Closing Bell

Levi’s can’t win the World Cup, but it won the social media conversation around the tournament this week with a cheeky response to its naming rights signage atop Levi’s Stadium being covered by a white bag.

Without offering an obvious explanation, the denim makers changed their Instagram profile picture to that very same bag, catching the attention of the account’s 10.3 million followers and many more in the soccer ecosystem beyond.

FIFA required host stadiums to cover signage of sponsors that aren’t affiliated with global soccer’s governing body. Brands that are FIFA sponsors, like Coca-Cola, Verizon and a host of AB InBev brands, like Budweiser or Michelob Light, were able to remain uncovered. During the tournament, the stadiums are referred to by their geographic location, Dallas Stadium instead of AT&T Stadium, for example.

Look Company and The Team Live (formerly Wasserman) won FIFA’s RFP for the “Venue Dressing Programme,” but some of the signage covering work was outsourced to local companies.

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Ticket prices for Friday’s U.S.-Australia match in Seattle are not likely to see a significant decline by match day, according to TicketData.com. Keith Pagello, founder of TicketData.com, said the get-in price for the U.S. men’s national team’s second game was “remarkably steady at around $1,000” in the month leading up to the tournament. It started to increase once the World Cup began last Thursday and doubled from Friday to Sunday with a peak of around $2,200.

On Wednesday at 2pm ET, U.S.-Australia ticket availability was limited with a get-in price of $1,932.

“Things have softened ever so slightly since then,” Pagello said. “But given the combination of no primary inventory available from FIFA, very limited resale inventory, and a lot of people who fully intended to attend this match for months and may already be in Seattle without tickets, odds are not in favor of there being a significant decline in price on match day.”

Pagello said an overall increase in World Cup ticket costs has surprised the resale world, with prices now higher than at any point before the tourney and well above the previous peak when the match schedule was released on Dec. 6.

Actress Sofia Vergara discusses with SBJ’s Joe Lemire why the World Cup is the perfect opportunity to talk about Detect the SOS. The campaign aims to use the global event to amplify public health and support awareness of kidney and heart health.

The Commanders, who are building a new $3.65B stadium in D.C., have issued a request for information (RFI) to identify AI capabilities, integrations, and collaborations that could impact a wide range of stadium functions and commercial activations for both the stadium and the mixed-use district that will surround it.

The team’s goal with the RFI is to better understand how AI and other emerging technologies could elevate fan experience, inform integrated infrastructure design, and support the development of a more efficient, future-ready, sustainable stadium. The Commanders’ new venue, designed by HKS, opens in 2030.

The Commanders recently hired Eric King as Head of Technology from the Sacramento Kings. The Commanders say in the RFI -- see it here -- that they “value original thinking over proposal volume.”

Firms that could conceivably respond to the RFI include:

• AI-driven experience and fan-engagement firms that apply artificial intelligence to digital, physical, and hybrid experiences for live events, entertainment venues, and public spaces.
• AI and technology platform companies including developers of AI/ML platforms, fan engagement software, personalization engines, conversational AI, computer vision systems, and data analytics platforms.
• Venue operations, security, and systems-integration firms, including those applying AI to physical and cyber security, automated building operations and monitoring, construction and design monitoring and coordination, and the integration of these systems across the stadium and district.
• Startups and emerging innovators, particularly AI-native companies with products or concepts relevant to live sports, entertainment venues, and campus-scale digital ecosystems.

The WNBA was able to increase its 2027 schedule to 50 regular season games Wednesday without seeking approval of the players’ union, but, according to its new CBA, the league must stick with 50 games again in 2028 and is limited to 52 regular season contests starting in 2029.

After an inspection of the CBA, obtained by SBJ, it is clear the league and the union had a give-and-take negotiation that provided the WNBA with the sole discretion to grow the regular season -- but included checks and balances to protect players from the grind.

For instance, knowing the season could grow by six games from 44 to 50 in 2027, a new provision in Article 20, Section 8 of the CBA called “Game Cadence” requires the league to space games out to prevent wear and tear on the players. Two specific points in the CBA, in that Game Cadence section, read as follows:

One of them states: “Prior to creating an initial draft of the game schedule each year, the WNBA will consult the Medical Director and Players Association with respect to issues relating to game cadence and player health.”

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CNBC is adding the WNBA to its programming lineup, as it will air 11 games as part of Versant’s Wednesday night doubleheader. The second game of each doubleheader will air on both CNBC and USA beginning with Wednesday’s Aces-Mercury matchup. USA had been airing both games each week but would start Game 2 on CNBC if Game 1 had not yet concluded. USA Sports President Matt Hong said, “What started as our promise to WNBA viewers that they won’t miss a minute of the action … became something that we worked on internally -- USA Sports and CNBC -- to just televise the whole second game of the doubleheader.”

This is the first year of an 11-year agreement between Versant and the WNBA, and Hong said putting games on CNBC is part of a bigger strategy for the company. He said, “It’s a promise that we make to not only the WNBA, but all our league partners, that we’ll look for new audiences for them. The CNBC audience … those viewers are primed to be new viewers and new fans for the WNBA” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 6/17).

The Jazz expanded their partnership with HealthEquity, which becomes the official jersey patch partner of the team and G League Salt Lake City Stars. HealthEquity also will be an associate sponsor of Junior Jazz, the NBA’s largest and longest-running youth basketball league and the Jazz Bantam Basketball program. The partnership will establish a new scholarship initiative designed to expand access to organized sports for young athletes across Utah. HealthEquity will appear on jerseys across all youth programs and will also become the presenting partner of the new Jazz and Mammoth Reading Program (Jazz).

Seneca Resorts & Casinos will become the home jersey patch sponsor for the Sabres after reaching a multiyear deal that “significantly elevates the 15-year relationship.” Experts estimate that the deal is worth more than $2M. Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino is just a few blocks from KeyBank Center. The deal means the Sabres now have both a home and road jersey sponsor, with building solutions company Stark Tech in May reaching a five-year agreement to become the Sabres’ first road jersey patch partner (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/17).

The Seneca Resorts partnership will include a new program, “Train Like a Pro,” which aims to “give opportunities for Native youth to experience what it’s like to be an NHL player through workouts, team-building activities, hockey clinics and nutritional insights.” Seneca Resorts also will continue to sponsor the team’s annual Native American Heritage Night (BUFFALO BUSINESS FIRST, 6/17).

Fanatics Chair & CEO Michael Rubin on Wednesday reiterated the company’s stance that it does not feel the need to go public, saying, “There’s no pressure at all.” Fanatics has been the target of speculation for years about a potential IPO, but Rubin said, “I want to do what’s in the best interest of the fan. … I don’t want to worry about, ‘Hey, Fanatics Fest is going to cost $80-90 million to produce. Can we afford that?’ I want to say, ‘This is a great give back to fans.’”

Rubin said, “I think we benefit by being private. Will we eventually go public, is there a possibility of it? Sure. Is it something we’re thinking about today? It’s not. It’s not on my near-term bingo card” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 6/17).

The USGA increased the prize money for this week’s U.S. Open to $22.5M, up $1M from last year and the same amount awarded at this year’s Masters. The U.S. Open winner will take home $4.5M. At the PGA Championship, there was a record $20.5M purse. Last year’s Open Championship awarded a $17M purse (GOLFWEEK, 6/17).

USGA CEO Mike Whan on equaling the purse of this year’s Masters said, “We believe we’re the best championship in the game, and we want a lot of aspects to be the best ​championship in the game. Where we go, how we treat the players, ​how we pay out, how we’re televised, and we’re proud of the fact there’s more network ‌hours ⁠on the U.S. Open than any other major championship" (REUTERS, 6/17).

Longtime Japanese sports media executive Shimon Hoizumi has been named Managing Director/Japan at MLB. Hoizumi will oversee business operations in Japan, while leading in-market efforts in expanding fan engagement, media partnerships, sponsorships, consumer products, events and grassroots baseball initiative.

Previously, Hoizumi held media executive positions as VP/Rights at DAZN Japan, head of GOLFTV Japan at Warner Bros. Discovery and commercial director of WWE Japan. His expertise in the Japanese media market should be a valuable asset as the league looks toward its next step of media deals.

Led by Dodgers P/DH Shohei Ohtani, as well as other Japanese stars, MLB viewership and interest in the country has skyrocketed. Seven-game viewership during the 2025 World Series averaged 9.7 million viewers. Meanwhile, Netflix paid around $100M to secure exclusive Japanese broadcast rights for the 2026 WBC. MLB’s international TV rights expire at the end of the 2028 season, the same time as the league’s national rights.

The NBC 4 N.Y. News channel will stream WNBC-TV’s coverage of the Knicks’ title parade Thursday live on Peacock from 9am-1pm ET, which will be available to all Peacock users. The broadcast will also be carried on NBCSN Extra. The team will be celebrated with a ticker-tape parade on Thursday through the Canyon of Heroes to celebrate the team’s NBA title (SBJ).

MSG Networks and the Gotham Sports App will include live coverage of the parade and City Hall ceremony. The exclusive broadcast will include coverage before, during and after the City Hall ceremony (MSG).

N.Y., using a public lottery that ended Wednesday morning, is “giving away 600 tickets” to the Knicks ceremony at City Hall. N.Y. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that 300 winners will be “chosen from the lottery pool, with each receiving two tickets to the event” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/17).

Meanwhile, Fanatics Chair & CEO Michael Rubin noted the company will see “close to a $100 million hot market” for the Knicks compared to a typical hot market of $10-20M for an NBA champion. He said, “It is the biggest hot market in the history of Fanatics. … It has blown every expectation, every record away.” Rubin: “You’re going to see the entire NBA business lifted by the Knicks winning” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 6/17).