Amid the drama this past year the resulted in a slew of college conference reshuffling, the Southland Conference had its turn for a big week as Chris Grant officially took the reigns as the eighth commissioner of the organization, coupled with the announcement that Lamar University would be departing the WAC to return to the conference it helped found and would be competing in all sports beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year.
With the new role, Grant is moving quickly to best position the league on a competitive national stage, tapping the talents of Troika for a full rebrand of the conference. Lamar’s move comes as part of a recent trend in the changing landscape of college athletics, as schools and conferences grapple with the implications of factors such as NIL agreements, the transfer portal, and the reimagining of the NCAA. Cynopsis Sports asked Grant about his new role, his vision for the conference and his thoughts on the rapidly changing collegiate landscape.

Grant on becoming Commissioner: My north star has always been putting student-athletes in the best position to succeed on and off the field of play, focusing on where I can deliver the most value right now. My experience as a student-athlete, then as a graduate assistant coach opened my eyes to the good that college sports can do. When I landed a spot at a Conference office, it gave me an opportunity to work with multiple institutions and student-athlete groups to push for change and innovation at a high level. Student athletes deserve our best efforts.
Also, it’s not lost on me that I am one of the few African American commissioners in collegiate athletics. So, I really see this new role as an opportunity to be a great role model and help others find their way into leadership roles at both the school and Conference level.

On the greatest challenge in his job: Alignment. Making sure that all our schools and the people involved day-to-day are aligned around a clear vision of where we are going. This conference has a rich history, but we can’t stay rooted in who we were. We need to focus on who we are now and who we want to be in the future.

On realignment affecting the conference: Some may look at the swirl of conference realignment and see chaos. We see opportunity! While we lost some schools to realignment, our remaining members are strong and united in their belief in this Conference. They are here for the right reasons, and that will only lead to more stability, collegiality, and cohesion as we move to solidify our brand and tell our story as one conference.

On his vision for the conference: These next two years are all about upgrading. We want to excel beyond the minimum standards of D1 membership. It starts with attracting new members, and we’re off to a fast start by welcoming back into the Conference, Texas based, Lamar University. It also means enhancing our brand, which is where our new brand initiative with Troika comes into play.
If we’re looking ten years from now, I want our conference to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue during March Madness, postseason championships or at academic conferences. I want to turn on a TV and see our athletes competing at the highest levels while our institutions tell their stories to a national audience. We want to be known for having attractive institutions that are forward thinking and highly competitive. Schools that will make their alumni and communities swell with pride.

On the conference rebrand: When it comes to our brand, we wanted it to reflect the tight knit communities that our schools represent. These communities are resilient, with a strong history of overcoming challenges both on and off the fields of play. Troika emerged very early on as a company that could help us tell the regional story of this conference at a national and global level. Their work with ESPN, UFC, Yahoo Sports and Power-5 brands like the SEC, ACC, Big 10 and Pac-12 has shown their innate ability to align stakeholders across multiple campuses and communities around a cohesive brand strategy. One that elevates the academic and athletic exposure for each institution. On top of that, their global perspective and passion for collegiate sports and higher education is second to none. Our new branding initiative driven by Troika will mark my most aggressive action as commissioner as we rebrand the conference with a new name, new logo, and new identity. We’re confident the outcome of our collaboration will reflect our fresh vision and accelerate us into the future.

PROGRAMMING

The Masters propelled ESPN for its first two rounds with the company reporting that its live telecasts of the tournament saw upticks on both days. The second round on Friday averaged 3.5 million viewers for a 31% gain from last year’s second round, according to Nielsen Fast National data, driven by Tiger Woods’ comeback that brought him above the cutline. ESPN’s live telecast of the first round on Thursday averaged 2.8 million viewers for a 21% climb over last year and ESPN’s largest first round audience since 2018. Also on Thursday, ESPN+ had its most viewed-day of golf ever as fans tuned in to watch Tiger Woods’ return to the Masters.

FOX Sports named award-winning broadcaster Joe Davis to FOX MLB’s lead play-by-play position – becoming the new voice of MLB’s premier events. Davis, who was tapped in 2017 to succeed Vin Scully, as the voice of the Dodgers, joins John Smoltz in the network’s lead booth. The pair join Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal to present FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, MLB at Field of Dreams Game and MLB Postseason. Davis’ first appearance in his new role is set for May 28 on FOX. Additionally, he will continue his role for local Dodgers telecasts on SportsNet LA.

Rounding out its baseball cast this season, FOX Sports also announced that its studio team would be made up of Kevin Burkhardt and Eric Karros, joined by host Chris Myers, Dontrelle Willis, Frank Thomas and Mark Sweeney for select events. In addition, World Series champions Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz join the studio for special events. Throughout the season, announcers Adam Amin and Eric Karros are joined by A.J. Pierzynski and Tom Verducci in contributing to FOX MLB game coverage. FOX Deportes’ talent lineup is led by renowned play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia Marquez and Edgar Gonzalez. Joining the team throughout the season are veteran broadcasters Carlos Alvarez and Jaime Motta.

Speaking of FOX, the company is celebrating the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race scheduled on Easter Sunday with a special weekend programming block, including a telecast of Bristol Motor Speedway’s Easter celebration service and the return Darrell Waltrip, who retired as a FOX NASCAR. At 4:30p on Sunday, prior to the start of prerace programming, FS1 will televise Bristol Motor Speedway’s Easter celebration service from outside the stadium in the fan midway area.

DAZN and Barstool Sports are teaming up for a new broadcast experience for Canelo vs. Bivol on May 7 live on DAZN PPV. In addition to the regular commentary, DAZN PPV viewers will be able to choose to “experience Barstool’s take on one of the biggest fights of the year.” Dave Portnoy, Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz, Robbie Fox, Caleb Pressley, Rone & Large will be calling the fight live from ringside.

The NBA updated the league’s 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament schedule, which will open with Cleveland/Brooklyn on TNT at 7p, followed by the LA Clippers/Minnesota. On April 13, ESPN serves up Charlotte/Atlanta at 7p, and capped with the San Antonio/New Orleans at 9:30. The winner of Game 3 faces the loser of Game 1 on Friday on ESPN, while TNT hosts the Winner of Game 4/Loser of Game 2.

Learn from sport’s marketing masters. Do not miss the CMO Exchange on May 24, a virtual conference featuring the heads of marketing from New Balance, the NFL, NHL, WNBA, FanDuel, NASCAR, UFC, MLS, ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Sinclair, Riot Games, LA Galaxy, and many more! Top execs break down the opportunities and challenges on the road ahead. Be sure to get your tickets now by clicking here.

MLB Network announced that play-by-play broadcaster, host and reporter Melanie Newman has joined its on-air roster appearing across its programming. Newman’s MLB Network role is in addition to her broadcast work covering the Baltimore Orioles for MASN and the Orioles Radio Network, which she will again continue this season. As part of her new responsibilities, Newman will regularly do play-by-play for “Friday Night Baseball” on Apple TV+ this season, plus host MLB Network studio programs.

Continuing the baseball theme, the Cardinals’ Opening Day telecast Thursday on Bally Sports Midwest ranked as the most-watched Cardinals home opener in five years. The pregame ceremony and victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates averaged 140,000 households and 246,000 total viewers in the St. Louis market, according to Nielsen. Households were up 24% and viewers up 36% vs. last year’s home opener.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

With the MLB season underway, Twitter once again is bringing back its @MLB emojis. The features will be live through the final pitch of the #WorldSeries, and each hashtag will unlock a custom Twitter emoji for fans.

The Atlanta Braves and Jostens unveiled the Braves 2021 World Series Championship Rings. The pregame on-field ceremony showcased Atlanta Braves executives presenting rings to players, coaches, clubhouse and training staff. “We selected Jostens to be our partner to celebrate this chapter of Braves history as they have the ability to capture a championship journey unlike any other company in the industry,” said Derek Schiller, President & CEO of the Atlanta Braves. “Our 2021 World Series Ring is a masterpiece which beautifully celebrates our incredible season which ended as World Champions. We are also thrilled to have the opportunity to share the championship excitement with our incredible fan base and the special collection Jostens has put together.”

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

PokerStars and FanDuel Sportsbook secured a partnership with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment in which the FanDuel Sportsbook becomes an official sports betting partner, and PokerStars as an official gaming partner. In addition to the use of MLSE team marks in advertising and marketing, FanDuel Sportsbook, PokerStars Casino and PokerStars will be featured prominently throughout Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors games including rink board and on-court signage. The partnership will also allow FanDuel Sportsbook and PokerStars to collaborate on marketing integrations with all of MLSE’s teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Marlies.

The NBA and Fanatics revealed plans to open the first NBA Store in Paris this summer. The new store will be operated by retail brand Lids and located at 20 Boulevard Saint-Michel in Paris’s Latin Quarter, becoming the third NBA Store in Europe, joining London and Milan. The store will also feature exclusive NBA Paris-branded apparel and novelties as well as a customization area where fans can personalize NBA jerseys and hats for all 30 NBA teams.

ESPORTS

FaZe Clan named RESPAWN as the organization’s official gaming chair partner. The new collaboration will outfit FaZe Clan’s roster of content creators and esports pros with RESPAWN’S premium gaming chairs. Additionally, a new set of FaZe Clan x RESPAWN branded chairs, which will come in various colorways and three different price points, will be available for purchase later this year. “RESPAWN is excited to partner with FaZe Clan, bringing together two powerhouses in the gaming community,” says Rachael Boone, President of OFM, Inc. (parent company of RESPAWN). “This partnership highlights the best of gaming performance by uniting ergonomic furniture expertise with top-level gamers and creators – resulting in meaningful content and a performance-driven product to meet the needs of the gaming community.”

Misfits Gaming Group extended its partnership with ROG, which will continue to provide Misfits’ teams and content creators with PCs, laptops, and accessories. Misfits Gaming will also sport ROG branding on team jerseys. The two companies first partnered in early 2021.

Tencent is getting ready to shut down its esports-driven streaming platform Egame. The company has also stated that user data will be deleted in accordance with China’s Personal Information Protection Law.

CYNOPSIS SPORTS: CMO EXCHANGE 2022

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ON THIS DAY in
1962: The New York Mets debut.

IN THE KNOW
How many stages are there now in the Tour de France? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Who is the only Masters competitor to record three eagles in one round? Answer Dustin Johnson. Kudos: Michael Ritz-Lenox Advisors/NY; Kathi Gillin-Comcast/Philadelphia; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Joe Lyons-ESPN/Dallas; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Cynopsis Team