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Good Thursday Morning. Bringing you an abbreviated, “snack size” version of SBP on this fine Boxing Day (day after Christmas for you non-ball knowers).

As you are reading this, I am in the air heading to New Zealand for our honeymoon. We will be off the next few weeks while Mrs. SBP and I enjoy some much needed R&R. We will back in in mid-January.

Five Interesting, Funny, and Touching Things that Happened in Sports This Week

#1: Putting aside the debates over who should/should not have been in the playoffs, these are very good TV numbers for the CFP first round.

🗯️ My thought bubble: It’s been interesting to watch the various groups stoking the flames of controversy on the CFP first round. The existential question of which teams pass the eye test/could win hypothetical games vs. the group focused on resumes and what a team had done to get there has been at the center of it, and it’s led to some heated debates online and even within the walls of ESPN.

Regardless of what side you take, the 12-team CFP is a success. The home crowds were electric in the first round, and the committee will make adjustments to the setup to iron out some of the eccentricities (i.e., getting rid of the dumb conference champion auto-bye) and make things even better.

Don’t let the current news cycle fool you — this has been a win for all involved, and it will likely only improve.

#2: A very cool annual tradition in LaLiga

#3: A look at all major valuations Sportico did this year and how the properties stack up across leagues

🗯️ My thought bubble: A few things stand out here to me:

1. Look at the cluster of NFL teams and the dollar figures associated with them. The Cowboys are far and away the most valuable team in the league (and the world for that matter) and there are a few bigger teams slightly ahead of the pack, but almost all, regardless of market or size of fanbase, are sitting between ~$5 and $7 billion. This speaks to how well the socialized, “all for one, one for all” business model has worked for the league.

2. The splintering of the have’s and the have not’s in MLB and the NBA. I’ve written about this extensively, but the regional sports network model shifts and lack of true salary cap in MLB are going to widen this disparity

3. MLS continues to gain ground on MLB and the NHL as it grows. The league’s rapid expansion has led to a number of the teams to move in a similar pattern and be grouped close together. It will be interesting to watch these valuations post World Cup 2026 and beyond and if we continue to see the growth together or some bigger clubs (i.e., LAFC, NYCFC, Atlanta) really separate from the pack

#4: I don’t know if any golfer will have the gravitational pull that his dad did/does, but please let Charlie Woods turn into a good PGA player and bring some of that same juice back to the sport

#5: A coach’s amazing journey to the NCAA volleyball national title

Until next time, sports fans!

-Alex