Closing Bell

The 2028 L.A. Games Organizing Committee said that Chair Casey Wasserman will “remain” in his role after members met Wednesday to “discuss the future of his involvement.” The board found that Wasserman’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell “did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.” A source cited by the WALL STREET JOURNAL added that USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and USOPC Chair Gene Sykes were “planning to dial into the LA28 meeting from Italy.” The meeting came after local L.A. officials have called for Wasserman to step down from his Olympics post. In addition, several artists, including Chappell Roan, have separated from his talent agency, Wasserman -- as has former USWNT player Abby Wambach (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/11).

Former USWNT F Abby Wambach announced in an Instagram post Wednesday that she was leaving the Wasserman talent agency following founder Casey Wasserman‘s emails appearing in the Epstein files. Wambach wrote she read Wasserman’s correspondences in the Epstein files and said she will “not participate in any business arrangement under his leadership.” She also said, “Casey should resign. He should leave, so no more people like me don’t have to.” Wambach noted she is “grateful to my agent, who I’ve known for almost 20 years and trust,” adding she is “unclear of my next steps” (INSTAGRAM, 2/11). Until Wambach’s comments Wednesday, the noise on the Wasserman agency front “mainly focused around Wasserman’s music division, where agents are exploring options to leave or take over the music agency division outright.” But with Wambach now out, “the question becomes if others in the sports world will speak as well” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/11).

Syracuse AD John Wildhack will retire on July 1, concluding a 46-year career, including the past 10 in his role. Details about the search to replace Wildhack will be announced later (Syracuse). Wildhack was brought in “largely to help heal wounds after Syracuse was spurned by its previous athletic director” after less than a year. His tenure was “marked by handling” Basketball HOF coach Jim Boeheim’s exit after 47 years, navigating the “upheaval of the NCAA’s amateurism rules and overseeing the renovation of SU’s two primary athletic buildings.” His departure comes amid the school’s search for a new chancellor to replace Kent Syverud, who hired Wildhack. Wildhack in September said that he “hoped to remain in his position, while acknowledging new chancellors will often pick their own leadership teams” (Syracuse POST-STANDARD, 2/11).

The 2026 Daytona 500 is “officially sold out,” with fans set to “pack the World Center of Racing” for the season-opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series season for the 11th straight year. Daytona International Speedway does not declare official attendance numbers. The race, which begins at 2:30pm ET on Sunday and will air on Fox, features the “biggest purse in event history” at $31,045,575. The sellout includes “all grandstand tickets and camping slots” for the main event. The grandstands running from the exit of Turn 4 to the entrance of Turn 1 hold 100,500 seats with many corporate suites between the lower and upper tiers. Estimates for the infield range from another 10,000 to 20,000 (DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/11).

Netflix is “pursuing” former MLBer Barry Bonds to “be part of its exclusive coverage on Opening Day” when the Giants host the Yankees on March 25, according to sources cited by THE ATHLETIC. If a deal comes to fruition, Bonds is “likely to be on site for the pregame and the postgame.” An agreement is “not yet in place.” Sources added that on the Yankees’ side, Netflix is “trying to sign” Baseball HOFer CC Sabathia. Sabathia has previously been a regular on MLB Network and has occasionally appeared on the Yankees’ YES Network. Elle Duncan is “expected to be the top presenter on the pregame and postgame programs for Opening Day,” while Netflix has “not yet named its play-by-play announcer or game analysts” (THE ATHLETIC, 2/11).

Vice President JD Vance warned U.S. athletes at the Milan Cortina Games to “expect ‘pushback’ if they delve into politics, defending” President Trump’s criticism of freestyle skier Hunter Hess. Vance said, “You’re not there to pop off about politics. So when Olympic athletes enter the political arena, they should expect some pushback.” Unease over current U.S. politics also was “evident during the Olympics opening ceremony” at San Siro Stadium in Milan, where Vance faced boos after he was shown on the jumbotron. Vance said of the boos, “The media made much ado about nothing with the fact that, yes, in a crowd of 30,000 people, there were certainly some people who disagreed with my policies or the policies of the administration” (USA TODAY, 2/11).

La Liga club Real Madrid and UEFA on Wednesday came to an agreement that signals the “formal end of the divisive Super League project in European soccer.” The news comes just days after fellow La Liga club Barcelona "formally pulled out" of the Super League plans. Though Real Madrid and Barcelona won a ruling at the European Court of Justice against UEFA more than two years ago, “no new clubs publicly came forward to join” the breakaway project, which “had no clear path forward.” The new agreement between Real Madrid, UEFA and the European Football Clubs group said principles were agreed that “will also serve to resolve their legal disputes.” The agreement “could open the door for Madrid to soon rejoin” the EFC, which the 12 initial Super League backers walked away from in 2021. Only Barcelona and Real Madrid of the original 12 are “still outside the clubs’ family” (AP, 2/11).

FanDuel will “no longer accept credit card account deposits nationwide for its sportsbook, casino, or racing products beginning next month.” The nationwide prohibition is set to “go into effect on March 2,” with FanDuel joining DraftKings to “completely prohibit credit card deposits for user accounts.” DraftKings “prohibited credit card deposits this past August.” FanDuel indicated that the prohibition “will include credit cards connected through Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Pay.” Debit cards and bank accounts will “still be acceptable forms of account deposits.” While both FanDuel and DraftKings have “instituted nationwide prohibitions, several other states are considering legislation to ban all credit card account deposits for sports betting and gaming purposes for any licensed gaming operator” (SPORTS BETTING DIME, 2/11).

The Seahawks and fans were “celebrating their Super Bowl win” Wednesday with the Seahawks World Champions Parade. The team held a trophy celebration at Lumen Field at 10am PT that lasted “about 45 minutes.” The Seahawks entered “to a standing ovation from the fans in attendance.” Seahawks GM John Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, QB Sam Darnold and other players gave speeches. The team’s convoy of vehicles left the stadium around 11:30am heading into downtown Seattle (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/11). The Seattle Department of Transportation “estimated 750,000-plus” were expected to attend the parade, while Public Health-Seattle & King County “estimated 1 million in its own social media post.” Parade organizer Seafair had estimated 850,000 (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/11).