Morning Buzz

It’s all about the ATL as SBJ’s fourth annual Best Sports Business Cities™ project gives Atlanta the No. 1 spot among 50 ranked markets. Sixty years after Atlanta built a new ballpark to entice the Milwaukee Braves to move south, the city’s sports business ecosystem has become a model for other markets, featuring world-class venues, entrepreneurial team owners, a diverse lineup of events, a blue-chip roster of sponsors and forward-thinking public officials.

SBJ looked at the overall wins, losses and sustained successes of the 2,384 markets that are the home of at least one professional or Division I college athletic program, a permanent event or a major stakeholder. The final rankings were based on such key elements as construction projects, sponsorships, attendance and sports industry B2B events.

See here for SBJ’s final ranking of the 50 Best Sports Business Cities.

Nashville is “expected to be named host of Super Bowl LXIV in 2030” by the NFL owners, who “will vote for the city on Tuesday” during the Spring League Meeting, according to sources cited by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. This “would be the first time the Music City would host the Super Bowl,” with the event “showcasing the Titans’ new stadium” that is expected to open in 2027. Super Bowl LXI is set for SoFi Stadium, while Mercedes-Benz Stadium will get the game in 2028 and Las Vegas will land the game in 2029. The two-day NFL Spring League Meeting will kick off on May 19 in Orlando (ESPN.com, 5/18).

The PGA Championship “hardly could have unfolded better” for Aronimink Golf Club, which hosted its first major since 1962 over the weekend. The “brilliant event” took “nine years of planning logistics and build-out” as well as “months of sacrifice from dues-paying members” to pull the event off. A fourth straight sellout crowd “pushed attendance for the week past 200,000,” and there were “few reports of even minimal misbehavior.” Aaron Rai won the tournament at 9-under, “but the star of the show was Aronimink” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/18).

SI’s Schwarb, Harig, Ritter & Schreiber wrote it took 64 years for the PGA Championship to return to Aronimink, but “should another PGA be quicker in coming?” The crowd “showed up in full force” and “because of that, it appeared to be a great major venue.” The next available PGA is not until 2036, but the PGA of America “should pencil in Aronimink now.” It was a “great venue” with “great fans” (SI, 5/17).

DraftKings is “shutting down its two-year-old retail sportsbook at Wrigley Field,” blaming the decision on “increased Illinois wagering taxes.” DraftKings “will continue to operate online across Illinois,” but the “last day to place your bets in-person at the Friendly Confines will be May 31.” Launched in March 2024, DraftKings at Wrigley Field is the only operating retail sportsbook in Illinois connected to a sports venue. It “will remain open as a sports bar,” but “recent increases in city and state taxes played heavily into the company’s decision to shut down the retail sportsbook operation.” The Cubs “remain committed to the Wrigley-adjacent venue as a DraftKings sports bar,” with “plans to connect it directly to the ballpark later this season.” Cubs spokesperson Jennifer Martinez said that DraftKings will also “continue to be the official sports betting and daily fantasy partner” of the team (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/18).

The celebration of Inter Miami’s first home win at Nu Stadium on Sunday night “was a bit muted” as La Familia, Inter Miami’s collection of ardent supporters’ groups, “staged a silent protest because they felt the players have not shown them enough respect and gratitude since they moved to the new venue.” La Familia members “typically bang drums and sing their hearts out from opening to closing whistle,” but the group on Sunday “decided to stay quiet and brought no flags or instruments to the stadium.” They said that the players “had walked off the field and headed straight to the locker room after the four home games so far without acknowledging them.” In the 85th minute, one section of the group began singing in Spanish, “Players, salute your fans, acknowledge your people, who ask nothing else of you!” After the game, “roughly half of the Inter Miami players, mostly newcomers and younger players, went over toward the North stands, applauded and paid tribute to La Familia.” Inter Miami F Lionel Messi, though, “seemed to scold La Familia at one point with a finger wag aimed in their direction, showing his displeasure with their protest” (MIAMI HERALD, 5/17).

SponsorCX, a SaaS platform that helps rights holders manage its sponsorship deals, has announced its Series A funding round. While specific financials weren’t shared with SBJ, this round was a “significant multi-million dollar investment,” according to a company spokesperson.

The round was led by Kickstart, a Utah-based firm that focuses on pre-seed and seed round investments. Kickstart also spearheaded the SponsorCX seed round that was announced last year, which totaled $4.6M. Also participating in the Series A was BlueprintEquity, Capital Eleven, Frazier Group, Helm Ventures, as well as a handful of returning investors.

This investment will go toward the expansion of AI capabilities. SponsorCX counts the Sacramento Kings, Portland Timbers and the ECHL among its clientele.

The Nationals have “banned at least one individual from Nationals Park” after he “unfurled a sign during Sunday’s game that directed fans to a white nationalist website.” An usher “attempted to confiscate the banner soon after it was unfurled” in the upper deck down the first-base line, but the “three individuals holding onto the sign pulled it back before eventually fleeing the premises.” The incident “occurred during the team’s daily ‘Salute to Service,’” which honors veterans and military personnel and is held before the fourth inning. It was “not immediately clear how the individual who brought the banner in got it past security” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/17).

What’s on Mark Floreani’s mind? The co-founder and CEO of FloSports shares why he’s investing heavily in AI technology.

In this week’s issue:

• Sports continued to garner heavy attention at the annual upfront presentations in New York. SBJ’s Austin Karp, Josh Carpenter and Rob Schaefer round up the sports content that was put on display.
• RSNs have taken some big hits, but as SBJ’s Joe Lemire explains, they can still be a good business. He provides a list of best practices that could make all the difference.
• Pam Kramer leads the FIFA World Cup efforts in Kansas City. SBJ’s Alex Silverman reveals her plans for making sure the event’s smallest host market makes a big impression.
• Emerging women’s sports leagues face the challenge of getting their scores on major media apps. SBJ’s Rachel Axon outlines how leagues and fans are filling in the gaps.
• SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo details how ABS in baseball is not only building fan engagement but creating an opportunity for sponsors to be a part of the ball-strike reviews.
• The latest training facilities pack the wow factor, and as SBJ’s Bret McCormick explains, the projects are about much more than practice.

The LPGA is looking for a VP/Content & Platforms. The remote-based position is responsible for leading and growing fandom across content strategy, social strategy, video production, design production, product development storytelling and content distribution (LPGA).

Allied Sports is looking for a Senior Manager/Strategy & Partnership Development. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for developing go-to-market strategies for sponsorship sales across properties and athletes while building tailored sponsorship packages and narratives aligned to brand objectives (Allied Sports).

The NBA is looking for a DTC Strategy & Analysis. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for leading financial and strategic analyses that informs on the strategic direction of the league’s global DTC business (NBA).

Men In Blazers are looking for a Partnerships Associate. The remote-based position is responsible for developing and executing account strategies that align with the clients goals and objectives, and ensure their satisfaction with the digital content products (Men In Blazers).

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“This title character of an 1890 play is often called ‘the female Hamlet.’”