Morning Buzz

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) will host a roundtable on Wednesday to discuss the Protect College Sports Act. The discussion will focus on the effects of instability, litigation and financial pressure on athletes, women’s and Olympic sports, HBCUs and first-generation college students and schools outside the wealthiest tier. The roundtable will include Syracuse women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack, Memphis football coach Charles Huff, Middle Tennessee State football coach Derek Mason, Texas Southern President Vice Admiral J.W. Crawford III, Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery, Akron women’s soccer player Sara Bower and Boston Univ. men’s swimmer Gannon Flynn. The roundtable follows a hearing that addressed the bill last Wednesday. The bill has faced opposition from the Big Ten and SEC, though the conferences met with Cruz last Thursday for what was called a “productive conversation.” President Trump has weighed in on the bill, giving it his endorsement (SBJ).

LOS ANGELES -- On Tuesday night, an invite-only crowd of nearly 300 congregated at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the L.A. host committee’s official World Cup kickoff party. Celebrities including American soccer legend Mia Hamm, actors Will Ferrell and Brendan Hunt, former NBA player Robert Horry and NSYNC’s Lance Bass walked the red carpet, while Melissa Etheridge took to the stage for a musical performance.

But no guest drew more attention than FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who warned the crowd of the “hoard of barbarians” about to invade their city: “They will all have their faces colored with the colors of their countries. They will be dressed in the jerseys with colors of their countries. They will be wearing flags. And they just want to enjoy and have fun, because that’s what we want to do with the world.”

Other speakers included host committee CEO Kathy Schloessman; co-chairs Larry Freedman, the co-president of LAFC, and Chris Klein, the former Galaxy president now leading Hometown Soccer Holdings; and Kevin Demoff, the president of team and media operations for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. KSE’s SoFi Stadium will host eight World Cup matches this summer.

Attendees included AEG President and CEO Dan Beckerman, Cain International’s Jonathan Goldstein, LA28 COO John Harper, FIFA’s Amy Hopfinger, USOPP COO Danny Koblin and long-time sports executives Bob Graziano, Steve Lopes, Alan Rothenberg and Amy Trask, among numerous others. Ferrell, Hamm, Cobi Jones and Eva Longoria appeared in their capacity as Los Angeles community ambassadors for the World Cup.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is investigating FIFA over its ticketing process for this summer’s World Cup with the investigation revolving “around allegations that FIFA misled World Cup ticket buyers over the seats purchased.” Paxton is currently running for the U.S. Senate. N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport subpoenaed FIFA in May over the organization’s ticketing practices (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/9). Paxton’s office said in its news release that fans are “paying large sums to attend World Cup matches, with premium seats at the final topping $10,000.” According to the release, the office has “received several consumer complaints,” prompting an investigation into “whether FIFA violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting seat classifications at the time of purchase” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/9).

With ticket pricing and availability among the biggest stories at the World Cup, SBJ has partnered with TicketData.com to track get-in price and trends for upcoming games. Here is where things stand as of this morning for Thursday’s tournament openers in Mexico. For information on additional games, visit the World Cup page at TicketData.com.

TNT/truTV on Saturday drew the best USMNT friendly audience on record (English-language), as the team’s final pre-World Cup game against Germany averaged 1.5 million viewers. That tops the previous high from just a few days ago, when the USMNT played Senegal (867,000 viewers on May 31). Saturday’s audience peaked at 1.9 million viewers.

Later in the day, TNT/truTV drew 853,000 for the USWNT match against Brazil, marking the best USWNT friendly since 2015. That match peaked at 1 million viewers.

The NHLPA continues to expand its revenue-generation efforts under the leadership of Executive Director Marty Walsh, branding its commercial business unit as the NHLPA Player Collective and naming Brandgenuity its exclusive group licensing representative in Europe. The moves come a year after Walsh brought on ex-NFL Players Inc. boss Steve Scebelo as chief commercial officer.

The debut of the Player Collective follows last week’s record revenue projection by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who said the league expects revenue for the 2025-26 season to come in between $7.5B and $8B in mixed U.S. and Canadian currency. That revenue is subject to a 50-50 split with the players under the salary cap. The Player Collective, however, is aimed at helping players capitalize on hockey’s commercial momentum through group licensing, sponsorship and efforts to grow “helmet-off” awareness.

“There’s an unprecedented focus on hockey right now, so we need to make sure that we don’t miss the moment,” Scebelo said. “That’s what’s key for our players. This is an unbelievable opportunity for them to raise their awareness and make sure that they’re sharing in the growth.”

The decision to partner with Brandgenuity in Europe -- where the firm already represents the NFLPA -- is aimed at tapping into the home countries of the roughly one-third of NHLPA members without requiring the union to dedicate the resources needed to establish its own overseas operation.

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The NYPD will “ban the general public from the vicinity” of Madison Square Garden for hours before, during and after Wednesday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The venue said that the restrictions “make the mayor and police commissioner ‘NEW YORK CITY’S BIGGEST PARTY POOPERS.’” In the “aftermath of unrest at a viewing party” uptown Monday for Game 3 in which 21 people were detained on criminal charges, the NYPD on Tuesday evening announced street closures “similar to what the department had in place to protect President Donald Trump during his attendance.” MSG said in a statement, “The last several victories the Knicks have had have been celebrated by thousands and thousands outside MSG. The joy and happiness were palpable everywhere. Apparently Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani and Police Commissioner [Jessica] Tisch, despite what they say, don’t want to see these celebrations happen.” A street viewing projection of the game “is set to be held Wednesday night outside MSG, but attendance will be capped” (NEWSDAY, 6/9).

Police confirmed that the Knicks “applied for and received a permit from the city” to host a Game 4 watch party outside MSG. A NYPD spokesperson mentioned that the Knicks’ permit request “was for 500-1,000 people, and they were granted the top limit.” The mayor’s office and the NYPD said that entrants will “need tickets to attend, and there is no reentry allowed.” There will also be restrictions around MSG (THE ATHLETIC, 6/9).

The NYPD released a statement on X, saying, “We know you are excited to cheer on the Knicks tonight, and we are too, but we want everyone to be safe.” It added, starting at 4pm, there will be the “same secure zone around MSG as we had on Monday. Everyone will be screened.” The statement advised fans “Get there early and leave the bags at home” (X, 6/10).

With Wednesday’s Game 4 no longer being a potential clincher for the team’s first title since 1973, online resale prices for Game 4 have “dropped precipitously.” Tickets were being offered for around $5,000 on Tuesday on most resale websites. On Sunday, Game 4 tickets could not be had for less than $11,000. Game 6, which is scheduled for June 16, is “now the last chance if fans want to see a potential Knicks clincher” at MSG (NEWSDAY, 6/9).

The USTA has signed a multiyear deal with Electrolit to add the electrolyte drink to the U.S. Open sponsor roster. Financial terms were not disclosed. CAA assisted both sides on the deal. Electrolit will be designated the U.S. Open’s “official electrolyte beverage,” a sub-designation within the broader sports drink category (for which the U.S. Open has not had a sponsor since BodyArmor from 2020-22). Electrolit will be made available to U.S. Open players in branded coolers both on-court and in player-facing areas; receive rotating virtual logo visibility during ESPN broadcasts of U.S. Open main draw matches; and activate promotional space on the U.S. Open grounds.

Since the conclusion of the 2025 U.S. Open, the USTA has inked Ralph Lauren (official outfitter) to a six-year extension that begins in 2027 and added tech companies Harvey AI (official legal assistant) and Oura (official wearable fitness device) to newly created sponsor categories.

Electrolit is owned by the Mexican pharmaceutical company Pisa, distributed in the U.S. by Keurig Dr Pepper, and has a U.S. office in Houston and manufacturing facility in Waco. According to Beverage Digest’s 2025 data, it commanded 1.8% of sports drink market share in the U.S. by volume last year, trailing Gatorade (58.8%), Powerade (17.9%) and BodyArmor (7.7%). Within tennis, Electrolit also sponsors the Miami Open ATP Masters/WTA 1000 tournament (through its 2026 edition), WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and ATP No. 87 Emilio Nava. Elsewhere in sports, it sponsors the NTT IndyCar Series’ Grand Prix of Arlington, IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward, NWSL player Michelle Alozie, USMNT player Timothy Weah and internet influencer Tristan Jass.

The government “came out swinging” in response to a lawsuit seeking to stop the UFC’s event at the White House Sunday. The opposition stated, “These events were publicly announced almost a year ago; the dates were confirmed by the White House three months ago; and site preparations have been publicly visible for weeks. This alone suffices to deny emergency relief.” In the memorandum, the government says well over $60M and tens of thousands of hours of labor “have been expended during preparation for the event.” The government’s memorandum suggests the event “came together through collaboration” rather than UFC solely “orchestrating the event” (USA TODAY, 6/9).

Day 2 of SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit in Chicago kicks off with a CMO In the Spotlight session with Kristyn Cook, State Farm EVP & Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer. The morning sessions feature in-depth looks at the success of particular pairings -- PepsiCo and women’s sports; Cheez-It and basketball; and Toyotathon and the NFL. Breakout sessions in the sports and entertainment track feature reaching tomorrow’s fans today and storytelling to drive fan engagement. Breakouts on the growth markets track highlight how brands can win in youth sports and the momentum of women’s sports. Afternoon sessions include interviews with Heineken CMO Ali Payne and Enjoy Basketball Co-Founder / CMO Kenny Beecham; the strategy behind The Annika; Pennymac’s partnership with the USOPC; and how data can drive smarter deals. The full agenda is available here.

CHICAGO – Authenticity was the word of the day during “The Sponsorship Remix: Culture, Creativity & Conversion” panel at SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit on Tuesday. Each of the five panelists noted that finding authenticity in activations unlocked their effectiveness.

The panel featured Brian Graybill from Intersport, Jay Kaufman of the National Research Group, Jim Van Stone from Monumental Sports, Matt Lederer from Comcast Xfinity and Leela Srinivasan of Parity.

Graybill said his favorite Intersport activation brought an authentic New York Italian restaurant, Rao’s, to the Ryder Cup in Bethpage last fall.

“One of the benefits of creating this unbelievable experience is it removed all the friction,” Graybill said. “So at the end of the day, rather than sitting in traffic for two or three hours, you got to experience this iconic restaurant that you may never have a chance to experience and relax and have a band playing and have fellowship and all that camaraderie.”

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CMOs, brand leaders and more converged on Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile on Tuesday to discuss the world of sports sponsorship and marketing.

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Learfield’s Kim Damron chats with SBJ’s Ben Portnoy about new brand investment in college sports through NIL, storytelling, and scale. Damron shares why women’s sports and content are emerging as the next big battlegrounds for sponsors.

The Team is looking for an Associate VP/Sales. The Tempe-based position is responsible for building and maintaining an enviable network of senior level clients, partners and industry contacts to generate new revenue opportunities for Live Team (The Team).

The Dynamo are looking for a Partnership Marketing Manager. The Houston-based position is responsible for developing and maintaining a relationship with new and existing corporate sponsors and delivering service in every area of the partnership between the team (Dynamo).

U.S. Soccer Federation is looking for a Senior Coordinator/Alumni Program Events. The Atlanta-based position is responsible for assisting with administration support, match engagement and logistics for in-person and virtual experiences within the Alumni Program department (USSF).

Univ. of South Florida Athletics are looking for a Dir/Licensing and Trademarks. The Tampa-based position is responsible for overseeing protection and appropriate use of all USF trademarks, logos and brand assets while being liaison to CLC for licensing operations and approvals (USF).

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“Honoring the brother of the Greek god Thanatos, this alternative medical practice got its name in the mid-19th century.”