. Prior to becoming the Big Ten commissioner, Warren served as an NFL executive for 21 years for three different teams. Most recently, he was the COO for the Minnesota Vikings from 2015-2019, where he helped build US Bank Stadium — a key point for a Bears organization looking to potentially build a new stadium, per ESPN. Warren will replace the retiring Ted Phillips on April 17. (ESPN 1.12)
Atlanta to host a neutral site AFC Championship Game
The NFL announced that Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will play host to a possible Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship Game. After cancelling the Bills-Bengals game following Damar Hamlin’s collapse and cardiac arrest, the NFL had announced a neutral site championship game would take place should the teams affected make it that far. If there is a matchup other than Chiefs-Bills, the game would take place at the higher seed’s home stadium. (ESPN 1.12)
MLS and US Soccer broadcasters announced
Apple and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports unveiled their broadcast teams for their soccer coverage in 2023. Apple’s MLS Season Pass broadcasting group is headlined by former ESPN lead soccer analyst Taylor Twellman. Current WBD Sports NHL host Liam McHugh will co-host Apple’s whip-around show. Former Fox Sports and ESPN play-by-play man Max Bretos also joins. Apple’s match analysts includes several former MLS players such as Maurice Edu, Diego Valeri, Sacha Kljestan, and Sébastien Le Toux, among others. The MLS season kicks off on February 25.
WBD Sports’s coverage of the USMNT and USWNT will include US Soccer Hall of Famers Julie Foudy, DaMarcus Beasley, and Shannon Boxx. Foudy has experience as an analyst for ESPN, while Beasley and Boxx are new to TV. However, Beasley did serve as a digital host and analyst for this past World Cup. Kyle Martino, former NBC Premier League analyst, will join them as another experienced analyst. Luke Wileman will serve as the lead play-by-play man for US Soccer. Wileman has spent the past 12 years working as TSN’s lead soccer voice. The WBD Sports team will debut on January 17, when the USWNT face New Zealand on HBO Max. (MLS 1.10, WBD Sports 1.10)
Plus: Football broadcasters, Chambers hire, Williams lawsuit, Lefkoe extension
ESPN is interested in bringing back current Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday as an analyst, The Athletic reported this week. In other football broadcasting news, ESPN has announced its XFL broadcast teams, with Tom Hart and Greg McElroy forming the “A” team. … Major League Baseball has hired former Sinclair Sports executive Billy Chambers to hold the new position of VP of local media as it seeks to take more control of local rights amid a flailing RSN market. … Former ESPN reporter Allison Williams and producer Beth Faber have filed a lawsuit against ESPN and Disney over their terminations after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. … NBA on TNT Tuesday host Adam Lefkoe signed an extension with WBD Sports to continue in that role, as well as with NBA TV and Bleacher Report. (The Athletic 1.9, ESPN 1.11, SBJ 1.12, Awful Announcing ESPN lawsuit 1.11, Awful Announcing Lefkoe 1.11)
