The Sportsletter - Turning the Tide

BY JEFF YODER

JAN. 11, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Yesterday brought bursts of breaking news headlines one after another. We did our best to capture it all. There’s also an NFL Wild Card game behind a paywall that has fans screaming. In today's top story, we say goodbye to college football's coach of the century. 

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  CFB  

Turning the Tide

Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban Retires as College Football’s Most Decorated Leader of Men

Few coaches in all of sports have been more successful over the past two decades than Alabama’s Nick Saban, both on the field, and off it. Only New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (6 Super Bowls) is in the same stratosphere with Saban’s 7 college football titles in 20 seasons. Ironically, Saban was once a Belichick protege. Belichick had Tom Brady. Saban had collegiate turnover every year, and that makes his Alabama dynasty even more impressive.

Turning the Tide

One championship at LSU in 2003 got the ball rolling for a longtime coach seeking Division I recognition. Six more titles with the Crimson Tide in 17 seasons (2006-2023) secured his place among football royalty. Saban will forever be synonymous with Alabama, the SEC and the greatest coaches of college football, if not thee greatest. But that CFP championship trophy? It’s been encased in glass elsewhere over the past three seasons — Georgia, 2. Michigan, 1. And with that shift away from a once-untouchable ‘Bama dynasty, things began to change. The ever-evolving college sports landscape brought football’s Crimson giant back to Earth. Still great, but ready to go.

The 72-year-old ball coach walked away on Wednesday night, retiring with more titles than any coach in modern football, ever. If there was a GOAT of college football coaches, it’s Nick Saban.

Here’s where he ranks among the all-time greats:

Most College Football Championships

1. Nick Saban (Alabama): 7

2. Bear Bryant (Alabama): 6

T3. Woody Hayes (Ohio State): 5

T3. Bernie Bierman (Minnesota): 5

T5. Frank Leahy (Notre Dame): 4

T5. John McKay (USC): 4

Most SEC Championships

1. Bear Bryant (Alabama & Kentucky): 14

2. Nick Saban (LSU & Alabama): 11

Most 1st-Round Draft Picks Produced

1. Nick Saban (LSU & Alabama): 49 Players

2. Joe Paterno (Penn State): 33 Players

3. Mack Brown (UNC & Texas): 23 Players

Most Total Wins (Division I/FBS)

1. Joe Paterno (Penn State): 409 Wins

2. Bobby Bowden (3 Schools): 377 Wins

3. Bear Bryant (4 Schools): 323 Wins

4. Pop Warner (2 Schools): 311 Wins

5. Nick Saban (4 Schools): 292 Wins

*Saban was only a head coach for 28 seasons. The other top-4 ahead of him in all-time wins coached 38 seasons or more.

Much More Than Wins & Trophies

I liken Saban to the same category as former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski due to his impact as a leader. Sports can often be oversimplified by wins and losses. Those matter, but at the collegiate level, the futures of young athletes matter more. That’s one thing Saban stood for in a sports world continuing to chase dollars — developing young men.

“The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.” — Nick Saban

Read More

FOX Sports: Nick Saban Leaves the Widest Gaping Hole in College Football History

The Athletic ($): Nick Saban Retires as Alabama Coach, Ending ‘Truly Remarkable’ Career

USA Today: Deion Sanders Thinks College Football Changed So Much It ‘Chased’ Nick Saban Away

  NFL  

The Playoff Peacock Problem 🦚

Image via Giphy

Chiefs vs. Dolphins Will Be NFL’s First Playoff Game Aired Exclusively Behind Streaming Paywall… And Fans Are Furious

It’s a bold new world in sports media rights deals, and there’s nothing bolder than what the NFL is about to do on Saturday night of Super Wild Card Weekend. By now, you’ve probably heard that the Chiefs-Dolphins Wild Card game will air exclusively on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock. It’s the first time in NFL history that a playoff game has been tucked behind a paywall. The fans? They’re having a field day. I’m about to join them.

The Peacock Wild Card: What It Means

Other than being an abomination and a money-grabbing crime against football fans? It simply means viewers outside of the Kansas City and Miami markets will have to pony up for a monthly Peacock subscription ($5.99) to watch one game. Fans in Miami and Kansas City can still get the game on their local NBC channels. The rest of us will be jumping through hoops to watch Tyreek Hill face his old team in Arrowhead.

NFL Streaming Rights Deals

The NFL has already been raked over the coals for the poor viewership (and production) of Thursday Night Football broadcasts on Amazon Prime. Amazon paid $1 billion per season to get the rights to TNF. Peacock is paying the NFL $110 million for this one playoff game. Will it be worth it?

What Are Fans Saying & Doing?

It’s noisy and getting louder as the game draws near. Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassit took to X/Twitter and called for “an automatic firing of anyone involved and automatic life time jail sentence.” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said, “I feel like this is a major mistake.” Another Chiefs fan found a hack — a free trial through Instacart+ that includes Peacock with no cancellation fee. Chiefs players are even starting to offer up free subscriptions to fans. Chew on that one. Professional athletes are footing the bill so fans can afford “another streaming bait-and-switch” to watch them play… in the playoffs!

Peacock’s Pressure Play

An NBC sportswriter I (used to) really like, Mike Florio, wrote a column about the paywalled playoff game. He suggests you just get rid of another streaming service to make room for Peacock. “If you’re paying $9.99 or more per month for something (else)… move that money.” Okay…

To top it all off, Saturday’s game in Kansas City could be the coldest game in NFL history. The projected temperature at kickoff is 5 degrees with a windchill of -10. Fitting. Let’s keep leaving NFL fans out in the cold.

Despite all the backlash from football fans, Saturday’s game is expected to be the most-watched sports event behind a paywall, ever. I wonder why. Thanks, Taylor Swift.

Read More

SI: Fans Rightfully Crush NFL & NBC for Putting AFC Playoff Game Exclusively on Peacock

NBC Sports: Yes, You’ll Need Peacock to Watch Dolphins-Chiefs (Mike Florio)

USA Today: Chiefs DE Charles Omenihu Offers Peacock Subscriptions for Fans

CBS Sports: Dolphins-Chiefs Could Be Coldest Game in History for Both Franchises

  STORYLINES  

The Lightning Round ⚡️

Photo: Joe Robbins / Getty Images

Other Major Storylines in Sports

🏈 NFL: Seahawks Shift Roles for Pete Carroll

Another head coaching spot just opened in Seattle. Pete Carroll will no longer coach the Seahawks, but the team announced he will still be an integral part of executive operations moving forward. That makes seven open NFL head coaching jobs. (B/R)

🏀 NBA: Kawhi Cashes In With Clippers

After finally enjoying a healthy season, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers agreed to a 3-year, $152 million extension on Wednesday. The Clippers are reportedly also working on a new deal for Paul George as things appear to be clicking in L.A. (CBS Sports)

🏒 NHL: Bedard Breaks Jaw, Out 6-8 Weeks

Blackhawks’ rookie sensation Connor Bedard has lived up to the hype and earned his first all-star bid at just 18 years old — the youngest ever. Unfortunately, he won’t get to play. Bedard underwent surgery to fix a broken jaw suffered late last week. (ESPN)

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

🏀 NBA

Celtics Upend T-Wolves (127-120, OT)

*Jayson Tatum (45 Points) Leads Cs

Clippers Take Down Raptors (126-120)

*L.A. Wins 7 of Last 8 Games

Spurs Crush Pistons (130-108)

*Victor Wembanyama (16-12-10) Records 1st Triple-Double

🏒 NHL

Stars Smash Wild (7-2)

*Seven Different Dallas Players Scored

Flyers Best Canadiens (3-2, S/O)

*Jamie Drysdale Assists in Philly Debut

Avalanche Blank Golden Knights (3-0)

*Vegas Now 2-7 in Last 10 Games

🏀 NCAAM (Upset Alerts)

UCF def. #3 Kansas (65-60)

Mississippi State def. #5 Tennessee (77-72)

TCU def. #9 Oklahoma (80-71)

Butler def. #11 Marquette (69-62)

*Five of Top-11 Upset by Unranked Opponents in last 48 Hours

🏀 NCAAW

#3 Iowa def. Purdue (96-71)

*Caitlin Clark Has Triple-Double (26-10-10)

Kansas def. #4 Baylor (87-66)

  NEWS   📰 

• Bears Keep Head Coach Matt Eberflus, Fire OC Luke Getsy (CBS Sports)
• Aaron Rodgers Will Not Appear on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ Again This Season (Yahoo! Sports)
• QB Jayden Maiava Flips to USC 1 Day After Making Pledge to Georgia (The Athletic)
• LeBron James Among Players for Netflix’s NBA Docuseries (B/R)
• Raptors Head Coach Goes on Epic Rant Against Refs After Lakers Get 23 4th-Quarter Free Throws (SI)
• Cubs & Lefty Shota Imanaga Finalize 4-Year, $53 Million Deal (ESPN)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA

Celtics at Bucks (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Knicks at Mavericks (8:30 pm ET)

Suns at Lakers (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

🏒 NHL

Devils at Lightning (7:00 pm ET)
Maple Leafs at Islanders (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)
Bruins at Golden Knights (10:00 pm ET)

⚽️ Spanish Supercopa

Barcelona vs. Osasuna (2:00 pm ET, ESPN2)

🏀 NCAAW

#4 Baylor at Kansas (7:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

#3 Iowa at Purdue (8:00 pm ET, Peacock)

  POLL   📊

Poll Results: A Michigan Asterisk?

Yesterday, we asked: Do you think Michigan’s College Football Championship deserves an asterisk because of the ongoing NCAA investigation into sign-stealing allegations? The majority of readers still respect Michigan’s title, but it was closer than we thought.

59% — No (Players Won It Fair & Square)

41% — Yes (Put An Asterisk On It)

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  THE TEAM  

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Lead Designer: Joe Stella

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