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ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith said he is working on a drama series with singer John Legend and Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan.
Speaking during a panel at the SXSW Sports Track in Austin, Texas, Smith mentioned that he was creating and executive producing the project, which “just got picked up.” He also mentioned separate projects that he’s working on with Antoine Fuqua, who directed movies such as Training Day, Shooter, and Emancipation.
Smith declined to provide specifics, saying more details would come in a few weeks. Attempts to reach Legend and Jordan through their agencies weren’t immediately successful.
Smith also made it clear what he wants his professional legacy to be when he’s dead and gone. “I want to be recognized as arguably the greatest sports commentator who ever lived,” he said. “I want to be one of the preeminent voices that this nation has ever seen.”
‘No. 1 at the Network’: During his panel, Smith was asked who has more power in their relationship–him or ESPN?
“I will never say I’m more valuable than a $22 billion business,” he responded. “What I will say, however, is I am incredibly valuable. I’m No. 1 at the network, and that matters. I contribute to the bottom line; I don’t bleed it. That doesn’t make me worth more than them, but it doesn’t mean I need them in order to survive and to prosper. There are other ways to prosper. I am not a prisoner to the ESPN/Walt Disney family.”
Biting the Bullet: College athletes nationwide are getting a crash course on financial literacy during the early years of the name, image and likeness era. Some, though, are learning the hard way, reevaluating their own spending habits after making poor decisions. Former University of Texas star running back Bijan Robinson admits a few of his NIL purchases weren’t great ideas in retrospect–like his splurge on video game Bullet Echo.
“I spent something like $5,000 on [digital] coins,” Robinson said during Day 2 of the SXSW Sports Track in Austin. “So yeah, that was one of the worst things I bought for sure.”
Long money Longhorn: University of Texas track and field athlete and star influencer Sam Hurley has arguably dominated the name, image and likeness space more than any Longhorn. Hurley has leveraged his wide social following (more than 3.5 million followers on Tik Tok) to gain various brand partnerships that has helped him earn reportedly more than $1 million. The junior’s expertise has been noted, with UT athletic director Chris Del Conte saying he’s made the most money of any current UT athlete. “I’ve learned a lot financially, especially about investing, and other certain things,” Hurley said during the ‘College Athletes as Influencers’ panel. “I’ve also gotten to teach stuff I’ve learned to others like my teammates, who want to work with brands or start their own businesses. I’ve done it and been through it … I enjoy the whole process of being able to teach someone else.”
NFL’s Global Thesis: On a panel focused on the global efforts of teams and leagues, NFL executive Gerrit Meier drew a distinction between the NFL’s global efforts and those of leagues and teams in sports like soccer and basketball. The head of NFL International, Meier said the league’s approach is two-pronged. Yes, the league wants to make money and grow its commercial footprint overseas, but it also feels responsible for helping grow participation in the sport. It’s the same mission that saw the NFL back flag football’s successful bid for inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics. He called football “a really powerful sport that’s No. 1 in the U.S., but also only No. 1 in the U.S.”
Brooklyn, Not Basketball: On that same panel, BSE Global’s Ron Goldenberg mentioned something his company has learned as it markets the Brooklyn Nets overseas. The Nets have played more international games than any other NBA team, Goldenberg said, but the team has another big advantage: Brooklyn’s global reputation as a hub for hip-hop, fashion and culture. When the team played in Paris late last year, it held an orchestral tribute to Brooklyn-raised rapper Notorious B.I.G., which quickly sold out. “We’ve found that leading with Brooklyn instead of basketball helps us cut through the clutter,” said Goldenberg, BSE’s VP of international marketing.
Dijon Bijan: When Robinson isn’t focusing on his NFL duties, he’s focusing on building his brand–his mustard brand that is. The Atlanta Falcons running back continues to find ways to grow Dijon mustard sauce, Bijan Mustardson, a brand which was born through an NIL deal during his Longhorn days. It’s an example of an NIL partnership that extends beyond a player’s college career.. “It’s not just a condiment; it’s something that people enjoy,” he said during the “College Athletes as Influencers” panel. “[The bottle] is something people will take a picture of and it makes them happy and smile. That’s the whole thing … It’s not just me trying to make a money grab and do it for a year or two but more about something that I can do for the rest of my life.”
Value of Investing in Women’s Sports: Angel City F.C. and Monarch Collective co-founder Kara Nortman broke down the dollars during “Unlimited Upside: Why Investing in Women’s Sports is a Win” panel, sharing her thoughts about the value of investing in women’s sports. “The demand in U.S. sports is similar to Park Avenue real estate,” she said. “A team will come up once and never again.” Nortman and her partners paid $2 million for the Angel City franchise in 2020, when the league was going through a difficult transitional moment, shaken by scandals. The team made $30 million in revenue in its first season in 2022, five to 10 times the average. It’s now worth $180 million, according to Sportico‘s valuations. “The last franchise was sold for $50 million,” she said. “I think that number gives a sense of that growth opportunity.”
Dallas Cowboys executives Stephen and Charlotte Jones, RedBird Capital Partners founder Gerry Cardinale and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie will headline Day 3 of the SXSW Sports Track, which is sponsored by Stagwell, Austin FC, UFL, EverPass, Splash Sports and AFFL.
Asli Pelit and Eben Novy-Williams contributed to this report.