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Netflix/Fox Legal Fight Could Have Effect On Sports World

“The Hollywood Reporter speculated in March that a Netflix victory could allow Anthony Davis to leave New Orleans and sign with another team immediately”

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Netflix and 21st Century Fox are currently in a legal battle concerning entertainment executives under lengthy contracts. A struggle that seemed rooted entirely in the entertainment business has turned to threaten professional sports’ means of contracting players.

The case initially began when Fox sued Netflix when it recruited programming executive Tara Flynn and marketing executive Marcos Waltenberg.

Netflix claims Fox’s contracts, including those for Flynn and Waltenberg, restrict compensation, movement, and opportunities for competitor. Fox is counterclaiming unfair competition and arguing against any injunction that would prevent Netflix from soliciting, recruiting and inducing Fox employees to leave.

Netflix is also taking the stance that Fox’s practice of re-upping consecutive contracts is against California law. Fox countered the argument Tuesday by saying that NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 14-year career as a Los Angeles Laker also violated the law.

According to Fox, “Netflix’s position reduces to the untenable proposition that two independent contracts must be treated as one under California law merely because they are consecutive — ‘back-to-back,’ in Netflix’s words — even though the second contract (i) was negotiated and signed after the first; (ii) contains terms materially different from the first agreement; (iii) does not incorporate or depend on the terms of the first contract; and (iv) applies to a different time period. On that remarkable theory, no employee in California may lawfully work uninterrupted for a single company for longer than seven years — according to Netflix, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s storied 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers was a violation of California law. To state the proposition is to refute it.”

Fox says its contracts are “consecutive — but separate — employment contracts.” In other words, while the contract applies to the same employee, it contains brand new language that reset the seven-year time frame.

“Were Fox to negotiate a successive employment contract only at the precise termination date of the initial agreement, each employee would be (rightly) anxious in the months preceding the expiration of a contract that she would no longer have a contract-guaranteed job come termination date,” Fox added. “And if negotiations took several days or weeks, as arms-length contract negotiations often do, the employee (even if she ultimately chooses to sign a new contract) would lack contract-guaranteed benefits and salary for an indeterminate negotiations period. Netflix cannot justify a legal rule that would require a break in employment every seven years, and thus deprive a significant portion of the California workforce of fundamental elements of job security.”

Abdul-Jabbar’s career example doesn’t stand alone. Contract extensions happen every year in every professional sports league. Legendary careers such as Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Derek Jeter see players spend their entire 20-year career with one team without a thought of leaving for another team.

The case could extend to current player contracts as well. The Hollywood Reporter speculated in March that a Netflix victory could allow Anthony Davis to leave New Orleans and sign with another team immediately

Regardless of who comes out on top in the court case, the outcome could change the foundation of athlete contracts. Whether that means a revision of the seven-year law or simply a change to the language of contracts remains to be seen.

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Joe Buck Misses Calling Baseball But Says He’s Already Called it for “A Lifetime”

“People go, ‘Do you miss calling baseball?’ — I did it for 35 years, that is a lifetime in broadcasting…I feel like I put my time in.”

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Picture of Joe Buck
Credit: Richard Shotwell AP

Longtime sports broadcaster Joe Buck gave up calling baseball when he made the switch to ESPN and, while he says he misses the sport, he’s called 35 years’ worth of the sport. On the latest edition of Nothing Left Unsaid with Tim Green, Green asks his former broadcast partner about the lack of baseball in his life. While Buck says he misses parts of baseball, he doesn’t miss all of it.

“People go, ‘Do you miss calling baseball?’ — I did it for 35 years, that is a lifetime in broadcasting…I feel like I put my time in. I did 24 World Series — that’s a lot, 24 more than I ever expected to do on national television. What I do miss is calling the game for the home crowd. I do miss the local stuff, where you go into the booth, and you’re the Cardinal announcer, and when the Cardinals win, ‘Yay,’ and when the Cardinals lose, ‘Boo.’ When you do the network stuff, it’s like death by 1000 cuts. It’s, ‘you hate my team, screw you,’ and it gets in your head and it takes a little bit of the fun out of it…I don’t miss the stress that comes with all that, but I do miss calling baseball for [a local team]…You show up, you’re not just there for an organization, but for their fans, and you’re kind of rooting along with them. That’s fun. And so, I miss that, but as far as the national stuff, I don’t miss a lot of that.”

Buck reiterated points he made months ago on 810 WHB with Jason Anderson. “I miss doing local baseball. I miss putting on a headset and being the eyes and ears of Cardinal fans, Royal fans, Rangers fans, whatever,” Buck said back then. “That’s more fun than being Switzerland and getting all the junk that comes with it.”

He stopped calling baseball when he and longtime football partner Troy Aikman moved from FOX to ESPN to call Monday Night Football. While he said publicly that he would miss calling the World Series, he also said the 2022 World Series would have been his last anyway. Buck says he may one day feel compelled to call baseball again, though, saying, “I’ve never said that before, but I just feel like I’m 53, basically 54, [and] I think it’s too early to say nevers at this point in my life. I think at some point, I’ll get the itch again.”

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Former Red Sox Pitcher Jonathan Papelbon Joins Roster of ‘Foul Territory’ Hosts

“I am joining the Foul Territory podcast full-time, no more guest spots…I’m coming in and I can’t wait to pop a bottle on this year’s baseball season.

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The already-stacked roster on Foul Territory just got its closer. Jonathan Papelbon, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Phillies, announced today that he was joining fellow former All-Stars A.J. Pierzynski, Todd Frazier, Adam Jones, Lorenzo Cain, Brock Holt and Jason Kipnis on the show.

The podcast also features former MLB Network host Scott Braun and former 11-year MLB catcher Erik Kratz.

“I am joining the Foul Territory podcast full-time, no more guest spots,” Papelbon said in a video posted to his X account. “Whether it’s a big Ohtani gambling scandal or me giving you baseball gambling winners…I’m coming in, no bulls—-, real talk, and I can’t wait to pop a bottle on this year’s baseball season.”

Papelbon has been a contributor to the show in the past as a guest but will now join in an official capacity. He has also contributed to linear and digital content for NESN since 2021 and will reportedly head to the booth this year.

The former closer will join Alanna Rizzo on the Foul Territory network, who was brought on just a week ago to co-host the podcast’s live program, Fair Territory, with baseball insider Ken Rosenthal.

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Sage Steele Debuts Episode 1 of ‘The Sage Steele Show’ Through Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios

“The Sage Steele Show” is the first show on Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios podcast network and episode one features UFC CEO and President Dana White.

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Sage Steele is back in the sports media space with her own YouTube show, The Sage Steele Show. It comes courtesy of Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios and features UFC CEO and president Dana White in Episode 1.

Steele announced the move via her X account, saying that she was, “THRILLED to announce [her] new show! Genuine convos with fearless people who are unafraid to tell their stories & speak their truths in this crazy world!”

Steele left ESPN after 16 years and one First Amendment lawsuit, after claiming the company and her colleagues wanted to suppress her rights to free speech after making public comments about COVID-19 and former President Barack Obama. Steele says she lived in fear during her last few years at the company because of her beliefs and the potential clashes they would have with her colleagues. She made appearances on other programs in the time since her ESPN departure but now finally has a new home.

Steele’s show is the first on Bill Maher’s new Club Random Studios podcast network. She will join other hosts like Billy Corgan and Fred Durst with shows on the network. According to Variety, Club Random will also partner with Kevin Garnett on his KG Certified podcast and develop new shows in-house.

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