Closing Bell

Over the next three years, Delaware North will spend $100M on a three-year renovation of TD Garden that will include revamping all 83 of its suites.

They’ve been refreshed intermittently since the home of the Boston Bruins and Celtics opened in 1995. Never to this degree. And the venue’s event level clubs will be rebuilt with a focus on delivering a consistent experience for sporting events or concerts (TD Garden will host 60 shows this year).

Executives from Delaware North and TD Garden, and the Bruins and Celtics collected external feedback and proprietary data, then deployed Delaware North’s SuiteX process -- a methodology developed in Boston leveraging internal sales and hospitality expertise -- to design a modern premium experience. Delaware North’s Patina Group will provide a new in-suite culinary program developed specifically for the new suites and clubs.

Rockwell Group is designing the event level reimagining that’s part of the project but hasn’t been fully rolled out. SCI Architects and Gilbane are working on the suite renovation. Gilbane commences construction this summer with a third of the Boston Garden Society suites.

Read More >>>

The 2026 WNBA broadcast schedule was unveiled Wednesday, and the Fever lead all teams “with the most national broadcasts” as all 44 Indiana games will be carried nationally. The Wings (36), Liberty (35) and Aces (33) follow Indiana. The WNBA will have a “record of 216 games and tentpole events that will be nationally broadcast.” This season marks the WNBA’s first under its new media rights deal, which featured renewed agreements with Disney, Prime Video, CBS/Paramount+ and Scripps, as well as NBCUniversal and USA Sports plus NBA TV distribution. Disney networks “will present 30 games -- 13 on ABC, including the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game, and 17 on ESPN” -- while Prime Video will distribute 30, USA Network 48 and CBS/Paramount+ 20. ION will show 50 games on the league’s Friday slate of games. NBA TV and Peacock/NBCSN will “showcase 15 games each, while NBC will have seven games” (ESPN.com, 4/22). Any games that will be broadcast locally in the Indianapolis market will be announced at a later date (Fever).

LIV Golf player Bryson DeChambeau said he is “going to do everything in my power to make it work” with the circuit amid reports that Saudi Arabia’s PIF plans to cut funding at the end of the 2026 season, adding he sees the “value in franchise golf.” DeChambeau said he and fellow LIV golfers Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and those that “have been here from the start, we’re okay.” Sources insisted that LIV is “focused on securing more income and funding, rather than cuts,” and they “appear bullish with how that is trending.” Sources said that LIV has “doubled revenue in 2025 from the previous year” and has “added more than” $100M already in the 2026 season through the first 5 events. Ten franchises “will be profitable, as well as 4 events, and their ticket sales are up over” 130% year over year. DeChambeau said he is “still working” with LIV on a potential contract renewal. He added, “My job is to help make the league work after this year. I just feel like I have a responsibility” (X, 4/22).

The merits of the proposed boxing legislation that is backed by TKO Group Holdings was debated in a U.S. Senate committee hearing Wednesday, with combat sports luminaries like Oscar de la Hoya and Nick Khan sparring over whether change for the sport is needed. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is the chairman of the related committee and he was in a chipper mood during the hearing this morning, jokingly introducing the four witnesses as if he was a ring announcer and ringing a bell rather than slamming a gavel to begin the proceedings.

The four witnesses were de la Hoya, who spoke out in opposition to proposed legislation; Khan, who supports it; boxer Nico Ali Walsh, who opposes it, and Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports President Timothy Shipman, who appeared to hedge toward neutrality but who didn’t oppose the new bill. The crux of the debate is that the current system mandates a separation of promoters from sanctioning bodies, while the new law would allow a property like TKO Group’s Zuffa Boxing to be both promoter and governing entity under a format called Unified Boxing Organizations.

De la Hoya said, “One system operates under transparency and accountability, while the UBOs do not. This is a fundamental shift in power that if changed would put corporate profits first, fighters second. We should be clear about who benefits from this. These changes align with what Zuffa Boxing and its leadership at TKO Group Holdings have already said they intend to build in boxing: A model similar to the UFC. And we already know what that model looks like and it does not work for the fighters.”

De la Hoya also brought up the recent situation with reports of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund considering pulling its funding for LIV Golf, saying that Zuffa Boxing could face the same potential fate because Zuffa is a partnership between TKO, Saudi power broker Turki Al-Sheikh and the Sela entertainment company.

Read More >>>

The cheapest ticket on the secondary market for Wednesday’s Inter Miami-Real Salt Lake game at America First Field was “priced at $403 -- more than 10 times the lowest get-in price” for last Saturday’s game against San Diego FC. The game marks Inter Miami F Lionel Messi’s first game in Utah. RSL officials “tried to create more seats for the event,” installing bleachers in the north end “to hold 800 extra fans.” The club will also “sell standing-room tickets to increase capacity.” The club “rolled out special ticket packages to capitalize” on the Miami game, with fans “willing to spend more just to avoid the single-game ticket request line.” RSL “could have moved the game to a larger venue,” but “logistical concerns outweighed the benefits.” The Univ. of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium has turf and “Messi does not play on turf.” BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium would “have to make alterations to fit a soccer field” (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/21).

According to TickPick, Inter Miami-Real Salt Lake is the “most expensive MLS game of the season” with an average purchase price of $468. The current cheapest price is $419, which is 1,396% more expensive than RSL’s following home game against the Timbers on May 2nd ($28). StubHub “showed similar prices” with standing room only areas going for $502, endzones for $800 and sideline seats in the $2,000 range. TicketMaster prices “ranged from” $525 to $2,000-plus and Seat Geek “listed tickets ranging from” $403 to $5,500 (MIAMI HERALD, 4/21).

Kelli Masters has built a career staying ahead of the curve -- from becoming one of the first women certified as an NFLPA agent to representing top draft picks.

Now, as NIL reshapes college sports, she’s making another bet: linking her Oklahoma City-based firm, KMM Sports, with Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records -- the label where Taylor Swift got her start -- to fuse athlete representation with entertainment-driven brand building.

Through the broader Borchetta Entertainment Group, the partnership gives KMM clients access to capabilities more common in the music industry -- content development, brand strategy and connections to apparel, sponsorship and media opportunities. The firm has 12 full-time employees and seven agents representing 35 clients across the NFL and college ranks.

Collegiate clients include Oklahoma RB Xavier Robinson, Indiana WR Jonathan Brady, Baylor QB Nate Bennett and dozens more.

Read More >>>

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league plans to paint the NBA Finals and Larry O’Brien Trophy logos on the courts this year after being criticized for using decals and virtual signage last season. ESPN in October first reported the change would occur. During an appearance Wednesday on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Silver recounted the controversy from last spring, saying, “We had the decals. The decals were slippery, the guys didn’t like those. We then started putting them on virtually. … The people in the arena said, ‘Where’s the branding? Where’s the Finals fanfare? Now we’re back to old-school painting those logos on the floor. They’re safe.” Podcast co-host Dan Katz said, “We’re big believers in that. The NBA Finals should feel special” (“Pardon My Take,” Netflix, 4/22).

As the NFL Draft takes center stage, APM Music will be right there with it -- soundtracking the event across ESPN and NFL Network broadcasts and social media through partnerships with the network and select NFL teams. In advance of the draft, APM VP/Sports Entertainment Matthew Gutknecht revisits some of the company’s high-profile work with ESPN.

France was “awarded the hosting rights” to the 2031 FIBA Men’s World Cup on Wednesday, with Japan “getting the 2030 Women’s World Cup.” The French cities of Lyon, Lille and Paris “will organize” the Aug. 29-Sept. 14 men’s tournament, with the “final phase to be played in the capital.” FIBA said that the 2030 women’s tournament will be held Nov. 26–Dec. 8 in the Japanese capital of Tokyo. Japan hosted the 2006 men’s world championship and was a co-host in 2023. France will organize the tournament for the first time. The next women’s World Cup will be held in September in Berlin while the 2027 men’s World Cup will be hosted by Qatar (AP, 4/22).