Fans are consuming pro football games at “record levels,” according to the president of the San Francisco 49ers.
But with ratings for NFL games sliding amid the changing media landscape, Al Guido says the league needs to better job of reaching viewers.
“If you look at the deal we did with Amazon, if you look at the Verizon-Oath deal, the Thursday night deal -- for us, we gotta get to a point where we have content in every single fan’s hand,” he told Cheddar in an interview. “And we’ve removed some of the exclusivities, which I think will lead to better ratings moving forward.”
Guido was referencing the deal struck between the league and Fox this week to carry Thursday Night Football games for the next five seasons.
The $3 billion price tag raised some eyebrows in light of ratings numbers -- research firm MoffettNathanson found viewership was down 13 percent during the regular season this year, and as much as 20 percent for the playoffs. Whether those declines continue into this weekend’s Super Bowl remains to be seen.
The New England Patriots will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 4th.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-the-san-francisco-49ers-are-taking-advantage-of-silicon-valley).
SeatGeek co-founder Russ D'Souza says that, despite lower ratings and bad PR, NFL ticket prices remain the highest of all pro sports, and he doesn't see that changing anytime soon.
The professional equestrian and daughter of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says bringing the Riders Masters Cup to the city was "a dream come true."
The world's top equestrians gathered in New York City for the inaugural Longine Masters event. Professional Equestrian Georgina Bloomberg explains how this event brings the competition to the masses, through its Rider Masters Cup.
Professional dancer Sharna Burgess paired up with Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman for the new "Dancing With the Stars: Athletes." Having sports stars in the mix increases the competition level because they're "used to winning at what they do," says Burgess. The new season premieres Monday on ABC.
The former Major League Baseball MVP tells Cheddar that these days there are many players who can hit as well as he did, so he's happy to watch from the sidelines.
A lot of times athletes need financial education before they are able to turn their paychecks into long-term investments, says Frank Zacca, managing director of Octagon, a wealth management firm that works with elite sports stars.
A total of 72,000 gamers qualified for the 17-week long video game competition, and only 102 -- "the elite of the elite" -- made the final cut, says Brendan Donohue, managing director of the League.
The obstacle race organizer had to be tough enough to convince the rapper to skip his own workout routine, said Rich Abend, VP of Global Partnerships. "[Flo Rida] happens to be an incredibly fit person," he said.
Matt Barnes, who won the NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors last year, says professional athletes shouldn't be punished for using marijuana and that he actually played his best when high.
The NBA team was one of 17 teams to take part in the first-ever NBA 2K league draft earlier this month, where top video game ballers were selected to compete in an eSports championship.
