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Sports fans in the South are likely familiar with “The Paul Finebaum Show.”  If you’re not, you are about to learn more.

Paul Finebaum is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.  He has enjoyed a lengthy and very successful career as a popular sportswriter for newspapers across the South.

In the mid-1980’s, Finebaum was discovered by a new audience.  His vast knowledge on college sports helped make him a popular guest on sports talk radio stations in the Southeast.

He eventually became a full-time radio sports talk host in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1990’s.

Paul Finebaum’s unique radio show relied on the host’s deep knowledge of college sports and, especially, the SEC.  He would tee-up one or more issues or topics every hour.  He interviewed guests with relevant expertise on today’s important sports stories.

A third element to Paul Finebaum’s radio show was a growing legion of occasionally intense and always unique callers to the program.

Their contributions helped to make it one of the more entertaining shows on the air.

Paul Finebaum’s local radio show became so popular that he began syndicating it to a number of radio stations in the South beginning in 2001.  New listeners and callers started to show up, too.

“The Paul Finebaum Show” reached new heights again in 2014.  That’s when his afternoon sports radio program (1-5 PM Central Time) started being simulcast on television’s SEC Network.

After a dozen years on cable television, this show remains true to its roots

College football has always been the bread and butter of this program.  SEC football fans are well known for their passion and pride in support of their favorite college teams.  Seasonal sports topics are discussed, but college football is king twelve months of the year on the “The Paul Finebaum Show.”

Finebaum’s national television platform has brought new guests and, of course, a host of new callers.

Hour #4 of his weekday show is generally dedicated to the radio callers and their takes on the issues of the day. Some callers choose to take verbal snipes at one another instead.

Several of the show’s regular callers can come across like seasoned professional wrestlers cutting “promos” trying to sell tickets for upcoming matches.

Let’s start with “Legend.”

He has been a Paul Finebaum regular caller for decades.  Legend was recently voted as the Top Caller to the show over the past year.  Legend is a loyal supporter and a fierce defender of the Alabama Crimson Tide.  In recent months, he has been equally upset about the team’s current football coach, Kaylen DeBoer.  Legend enthusiastically comes across a bit like WWE superstar, Ric Flair.

He can make you laugh as he intensely sells his take on just about any topic.

Another top caller goes by the name of “I-Man.”  The I-Man is much more laid-back than Legend.  He always seems to bring some quality insights about the show’s daily topics.  I-man (like Legend) has been calling the Finebaum radio program for many years.

One of the callers I like to hear from is a gentleman who goes by the name of “Handsome Joe.”

He leads off every call with a heartfelt “Roll Tide Roll, Paul!”  He does a good job of helping the audience try to make sense of what some of the other callers have been trying to convey.

Another interesting regular caller to the show goes by the handle of “Squirrel.”  This caller is generally rather low key in his style.

Like I-Man, Squirrel can deliver some exceptionally insightful and entertaining takes about the day’s topics.  He is also known to take a few shots at some of the show’s weaker callers, too.

There are dozens of regular callers contributing to “The Paul Finebaum Show”

Each day is a different roller coaster ride for listeners of the show.

The guests and show callers can make the show soar at times.  Other days, a series of pointless calls can send the show crashing down, too.  That usually happens whenever a series of callers spend too much of their air time sniping at previous callers rather than adding something new to the show.

Finebaum regular callers also include several insightful female contributors.  They generally make some excellent points and bring a little bit of sanity back to the proceedings.

For his part, Paul Finebaum functions as the ringmaster of his own four hour weekday radio circus.

He generously allows his guests and callers to be the stars of his show.  I have great admiration for the way he pulls it off.  

A few decades ago, yours truly worked as a weekend radio talk show host for several years.  It is very tricky to balance the proper amount of input from the host, the show’s guests, and the callers to craft a product which is pleasing to the average listener.

It’s even harder to do this for four hours every day for five days per week like Paul Finebaum does.

The majority of Paul Finebaum’s callers agree on one thing…

Heaven help the occasional caller who happens to gloat about the Big Ten Conference winning its third consecutive national championship in college football last January.

Alabama and LSU fans may despise one another every November.  Likewise, Georgia and Florida supporters dislike each other with a passion, too.

However, when a Big Ten supporter calls in to the Finebaum show to say that the SEC’s dominance in college football is now over, these SEC fans quickly band together in support of their beloved sports conference.

Some callers to “The Paul Finebaum Show” seem to me a bit like WWE’s Royal Rumble annual wrestling event.  One caller jumps into the ring first to make a point.  The next caller follows to disagree with the previous caller’s position or introduce a different topic to the show.

And so it goes for four hours every weekday.  It’s a wild ride.

What should be the “Rules for Callers” for the Paul Finebaum show?

Tuesday, June 23rd’s final hour of “The Paul Finebaum Show” featured one caller asking the host if anyone had ever written a rule book to help callers to his radio show.   Finebaum suggested that the caller should, perhaps, write that book.  Listeners were also teased by the host to try their hand at it, too.

I have listened to enough Finebaum’s show over the years to understand what this caller meant.

So, let’s tackle that issue today.  Perhaps my list will find its way to the host of the show.  Feel free to use it!

Ten Rules for Callers to “The Paul Finebaum Show”

Do…

1. Listen to the show on the day you are making your call.  (Understand what is the primary topic(s) of the day before calling the program.)

2. Think about what you are going to say prior to calling the show.

(A highly respected radio program director at a music station I worked for years ago posted a sign in the control room.  It read, “Do not open this microphone unless you have something worthwhile to say.”)

3. Have your own distinct opinion on the subject being discussed.

(Tell us why you agree or disagree on the issue.  What would you suggest doing differently?)

4. Feel free to pose a fresh question or topic to the show’s host.

(Paul may welcome a change of subjects at certain times of the show.  He will either answer your question directly or encourage other callers to provide their opinion on that topic, too!)

5. Be succinct.  (You generally have up to 60 seconds to make your point.  It is up to the show’s host and producer to ascertain whether your call is deemed entertaining enough to continue any longer than that.)

Now, for the “Don’t” set of my rules when calling the show…

6. Imbibe any adult beverages prior to making your call.

(Slurring your words – even if you are making a great point – is a turnoff to most of us listeners. Try again tomorrow, please.)

7. Spend your entire call tearing down what a previous caller just said.  That’s boring!

(Instead, start with “I disagree with “X” on this issue. Here’s why he/she got it wrong”.)

8. Read from scripted comments or points or ramble. This is a phone call – not a speech!

(Use brief notes to stay on track if you feel nervous prior to making the call)

9. Speak past the show host!  Have a real live conversation directly with Paul Finebaum.

(Talk as if Paul is the only one on the telephone line, because he is!   Your call will come across much better to us listeners as a result.)

10. Call the show solely to agree with another caller’s point on a particular issue.

(It’s boring to hear, “I totally agree with Legend’s comments about …”.  So, exactly why did you take the time to call the radio show today?  What are your own thoughts on the subject being discussed?) 

Bonus – Don’t take yourself too seriously! 

The post Paul Finebaum Show – “Rules for Callers” appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It was downright ugly at times on Sunday watching the US Open leader play his final round in front of dozens of obnoxious, heckling New York City area golf fans.

In the end, it was Wyndham Clark getting the last laugh.

He two-putted from nearly 60 feet on the 18th hole to edge a late-charging Sam Burns by one stroke to win the 2026 US Open golf title.  

Wyndham Clark led the tournament field by a whopping six shots entering Sunday’s final round at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island.  He was at 7-under par and paired in the final round with the crowd favorite, Scottie Scheffler (-1).

Those brash New York golf fans were quite aware that:

a. World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was trying to win his first US Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

b. Scottie Scheffler (who has two young children) was playing on Father’s Day Sunday – which also happened to be his 30th birthday.  The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him on several occasions during the day Sunday.

c. Wyndham Clark (who won the 2023 US Open) caused significant locker room damage one year ago at the US Open in Pennsylvania after missing the cut.  He apologized for his temper outburst several times afterwards and paid to repair the damage.

d. Wyndham Clark’s now-famous temper could, perhaps, be exploited.  The New York crowd might be able to get under his skin during Round #4 and help him lose a six shot lead in the final round.

The fans nearly got their wish

Clark bogeyed three of his first seven holes on the opening nine to squander most of his lead.  Shreveport’s Calvary Baptist Academy and LSU product Sam Burns did just the opposite on Sunday.  Burns started the final day at even par and seven shots behind the leader.  He birdied three of the first five holes to quickly move into second place and turn the back nine of the US Open into a tightly contested match.

Police arrested a number of New York area golf fans who were openly taunting and pulling against Wyndham Clark early during Sunday’s fourth and final round.

One arrest came on the #4 tee box after one fan yelled “Don’t choke, Wyndham!”

Any shot which Clark hit which failed to reach the fairway or green at Shinnecock Hills was met with cheers from many in the crowd on Sunday.   He dropped three shots to par to finish at -4 and won by a single stroke.  

Afterwards, Clark openly addressed the rudeness of many fans during the final round.

“New York really didn’t like me.  I love you guys.  But, you know, I get it.  I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I’ve been sorry multiple times…maybe I can win you guys back over eventually”, said the two-time US Open champion.

That new (and very heavy) putter carried Wyndham Clark to victory this weekend

The heaviest putter in use at this weekend’s US Open belonged to the winner.

Using something called an “Eye Q” alignment, the new putter from Ping is destined to become the hottest product on the market this summer.  Wyndham Clark just won his second event in the past two months using it. He legally adds lead tape to the bottom of his flat stick to make it even heavier.

The golf putter manufacturer and Clark agreed to an exclusive contract with this particular model just days before the US Open started last week.

Talk about good timing – for both parties.

Wyndham Clark’s incredible putting success on both Saturday and Sunday saved countless pars and kept him from falling back to the field.

You, too, can own this putter.  For the low, low price (just joking) of $397, the Scottsdale TEC Alley Blue model from PING is now available nationwide.

Sam Burns keeps getting closer to winning his first major championship

That naughty New York crowd should have gotten behind hard-charging Sam Burns instead of holding out hope for a Scottie Scheffler rally which never came.

Sam Burns shot a 3-under par 67 in windy conditions as he navigated the treacherous Shinnecock Hills greens as well as anyone in the field.  His second place finish is the third consecutive year where he has finished inside the top 15 in the US Open.  Burns’ birdie putt on the 18th hole trickled by the cup by only an inch.  In the end, it would have resulted in a tie for first place with Wyndham Clark had the Burn’s birdie putt dropped into the cup

Sam Burns was distraught after missing the putt.  However, he takes away a record second place prize of $2,430,000 as a consolation prize.

Meanwhile, Keith Mitchell set a unique record which may never be tied

Thursday’s opening nine holes at Shinnecock Hills found Keith Mitchell posting a nightmarish 6-over par score of 41.  On his second nine of the day, he turned it around to shoot a record of 6-under par 29! 

How’s that for a nifty even par 70?

Mitchell posted another 70 in Round 2 to make the cut at even par.  Then he shot a 70 on Saturday in Round 3.

Keith Mitchell completed his fourth round on Sunday with, yes, another 70!  His 70-70-70-70 finish established a US Open record for posting four consecutive even par scores.

Mitchell tied for fourth place with Scottie Scheffler and J. T. Poston.  He will receive an automatic invitation to next year’s US Open to be played at Pebble Beach in northern California.

About NBC’s biased coverage…

I am old enough to remember when Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus dueled each other on the golf course in the late 1960’s and into the 1970’s.  The limited television camera coverage of that era did not permit the networks to show every single shot from golf’s two biggest stars.  That gave viewers a chance to become familiar with other top players in the field.

NBC’s cringe worthy pom-pom waving on behalf of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler this weekend was truly over-the-top.

Saturday saw Rory moving up the leaderboard into contention on the front nine after carding three consecutive birdies. That’s when NBC’s commentators hoisted one plaudit after another as to Rory’s golfing brilliance.

Sadly for NBC, McIlroy then shot a 5-over par 40 on the back nine to drop out of contention heading into Sunday.

Sunday’s final round featured the New York fans razzing eventual winner Wyndham Clark.  I also noticed that NBC’s announcer team of Dan Hicks and PGA veteran Kevin Kisner were nearly as critical as they critiqued nearly every wayward shot during Clark’s final round.

Time after time, Wyndham Clark responded with a clutch chip shot or a lengthy putt to save his par.  The NBC announcers acted as if Clark was simply lucky to have survived another calamity.

Would they have the same things had the golfer been named Tiger Woods?  Of course not.

Winners – Wyndham Clark, Shinnecock Hills, and SwampSwami!

Congratulations to Wyndham Clark for going wire-to-wire and never surrendering the lead during the final 54 holes of this year’s US Open.  A few wayward tee shots and approaches on Saturday and Sunday caused a lot of heartburn, but Clark deserved this year’s trophy.

Shinnecock Hills is a brilliantly designed golf course and becomes extremely difficult when the winds come up.

One of America’s oldest courses proved its worthiness again this week.  This year’s event featured significant widening of several fairways after the players grumbled following the 2018 US Open held here.  The result?  Wyndham Clark’s 4-under par winning score was a five shot improvement over the +1 final score posted by 2018 winner Brooks Koepka.  Clark capitalized and used every inch of those wider fairways this week.

Finally, it’s time for ol’ SwampSwami to take a bow!

Yours truly listed Wyndham Clark as the hottest player in the field coming into the US Open during last Wednesday’s post. I’m just pleased that I didn’t jinx him.  

Congratulations to Wyndham Clark! 

As Jerry Reed once sang, When you’re hot, you’re hot!

The post “Win ‘em” Clark Ignores NY Knuckleheads – Claims 2nd US Open Title appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

My Father’s Day isn’t complete until I plop down after lunch on Sunday to watch the final 18 holes of the US Open golf tournament.

My wife and sons became quite familiar with my annual Father’s Day afternoon ritual.  I have to grind the final five hours of this golf tournament (on television, of course) until a winner is crowned.

In the event of a tie, a two-hole playoff will be held immediately following the final round.  Prior to 2018, there was an 18-hole playoff conducted on Monday.

The US Open is usually played on the toughest golf course which the professional golfers face all year.  The last ten US Open champions have posted an average winning total of just six under par.

This year’s US Open returns to a windswept tract near the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island.

Shinnecock Hills was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest golf courses in the United States.  They were also one of the first American golf clubs to admit women members from its inception.

This will be the fifth US Open conducted at Shinnecock Hills since 1986. 

Ray Floyd won that one with a one under par total.  Corey Pavin won in 1995 (even par).  Retief Goosen took the 2004 event at Shinnecock Hills with a four under par score.  The most recent US Open held at this course was in 2018 and captured by Brooks Koepka with a one over par score.

In other words, this fascinating US seaside links has a long history of playing tough for professional golfers.

Watch for these holes to cause the golfers significant trouble this week

Hole #7 (Rodan) – Listed at 185 yards, the par-3 7th hole at Shinnecock is a devilish short hole.

The winds play havoc with shot selection off the tee.  The green features a unique rodan design.  That means that the green slopes away from the front portion and toward the back left side.  A bad tee shot is quite likely to result in a bogey or worse here.

Hole #9 (Ben Nevis) – Ben Nevis is the name of the highest peak (4,400′) in Scotland.  The final par-4 on Shinnecock’s opening nine holes involves golfers playing their second shot uphill by some 20 yards against a prevailing wind into an elevated green.  Once on the putting surface, some players will face a downhill putt with the wind now pushing their golf ball even faster to make par an exceptional score.

Hole #11 (Hill Head) – You wouldn’t think that a short 150 yard par-3 hole would cause many of the top golfers in the world to get jittery standing on the tee box.

Missing this elevated green (which looks like inverted bowl from the tee) quickly brings a bogey or double bogey into play.  There are four deep sand traps surrounding the 11th hole.  Add a gusty wind on the tee, and this short par-3 can wreck someone’s round in a hurry.

Hole #14 (Thom’s Elbow) – This difficult par-4 plays a lengthy 520 yards and moves uphill on your second shot into the green.  Don’t forget the ever-changing 15-25 mph winds which will affect both your tee shot and approach into the green.

The hole was named for Shinnecock’s 55-year Scottish head golf pro named Charlie Thom.  Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw once asked Mr. Thom why the 14th hole was named after him.

Thom replied, “Look at my elbow. It’s crooked.  They named the 14th hole after me, because it’s crooked like my elbow. It goes back up the hill.”

Which golfers are “hot” coming into the US Open?

Let’s cover a few golfers who are playing well right now.

Wyndham Clark – He won the US Open in 2023.  Clark then went into a lengthy slump but has returned to form recently with a win at the Byron Nelson tournament in Dallas.

He also posted a third place finish at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio a few weeks ago along with an 11th place finish last week at the Canadian Open.  When you’re hot, you’re hot!

Russell Henley – The quiet Henley won the Colonial in Fort Worth a month ago.  He followed it up with a 22nd place finish at the Memorial. Henley has a tendency to play well on difficult courses.  Shinnecock Hills will provide a great test of his skills this week.

Matt Fitzpatrick – The winner of two events this spring on the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick shot a closing 66 and 64 in the final two rounds of last week’s Canadian Open to finish in second place.  Did you remember that this English golfer won the 2022 US Open title?  His game is peaking at the right time this year for a possible second major championship win.

Cameron Young – A product of nearby Scarborough, New York, Cameron Young is another two-time winner on this year’s PGA Tour.

Young is going to have a boisterous crowd of New York area fans rooting for him all weekend.

Now for a few top golfers who haven’t sizzled recently but may contend this week

Scottie Scheffler – The world #1-ranked golfer has failed to score a victory since late January.  That doesn’t mean that he’s playing poorly, though.  Scheffler’s last five tournaments have produced two runner-up finishes, a third place, 12th place, and 14th.  Scottie Scheffler could complete his personal career “Grand Slam” with a win at this week’s US Open.  He’ll be ready.

Jon Rahm – LIV Golf’s top player in 2026, Rahm won the 2021 US Open title on another tough layout at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Spain’s Jon Rahm, like Scottie Scheffler, has a way of pushing his way to the top of the leaderboard in major championships.  He broke an 18 month slump with two wins on the LIV Golf tour this spring.

JJ Spaun – The defending US Open champion finished sixth and 12th in his two most recent golf tournaments.  Spaun’s focus and gritty style is reminiscent of another past US Open winner at Shinnecock Hills.  Corey Pavin captured the 1995 US Open on this same golf course with a memorable four wood second shot from the 18th fairway to seal the victory.

Tommy Fleetwood – After finally breaking through in 2025 with a win at the Tour Championship, Fleetwood’s sights are now set on winning his first major golf title.  The Englishman is quite familiar with seaside links after beginning his professional golf career on the European circuit.  Fleetwood is overdue for his first major championship triumph.

Don’t overlook these former US Open winners this week!

Rory McIlroy – Rory’s first major title was a US Open.  He won the 2011 US Open at Congressional near Washington, DC by a whopping eight shots.  The deep rough at Shinnecock Hills will punish Rory if his recent issues with errant drives continue.

Bryson DeChambeau – Inconsistency has been the only consistent portion of Bryson DeChambeau’s game this season.

The two-time US Open champion (2020 and 2024) missed the cut at both The Masters and PGA Championship this year.  However, he won twice in March on the LIV Golf Tour. DeChambeau, like McIlroy, must hit more fairways off the tee this week at Shinnecock Hills to get into contention.

Justin Rose – The 45 year old Rose is playing in his 100th consecutive major golf tournament this week.  That’s a record bested only by Jack Nicklaus.  The Golden Bear played in an incredible 146 straight appearances in golf’s majors.

Justin Rose is the seventh ranked golfer in the world. He won the 2013 US Open at Merion Golf Club near Pittsburgh.  His maturity in pressure situations could give him a chance this week.

Brooks Koepka – He won the 2018 US Open on this same golf course eight years ago.  Koepka has played well at times this year but hasn’t registered a win in 2026.  His five major championship wins have usually been on difficult golf courses. He knows Shinnecock Hills well.  If he makes the weekend cut, Brooks Koepka might be a factor on Sunday afternoon.

US Open weather:

The National Weather Service is calling for:

Thursday – 40% chance of rain.  High near 76.  South winds gusting to 35 mph.

Friday – Sunny.  High of 77 degrees.  West winds at 10-15 mph.

Saturday – Sunny.  High of 75 degrees.  West winds at 10-15 mph with higher gusts

Father’s Day Sunday – Sunny.  High near 74.  West winds 10-15 mph.

US Open television coverage (all times CDT):

Thursday – USA Network – 5:30AM through 4PM

NBC Sports Network 4PM – darkness

Friday – NBC Sports Network – 5:30AM through 12:30PM

NBC Television – 12:30PM – 6:30PM

Saturday – USA Network – 9AM through 11AM

NBC Television – 11AM through 7PM or conclusion

Sunday – USA Network – 8AM through 11AM

NBC Television – 11AM though 6PM or conclusion

Happy Father’s Day on Sunday to all of you Dads!  Enjoy the golf!

The post US Open Preview – Shinnecock Hills is going to win! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

World Cup fever?   No way.

As the saying goes, I’d rather watch paint dry.

Soccer may be a fun game for kids to play, but it can be downright boring watching it in person and, moreso, on television.  

But if you enjoy watching the World Cup soccer on television, go for it!  You still have another 35 days to go.  I’ll tune in whenever I need a nap.

My weekend television viewing was spent watching more traditional sporting events.  Let’s jump right in.

NBA Finals – New York Knicks took the title 94-90 on Saturday night

The New York Knicks have won their first NBA title since 1973.  Finals MVP guard Jalen Brunson played like a dead ringer for Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe from that 1973 title team.

The now 81-year old Earl Monroe was named one of the NBA’s top 50 players of the 20th century.

He was known for his uncanny ability to “shake and bake” defenders in order to get his shots away.  He and teammate Walt Frazier were both inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall-of Fame.

Jalen Brunson (who is generously listed at 6’1”) weaved his way in, around, and through the giant San Antonio Spurs defense for one great shot after another during this series. 

His 45 points in Saturday night’s deciding Game 5 in San Antonio accounted for nearly half of his team’s 94 point total.

The San Antonio Spurs came into this series considered as a slight favorite after knocking-off defending champion Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.

San Antonio played like Wile E. Coyote for this entire series.   I blame their coach for that.

Every game in this five game series had the San Antonio Spurs racing out to a double digit lead.  In each game, the New York Knicks patiently waited for their chance to blow past their unfocused opponent.

Much like legendary cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, the Spurs looked and acted overconfident at the beginning of every game in this series.  At the end of all but one game, it was the Spurs going over the proverbial cliff and going “poof” at the bottom of the canyon.

San Antonio’s coaches and players should have learned a few lessons during home losses in Games 1 and 2 of this series.

After grabbing a close win in Game 3 in New York, these “Same Old Spurs” reappeared in a big way midway through Game 4 last week.  San Antonio blew the largest lead ever in an NBA Finals game (29 points) to fall behind 3-1 in the series.

There was no way that San Antonio could lose a third straight home game in Game 5, right?

Saturday night’s Game 5 in San Antonio had the Spurs doing exactly the same thing they had done in every other loss.

They raced to an early double digit lead (16 points in Game 5) and then folded like a cheap beach chair during the second half once again.

I place the blame for poor strategy and on-court execution on the San Antonio coaches for making the same second half mistakes in this series over and over again.

The feckless Spurs appeared dazed during the fourth quarter of these five games.  They averaged a paltry 21 points during the all-important fourth quarters of these NBA Finals.

When the chips were down, the Spurs functioned like a rudderless ship, while their head coach seemed to push all the wrong buttons.  

San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox is paid $51 million per year.  He averaged nearly 19 points per game in the regular season but tanked to just over 14 points per game during the NBA Finals.  Fox tallied only 7 points on 3-15 from the field in Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Spurs 7’4” center-turned-point guard named Victor Wembanyama continued to take and miss a significant number of unnecessary 3-point shots.

Why is he allowed to shoot those shots instead of play closer to the basket?   The coach allows it.

These collapses occurred under the watch of San Antonio’s 39-year old head coach Mitch Johnson.  He took over the head coaching job after apprenticing under Spurs 5-time NBA champion coach Gregg Popovich.  Mitch Johnson took over this team in 2025.  This was his first time coaching a team in the NBA playoffs.

Coach Johnson curiously kept Spurs’ dynamic sixth man Dylan Harper on the bench to start pivotal Game 5 while leaving ineffective De’Aaron Fox as the starter.  Harper (who scored 25 points in 31 minutes of action) was clearly the better player in this series. 

Why wasn’t he played more?

ESPN’s Charles Barkley asked the same question during halftime of Game 5.  The former NBA player-turned-commentator said the Spurs would be better off putting De’Aaron Fox on the bench in the second half.

That didn’t happen.  Barkley turned out to be right.

The Spurs are now done for this season.

Congratulations to the New York Knicks.  A ticker tape victory parade for the team will take place on Thursday in Manhattan.

Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup title Sunday night

The Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 road win to close out the Stanley Cup four games to two over the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

It was the second title for the Raleigh-based NHL team in the past 20 seasons.  Congratulations to the Canes!

(OK – I don’t watch enough hockey to have any further thoughts on this subject)

Surprising Louisville Kings dethrone DC Defenders in UFL United Bowl III title game

The expansion Louisville Kings started their first season 0-3.  This team came together to finish the regular season at 6-4 and earn a spot in the UFL playoffs.

Louisville was just 2-3 at home but a solid 4-1 on the road during the regular season.  The Kings had to travel to Washington DC to play the 2025 champion DC Defenders in the UFL title game on Saturday.

A sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans at Audi Field in Washington saw Louisville come from behind after halftime to take a 27-20 win over ol’ DC.

The Defenders led 16-7 at the intermission and were clinging to a 16-13 advantage after three periods.  Louisville then tallied two fourth quarter running touchdowns to win the title in Season #3 of spring’s United Football League.

DC finished their season with a 7-5 record.

PGA journeyman golfer finally wins.  This Bud’s for you, Mr. Cauley!

Bud Cauley was a three-time college All-American golfer at the University of Alabama.  He turned professional 15 years ago in 2011.  He played well enough during his first few years on the PGA Tour to keep his playing card despite no first place finishes.

Cauley suffered a broken leg, five broken ribs, and a collapsed lung in an automobile accident while playing in Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in 2018.  After several complications in his recovery, he finally resumed playing professional golf six years later in 2024.

Bud Cauley was winless in his 238 career PGA Tour starts prior to last weekend’s Canadian Open near Toronto.

The 36-year old journeyman golfer rediscovered his youthful putting stroke on Sunday. Cauley’s birdie barrage (along with a few key breaks) led to a closing round 65 and his first PGA Tour win.  His 17-under par total was two shots better than Matt Fitzpatrick and three better than Viktor Hovland.

Bud Cauley’s first win came at the same golf tournament which was also the site of golfing great Arnold Palmer’s first victory.

Arnie pocketed $2,400 for his win back in 1955.

Guess how much money that would be this year in 2026?  Answer: $30,000

Bud Cauley’s win on Sunday carried a first prize of $1,764,000.  Even the worst finisher in the field (74th place) at the 2026 Canadian Open took home more than $19,500.

Sunday’s first triumph will bring some nifty fringe benefits, too.

The win put Cauley into this week’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills.  He will also be in the field for July’s Open Championship (British Open) and next spring’s Masters. 

More importantly, the win made Bud Cauley exempt from having to qualify for future PGA Tour events for two years after this season ends.

Cauley’s wife and his two young sons ran onto the 18th green to greet him and celebrate after he tapped in for the win.

It’s now off to Long Island in New York and a spot in Thursday’s US Open for the rejuvenated Bud Cauley!

The post A Weekend of Champions appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

We’re hearing an awful lot of talk the past several days concerning the behavior of both athletes and the fans who claim to be supporters of those athletes.

The New York Knicks (with the help of a top notch choke job by San Antonio) came from 29 points behind in the second half Wednesday night to beat the Spurs 107-106.  It was a mesmerizing comeback for the Knicks with an “out of nowhere” tip-in sealing the win with 1.2 seconds remaining.

The Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.

New York hasn’t won an NBA title since 1973.  They now have a 3-1 lead over San Antonio in this best-of-seven series.  The Spurs will host Game 5 on Saturday night at 7:30PM on ABC.

That’s the good news.

Taylor Swift, Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld and a host of celebrities partied inside Madison Square Garden.  Meanwhile, thousands of loco locals took to the streets of New York City to cheer and, sadly, cause significant property damage following the game.

Remember – this was just Game 4.

The Knicks haven’t won anything yet.

San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama had eggs thrown at him while walking into the team’s hotel following the game.

He said, “I mean, we can’t forget it’s a game.  And I’m all for passion, but to the respect of each other.  It’s unacceptable”.

There were 56 arrests in New York related to outdoor crowd antics following Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game.

You have to believe that the crazies are just warming up.

One way or the other, New York fans are likely to tear-up Manhattan whether the Knicks win OR lose this series

The city of New York hasn’t won a major sports title in 15 years since the NFL’s New York Giants won the 2011 Super Bowl.  Sports fans in America’s largest city are enthralled by the playoff run of the New York Knicks basketball team.

A combination of youthful enthusiasm, excessive alcoholic refreshments, and a faction of seasoned troublemakers could, quite literally, set New York on fire in the next week.

Jubilant fans will likely turn cars upside down and do massive property damage in Manhattan if the Knicks should close out this series in Game 5 Saturday night in San Antonio.

Can you imagine the property damage the Knicks Knuckleheads might do if their NBA team should somehow blow a 3-1 series and lose in San Antonio in Game 7 next Friday night?

If this series should go to seven games, building owners in downtown Manhattan should board-up their windows prior to next Friday (if they aren’t already doing so today).

Meanwhile, in Lubbock, Texas…

The legal and moral issues surrounding Texas Tech’s $5 million transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby boiled over this week.

In a nutshell, the former University of Cincinnati QB has admitted that he bet more than $90,000 on college football games (and on most every other sport) during his first four years in college.

He even bet on his own team at the time (Indiana) to win on more than one occasion while riding the bench as a back-up quarterback for the Hoosiers.

The NCAA recently ruled Brendan Sorsby ineligible to play college football this fall due to violating a number of collegiate rules concerning gambling.

The young man voluntarily entered and has completed a gambling addiction treatment program in recent months.

After the NCAA made him ineligible to play college football this fall, Sorsby sued the NCAA in an effort to regain his final year of eligibility (and the $5 million NIL money).

In a surprising ruling earlier this week, a Texas judge granted Brendan Sorsby an injunction which will allow the transfer quarterback to suit-up for the Texas Tech Red Raiders this fall.

Even more ironic, the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, Texas (where every judge is a graduate of Texas Tech Law School) scheduled the actual trial to hear Sorsby’s case on February 8, 2027.  That would be a few weeks following the upcoming season’s college football championship game.

As NBC Saturday Night Live’s legendary Church Lady might say, “How conveeeeenient?”

Most rational sports fans expected that Brendan Sorsby would lose this week’s legal skirmish.  As a consolation prize, the quarterback is still eligible to enter the NFL after playing last season for the University of Cincinnati.

The NFL will hold its annual Supplemental draft in August.

Sorsby must declare his intention to enter that Supplemental draft by June 22.  The talented college quarterback is likely to find a pro football team willing to take a chance on him this fall.

While many in the Texas panhandle celebrated this week’s legal outcomes, the majority of other major college sports programs are angry and/or in a state of shock.

Athletic directors at major universities such as Georgia and Ohio State have advised their departments to not schedule any future games (in any sport) against Texas Tech.

The board of directors for the Big 12 Conference (home of Texas Tech) will hold a conference call on this subject this coming Monday, June 15.  Big 12 members such as TCU and Kansas State have voiced the possibility that their schools might decline playing football against Texas Tech this fall if Sorsby participates.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who is running for the US Senate in November) decided to weigh in on the Brendan Sorsby matter Thursday.

He warned Big 12 Conference leaders from taking any legal action against Texas Tech or be sued by the state of Texas (reminder – Texas Tech is a public university).

Not be outdone, the state of Oklahoma’s Attorney General called-out Texas AG Ken Paxton on Friday.  The Oklahoma AG wants the Big 12 Conference to immediately and permanently suspend Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby for gambling violations.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said that the Big 12 Conference was not a party to the Sorsby vs. NCAA proceedings.  The league should send a message to college sports by suspending Sorsby for the upcoming season.

“It’s leadership (Texas Tech) has prioritized winning over sport, over honor and integrity. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should,” said Drummond.

Meanwhile, Fort Worth energy billionaire Cody Campbell (a Texas Tech alumnus) is fully supporting the legal position of Sorsby and his alma mater.

Campbell gives millions to the university and its athletic programs annually.  The school’s athletics department can pay for the best lawyers money can buy.

SwampSwami believes that Brendan Sorsby should consider moving on to the NFL for a different (but very good) reason

Texas Tech’s transfer quarterback will become the biggest target of every defensive football player in college football this fall.  Every school which plays football against the Red Raiders in 2026 will focus on ending Sorsby’s season on the field.

Bounties are not legal or ethical.  That said, the player who ends Brendan Sorsby’s college football career will be long remembered.

The Sorsby Circus is bringing the worst type of spotlight to Texas Tech University’s football program along with the entire athletics department at the school.

Like it or not, Texas Tech is now wearing a villain’s (red and) black hat due to the school’s vigorous defense of an expensive transfer quarterback who admittedly violated NCAA rules on gambling.

Don’t forget.  There is one person who can quickly put an end to this mess

Brendan Sorsby made many mistakes over the past several years.  He has admitted to having a serious gambling addiction.  He entered and completed a treatment program and is hopefully on the right track.

As the public focuses on Sorsby, there are countless other college athletes in the same boat.  We just haven’t heard their names yet.

This young man accepted an NIL offer of $5 million to transfer to Texas Tech to utilize his final year of college eligibility.  That large sum of money is much higher than Sorsby would have earned as a middle-round draft pick in April’s NFL draft.

Texas Tech made it into the College Football Playoffs last year for the first time in school history.  The West Texas school is excited about its chances to make it that far again this year, too.

Did you know that there are five other quarterbacks on the Texas Tech football roster today?  Brendan Sorsby is the most experienced, but the Red Raiders do have a number of other options available at their quarterback position.

The June 22 deadline to enter the NFL’s Supplemental draft is a little more than one week away.

Brendan Sorsby could announce that he is moving into the NFL.  That would end all of the bickering surrounding his college playing status this fall.

There is also a chance that Texas Tech – without Sorsby – still might have an outstanding year with one of those five other quarterbacks emerging to lead the Red Raiders football team this season.

Now, wouldn’t that be interesting?

The post What Happened to Sportsmanship and Class? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Saturday marks the final game of the 2026 season for the United Football League.

The UFL’s United Bowl III kicks off at 2PM CDT Saturday on ABC.

Spring professional football’s championship game will take place in Washington, DC at Audi Stadium.  The hometown DC Defenders (7-4) defend their 2025 UFL title against the upstart expansion Louisville Kings (also 7-4).

Abundant sunshine and a steamy 90 degrees will greet the players and fans at Saturday’s championship game to end the UFL’s third season.

There will likely be a good crowd of more than 15,000 in the stands (the stadium holds 20,000) and a television audience of more than 1 million watching on ABC.

At some point soon, the UFL owners will meet to review the season and make decisions about the future.

Let’s give a preview of what I think that meeting will entail.

A review of the 2026 UFL season – the OK, the “Meh”, and the downright ugly

The third year for any new business should show its owners that the venture is making positive strides.  If the business is not already profitable, the annual losses should be getting smaller by the year as the business gains favor with the buying public.

For the UFL, those primary measures are home team attendance (and revenues) and national television ratings.

Let’s start with the Ugly. Home attendance dropped again in 2026

Each of the eight UFL teams played five home games in the 10-game regular season.

The St. Louis Battlehawks (playing in a 60,000 domed football stadium) drew more than 23,000 per game to lead the UFL in home attendance once again in 2026.  Despite the positive attendance, the cost for the lease at the Dome at America’s Center (formerly known as the Edward Jones Dome) in St. Louis is also likely the highest paid by the UFL.

The expansion Louisville Kings came in second with more than 11,000 fans per home opener.

Another expansion franchise, the Columbus Aviators finished third with 10,362 paying customers per home game in 2026.

The other five UFL franchises failed to average 10,000 fans per game with the two Texas teams (Dallas and Houston) coming in last with 6,185 and 5,683 per game respectively.

Birmingham (which plays in UAB’s home football stadium) and St. Louis played their home games in traditional football stadiums.

The other six UFL franchises played the 2026 season in smaller soccer venues.  Lease costs for these soccer stadiums are lower than the cost of most traditional football stadiums.  Home television viewers are less likely to be turned-off by seeing small crowds if played in a 20,000 seat soccer stadium.

The UFL home team attendance figures have declined in each of the league’s three seasons.

The 2024 season produced an average of 12,800 fans. In 2025, the UFL dropped to 12,168 per game.

This year’s 10,500 average marked a 14% decline from 2025.

Ouch.

It means that the public (even with affordable ticket prices of $20-30 available) simply is not very excited about the UFL’s on-field product.

Now for the “Meh” – Television ratings in 2026 were relatively flat vs. 2025

I remember reading an article a few years ago which claimed that the UFL needed to draw more than one million television viewers per game in order to have a chance to turn a profit.

Well, that didn’t happen again this year, either.

The Friday night prime time game on FOX produced consistent numbers.

The ratings showed a reliable audience of 600-700,000 viewers on Friday nights during the 7PM to 10PM Central time period.

That may sound good until you know the rest of the story.  The FOX Friday night audience for UFL games was mired in last place all season when compared to programming on competitors CBS, NBC, and ABC.

FOX Sports (a part-owner of the UFL) cannot be pleased with their investment after three seasons.

Ditto for Disney’s ESPN brand.

The sports giant also owns a piece of the UFL.  They televised one or more weekly UFL games via ESPN and/or corporate affiliate, ABC.

The 2026 ratings for the Saturday and Sunday UFL games on ABC continue to show the highest viewership.  At least four regular season games on ABC topped the one million mark during the first nine weeks of the UFL season.

That meant only 11% of the first nine weeks of UFL games in 2026 produced a television audience of one million or more.

If the league’s original goal was to reach one million viewers per televised game, the UFL continues to fall woefully short of that target.

The “OK” – the spring football league continues to innovate and try harder

UFL ownership includes the aforementioned FOX Sports and ESPN along with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his ex-wife Dany Garcia, Redbird Capital Partners, and billionaire Mike Repole.

Repole bought his way into the UFL following the 2025 season.  His ownership percentage and who he purchased it from have yet to be disclosed.

It has been new owner Mike Repole who pushed to move UFL teams into smaller soccer venues in 2026.

He also gave the green light to relocate UFL franchises away from San Antonio, Memphis, and Detroit in favor of Columbus (OH), Louisville, and Orlando for this season.

Those three non-NFL cities produced slightly improved attendance figures and saved money with significantly lower lease costs.  However, none of the three teams turned a profit based on their gate receipts.

Despite his personal energy, Mike Repole’s promotional skills and tinkering with the UFL simply hasn’t paid off.  League attendance went down in 2026 while television ratings were flat.

The effort is commendable.

The UFL’s massive annual losses, though, continue.

What should the UFL owners do at their next meeting following the 2026 season?

Let’s make an assumption that the UFL loses (just my guess here) $50 million in 2026.  That would mark the third consecutive year of significant losses for the latest spring football experiment.

Non-corporate UFL owners such as Dwayne Johnson and his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, should be ready to exit as owners by now.

They cannot be pleased with losing millions of their own money every year.  The cash losses by the UFL show no sign of abatement should the league continue into 2027.  Johnson and Garcia lost big bucks with the XFL, too.  They have now been losing even more money with the UFL for three seasons.

Why should they stick around?

Redbird Capital Partners might fly away at the next owner’s meeting, too.

The private equity investor claims over $10 billion in managed assets.  Redbird’s website currently displays the UFL as one of 36 different major investments for the company.  The UFL’s continuing annual losses are a negative.  Don’t be surprised if they, too, wish to move on at the next UFL owners meeting.

FOX Sports may have a different perspective on the UFL.

The NFL on FOX could end within the next five years at the end of the network’s latest contract. FOX Sports could, perhaps, envision the UFL becoming a potential future fall competitor for the NFL.  The fledgling American Football League of the 1960’s did it.  However, it took ten years for the NFL to eventually gobble-up their competitor.

Let’s say that I’m wrong about FOX Sports’ long-term thinking on the UFL.  They really don’t need the UFL for programming and might be ready to pull the plug at the next owners meeting.

How are ESPN and ABC feeling about the UFL right now?

Mounting annual losses by the UFL are (effectively) petty cash for Disney.  The current spring positioning of the UFL season fills a major weekend programming need for ESPN and ABC.  There aren’t a lot of major sports events available to fill air time on ESPN from April through June.

An important item to remember is that the NFL sold its NFL Network to ESPN earlier in 2026 in return for a 10% ownership stake in ESPN. 

ESPN and ABC must now seriously consider doing whatever the NFL wants with respect to the UFL.  They could vote to stick with the UFL or decide to shut it down for good this summer.

That leaves the enthusiastic billionaire UFL investor Mike Repole.

Repole jumped into the UFL dumpster fire with both feet last year.  Most billionaires get rich by being very shrewd in business.

I suspect that Mike Repole (if he sticks around for another year or more) sees the UFL eventually becoming a partner with the NFL down the road.  He appears to be a risk-taker willing to swing for the fences.

Should the NFL ever decide to invest in the UFL as a spring football partner, Mike Repole’s investment gamble could pay off handsomely.

Than again, the NFL has plenty of its own billionaire owners, too.  Their luxury cruise liner isn’t likely to throw a life preserver to Mike Repole or any of his other UFL ownership partners anytime soon.

The UFL’s third year financial condition reminds me of a 1977 Harry Chapin song.

“The Dance Band on the Titanic” featured some rather clever lyrics and an upbeat melody.  In the musical version, the ship’s band was trying to create a musical diversion just as the massive boat began to sink.

One line of the song says,“The iceberg’s on the starboard bow – Won’t you dance with me?”

This next meeting of the UFL owners is likely to be a dandy.

The post Previewing the upcoming UFL Owners Meeting appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

College sports has become a runaway freight train in recent years.

Money and greed (as always) have emerged as the primary villains.  Everyone involved wants more.

Several years ago, the NCAA began to allow student-athletes to transfer schools as often as the average student.  Prior to that, athletes were required to sit-out one full year after transferring schools.  It was supposed to encourage college athletes to think hard prior to making the decision to transfer.  Colleges also claimed that this was done to give the student-athletes enough time to acclimate themselves to the academic rigors of their new college environment.

R-i-g-h-t!

Today’s new NCAA Transfer Portal is becoming busier by the year

Upwards of 50% of some sport’s athletes are putting their names in the Transfer Portal.  They are in search of more money and playing time elsewhere.

These athletes want the right to transfer as easily as all other college students.  The processing of transferring by athletes seems to take place at blazing speed, though.

An average college student has to prepare an application, supply academic performance (grades) along with a mountain of paperwork prior to being admitted as a transfer student at most major universities.  The process usually takes several months.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know how (and why) these “ASAP” Transfer Portal college athletes get their paperwork processed by their new universities within just a matter of days or weeks?

Then there’s the new wheel of fortune game called Name, Image, and Likeness

The federal courts have allowed college athletes to be compensated based on their theoretical NIL value.

The original concept of NIL sounded downright noble.  Our theoretical college football player simply wanted to have a little spending money to be able go out and enjoy an occasional burger and shake down at Arnold’s.

Within years, the compensation being offered to athletes for their (cough) NIL rights has exploded.  Some players are receiving offers of hundreds of thousands of dollars from top college football, basketball, baseball, and even softball programs.

The athletic conferences say they don’t like this, either.  However, they spend much of their time renegotiating television and media contracts to generate even more cash to pad their own pockets.

That’s why the College Football Playoffs have risen from two teams to four to 12 today.  The conferences are battling with each other today trying to expand the football playoffs from 12 to 24 teams.  Why?

More television money, of course.

The athletic conferences, schools, administrators, coaches, players, and, of course, the media companies are focused on more and more money for college athletics.  The former systems are broken.  No one is showing much in the way of self restraint or leadership in attempting to resolve growing problems.

Who is going to help control this mess?  Did someone say “Congress?”

Of course!  Let’s ask America’s legislative body to intervene since the college sports community cannot seem to regulate its fast-growing greed.

We know that the 435 House and 100 Senate members rarely agree on anything.

Well, they do seem to find enough votes (usually after midnight) in late December to raise their own pay.   They won’t object when a motion for a multi-week recess is raised, either.

Heaven forbid if any member of the House or Senate dares to propose a vote concerning (gasp!) term limits.

So, why should anyone believe that the US Congress will be able to regulate college sports?

Over the past year, the US House of Representatives has tried and recently failed. 

A bill entitled the “Student Compensation through Rights and Endorsements” Act was floated.  The “SCORE” Act slithered its way through the halls of Congress at snail-like speed.  The House of Representatives couldn’t even muster enough support to force a full floor vote on the measure a few weeks ago. 

That bill is now officially dead.

But never fear!  The US Senate wants to “Protect” college sports!

Move over, House of Representatives!  A bipartisan bill drafted by Senators Ted Cruz of Texas (R) and Maria Cantwell of Washington (D) finally emerged this past week.  It is now being contemplated by the extremely deliberative (slow moving) body called the US Senate.

This bill is called the “Protect College Sports Act of 2026.”  You can read it by clicking here.

The 111-page document was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, June 3.

Former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban and several other heavyweights of college sports testified before the Senate in support of the measure.  The President is also in favor of the proposal.  

Advocates believe there is a chance that it could pass by August 1, 2026.  That is less than 60 days after it was introduced to the Senate.

Personally, I think there is a higher probability of seeing Charlie Brown finally kick that football that Lucy is holding this fall!

Let’s review several of the primary portions of the Protect College Sports Act of 2026:

Name, Image, and Likeness – The agreement would serve to put NIL under federal jurisdiction.  That is needed, because many states have already implemented a variety of different enforcement provisions and loopholes.  The proposed federal legislation would require NIL agents for athletes to be registered with the government and cap their fees at 5%.  Athletes must disclose their NIL compensation above $600 per year.

Medical coverage for athletes – Colleges would be required to pay for out-of-pocket medical costs for athletes for five years following the athlete’s final competition for the school.

Transfers – Each athlete would receive one transfer without losing athletic eligibility.  Subsequent transfers may be considered in the event of coaching changes, discontinued sports at a school, and for graduate students.

Academics – The legislation requires athletes to complete their eligibility within five years beginning with the earlier of (a) high school graduation or (b) turning age 19.  Exemptions would exist for military service, religious missions, etc.

Coaching changes – The Senate proposal would prohibit college head coaches from leaving their school prior to the end of the season to coach, recruit for, or otherwise take over at a different FBS (large division) program.

Yes, this is now being called the Lane Kiffin provision.

Local television for football and basketball teams – There must be at least one free local television broadcast outlet televising football and basketball games for major universities within their local market.

Anti-trust protection television rights for schools and conferences – This would afford college athletics to function in the same way in which the NFL, NBA, and other national professional sports leagues operate.  However, at least 75% of the current FBS schools must sign-off on this provision for it to become effective.

Bars major athletic conferences ($1 billion or more in annual revenues) from merging or acquiring each other – The Senate legislation wants to preserve and promote regional rivalries and stop major universities from changing athletic conference affiliations.

College football season must end by January 8 – This provision is intended to allow for a smoother transition for students (and transfers) prior to the start of the spring semester.

What I like:

Restricting athletic transfers to only one time is a winner. This will keep players and the coaches from shopping around so much.  Instead, there should be increased focus on player development (and, perhaps, academics).  

The proposed provision for medical coverage for athletes continuing for five years following their college participation seems like a solid idea.  The schools earn revenue from athletic competitions.  They should be required to provide catastrophic insurance coverage for athletes who are injured while playing for the school.

A hard cap on five years of college eligibility is also very smart.  There is a significant physical and mental difference between an 18-year old football player coming out of high school and a 24-year old who may have been granted a sixth year of eligibility.

The football season ending by January 8 is a definite winner!  Cut the regular season to 11 games if you need more time for the playoffs. (Yes, I realize that won’t happen)

Local “free” television coverage for local teams sounds good. This is what the NFL does during Monday Night Football games on ESPN.  The local market’s ABC affiliate generally provides coverage for viewers who are not ESPN subscribers.  When considering this provision for college football, would all Louisiana cities not named Baton Rouge also be considered “local” for LSU football games?  Taxpayers in other Louisiana cities would also like to watch LSU (the state’s flagship public university) football games on their local TV station.  Expect a battle over this issue.

I’m not so sure about…

Many people are asking why we haven’t dropped the entire NIL charade and consider the players to be paid employees of the university.  The primary authors of the Senate legislation intentionally omitted this issue.  That’s because the recent House legislation dared to address this thorny issue. Arguments on the subject caused the entire bill to go down in flames.

Perhaps the Supreme Court will eventually decide the matter.

Another roadblock will be in getting 75% of the current 136 member FBS (major college) group of football schools to agree on the anti-trust protection issues. The Big Ten Conference and SEC (much like the House and Senate) can’t seem to agree on just about anything in recent years.

With regard to college coaches leaving for other schools, shouldn’t there also be a provision that coaches cannot be fired prior to the end of the team’s season, too?

I think the minimum NIL amount for reporting purposes should be raised from $600 per year to $1,200.  That would be only $100/month for an athlete.  Spend more time reviewing the larger NIL transactions.

Finally, I believe that most rational adults would prefer not having the federal government getting involved in issues such as this.  Can you imagine the resulting circus of governmental regulatory requirements and exorbitant administrative costs to implement this bill if signed into law?

The Senate deliberation of the proposed Save College Sports Act of 2026 might serve as a much needed wake-up call right now.

The major athletic conferences should voluntarily come together ASAP to address and implement several of this bill’s best provisions. They could end the push for unwanted federal oversight and regulation by simply taking this matter into their own hands.  

Hey, Big Ten and SEC!  It’s time to lead and end your petty turf wars before the Senate addresses these problems for you.  Time to get to work!

The post The US Senate…Tackles College Sports??? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

While on a brief visit to see two of our grandsons and a side trip to Arkansas, I had the chance to watch a few exceptional college softball and baseball games along with a very tense Game 7 NBA Western Conference final.

It’s time to enjoy the next couple of weeks as the window is quickly closing on the seasons for these three sports.

This year’s NBA Finals began Wednesday night.

The surprising San Antonio Spurs and streaking New York Knicks began their best-of-seven title series.  New York came into Game 1 with an 11-game playoff winning streak.

The Knicks left the Spurs’ home arena Wednesday night with a 12-game playoff winning streak.

The Women’s College World Series softball best-of three finale also got underway Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.  Last weekend, Texas Tech’s never-say-die Red Raiders had to fight back from the brink of elimination twice to defeat #1 seed Alabama just to reach the finals.

They will now get a chance to do that once again on Thursday night and, perhaps, on Friday night.

That’s because Texas Tech lost to intrastate rival Texas 7-3 in the opening game of the best of three final series.  Texas is the defending national champion.

On the men’s side of college bats and balls, this week marks the Super Regional round for the NCAA college baseball season.

Eight winners from this weekend’s best-of-three weekend series will advance into the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska next week.  There were a number of surprising winners and losers during last week’s opening round.

New York’s Amazin’ Knicks have now won 12 straight playoff games!

San Antonio Spurs 7’4” center Victor Wembanyama is ending his third NBA season.  Much like Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal (who, by the way, played his high school basketball in San Antonio), Wemby just led his team into the NBA Finals.  He is now being hailed as the top big man in the NBA.

The 5-time NBA champion Spurs are much more than just a one-man show.  They utilize their bench as well as any NBA team and play solid defense for the entire 48-minute game.

The New York Knicks are seeking their first NBA title since 1973.

To say that New York sports fans are hungry for a title is a huge understatement.

“The City that Never Sleeps” is in the midst of a rather lengthy championship drought.  Eli Manning’s New York Giants football last won a Super Bowl title in 2011.  Baseball’s New York Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009.  The crosstown rival New York Mets haven’t claimed a baseball title since 1986.  Broadway Joe Namath was the quarterback for football’s New York Jets in their only Super Bowl victory in 1969.

NBA’s New York Knicks came into the playoffs as the #3 Eastern Conference seed behind Detroit and Boston.  After losing two of its first three playoff games to Atlanta in Round 1, the Knicks won the final three games to advance.  They would sweep #5 seed Philadelphia and #4 Cleveland in eight straight wins to claim the NBA Eastern Conference title.

San Antonio is playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since June, 2014.

The path to the championship round has been increasingly difficult for the Spurs. 

San Antonio (the #2 seed in the Western Conference) needed just five games to dispatch the Portland Trailblazers in five games.  It then took six games for San Antonio to subdue the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Last weekend, the Spurs required a full seven games to win a tense Game 7 battle against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wednesday night’s Game 1 in San Antonio was won by the New York Knicks 105-95 in a game which was much closer than the final score reflected.  The veteran Knicks scored the last 11 points to end the game.  New York stepped-up in the final quarter to score 29 points as the younger Spurs tallied only 19 over the last 12 minutes.

New York’s Villanova connection featured guards Jalen Brunson (30 points) and Josh Hart (an incredible 15 rebounds) leading a fourth quarter rally to give the Knicks their 12th consecutive playoff victory.

As a result, San Antonio lost its home court advantage after that Game 1 loss.  ABC will televise Game #2 at 7:30PM Friday night from San Antonio.  The series moves to New York’s Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday next week.

Make sure to stick around for the post-game coverage on ESPN. The award-winning “Inside the NBA” show features NBA legends Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal breaking down the action along with host Ernie Johnson.  You never know what’s going to happen.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City…

The Women’s College World Series best-of-three finals began Wednesday night.

Defending national champion Texas (52-12) defeated Texas Tech 7-3 in Game 1.

The Red Raiders fell to 61-9 and are on the verge of elimination once again.  They have become quite familiar with this position over the past several days in Oklahoma City.

The #11 seeded Red Raiders rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday to vanquish #8 national seed UCLA 8-7.  On Monday, Texas Tech had to defeat #1 seed Alabama twice to earn a spot in the championship finals.

The Red Raiders won the opener 5-4 over Bama by scoring a run in the bottom of the 7th inning.  They also grabbed the second game 2-0 on a two-hit pitching gem by two-time college player-of-the-year NiJari Canady to earn a spot in the finals.

The second seeded Texas Longhorns didn’t have an easy road into the Women’s College World Series finals, either.

They had to defeat #7 Tennessee Volunteers twice on Monday to advance.  Texas won the opener 5-2 and then shut-out Tennessee 4-0 later in the afternoon to advance to the championship round.

The Longhorns and Red Raiders competed for the Women’s College World Series championship last year as well.  Texas Tech is trying to avenge last year’s loss to Texas in the best-of-three title series.

Game 2 will be played Thursday at 7PM on ESPN. 

A deciding Game 3, if necessary, will be played Friday night at 7PM on ESPN.

What happened to the top seeds in the men’s college baseball tournament?

UCLA had been ranked #1 in college baseball all season long.

The Bruins were 51-6 heading into the opening round of the NCAA college baseball playoffs.  They faced #4 regional seed St. Mary’s (35-25) in their opening playoff game at home last Friday.

The Gaels scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to shock UCLA 3-2.  On Saturday, UCLA had to score three times in the bottom of the ninth to take a 6-5 win and stay alive against 30-26 Virginia Tech.

St. Mary’s and UCLA were matched again on Sunday.  This time, the Gaels scored a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to end UCLA’s season with a 6-5 win.

Ironically, St. Mary’s was eliminated on Sunday 5-2 by the Cal-Poly Mustangs of San Luis Obispo.  Go figure.

It wasn’t any better for #2 national seed Georgia Tech

The 50-10 Yellow Jackets were playing at home in Atlanta and trying to advance into the Super Regional round for the first time in 20 years.  Georgia Tech would have hosted a Super Regional this weekend – if only they had won their own opening round regional.

The Oklahoma Sooners rallied in consecutive games to dispatch the heavily favored hometown Yellow Jackets to advance into this weekend’s Super Regional to be played in…Kansas?

Kansas has rarely been known for its baseball prowess.

This year’s baseball Jayhawks are now 45-16 after winning its opening round of games.  KU will host Oklahoma Saturday in the Lawrence, Kansas Super Regional.  The Jayhawks have made it into only one College World Series (1993) in the school’s long history.

Kansas plays baseball in relatively small Hoglund Ballpark.  This stadium features just 2,500 permanent seats.  The school recently took down the left field wall and installed a chain link fence.  That allows about 1,000 additional fans to stand or sit in their own lawn chairs in “The Backyard” to watch Kansas baseball games.

Expect ticket prices in Lawrence, Kansas to be sky high for this weekend’s Super Regional.

Did you pick the Trojans to make it into the Super Regionals?

Last weekend, there were the Trojans from the University of Southern California, the Troy Trojans of the Sun Belt Conference, and the Little Rock Trojans from the Ohio Valley Conference.

Incredibly, all three of these Trojans baseball teams will be part of the 16 squads competing in the second round “Super Regional” college playoff games this weekend.

At least one Trojans team is guaranteed a spot in Omaha at the College World Series next week.  The 36-30 Troy Trojans will host the Little Rock Trojans (39-26) at 4PM Friday on ESPNU. 

Troy shocked #5 national seed Florida 10-2 in the final game of the Gainesville Regional last week.  Little Rock won the Hattiesburg Regional after #9 seed Southern Miss was sent packing after two consecutive losses.

The USC Trojans (47-16) will travel across the country to play at the University of North Carolina (48-11-1) on Friday at 2PM CDT on ESPN2.

Here are all eight Super Regional match-ups (first game starting times are CDT)

Friday’s Opening Games:

Morgantown – Cal Poly (39-22) at #16 seed West Virginia (43-15) at 11AM on ESPN2

Chapel Hill – USC (47-16) at #5 North Carolina (48-11-1) at 2PM on ESPN2

Troy – Little Rock (39-26) at Troy (36-30) at 4PM on ESPNU

Auburn – Ole Miss (39-21) at #4 Auburn (42-20) at 7PM on ESPN2

Saturday’s Opening Games:

Athens – #14 seed Mississippi State (43-17) at #3 Georgia (49-12) at 10AM on ESPN

Lawrence – Oklahoma (36-22) at #15 Kansas (45-16) at 1PM on ESPN

Austin – #11 Oregon (43-16) at #6 Texas (43-13) at 7PM on ESPN

Tuscaloosa – St. John’s (36-24) at #7 Alabama (40-19) at 8PM on ESPN2

The post Enjoy A Week filled with Terrific Games! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

One week ago, the state of Louisiana’s Legislative Auditor’s office released its annual fiscal review of Grambling State University’s athletics program for the year ending June 30, 2025.

The school was cited for a few audit irregularities and quickly announced that changes were being made.  That wasn’t the biggest news, though.

Grambling’s athletics department lost $5.1 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.  Revenues were reported at $9.2 million versus annual expenses of $14.3 million.

In percentage terms, Grambling’s revenue was only 64% of the amount needed to sustain the athletics programs at the current level.

Grambling wasn’t the only north Louisiana public university whose athletics spending exceeded revenue last year

The same Louisiana Legislative Auditor also filed reports earlier in 2026 for Louisiana Tech University, Northwestern State University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Each of these four football-playing state universities located north of Alexandria reported losses in their athletics programs for the year ending June 30, 2025.  Grambling’s massive deficit grabbed the recent news headlines, but there is a troubling commonality among Louisiana public schools not named LSU.

Louisiana Tech recently cut an expensive deal (rumored to be in the vicinity of $8 million) in order to exit Conference USA and join the more geographically-suitable Sun Belt Conference.

That move may turn out to be prudent for the Bulldogs over the long-term.  Louisiana Tech’s annual travel expenses as part of Conference USA totaled nearly $3.5 million.  Nearby Sun Belt rival UL-Monroe’s travel costs for the same year were $2.3 million.  Louisiana Tech is expected save $1 million or more annually on its travel expenses beginning this fall by moving to the Sun Belt Conference.

Let’s look under the hood at each of these four universities’ athletics spending.  We’ll finish with a few common sense (cheap) ideas on how to achieve break-even in the future.

Grambling State University – 5,200 students (2024/2025 school year)

Grambling is nationally known for its athletics and its exceptional marching band.  It was bit surprising to learn that Grambling’s football program had lost $2.5 million in the most recent year.  That amounted to about 50% of the athletic department’s annual deficit of $5.1 million.

The football team’s travel costs of $1.1 million last fall were higher than all three of the other north Louisiana pubic schools.

The expense summary also showed nearly $160,000 was spent to cover the costs of the school’s spirit groups (for one or more road trip performances).

Grambling’s men’s and women’s basketball teams each posted losses in excess of $900,000 for the most recent year.

Grambling (like Northwestern State) participates NCAA’s FCS small college football division.  The G-men play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Louisiana Tech University – 12,145 students (Fall, 2025)

The Bulldogs are based in Ruston.  Louisiana Tech’s campus is less than six miles east of Grambling via Interstate 20.  The Bulldogs have been competing in Conference USA and a part of the NCAA FBS major college football division.  As mentioned earlier, Louisiana Tech moves into the Sun Belt Conference this fall.

Audit results for Louisiana Tech’s athletics department last year showed a loss of $11.875 million.

Football lost “only” about $1.6 million for the year.  Louisiana Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams each ran a deficit of about $700,000 apiece.  Other competitive sports at Louisiana Tech lost another $2.6 million.  The school’s income statement showed “non-program specific” athletic costs with a $6 million shortfall.

As noted earlier in this report, Louisiana Tech’s overall travel costs playing in far-flung Conference USA were easily the highest in the group.  The Dogs’ annual total of $3.5 million for travel exceeded Grambling ($2.6 mm), UL-Monroe ($2.3 mm) and Northwestern State (less than $1 million).

Northwestern State University – 8,402 students (Fall, 2025)

The Demons from Natchitoches, Louisiana came the closest to break-even within its athletics programs among these four state schools.  Northwestern State participates in the NCAA’s FCS small college football division in the regionally-aligned Southland Conference.

Northwestern State posted a relatively benign loss of $167,245 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.  The Demons’ men’s basketball program ran the largest deficit at more than $300,000.  The football team came up short by $280,000.

Noteworthy, Northwestern State collected nearly $1.5 million in annual student fees to help support athletics.  That was about 10% of the school’s athletics spending.  It was the highest total among these four north Louisiana state schools.

University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) – 8,678 students (Fall, 2025)

Sun Belt Conference member ULM (like Louisiana Tech) competes in the NCAA’s FBS major college football division.  ULM is expecting to benefit from Louisiana Tech’s arrival in the Sun Belt Conference this fall with increased attendance and revenues expected at home games in all major sports.

The Warhawks’ athletics budget is the smallest among the NCAA’s 136 FBS major colleges.  ULM’s overall school budget has been prone to massive shortfalls in recent years, too.  That means that ULM’s $1.5 million athletics department loss in fiscal year 2025 is much harder to cover.

Audit results showed the UL-Monroe football program lost a whopping $3.8 million in the most recent report.  The Warhawks’ men’s and women’s basketball teams lost a combined $2.5 million.  Ouch!

The school’s institutional support has kept the ULM athletics department afloat for years.  Significantly higher fan support for the Warhawks football and basketball programs is needed immediately.  Otherwise, the school may have no other choice but to consider returning to the NCAA FCS small college athletics division.

A few suggestions from SwampSwami to achieve fiscal break-even

These four north Louisiana state universities are located within 100 miles of each other.  Each school is a very large and important employer in its home city.

These state schools must immediately address their athletics spending and move quickly toward achieving fiscal balance.  At the same time, they must also work harder and more creatively to raise sports revenues over the long-term to grow the athletics programs.

First things first – Take immediate cost cutting measures – The simplest and fairest way is to voluntarily reduce athletics spending by cutting a certain percentage across the board.  That could come in the form of job reductions or, perhaps, an across-the-board pay cut for staff making more than $30,000 per year.  For example, a 5% mandatory spending reduction in Year 1 may spur some voluntary budget trimming beyond that level.  Yes, this likely means one less assistant coach, one fewer support staffer, one less charter flight, etc.  The athletics departments must take a hard look at streamlining operations.  Learn to do more with less.

Refuse to play long-distance road games unless the school earns a significant profit by participating – UL-Monroe’s football team hits the road for at least two “Clobbering Time” payday games every season.

They are often paid more than $1 million to play at large universities such as LSU, Texas A&M, and Alabama with huge stadiums.  ULM receives more money from some of these massive “visitor” paychecks than playing a home game in front of a sold-out stadium.  There are also downsides from being on the receiving end of a couple of massive road losses every season, too.  The football team and local fans can become a bit demoralized about the team’s chances for the remainder of the season.

Now, let’s try to grow the revenue side with a few cheap ideas

Stimulate increased student, alumni, and hometown support – Student and local support for the athletics programs within each of these four communities (Grambling, Ruston, Natchitoches, and Monroe) must improve.  Local fans want to see their sports teams having a chance to win more than they lose.  Identify sports which are cost-effective and give the school the best chance to hang a new (and long overdue) championship banner.

Success in any of the major sports at these four schools can go a long way in rejuvenating and expanding the school’s athletic support base.

Improve local marketing and promotion – It may sound corny but handing out free tickets to youth at local elementary, junior high school and high schools gets parents and guardians to purchase tickets, too.  A positive game day experience for that youth can plant a valuable seed about attending that college some day.  Each of these four north Louisiana public universities have thousands of empty seats available at football and basketball games.  A purposeful campaign to encourage and engage more youth at nearby college sporting events will pay future dividends.

Inject more game day excitement – Utilize the pregame, quarter breaks, halftime, and post-game times to get fans more engaged.  Experiment with creative new (and inexpensive) ideas to keep the game experience fresh for all ages of fans.

They will be more likely to return if they are having more fun at the games.

Relentlessly promote ahead – There are only a few home football games played each fall.  Make each game special with its own promotion.  There are, perhaps, twenty home basketball, baseball or softball home games, too.  Give thought as to how to make each home game unique for fans.

Target every recent (last few years) ticket purchaser by sending a weekly email.  Remind them of the school’s upcoming weekly sports schedule, special promotions, and discounts.  Utilize all types of social media to reach a wider audience to spread the word about upcoming college athletic events and team opponents.

Depend on your own athletics staff to get the word out – Sadly, we live in a world with fewer and fewer exceptional local newspapers.  It is incumbent on each school’s athletics department to take an aggressive role in publicizing and promoting all ticket-based sporting events.  Fans want to know about the school’s upcoming games and events, so take the initiative!

The post North Louisiana’s College Sports Programs are Underwater appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Congratulations to NFL fans in nine cities across America!   Commissioner Roger Goodell has just given you the proverbial one finger salute.

The man in charge of America’s fall pro football league has no problem asking you to pay up, shut-up, and watch meaningless August preseason football games at your NFL stadium every year.  

Meanwhile, Commissioner Goodell and his band of merry billionaire owners have just pilfered a league record nine regular season home games this fall and moved them them overseas.  That’s two more games than in 2025 and four more than in 2024 or previous years.

Notice the trend?

I was excited a few weeks ago in reviewing the list of 2026 NFL opponents for each team.  My two favorite black and gold NFL teams (the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers) were slated to play this fall in the Louisiana Superdome.

Until…

The greedy NFL pirated the Saints’ Week 7 home game against the Steelers and moved it to be played…in Paris, France!??

Sacre Bleu!

Yes, we know that French explorers founded New Orleans in 1718.  In 1803, the United States acquired the city and a vast region located west of the Mississippi River in what became known as the Louisiana Purchase for a bargain price of $15 million.

New Orleans’ tourist appeal relies heavily on its French roots.  The city’s famous French Quarter features street signs reminding visitors and locals of the city’s French history.

You can stroll down Rue Royale (Royal Street) to enjoy a few biegnets and Community Coffee at Cafe Du Monde.

Magnifique!

Even the New Orleans Saints’ team logo features a French fleur de lis.

Yes, I will begrudgingly give credit to someone in the NFL’s scheduling office for coming up with the idea of sending the New Orleans Saints to play a game in Paris.

But why did the NFL rob Saints fans of a chance to watch our beloved WhoDats play the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers in the Superdome?

Saints fans wouldn’t be nearly as torqued if the league had selected a different home game this fall against (let’s say) the Cleveland Browns or Las Vegas Raiders.

C’est parti pour les Steelers… (Here we go Steelers…)

Pittsburgh Steelers fans aren’t necessarily thrilled about moving the road game in New Orleans all the way to France, either.  The six-time Super Bowl champions have one of the NFL’s largest traveling contingents.

Visitors to New Orleans in late October are treated to some of the best weather of the year in the Crescent City.  Local hotels, restaurants, bars and retailers are going to miss cashing-in on 10,000 or more fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers that weekend, too.

Thanks for nothing, NFL!

The Week 7 game on October 25 in Paris, France will probably still feature thousands of Terrible Towels being waved by fans in attendance.

You have to wonder how much money those French football fans will be charged to buy them, though.

This migration onto the world stage by the NFL is quite deliberate

Commissioner Roger Goodell (it’s OK to “boo” right here) first sent the Arizona Cardinals to play a regular season NFL game vs. the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City in 2005.  Since then, the league has continued to add more and more regular season games played outside of the United States.

London is the leader in number of NFL games played outside the continental United States.

A total of 48 NFL games have been played in London since 2007.  In fact, a minimum of two NFL games have been played in London annually since 2013.

This year will feature three consecutive weeks of NFL regular season games being played in London during October. 

But why?

The unfortunate Jacksonville Jaguars have been dispatched to London a total of 14 times over the past 13 seasons.  As usual, J-ville travels to Jolly ol’ England again this fall.  The Jaguars are scheduled to play the Philadelphia Eagles on October 11 in London.

Many observers (including me) believe that the Jacksonville NFL franchise is going to be relocated to London at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Germany has become a popular recent destination for NFL teams.  Five games have already been played on German soil since 2022.  The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions will play in Munich this season on November 15.

Mexico City has hosted four NFL regular season games since 2016.  The Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers will play a Sunday night game in Mexico City on November 22.

Brazil will host its third NFL regular season game in three years.

The Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys will play in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, September 27.

Australia gets its first NFL game, too.  The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are being dispatched to Melbourne for a Week 1 encounter on September 10.

Rounding out the NFL’s frequent flier schedule will be the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons flying to Madrid, Spain for a game on November 8.

The NFL’s nine game international schedule is a new record.  There were seven games played overseas in 2025 and “just” five in 2024.

Have you figured out why the NFL is doing this?

If you guessed, “To make even more money!”, you are correct!

Don’t believe the NFL’s baloney about “growing the game internationally”.  It’s all about this massive financial private enterprise growing their already bloated bank accounts.

The NFL earns millions from the ticket sales, concessions, merchandise, and rights it receives to play regular season games in international venues.

Even more importantly, the league is setting the proverbial hooks right now.  They want millions of new international fans to become addicted to American pro football each fall.

These countries represent fresh sources of potential income for the NFL.

Online broadcasters such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Peacock, and Paramount+ are expected to generate massive new international revenue sources for the NFL.

Math lesson – How many people are watching these online providers in the US and other countries?

These numbers may surprise you.  Let’s start with Netflix.

According to one source, these six countries have the most Netflix subscribers:

USA – 66.7 million

United Kingdom – 18.4 million

Brazil – 16.6 million

Germany – 16.6 million

Mexico – 13.9 million

France – 13.6 million

Purely by coincidence (cough), the NFL will be playing at least one regular season football game in each of those countries this fall!

Did you know that Amazon Prime Video has more than 160 million viewers in the United States alone?  It is already available in 240 other countries worldwide.

As for YouTube, I was surprised to learn that India is their number one country for viewership with 491 million YouTubers.  They claim that the US has 253 million YouTube customers.  Next comes Brazil (144 mm), Mexico (84 mm), and Japan (79 mm).

Peacock (owned by NBC Universal) boasts of 36 million mostly-US subscribers.   

Paramount + (which also owns CBS) claims have 79 million subscribers in 29 different countries.

Traditional NFL television outlets better watch out – soon!

That villainous NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (feel free to “boo” him again here) dropped hints recently that the NFL may utilize its right to opt-out of several existing television deals as early as the fall, 2029 football season.

The NFL’s current TV deals began in 2021 and run for 11 years.  That means that Fox Sports, CBS, and NBC should be “safe” through the football year 2032.

Maybe.

A voluntary renegotiation with one or more of the current broadcasters to extend their deals (at a significantly higher price, of course) may be underway even now.

The NFL has begun receiving greater pushback from the public recently.

Last week, restaurant and bar associations in Iowa and Wisconsin demanded congressional investigations as to the NFL’s “one-size-fits-all” new distribution plan for its Sunday Ticket package.  The NFL will provide just one untested internet-based online distribution this fall after retail customers enjoyed years of service via satellite.

Smartly, the football giant wants to avoid closer oversight now as franchise owners focus on a gigantic pot of international gold on the horizon.

The crafty NFL is playing a game of chess with football fans and US broadcasters

There is no reason for the NFL to push too hard right now.  Franchise owners are booking record profits.  The NFL doesn’t have a viable competitor trying to steal some of their massively popular pro football audiences.

Yet.

The NFL has built a 32-team professional football monopoly in the United States.  It is seeking to expand its empire worldwide and reap even greater profits and franchise valuations.

Football fans can still have the last laugh

The NFL has slowly grown interest in its product over several decades.  Traditional television networks now have advertisers salivating to reach an average of 19 million mostly male viewers generally within the prime buying demographic of ages 25 to 49.

The NFL has quietly grown a new audience. 

Millions of casual and professional gamblers are now wagering on weekly NFL games via a variety of online betting providers.

Tapping into the international market is another attempt by this behemoth sports enterprise called the NFL to expand its financial reach into more untapped markets.

“Joe NFL Fan” in the United States must prepare for these changes.  Should he spend more money to start watching a growing portion of his weekly slate of NFL games online or simply go on an NFL TV diet soon?

Barring any new fall football competition, the NFL appears confident that the loss of any former US-based viewers will be minimal when compared to adding millions of new international customers.

This process is unfolding right in front of your eyes like a deliberate game of chess.

The NFL confidently believes they have you trapped. 

They have not declared, “Checkmate” just yet.

The giant sports enterprise called the NFL is going to eventually force you to start paying to watch their product soon.  Or, you can opt out and enjoy your weekends without the NFL.

Those choices are coming – sooner than you think.

The post Welcome to the in-FL appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.