Morning Buzz

The Royals have a “planned Wednesday morning announcement” about their proposed downtown ballpark plan, but a top K.C. elected official has cast doubt on the project’s “most fundamental detail” -- its “exact location.” City Councilman Johnathan Duncan said Tuesday that the proposed ballpark’s footprint “is not Washington Square Park.” The city has “notably been referring to the project location as a combination of Washington Square Park and neighboring Crown Center.” The K.C. City Council last week passed an ordinance authorizing City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate with the Royals on a ballpark deal up to $600M. It is “not yet clear what details the Royals will share” in their announcement at a Crown Center restaurant. But another city council member indicated that he “expects ‘minor’ renderings” to be unveiled at the 10am ET announcement (K.C. STAR, 4/21).

FC Cincinnati “plans to revamp the pitch and prepare TQL Stadium to host additional sports, including rugby and football.” The MLS club recently applied for $136M in Ohio’s unclaimed funds set aside for new sports stadiums and other upgrades. FC Cincinnati’s grant proposal “outlined how the club would use the money for a stadium expansion and relocating the north gate, modernizing concessions and premium spaces, and expanding restrooms and the box office.” The project is part of FC Cincinnati’s future mixed-use entertainment district, which “combined, is expected to cost” $545M. Other “major changes” to TQL Stadium center on getting the open-air stadium “ready for more international-level events and year-round programming, including soccer games, in December and February” amid MLS’ upcoming calendar shift. The club also wants to add “infrastructure to support” hosting rugby and football, but it is “unclear exactly what that entails” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 4/21).

The Arlington City Council on Tuesday voted 7-2 to approve a plan to spend $273M to “keep the Dallas Cowboys in town.” The move will “extend the team’s lease beyond 2040,” adding 15 more years to the lease agreement. The approval also “enables the city to contribute” $273M to upgrade AT&T Stadium “by using sales and venue taxes.” The Cowboys will also “invest at least” $750M “toward the sports complex, and will draw from the city’s account for reimbursements.” The team has “until 2043 to complete the upgrades, including pedestrian bridges and infrastructure to improve walkability.” The lease terms also “reduced the rents for the space and the naming rights to a combined” $1M. The football team is currently paying the city $2M in base rent and $500,000 in naming rights rent (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/21).

The NFL held a meeting last week with senior Federal Communications Commission officials “to justify the league’s media-rights strategy.” The meeting Friday in D.C., “which the NFL requested,” came after the FCC started its probe into the changing sports-media business and “whether the evolution is harming consumers and the broadcast-television industry.” Separately, the U.S. Justice Department is investigating sports leagues’ pivot to streaming and its “impact on the marketplace.” The FCC gathering included NFL Media EVP/Media Distribution Hans Schroeder, whose presentation to the FCC “defended its 65-year-old antitrust exemption that allows it to negotiate media rights for all NFL teams.” In one slide, the league “argued that having 32 teams negotiate their own rights deals individually would result in further viewer confusion and higher costs” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/22).

Fanatics is the NFL’s new, official on-site retail sponsor at the league’s roster of marquee global events, including the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, Super Bowl, NFL Kickoff, NFL International Games, NFL Flag Championships, NFL Scouting Combine and Pro Bowl games. The expanded deal grows Fanatics’ NFL relationship; it already serves as the official leaguewide e-commerce partner, while operating e-commerce for 29 NFL teams and in-venue retail for 16. Over the past decade, Fanatics has operated on-site retail for the NFL’s International Games as the NFL has increased its global schedule.

Fanatics replaces Legends Global as the league’s official event retail operator. Wednesday morning’s announcement confirms news first reported by SBJ’s Terry Lefton in the fall of 2025 that Fanatics had won an open RFP for the business.

The new deal will first be apparent at the upcoming NFL Draft in Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25. Fanatics will stand up 10-plus on-site retail outlets, ranging from a 13,000-square-foot superstore tent (50% larger than last year’s in Green Bay) to trailers and in-stadium kiosks.

More than 250 products from top brands, including Nike, New Era and Mitchell & Ness, will be available across the draft’s site. Fans can order a jersey for any first round selections, with jerseys produced on-site. Orders will be placed via a dedicated mobile-first website, with fans receiving a text message notification when their jersey is ready.

U.S. Soccer continues to add to its roster of sponsors ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America, signing Oura as its official wearable and a founding partner of the forthcoming Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center. Terms of the multiyear deal were not disclosed.

Under the agreement with U.S. Soccer, Oura will receive naming rights to an indoor complex at the National Training Center outside Atlanta, as well as presenting sponsorship rights for national team training camps and the federation’s Male Player of the Year Award. The Oura Ring will also be used by athletes, coaches and staff across the federation’s 27 national teams.

The partnership builds on an existing relationship between Oura and the USWNT, which has been using Oura’s technology since 2020. The technology will now be used by the entire organization and be integrated into the National Training Center.

For Oura, the deal with U.S. Soccer follows its agreement to become the official wearable of the U.S. Olympic team and the LA28 Games. U.S. Soccer negotiated the deal directly with Oura.

President Trump on Tuesday “repeated his call for Congress to pass legislation that would rein in college sports at a time athletes are allowed to move freely from school to school and command salaries that put athletic departments in financial peril.” Trump’s remarks “came at a White House event honoring some 100 athletes from seven teams that won NCAA championships in 2025.” Trump earlier this month signed an executive order that “would limit eligibility to five years, allow one transfer without penalty for undergraduates, stop pay-for-play schemes and build in protections for women’s and Olympic sports.” Aspects of the executive order “might not withstand legal scrutiny,” which is “why Trump and some college sports stakeholders are asking for federal legislation” (AP, 4/21).

A subcommittee of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday will hold a hearing about the new boxing legislation that recently passed the House of Representatives, as the bill backed by TKO Group moves closer to becoming law. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation will hold a full member meeting at 10am ET, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) leading the session. The hearing is being titled, “Return to Your Corners: Have Federal Boxing Laws Gone the Distance or Slipped the Jab?” and it appears that there will be speakers who are both for and against the proposed legislation.

Among those who are expected to speak in support of the bill is TKO Group board member Nick Khan, who is helping run the new Zuffa Boxing property that would utilize the new law if passed. Among those expected to speak out against the proposed changes at the hearing are Nico Ali Walsh, a boxer who is the grandson of Muhammad Ali, and Golden Boy Promotions Chair & CEO Oscar de la Hoya, who is a longtime nemesis of Zuffa Boxing executive Dana White. The other witness slated to speak is Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports President Timothy Shipman.

The drafters of the proposed law say it would sit alongside the current legislation in boxing rather than replace it -- allowing boxers to choose which format they want to compete under. The current system mandates a separation of promoters from sanctioning bodies in order to stave off conflicts of interest, while the new law would allow for what has been termed unified boxing organizations, whom would be able to be both the promoter and governing entity. That’s a structure that appears to loosely resemble what UFC is like for mixed martial arts.

Cruz in a prepared statement wrote: “Boxing is a core part of American culture. Identifying avenues for its long-term success is critical for fighters and fans. I look forward to examining how the current structure has shaped the sport, and if Congress should step back into the ring to preserve this cherished American tradition.”

Paciolan, the dominant ticketer in the college space, and facial authentication provider Wicket have reached a multiyear deal to deploy the startup’s tech. No financial terms were shared with SBJ, and no outside firm assisted in the deal.

Wicket, which has expedited venue ingress for 70-plus sports clients, will be integrated into the ticketing system for schools that opt into the capabilities. Paciolan President Brendan Lynch said the two parties have spoken often during his nine-month tenure leading Paciolan, which works with more than 170 schools (and includes a majority of Power Four schools). There will be some piloting of the process soon.

“Every school has a different gate process, and they want their teams to get comfortable with it,” Lynch said. “And so you got to run water through the pipes a few times. So that’s the kind of testing we’re doing over the spring and the summer.”

Wicket, one of SBJ’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Tech Companies in 2024, first stepped into the college space with an activation with the Univ. of Florida athletic department. The company was a sponsor at Paciolan’s annual conference, PACnet, earlier this year.

WWE on Wednesday announced that WrestleMania 42 became one of the highest-grossing events in company history, with record or near-record performances across gate, sponsorship, merchandise, WWE World, On Location VIP experiences and digital. The two-day event in Las Vegas featured a record 32 marketing partners, including Snickers, 2K, Riyadh Season, Ram, DoorDash, Wingstop, Wheatley American Vodka, Minute Maid, The General Insurance, PepsiCo’s MUG Root Beer and Chumba Casino. In addition, WrestleMania Saturday was the most-viewed telecast of the year on ESPN2, while WrestleMania Sunday was the most-viewed telecast of the entire weekend on ESPN. At WWE World, a five-day interactive fan experience in partnership with Fanatics, paid experience sales reached all-time highs. WrestleMania 42 also set a new digital record, generating more than 1.3 billion views across all social platforms -- up 18% from the record set at WrestleMania 41 (WWE).

The N.Y. State Gaming Commission is looking for an Assistant Counsel. The N.Y. Capital Region-based position is responsible for the legal regulation of mobile sports wagering, interactive fantasy sports and horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, as well as drafting sports sponsorship agreements for the state Lottery (N.Y. State Gaming Commission).

Levy is looking for a Manager/Strategy & Analytics. The Baltimore-based position is responsible for leading the delivery of data-driven insights and strategic recommendations for the Orioles’ hospitality operations at Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Levy).

The Titans are looking for a Sales Consultant/New Nissan Stadium. The Nashville-based position is responsible for building new prospects by self-prospecting, consistently networking and actively making sales calls to new clients in order to close new business (Titans).

NASCAR is looking for a Dir/National Sales. The Charlotte-based position is responsible for establishing new marketing partnerships with brands to achieve annual revenue goals while analyzing marketing needs based on partner objectives, market strategies, category, activation potential and financials (NASCAR).

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“Ironically, it was the mayor of Strasbourg, a victim of the guillotine, who requested the composition of this.”