Morning Buzz

Super Bowl LX “is set and it’s a rematch” of Super Bowl XLIX 11 years ago, as the AFC champion Patriots will take on the NFC champion Seahawks. The Patriots will seek their NFL-record seventh Super Bowl victory in their 12th appearance all-time, while the Seahawks are seeking their second title in their fourth appearance in the Big Game. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is “trying to become the first person to win a Super Bowl as a head coach and player for the same team” (AP, 1/25).

As far as Super Bowl matchups go, this “will go down as one of the unlikeliest in the modern history of the sport.” Ahead of the season, the Patriots were “tagged as 80-to-1 long shots” to win the Super Bowl -- equivalent to a 1.2% chance. The Seahawks were not “given much better odds” at 60-to-1 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/25). This Super Bowl is the first featuring two teams that entered the season with 60-1 or worse odds to win it all (THE ATHLETIC, 1/26).

Ticket prices for the Big Game “are already steep.” Just after the matchup was set, the “get-in price” for the Feb. 8 game at Levi’s Stadium “was just under $6,000, including fees,” on Gametime. That number “was around $5,700 earlier Sunday,” as well as before the NFC Championship, after the Patriots’ win. The Seahawks opened as 5-point favorites in Super Bowl LX (YAHOO SPORTS, 1/25).

As snow began to fall in the second half of the AFC Championship Game, “changing from flurries to blizzard conditions to turn the field into a blanket of snow,” CBS “initially went to its yard-line overlay on the field, and then made the correct call to ditch it.” For the last hour or so, viewers and the announcers themselves “were left to guess what yard line the ball was on” (SI, 1/25). The digitized markers “caused players from both teams to appear transparent when they interacted, particularly Patriots players who were wearing white” (YAHOO SPORTS, 1/25).

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Fenway Sports Group founder John Henry is this year’s recipient of Sports Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Henry is being honored for his rise in sports and his transformational impact, from owning a minor league baseball team to assets that now include the Red Sox and Liverpool FC, plus investments in NASCAR and TGL. “We talk about Fenway Sports Group being one of one, this collection of assets,” said Sam Kennedy, CEO of Fenway Sports Group and the Red Sox. “He really is one of one.” Henry will be profiled in SBJ in May and honored that month at the Sports Business Awards in N.Y.

A day after the NBA postponed the T’Wolves’ game against the Warriors, the teams “played their makeup game” at Target Center “even as protestors were in downtown in response to the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis around the start of the game.” One player said that before the game it did not “feel as if the team was actually preparing to take the floor.” T’Wolves coach Chris Finch “took a while to come to his postgame press conference, which is the sign the team was having a discussion amongst itself.” Finch said the T’Wolves were “talking about a few things, just things that we needed to address” (MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE, 1/26).

The T’Wolves “held a moment of silence for Pretti prior to the national anthem, just as they did for Renee Good before their game on Jan. 8,” the day after she was fatally shot by a federal officer. The NBA on Saturday announced the rescheduling decision was made to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after Pretti was killed during a confrontation in a commercial district less than two miles south of Target Center. Finch on Sunday said that the T’Wolves “pushed for the postponement to respect the public grieving process” (AP, 1/26).

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce released an open letter on behalf of more than 60 CEOs “calling for state, local and federal officers to join forces and work as one.” The T’Wolves, Vikings, Lynx, Twins, Wild and Minnesota United “were among the Minnesota-based sports teams represented with a signature on the letter.” The NBPA also released a statement saying that its players can “no longer remain silent” (USA TODAY, 1/25).

Mist and Liberty F Breanna Stewart held a sign that read “Abolish ICE” on Sunday afternoon as players were introduced during the Unrivaled game between Vinyl and Mist. Other WNBA players “have spoken out about the shooting,” including Lynx F and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier. Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton also “reacted to the violence in Minnesota in a post on social media” (N.Y. POST, 1/25).

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The summary judgment hearing on Monday in the legal battle between the Mavericks and Stars has been “postponed due to the weather.” The hearing was set to be held at SMU’s Dedman School of Law, but was “postponed after SMU canceled Monday classes on Saturday night due to the ongoing winter storm impacting North Texas.” It is “not yet clear when the hearing will be rescheduled.” The teams met with Texas Business Court judge Bill Whitehill virtually Thursday to “plan the hearing where they were set to discuss seven motions for summary judgment -- asking the court to rule on parts of the case before it goes to full trial.” The jury trial remains scheduled for May 11 (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/25).

The Mavericks’ game against the Bucks on Sunday was “postponed because the Mavericks” were “unable to fly out of the Metroplex amid icy weather” (FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 1/25).

The upcoming X Games League, a new year-round action sports property, has signed crypto fintech platform MoonPay as its title sponsor. The deal represents the first ever series entitlement for the X Games (Jeep served as a presenting sponsor of this past weekend’s X Games Aspen event).

X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom declined to share financial terms of the MoonPay deal, but he said it’s an eight-figure agreement over three years, representing “by far the biggest financial commitment not just to the X Games, but most likely in all of action sports.”

The title sponsorship also grants MoonPay the XGL’s finance, banking and crypto categories, and a “pass-through” structure will enable MoonPay partners to activate around XGL events. The deal also gives MoonPay an option to invest in the league and acquire up to two teams. Bloom said he expects the firm will eventually exercise those options.

“This is one of the biggest Web3 companies in the world. There is a transaction layer to almost every exchange; when crypto exchanges, chances are they’re the transaction layer,” said Bloom, who noted MoonPay will be integrated across all facets of XGL and its broadcasts. “They have a number of big influencers, big cultural icons, musicians, artists that we’re going to engage into our events. We’re talking about different ways to pay athletes, different ways to accept ticket sales, those types of things. And our demo at X Games is quite young, and so is their demo. ... They’re going to help advance our mission to make sure that everything we’re doing is ahead of the curve for our young audience.”

Shaun White’s The Snow League has signed Jeep to a multiyear sponsorship. The deal will see Jeep get event sponsorship assets and host on-site activations featuring its vehicle lineup. TSL will also introduce a “Jeep Badge,” awarded to the athletes with “the most progressive and highest-impact moments” in each event, and the winning athletes will wear a Jeep patch.

Jeep replaces Ineos, TSL’s automotive sponsor for its first two events. Financial terms of the Jeep sponsorship were not available. The deal was negotiated by Range Sports, TSL’s agency of record. Other league sponsors include Hublot, Marriott Bonvoy and Pacifico.

White, who launched TSL with backing from Ares Management, David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, Left Lane Capital and others, will continue as a Jeep ambassador. The automotive brand is no stranger to action sports, previously sponsoring World Surf League and this past weekend serving as the presenting sponsor of X Games Aspen. Jeep is also the primary jersey sponsor for Juventus.

The Snow League’s debut season continues next month in Aspen and will conclude in Switzerland in March.

The NFL “will channel Mr. Rogers in its traditional cause spot” airing during this year’s Super Bowl, with “league stars singing ‘You Are Special’ with kids from three youth organizations.” A 60-second version of “You Are Special” “debuted during the NFL’s Christmas Day games and aired again during Sunday’s conference championship games.” Now, a 30-second version “will air during Super Bowl LX” on Feb. 8. The spot features a group sing-along led by former and current NFLers, including Pro Football HOFer Michael Strahan, Steelers DE Cam Heyward and 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. The kids hail from three groups that receive grants through the NFL’s “Inspire Change” program -- Harlem Children’s Zone, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and SMASH. The spot comes from the NFL’s longtime agency, 72andSunny (AD AGE, 1/26).

La Liga club FC Barcelona took down Oviedo at the reopened Camp Nou on Sunday, but after the game “started in relatively calm conditions,” the weather “took a turn for the worse before the final whistle blew.” Torrential rain “pummelled” the stadium during the closing stages -- “leading to many fans leaving early” after the roof “sprung a serious leak.” Laptops and recording equipment “were drenched as water tumbled onto seats in the stands.” Camp Nou only reopened a couple of months ago after undergoing a “serious, and very expensive, facelift.” The work will take the stadium’s overall capacity up to 105,000, but it is currently welcoming a little more than 45,000 spectators through the gates. Further work “will be required on roof structures,” with fans “comparing Camp Nou in its current state to a ‘spa’” (GOAL, 1/26).

CBS this week begins its coverage of the 2026 PGA Tour season with the Farmers Insurance Open and the net’s Jim Nantz prior to the AFC Championship game previewed the event, which marks Brooks Koepka’s return to the tour. Nantz said, “I spoke to Brooks a couple days ago and he’s really thrilled to be coming back. He’s appreciative of the leadership of the PGA Tour and Tiger Woods and the people that really weighed how to get him into the re-entry situation into the tour. So Brooks is going to be there. He says he feels like a kid again and he’s going to be going against a really strong field. ... We’re glad to have him back” (“The NFL Today,” CBS, 1/25).

Meanwhile, LIV golfer Patrick Reed this weekend revealed that LIV has “yet to sign him up to a new contract for this season.” The LIV season starts in Riyadh in less than two weeks. Reed: “We are still finalising a new contract, but we’re not complete on that yet. ... At the moment, I plan on teeing it up there in Riyadh, and I’d be surprised if we’re not” (London TELEGRAPH, 1/25).

Performance science firm Orreco has acquired Jennis, a women’s health and fitness app co-founded by Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill and her manager, Jane Cowmeadow. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Orreco, an alumn of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech accelerator, recently raised a $4M Series A extension with investment from Mark Cuban and Enterprise Ireland. Last month it acquired DDSA, a computer vision startup specializing in tennis, and it will participate in the next MLS Innovation Lab.

The rich educational and training content produced by Jennis will be integrated into Orreco AI through its @thlete and Te@m dashboards and its FitrWoman app, which helps women athletes track performance within the context of their monthly cycles. It’s used by the national women’s soccer teams in the US and England as well as by USA Swimming and teams in the WNBA and NWSL.

“Dame Jess, Jane and the Jennis team built a phenomenal library of multimedia content to help support athlete and coach education,” Orreco CEO and co-founder Brian Moore told SBJ. “Orreco AI helps surface the right insights for the right athlete at the right time, and Jennis content can be delivered to @thletes to further enhance understanding and personalization.”

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What’s on Ed Horne’s mind? On Location’s COO shares why putting the fan experience first is paramount.

In this week’s issue:

• With the Winter Olympics set to get underway in Milan Cortina, athletes and guests will deal with challenging logistics given the far-flung nature of event venues, but stakeholders remain optimistic that the Games will be a major success for Italy and the entire Olympic movement. SBJ’s Rachel Axon explains why.
• Rebecca Lowe once thought about calling it quits on television. Now she has the dream assignments of working with both Fox and NBC in covering the World Cup and Olympics in the same calendar year. SBJ’s Richard Deitsch chronicles Lowe’s road to this major spotlight.
• Indiana’s stunning college football championship was a lesson in strategy. As SBJ’s Ben Portnoy reports, the school, Big Ten and Adidas all made recent moves that paid off in a big way.
• SBJ’s Tom Friend profiles the NBPA’s Erika Swilley and how she turns NBA fines into philanthropy gold, showing players how they can take a setback and spin it into something positive.
• The New York Road Runners, parent of the NYC Marathon, is unveiling a rebrand aimed at being more inclusive and to show the organization’s broader work. SBJ’s Terry Lefton outlines the process.
• SBJ’s Na’Andre Emerson details the evolution of WWE belts and how the company now uses them to award champions throughout sports, providing marketing opportunities and a boost to its licensing business.
• As colleges seek new revenue streams, they are rolling out fresh inventory to sell sponsors. SBJ’s David Broughton shows how schools and companies are cashing in on logo assets on the field of play.

Nominees for the fourth Sports Business Awards: Tech have been announced.

Spanning eight different categories, the 46 finalists were selected by in-house judging committees for their innovation, creativity, organizational excellence, industry influence, and leadership over the past year.

External judging panels will now determine the winners, who will be revealed Monday, May 18 at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York. A ninth award -- Sports Technology of the Year -- will be chosen from the winners of the other categories.

The SBA: Tech Awards kick off Tech Week, which features two days of programming and networking.

RAJ Sports is looking for a Senior Dir/Operations. The Portland-based position is responsible for developing and executing long-term strategies for facilities, security and IT operations to support organizational goals (RAJ Sports).

Little League is looking for a Dir/Finance. The Williamsport, Pa.-based position is responsible for leading all accounting functions including general ledger, AP/AR, payroll funding, cash flow and reconciliations (Little League).

Bauer Hockey/Cascade Maverik is looking for a New Business Strategist. The Exeter, N.H.-based position is responsible for identifying emerging trends, technologies and category disruptions within strategic domains that are adjacent or hockey and lacrosse hardgoods (Bauer Hockey/Cascade Maverik).

Sporting K.C. is looking for a Dir/Stadium Presentation. The K.C.-based position is responsible for leading game presentation strategy for all Sporting K.C. home games at Children’s Mercy Park, including pre-game, in-game, halftime and post-game programming (Sporting K.C.).

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“One of the 2 Canadian provincial capitals that share their names with a nation’s capital city.”