The First Whistle: New Year. New Questions.

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2025 SPORTS

Top 25 sports stories of 2025, ranked: From seismic collegiate shake-ups to massive moments among the pros

CBS Sports ranked the top 25 sports stories of 2025, highlighting a year defined by structural change, historic achievements, and headline-grabbing moments across college and pro sports.

The Big Shifts
Topping the list was the House v. NCAA settlement, which fundamentally reshaped college athletics by allowing schools to directly pay athletes, introducing revenue sharing, roster limits, and a new enforcement body, accelerating the gap between the richest programs and the rest.

The Historic Moments
The year also delivered legacy-defining feats, including Rory McIlroy completing the career Grand Slam, Alex Ovechkin surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record and reaching 900, and Ohio State winning the first 12-team College Football Playoff championship.

Why It Matters
From blockbuster trades like Luka Dončić’s move to the Lakers to gambling scandals, coaching upheaval, and emerging dynasties across MLB, the NHL, and the WNBA, 2025 underscored how quickly sports can change, setting the stage for an unusually packed global sports calendar in 2026.

📈 Read full CBS Sports article here

2026 SPORTS

Biggest questions looming for 7 leagues in 2026

After a record-setting year, U.S. sports leagues are entering 2026 facing pivotal questions that could reshape their business, competitive balance, and labor relationships.

The Big Leagues
The NFL is already signaling interest in revisiting its massive media-rights deals, MLB is heading toward potentially contentious labor talks, and the NBA may be staring at the end of its parity era as the Thunder emerge as a possible long-term juggernaut.

Pressure Points
The NHL is grappling with a continued Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams, while the WNBA faces real uncertainty over whether it will even play a 2026 season amid tense CBA negotiations and a looming strike deadline.

What to Watch
Star retention battles in the NWSL, MLS’s bid to capitalize on the 2026 World Cup, and looming media and labor decisions across leagues will define how much momentum U.S. sports carry into the next decade.

📃 Read full Front Office Sports article here

SPORTS BROADCASTING

NFL sets streaming record on Christmas

The NFL turned Christmas Day into another streaming milestone, led by Netflix’s Lions–Vikings matchup, which averaged 27.5 million U.S. viewers and peaked north of 30 million, setting a new NFL streaming record. Even the earlier Cowboys–Commanders game, with limited playoff intrigue, still averaged nearly 20 million.

Platforms Win Big
Amazon followed with its own record, as Broncos–Chiefs drew 21.06 million viewers on Prime Video, the largest regular-season NFL audience on the platform. Together, the games showed the league’s ability to deliver massive audiences regardless of matchup or platform.

Holiday Supremacy
The NFL’s Christmas tripleheader averaged 22.9 million viewers, far outpacing the NBA’s 5.5 million average. While the NBA showed year-over-year growth, the NFL’s estimated 76 million total reach reinforced football’s firm grip on Christmas—and streaming’s central role in that dominance.

💰️ Read full Front Office Sports article here

PROFESSIONAL GOLF

LIV Golf enters 2026 without decision on world ranking points

LIV Golf will enter 2026 without clarity on whether its events will finally earn Official World Golf Ranking points, as the OWGR said discussions with the league are ongoing but no decision has been made. LIV has been without ranking points since launching in 2022, a major hurdle for player eligibility and status.

Why It Matters for Players
The absence of OWGR points has pushed many former stars far down the rankings, limiting access to majors and other top events. While a handful of LIV players have stayed afloat through strong major performances, most remain dependent on invitations rather than rankings.

Structural Changes Ahead
LIV is making notable adjustments that could strengthen its case, including moving to 72-hole events, expanding fields to 57 players, and adding clearer qualification pathways through wild-card spots. Whether those changes are enough to sway the OWGR remains one of the biggest open questions heading into LIV’s fifth season.

📺️ Read full Front Office Sports article here

SPORTS BUSINESS QUIZ

2025 Sports Business Quiz: Test your knowledge!

From women’s sports growth to prediction markets, streaming investments, and private equity entering college athletics, 2025 delivered major shifts across the sports business landscape. Test your knowledge with this quiz by Sportico, featuring 30 of the year’s most notable sports business numbers.

📺️ Read full Sportico article here