Closing Bell

LIV Golf Chief Media Officer Will Staeger is no longer with the organization in what sources are calling a mutual parting of ways. Staeger was an original LIV employee, joining the league in the fall of 2021, and negotiated its deals with both The CW and more recently, Fox Sports. LIV’s deal with Fox was only announced last week.

Staeger leaves as he's pursuing other sports and entertainment opportunities through his existing company, Sonoma Sports & Entertainment.

LIV drew critics for its deal with The CW and the low numbers it generated, though it was a step up from the league’s first year when tournaments only aired on YouTube.

The deal with Fox, which will have tournaments air across the main Fox network, FS1, FS2 and Fox Business, was mostly seen as a positive for the league since SBJ first reported it in December.

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Legends unveiled Friday that the CFP National Championship saw record merchandise sales both on-site and online for the second consecutive year. Compared to the 2024 CFP National Championship weekend in Houston, merchandise sales in Atlanta in 2025 rose by 19%, while ecommerce sales experienced a 13% increase year-over-year. Top-selling items at CFP Shop locations across Championship Campus in Atlanta included national championship branded school-specific merchandise, match-up gear, scarves, knits, footballs and pins. Online sales throughout the CFP leading up to the national championship game increased by 309% compared to last year’s four-team format. Legends has managed omnichannel merchandise for the CFP since the 2021-22 season (Legends).

Meanwhile, the official announcement that Las Vegas will host the 2027 CFP National Championship game was made Friday with video announcing the game, scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/24).

MLB is preparing the automated ball-strike system, or ABS, for "its biggest test yet this spring training." The upcoming spring experiment "will employ the 'challenge' system," in which human umpires "will still make the vast majority of calls themselves." Each team "will start a game with two challenges it can issue to an umpire, who will then rely on the automated ball-strike system to review the pitch." More than 60% of spring games will feature ABS, with the D-backs set to use it 29 times -- the most in the league -- and the Cubs set for the fewest chances at seven. The average team in the Cactus League "will have 21 games featuring the automated zone, with half of its 10 ballparks expected to feature the system." The average Grapefruit League team "will play 19 games with an automated zone, with the system available in eight of 13 parks." MLB and the umpires worked out a five-year CBA in December "that allowed the league the right to implement ABS" (THE ATHLETIC, 1/24).

The PGA Tour is officially "moving the Genesis Invitational to the South Course at Torrey Pines" in San Diego on Feb. 10-16 after the L.A. wildfires forced the tournament to be moved from its annual home at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. Torrey Pines is the site of this week's Farmers Insurance Open, which is being played on the North and South courses, "so much of the infrastructure needed for the Genesis Invitational is already in place." The PGA Tour said it "plans for the Genesis Invitational to return to Riviera Country Club in 2026" (ESPN.com, 1/24).

The LPGA canceled the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship near L.A. on Friday because "the underwriter of the tournament failed on payments for the 2024 and 2025 tournaments." Nelly Korda was the defending champion of the event, which had been scheduled for March 20-23 at Palos Verdes Golf Club. The LPGA in a statement said canceling the tournament was "unavoidable" because the underwriter "failed to fulfill 'any portion of its payment obligations.'" The tour said it would work with title partner Fir Hills and Seri Pak, the LPGA HOFer and tournament host, "to explore other options" (AP, 1/24).

UCLA gave its athletic department $30.06M during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, but the Bruins' yearly deficit still hit $51.85M, reflecting the department's "ongoing challenges in balancing their budget amid a rapidly changing college sports landscape." It’s the sixth consecutive year that UCLA’s athletic department has run in the red, its deficit over that span totaling $219.55M. The university "will cover the latest deficit," as it has in the past and does with other campus departments. UCLA’s total operating expenses of $179.89M were a $29M increase year-over-year, "largely as a result of" roughly $15M in investments "related to the school’s preparations for its transition to the Big Ten." UCLA’s total operating revenue of $119.04M was up $14M, "mostly because of the massive gift from the institution." Donor gifts were down by $1.66M, "possibly in part because donors shifted resources to" UCLA’s NIL endeavors (L.A. TIMES, 1/24).

The Pirates' massive offerfor a unique autographed MLB Debut rookie card for Pirates P Paul Skenes found by an unnamed 11-year-old card collector from Los Angeles has been declined, and the card will "be auctioned off by Fanatics Collect." It will be featured in the "platform's March premier auction," with proceeds being donated to Los Angeles fire relief funds. The news wraps up a "frantic week" after Topps announced the card had been pulled by a young collector, and the "wheel to make a decision on where to turn with the card accelerated Thursday" when the Professional Sports Authenticator announced the card "received gem mint 10 grades on the quality of the card and the quality of the autograph." Even before grading, the card's value could "be estimated as a high six-figure item," but with the gem mint grade, there's "an expectation the card could be sold for up to $1 million" (THE ATHLETIC, 1/24).

A group including Proton Sports execs Charles Darling and Tim Fyke, former NFLer Jake Plummer and financial professional Jeff Tsao is closing the purchase of a controlling stake in Major League Pickleball’s AZ Drive franchise at a more than $10M valuation.

“I’m an absolute believer in it. I think that we got a great deal,” Darling, Proton’s founder and president, told SBJ in a phone interview Friday afternoon. “You would have to be a believe in what the future holds for pickleball, but I think any given team -- including [MLP] Challenger teams that are going to be converted to Premier -- would absolutely have valuations in excess of [$10 million]. We’re still in the early days.”

Darling declined to comment on the exact stake the group purchased. He, Fyke, Plummer and Tsao join an existing ownership cohort that includes former NFLer Larry Fitzgerald, famous mentalist Oz Pearlman and chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.

Initially conceived as a softball bat manufacturer, Proton released its first pickleball paddle last summer, has a roster of at least a dozen pro player endorsers, and sponsors multiple PPA Tour events, including the Proton Australia Pickleball Open and Carvana Mesa Cup.

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SBJ's Abe Madkour and Monumental Sports and Entertainment's Zach Leonsis discuss what to expect in our new show "SBJ Inside the Industry" which will debut on Monumental Sports Network and Monumental+ at 6:30 pm ET on January 27. Episodes will be available on SBJ's YouTube channel 30 days after airing on Monumental Sports Network.

Professional Bull Riders debuts in Pittsburgh this weekend at PPG Paints Arena and has sold out both nights -- Friday and Saturday -- with only a select number of limited view and standing room only tickets remaining. PBR has now sold out 12 events in January -- a record for the organization (PBR).

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority will be giving another $7.5M to the host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, "effectively doubling" the initial loan amount after the NJSEA gave an initial loan of $5M and later added another $2.5M (BERGEN RECORD, 1/24).

Premier League club West Ham United is "finalising the departure" of Technical Dir Tim Steidten, who was appointed to the role in 2023. His "fate was sealed this month" when West Ham Chair David Sullivan "took more control of transfers and the club appointed Graham Potter as head coach" (London TIMES, 1/24).

West Midlands Police "sent a message to Aston Villa supporters" regarding ticketing for next week's Champions League match with Celtic, urging "restraint among Villa fans" if there are away supporters at Villa Park (BIRMINGHAM MAIL, 1/24).

Apple Music has released the official trailer for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar and guest performer SZA.

191 million  -- Live minutes streamed on FloSports for the week of Jan. 13-19, marking a record for the company. The audience number was helped by the Chili Bowl Nationals, which was FloRacing's most-viewed event yet, as well as the UCA/UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship (best event ever on Varsity TV) (FloSports).