Closing Bell

The NFL’s tests with optical tracking technology for line-to-gain rulings were “extremely successful” and the competition committee is behind the notion, NFL Chief Information Officer Gary Brantley said Wednesday on stage at SBJ Tech Week in N.Y.

“The testing was successful, it was extremely successful,” said Brantley. “I think we have very good buy-in from the committee in order to get this done. There will be some voting taking place at the annual meeting, so we’ll have a chance to really see where the committee wants to move forward. But I’ll tell you, we’ve done extensive testing across multiple stadiums, and we’re super happy with the result.”

NFL owners will meet in Orlando March 24-27. Even if approved, it would not be fully implemented for the 2024 season, but last week, NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte told SBJ testing would expand this season to MetLife Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and the Caesars Superdome for Super Bowl LIX.

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NBA EVP/Direct-to-Consumer Products Chris Benyarko spoke this afternoon at SBJ Tech Week in N.Y. about the league’s push for “innovation through integration” with their projects, and in particular the league’s flagship mobile app, the NBA App.

“We don’t have a separate technology and content strategy -- it’s just all one,” said Benyarko. “Our fanbase is so young and diverse that we always have to be thinking of new ways to engage.”

Recently, the league was able to drive that goal through the NBA Cup, formerly the In-Season Tournament, by making changes to the app and its presentation during certain nights. Benyarko: “We changed the courts, we changed the app ... So we are providing a multi-vertical experience when it comes to innovation.”

Changes to the media landscape have also caused the league to rethink how it is able to reach fans and personalize the experience through its NBA ID program.

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NYCFC took the next step in the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) for its Willets Point stadium project with a unanimous approval vote this morning from the City Planning Commission.

The club also released new renderings of the $780M stadium, designed by HOK, including a seven-story-tall LED-covered cube entrance in the southeast corner of the stadium. That’s where a large majority of the club’s fans will enter the venue, which the club hopes will open in 2027, whether from parking lots, the 7 train or the Long Island Railroad. 

Following the planning commission’s thumbs-up, the next step in the ULURP process, which any major infrastructure or development project must go through (sports venues especially) is a vote, at an undetermined date, by N.Y. City Council.

Should the project receive the council’s approval, it would then go before N.Y. Mayor Eric Adams, the final approval needed. A 120-day public comment and appeal period would then ensue, after which the 25,000-seat, all-electric stadium would officially be on its way to coming to life, potentially by this fall. 

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The third installment of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games will feature the defending champion Nuggets taking on the Celtics in a pair of preseason games slated for Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 6. This "only intensifies the NBA’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates," and the nation is "only growing in importance as a bedrock of the league's business." This will be the third straight year in which the NBA will hold preseason games in Abu Dhabi. In addition, Team USA held two exhibition games in the UAE last summer in preparation for the FIBA World Cup. The NBA also recently struck a significant sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines to rename its in-season tournament the Emirates NBA Cup and agreed to put Emirates patches on its referees in the NBA, G League and WNBA (THE ATHLETIC, 3/6).

IOC President Thomas Bach today said that Israel faces "no threat to its Olympic status ahead of the Paris Games despite the conflict in Gaza." Some of the "scattered calls Israel has faced for sporting sanction since October have come from Russia," which is "isolated in world sports because of its invasion of Ukraine." This week, a document detailing attempts by lawyers acting for Russia at the Court of Arbitration for Sport to "draw comparisons with the Israel-Palestinian conflict and other border disputes in a failed legal case" against the IOC was published. Bach said, “The Russian government apparently is ignoring the fact they have forced us (into) action. It is their invasion and in particular it is their annexation of parts of Ukraine." The safety in France of the Israeli team also was raised with Bach, who said there were "always special measures being taken with Israeli athletes" following the attack on the Israeli team at the 1972 Munich Games (AP, 3/6).

Bach directly criticized Russia's leaders and said that their "'blatant violation' of the Olympic charter is the reason their country has been banned from the Paris Games." Bach also insisted that the decision to only allow Russians who opposed the war to compete in Paris as neutral athletes -- with no flag, anthem or insignia -- "was the right one" (London GUARDIAN, 3/6).

The Hornets today introduced  new EVP/Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson at a news conference where he "made it clear he wants to turn the struggling" team into one of the NBA’s "premier franchises." Peterson inherits a squad that is 15-47 this season and hasn’t been to the postseason since 2016-17 -- the longest drought in the league. Peterson will have "final say on personnel matters, but will consult" with Hornets co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. The Hornets are expected to be "active in free agency this summer as they continue to rework the roster." They will have more than $40M in "projected salary cap space -- seventh most in the league" -- according to Sportrac.com (AP, 3/6). Peterson was "light on specifics for the entire news conference," referring to this season’s final 20 games as an "evaluation period" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/5).

Scripps Sports will launch weekly NWSL on ION Studio Shows starting March 16 to complement league doubleheaders on Saturday nights on ION, including 30-minute pre-match shows; halftime shows; wrap-up/preview shows in between matches; and post-match shows. These are the first-ever weekly studio shows dedicated to the NWSL by any network and will be led by veteran producer Nicole Denne. The studio shows will review highlights from recent matches, spotlight upcoming matches on ION and feature in-depth stories from around the league. Halftime shows will break down matches and provide insights from the studio host and analysts. NWSL on ION Studio Shows will originate from Atlanta and will feature the team of Lisa Carlin, Darian Jenkins and Jessica McDonald (Scripps Sports).

Peter King is this week's Big Get on the Sports Media Podcast, as SBJ’s Austin Karp chats with the recently retired sports media legend about what’s next, what story was the most difficult to cover and much more as they reflect on King’s legendary career.[Placeholder] 

SBJ Tech Week kicked off at The Times Center in N.Y., beginning with last night's Sports Business Awards: Tech. Discussions throughout the two-day conference include digital content innovation and artificial intelligence along with fan experience, venue operations and athlete performance technologies. Here's a look at some of the speakers and topics covered today.

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• NFL exec endorses optical tracking for first downs

• NBA innovating fan experience through NBA App

The Solheim Cup has named Hilton a Global Partner of the 2024 Solheim Cup. Hilton will provide stay experiences for athletes, VIPs and fans during the competition through multiple touchpoints (LPGA).

The NCAA and GEICO signed a new corporate partnership, making GEICO the official home and auto insurance partner of the NCAA. The partnership includes all 90 of the association's men's and women's championships (NCAA).

Golf Digest, The Caddie Network and Yeti signed a multiyear sponsorship that makes Yeti an official and exclusive partner of TCN and the Association of Professional Tour Caddies, as well as content extensions across Golf Digest’s platforms (TNT Sports).

Beyond Hospitality has been appointed by CONMEBOL to sell and deliver the Official Hospitality program for Copa América USA 2024, which takes place June 20-July 14. Packages will be available in three tiers, with products ranging from the casual Club Copa to the luxurious Insignia Lounge (CONMEBOL).

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UEFA launched a carbon footprint calculator to "help clubs lower their emissions" by tracking emissions from flights, purchased goods, services and facilities. The initiative follows criticism the organization received"for the level of emissions as a result of an expanding fixture calendar" (BBC.com, 3/6). 

Browns QB Joe Flacco has invested in the Ireland Premier Division St Patrick's Athletic FC as part of the Kenosis Sports Group. He is joined by former NFLers Matt Birk and Chad Greenway. Chair Garrett Kelleher said that the investment was the club's "'first step' in an expansion" into the U.S. (IRISH TIMES, 3/6).

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• Terrorism remains the key challenge at the Paris 2024 Games.

• Everton takeover special report: Untangling 777 finances and alternate interest in club.

• Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman and Georgia Stanway among those fearing 'burnout' in women's game due to fixture schedule.

Ahead of International Women's Day on Friday, the NBA teamed up with the WNBA, Lean In and 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston to empower girls to defy expectations.

130,000 -- Views per week for FloHockey game streams so far this year, part of a record winter for the streaming platform. FloHockey social accounts also had 5.1 million video views in January, equaling 8.35 million impressions with 400,000 engagements. The FloHockey site had its best January ever for unique visitors, and the week of Feb. 19-25 was its best week on record (SBJ).