Morning Buzz

Texas Tech is dropping the longtime name of its football stadium -- Jones AT&T Stadium -- as part of a major sponsorship agreement with technology and data center infrastructure provider Galaxy that will include the naming rights to the venue. Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt told SBJ the deal is for 15 years and worth around $75M. The deal -- which was brokered by Learfield’s local arm, Texas Tech Athletics Partners -- will also include the company’s logo appearing at midfield.

“We’re going to continue to maximize all opportunities, be aggressive in exploring new revenue streams and try to stay on the cutting edge of college athletics,” Hocutt said.

In a change reflective of the shifting commercialization of college sports, the deal includes Texas Tech dropping the name of its third president, Clifford B. Jones, from the stadium name in favor of “Galaxy Stadium.” Jones is an integral figure in Texas Tech history, having served as the university president from 1939-44. He was also responsible for a landmark $100,000 gift that helped with the construction of the football stadium, which opened in 1947.

Jones’ name is expected to be enshrined elsewhere around the stadium grounds, though exact details are slated to be announced at a later date.

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A day after SBJ reported that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver persuaded WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to suspend Mercury F Alyssa Thomas for putting a fist on Fever G Caitlin Clark’s throat, Silver lamented that Clark has “become a bit of a political football in this country” and added, “I think it’s incredibly unfair to her.” Speaking at the CNBC Sport x Boardroom Game Plan Summit in N.Y., Silver declined to comment on his role in Thomas’ suspension, after Engelbert initially planned not to discipline her. Instead, he defended Clark, who he said has “brought an entirely new audience” to the WNBA.

“I’m not going to comment on [the Engelbert report], because I don’t think it’s fair to Caitlin -- and to Cathy Engelbert either,” Silver said Thursday. “I think that’s not the real issue here ... I don’t think that issue is ultimately about officiating. It’s become political ping pong with her. And she’s a young woman who’s trying to improve her game, focus on being the best player as she can. And I don’t even think it’s fair to her that this has become a separate storyline about one foul -- should it have been called in time or should it have been called a flagrant after the fact?

“…I’ve come to know Caitlin really well. She’s an incredible player and also an incredible person. And she wants to focus on being the best player she can…. Yes, we need to improve WNBA officiating, and there’s lots of work to do on NBA officiating as well, but I really think there’s an opportunity to support Caitlin and say, let her be the best basketball player she can be."

Engelbert, who appeared on a previous panel Thursday, was not asked about the report.

ESPN Chair Jimmy Pitaro on Thursday confirmed the company “will bid on World Cup rights for the 2030 tournament.” Pitaro, speaking at Fanatics Fest in N.Y., said, “We had the World Cup for two decades and it was a big part of ESPN’s identity and DNA. ... Of course we’re interested.” He added that ESPN is “hyper-competitive” with rivals in rights negotiations. While many soccer fans and media observers “have given Fox a mixed report card compared with ESPN, Pitaro lavished praise on his competitor.” Pitaro: “I’ve been very impressed with the way Fox has covered all this. From a live game production perspective, from a studio perspective, they’ve done an outstanding job. I don’t know, honestly, how they could have done better with the product.” Landing the World Cup “will be costly, of course, given the explosion of ratings and interest.” FIFA “has yet to hold formal talks with bidders” (DEADLINE, 7/16).

U.S. World Cup Chief Andrew Giuliani said Thursday that FIFA “has already informed” President Trump that the U.S. “is in line to stage” the 2031 Women’s World Cup, but the Trump administration is “signaling that cooperation on the tournament will depend in part on the governing body’s transgender athlete policy aligning more closely with U.S. policies, which have sought to exclude transgender people from sports.” Giuliani -- the Exec Dir of the White House World Cup Task Force -- also “made clear the issue could become part of broader negotiations” between FIFA and the U.S. government over hosting arrangements. Government guarantees “are a standard part of FIFA’s hosting process,” with host nations “typically committing to issues ranging from visas and security to customs procedures and tax arrangements.” But Giuliani’s remarks “show how the Trump administration intends to make its domestic policy a priority even as the U.S. prepares to host another FIFA event taking place well after Trump’s second term” (POLITICO, 7/16).

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation has “filed a defamation lawsuit” against Wired Magazine over an article published last week that claimed the arena “used surveillance to track celebrities’ race, gender identity, and sexual orientation.” The lawsuit also names Wired contributing editor Noah Shachtman, co-author Maddy Varner and Wired Global Editorial Dir Katie Drummond as defendants and alleges that the article was “unethical and inflammatory.” Wired says it “stands by its reporting” and will “vigorously defend it against this baseless and ridiculous lawsuit.” MSG is “seeking a jury trial, along with compensatory, presumed, special, and punitive damages; a correction or retraction of the false and defamatory statements and implications; and attorney’s fees” (USA TODAY, 7/16).

Wildfire smoke “being blown down through the American Midwest ... forced the postponement” of Thursday’s MLS game between the Whitecaps and Fire in Chicago. The game -- which was postponed as the “air-quality readings in Chicago were in the hazardous range” -- was rescheduled for Oct. 6. The game was also set to be the debut of new Fire signing Robert Lewandowski, who is now among the highest-paid players in MLS. Losing this matchup “will be a big disappointment for the league, which was hoping to draw attention to the match in the lead up to Sunday’s World Cup final.” More than 40,000 tickets reportedly “had been sold to the match and a swath of international media were expected” (Vancouver PROVINCE, 7/16).

Elsewhere in sports, the Phillies “moved up the start” of their Thursday game against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park from 7:05pm to 6:10pm ET due to the “air quality expected to worsen” as the night went on. But MLB “faces more significant problems Friday,” as air quality is “forecast in the ‘dangerous’ range as games begin in Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee” (USA TODAY, 7/16).

The government of Quebec has “approved plans to modernize the inside of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.” The news was first reported by La Presse. The cost of the work “remains unknown at this time,” but Quebec Tourism Minister Amélie Dionne is “expected to issue a statement on Friday with more details.” The renovation project for the interior of the stadium includes “refurbishing the stands, creating VIP boxes and premium spaces, as well as upgrading the restrooms and food concession stands.” The stadium currently has 56,000 seats. The renovations are “expected to be completed by 2028, in time for the stadium’s planned reopening” (CBC.ca, 7/16).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, Chicago Sports Network President Mike McCarthy breaks down to SBJ’s Austin Karp what is one of the biggest audience success stories in sports media. He reveals how White Sox viewership doubled, why out-of-market audiences surged 252%, and how distribution, streaming, and team success combined to create a ratings boom.

Netflix on Thursday reported Q2 revenue of $12.56B, up more than 13% from the same period a year earlier, while net income rose almost 9% to $3.4B -- both results that “were roughly in line with analysts’ expectations.” Netflix attributed the Q2 gains “in part to recent price increases and growth in advertising.” The streamer also mentioned that it “expects revenue and profit gains to slow” in Q3, forecasting revenue growth of 11.7% -- “its smallest year-on-year increase of any quarter since late 2023.” Netflix said subscriber growth also “helped contribute to the quarter’s strength.” The streamer also added that it “expects live events to make up 5% of its content budget this year” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/16).

For the first time on Thursday, Netflix explained that “some of its shows were designed to keep customers while others were designed to acquire them.” Live events like MLB’s Home Run Derby, which Netflix broadcast this week, “don’t drive many views but do encourage new users to sign up” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/16). Netflix has “expanded its portfolio of live programming over the years,” including adding NFL games and streaming MLB’s Opening Day game. But some analysts say Netflix “needs to have a larger share of live sports content to draw sports fans into subscribing” (L.A. TIMES, 7/16).

USA Track & Field is looking for a Legal Affairs Manager. The Indianapolis-based position is responsible for providing legal and administrative support by preparing, reviewing and administering legal documents, supporting corporate governance and compliance activities, and assisting with legal projects that advance the organization’s business objectives (USA Track & Field).

Augusta National Golf Club is looking for a Manager/Merchandise Creative Design. The Augusta-based position is responsible for designing and developing merchandise graphics, artwork and visuals across product categories, maintaining alignment with brand standards, tournament objectives, business priorities and production requirements (Augusta National Golf Club).

The K.C. Current are looking for a VP/Ticket Sales & Service. The Riverside-based position is responsible for leading the strategic direction and operational execution of all ticket sales and service initiatives as well as all publicly ticketed events (K.C. Current).

Google is looking for a Strategic Partnerships Development Manager/Global Sports & Live. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for managing and supporting sports content partners in activation events and programming across YouTube Main, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV (Google).

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“At 38%, this nation is ranked by the World Atlas as having the highest percentage of vegetarians in the world.”