09/09/20: MiLB CEO O’Conner will reture at the end of the year

 

Medias First Morning Read
Wednesday September 9, 2020

Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner announced his retirement after 38 years in professional baseball and 28 years with the MiLB office as of Dec. 31. O’Conner’s tenure is the fifth-longest presidency in Minor League Baseball’s 120-year history. “It has been a privilege to serve in Minor League Baseball leadership for the past 28 years and I will be forever indebted to all of the staff who worked with me in St. Petersburg over the years,” he said. “It was an honor to work alongside the owners, executives, players, umpires, fans and communities that have made our organization so successful.”

PROGRAMMING

ESPN unveiled more production plans for the NFL season, with its NFL pregame shows, Sunday NFL Countdown (10a-1p) and Monday Night Countdown (6-8p) now set to originate from a new rooftop studio within the network’s New York Seaport District studios for the 2020 season, In addition to the network’s flagship NFL pregame shows, the NBA Countdown pregame show will emanate from the new studio space for the Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN and NBA Finals on ABC. SBJ, meanwhile, reports that the network will drop the Hank Williams Jr. anthem “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” for Monday Night Football in favor of a new version of Little Richard’s “Rip It Up,”

ESPN also rolled out plans for the WNBA Playoffs Presented by AT&T, beginning with the first round, single-elimination beginning Sept. 15 at 7p and 9p on ESPN2. The semifinals will run September 20-29 leading into the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV beginning with Game 1 on Oct. 2, at 7p on ESPN2. Every game of the postseason–a potential 19 games in total–will be available across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App. Ryan Ruocco, Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo and LaChina Robinson will call the postseason from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. campus through the semifinals, with Holly Rowe providing insight into every game from inside the #Wubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla

With the 2020 Kickoff set for tomorrow, NFL Media is tapping the talents of Queen Latifah for the Inspire Change Special, running tonight at 9p on NBC. Latifah hosts the one-hour program, highlighting the efforts of NFL players, Legends and others in the NFL family to advance social justice and equality. NFL Network will re-air the Inspire Change Special on Sept. 18 at 10p.

Duke Mountain Resources announced an agreement with NBC Sports to present the Xtreme Fighting Championships live in the US. NBCSN will televise XFC43 on Nov. 11 at 9p, featuring live action from the final two hours of ‘main event’ fights. XFC is returning to the Hexagon under a new ownership group led by CEO Steve Smith and President Myron Molotky. “NBC Sports is the gold standard in sports television, with an unmatched history presenting the most prestigious competitions in the world,” says Molotky. “The team at NBC Sports impressed us with their experience, their understanding of our vision, and their commitment to excellence. We are thrilled to join them as partners and to give our fighters an opportunity to shine in front of this powerful audience.”

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch will broadcast from the FS1 booth for the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series playoffs, starting tomorrow. The move sees Busch serve as a driver analyst for seven races on the network. “My love for racing is something very special to me and I couldn’t be more excited to be in the FS1 booth and commentate on these truck races,” said Busch. “I’m incredibly grateful to the FOX Sports team for the opportunity to share insight along with some of the best announcers in the sport.”

SiriusXM announced its coverage of the 2020 NFL season, which will deliver live broadcasts of every game as well as new exclusive shows and in-depth 24/7 news and talk on the SiriusXM NFL Radio channel. This season, SiriusXM NFL Radio will launch a new weekly show dedicated to the Las Vegas Raiders, hosted by Mike Haynes and JT The Brick. Silver & Black Radio will debut today and air every Wednesday at 7p throughout the season on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Meanwhile, former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith and former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer will be new additions to the SiriusXM NFL Radio roster this season, serving as hosts on the channel’s morning show The Opening Drive – Smith on Mondays and Palmer on Thursdays. The SiriusXM NFL Radio lineup also adds a new daily show, Airing It Out, hosted by SiriusXM’s Bob Papa and former coach Charlie Weis.

WWE announced Uncool with Alexa Bliss, a new podcast series debuting on Sept. 22. Hosted by WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss, the podcast will see Bliss sit down with WWE Superstars and celebrity guests to celebrate all things “Uncool” such as awkward first dates and fashion faux pas.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Bud Light, in tandem with the NFL and Twitter, is launching the “Bud Light Showtime Cam,” described as a “first-of-its-kind interactive celebratory camera granting NFL fans an unforgettable experience with their beloved teams and players.” Bud Light Showtime Cam’ will debut during the first game of the 2020 NFL season tomorrow and be featured at future match-ups throughout the 2020 season. Throughout the season, players will be encouraged to celebrate with fans through ‘Bud Light Showtime Cam,’ while fans and their Tweets will have the chance to be featured by tagging their Tweets with #ShowtimeCam #BudLightSweepstakes via Twitter. ““As the official beer sponsor of the NFL, we’re excited to welcome football fans back to the sport they love, giving them access to one of the most noteworthy moments in sports – the touchdown celebration,” said Andy Goeler, Vice President of Marketing, Bud Light. “‘Bud Light Showtime Cam’ not only brings fans closer to the players they know and love, but will also provide those watching at home a unique fan experience – a celebration alongside their team, while enjoying their favorite Bud Light product.”

Meanwhile, in celebration of the opening of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers new home at SoFi Stadium, Pepsi, the official soft drink of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, announced that they will bring local football fans a taste of the in-stadium action at home. Kicking off during the Los Angeles Rams season opener on September 13 and extending through the Los Angeles Chargers season opener on September 20, Pepsi will provide football fans throughout Southern California with a series of entertainment, food, merchandise, and fan-based activations that will “empower them to showcase their love of the game and share it with their friends and family across social channels.” As part of the kickoff to the Rams season opener on September 13, Pepsi will set the gameday stage by producing a virtual pregame show featuring award-winning rapper, Jay Rock. To celebrate the Chargers season opener on September 20, Pepsi will host a virtual tailgate featuring gameday eats, merchandise and fan filters. As part of the activation, Pepsi will provide 1,000 fans access to an exclusive $20 Pizza Hut digital gift card, where they can redeem a free pizza and two-liter Pepsi to enjoy during the game.

NASCAR and Richard Petty Motorsports teamed up with Urban Outfitters to release an exclusive, limited edition collection of t-shirts highlighting Bubba Wallace’s Compassion, Love and Understanding paint scheme from Martinsville Speedway. Through the sale of the t-shirts, Urban Outfitters will make a $100,000 charitable contribution to Wallace’s Live to Be Different Foundation.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

The NFL named Betcris as the league’s first official betting partner in Latin America. As part of the deal, Betcris will gain the rights to use NFL marks and logos, brand exposure on digital properties like NFL.com and the NFL Fantasy app, and access the league’s official data feed and become an official sponsor of the NFL International Series Games in Mexico in 2021.

Secondary ticket marketplace TickPick announced the launch of Rivalri, a free-to-play, pick ‘em-style app, ahead of the NFL season. Rivalri will host a weekly $50,000 NFL contest that prompts users to pick the winner of each NFL game played on Sunday in addition to bonus questions asking for the total points scored by the two teams playing in the “Rivalri Game of the Week.” Over the course of the season, TickPick will be awarding up to $1 million in total prize money.

ESPORTS

DreamHack announced that DreamHack Masters Winter will take place online from Nov. 30-dec. 6. A prize pool totaling $250,000 will be split among four regional competitions in Europe (16 teams), North America (8 teams), Asia (4 teams) and Oceania (4 teams). “Following the success of our online DreamHack Masters Spring, we’re very excited to bring our fans the DreamHack Masters Winter,” said DreamHack Chief Product Officer Michael Van Driel. “We’ve developed a structure to support teams, players and fans around the world with this format, and are looking forward to a great competition. All of us at DreamHack are proud to show the world of esports continues to grow and move forward, even as we continue adapting and finding solutions for this new normal.”

CS:GO tournament organizer BLAST is entering Valorant, announcing a Valorant Twitch Invitational running Sept.11-13 featuring four European teams: G2 Esports, Ninjas In Pajamas, Team Liquid, and FunPlus Phoenix.

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