The Big Deal Weekly: LIV Golf hype, AFL CBA stalls, NRL's player poaching fund, Jalen's record NFL deal, the spectacle of NFL Draft & more

Newsletter no. 30, 25 April

In this week's sports biz wrap we cover the big money moves across LIV Golf, AFL, NRL, NFL, MLB ... and even the lower leagues of English soccer!

Get straight into it and tune in below, or scroll on for the headlines and key points.

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TREDDERS: BELIEVE THE LIV GOLF HYPE

Tredders was there as LIV Golf took Adelaide, and the world, by storm.

He said it was an incredible experience and the critics have missed the point - it’s a new, unique product. And it’s here to stay.

The results were exciting for organisers:

• 63,000 tickets sold (sell out)

• 40% of attendees came from outside of South Australia (30% interstate visitors, 10% overseas)

• The SA Tourism Commission says golf tourism is lucrative:

  • Overseas visitors spend on average $6,600

  • Interstate visitors spend $2,100

It’s not bad for the players either …

Winner Talor Gooch pocketed just under $AU6 million in prizemoney, and the top six players all took home about $AU1.5 million.

PLAYERS PUSH BACK IN AFL CBA NEGOTIATIONS

The AFL wants to make an allowance for clubs to trade players without their consent in new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

That did not go down well with the players.

The AFL Players Association wants a four year deal, the AFL wants a nine year deal - uncertainty around cost for a new Tasmanian license would make this very difficult.

There’s a lot of work still to be done here.

AFL CEO WANTED MORE CASH TO STAY …

We’ve been following the AFL’s ugly succession process for CEO Gil McLachlan, and it’s not looking any better for the league.

McLachlan reportedly wanted a $1 million pay rise to stay on, taking his annual package to around $3.5 million with bonuses. Gil has denied this.

Clubs are furious there has been no heir and lack of urgency from the Commission to fill its major vacancies, some that they’ve known about for more than two years.

AFL’S BAFFLING MATCH REVIEW PROCESS

With MRO inconsistency is at an all time high, the fans are frustrated and so is Tredders.

The AFLs installation of ‘the ability to cause injury’ clause into all MRO grading of incidents in 2023 has effectively thrown every player who chooses to bump, attempts to protect themselves and braces from contact at the feet of Michael Christian’s suspension gavel.

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NRL TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST PLAYER POACHERS

About a month ago we covered the NRL’s anger that Rugby Australia had poached Roosters young gun Joseph Suaalii to a $4.8 million deal.

Now ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys is fighting back, reportedly considering handing NRL clubs up to $1 million in salary cap relief for recruiting rugby union or overseas players.

NRL GOES TO VEGAS

The NRL is also planning to kick off the 2024 season with a double header in Las Vegas, and it is being talked up as the biggest league event in history.

The event would involve a big push from players from four NRL clubs to sell the sport to an American audience in the week leading up to the game.

OAKLAND A’S PREPARE FOR VEGAS MOVE

But taking up all the sports headlines in Sin City is the planned move of iconic MLB team Oakland A’s from the Bay Area across to Nevada.

The organisation has purchased a 49-acre plot of land in Southern Nevada, just west of the Las Vegas Strip, with the intention to build a billion dollar ballpark, with a retractable roof and all the other shiny things.

Fans are heartbroken and the Oakland Mayor is furious … but that’s sports business.

“MONEY IS NICE, CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE BETTER”

That’s what the Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts said after signing a record NFL contract extension, worth $US255 million.

To be clear - that’s more than $AU381 million, he’ll earn a lazy $AU76.2 million a year at the ripe old age of 24.

"I have mixed emotions right now … I am grateful, I am thankful, but ... I am just so hungry. The hard work continues, and the fire continues to burn,” Hurts said.

NFL DRAFT A COMMERCIAL BONANZA

The NFL Draft is on from April 27 to April 29, and it’s a huge commercial event that the AFL and other sports so badly want to emulate.

Here’s just a few reasons why:

• The NFL Draft is aired across ESPN and ABC over three days in the US, which is owned by Disney, and also syndicated internationally

• Disney is expected to rake in $US16 million in advertising revenue, with four official sponsors and nearly 100 advertisers across 50 product categories

• 100,000 people registered to attend the event in Kansas City with up to 300,000 expected to visit

WREXHAM’S HOLLYWOOD STORY

Have you watched the movie about the luckless low level soccer team that gets bought out by a couple of celebrities who turn the club’s fortunes around?

It’s been playing out in real life, in front of our eyes.

Wrexham AFC, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has earned a promotion to the English Football League for the first time in 15 years.

The duo bought the team for a few million bucks two years ago. And with some big spending on players, bringing in huge sponsors and building an incredible brand and story, the club has now achieved on-field success.

Since Reynolds and McElhenney took over there have been documentaries, games on EPSN, a US tour booked, and massive commercial opportunities … the sky is the limit (as long as the money keeps rolling in).

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