Miami Lands Another Star QB

PLUS Regulating NCAA Athlete Payments, West Michigan Is An Amateur Sports Powerhouse, World Photography Awards

January 10, 2025

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Welcome to Office Chair Sports! Your home for everything Sports & Biz! Today, we’re covering top news about:

  • Miami Lands Another Star QB

  • Regulating NCAA Athlete Payments

  • West Michigan Is An Amateur Sports Powerhouse

  • Venu Sports Is No More

  • World Photography Awards

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Miami Lands Another Star QB

How does Miami do this?

Miami just pulled off another massive QB heist, landing Georgia's Carson Beck just one day after he hit the transfer portal. It's giving major déjà vu vibes from last year when they convinced Cam Ward to ditch the NFL Draft for one more college season.

Beck was supposed to be a first-round pick, but threw way too many picks this year (led the SEC with 12) and messed up his elbow.

The wild part? Beck might be getting PAID. We're talking potentially $4 million in NIL money - which is nuts considering he'd make around $5.7M total on a rookie NFL contract if he got drafted in the same range as Hendon Hooker. Smart move for the bank account!

Regulating NCAA Athlete Payments

Huge changes brewing in college sports!

Congress might throw the NCAA a lifeline, and the timing couldn't be better for them with Republicans taking control of Capitol Hill.

Senator Ted Cruz is leading the charge, saying college sports is in "crisis mode" and needs Congress to step in ASAP. The NCAA has been begging for help since they lost their antitrust protection back in 2021, and now they might actually get it.

The wild part? The gap between rich and poor schools is getting nuts. We're talking the SEC and Big Ten each pulling in over $850 million last year, while other "power" conferences like the ACC are way behind at $706M. Schools like Bama and Ohio State might even start demanding bigger TV cuts soon.

The drama doesn't stop there - there's this whole debate about whether athletes should be employees and some schools are already plotting ways around the new $20.5M spending cap on athlete payments. Some football programs are looking to drop an extra $5-10M just to stay competitive in the playoff race!

Politics aside, everyone seems to agree: if something doesn't change soon, college sports may be about who can cut the biggest check.

West Michigan Is An Amateur Sports Powerhouse

Check out these crazy numbers from West Michigan's sports scene!

The West Michigan Sports Commission just had their biggest year ever in 2024, bringing in a whopping $90.8 million from youth and amateur sports events. That's a 65% jump from 2019!

We're talking about 282,170 athletes and visitors flooding into the area for 112 different events, filling up nearly 50,000 hotel rooms. The Meijer Sports Complex was crushing it too, bringing in $9.3 million on its own.

But here's where it gets really interesting - they're about to level up even more. Grand Rapids is getting this sick new $175 million soccer stadium (Amway Stadium) opening in 2027, and they're already planning to use it for way more than just pro soccer. Plus, they're expanding the Meijer Sports Complex, which should bring in an extra million bucks a year from 200 more teams.

Looking ahead to 2025, they've got everything from ice fishing championships to youth basketball tournaments lined up. Who knew West Michigan was such a sports tourism powerhouse?

Venu Sports Is No More

Major plot twist in the streaming sports world! Remember the streaming service that ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox were cooking up? Yeah, they just pulled the plug on the whole thing before it even launched.

Venu Sports is no more.

This comes right after Fubo (who was trying to block the service with an antitrust lawsuit) dropped their case and hopped into bed with Disney's Hulu + Live TV instead. Talk about a power move! Speaking of Disney, they're still planning to launch their own ESPN streaming service this fall, so they're not completely out of the streaming game.

The funny part? Venu was supposed to be this $43-a-month sports streaming dream team targeting cord-cutters, aiming for 5 million subscribers by 2029. But with other TV providers like DirecTV and Dish threatening legal action, it looks like the whole thing got too messy.

World Photography Awards

Check this out - the World Sports Photography Awards just dropped their winners! 2,200+ pro photographers from nearly 100 countries submitted over 13,000 shots to capture those perfect sports moments.

These photographers are catching all the raw emotion, passion, and intensity that make sports so incredible.

Internships 🙋

1. Video Production Intern (Summer 2025) (Northern Texas PGA) - The video production intern will be expected to work, on average, five days a week with the exception of a few special events. In a typical week, the video production intern may expect to work in the office part of the week and on-site at tournaments the other days.

2. Experiential Marketing Associate (Minnesota United FC) - The Experiential Marketing Associate will assist the Marketing and Communication team in executing event marketing initiatives designed to increase fan engagement, brand visibility, and excitement surrounding Minnesota United FC.

3. Intern - Ballpark Entertainment (Pittsburgh Pirates) - This role will assist the Ballpark Entertainment and Fan Engagement team for Pirates home games and required special events at PNC Park.

4. Indiana Pacers Basketball Analytics Intern (Summer 2025) - Pacers Sports & Entertainment is seeking a Basketball Analytics Intern who will work directly with the Indiana Pacers analytics team in support of the front office, training staff, and coaching staff.

5. Ticket Operations Intern (Utah Jazz) - The Ticket Operations Intern should expect to work primarily at Delta Center during office hours, Jazz games, Utah Hockey Club games, and events as assigned by the Directors and Account Managers in the department.

Job Board 💰

1. Indiana Pacers Basketball Administration Coordinator - Pacers Sports & Entertainment is seeking a Basketball Administration Coordinator, reporting to the VP of Basketball Administration, who will be responsible for supporting the Indiana Pacers administrative and operations staff.

2. MLS Next Pro Strength and Conditioning Coach (New York Red Bulls) - This position requires a dynamic, self-motivated, organized, energetic and creative strength and conditioning coach with a working experience in either collegiate, soccer academy, minor league and/or professional sports.

3. Sr. Account Coordinator, Partnerships (Tampa Bay Lightning) - The Sr. Account Coordinator, Partnerships will manage all aspects associated with the department’s CRM platform (KORE) and associated financial and inventory reports.

4. PGA WORKS Fellowship - he primary focus of this position will be to assist PGA REACH South Central in executing PGA REACH programs in the Youth, Military and Diversity & Inclusion pillars.

5. Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics - Kentucky Wesleyan College, a private, liberal arts college with a long-standing reputation for quality and academic excellence, invites applications for a Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics to join our community and to lead, manage, and support all aspects of the college's athletic program.

Thanks for reading - see you soon!