A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys.
Your Depot After Dark for Jan 13.
Penguins Game Moved
As part of the fallout from the Pittsburgh Steelers-Buffalo Bills Wild Card game being pushed to Monday at 4:30 PM/EST, the Pittsburgh Penguins have rescheduled their Monday game against the Seattle Kraken to 1 PM/EST.
Initially, the game was slated to start at 6 PM/EST on Monday.
“When you play Pittsburgh, you play the whole city,” said Penguins President of Business Operations Kevin Acklin. “The Penguins are proud to adjust our puck drop to 1:00 PM on Monday against the Kraken to allow our fans time to get back home and watch our beloved Steelers win over the Bills.”
The Penguins and Steelers have had a close relationship over the years, Pens’ players showing literal signs of support heading into the weekend. Now, they’re moving their game to maximize viewership of the Steelers-Bills game.
Through 40 games, the Penguins are 20-15-5, second-to-last in the Metro Division. But the race between second and seventh place are separate by just six points.
March Of The (Real) Penguins
Focusing on the other penguins, the ones at the Pittsburgh Zoo showed their support for the Steelers as well. As tweeted out by the Pittsburgh Zoo, staffers placed a couple of Terrible Towels inside the penguins’ habitat.
No word on how the Penguins feel about Mike Tomlin’s uncertain future with the team. And of course, this tweet was sent before the NFL pushed back kick off 27 hours. Those penguins, along with the rest of us, will just have to be patient.
ESPN To Own NFL?
ESPN and the NFL already have a close relationship, the biggest sports media platform in lockstep with America’s largest sport. But the two entities could truly become intertwined. According to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, ESPN is nearing agreement that would have the NFL buy a stake in the company.
From the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand:
“ESPN and the NFL are in advanced talks that could result in the league taking an equity stake in ESPN, The Post has learned.
As part of a potential agreement, Disney-owned ESPN would take control of NFL Media, which includes NFL Network, and the league would receive equity in ESPN.”
Marchand notes the deal could still take “months” to finalize. But talks have progressed to the point the NFLPA is now involved in the potential deal. The CBA splits revenue between the NFL and the players, meaning the union would need to be involved in a deal of this magnitude. It’s not known how much of a equity would be given up. But it would be a massive moment to see a media company and sports league have this kind of shareholder relationship.
