Morning Buzz

The Fire’s new $750M soccer-specific stadium on Chicago’s riverfront will be known as McDonald’s Park, as the locally based fast-food giant has agreed to its first-ever naming rights deal in the U.S. for a professional sports stadium. As part of the agreement, the stadium will include a flagship McDonald’s restaurant that will be open to the public 365 days a year.

The Fire’s 22,000-seat stadium is set to open in 2028, with the McDonald’s deal running through 2040. It is technically a 14-year deal with two bridge years prior to the facility’s opening.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources with knowledge of the deal said the agreement ranks among the top most valuable naming-rights deals in MLS on an annual basis. It is believed to trail the league’s highest-paying agreements, including Inter Miami’s deal with NuBank and NYCFC’s pact with Etihad, while landing in the same ballpark as LAFC’s $10M-a-year deal with BMO.

McDonald’s is the largest publicly traded company based in Chicago by market cap, making the brand a natural target for the Fire’s most valuable asset tied to its new stadium. The deal is the most lucrative in franchise history.

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NEW YORK CITY -- It wasn’t all Super Bowl for Disney’s upfront on Tuesday afternoon, but the company’s return to the event couldn’t be missed. That included Jimmy Kimmel lightly roasting Disney ad sales chief Rita Ferro about the coming year to close things out at the event.

“We’re gonna milk the bah-gee-bus out it,” Kimmel joked to advertisers gathered at Javits Center.

Ferro made a point onstage of noting the power of ESPN’s sports portfolio, and that with the addition of NFL Network, football impressions would increase even more.

The upfront hit on the NFL early on, with Commissioner Roger Goodell joining Joe Buck onstage to promote the Super Bowl and lay out Broncos-Chiefs as the first “Monday Night Football” game of the season. Other talent and former players taking the stage included Jason Kelce, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Desmond Howard, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, Kurt Warner and Nick Foles.

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Daryl Morey “will depart” as the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, while coach Nick Nurse “will return for a fourth season,” according to a source cited by the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Bob Myers, president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and the former president of basketball operations of the Warriors, “will take over the front office in the interim and lead the search for the next executive.” The organization’s decision to part ways with Morey, who oversaw the front office for six seasons, “occurred after a meeting with ownership in Philadelphia Tuesday evening.” It is “unclear how Morey’s departure could impact the rest of the Sixers’ front office” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/12). The incumbent staff “will be evaluated by Myers and then the incoming top basketball official” (ESPN.com, 5/12).

The Bengals will be the visiting team against the Falcons in Madrid this season, with the teams set to face off at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Nov. 8. The game in Spain, which will kick off at 9:30am ET on NFL Network, will be the Bengals’ third regular-season international game after playing at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2019 and 2016. The decision to send the Bengals abroad in 2026 means the team will “play overseas in back-to-back seasons,” as they are “confirmed to be the host team for a 2027 international game.” The Madrid game is one of nine NFL international games in 2026, featuring eight stadiums in seven countries. Other host cities include Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Munich and Mexico City (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 5/12). With an extra road game on their schedule in 2026, it was “expected that the Bengals would be the road team in any international matchup” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 5/12).

Meanwhile, the Steelers are “going overseas for the second year in a row, this time to Paris as the away team” against the Saints, according to sources cited by the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. The first-ever game in Paris is scheduled for Oct. 25 at the Stade de France (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 5/12). Media reports in February indicated the Browns would serve as the Saints’ opponent for the game, but Saints owner Gayle Benson “denied those reports at the time” -- saying the opponent “had not been determined by NFL officials” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 5/12).

The Montreal Victoire are “on the way” to their first-ever Walter Cup Final after eliminating the Minnesota Frost with a 2-1 win in Game 5 of the PWHL’s semifinal round on Tuesday. The Victoire will now face the Ottawa Charge in the final after the Charge beat the Boston Fleet in the other semifinal matchup. After the final game of the Victoire-Frost series was postponed from Monday due to an illness, the arena was not “as packed as usual” on Tuesday -- with the “upper bowl empty at the start of the rescheduled game.” But the “mood was festive during the do-or-die game,” with the crowd “erupting into loud cheers” when the Victoire F Catherine Dubois notched the first goal of the game (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 5/12).

The final matchup means the Walter Cup “will be awarded to a Canadian team for the first time in PWHL history.” After clinching its spot in the final on Sunday, the Charge “departed for Montreal by bus on Tuesday afternoon” to await their opponent. The Charge “will now be able to stay put in Montreal,” where the “first two games of the Walter Cup final will take place later this week.” The series “will then return to Ottawa” for Game 3 on May 18, and Game 4, if necessary, on May 20, both at Canadian Tire Centre. If a Game 5 “is needed, it will take place back in Montreal with a date and time to be determined” (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 5/12).

Fox Sports’ broadcasts of all FIFA World Cup matches this summer will get to iHeartMedia radio and digital streaming listeners as part of a new deal rolling out Wednesday. Financial terms of the deal were not available. The 104 matches will be available on the iHeartRadio app, while every USMNT match and the World Cup final will be heard on more than 100 iHeartMedia broadcast stations, including over 100 Fox Sports Radio affiliates nationwide. Fox Sports EVP and Head of Programming & Scheduling Bill Wanger led the Fox side of the deal, while iHeartMedia Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman led for the radio company.

Carter and Front Street Capital, with the support of Wake Forest, have acquired the Best Western Plus property at 3050 University Parkway, adjacent to The Grounds, the 100-acre mixed-use development next to Allegacy Stadium. The $8.75M deal, according to Forsyth County Tax Department records, closes June 4, 2026. The ownership group is evaluating potential redevelopment plans in the meantime.

The Best Western Plus, built in 1997, experienced years of declining occupancy and revenue performance before being publicly listed for sale. The 5.54-acre property sits on the Wake Forest campus-side of University Parkway. The Grounds is being built on the opposite side of the road, adjacent to Deacon Blvd., the football stadium and Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum. The $200M-plus first phase is set for a Fall 2027 delivery.

The Grounds, designed by Nelson Worldwide and built by Brasfield-Gorrie, is currently under construction and will include a 42,000-square-foot retail village featuring restaurants and bars; a 127,000-square-foot office building; more than 200 residences across several buildings; multi-use trails; and public gathering spaces. Vertical construction of the office building, whose main tenant will be the university, is underway. The residential buildings are even further along. The development is projected to drive more than $1.3B in total business sales in its first decade of construction and operations.

The Best Western property deal follows Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s acquisition of the former Flow Honda service property on University Parkway for development of a new $33M emergency department -- another major reinvestment project signaling confidence in the area’s future.

The Sports Facilities Companies, which manages the nation’s largest network of sports and recreation facilities, on Wednesday announced the acquisition of fitness center management company Power Wellness.

Lombard, Ill.-based Power Wellness manages 26 facilities in 13 states and will operate as Power Wellness by The Sports Facilities Companies. Ken Gorman will remain president and CEO of that division.

Clearwater, Fla.-based SFC manages more than 140 venues and recently expanded into ice rink and golf course management through RCI and Spirit Golf Management, respectively.

SFC’s Eric Sullivan and Jake Whittaker were previously named SBJ Mixed-Use Development Power Players.

Former NBAer Jason Collins, who in 2013 “became the first openly gay player in any of the four traditional major American men’s sports leagues,” has died at age 47. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the death in a statement on Tuesday. Collins’ family said he “died of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.” Collins’ achievements on the court “were eclipsed” by a front-page essay he wrote in Sports Illustrated in 2013 that began with the line, “I’m a 34-year-old N.B.A. center. I’m Black and I’m gay.” Following the essay, he “received considerable support from celebrities and sports figures.” While the praise was not “universal,” the “largely positive response” from other NBA figures “showed how views about gay people had shifted.” After retiring in November 2014, Collins became a “public speaker and political activist.” Collins married Brunson Green, a film producer, in May 2025. In addition to his husband, Collins is survived by his parents and his brother, Jarron, who played 10 seasons in the NBA and is now an assistant coach with the Pelicans (N.Y. TIMES, 5/12). Just last week, Collins “received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit.” He was “too ill to attend” and his brother Jarron “accepted for him” (AP, 5/12).

A number of columnists across the nation also reacted to Collins’ death:

• USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour: Jason Collins changed the game, all games, with his courage to come out.
• N.Y. POST’s Andrew Battifarano: Jason Collins made NBA and sports history in coming out.
• WASHINGTON POST’s Rick Maese: Jason Collins, a gay trailblazer in the NBA, dies of brain cancer at 47.

Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is looking for a Dir/Events & Hospitality. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for planning, coordinating and executing the ancillary events and hospitality support surrounding for the grand prix and working with the commercial and event operations teams to execute (Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix).

Delaware North is looking for a Dir/Premium-Nu Stadium. The Miami-based position is responsible for overseeing all premium spaces including clubs, suites and VIP environments to shape the guest experience (Delaware North).

MLS are looking for a Senior Dir/Match Business. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for managing the creation, planning, promotion, delivery and overall match business operations including tournament planning/development, regional relationships and venue contacts for all SUM events (MLS).

WWE is looking for a Coordinator/Revenue Strategy. The Stamford-based position is responsible for day-to-day management of the CRM system, ad trafficking systems and collaboration on media plan structure and deal building that contribute towards achieving account renewals and long-term revenue growth for high-exposure GP clients (WWE).

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“This big lake named for a French marine minister begins its name with a way that official might conceivably cross the body of water.”