Live To Tell | July 3, 2019

Talk About It

Fantastic: Women’s World Cup Ratings

The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been putting up massive ratings numbers for FOX Sports, in very large part due to the dominance of Team USA. In what many were calling the de facto final on Friday when host nation France faced off against the American squad, Nielsen live-same-day data showed the U.S. team’s 2-1 victory averaged 6.12 million viewers and a 3.7 household rating, making it the fifth most-watched Women’s World Cup match on record.

Celebrity: Backlash Causes Kim K to Change the Name of her New Business

Last week, Kim Kardashian announced the launch of her new “shapewear” brand, a line of undergarments akin to Spanx that are designed to be worn under other clothing. Kardashian had planned to call the line “Kimono,” but was accused of cultural appropriation upon its announcement. Kardashian’s move to file trademarks for the brand name was a particular affront for many, including the Japanese community, with whom kimono have a more than 1,000-year-old history. This week, Kardashian announced she’d be taking the brand to market with a new name.

Cash Money: KD to Brooklyn Drastically Sinks MSG Networks Shares

So much sports ball, so little time. Shareholders of MSG Networks were dealt a devastating blow on Sunday: NBA superstar Kevin Durant, long rumored to sign with the New York Knicks in free agency this summer, chose the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets instead. Because the Knicks play at Madison Square Garden and MSG Network owns the broadcast rights to the majority of Knicks games, the company’s shares plummeted when the markets opened on Monday—to the tune of $130 million in market value at its lowest point. 

Forward Thinking: Uber, But By Women and For Women

Safr is a new startup rideshare concept akin to Uber, but with one clear distinction: women only, as both riders and drivers. Safr just established itself in its second city of operation in Orlando and hopes to not suffer the same fate as a now-defunct business with a similar premise called See Jane Go, which shuttered in California last year. While customer experience can’t yet be evaluated due to the newness of the concept, the local-focused business plans to continue expanding to new cities through franchising. 

Friend or Foe: KFC’s Cheetos Fried Chicken Sandwich

After a successful test in a number of Southern states that began in January, KFC is officially unleashing its Cheetos Sandwich nationwide in July. Important side note: Chester Cheetah takes on the role of Colonel Sanders in the brand’s marketing push surrounding the sandwich. The menu item is described as “a crispy chicken filet is drizzled with a Cheetos-based sauce, layered over actual Cheetos and mayo and served on a toasted bun.” Separately, these two food items work, but how do they taste together? 

Heating Up

Former Major League Baseball player Bill Buckner recently passed away at the age of 69 after battling dementia. Buckner amassed more than 2,700 hits over the course of his 22-year career, but is solely remembered for an untimely error that saw a hit ball go through his legs in the 1986 World Series, which his Red Sox team eventually lost. In his latest column for 1851 Franchise, No Limit Agency* CEO and noted Cubs fan Nick Powills reflects fondly on his lone interaction with Buckner and explores society’s tendency to fixate on a single mistake over a collective of good, in both sports and in business.