Closing Bell

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Congress has only a matter of weeks to reconcile the SEC and Big Ten’s objections and move college sports legislation through the Senate, U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said Friday.

Schmitt, a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, said the next few weeks represent the best opportunity to advance the measure before Congress leaves for its August recess and shifts its focus to government funding and the 2026 midterm elections.

“If there’s any action that’s really going to be meaningful to get this done, the best time to do it is the next couple weeks,” Schmitt said during a panel discussion at the Associated Press Sports Editors Summer Conference, where he appeared alongside NCAA President Charlie Baker.

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the legislation this week as lawmakers work to resolve concerns raised by the SEC and Big Ten before bringing it to the Senate floor. As first reported Friday morning by Yahoo Sports, negotiations have focused on revisions aimed at winning the conferences’ support, including clarifying that proposed media-rights pooling would be voluntary, ensuring the legislation would not limit the SEC and Big Ten’s ability to add member schools, and addressing other technical issues. Schmitt described many of those concerns as “definitional” and said lawmakers are working to build “a broader coalition” around the bill.

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MLS’s search for a successor to outgoing commissioner Don Garber has been narrowed to three candidates: LAFC co-owner Larry Berg, 49ers Enterprises President Paraag Marathe and former Fox executive David Nathanson, according to sources with knowledge of the process. The candidates are expected to make presentations to MLS owners in the coming weeks, with a decision expected as early as next month.

However, the list of finalists has since dwindled to just Nathanson and Berg when Marathe pulled his name from consideration, according to a person familiar with his thinking.

The process has been unfolding since last November, when SBJ reported that MLS owners had formed a succession committee and retained The Miles Group to develop a plan. The search has progressed quickly over the past few months since MLS owners retained Korn Ferry around the start of the current season.

Puck’s John Ourand first reported the names of the three finalists on Friday, with Sportico the first to report Marathe’s decision.

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With the World Cup final set for Sunday, FIFA Senior Pitch Management Manager Alan Ferguson is “confident” that the grass at N.Y. N.J Stadium “is not going to be a talking point.” In fact, Ferguson -- the man tasked with overseeing pitch development, delivery and maintenance for all FIFA events -- “believes it is in excellent condition -- and that the risk FIFA took ahead of the tournament has paid off, largely due to the sun coming out.” The pitch was “heavily criticised early in the tournament,” with the likes of Brazil F Vinicius Junior and France MF Adrien Rabiot calling out the conditions. Ferguson “attributed the early teething issues ... to a calculated risk that saw ‘warm-season’ grass chosen over a ‘cooler-season’ surface, as used at other venues, to hopefully give it the longest shelf life due to it hosting the final.” The weather initially “wasn’t quite as warm as they’d anticipated,” but ultimately it warmed up and gave the grass “that final helping hand” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/17).

Meanwhile, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said that the state “intends to continue investigating FIFA’s ticketing practices following the culmination" of the World Cup this weekend. In May, the Attorneys General of New York and New Jersey launched an investigation into FIFA’s World Cup ticketing practices, and sent subpoenas to global soccer’s governing body “following a build-up to the competition dominated by fan frustration over its approach, pricing and transparency regarding ticket sales.” Davenport noted that the “largely full stadiums during the World Cup has not diminished her appetite to examine whether fans were misled or poorly treated by FIFA.” New Jersey and New York are not alone in investigating FIFA’s ticketing practices, as AGs from California and Texas have also opened investigations. Davenport said that “it is possible the states work together to establish the case against FIFA” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/17).

The Cubs on Friday night are taking an initial step to hosting the 2027 MLB All-Star Game with a pregame “handoff” ceremony before their game against the Twins at Wrigley Field.

Wrigley will become the only current MLB venue to host four MLB All-Star Games; the last was in 1990. Honoring that tradition pregame on Friday, the Cubs will post a number of honor roll players at each base, and one at home, representing the ballpark’s first three Midsummer Classics, with home plate symbolizing the 2027 edition:

• First base: Family members of former Cub Phil Cavaretta from the 1947 MLB All-Star Game.
• Second base: Baseball HOFer Billy Williams will represent the 1962 MLB All-Star Game.
• Third base: Baseball HOFer Andre Dawson and Cubs HOFer Shawon Dunston will represent the 1990 MLB All-Star Game.
• Home plate: Cubs CF Pete Crow-Armstrong will represent the 2027 MLB All-Star Game.

In addition, former MLBer and 2016 World Series champion with the Cubs Anthony Rizzo will throw out the first pitch. Members of the Cubs’ 2027 MLB All-Star Game Host Committee will also participate in the pregame ceremony.

Phillies CEO & Managing Partner John Middleton said hosting MLB’s five-day All-Star festivities was “extraordinary.”

“We’ve gotten all kinds of praise for the quality of what we did,” Middleton said while appearing on the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast following the event. “Frankly, what the city did and what the fans did. Because it ultimately was really the city and the fans that are responsible for so much of the way our visitors experienced it.”

Middleton listed some of his favorite memories, including drawing around 93,800 fans for All-Star Village; the postseason-like atmosphere for the Home Run Derby; Independence Hall serving as the backdrop for the Red Carpet; and all the pageantry around the All-Star Game itself, including actor and Philadelphia native Miles Teller’s pregame hype speech and the fifth-inning Sandlot tribute.

Middleton, 72, had compared preparing for the All-Star Game to his daughter’s wedding. Its completion provided a bittersweet moment.

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Argentina F Lionel Messi will appear Friday night at the official FIFA World Cup final press conference less than 48 hours before he attempts to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles. Messi will be joined at the event, which is being held in conjunction with Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in N.Y., by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni. Spain will be represented by MF Rodri and manager Luis de la Fuente.

Meanwhile, Fanatics Chair & CEO Michael Rubin and Relevant Sports held an invitation-only lunch on Friday at the 40/40 Club that included various A-listers from the sports world. Among the attendees were MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, LeBron James, Serena Williams and Tom Brady (SBJ).

Fanatics Fest continued on Friday at the Javits Center in N.Y., where ESPN’s “First Take” conducted a live broadcast. Rubin and Patriots owner Robert Kraft appeared on the show toward the end of the episode and talked about the event, which is expected to draw more than 200,000 people before it concludes on Sunday. Kraft said, “I’m amazed to come here and see, after three years, what this represents.” He said of Rubin, “In the last 50 years, I’ve been some great businesspeople. But I’ve never met anyone like him who has a vision. When he sees things, he knows how to think about it from a business point of view, but then he also knows how to build relationships” (“First Take,” ESPN, 7/17).