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Morning Edition

July 22, 2025

NFL owners are preparing for a possible vote next month on a long-discussed deal that would see Disney acquire key league media properties—and potentially give the NFL an equity stake in ESPN—as both sides eye a reshaped future for football broadcasting.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

NFL Owners Told to Prep for Potential Disney Media Deal Vote [[link removed]]

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

NFL owners have been informally told to be ready for a potential vote next month on a long-discussed acquisition of league media assets by ESPN parent company Walt Disney Co., Front Office Sports sources confirmed.

For four years, the league has considered selling in-house media holdings such as the NFL Network and NFL RedZone, among other properties, with Disney easily standing as the most engaged among major networks in the on-again, off-again process. The NFL, in turn, could also acquire an equity stake in ESPN [[link removed]], which would complete another long-planned initiative on the company’s side of the table to potentially bring in outside investors [[link removed]].

If completed, the move would also give Disney and ESPN an important boost as the NFL is all but certain to opt out of its current domestic media-rights deals [[link removed]] in 2029 and 2030.

ESPN, meanwhile, is preparing to debut its direct-to-consumer service [[link removed]], and having additional NFL content could provide a critical enhancement to that effort.

“This looks to be coming to a head, and there are some external reasons for that,” an FOS source said of the NFL.

A move to call a special league meeting outside of the typical cadence of gatherings among team owners is hardly unprecedented. In fact, it happened just a year ago as owners came together in August 2024 to approve the league’s formal entry into private equity [[link removed]]. Other league sources, however, cautioned that nothing has been solidified this time around, and no supplemental meeting has yet been called.

Sports Business Journal initially reported [[link removed]] the possibility of an additional meeting to address the NFL Media transaction.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Hang Out in the Hamptons

On Aug. 1, Front Office Sports, with official partners UBS, On Location, and Saratoga, hosts our second annual Huddle in the Hamptons [[link removed]], bringing together business leaders in sports, entertainment, media, finance, and technology for an afternoon of panels, networking, and activities.

This invite-only experience will be a quintessential summer Friday, mixing a morning of thought leadership with an afternoon of engaging activities and racket sports.

Panels will include candid conversations with MLS commissioner Don Garber, UBS executive and former NFL player Wale Ogunleye, Super Bowl champion and Emmy Award–winning ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, and more.

Want to join us out East? Request to attend here [[link removed]].

Power 4 Conferences Keep Pushing Different CFP Plans, Stalling Change [[link removed]]

The Register Guard

The future of the College Football Playoff will be in the spotlight this week, as the ACC and Big Ten host preseason media days—although there is not expected to be any movement toward reaching a consensus for expansion in 2026.

When ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and his Big Ten counterpart Tony Petitti take their respective stages in Charlotte and Las Vegas on Tuesday, they are each expected to reiterate their preferences for differing CFP formats, should it expand to 16 teams next year.

There is a Dec. 1 deadline for the CFP management committee—made up of FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua—to green-light expansion, but details of a new format are holding that up.

Power 4 Push

Phillips has previously been supportive of the 5+11 format that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark “doubled down” on [[link removed]] at his conference’s media days earlier this month. That model would continue to see the five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic CFP bids, with the selection committee awarding 11 spots, instead of the seven it does in the current 12-team format.

However, Petitti has pushed for a more complex system [[link removed]] that would award four automatic bids to each of the Big Ten and SEC, two to the ACC and Big 12, one to the highest-ranked non–Power 4 Conference champion, and three at-large bids.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey wouldn’t commit to supporting a singular format for an expanded CFP last week at his conference’s media days, although he admitted the Big Ten “has a different view,” [[link removed]] which he said was “fine.”

Sankey even said the current 12-team format “could stay if we can’t agree” on a new one before the Dec. 1 deadline.

With the college football regular season just over a month away, debate about the future of the CFP is likely to bleed into game action this fall.

Callaway’s $500 ‘Happy Gilmore’ Putter Booming on Resale Market [[link removed]]

Callaway

Happy Gilmore 2 doesn’t hit Netflix [[link removed]] until Friday, but hype and nostalgia around the sequel to the hit 1996 movie starring Adam Sandler has already—somewhat unexpectedly—created a new high-priced sports collectible.

Callaway released a limited-edition Odyssey-branded hockey stick putter (a replica of what Sandler’s character uses in the new film) on July 11 that quickly sold out, despite its $500 price tag.

“There was a reasonably limited number that we thought would last us,” Callaway VP of global marketing Nick McInally told Front Office Sports. “Our aim was to be out of that stock by November. We were out of that stock by 10 a.m. on release day.”

Callaway also released Happy Gilmore golf balls for $60 a dozen, but it was the hockey stick putter—complete with a tube sock headcover—that went viral on social media [[link removed]], and an expensive resale market instantly emerged. Listings on eBay skyrocketed to $3,000 at one point shortly after the launch. As of Monday, the market had settled, with most listings at or around $1,000, which is double the product’s retail value.

Callaway sold the hockey stick putter online, and Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy had in-store inventory as well (which lasted only about 48 hours).

There is good news for any Happy Gilmore fans who missed out on the initial batch: More inventory is being released Friday, coinciding with the new movie’s premiere. “We expect that to go pretty quickly as well,” McInally said. “And then based on how that happens, we’ll then decide if we’re gonna create any more.”

Just Tap It In

In the original movie, Happy Gilmore was given an Odyssey putter-turned-hockey stick by his mentor, Chubbs Peterson. In 1996, Odyssey Sports was an independent company. The next year, Callaway purchased the putter maker for $130 million.

For the sequel, Happy Gilmore 2 producers reached out to Callaway about a year ago to discuss reviving the iconic movie prop. Sandler was “involved heavily” in the creation of the new-and-improved hockey stick putter for the sequel, McInally said. “We wanted to create—if you were going to have a hockey stick putter, what would be the best hockey stick putter that actually you could go and use and it would improve your game?”

And while the collectible version of the hockey stick putter is functional for recreational use, it’s not a conforming club for tournament play, since both sides of the club face are flat, which is not allowed, per the rules of golf. Don’t tell that to Happy Gilmore, though.

Conversation Starters The Braves and Reds revealed custom NASCAR-inspired jerseys that they will wear Aug. 2 when they face off in the inaugural MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. Check them out [[link removed]]. Michael Jordan’s former Chicago-area mansion is now available on Airbnb, which includes 7 bedrooms, 17.5 bathrooms, a saltwater aquarium, a fishing pond, and a cigar lounge. Take a look [[link removed]]. Polymarket could change the sports-betting landscape forever. Find out why [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Clippers Use Harden Savings to Go All In on Aging Stars [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Clippers will likely have the NBA’s oldest roster next season. Big 12 Schools Turn Down Memphis Offer to Join Conference for Millions in Promised Sponsorships [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]“The interest wasn’t there,” a source told FOS. Jonas Valančiūnas Says He’ll Play for Nuggets After All [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The backup center had been negotiating with Greek team Panathinaikos. Question of the Day

Would you watch more NFL if Disney/ESPN owned NFL Network and “RedZone”?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 68% of respondents think WNBA players should get a longer All-Star break.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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