Rodney Fort | Lightnews

Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 2d

Once again the "college sports are a disaster" is only true if what you actually dislike is player empowerment. (summary from @d1ticker.bsky.social, quotes from frontofficesports.com/college-bask...)

College basketball viewership is soaring, with Fox men’s games up 69% (averaging 1.37M viewers) and FS1 up 38%, while ESPN women’s hoops has jumped 39% year-over-year. Front Office Sports’ Griffin Senyek reports the boost extends beyond the 5-10% lift from Nielsen’s new Big Data metrics, as even comparing panel-to-panel, ESPN women’s viewership is up 14% and men’s is up 5% (with an overall 21% rise). The Big Ten Network also posted gains, with men’s viewership up 45% and women’s up 15%. Highlights include Illinois vs. Nebraska drawing nearly 1.4M on FS1 (a network record) and Michigan State vs. Michigan attracting 2.76M on Fox (a Friday night record). Kentucky at Arkansas (2.39M) and BYU at Kansas (2.1M) rank as ESPN's top draws so far.

Dean Oliver @deanolytics.bsky.social · 3d

I'm heading to Connecticut in April for the Connecticut Sports Analytics Symposium. Giving a talk with the boring title of

Why division of (micro)credit helps in sports

The talk should be better than the title.

statds.org/events/csas2...

CSAS 2026 : Keynote Sessions

statds.org

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 4d

www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

SEC Has Officially Broken the Billion-Dollar Revenue Barrier

The Southeastern Conference claims a major financial milestone in announcing $1.03 billion in revenue distributions to its members in FY25.

www.sportico.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 5d

I agree. And I was for WAPo. But no longer. I’m reading why but… sad.

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 5d

In my college sports class, i had students evaluate employee staus by IRS guidelines. It was always unanimous they fit employee, not contractor.
www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

The Next Game-Changing NCAA Case Seeks Athlete Employment

The NCAA has settled antitrust cases, but whether college athletes are student employees is an unresolved question. It's a major issue for higher ed.

www.sportico.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 6d

Purchase of many firms allows PepsiCo to become price setter. Classic example for Econ101 classes.
www.oregonlive.com/nation/2026/...

Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos chips will get cheaper

Their manufacturer ains to win back customers exasperated by years of price hikes.

www.oregonlive.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 6d

www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 6d

So…It’s not obvious players actually even need the WNBA. Hmmm.
andscape.com/features/unr...

Unrivaled's Philly stop reflects momentum driving WNBA players amid labor dispute - Andscape

The elephant in the room with those 21,000-plus Unrivaled fans: the ongoing WNBA labor dispute between players and owners.

andscape.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 7d

This boggles my mind.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

NBC Sports set to host Super Bowl LX pregame coverage from Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz will play host for segments of NBC's Super Bowl coverage on Sunday.

www.nytimes.com

Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 7d

SB 1/2timers: Dan Akroyd (Canada), Phil Collins (UK), U2 (Ireland), Paul McCartney (UK), Rolling Stones (UK), Cirque du Soleil (Canada), The Who (UK), Coldplay (UK), Shakira (Venez), the Weeknd (Canada), & Rihanna (Barbados)

But THIS is the year people are upset about a "foreigner" at halftime?

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 7d

Getting close to mirroring the number of black majority owners (zero).
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

The NFL hired zero Black head coaches. That tells you everything

With 10 head-coaching vacancies this offseason, the hiring cycle echoed decades past as owners defaulted to their superficial practices.

www.nytimes.com

John Thorn @johnthorn.bsky.social · 7d

Who was MLB's first Black player? Not Jackie Robinson in 1947, not Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy in 1884 … but William Edward White, in 1879. He passed for white for much of his life but, uniquely among MLB players, he was born a slave. ourgame.mlblogs.com/pioneers-wil...

PIONEERS: William Edward White

First in a season-long series

ourgame.mlblogs.com

Dennis @dcoatesecon.bsky.social · 8d

I do as well. And I show videos of soccer on bicycles, gymnastics on bikes and hurling.

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 8d

I always started my sports Econ class with the Q: What is a sport? If I was still teaching, this piece would make a fun motivator.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...

Between the sheets at the college Excel championships

One of the most unusual — and fun — events in college sports is a high-stakes spreadsheeting competition in Las Vegas.

www.washingtonpost.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 8d

If you do sports biz & govt, watch what this will create over the next 5 years.
frontofficesports.com/nfl-espn-fin...

NFL, ESPN Finalize Landmark Deal After Federal Approval

The NFL, ESPN, and network parent company Disney have closed on their large-scale deal that gives the league equity in the sports media giant.

frontofficesports.com

Jesse Dougherty @jessedougherty.bsky.social · 8d

I went to the college Excel championships in Vegas, spending three days with people who REALLY love competitive spreadsheeting.

Come along. Here's how that looked, sounded and felt: washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2026/college-excel-spreadsheet-championships/?itid=sf_sports_toptable_1_0

Between the sheets at the college Excel championships

One of the most unusual — and fun — events in college sports is a high-stakes spreadsheeting competition in Las Vegas.

washingtonpost.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 9d

Hmm. Seems a strategic error. Even if the SEC commish has a pact with BiG, ACC, and Big12 promising to do the same. An enforcement cartel seems destined to come apart quickly.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...

'We have rules, but they're not being enforced': Georgia president on NCAA, CSC

www.nytimes.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 10d

Side-by-side at 8-1/2” wide, even at 1 page each, these pages cover 402 miles. Almost the width of state of NY. How is that even possible?

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 10d

The Justice Department said it released 3 million more documents from the Epstein files, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

Justice Department says it’s releasing 3 million more documents from Epstein files

The Justice Department says it is releasing the latest batch of files related to the federal investigations of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

www.washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 10d

The Justice Department said it released 3 million more documents from the Epstein files, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

Justice Department says it’s releasing 3 million more documents from Epstein files

The Justice Department says it is releasing the latest batch of files related to the federal investigations of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

www.washingtonpost.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 10d

I just love the wide world of sports.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

The unlikeliest Super Bowl matchup ever, and the far-reaching implications: Pick Six

The Seahawks and Patriots each entered the season with Super Bowl odds of 60 to 1 or longer. The long shots will now play for the Lombardi.

www.nytimes.com

Georgy Shukaylo @georgyshukaylo.bsky.social · 10d

The video recording of the seminar was uploaded so fast — thank you @jjreade.bsky.social !

Please find the link to Youtube below:

youtu.be/o6U-ao8gJYc?...

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 11d

“Chicagoland”

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 11d

Deion as a player operated in a world governed by collective bargaining agreements. Players/ADs only have their individual rev sharing/NIL contracts. Are fines in their contract? No? Then they are illegal.
www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

Deion’s Colorado Player Fines Push College Employee Issue to the Fore

Deion Sanders intends to monetarily fine Colorado players who miss practices and other infractions. From a legal standpoint, that's not a great idea.

www.sportico.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 12d

“Fired at Pretti” They killed him. Do better @nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

Federal Officers Who Fired at Pretti Placed on Leave

www.nytimes.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 12d

Well what do you know.
www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

College Recruiting Costs Shrink as Football Powers Adapt to Portal

Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Texas are now reporting notable dips in football recruiting costs.

www.sportico.com

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 13d

Well… except for ownership.

Stephen King @stephenking.bsky.social · 13d

I would love MLB to leave Twitter (formerlyX). Elon Musk is a whites-come-first guy, and MLB is totally integrated.

Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 13d

So, 18 yrs hence:
$2,000*((1.03)^18)=$3,405
Average US state U tuition guess:
$11,950*((1.03)^18)=$20,344.
This “generosity:
$3,405/(4x$20,344)=4.3%.
I know, “Every little bit helps”. And this is the very definition of that. 🙄
www.oregonlive.com/silicon-fore...