<body><div>Tonight in Unpacks: Longtime NFL Network talent Rich Eisen drops in on this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the U.K., weighing in on how Europeans are getting into American football and the crash-course in business he’s received from running “The Rich Eisen Show.”Also tonight:<ul><li>Rich Eisen dishes on NFL's international expansion, growing a media venture</li><li>New insurance firm giving MLB teams a hedge against poor performance, injury</li><li>Unrivaled hires former Nike exec Jim Reynolds</li><li>Local sponsors flock back to red-hot Commanders</li></ul>Listen to SBJ's most popular podcast, Morning Buzzcast, where Abe Madkour wraps up the week with the WNBA Finals, the Pohlad family putting the Twins on the market, SEC and Big Ten pushing back on private equity in college football and more. Rich Eisen dishes on NFL's international expansion, growing a media venture<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2Pmypo_0w3nGBMJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Pmypo_0w3nGBMJ00" width="768" height="432" ><figcaption>Click on the above image for the full audio</figcaption></figure>Rich Eisen was the first on-camera hire for NFL Network, and he experienced another first this week -- his Sports Media Podcast debut. Eisen joins SBJ’s Austin Karp and Mollie Cahillane from the U.K., where he’s in town for Sunday’s Jaguars-Bears matchup from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Highlights from their conversation include:<ul><li>On the NFL atmosphere at Tottenham: “Awesome. I love calling games here, man. There's no atmosphere like it. There are 32 teams represented in the stands. It's like the United Nations. The fans are very knowledgeable ... the Brits know exactly what's going on in the field. There's no weirdly timed applause. It's all attuned.”</li></ul><ul><li>On the NFL’s reception in Germany vs. the U.K.: “It's a different crowd. Germany is closer to other places in the European continent that potentially somebody would have no problem considering that trip as opposed to London. ... You could make a case that the German NFL fan has been more tuned to the NFL and is more diehard because of it than the London fans.”</li></ul><ul><li>On if U.S. fans liking the 9:30am ET kickoff: “All of my friends are fired up about it. They love it. And I live in L.A., [with] people getting up at 6:30 in the morning and turning on a football game. People with kids, we're getting up, and to be able to pop on a football game is awesome.” </li></ul><ul><li>On moving the NFL Draft from NYC: “The first minute we stepped outside into Grant Park in Chicago, which was the first location the NFL held its draft after New York City ... it was like a carnival. ... Taking it from a three-day event in New York City every single year, doing the same thing over and over again, now having it travel around and having cities bid on it like it's a Super Bowl -- that was a no-brainer.” </li></ul><ul><li>On the success of “The Rich Eisen Show”: “I've owned it for five years ... it's been a crash course on how to run a business. I'm getting my MBA on a fly using my marketing sensibilities. ... And that's what I've been doing here in London, talking to Cumulus about the two new podcasts that I've launched.” </li></ul>New insurance firm giving MLB teams a hedge against poor performance, injuryAfter a strong 2023 campaign, Jordan Montgomery signs a one-year, $25 million deal with the D-backs but struggled in his new home, putting up a 6.23 ERA, and was worth -1.4 WAR in 2024, according to Baseball Reference. D-backs owner Ken Kendrick took blame for a contract he called a “horrible decision.”However, a new insurance company from a former longtime sports executive could help teams mitigate the risk associated with high-salaried players. Hypothetically, if the D-backs had such an arrangement in place with Montgomery, they would have owed him about half of that 2024 money.It’s all part of a new firm co-founded in February 2023 by John Abbamondi, the former Nets CEO; and Shiraz Rehman, a former assistant GM for the Cubs and Rangers. SBJ's Mike Mazzeo reports how LongBall Capital &amp; Insurance Services building something new in baseball in this Early Access look at next week's magazine.<h2>Unrivaled hires former Nike exec Jim Reynolds</h2>Unrivaled Sports hired longtime Nike executive Jim Reynolds to be its CEO of football and lacrosse, reports SBJ's Chris Smith. Reynolds retired from Nike in August after nearly 19 years with the company, most recently serving as VP/worldwide sales.Unrivaled’s football portfolio includes Under the Lights Flag Football, NEFFL and the ForeverLawn Sports Complex, which hosted the first-ever NFL Flag Championships in July. Reynolds said his priority for the sport will be developing a “more reachable” geographic footprint to minimize travel for participating athletes and their families. Those efforts will include pop-up events in top sports facilities. Unrivaled has not yet entered lacrosse, but Reynolds sees a chance to either acquire or partner with the top existing operators in the sport. He also noted that flag football and lacrosse both have tremendous upside thanks to their inclusion in LA28.<h2>Local sponsors flock back to red-hot Commanders</h2>Even before QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders became the top-scoring team in the NFL, the club’s business side was already scoring often. The team has signed 21 new sponsorship deals in the last year, including 14 new regional brands. Most of these aren’t top-tier revenue drivers, but the volume -- these deals are about a fifth of the entire portfolio -- indicates how rapidly the business has recovered after Dan Snyder sold, reports SBJ's Ben Fischer. This week's SBJ Football newsletter also covers:<ul><li>NFL owners want to see more on international strategy</li><li>Bears use London trip to sell sponsors on new stadium</li></ul><h2>NASCAR’s evolving gaming strategy</h2><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=069mcg_0w3nGBMJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=069mcg_0w3nGBMJ00" width="768" height="628" >NASCAR has been boosting its gaming efforts over the past couple of years after what was an inauspicious exit from the console market. Just this year, the stock-car circuit and its partners have released four experiences or games on either mobile, Roblox or Fortnite. And this doesn’t include NASCAR 2025, a landmark effort for the circuit. SBJ's Jason Wilson explores why NASCAR is making a bigger push into games right now. This week's SBJ Gaming newsletter also covers: <ul><li>Maximum Entertainment targets market gap for football games</li><li>League of Legends World Championship in Europe touts 10 sponsors</li></ul><ul><li>ESPN’s NHL tripleheader on Tuesday to open up play in North America this season was down sharply from last year, when there was buzz around the debut of Blackhawks C Connor Bedard, reports SBJ's Austin Karp.</li></ul><ul><li>IndyCar was offered more money by a different bidder than it got from Fox Sports but made the switch from NBC Sports because Fox’s deal gave the series the most exposure, CEO Mark Miles tells SBJ's Adam Stern.</li></ul><ul><li>The Broncos’ Throwback Game win over the Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High produced the highest gameday and weekly merchandise and food and beverage sales in team history, writes SBJ's Bret McCormick.</li></ul><ul><li>LeagueApps, a leading youth sports management platform, announced a funding round led by tech-focused private equity firm Accel-KKR as well as a minority investment from Arctos Partners, notes SBJ's Joe Lemire.</li></ul></div></body>

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SBJ Unpacks: Rich Eisen offers European perspective on NFL

Tonight in Unpacks: Longtime NFL Network talent Rich Eisen drops in on this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the U.K., weighing in on how Europeans are getting into American football and the crash-course in business he’s received from running “The Rich Eisen Show.”. Also tonight:. Rich Eisen...

SBJ Unpacks: Rich Eisen offers European perspective on NFL

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