Morning Buzz

LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman has not “considered resigning” from the role over his appearance in the Jeffrey Epstein files despite L.A. Mayor Karen Bass "urging him to quit." Wasserman said “no” to whether he had thought about stepping down and “yes” to whether he had talked to Bass about her February comments. LA28 has said that with help from an outside legal firm, it “conducted a review” of Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, with Wasserman’s full cooperation. It fully backed Wasserman staying on. Wasserman said he talks to Bass “weekly, if not more frequently,” noting the conversations are “between us.” Wasserman: “They continue to be thoughtful and productive with a completely shared vision on delivering the greatest Games for the city and our community” (AP, 6/4).

IOC members visiting L.A. for a regular coordination commission this week “gave an even stronger vote of confidence” to Wasserman. IOC Coordination Commission Chair for LA28 Nicole Hoevertsz said, “This was the best CoCom ever.” She added the team is “ready,” the LA28 Games are “on track” and they are “in the safe hands of a very qualified and a very capable team” (L.A. TIMES, 6/4).

Binding offers for The Team, formerly the Wasserman agency, are “due June 8.” UTA and London-based private equity firm Permira have “both been whispered as frontrunners, but each comes with a major open question.” Perhaps the “best option on paper” is one that has been “flying largely under the radar: Goldman Sachs-backed Excel Sports Management” (THE ANKLER, 6/3).

F1 and the Las Vegas Visitors & Convention Authority have “committed to a 10-year extension to host the annual Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Strip through 2037.” The race will “continue to be held on the weekend before Thanksgiving.” The LVCVA will continue to pay F1 $10M annually to “sponsor the event each year starting with the 2028 race.” With a long-term contract secured, F1 will “invest in adding permanent race infrastructure elements around the circuit, particularly on Las Vegas Boulevard, to help speed up the set up and dismantling of the race” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/4).

The Big Ten and SEC released a joint statement after meeting with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) about the Protect College Sports Act on Thursday, saying it was a “productive conversation,” though they reiterated they do “not support this bill in its current form.” The conferences said it is “clear that we all share the same goal of stabilizing collegiate athletics for the long term,” with the bill, which was proposed by Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), having “positive elements.” They added their goal with the meeting was to “make collaborative progress toward improving this bill.” The conferences “presented concrete solutions to key unresolved challenges, ensuring the ability to make and enforce rules, and guaranteeing that student-athletes can maximize revenue share and NIL.” Those changes are “needed to achieve the bill’s objectives,” and the Big Ten and SEC “look forward to continued constructive dialogue” (X, 6/4).

MLS Commissioner Don Garber “pressed” the province of Quebec to “fund a broader renovation” of Olympic Stadium in Montreal. He said that the project is “essential” to CF Montréal’s long-term future and could “transform the much-maligned venue into one of the world’s premier soccer stadiums.” Quebec pressed ahead with a CA$870M (US$627M) roof replacement, which is expected to be completed in 2028. But the province has “not yet approved funding for a wider redevelopment of the interior.” Garber said that replacing the roof alone “would not be enough.” Montreal started to explore the possibility of playing some matches at Olympic Stadium while continuing to play at its open-air current home, Stade Saputo, “during warmer months” after the league decided to switch to a fall-to-spring calendar (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 6/4).

Futures trading platform NinjaTrader is the latest brand to sign on with UFC around next week’s Freedom 250 card at the White House, as corporations look to advertise around the unprecedented fight card. The Chicago-based NinjaTrader company lets users trade in the futures markets, and it will become the official futures trading partner of the TKO Group property in the U.S. and Canada. Its logo will appear in the Octagon for next week’s fights on the South Lawn of the White House and it will be presenting partner of the watch party at the Ellipse park across the street. The company will also become the presenting partner of “Dana White’s Contenders Series,” playing off how that TV show is focused on finding the future pipeline of talent for UFC. In that show, which will air on Paramount+, the fighter kits, walkout gear and corner team apparel will have NinjaTrader branding. Terms were not shared in a press release seen by SBJ. Other sponsors of the Freedom 250 card are Crypto.com, Ram trucks, Supersure and Exodus. The company describes trading on futures as “an agreement to buy or sell an asset or security for a set price at a set date in the future.”

Reigning NWSL champion Gotham FC has selected Sports Illustrated Tickets as the club’s official fan experience and ticketing sponsor. Terms of the deal were not shared with SBJ.

The deal aligns Gotham as a fellow Sports Illustrated Tickets client with Red Bull New York, with both clubs playing in Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Sports Illustrated Tickets replaces Ticketmaster as Gotham’s ticketing provider.

Last month, Sports Illustrated Tickets signed a 12-year fan experience sponsorship deal with Premier League club Aston Villa, a move that included naming rights to the Sports Illustrated Warehouse, a 3,500-capacity concert space in Villa Park.

Oregon State has hired Ohio State’s Kevin Griffin as the school’s new AD effective July 6, and he will be “introduced in Corvallis on Tuesday.” Outgoing AD Scott Barnes, who announced his retirement in March, will now “officially retire on July 5 and then serve as a senior advisor for athletics through Aug. 31, 2027.” Griffin, whose official title is Ohio State Associate VP/Brand Engagement, Services & Partnerships and Associate AD/Business Strategy, at Oregon State will be “hiring a chief operating officer and a chief revenue officer, positions the athletic department has been planning to fill for several months” (Portland OREGONIAN, 6/4).

Fans who want to go “behind the scenes” of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” will have the chance via a new video podcast called, “This Was SportsCenter: Stories from the Set” that will debut June 5 across Disney+, ESPN App and major podcast platforms. The first season of the podcast, hosted and produced by Rich Eisen, “gets behind the scenes of the ‘SportsCenter’ set and newsroom during the late 1990s and early 2000s.” The six-episode series features “firsthand stories and memories from the journalists and personalities that made the show a must-watch.” The series is “part” of Disney+’s “Throwback Summer” campaign. The inaugural episode features Dan Patrick, while other guests include Chris Berman, Mike Greenberg, Linda Cohn, Chris Fowler and Craig Kilborn (VARIETY, 6/4).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, Rebecca Lowe -- one of the most respected voices in global soccer -- shares her perspective on FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams.

The Athletics are looking for a Dir/Business Analytics. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for building and maintaining data models to support lead scoring, revenue forecasting and other initiatives (Athletics).

The Blue Jackets are looking for a Dir/Group Sales. The Columbus-based position is responsible for overseeing sales and service activities related to group tickets, group hospitality areas, nightly suite rentals and other group ticket products created in the future (Blue Jackets).

Learfield is looking for a VP/Gaming Partnerships. The Dallas-based position is responsible for growing advertising, in-game branding opportunities and partnership revenue for EA Sports College Football game by shaping market strategy, owning key client relationships and translating brand goals into scalable in-game activations (Learfield).

New Era is looking for a Senior Manager/Licensed Products. The Buffalo-based position is responsible for the strategic vision, service details to maximize revenue and brand impact from licensed sports/entertainment merchandise, ensuring that each partnership delivers strong financial returns and enhances the brand positioning (New Era).

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“The United States’ 3 most densely populated municipalities lie along a 3.5-mile stretch of Palisade Ave. in this state.”