Morning Buzz

The opening game of the NFL season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, will “reportedly be a rematch” of the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots -- with the game set for Lumen Field. NFL reporter Jordan Schultz was first to leak the news on Wednesday. There was also a report later Wednesday from Dave “Softy” Mahler of Seattle-based KJR-FM that the Seahawks “will host the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas at Lumen Field.” The report that it will be the Patriots for the regular-season opener “was a bit of a surprise as there had been much speculation in recent weeks the Bears were more likely to be the opponent.” That was “in part due to speculation the league might not want the lingering controversy surrounding Pats coach Mike Vrabel to potentially cast a shadow over the game." But the league could not “resist the allure” of having a Super Bowl rematch to open the season. It will be the first rematch of a Super Bowl in the regular-season opener since 2016 (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/13).

Sports media experts Ed Desser and John Kosner discuss how the NFL has turned its schedule release into a week-long media event, driving attention across television, streaming platforms and the upfronts.

The WNBA and NBA BOG unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun from the Mohegan Tribe to new owner Tilman Fertitta. Mohegan Sun Arena will remain the home of the Sun for the 2026 WNBA season, with the team relocating to Houston beginning with the 2027 season (WNBA). Fertitta, who also owns the Rockets, reached a $300M deal in March to purchase the franchise and move it to Houston. Wednesday’s vote “paves the way for the franchise to be rebranded as the Comets,” which was one of the original WNBA franchises when the league was first founded. Specifics are not yet known, but the team will “presumably play at the Toyota Center and share the arena with the Rockets.” Fertitta has “previously tried to bring a WNBA expansion team to Houston, but the league has opted to expand elsewhere repeatedly in recent years,” with the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire beginning play this season and teams in Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland set to join in the coming years (YAHOO SPORTS, 5/13).

The Comets “will have a press conference Thursday to celebrate the announcement” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/13). Sun President Jen Rizzotti said that “decisions regarding the team’s 2026 season have all come from the Sun’s front office,” including herself and GM Morgan Tuck. Now that the sale is official, however, she “expects to have more communication with Houston’s staff.” Rizzotti noted that there has “been some concern amongst her front office staff about job retention.” She said Wednesday that it is “her impression that anyone working for the Sun will be ‘welcomed to go to Houston’” (NEW HAVEN REGISTER, 5/13).

Artists Shakira, Madonna and BTS will “headline the first halftime show at a World Cup final” in a “meshing of Latin, pop and Korean music that reflects the global community of soccer fans.” The World Cup final, scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium, is “already a quadrennial spectacle” that in 2022 drew more than 500 million live viewers. But the introduction of a musical performance “could attract even more casual spectators.” The artists for the halftime show “were selected by Chris Martin," the lead singer of Coldplay, who “shared the lineup in a video on social media that featured characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/14).

The halftime show will also “raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, improving access to quality education and football for children around the world” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/13). Global Citizen will “produce the halftime show, with assistance from Martin.” Martin “also assisted Global Citizen with the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show,” which also took place at MetLife Stadium, in 2025 (USA TODAY, 5/14). There will also be three opening ceremonies across the host countries of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with a number of artists set to perform at each site (London TELEGRAPH, 5/14).

A meeting on Wednesday afternoon at a downtown Vancouver hotel “featuring senior figures from” the Whitecaps, the British Columbia government, MLS and local First Nations is being called “very positive” by Wayne Sparrow, the longtime chief of the Musqueam Nation who was at the meeting. Sparrow indicated that the discussions “looked at both short term and long term solutions for the club,” which included the Whitecaps’ current relationship with B.C. Place. Among those in attendance were Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster and co-owner Jeff Mallett, as well as B.C. Minister of Jobs & Economic Growth Ravi Kahlon, Canadian Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, MLS EVP Charles Altchek and representatives from the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish nations. If a deal is struck for the Caps to stay at B.C. Place for the time being, “that would end all talk of the team being a target for relocation” (Vancouver PROVINCE, 5/13).

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade has “issued an open letter calling on businesses to help keep” the Whitecaps “from moving out of the city.” The organization says that “hundreds of businesses have signed on, pledging to explore sponsorships, partnerships and ticket programs aimed at addressing” the club’s revenue challenges (CP, 5/13).

StubHub Holdings “swung to a first-quarter profit as revenue rose,” helped by “growing demand for live events.” Shares in the company gained 13% in after-hours trading on Wednesday. StubHub CEO Eric Baker said that trends in the live events and secondary ticketing markets “remain healthy, with strong consumer demand and a robust event calendar this year.” The company is “optimistic its growth will continue as a result.” Baker noted that StubHub has been “making progress on several new aims,” with efforts to “expand ticket supply beyond individual and professional sellers to enterprise-scale sellers including content rights holders such as professional sports teams, artists, venues and other event organizers.” StubHub recorded a Q1 profit of $32.5M, compared with a loss of $35.9M a year earlier. Revenue climbed 12% year-over-year to $446M, compared with analyst estimates of $425M. Gross merchandise sales rose 7% YOY to $2.2B. For the full year, the company “continues to project gross merchandise sales of between” $9.9B-$10.1B. It also “backed its guidance” for adjusted EBITDA of $400M-$420M (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/13).

Private equity companies would be “banned from investing in youth sports teams, leagues, facilities and events under a new federal bill” introduced Wednesday. Lawmakers said that the bill would “lower participation costs for families and restore control of a public good to local communities.” The Let Kids Play Act, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), “targets private equity firms and other companies that have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into youth sports in recent years, turning kids activities long rooted in local charitable organizations into profit vehicles for wealthy investors.” If passed, the law would “require private equity companies to divest from their youth-sports businesses within two years, compensate community-based programs they harmed and refund families charged ‘junk fees.’” The bill would ban what Deluzio called “vulture practices.” Those include “consolidating power over local programs through serial acquisitions, locking customers into exclusive dealings with a company’s affiliates and degrading services while increasing prices” (USA TODAY, 5/13).

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter go deep on the biggest headlines around sports media. First, the duo look back at the Upfronts in Manhattan and how sports was woven in. Then, there’s talk about where some NFL games are landing ahead of the formal schedule release and how the Knicks return to the conference finals is a win for the NBA. Finally, with Roland Garros around the corner and the network growing its viewership, Tennis Channel CEO Jeff Blackburn joins to break down how the spring was a big hit and what’s ahead for the Sinclair-owned channel.

“In French, this 1993 film is called ‘Un Jour Sans Fin.’”