Morning Buzz

A “record number of people” attended the first day of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday, with more than 320,000 turning out for the festivities. The previous record was set by Detroit in 2024, when more than 275,000 fans attended Day 1. The Draft Theater on the North Shore outside Acrisure Stadium “reached capacity around” 8:30pm ET, as fans “were told to head to the stadium to watch the first round of the draft.” The city said that it “expected 500,000 to 700,000 people to be in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Friday and Saturday” for the draft (CBSNEWS.com, 4/24). USA TODAY’s Nate Davis writes the whole draft setup “looked marvelous.” Expect that 320,000 attendance figure “to balloon -- significantly -- into the weekend” (USA TODAY, 4/24).

Lines “started forming outside Point State Park and around Acrisure Stadium not long after dawn.” By 9am ET, “crowds clustered in city streets that police had blocked off for pedestrians.” A “full eight hours before” any of the NFL’s 32 teams announced a single draft pick, “revelers already were reserving spots around the mammoth stage constructed on the eastern side of Acrisure Stadium” (TRIBLIVE, 4/23).

In Pittsburgh, Noah Hiles wrote the crowd’s reaction to the Steelers drafting Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor “was one I will never forget -- because hardly anyone among the Steelers faithful there had much to say.” The “moment we had all been waiting for was one that ultimately ended with silence, confusion and, for some, frustration” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/23).

Athletes First returned to the top of the agency leaderboards in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft from Pittsburgh. The Laguna Hills-based agency finished the night with nine selections in its first victory in three years, putting an end to CAA Sports’ two-year win streak in dominant fashion.

The agency represented two picks within the top five and four within the top 10. Clients selected include Jets EDGE David Bailey, Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love, Chiefs CB Mansoor Delane, Browns OL Spencer Fano, Ravens OL Vega Ioane, Buccaneers EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Vikings DT Caleb Banks, Steelers OT Max Iheanachor and Titans EDGE Keldric Faulk. The agency’s Travis Allen and Kyle McCarthy stood above most of the field, representing three clients each. It’s among one of the top performances, if not the best, Athletes First has ever had in an NFL Draft, topping its 2020, 2021 and 2023 draft classes, which each had eight selections.

Still, none other than Ryan Tollner and Excel Sports had the privilege of claiming the top selection, Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza. Tollner also had a very successful night, also representing Cowboys S Caleb Downs and co-representing Panthers OT Monroe Freeling with fellow Excel agent Chase Callahan, tying him for first place among agents for the most clients represented.

Though CAA Sports had to wait till nearly halfway through the draft to see a client selected, the agency still reeled in three total selections with Rams QB Ty Simpson, Lions OT Blake Miller and Bears S Dillon Thieneman. However, 2026 is the weakest performance the Hollywood-based agency has had in round one from a pure numbers perspective since 2015 when CAA only represented one client.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on ESPN prior to the start of the 2026 Draft and talked about some of the key issues facing the league at the moment.

• On talks with the NFL Referees’ Association: “It’s important for us to reach an agreement, but we all want to improve officiating and that’s what our focus is. … The conversations have been productive recently and we’re pleased with that. We hope that continues."
• On whether the league would get involved in the situation surrounding Patriots coach Mike Vrabel: “This is not a personal conduct policy (situation). … It’s a personal matter and we’ll leave it at that.”
• On an 18-game regular season: “It clearly … is going to be part of the discussion when the owners and the players sit down. It’s certainly something we should look at. I think most players and owners will want to look at it.”
• On international games: “What we want to be is a global sport. We want to be popular around the globe and we think every step that we’ve taken has been met with success. By success, I mean interest from the fans. … There’s interest in the NFL both in games, in media and sponsorship and licensing” (“NFL Draft Countdown,” ESPN, 4/23).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, Bleacher Report GM Bennett Spector explains how BR approaches NFL Draft coverage through the fan’s perspective -- not just reporting picks, but sparking debate, interaction and real‑time reactions.

Nike on Thursday said it will “lay off 1,400 workers, mostly technology workers in its operations division, as part of its ongoing turnaround effort.” This is the “fourth consecutive year of significant layoffs at Nike.” The layoffs will “impact workers at the company’s Air manufacturing facilities, as well as at Converse.” They come as second-year CEO Elliott Hill “continues working to reboot Nike’s sluggish sales, including by decreasing the company’s reliance on selling products in its stores and on its website.” The shift away from direct sales has meant the company “needed to overhaul its operations division, which includes manufacturing, distribution, technology, sustainability and planning.” Nike COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy said that the moves will “help Nike operate more quickly and with more precision.” He added, “Across the company, we have been taking deliberate steps to strengthen our foundation, sharpen how we compete, and build a model designed to deliver long-term profitable growth” (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/23).

A federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Suns security exec was dismissed on Thursday, “ending a case that alleged racial bias, retaliation and serious security risks inside the organization.” The case, filed by Gene Traylor in May 2025, was dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it is “permanently closed and cannot be refiled.” The case was one “among four discrimination cases against the Suns brought on by the same attorney,” Sheree Wright, who, “weeks ago, was reprimanded by the court.” It is “unclear whether the Suns will seek attorneys’ fees or other costs, which would typically require a separate motion filed after the dismissal.” The dismissal comes after discovery and depositions, “meaning the two sides shared the evidence they would likely have presented in court.” The filing “did not explain why the case was dropped and did not indicate that a settlement was reached” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/23).

MSG Networks has a new deal with the Team Boxing League (TBL) to bring the remainder of Season 4 fights to the RSN, starting with Friday night’s NYC Attitude-Boston Butchers match from Boston. The league is currently in Week 4, and goes though Week 16. Fights this season also will stream on MSG+ and the Gotham Sports app, as well as the MSG Sportzone FAST channel. TBL CEO Kevin Cassidy and MSG Networks VP/Content Distribution Armando Polanco led the deal talks. TBL also has its own app for streaming fights, with carriage on Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Samsung TV, LG and YouTube, with a Vizio deal expected soon. TBL recently struck a deal for Manny Pacquiao to become a league investor, as well as a stakeholder in the San Diego franchise.

GivenGain has announced a partnership with Let’s Do This, an AI registration platform, to introduce an end-to-end experience that connects registration and fundraising for participants, charities and event organizers.

GivenGain is a global nonprofit fundraising platform behind mass participation events. The center of the partnership is an integration designed to simplify the process from the moment of registration through to fundraising and beyond. Fundraising pages are automatically created during the registration process. The real-time data integration across both platforms allows organizers and charities to engage participants earlier while delivering an intuitive experience for athletes.

The model will have partnerships with event organizers, including Chicago Event Management and the Bank of America Chicago Distance Series, home to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, beginning with the 2027 event cycle.

“This partnership is about removing the barriers that have traditionally separated participation from purpose,” said GivenGain founder & CEO Johannes van Eeden. “By integrating fundraising directly into the athlete journey, we are unlocking a more connected experience that ultimately drives greater impact for charities around the world.”

The Hawks are looking for a Creative Automation & Production Specialist. The Atlanta-based position is responsible for the execution of marketing campaigns and brand initiatives by developing AI-assisted creative automation workflows that accelerate visual versioning, motion adaptation and multi-format deployment (Hawks).

Legends Global is looking for a VP/Live Entertainment. The L.A.-based position is responsible for booking arenas, stadiums and theaters with premier content by leveraging your deep industry relationships to secure high-profile shows, tours and events (Legends Global).

U.S Figure Skating is looking for a Dir/Content. The Colorado Springs-based position is responsible for leading the strategy of all content for U.S. Figure Skating, driving fan engagement, athlete storytelling and audience growth across digital, social, broadcast and live event platforms (U.S. Figure Skating).

The ACC is looking for a Dir/Football Operations. The Charlotte-based position is responsible for being the point of contact for management and administration of support staffs at all ACC football programs and building a working relationship (ACC).

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“The announcement declaring this safe & effective was made April 12, 1955, the 10th anniversary of the death of a famous American.”