Bucholtz Sports Media
Interviews, news, and analysis from the sports media and sports business world. A newsletter and website from Andrew Bucholtz, who's been covering this sector since 2012.
'Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young' documentary could be a great fit for series' 'roller-coaster ride' mission
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is free for everyone thanks to our premium subscribers, who you can join here for $5 a month. Now, on to the piece... The latest Netflix 'Untold' installment looks to put a spotlight on Vince Young's wild ups and downs Key art for Netflix's "Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young." From this corner at least, many of the most interesting sports documentaries are the ones that fully cover highs and lows. It can be tempting to focus in more on the...
FIFA president Gianni Infantino abandons proposed World Cup equity sale to Joshua Kushner-led group, but the plan may still take him down
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is an exclusive for our premium subscribers, who you can join here. Now, on to the piece... FIFA gives up on private equity sale after major confederation pushback, but it could still hurt Infantino FIFA president Giovanni Infantino at the July 19 FIFA World Cup Final. (Bryan Berlin/Wikipedia.) A rising trend in the sports world over the past decade-plus has been private equity investment. We've seen that with individual teams and with media...
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Amazing FIFA World Cup Final viewership records show how far soccer has come in the U.S.
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is an exclusive for our premium subscribers, who you can join here for just $5 a month. Now, on to the piece... World Cup Final draws 62.8 million U.S. viewers, way ahead of anything to date Spain raising the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy (Bryan Berlin, WikiPortraits, via Wikipedia.) When I wrote about the FIFA World Cup Final's ratings potential, my conclusion was "A record for any match not involving the U.S. seems almost certain, and perhaps...
Ryan Clark's mid-show layoff from ESPN shows how not to handle staff cuts
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media. This post is free for everyone thanks to our premium subscribers, who you can join here. Now, on to the piece... Ryan Clark exits 'NFL Live' mid-show after learning news he was laid off as part of wider Disney/ESPN cuts Ryan Clark on his final "NFL Live" Monday. (@ESPNNFL on X.) There have been countless rounds of layoffs at media companies over the years, and those are far from ideal even if handled as well as possible. But something regularly...
Remarkable FIFA World Cup Final matchup could draw big ratings
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is free for everyone thanks to our premium subscribers, who you can join here. Now, on to the piece... Argentina-Spain FIFA World Cup Final carries great ratings potential Fox graphics for the FIFA World Cup Final (@FoxSports on X). The 2026 FIFA World Cup across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada has certainly been a notable success on the television ratings front. The highest-water marks to date came with the host countries' exits in the Round of...
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Amidst Madison Square Garden lawsuit, WIRED's vow to continue reporting on James Dolan is impressive
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is an exclusive for our premium subscribers, who you can join here. Now, on to the piece... WIRED standing strong despite lawsuit from James Dolan and MSG MSG CEO James Dolan performs "Shambla" on The Tonight Show with his "JD and the Straight Shot" band on March 7, 2018. (Andrew Lipovsky/NBC.) I know what it's like to get on the bad side of James Dolan, the executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden...
What will happen to FIFA World Cup viewership numbers after the exits of hosts USA, Mexico, and Canada?
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This analysis post is free for everyone thanks to our premium subscribers, who you can join here for just $5 a month. Now, on to the piece... Where will World Cup viewership go following the hosts' exits? The USMNT's Chris Richards after their loss to Belgium Monday. (Fox Sports on YouTube.) The 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced incredible viewership thus far in both the U.S. and Canada. On the U.S. front, Fox has set countless records with their...
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Looking back at the media narratives around the Florida and LSU coaching moves
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This analysis post is an exclusive for our premium subscribers, who you can join here for $5 a month. Now, on to the piece... Further details on LSU and Florida coaching moves with Lane Kiffin and Jon Sumrall illustrate how the situations weren't equivalent Lane Kiffin (L) and Jon Sumrall at the SEC spring meetings in 2026. (That SEC Podcast on YouTube.) There are plenty of cases in the sports world where a prominent media narrative emerges. Some of the...
Thrilling Cape Verde-Argentina FIFA World Cup match suggests tournament expansion isn't always bad
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is free for everyone thanks to our premium subscribers, who you can join here. Now, on to the piece... Cape Verde's underdog run is the latest positive tournament expansion story A Cape Verde post from @dripfc on Instagram. A regular discussion we've seen across sports is leagues trying to expand their championship tournaments, frequently with the context of heavy pushback from media members and fans. That's happened recently with the NFL...
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What does the end of the (NHL) Hockey Night In Canada era mean?
Welcome back to Bucholtz Sports Media! This post is an exclusive for our premium subscribers, who you can join here. Now, on to the piece... CBC's final NHL broadcasts (at least for now) signal an interesting end of an era An incredible Hockey Night In Canada group at the 1985 Stanley Cup Final, in the famed powder-blue blazers. From left to right: Ralph Mellanby, then executive producer, HNIC, host Chris Cuthbert, play-by-play man Don Wittman, colour analyst John Davidson, director Larry...