03/30/18: TeamCasts finds their faces

Good morning. It’s Friday March 30, 2018 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports locked in the TeamCast commentator teams for Final Four action on Saturday, with Michigan, Loyola (IL), Villanova and Kansas competing for the National Championship. TeamCast coverage will air on TNT and TruTV, alongside TBS’s traditional telecasts of the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals on March 31, and the National Championship on April 2. Representing the “Michigan TeamCast” on TNT at 6p will be Matt Park on play-by-play, with Jay Feely as analyst and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as reporter. Countering for Loyola on truTV will be Jeff Hagedorn, on play-by-play, Jerry Harkness as analyst and Shams Charania, as reporter. Following the game will be the “Kansas TeamCast” on TNT featuring Dave Armstrong on play-by-play with Scot Pollard as analyst and Rob Riggle as reporter. Representing the “Villanova TeamCast” on truTV is Scott Graham on play-by-play, Randy Foye as analyst and Kacie McDonnell as reporter.

ON THE AIR

ESPN’s coverage of the Men’s Final Four will see College GameDay Covered by State Farm tip off from ESPN’s set, located at Maverick Plaza of La Villita Historical Arts Village in San Antonio. In addition to an on-site studio presence, ESPN International networks will air the semifinals and national championship game of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament, available to 180 countries around the world. Programming highlights will include the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class Announcement on Saturday at noon on ESPN, hosted by Rece Davis and Jay Bilas. ESPN International carries the semifinals and championship game to fans in 180 countries and territories across 26 networks outside the United State and will see Sean McDonough on play-by-play, alongside Jay Bilas on the second semifinal (Kansas vs. Villanova) and Dick Vitale for the first semifinal (Loyola vs. Michigan) and the championship game.

Finally, CBS Sports Network’s Final Four programming tips off today at noon with exclusive coverage of each Final Four teams practice from the Alamodome. The four-hour show features live look-ins at team practices, as well as interviews with all four head coaches. Later in the day, CBS Sports Network presents the Reese’s College All-Star Game live at 4:30p while NCAA March Madness 360 and NCAA March Madness Bracket Breakdown run live throughout the weekend, including Championship game analysis on Monday, April 2 at 5p.

ESPN tees off on the Masters with live play of the first and second rounds of the tournament, and will surround the telecasts with an expanded SportsCenter ESPN and ESPN Deportes serve up play starting Thursday at 3p, with an edited encore presentation in prime time each night from 8-11p on ESPN and an additional overnight encore at 3a on ESPN2. ESPN also offers the traditional Masters Par 3 Contest on Wednesday from 3-5p, followed by a one-hour SportsCenter at the Masters special at 5p. Scott Van Pelt hosts ESPN’s Thursday and Friday telecasts with ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange.

Two big deals on the MMA front, as the Professional Fighters League announced plans to partner with Mark Burnett, President of MGM Television Group & Digital and MGM Television to develop and produce new content and programming for PFL’s upcoming season. MGM and Burnett will both join as PFL investors and Burnett has personally been added to the advisory board. The PFL 2018 league season debuts June 7 and consists of 11 events live on NBC Sports Network and Facebook Watch. In addition to the live events, the development deal will feature PFL’s “What Do you Fight For?” programming that brings viewers short-form digital & social content that will showcase the day-to-day lives and back stories of the fighters.

Meanwhile, Univision Deportes and MMA promotion Combate Americas announced a multi-year partnership to produce and distribute live Combate Americas fight programming on Univision and Univision Deportes Network. The deal marks the first time ever that Univision Deportes will produce and distribute live MMA programming and, in 2018, will include a total of 16 television airings, beginning with a live, 90-minute broadcast on Univision of the “Combate Estrellas I” show on April 13.

ESPN original series We The Fans is returning for a second season this spring to chronicle the lives of Dallas Cowboys fans, premiering April 12 with all four one-hour We The Fans: Dallas episodes airing back-to-back in prime time on ESPN starting at 7p. The program followed 12 Dallas Cowboys fans throughout the 2017 NFL season.

April 1 sees NBA Countdown presented by Straight Talk Wireless make its new home in NYC’s South Street Seaport with host Michelle Beadle and analysts Jalen Rose and Paul Pierce at 3p for a 30-minute episode. This will mark the first show to air from the new ESPN production facility

IFC announced that sports comedy series Brockmire has been picked up for two additional seasons. Season 2 of the series, starring Hank Azaria as Jim Brockmire, premieres on April 25.

In local news, May 5 will see minor league baseball squad Round Rock Express transform into the Round Rock Armadillos to pay homage to AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, complete with uniforms. This offseason, the Express partnered with AMC to bring production of Fear the Walking Dead to Central Texas, with Dell Diamond serving as one of the primary sets for the show’s fourth season. Official Armadillo hats and t-shirts will be available for purchase online and in the Railyard Team Store, along with other unique merchandise highlighting the team’s involvement with the show.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s Rangers vs. Hurricanes telecast on FOX Sports Carolinas will showcase Sebastian Aho, and – aside from the game call – the special telecast will focus solely on Aho from his arrival at the arena through postgame. Coverage will start with Hurricanes LIVE at 6:30p and Aho will be mic’d up and have a dedicated camera throughout the game.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Celebrating Media’s Civic-Minded Professionals…

The Cynopsis Social Good Awards

May 22^nd | 8:30am – 10:30am |The Yale Club | New York City

We will be honoring everything from sustainability partnerships and PSA’s, to diversity campaigns, environmental initiatives, and more. Be in the room as finalists are celebrated and winners announced! Register your team today .

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The Canadian Premier League announced today the launch of Canadian Soccer Business, described as a new sports enterprise representing commercial assets and inventory for marquee soccer properties in Canada. The company debuts with representation for all corporate partnerships and media rights related to Canada Soccer’s core assets including its national teams, along with all rights associated with the CPL. Scott Mitchell has been confirmed as the CEO of Canadian Soccer Business.

San Manuel Casino and the Los Angeles Dodgers announced an extension of their partnership for the eleventh consecutive season. In addition to joint hospitality and marketing opportunities, San Manuel and the Dodgers will collaborate with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and the San Manuel Band on Mission Indians on several community events within the Inland Empire.

Kona Brewing Company entered into a multi-year partnership as the official craft beer of the LA Galaxy. As part of the partnership, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, Kona Brewing Co. will bring the island spirit to Southern California with a Lanai-style bar at StubHub Center.

DIGITAL & STREAMING

US Soccer is teaming up with STATSports to serve as the official on-field performance monitoring device for the org, providing more than 6,500 GPS units to players across the U.S. Men’s, Women’s, Youth, Paralympic and Beach National Teams, Development Academy clubs and NWSL. The deal is reportedly valued at $1.5 billion. “The Apex GPS device is the most accurate and gives us the optimal ability to support all our National Teams and Development Academy clubs,” US Soccer High Performance Director James Bunce said. “The ability to utilize the system live to help make instant and informed decisions is second to none. By developing a customizable, centralized hub to analyze data from all of our teams, we will be able to assess, monitor and optimize the physical development of all of the players. This technology will support our mission to develop world class players through numerous avenues including benchmarking, injury prevention and talent identification.”

CBS Sports HQ tackles the Final Four with stream coverage leading into and following the final tournament games, delivering pre- and post-game analysis from the Alamodome with on-the-ground interviews and press conference coverage, the latest news and updates, and game highlights. CBS Sports Digital writers Gary Parrish, Reid Forgrave, Dennis Dodd, Matt Norlander and Evan Daniels will deliver their insights on the teams heading into each game, while Nick Kostos and Tommy Tran will anchor CBS SPORTS HQ’s coverage.

Former MLBAM Exec VP of Content Dinn Mann is reportedly suing the company and parent company BAMTech for breach of contract, claiming that he was given a 2% equity in the non-baseball business, according to THR. “Despite the fact that Mr. Mann is a 2% owner of BAMTech, he received no compensation when Disney recently paid approximately $2.6 billion over two transactions to purchase 75 percent of BAMTech,” continues the complaint. “To make matters worse, Mr. Mann was fired without cause at the end of 2017, and was asked to sign a separation agreement that could result in the waiver of his rights and compensation as an equity owner in BAMTech.”

BBC America announced that their live stream on Thursday of Premier League Darts set a record for total views, drawing over 305,243 in the two hour window, nmearly doubling the previous record. The show is now in its eighth week and will continue until the finals in May.

ESPORTS

ELEAGUE’s next venture will see a return of Street Fighter, with the ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2018 with 24 of the best players from around the world competing for a $250,000 purse, beginning June 1 at 11p on TBS and live digital coverage of each week’s initial matches each Friday via Twitch. ELEAGUE also partnered with Battlefy to launch a companion tournament for amateur gamers across the country. The first-ever ELEAGUE x Battlefy: Street Fighter V Open will provide fans and players of all skill levels a chance to compete in online matches via the Battlefy portal. ELEAGUE will offer the top two finishers a VIP trip to Atlanta, where they will compete at ELEAGUE Arena prior to live coverage of the Invitational’s Grand Final on July 13.

ROSTER MOVES

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club named Major League Soccer and Soccer United Marketing exec Sean Dennison as Senior Vice President, Communications & Media. Dennison will manage all Club communications functions, including soccer communications, public relations, broadcast, social media and digital media.

THE MAIN EVENT

Final Four action tips off on TBS (and TeamCasts on TNT and truTV) on Saturday at 6p starting with Loyola/Michigan at 6p, followed by Kansas/Villanova.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Don’t miss the 7^th Annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards

Thursday, April 12 | 8:30am – 10:30am | NYAC, NYC

We’re less than 2 WEEKS away from the ultimate gathering in the sports media industry. Be sure to register your team to attend the awards breakfast for team photos, celebratory toasts and networking opportunities. This event sells out EVERY year. You don’t want to miss it!

**SPONSORED BY SHOWTIME**

ON THIS DAY in 1992: The White Sox trade Sammy Sosa and pitcher Ken Patterson to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder George Bell.

In the Know: Who led MLB in stolen bases last season? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Which MLB club has the best winning percentage on Opening Day? Answer: The Mets. Kudos: Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NY; Brian Traynor-Endeavor/NY; Grace Kang-Endeavor/NY; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Lance Phegley-Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine/Houston; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank

Later – Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
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