Closing Bell

Telemundo and NBCU have “had conversations already” with FIFA regarding an extension of media rights to the World Cup. Joaquin Duro, Telemundo’s EVP/Sports & Head of Streaming, tells SBJ that it may entail a scenario where “we combine with both languages” by adding the English rights to the Spanish rights the company already has across Telemundo and Peacock.

“Definitely something that we are beyond exploring,” Duro said. Telemundo, like incumbent Fox with the English deal, is in the final year of a rights pact with FIFA.

Telemundo’s performance has been one of the most eye-opening stories of the World Cup, as it has drawn almost half of all World Cup viewers in the U.S. That includes the best Spanish-language audience yet for a group stage, with 44% of the overall Spanish audience coming from Peacock. The streaming audience was up 251% from four years ago, and Duro noted the increase makes sense given the fact that Peacock was in 18 million homes in 2022 and is now in closer to 50 million.

“It’s been crushing our estimates. It’s been crushing our goals,” Duro said. “Some of the numbers that we have are beating 2018 and 2022 combined.”

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The NBA eliminated “dozens” of jobs Wednesday, sources told SBJ, as the league continues to reallocate resources toward perceived growth areas such as NBA Europe and its burgeoning local TV business. Nine months after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reorganized the league office with an eye on global pursuits, Wednesday’s follow-up layoffs will impact a handful of business departments and support staff -- but also translate to new strategic hires, according to an internal memo from Silver obtained by SBJ.

“The changes today are a continuation of the strategy we announced in September which will enable us to invest further -- including in new positions and hiring -- in key growth areas such as local media, programming and technology, the WNBA and the creation of a new league in Europe,” Silver told colleagues in the memo. “These new investments will best position us to achieve our key objectives, including a better understanding of our fans, improving the game and viewership, and driving global growth across our leagues.”

The development comes at crucial juncture of the offseason, just a day after final bids were submitted for NBA Europe franchises and only nine days after Matt Volk began his newly created NBA job of GM of Local Media. Those are two of the league’s most pressing matters this summer, other than possible expansion, and will likely bring a series of personnel moves.

Regarding NBA Europe, Silver has to hire not only a CEO for the league, but presumably multiple other positions to help streamline the startup -- many of those hires likely to be based in Europe. The new league has to be marketed, venues need to be supervised and European TV deals have to be negotiated. The NBA will certainly need people on the ground there.

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The MLBPA, as part of a series of transaction proposals Wednesday in CBA talks, wants players to be able to access team-collected, non-proprietary performance data and video. The request, the union says, is designed to increase transparency and allow players to track their work with the same information management is using.

It would include data and video from devices like Rapsodo, Trackman and Edgertronic, under a similar process as medical records. Those devices produce advanced hitting and pitching metrics like launch angle and spin rate, while also being able to break down pitching and hitting mechanics in slow motion.

Other notable asks include increasing team rosters form 26 to 28 players (14-pitch max) for the first 15 days of the regular season and reducing the amount of times a player can be options to the minors from five to three.

The union is also asking for MLB service time and salary protections for pitchers who are sent down to the minors over the All-Star break or after a game where they met particular performance thresholds, so as to reduce roster manipulation and protect players.

The U.S. faces Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday evening in the World Cup Round of 32 at S.F. Bay Area Stadium, and if the U.S. wins “as expected,” it “will make for a smooth entry into the World Cup’s already unpredictable knockout phase.” However, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino bristled at the notion that the team is a “strong favorite.” He “cited Monday’s shootout losses” that eliminated Germany and the Netherlands as the Round of 32 got underway. The USMNT has only one win in eight World Cup knockout-phase games, in 2002 with a 2-0 victory over Mexico. The U.S. also is just 1-13-7 against European teams in the World Cup since 1990, beating only Portugal in 2002. Eight teams will be eliminated by kickoff at S.F. Bay Area Stadium, where “near-capacity crowds flocked for five group-stage matches, averaging 68,503 fans.” Now “comes the marquee attraction” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 6/30).

The “exciting start to the knockout games” gave the USMNT an “excellent and timely reminder to expect the unexpected.” But this is a “different American team than past versions.” These players are “seasoned, having played for top clubs in Europe.” The atmosphere that they have “enjoyed all June is something the team rarely experiences.” Even in its games in the U.S., it “often faces a crowd rooting for the opposition.” This will be the “most significant game for the U.S. men’s team on American soil since the round-of-16 game in 1994,” on July 4 against Brazil, then the best team in the world. That World Cup “planted the seed” of soccer in the U.S., and “now it’s time for the American men to meet the moment” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/30).

The U.S. will “try again to make good on their age-old promise as a sleeping soccer giant.” But there is “little doubt the expectations have changed.” Just getting out of the group stage is “no longer a satisfactory result.” While a win Wednesday would be their first in the knockouts since 2002, the goals “have expanded along with the field.” Round-of-16 exits in 2014 and 2022 might have “felt like an accomplishment for the U.S.” But fans are “understandably dreaming of a magical run to places this country has never been before in the World Cup” (DETROIT NEWS, 6/30).

In every corner of the U.S., soccer is “enjoying its grand, stand-up-and-chant ‘U-S-A!’ coming-out party, just in time for Uncle Sam’s 250th birthday.” The USMNT has “never felt the weight of the whole country on their backs as ain’t-no-stopping-us-now favorites in soccer.” Deep tourney runs are “foreign to the U.S.,” and “so is the accompanying pressure.” But it is “also a reason for the U.S. to believe anything is possible” (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 6/30).

Coming up on this week’s pod: Diving into World Cup viewership, what’s next for NBC and Comcast from a sports perspective, Bonnie Bernstein joins the show, and our hosts offer a peak at their Fourth of July plans.

World Cup tickets originally allocated to or purchased by national soccer federations are appearing on resale marketplaces, in many cases selling for well above face value. FIFA says federation-held tickets are subject to restrictions on resale, raising questions about how the tickets reached the secondary market and whether they were listed by the federations themselves or by downstream recipients, such as invited guests or supporters.

SBJ has reviewed documentation initially obtained by social media creator Evan Sutton (@evanyellsatclouds on Instagram), who has posted a series of videos about the resale of federation-linked tickets. The screenshots show tickets bearing the names of several federations, including U.S. Soccer and the national associations of Albania, Ecuador, Cabo Verde, Iraq and San Marino, that were obtained through secondary-market channels.

The federation listed as the “ticket holder” identifies the entity that initially received or purchased the ticket from FIFA, according to U.S. Soccer and others with knowledge of the ticketing process. That designation remains unchanged after the ticket is transferred, however, so it does not necessarily indicate that the federation itself listed the ticket for resale or profited.

FIFA said that participating member associations “have access to a defined allocation of tickets for each of their respective matches, which they are entitled to allocate to their guests and supporters in accordance with their own processes.” Non-participating federations “may purchase tickets through FIFA’s group sales programme.”

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Gene Sykes will continue to serve as chairman of the USOPC after a board vote this week. Sykes, a longtime partner at Goldman Sachs, has served as USOPC chair since his election in July 2022. He was elected as a member of the IOC in 2024.

He previously worked as CEO of L.A.’s bid to host the 2024 Games and later as CEO of the organizing committee after the IOC awarded those Olympics and Paralympics to L.A. for 2028.

Sykes will serve in the role through 2030.

The USOPC board also voted for a second four-year term for Bubba Cunningham, the longtime North Carolina AD who is stepping down this summer. He will continue to remain a senior advisor at UNC and offers perspective on the USOPC board as it continues to support legislation that would provide stability in college sports, the pipeline for Olympic athletes.

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Togethxr will again operate its own house with brand activations, fan experiences and shows during the WNBA All-Star weekend later this month. Togethxr House will take over a warehouse in Chicago’s West loop, just east of the United Center, from July 24-25, with Aveeno, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barbie, Reebok, Paula’s Choice, Pinterest, Peloton, Stanley 1913 and Xfinity activating there. Access to Togethxr House is free to fans.

Many sponsors are returning from the Togethxr House the media company hosted at the Women’s Final Four in April, including the Dick’s merch shop which will have limited-edition drops. Pinterest will have a styling studio, while Barbie and Reebok will collaborate on The Dream Closet, with a life-size Barbie box fans can pose in.

Among the events, Togethxr House will host a live recording of “Unsupervised,” the popular podcast hosted by Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance and sponsored by Suave. The show this week joined the lineup of IX to Five, a joint content venture between Togethxr and Horizon Sports & Experiences. On July 25, Aflac will sponsor its Queens of the Court Panel for a third consecutive year, with Ari Chambers moderating a discussion with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, WNBA champion Diana Taurasi and others to be announced later.

Mets owner Steve Cohen is taking a “league-first” approach to MLB’s collective bargaining negotiations, saying he will defer to the league’s labor committee as owners and players continue to debate issues including a salary cap.

The Mets rank second in the majors with a $365M payroll but find themselves in last place in the NL East as the All-Star break approaches.

“Listen, I’m a league-first guy,” Cohen said Wednesday on the N.Y. Post’s “The Show” podcast. “I’m gonna allow the labor committee to do their thing. I don’t know how this is going to play out. I’m pretty confident that whatever changes are going to be made will be made post-2027.

Cohen continued: “I think we can operate in the way we’re operating through 2027, because I don’t know when (or) how the CBA will go and when they come to an agreement. But it could easily come in the middle of a season, it could come before the season, maybe there’s no lockout. Maybe they figure it out. I don’t know. But my belief is whatever changes will be made will be post-2027 and won’t interfere with the season.”

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A House committee on Tuesday “scrutinized the role of private equity in youth sports,” a “potential sign that Congress could be inching closer to intervening.” The hearing, titled “Field of Fees: Private Equity’s Role in the Commercialization of American Youth Sports,” comes as Wall Street “continues to expand its presence in youth sports.” Lawmakers from both political parties “expressed alarm at the trend, while appearing to look for solutions to avoid price hikes to youth participation in sports.” Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) chaired the hearing three weeks after former NFLer Eli Manning’s private equity firm Brand Velocity Group announced it would acquire RCX Sports, the company that manages the licenses of the official youth sports programs for pro sports leagues. Kiley said that while “some private capital has helped expand access, the committee is concerned with ‘particular practices that reduce competition, drive up costs and limit access for families’” (CNBC.com, 6/30).