The news cycle kept us busy in 2023 with major stories emerging daily. Boardroom looks back on the 10 topics that took the most real estate in our daily newsletter Headline to Go in 2023.
Before we turn the calendar to 2024, let’s reminisce on some major moments that got us talking in 2023. We’re all aware of just how seamlessly sports, entertainment, and music intersect into popular culture. From Monday through Saturday each week, Boardroom lands in your inbox with our Headline to Go newsletter, which surfaces the most relevant headlines that will keep you up-to-date and informed.
This year, there was no shortage of buzzworthy topics that took over the headlines — looking back it is almost impossible to believe how much has happened in the last 12 months. We analyzed the topics that resurfaced most frequently throughout the year. From Messi Mania to the NFL’s superior reign as the top sports league in the U.S., there were some topics that we returned to over and over … and over again.
Ahead are the top 10 topics we covered in our daily newsletter, Headline To Go.
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NFL
In February, the Kansas City Chiefs became Super Bowl champions for the second time in four years, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in a thriller. However, viewership peaked at halftime as Rihanna took over the stage … and unveiled her second pregnancy. With 115 million viewers, it became the most-watched game in history.
Even in the offseason, the shield kept things buzzing. The game bid farewell (again) to the GOAT, Tom Brady. Running backs brought attention to a crumbling market for the position. Meanwhile, multiple starting quarterbacks inked record-breaking extensions, and Aaron Rodgers barely played a full drive before being sidelined for the season after rupturing his Achilles.
For the 2023 season, the NFL has continued its monumental stronghold on American sports fans, drawing an astounding 9.2 million viewers on average for each regular season game.
Beyoncé
While she may not have dropped the visuals for Renaissance, Beyoncé gave her fans something better. The Renaissance Tour took its global lap in 2023, amassing more than $570 million in 55 stops. She also joined Taylor Swift in bringing the tour experience to the silver screen, brokering a deal with AMC Theaters for Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, a nearly three hour spectacle that takes viewers both behind the scenes and in the front row of the incredible live experience.
So far, the movie experience of the sold-out tour is currently No. 5 on the Top 10 Music Concert Films of All Time.
NBA
The Denver Nuggets were crowned first-time NBA Finals champions, getting the best of the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in five games.
In an action-packed offseason, the Boston Celtics ensured Jaylen Brown wouldn’t be leaving the Northeast anytime soon. The 17-time champions and their star forward agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax extension, the richest contract in NBA history. Elsewhere, the Dame drama came to a close, as he took his talents to Milwaukee.
However, the 2023-24 season brought a new challenge: the in-season tournament. After a slow start, the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament title, easily beating the Indiana Pacers 123-109, adding an extra spark to the league’s pre-Christmas schedule.
Apple
In 2024, Apple made history as the first $3 trillion company, and the tech company’s stock hit its all-time high on July 31 and it remains the most valuable publicly traded U.S. company. They released of a range of new product models, from the coveted iPhone 15 lineup to AirPods, laptops, and updates to its iOS software.
Additionally, after years of speculation, the Cupertino company unveiled the Apple Vision Pro. The VR headset will go on sale in 2024 at a pricepoint of $3,499.
@boardroom Drake’s music industry dominance is stamped once again by his ubiquitous presence on listeners’ Spotify Wrapped as a top-5 artist. #drake #spotify #spotifywrapped #rap #hiphop #rapper #champagnepapi #spotifywrapped2023 ♬ original sound – Boardroom
Drake
Drake began 2023 on a high note: the Canadian rapper returned to the stage at the Apollo, performing his chart-toppers and a few deep cuts at the famed Harlem venue.
Then, Drizzy hit the road with 21 Savage for the It’s All a Blur tour, earning $140.5 million, according to numbers reported to Billboard Box Score. He also released a new Nocta basketball line, joined the investment group of the MLP team, the Brooklyn Aces, dropped two albums, and picked up two Grammy nominations after a multi-year boycott of the awards.
Disney
Bob Iger returned to the CEO’s chair at Disney to round out 2022, but his impact has been widely felt throughout the last 12 months. After a series of challenging fiscal years, the House of Mouse focused on its comeback in 2023. Under Iger’s tough leadership — and amidst some layoffs — the company began to see an uptick, largely fueled by the massive profitability of its theme parks. Revenues for the quarter and year grew 5- and 7% compared to 2022 amounts, respectively. In addition, they also added 7+ million core subscribers to their streaming services in Q4.
However, Disney wasn’t fully exempt from the drama. In April, Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit against DeSantis in federal court, claiming “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.”
Next up: Disney may seek to sell off its ESPN properties, having released a valuation figure for the sports media giant for the first time ever, which clocked in at $24 billion.
NWSL
November’s NWSL final marked the final professional game for two GOATS: NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Ali Krieger and OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe. After an intense 90 minutes, Gotham won its first-ever championship after beating their opponents 2-1.
The grand finale was the perfect end for a season that highlighted immense growth for the league. In November, the NWSL signed a sweeping media right deal, worth $240 millions. The 40X increase in the value of the contract highlights that the league itself is on the rise. The Houston Dash recently inked Maria Sánchez to a record-setting three-year contract valued at $1.5 million — a record for the league. Additionally, it attracted new big-name investors, including tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Ons Jebeur (NC Courage) and Carolyn Tisch Blodgett (NY/NJ Gotham FC).
Lionel Messi
There are few athletes who have even stepped in the same meteoric sphere of a year of success as Lionel Messi.
The Argentinian footballer made waves when he departed Paris St. Germain for the MLS and Inter Miami CF. In addition to his salary, Messi brokered a deal that will yield him a portion of the profits of the league’s deal with Apple TV, as well as the revenues from his jersey and merchandise sales from Adidas.
Messi landed stateside and had an immediate impact, driving prices of tickets way up everywhere that Miami landed.
Netflix
The crackdown on password sharing proved to yield some success for Netflix because the streaming platform added nine million subscribers in the third quarter and its $6.99 ad-supported tier has amassed 15 million global monthly active users. The streaming platform also ventured into live sports with “The Netflix Cup,” featuring athletes from “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing.”
Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani stunned MLB audiences yet again this past season, putting up historic numbers and amazing performances. While also netting major deals off the diamond, including a new partnership with New Balance.
His quest for a new contract became the storyline of the offseason, but it garnered a bigger number than most fans dared to even dream of. Ohtani inked a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Though the move couldn’t be much geographically closer than his former home team, the conditions of his agreement couldn’t be much more different.
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