Joel Bulkley
Duke basketball has a pioneering multi-year deal with (Amazon) Prime Video to stream three marquee neutral site non-conference games next season with NIL options for players that could be a game-changer.
Duke will play UConn Nov. 25 in Las Vegas, Michigan Dec. 21 at Madison Square Garden and Gonzaga Feb. 20 (2027) in Detroit. This will be Prime Video’s first entry into college hoops (sports) and exploits a loophole in conference TV contracts regarding nonconference neutral site games.
The deal apparently was approved by ESPN, which has ACC broadcast rights, in return for “considerations” (reportedly money and/or playing in later ESPN-organized tournaments). Fox Sports, which does Big Ten games, threatened legal action, claiming they had the Michigan rights, but more likely they were just jealous about Prime’s initiative.
For UNC, it was another illustration of how far ahead Duke is in planning, executing and fundraising for men’s basketball. They’ve been among the national leaders in NIL funding, recruiting, scheduling. Remember they hired a hoops GM, years ahead of Carolina.
Is the Amazon deal a test run?
For the ACC it could be a forewarning of things to come, much like Notre Dame’s TV power and independent status in football. For Amazon, this pushes (encourages) sports fans to purchase a membership and subscribe.
Another black eye for UNC sports administrators came last month when The NY Times and Shelby Swanson of the N&O traced through public records how UNC had planned to replace the Smith Center by building a new arena on the former airport property at Carolina North and making the “official” announcement last December, and what happened next.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, a Duke grad and businessman, was seen as the biggest culprit as he pushed for the new arena as a centerpiece for the budding North Campus.
The “Renovate Don’t Relocate” movement formed in early December by former players, alumni and UNC supporters after being excluded from early arena plans. Since then discussion of arena plans was paused in March after Michael Malone was hired to succeed Hubert Davis. The idea of a new arena on campus (CSN, March 2026) was a third option, considered by some as a middle ground position and further muddied the water.
The new Topic A locally and nationally (beside the wildly successful Carolina Hurricane playoff run) is the 26 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Canada, Mexico, with stories and outrage daily on radio, TV, print over ticket prices, transportation issues and other stuff not related to soccer. Games start June 11.
One interesting story (“If Planning on Festivities for World Cup at a Bar Beware the ‘FIFA Police.’”) showed how FIFA is aggressive about protecting its intellectual property. Hence sponsor names like MetLife in New Jersey were removed from host stadiums. It’s now called the NY/NJ Stadium. Names, logos, etc are considered their property during the games. Bars in host cities are scrambling to find names to call their watch parties that don’t draw FIFA’s ire.
News Tidbits. 97.9 on the Hill, Chapel Hill, shifted from CBS to ABC Radio News after CBS News was shuttered by new owner Paramount.
The staff of “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, owned by theathletic.com, a division of the New York Times, was awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting for a four-part investigation of the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard. The Washington Post won the Pulitzer for Public Service for reporting on the Trump Administration widespread cuts to government agencies and services.
The editor and managing editor of the Charlotte Observer left and won’t be replaced by McClatchy Co., the publisher. The owner is a hedge fund. They use regional editors and teams to lead Charlotte, Durham, Raleigh, South Carolina papers through an office in Charlotte as staffing continues to shrink.
Former Yankee broadcaster John Sterling, who did more 5,060 games, and Ted Turner who brought baseball and wrestling to a national audience on “super stations” WTBS and WTNT, along with national and international news on CNN, passed. Both were 87.
Charles Sifford, a Charlotte native who was the first African American to play on the PGA Tour, breaking the color barrier in 1961, was honored with an 8-foot bronze statue at Elizabeth Park near Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, during ceremonies prior to the Truist Championship. He died in 2015 in Cleveland.
Tiger Woods once said he wouldn’t have made it to the PGA Tour if “Charlie hadn’t broken down the Caucasian (only) clause” and named his son after Charlie.
Was surprised about the lack of media coverage when the Savannah Bananas played two baseball games in Kenan Stadium in front of 102,000 fans on an April weekend in Chapel Hill.