Big Ten Network Expands Streaming | Why the Jordan Rules Apply to Media

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PepsiCo resolves lawsuit over Gatorade bar health claims Gatorade chalks up a win in court, but an L for transparency. Gatorade’s parent company, PepsiCo, was the one sued over misleading claims on its Gatorade protein bars. Three fitness enthusiasts called the protein bars nothing more than fortified junk food and wanted Gatorade to pay for mislabeling. The lawsuit accused PepsiCo of violating federal and state consumer protection laws based on three phrases claiming the protein bars are a healthy choice. In reality, the protein bars have more sugar than protein. The class action lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, so that the case can’t be brought back up again. No surprises in how this one turned out. The fitness enthusiasts stood as slim a chance of winning the case as the White Sox did of making the playoffs this past season. Gatorade CEO Ramon Laguarta is probably celebrating the win with staff from his office on W Monroe St. Hopefully, by feasting on the protein bars as dessert. Protein bars will continue to receive skepticism from health enthusiasts based on the claims they make. Discover what claims the enthusiasts were disputing and how much protein versus sugar the bars contain.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles puts Lincolnshire home on the market for nearly $3M The 40-year-old Ryan Poles may be one of the most polarizing figures in the Bears’ organization, but there’s nothing conflicting about the house he’s selling. His former home boasts premium features. It includes a mud room, a four-car garage, and a custom patio with a stone fireplace, which underscores the type of price tag it commands. Even for a neighborhood like Lincolnshire, the Poles’ home stands head and shoulders above others that have sold. The next closest home in price sold back in July on Berkshire Ln, but for nearly $900,000 less than the listing price of Poles’ home. Based on the turnaround act the Bears have had so far this season under Ben Johnson, Poles is likely upgrading to an even spacier house than the five-bedroom home his family moved out of. If it were put up for sale last year this time (especially after the infamous Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions), it would be assumed he was getting the boot for questionable staff hirings and roster moves. The Tribune reports on the size of the house and the sizable tax bill the property incurred last year.

Big Ten Network Expands Streaming Capabilities and Coverage Nowadays, it’s not enough for college students to graduate with a degree and ‘internship’ experience of grunt work for higher ups. Real-world experience is critical to getting any type of footing in an increasingly automated world. The Big Ten Network knows this well and is not only giving students real-world experience, but also providing them with the latest technology to best equip them for success. The Sony FZ90 studio cameras are being used to capture invaluable moments during Big Ten play, all run by students in sports broadcasting majors. For the price, the camera delivers excellent low-light performance and 4K digital zoom capabilities. It’s all part of the Big Ten’s StudentU program, where the Big Ten provides the cameras, feedback, and other resources. It’s not just a benevolent act on behalf of one of the richest conferences in the country; it’s a smart financial move. The Big Ten saves thousands of dollars annually by employing students to film its thousands of streamed events. It’s especially prudent considering the number of non-revenue sports colleges have. The Big Ten Network’s headquarters is about six blocks away from City Hall, where they can observe the fiscal mess the city is in in terms of its budget issues. It helps them learn from the city’s mistakes and avoid similar straits. Here is info on how many Sony cameras are being used and more details on the StudentU program.

Why the Jordan Rules Now Apply to Sports Media He’s long past the days of squaring up against the “Bad Boys” Pistons where the Jordan Rules moniker came from. But Jordan still forces others to adapt to his transcendent presence wherever he goes. Case in point: Jordan isn’t a color commentator or analyst for NBC Sports, like other former athletes NBC employs, like Reggie Miller or Grant Hill. He has a new, made-up title of special contributor. Jordan doesn’t need TV appearances or a podcast to remain popular. Just look at how The Last Dance did when it came out in 2020. Because he is highly selective of his media appearances, Jordan’s voice rings more poignantly than other talking heads that we may see every week. NBC knows this and is willing to compromise to gain his presence. That is even if it means setting up a special platform to talk to him at his own home, instead of in-studio like they would for anyone else. Their flexibility has paid off so far. Front Office Sports reports on which other former athletes are getting similar Jordan Rules.

ESPN networks go dark on YouTube TV in dispute following expiration of previous deal By this point, everyone has heard about the YouTube TV vs. Disney dispute that has blacked out ESPN and other Disney-owned content for millions of subscribers. The why is fascinating to uncover. YouTube TV has about 10 million subscribers, making it the fourth-largest TV distributor. It’s also projected to become the largest by the end of the decade, adding to its negotiating power. According to Disney, YouTube TV is at fault for being more difficult than any other distributor it negotiates with per-subscriber fees. According to YouTube TV, Disney is being greedy and will cause a price increase for its customers. It’s been two weeks. Millions of YouTube TV subscribers are still blacked out from watching college football and Monday Night Football, as well as other marquee ESPN events. As is the case with these high-profile carriage disputes, the ultimate loser is the consumer, some of whom may not have been aware of a problem. They went to bed one night with ESPN access and woke up the next day without it. It’s tough for casual observers to have much sympathy towards either media conglomerate, so it’s unlikely there will be a ‘winner’ if and when the dispute is resolved. For more details on how each company has addressed the dispute, click here.

World Athletics Finds $1.7 Million Stolen by Employees Track and field has suffered from a money problem for decades. We’ve discussed this before. That is, without its own employees stealing from its limited coffers. The sum was stolen from two former employees and a consultant over the course of several years. It’s a major setback for the organization that was trying to usher in a new era in track and field. World Athletics was the first Olympics organization to pay its athletes money for winning gold at last year’s Olympic Games held in Paris. The organization holds a paradoxical position. Its sport is one of the most popular sports of the Olympics, so it receives one of the largest revenue shares of any Olympic orgnaizations. Yet, it deals with serious financial shortcomings during non-Olympic years. Despite the massive increase in recent years of people running for leisure or competitions, it’s a whole different matter marketing and monetizing the sport of running for people to watch at home. Situations like this one tighten the belt around an already cash-strapped org with three years before its next chance to reappear on many people’s radars. Find out who was caught in the corporate theft and how much World Athletics provided its athletes at the Paris Olympics.

Tom Brady says his dog is a clone of family's previous pet, thanks to company he's invested in This isn’t science fiction, like Jurassic Park. Colossal Biosciences, the company Brady invests in, has a central goal of ‘fixing’ extinction. Hopefully, they learned which species not to mess with from watching the dinosaur-revival classic. For now, Brady says the company did a simple blood draw from his family’s late pitbull mix before she passed and used it to recreate his current beloved dog. Brady’s announcement came at the same time Colossal acquired another animal cloning firm. Since retirement, Brady hasn’t been afraid to invest in start-ups even if the results have been mixed. His very public blunder with crypto company FTX, hasn’t meant that he’s given up on investing in companies touting cutting-edge technology. Colossal Biosciences has achieved a sizable valuation and is looking to continue growing, as its acquisition shows. Let’s hope that, unlike Jurassic Park, its cloning subjects remain household pets, and not ancient killing machines. ESPN delves into how much Colossal Biosciences is valued to be worth and what other species it has reportedly cloned.

MLB Labor Strife Could Interrupt the Dodgers’ Magic Kingdom It only took $416.8 million in payroll for the Dodgers to become the first back-to-back MLB champs in almost 30 years. With the chance to become the first team to three-peat since the Yankees, the Dodgers are strong supporters of keeping a similar structure to the current CBA (collective bargaining agreement), as are many players leaguewide. It would keep the gap between the haves and have not wide, which the MLB’s owners are against. MLB wants to enact a salary cap and salary floor, which is the biggest issue that has the league and its players at odds. Revenue sharing and disputes over roster rules also play a prominent role in making a lockout a real possibility. A lockout would disrupt the MLB’s strong momentum that has built over the past few seasons. It posted a record in sponsorship revenue and attendance for the regular season, and TV viewership during the World Series. If an agreement isn’t reached by next December 1st, the MLB could see a prolonged disruption that could stretch well into the 2027 season, if that one happens. Here are all of the numbers behind the Dodgers’ roster and what’s at stake during the labor negotiations.