Morning Buzz

K.C. officials are “poised to introduce a funding plan” for a downtown Royals ballpark that is “built around a specific location: Washington Square Park.” The proposal calls for a $1.9B ballpark and “surrounding district at the downtown site.” K.C. would “contribute roughly” $600M. An ordinance would authorize City Manager Mario Vasquez to “negotiate and execute a 30-year term sheet, lease, and development agreement with the team to build” the ballpark. It is “exclusive to the Washington Square Park site and intends to prohibit the Royals from soliciting proposals from other states, counties or municipalities.” The plan includes an “aggressive timeline” of being ready by Opening Day of 2030, a year before the Royals’ lease expires at Kauffman Stadium. It is “not yet clear whether the Royals will jump at the deal.” Team owner John Sherman earlier this year said that his “preference remained to land in the ‘heart’ of the city.” The ordinance will “still need to wind through the city’s legislative process,” with a committee hearing Tuesday, before city council members can vote (K.C. STAR, 4/9).

A memorandum of understanding between the Rays, the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County has set a June 1 deadline for all sides to secure approvals that would allow for the franchise to build a $2.3B ballpark and privately funded adjacent mixed-use development in time for the start of the 2029 season.

The projected budget for the $2.3B public-private partnership would feature a $1.235B (and overruns) contribution from the Rays and a maximum public contrition of $1.065B. The breakdown would be $750M from Hillsborough County, $251M from the city of Tampa and $64M from additional public funding sources. The Rays would commit to a 35-year lease, with three five-year options that could bring it to 50 years, and a non-relocation agreement.

Before the project proceeds, the city council, county commission and CRA board must approve the final project agreement; MLB must approve the new ballpark and all project agreements; all public bonds must be validated; and all legal processes and governmental processes must be met.

The Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday that Hillsborough County voters favor a new ballpark in Tampa, but oppose using sales tax money to help build it.

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross on Thursday announced that the city is “finalizing a lease extension” for the Cowboys and AT&T Stadium “to 2055.” The original lease signed in 2009 was set to expire in 2039. This extension gives AT&T Stadium “a lifespan that will last at least 46 years, as long as the Cowboys decide not to tear down and rebuild on the same site.” In the original lease, the Cowboys were “required to pay monthly rent to the city in the amount of” $166,666.67 for 360 months for a total of $60M by the end of 2039. While the details of the new lease agreement “are not yet known,” the Cowboys would pay the city $92M by the end of 2055 if the rent price remains the same (FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/9).

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday “promised” that this year’s game in Melbourne between the 49ers and Rams “would not be a one-off and the league could ​return as early as 2027.” Goodell was at Melbourne Cricket Ground to promote ‌the game and said, “There’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again. Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We ​don’t come as a one-offs. This isn’t a circus. This is something that’s an investment ⁠in this, in this market and we believe that, this is long term and will be ​great for the NFL long term” (REUTERS, 4/10).

Goodell revealed that “fans from 35 countries as well as Australia joined online queues to snap up 42,000 public tickets” on Wednesday morning “in a matter of minutes.” Goodell also revealed the NFL’s “popularity had jumped” 50% in Australia in the past two years. The NFL revealed that 50% of tickets “sold in Australia on Wednesday were snapped up by people living outside of Victoria.” The MCG has “committed to providing 100,024 seats” for the games. Frustrated fans said they “experienced long waits on Wednesday without being able to secure a ticket,” while others “complained of sky-high pricing.” The cheapest tickets were $95 for standing room (Melbourne AGE, 4/10).

Goodell also confirmed the plan for a halftime show, saying, “Part of our event is to have entertainment. We come with a show. It’s not just a football game. And we expect to do that. You’ll see that on September 11.” He “declined to announce potential headliners” for the halftime show (Melbourne HERALD SUN, 4/10).

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday “signed a bill that makes online sports betting legal in Wisconsin so long as bets are made through servers located on Tribal lands.” He “acknowledged that there’s more work ahead to ensure a certain level of equality among the tribes.” Contracts will also “need to be ironed out with the tribes before bets are placed,” and that process “could take several months.” The bill had “bipartisan support and the support of the federally recognized tribes of Wisconsin” (WKOW.com, 4/9). The new law “adds an exception to the state’s legal definition of ‘bet’ to allow wagers placed on a mobile or electronic device by a person located in Wisconsin, as long as the service or device processing the bet is located on in-state tribal lands and otherwise follows the state’s gaming compacts” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/9).

FC Cincinnati has engaged Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Santos FC F Neymar’s camp in “preliminary discussions about a move to MLS,” but those discussions “are in the very early stages,” according to sources cited by THE ATHLETIC. Sources added FC Cincinnati is “gauging Neymar’s interest and requirements,” while also “having internal conversations about whether pushing to sign the global superstar makes sense.” The club “believes its financial power and new facilities would be attractive to a star like Neymar,” who is under contract with Santos, his boyhood club, until the end of 2026. One “potential complicating factor” is that FC Cincinnati “does not currently have an open designated player slot,” with F Kévin Denkey, D Miles Robinson and MF Evander all “under long-term contracts,” and they “cannot be bought down to open a DP spot” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/9).

Live Nation’s antitrust trial against 34 states could finish as early as Friday. Juror deliberation started Friday morning following the trial’s closing arguments on Thursday.

Notable sports and antitrust attorney Jeffrey Kessler -- who most recently represented 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports in an antitrust case against NASCAR that ended in a settlement -- delivered the final address for the plaintiffs yesterday, arguing that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operate as a monopoly that violates both federal and state antitrust laws.

The case was filed initially in 2024 by the DOJ and a majority of U.S. states. Live Nation and the DOJ announced a settlement deal on March 9, leaving the remaining states to finish out the trial, which has taken place in the Southern District of New York. A verdict in favor of the states could lead to a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, a union that officially started with a 2010 acquisition. Ticketmaster is the dominant ticketing provider across the sports industry.

While the case has focused mainly on the music side of the business, sports have frequently become intertwined in the month-plus-long trial, like the testimony of former Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CEO John Abbamondi that illuminated a heated conversation with Live Nation President & CEO Michael Rapino, or the fact that sports clients lessen the case’s monopoly claim.

Perfect Game has selected vivenu as its ticketing and e-commerce platform, centralizing the complex digital ecosystem for the youth diamond sports organizer. Vivenu won out in a decision-making process that featured five potential providers, according to Perfect Game CEO Rob Ponger. No outside firm was used to facilitate the deal, which will span multiple years. Financials were not shared with SBJ.

Ponger said that Perfect Game hadn’t had a unified approach like this before, and the overall goal of this venture was to improve the customer experience for all in the Perfect Game database (players, families, and teams). “Where their tech really helps us is we’ve really created ease of access, but also one-stop shopping,” Ponger said. “It’s streamlining the products, so now you can buy merchandise on it. Now you can buy our DiamondKast on it, which is our scoring app and streaming app, all in one cart.”

Along with that, Perfect Game will be able to communicate with users of its platform in a more streamlined way. That includes the ability to provide discounts and offers from Perfect Game sponsors.

This is the second notable deal for vivenu recently. At the start of last month, the company was named the new official ticketer for the United Soccer League.

NBC Sports are looking for a Manager/Communications. The Stamford-based position is responsible for developing and executing publicity strategy to secure media coverage on NBC Sports’ properties, events and key stakeholders, including executives and on-air commentators (NBC Sports).

The Dodgers are looking for a Manager/Global Partnership Success. The L.A.-based position is responsible for delivering service and strategic execution of all projects, correspondence and timelines for assigned Global Partner accounts (Dodgers).

The NWSL’s Chicago Stars are looking for a Senior Data Analyst. The Chicago-based position is responsible for designing and building the business intelligence infrastructure that powers the organization to make smarter, data-driven decisions across commercial departments (Stars).

Versant is looking for a Senior Dir/Strategy & Business Development. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for overseeing and identifying initiatives that drive meaningful revenue and EBITDA growth across Versant’s portfolio of Sports & Entertainment assets (Versant).

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