ongoing Archives - Real Time News

April 24, 2023

Deion Sanders’ debut with Colorado will boost Pac-12, just not enough to help ongoing media rights talks

Back in December during a conference in Las Vegas, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff was asked if the spectacular aura of Deion Sanders at Colorado would add value to the league’s media deal. CU’s new coach had been hired days before.

“He absolutely adds value to the league,” Kliavkoff told reporters.

While there may be added value when it comes to the perception of the league and the Buffaloes themselves, there’s not any actual monetary value being brought by Coach Prime. That’s the conclusion of several media rights consultants with whom CBS Sports spoke ahead of Sanders’ debut at Colorado in Saturday’s spring game, which has thankfully (and temporarily) overshadowed the Pac-12’s continued media rights slog.

It’s to the point that any discussions related to the actual playing of football is a win for the conference at this point. To that end, Coach Prime has absolutely owned the spring — not just at Colorado but around the entire country.

You can talk about the quarterback battles at Texas and Florida all you want. Sanders is literally trying to reinvent a football program.

“This city is going to shine,” Sanders said recently. “I don’t understand why you’re shocked or puzzled. You didn’t know me five months ago. You know me now.”

Colorado’s spring game is sold out for the first time in program history. The expected crowd of 45,000 (paying $10 each) is bigger than the last nine CU spring games combined. (The Buffs drew slightly less than 1,800 last year.)

There is a genuine buzz surrounding the program. Sanders moves the ratings needle — Colorado’s spring game is one of only two such contests ESPN is televising, the other being back-to-back national champion Georgia — but he won’t move the bottom line.

“Great story that will drive ratings, but given rights fees are long-term contractual revenue sources, team performance in the short run is not a factor,” said media consultant Patrick Crakes. “What is a factor is brand and relevance on national or super regional level. That’s what matters to pay TV [cable] distributors. So, it’s a slight positive at the moment, but in the medium and long run when it comes to rights fees, probably no impact.”

The Pac-12 continues to be in a wait-and-see mode for a new TV deal.

Meanwhile, there’s a reason they refer to Sanders as “Prime Time.”

He won the press conference in December, naming his son Shedeur the quarterback starter right then and there. Deion went 27-6 in three seasons while reviving Jackson State before trying to resuscitate what may be the worst Power Five program.

Sanders followed through with his promise bringing in his “Louis.” There were 42 new faces as of this week.

“I’m coming, and when I get here, there’s going to be change,” Sanders promised in his first meeting with the team.

But even Coach Prime can’t lift an entire conference at a crucial crossroads. Too bad. The Pac-12 has a great story to tell this season amid the media rights hubbub.

USC’s Caleb Williams is the defending Heisman Trophy winner. Utah is an emerging national power. Washington and Oregon are each coming off 10+ win seasons. Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is a 2023 Heisman candidate himself. Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham is the nation’s youngest FBS coach.

Colorado gave up a bit of its identity — some would say, academic soul — in hiring Sanders. It relaxed some of its transfer standards. That’s what happens when there have been two winning seasons since 2006.

“Kirby Smart and Nick Saban don’t have to sell the legitimacy of Alabama or Georgia football,” said Josh Pate, host of “The Late Kick with Josh Pate” streaming on 247Sports. “Deion Sanders has to package and sell Colorado. He’s got to get you to take Colorado seriously.”

Realignment roulette

The news this week that the Oakland Athletics are preparing to move to Las Vegas should be setting off alarm bells.

How does one ignore Vegas’ college football future now that the city has emerged as a sports capital? Two men’s professional teams (Raiders, Golden Knights) soon to be three (A’s). Five leagues holding their conference basketball tournaments there each year. Plus major neutral-site games already being scheduled; LSU and USC open the 2023 season Sept. 1 at Allegiant Stadium.

It’s already a Pac-12 hub with the conference’s basketball tournament located in Sin City. Kliavkoff joined the league from Vegas where he was previously an MGM Resorts executive.

The Final Four arrives for the first time in 2028 after the NCAA Tournament debuted in Vegas last month with the West Regional. Don’t forget the WNBA Aces, XFL Vipers and NBA G League Ignite.

While UNLV doesn’t carry the cachet of other realignment candidates, its profile has been elevated alongside the city’s overall sports profile.

“I think something is going to happen. I don’t know what it is. But I think something is happen and I think something is going to happen rather soon,” said Jim Livengood, who is basically the godfather of college sports in Las Vegas.

Livengood, a former UNLV athletic director who also held the role at Arizona, has been aggressively involved in bringing sports events to town.

“I think they’re sitting in a great spot,” Livengood said of the Rebels. “Not only is it an institution that has improved themselves academically … athletically, I don’t think there is any question the new football staff has a great chance to hit the ground running.”

One must assume the Pac-12 would be interested in making a play for UNLV as they are already considering expansion with the likes of San Diego State. The Big 12, which is also exploring its expansion options, has not indicated any official interest in the Rebels. When Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark recently said his conference was open for business, it’s wise to assume UNLV, among other similarly positioned schools, picked up the phone.

UNLV: Think of a buy low, sell high situation. While the school doesn’t bring pro rata (equal value) to the Pac-12 or Big 12, grabbing the Rebels may be investment in what Las Vegas is becoming — a sports mecca. It was thought at one time the Pac-12 would relocate to Las Vegas.

“If a Pac-12 kind of a thing were to happen, I can think of a lot of reason why it would be great for us,” said former UNLV quarterback Steve Stallworth, who has spent three decades in Las Vegas event management. Stallworth calls Las Vegas a “suburb of LA” — given the number of tourists from there — that would be a natural home for the Pac-12.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily just a sports destination, it’s a sports capital based on everything that’s going on,” said Robby Findlay, an influential UNLV booster who is director of operations for the Findlay Auto Group.

All that makes the Barry Odom hire enormous. The former Missouri coach — most recently Arkansas defensive coordinator — has a lot of responsibility. Not only to turn around the program but possibly make it presentable for a new conference. The Rebels have posted one winning season since 2000. Since moving to Allegiant Stadium in 2020, UNLV is 7-23,

“We have all the pieces to the puzzle,” Stallworth said. “Now, have we made the right personnel decisions? It comes down to that. … You have to want to win from the top. I’m talking about from the governor to the regents to the [university] president. I think we’re closer in that regard. Are we there 100{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}? I don’t know.”

Fresno State: Somehow, calls from the Fresno State administration to the Big 12 have been misconstrued as interest from the Big 12. At this point, there is no Big 12 interest in the Bulldogs, seemingly not even as a fallback option if other expansion falls through. Even with Yormark desiring a presence in the Pacific Time Zone, Fresno State doesn’t move the needle with San Diego State and Pac-12 schools possibly still in play. Complicating matters: Try to imagine Stanford in the same Pac-12 with Fresno State.

Boise State: Once the best of the best of the Group of Five, the Broncos have slid. Boise State is the No. 98 television market, somewhat isolated in Idaho and no longer the emerging power it was under Chris Petersen. The Big 12 already has BYU in the Mountain Time Zone. Like Fresno, Boise might qualify as Pac-12 backfill if the league loses teams.

Memphis: Through the years, the school’s boosters have never stopped trying to move up. Memphis’ name surfaced for the Big 12 in 2016 when the league was exploring expansion. Tigers booster and FedEx CEO Fred Smith even promised a lucrative sponsorship for his company for the Big 12 football and basketball championship games. Two years ago, the Big 12 spoke loudly when it expanded to Cincinnati and Houston from the American, not Memphis.

February 26, 2023

Utahns feeling bleak about near-term economy, ongoing inflation

An unprecedented set of economic conditions have both battered and rewarded consumers over the past year-and-a-half or so with record high inflation wreaking havoc on household budgets at the same time a red-hot jobs market has provided a wealth of new employment opportunities and robust wage growth.

But even with average hourly earnings bumping up by 5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} over the last year, the extra cash has fallen short of inflation-driven price increases and, according to a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, concern is outpacing optimism when it comes to the personal economic outlook of most Utahns.

When asked to rate their feelings about the economy in the coming year, 54{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of respondents statewide registered some level of pessimism, while 45{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} said they were very or somewhat optimistic about future economic conditions.

Ongoing U.S. inflation continues to be a significant red flag for most poll participants, with an overwhelming majority, 93{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, saying the broad-based price increases are very or somewhat concerning and only 8{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} said they were only somewhat or not at all concerned with inflation.

Everything costs more

Those price increases are hitting home for Spanish Fork resident Clayton Dangerfield, who said he’s not holding out hope for things getting better any time soon.

“Inflation is off the hook,” he said. “Everything I do costs more. Property taxes, groceries, what I’m paying at the gas pump. The only thing that hasn’t gone up are my wages. I’ve had some increases but it’s not keeping up with prices.”

Dangerfield, 65, said he’s making ends meet but only by looking for deals and cutting back on some purchases.

“I’m always looking for deals, trying to find better prices on the commodities I use,” he said. “Everything has gone up … and you need to be a little more aware of what you’re paying out the door. I’m ok to give up a little on quality to get a better deal.”

Dangerfield’s perception of price issues is reflected in the latest Labor Department data that identified some declines in January, including prices on used cars and trucks, medical care and airline fares. But many basic necessities remain much more costly than a year ago, including grocery prices in January that were up 11.3{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in the last 12 months, electricity costs that rose 11.9{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} and a 7.9{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} rise in the cost of shelter over the same time last year.

Inflation down, prices up

The latest data from the U.S. Labor Department marked seven straight months of declining inflation since hitting 9.1{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} last June, the highest rate in over 40 years. The report found the year-over-year inflation rate in January came in at 6.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, down slightly from December’s 6.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} rate.

The eight-state Mountain West region, which includes Utah, continues to see inflation rates far outpacing the national average. In January, year-over-year inflation hit 7.2{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} for the area, the highest in the country but down from December’s 7.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

According to data from AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Utah was $3.78 on Wednesday, up from $3.70 a week ago and $3.32 this time last month.

But while overall inflation eased in January, Tuesday’s Consumer Price Index Summary from the Labor Department, found prices rose 0.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from December to January after bumping up .1{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from November to December. January’s price increases were driven primarily by rising costs for shelter — by far the largest — with the indexes for food, gasoline and natural gas also contributing, per the federal report.

Nicky Bennett, 22, and his father, John Bennett, collect eggs from the family’s coop at their home in Payson on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.

Raising chickens

Charlene Bennett, of Payson, said she and her family are fortunate to be keeping ducks and chickens, a practice which is helping offset some of the rising cost of groceries but are still having to make changes to keep the household budget balanced.

“The high prices are hitting our bottom line pretty hard,” she said. “It’s affecting the things we can do as a family and pretty much everything, really.”

Bennett said her family is working hard to find savings like consolidating errands that require driving and putting off trips to visit family members in Nevada and California — outings that have become too costly in the current economy.

Concern about inflation spanned all income categories, though Utahns making more than $150,000 a year were slightly less concerned than those earning under $25,000 annually, according to the Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll.

But lower wage earners were more optimistic about the future of the economy than those with higher incomes, the survey shows.

Dan Jones & Associates conducted the poll of 802 registered Utah voters Jan. 23-30. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Economists say ongoing inflation is being buoyed by a robust U.S. labor market that added a surprising 517,000 jobs in January as unemployment slipped to 3.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, the lowest rate since 1969. There are now two unfilled jobs for every available unemployed worker in the country, an imbalance that’s helped push wages higher, now up about 5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} over last year.

As employers are forced to spend more to compete for workers in an ultra-tight jobs market, those costs are typically passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices, and particularly so for service sector businesses.

Last month, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell noted the inflation/jobs market disparity but characterized it as a positive sign in the monetary body’s ongoing battle to quell U.S. inflation that ran at or near 40-year highs for much of the past year.

“It is a good thing that the disinflation that we’ve seen so far has not come with weakening in the labor market,” Powell said at a press conference following the Fed’s January board of governors meeting.

Powell’s comments followed the Fed’s announcement of a .25{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} increase to its inter-bank lending rate, the eighth consecutive rate hike going back to March of last year and a continuation of the Fed’s most aggressive strategy for decades. Its benchmark rate has moved from near zero early last year to its current level of 4.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 4.75{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, the highest since 2007.

Further evidence of U.S. inflation’s ongoing persistence was reflected in a U.S. Department of Commerce report released Friday.

The Personal Consumption Expenditure price index, a metric closely watched by the Federal Reserve, rose .6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in January, a bigger than expected increase that’s moved up significantly from the .2{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} price jump from November to December last year.

The report, compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, also found average earnings rose by .6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in January and consumer spending rose 1.8{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} over December.

Motorists get gas at a Costco in Murray, Utah. — Motorists get gas at a Costco station in Murray on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. Overall U.S. inflation ticked down in January to 6.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} vs. December 2022’s 6.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} annual rate. Consumer prices, however, moved up .5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} for the month driven by rising prices for gas, food and clothing.