If you want some long-term relationship advice, I offer you this: Find someone who loves you as much as news outlets love end-of-the-year content.

The New Yorker did a piece 11 years ago on why our brains love lists, and it holds up today. Among other reasons: It spatially organizes information and promises a story that’s finite.

The NFL story will, of course, continue in 2025 and beyond, but in the space below, we offer eight NFL media stories that captured our interest in 2024.

1. Tom Brady begins his NFL broadcasting journey

Fox has the broadcast rights to the Super Bowl this year, which means Brady will call the league’s most important game in his rookie season as a TV analyst. He is 15 games into a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox, a journey that has prompted plenty of commentary on his performance, including multiple pieces from this author.

Brady’s broadcasting work has improved during the season — not to the point of being an elite TV analyst, but the progress is noticeable. Still, the long-term prediction here is that Brady’s juggling act as Las Vegas Raiders owner and TV analyst, and the restrictions that come with that, feels unsustainable for Fox and Brady.

2. Netflix lands an NFL package of games

Netflix and the NFL announced in May a three-season deal for Christmas Day games through 2026. That deal becomes even more magnified given Netflix securing the exclusive broadcast rights in the United States for the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women’s World Cup. These are significant signals to the marketplace (along with its WWE rights deal, given its live element) that Netflix has shifted from being interested in sports-adjacent properties to being a legitimate sports rights holder.

The streaming giant aired the Kansas City Chiefs–Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens–Houston Texans games on Christmas Day and largely succeeded in avoiding a glitch-filled rerun of its Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight event.

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3. Peacock airs a regular-season game from São Paulo

The Philadelphia Eagles–Green Bay Packers game on Sept. 6 was the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in South America and aired exclusively on Peacock, the streaming network’s third exclusive NFL game following the Buffalo Bills–Los Angeles Chargers regular-season game in December 2023 and the Miami Dolphins-Chiefs AFC wild-card playoff game last January.

The result was a significant viewership win for the league and the streamer. Peacock delivered 14.2 million viewers for Eagles-Packers, well above the 7.3 million for Bills-Chargers and Peacock’s second-best NFL streaming audience ever only behind the Chiefs-Dolphins game (23 million viewers). The numbers include figures from the over-the-air markets in which the games ran.

The NFL will play eight international games in 2025, including in Madrid, as Spain will be the sixth country to host an NFL regular-season game. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Chiefs owner Clark Hunt have talked openly about playing 16 games overseas annually in the near term, per this report from SBJ’s Ben Fischer. It’s clear we will soon see a Sunday morning window with a new international media-rights package.

4. Super Bowl LVIII sets TV ratings record

We live in an apples-to-pomegranates world when it comes to comparing the sports viewership of today versus yesteryear, due to factors including new out-of-home viewership data and cord-cutters and cord-nevers. Using today’s metrics, via Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in February’s Super Bowl averaged 123.7 million viewers across television and streaming platforms. That makes it the most-viewed program in history, shattering the previous mark of 115.1 million for Kansas City’s last-minute win over Philadelphia in the previous Super Bowl.

Fans watch Super Bowl LVIII outside Chase Center in San Francisco. The game was the highest-rated program in television history. (Loren Elliott / Getty Images)

5. The rise of alt-broadcasts

The alternate broadcasts of NFL games launched into a new stratosphere in 2024 with a “Simpsons” animated alt-cast of “Monday Night Football” airing on ESPN+ and Disney+, and NBC Sports making its NFL alternate broadcast debut on Peacock with last week’s Texans-Chiefs game. It follows alt-broadcasts on Nickelodeon and ESPN’s now long-standing Manning Brothers broadcasts and one using “Toy Story.”

6. The ‘New Heights’ podcast blows up

The popular podcast — hosted by brothers Jason Kelce, the Eagles’ center from 2011-2023, and Travis Kelce, the current Chiefs tight end — inked a deal with Amazon’s podcast network, Wondery, in 2024 to be the program’s new home.

The show has found itself on measurement lists of the biggest podcasts in the United States and has nearly 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube. One of the interesting notes in the deal is Wondery’s plans to translate the podcast to different languages to increase its global audience, including in NFL-strong markets such as the United Kingdom and Mexico. That’s a blank space for NFL fans.

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The Kelce brothers and the ‘Heights’ of podcast popularity

7. New broadcast rules for increased access

It was not an accident that you saw more in-game interviews during NFL games this season. Last May, the NFL broadcasting department outlined access changes for the NFL’s television partners after a review between the league and its media rights holders. The shared goal? To enhance the game content that we see as NFL viewers. The new rules included in-game coach interviews for all games, pregame player interviews for all games, network pregame locker room coverage, preseason player interviews, and coaches’ booth network cameras. Look for it to continue.

8. NFL ordered to pay $4.7 billion in “Sunday Ticket” antitrust trial … only to see it overturned

In August, the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles overturned a $4.7 billion verdict against the NFL for colluding to raise prices for its “NFL Sunday Ticket” television package. The judge disqualified expert testimony used by the jury to determine damages. (The jury’s verdict had threatened to upend the league’s strategy of selling exclusive television packages to broadcasters.) Next up: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Per Sportico’s legal writer and sports law professor, Michael McMann, a decision is likely many months, if not longer, away.

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Imagining NFL on TV in the year 2030: Tom Brady out, Travis Kelce in?

(Top photo of a Netflix “Christmas Gameday” banner at Wednesday’s Chiefs-Steelers game: Mark Alberti / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Athletics president Dave Kaval is resigning after being the public face of the organization’s move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Kaval, 49, served as the seventh president of the A’s in their 123-year history, and held the role for the past eight years. 

“We are grateful for Dave’s contributions and leadership over the past eight years. He guided our organization through a period of significant transition, and we sincerely thank him for his unwavering commitment to the team,” A’s owner John Fisher said in a statement. 

“As we look ahead to the next chapter of our franchise, the team will continue to grow under new leadership, driving the organization toward success during our interim years in West Sacramento and at our new home in Las Vegas.”

Kaval will step down from the role on Dec. 31 to pursue new business opportunities in California. Sandy Dean will serve as the interim president, and a search to fill the full-time role will begin in 2025.

BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER RICKEY HENDERSON DEAD AT 65

Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval before a baseball game between the Athletics and the New York Mets in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, April 16, 2023.  (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Dean is a long-time business partner of the Fisher family. 

Kaval’s resignation comes after the team cleared its last major hurdles to get a stadium built in Las Vegas, despite the overwhelming opposition of the fanbase. 

The Las Vegas Stadium Authority approved lease, non-relocation and development documents earlier in December for the A’s to build a $1.75 billion stadium on the strip.

Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval sits in the dugout before the game against the New York Mets at RingCentral Coliseum.  (Darren Yamashita-USA Today Sports)

Groundbreaking will likely take place in the spring with the new stadium in Las Vegas being ready for the beginning of the 2028 season. 

Kaval was unsuccessful in getting a stadium built in downtown Oakland. He then came to a deal to move the franchise out of the city, ending a run of 57 years with the team.

The A’s will play at least the next three seasons at a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento, California.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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FRIDAY’S RESULTS

BOYS

AGBU 48, Mary Star of the Sea 44

Agoura 79, St. Francis 77

Alemany 54, Palisades 52

Aliso Niguel 79, Simi Valley 61

Alta Loma 50, Shadow Hills 42

Anaheim Canyon 80, Inglewood 70

Arlington 59, Long Beach Cabrillo 57

Atascadero 60, Montclair 46

Averroes 44, Bassett 36

Bakersfield Christian 84, Santa Monica 56

Banning 62, Arroyo Valley 40

Bishop Amat 59, Arroyo Grande 46

Bishop Montgomery 49, Orange Lutheran 45

Bosco Tech 69, Norco 62

Brea Olinda 43, Northview 33

Brentwood 63, San Joaquin Memorial 48

Buckley 70, Hilltop 32

Burbank 58, Mark Keppel 55

Calabasas 66, Hart 62

Calexico 60, San Jacinto 45

Calvary Baptist 35, Bellflower 31

Camarillo 49, Patrick Henry 38

Campbell Hall 71, Village Christian 63

Canyon Country Canyon 108, Hawthorne 45

Cerritos Valley Christian 50, San Bernardino 47

Chadwick 64, Riverside Notre Dame 49

Chaffey 55, Charter Oak 42

Chaminade 67, Laguna Creek 53

Chino Hills 61, Bonita 54

Chowchilla 79, Magnolia 18

Citrus Hill 70, Colton 50

Claremont 55, Arroyo 32

Cleveland 55, Salesian 36

Coastal Christian 69, Santa Maria 62

Colony 65, Sotomayor 55

Corona 74, Rim of the World 24

Corona Centennial 82, Sunnyslope (AZ) 59

Corona Santiago 61, Diamond Bar 48

Crescenta Valley 58, Upland 43

Crespi 64, Dublin 59

Culver City 61, St. Paul 58

Cypress 66, Bishop Manogue (Nev.) 47

Damonte Ranch (Nev.) 77, Malibu 24

Desert Christian Academy 90, Orange Glen 20

Don Lugo 58, Ridgecrest Burroughs 56

Dos Pueblos 53, Holy Martyrs 52

Dougherty Valley 73, Santa Barbara 70

Downey 55, Beaumont 50

Eastside Catholic (Wash.) 68, Riverside Poly 62

Eastvale Roosevelt 90, Clovis North 58

Edgewood 64, Desert Hot Springs 53

Edison 53, Tesoro 47

El Dorado 69, Mt. Carmel 42

El Toro 81, Orange 26

Esperanza 58, San Dimas 54

Etiwanda 55, Liberty (Ariz.) 47

Fontana 55, West Covina 45

Fountain Valley 97, Compton Centennial 30

Fullerton 64, Santa Ana 48

Garden Grove 74, Lakeside 56

Garden Grove Pacifica 81, Westminster 43

Gardena Serra 69, Sylmar 64

Glendora 61, Central 55

Granada Hills Kennedy 49, Hollywood 39

Great Oak 61, Elk Grove Franklin 60

Harbor Teacher 54, Rise Kohyang 26

Harvard-Westlake 79, American Fork (Utah) 50

Hesperia 72, Tahoma (Wash.) 44

Hillcrest 57, Kaiser 45

Hillcrest Christian 74, Portola 53

Hoover 61, Duarte 54

Huntington Beach 58, Rialto 51

Ironwood (Ariz.) 60, Rolling Hills Prep 49

Irvine 61, Boulder City (Nev.) 48

Jesuit 47, Crossroads 43

JSerra 61, Montgomery 57

Jurupa Valley 52, San Gorgonio 49

Katella 46, El Rancho 45

King’s Academy 61, Eastside 43

La Canada 64, Hacienda Heights Wilson 38

LACES 65, La Salle 46

Laguna Beach 75, Yucca Valley 20

Lakewood 54, Riverside North 50

La Mirada 82, Redondo Union 72

La Palma Kennedy 54, Godinez 34

La Serna 57, Walnut 52

Lawndale 55, Narbonne 53

Legacy Christian 71, Beckman 62

Littlerock 55, Grant 46

Loma Linda Academy 55, Glendale Adventist 41

Long Beach Poly 66, Oaks Christian 47

Los Alamitos 74, San Ramon Valley 71

Los Amigos 66, Chino 61

Los Altos 57, Garden Grove Santiago 55

Loyola 78, Victory Christian Academy 71

Madera 64, Montclair 46

Manual Arts 68, Cathedral 66

Marquez 62, Ponderosa 51

Mayfair 62, Aquinas 61

Mesa Grande Academy 64, Escondido Adventist Academy 46

Metaire Park Country Day (La.) 80, West Ranch 72

Millikan 54, Leuzinger 52

Mira Costa 79, Pilibos 53

Mission College Prep 74, Rio Mesa 55

Monrovia 75, Jurupa Hills 61

Moreno Valley 67, Twentynine Palms 37

Newport Harbor 75, Mission Viejo 53

Nipomo 57, Valley Christian Academy 52

Norte Vista 79, Flintridge Prep 72

North Torrance 67, Crenshaw 38

Oak Hills 71, Westlake 68

Oak Park 78, Bishop Diego 46

Oakwood 69, Granite Bay 68

Orange County Pacifica Christian 55, La Habra 50

Orange Vista 57, Foothill (Nev.) 53

Orcutt Academy 66, Valley Christian Academy 52

Oxford Academy 43, Norwalk 36

Oxnard 87, Fresno Roosevelt 58

Palm Desert 71, Carter 54

Palm Springs 56, Skyline (Wash.) 50

Palos Verdes 49, Granada Hills 44

Pasadena 63,Valencia 50

Peachtree Ridge (Ga.) 69, Temecula Prep 30

Perris 69, California School for the Deaf Riverside 43

Pioneer 71, Ambassador 53

Placentia Valencia 62, Bolsa Grande 20

Price 50, South Torrance 38

Providence 46, Maranatha 41

Ramona 69, Woodcrest Christian 34

Rancho Cucamonga 60, Crean Lutheran 49

Rancho Mirage 56, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 41

Rancho Verde 61, St. Anthony 60

Redlands 66, Pacific 46

Redlands East Valley 63, Riverside Prep 52

Righetti 64, Moorpark 56

Rio Hondo Prep 69, Downey Calvary Chapel 13

Riverside King 59, Whittier 55

Rosemead 43, Baldwin Park 40

Royal 60, Semiahmoo (Canada) 55

Rubidoux 82, Garey 21

Saddleback 60, Paramount 55

Sage Hill 54, Mountain View 50

Saguaro (Ariz.) 84, Murrieta Mesa 62

Samueli Academy 52, Cedar Park Christian (Wash.) 48

San Clemente 108, Costa Mesa 48

San Gabriel Academy 62, Arcadia 47

San Juan Hills 58, Rancho Christian 49

San Luis Obispo 68, Newbury Park 52

San Marcos 74, Paraclete 24

San Marino 56, El Segundo 49

San Pedro 93, Fremont 36

Santa Ana Foothill 47, San Ramon California 34

Santa Ana Mater Dei 84, Highland 22

Santa Fe 78, Southlands Christian 36

Santa Margarita 65, Damien 54

Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 56, Sunny Hills 45

Santa Paula 77, Sierra Pacific 62

Santa Rosa Academy 72, Newbury Park Adventist 59

Segerstrom 72, Nogales 29

Servite 58, Taft 43

Shalhevet 59, Saugus 40

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 70, Sierra Vista 43

Sierra Vista 55, Apple Valley 54

Silverado 55, Canyon Springs 50

South East 53, Carson 43

South Pasadena 79, King/Drew 55

South Torrance 51, Peninsula 36

Spanish Springs (Nev.) 63, Fairfax 56

Springdale (Ark.) 69, Westminster 58

St. Bernard 93, Westwood (Ariz.) 26

St. Bonaventure 72, Long Beach Wilson 60

St. Genevieve 52, Elkton (Ore.) 34

St. John Bosco 52, Heritage Christian 43

Saint Louis (Hawaii) 67, Linfield Christian 47

St. Margaret’s 54, Estancia 46

St. Mary’s 60, Gahr 59

St. Monica 57, Sacramento 35

Stevenson 70, Coachella Valley 42

Sun Valley Poly 61, Dorsey 39

Tarbut Valley Torah 77, Rancho Alamitos 38

Temescal Canyon 60, Indian Springs 45

Temple City 79, Mountain View 31

Thousand Oaks 62, Summit 60

Torrance 61, La Quinta 52

Torrey Pines 76, Temecula Valley 70

Tustin 63, Live Oak 34

University Prep 81, Oxnard Pacifica 78

Valley View 49, Tahquitz 41

View Park 54, Legacy 52

Viewpoint 75, Grand Terrace 54

Villa Park 87, Lynwood 48

Vista Murrieta 70, Auburn (Wash.) 58

Warren 69, Western 36

Washington 65, Fairmont Prep 63

Weed 83, Hueneme 36

Westchester 49, Green Level (N.C.) 41

West Valley 72, Schurr 60

Whittier California 78, Alhambra 59

Wildwood 55, Logan Memorial Education 36

Wiseburn Da Vinci 61, Maranatha Christian 51

Woodbridge 76, Elsinore 55

Workman 96, Aveson Global Leadership 58

Ygnacio Valley 78, Murrieta Valley 50

Yorba Linda 64, Oak Park 46

Yucaipa 77, Serrano 46

GIRLS

Acalanes 63, San Juan Hills 37

Anaheim 63, South El Monte 19

Anaheim Canyon 59, Oceanside El Camino 16

Antelope Valley 58, Atascadero 19

Apple Valley 55, Canyon Springs 51

Arcadia 52, Colony 25

Arleta 60, Temple City 40

Bakersfield Centennial 69, Lancaster 46

Beckman 47, Oak Ridge 46

Bellevue (Wash.) 57, Esperanza 44

Bellflower 43, Capistrano Valley 41

Birmingham 58, Legacy 46

Bishop Amat 59, Carson 50

Bishop Montgomery 51, St. Mary’s 47

Buena 66, St. Bonaventure 51

Buena Park 63, Camarillo 59

Burbank d. Mary Star of the Sea (forfeit)

Burbank Burroughs 61, Highland 43

Calipatria 41, Desert Chapel 24

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 67, Sage Creek 30

Cardinal Newman 54, JSerra 53

Chula Vista Mater Dei 51, Cerritos 43

Chaminade 49, Vanden 39

Chaparral 54, Pasadena Poly 45

Chula Vista Mater Dei 51, Cerritos 43

Clovis North 54, Dana Hills 50

Coachella Valley 44, La Quinta 39

Compton Centennial d. Firebaugh (forfeit)

Corona 58, O’Farrell Charter 20

Corona Centennial 91, Hesperia 24

Corona del Mar 57, Escondido Charter 48

Corona Santiago 84, Artesia 15

Colton 56, Indian Springs 21

Cosumnes Oaks 54, El Toro 45

Crean Lutheran 58, Marina 29

Crescenta Valley 55, La Canada 46

Culver City 49, Central Catholic (OR) 36

Cypress 50, Aliso Niguel 35

Downey 36, Redlands East Valley 27

Eastside 54, San Bernardino 12

Elsinore 48, Riverside North 24

Etiwanda 64, San Diego Lincoln 38

Fairmont Prep 71, Salesian College Prep 62

Flagstaff (Ariz.) 49, La Palma Kennedy 37

Flintridge Prep 60, Eastvale Roosevelt 48

Flintridge Sacred Heart 48, Royal 35

Fountain Valley 50, Orange County Pacifica Christian 34

Gahr 83, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 23

Galena (Nev.) 31, Murrieta Mesa 25

Garden Grove 45, Bolsa Grande 34

Glendale 63, Heritage Christian 58

Glendora 59, Bell Gardens 25

Godinez 48, Millikan 36

Grand Terrace 51, Rowland 39

Grant 50, L.A. University 13

Hanford 46, San Bernardino 24

Harvard-Westlake 54, Oakwood 23

Hoover 41, Pilibos 37

Imperial 48, Xavier Prep 20

Jurupa Valley 40, Mission Viejo 30

Laguna Beach 56, Banning 17

Laguna Hills 48, Long Beach Cabrillo 32

LA Hamilton 51, Mira Costa 38

Lakewood 62, El Dorado 59

Lakewood St. Joseph 68, Lincoln (Wash.) 42

La Mirada 57, Inglewood 39

La Palma Kennedy 57, Winslow (Ariz.) 43

La Salle 50, Summit 25

La Serna 34, Northview 30

Leuzinger 66, Fillmore 21

Loma Linda Academy 52, Glendale Adventist 6

Long Beach Jordan 64, Edison 22

Los Alamitos 81, Desert Christian Academy 35

Los Osos 59, Rio Hondo Prep 34

Marlborough 84, Granada Hills 39

Medfield (Mass.) 62, Garfield 31

Midland Christian (Texas) 44, Garfield 23

Moreau Catholic 52, Brea Olinda 47

Mountainside (Ore.) 75, Huntington Beach 32

Newbury Park 55, Shalhevet 49

Notre Dame Academy 53, West Ranch 34

Oak Hills 52, Bonita 35

Oceanside 66, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 32

Ontario 52, La Habra 25

Ontario Christian 110, Orange Vista 11

Orange 36, Norco 13

Oxnard 37, Thousand Oaks 36

Palm Desert 40, Yucca Valley 34

Palm Springs 47, Liberty 21

Paloma Valley 37, San Leandro 30

Paramount 55, Victory Christian Academy 52

Parkway (La.) 62, Brentwood 47

Patriot 40, Mission Viejo 30

Peninsula 49, Eastlake 19

Pleasant Valley 49, Santa Margarita 44

Portola 41, Virgin Valley (Nev.) 38

Ramona 43, Fontana 37

Ramona Convent 41, Alhambra 34

Rancho Buena Vista 60, Gardena Serra 36

Rancho Cucamonga 58, Vista Murrieta 35

Riverside Poly 54, Tahquitz 45

Rolling Hills Prep 84, Scripps Ranch 44

San Clemente 61, King/Drew 40

San Diego Cathedral 46, Sonora 42

San Dieguito Academy 45, Northwood 34

Santa Ana Mater Dei 91, Oakland Tech 25

Santa Fe 57, Upland 41

Saugus 53, Granada Hills Kennedy 27

Savanna 45, Santa Ana Foothill 29

Segerstrom 57, Edgewood 10

Shadow Hills 49, Mount Si (WA) 46

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 54, Murrieta Valley 47

Sierra Canyon 81, Yucaipa 25

Sierra Pacific 58, Mark Keppel 45

Simi Valley 60, Nordhoff 46

South Pasadena 70, Academy of Our Lady of Peace 21

St. Margaret’s 57, Campbell Hall 51

Stevenson 41, Lakeside 21

Sunny Hills 46, Long Beach Wilson 29

Trabuco Hills 44, Holy Martyrs 24

Troy 65, Anderson 49

Tesoro 79, Ocean View 54

Union (Wash.) 83, St. Mary’s Academy 50

United Christian Academy 54, Tustin 53

Valley View 57, Aquinas 29

Ventura 64, Louisville 49

Verdugo Hills 64, Santa Paula 54

Village Christian 55, Santa Monica 47

Villa Park 70, Irvine 38

Walnut 43, Whittier Christian 35

Warren 37, Garden Grove Pacifica 19

Westlake 45, Legacy (Nev.) 40

Westminster La Quinta 28, Irvine University 26

Whitney 80, Everett (Wash.) 41

Whittier 54, Rosemead 46

Whittier California 42, Placentia Valencia 40

Windward 50, Kamehameha Kapalama (Hawaii) 35