Morning Buzz

NEW YORK — It is still going to be expensive to go to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Just not as pricey as it could have been. The Knicks had a chance to move within one win of a championship Monday. Instead, they saw their 13-game postseason winning streak end in a 115-111 loss to the Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Sellers were seeking five figures even for the cheapest seats on the secondary market for a potential title clinching Game 4. That presumably won’t happen now. During Monday’s game, the cheapest pair of tickets available on SeatGeek were going for $13,000 each. But the Knicks no longer have a chance to win their first title since 1973 on Wednesday.

Fans, who went home unhappy, had to wait longer than usual to get in the building for Game 3. President Trump’s arrival caused delays with ingress, as fans and media went through stricter security protocols before entering MSG.

The energy in the Garden was electric throughout, however, with fans who paid thousands of dollars to be there mostly getting their money’s worth.

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President Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals Monday night, and security protocols were “dramatically different from what they would be for a normal finals game.” And that means it also “changed the protocol for the teams, too.” Spurs G De’Aaron Fox said Trump being at Madison Square Garden “just makes it inconvenient on everybody else.” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was asked before the game if the president being at the game “was inconveniencing his team.” He replied, “No, I have not felt any inconvenience” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8). Fox added, “We got obviously more security. We got to send stuff (to the arena) early. I think our buses are a little earlier.” Fans received a warning from the Knicks that they would face “TSA-style screening procedures and a strict no-bag policy.” Fox indicated the Spurs “received a similar message.” Fox: “the less stuff you could bring, the better.” (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 6/8).

ESPN “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson, with his bow tie undone, “was getting wanded by Secret Service as he entered the arena 4 1/2 hours early, then waited among a herd of press types for 20 minutes to be let in 30 minutes early, then waited 15 minutes for the only accessible elevator before they turned on the escalators around the corner.” Spurs C Victor Wembanyama went through the same process two hours later (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/8).

As “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson put it toward the end of “NBA Tipoff” before the game, “I mean, everybody is here.” The list starts with longtime Knicks fans in their customary spots, including director Spike Lee (wearing a Pope Leo Knicks jersey); Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor; Timothee Chalamet; Mariska Hargitay, who was joined by “Law & Order: SVU” co-star Chris Meloni; Tracy Morgan; Fat Joe; Chris Rock; and Jon Stewart. Other sports and entertainment sightings: Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin; Jay-Z; N.Y. sports legends Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Alex Rodriguez, and Henrik Lundqvist; Benny and Josh Safdie; Tina Fey; DJ Khaled; Jason Sudekis; Jason Bateman; Jadakiss; Jets owner Woody Johnson; Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Jon Hamm; CBS host Gayle King; tennis legend John McEnroe; musicians Cardi B, Warren Hayes, Maggie Rogers, Sheck Wes, Albert Rogers, Robert Randolph, Ezra Koenig, Teyanna Taylor, Benny Blanco and John Lampley; St. John’s coach Rick Pitino; fashion designer Georginia Chapman; Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody; “The Sopranos” actor Michael Imperioli; comedians Pete Davidson, Dave Chapelle, Chris DeStefano, Sal Vulcano, and Andre Schultz; actors Larry David, Paul Wesley, Jamie Alexander, Jacob Batalon, Ben Ehlers, Callie Hernandez, Chris Abbott; John Ortiz, Emma Roberts, Dylan O’Brien, Cooper Hoffman, Taylor Felton, Skyler Astin and Elvis Nolasco; Mets SS Francisco Lindor and OF Juan Soto; former Mets P John Franco and 3B Todd Zeile; directors Greta Gerwig and Noah Bambach; N.Y. Rangers’ Jonathan Quick, Adam Fox, and Vincent Trochek; . Former Knicks players: Bill Bradley, Richie Guerin, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Larry Johnson, JR Smith, Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Camby, Al Harrington, Gerald Wilkins, Baron Davis, Tim Thomas, Charles Smith, Jeremy Lin, Spencer Haywood, Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton. President Trump, N.Y. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also at the game.

ABC broadcaster Mike Breen might have best summed up the atmosphere before tipoff: “I’ve been calling games in this arena for 34 years, and the pregame electricity is like none I’ve ever felt. It’s off the charts.”

Among the more interesting seating assignments was the row next to the Spurs’ bench with former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, TKO President / COO Mark Shapiro, Larry David, Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav, Kraft and TKO and WME CEO Ari Emanuel (SBJ).

Oklahoma and Learfield are slated to announce a five-year extension of their deal through 2037, the parties told Sports Business Journal. Exact financial terms were not disclosed. The agreement centers on the creation of the Sooner Evolution Center, an on-campus facility that will be geared toward helping Oklahoma athletes activate on NIL deals.

Oklahoma has been among Learfield’s longest standing partners, with a relationship that dates back to 1994. The current deal was slated to expire in 2032, while talks around an extension have been ongoing for the better part of a year.

“Every time that there was time to step up and do something different, do something innovative, do something first, they always look to the University of Oklahoma to be one of those pioneers and one of those kind of first movers, even dating back to the origination of us working with Learfield,” said Marcus Bowman, Oklahoma’s deputy AD of business development and revenue generation. “That was the genesis.”

The deal comes at a crucial time for Oklahoma, which recently broke ground on a basketball arena in the Rock Creek Entertainment District. The school is also in the early stages of planning for a major renovation of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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Under Armour and Utah are slated to end their long-running apparel relationship upon their current deal’s conclusion next year, Sports Business Journal has learned. The parties agreed to a 10-year, $65M extension of their relationship in 2016 that runs through June 2027. It is not yet known which provider Utah will pivot to in the wake of the deal’s expiration.

Utah Athletics provided the following statement when reached by SBJ: “The University of Utah greatly appreciates its 18-year partnership with Under Armour, and has immense gratitude for the many benefits it has provided to our student-athletes. Utah Athletics and Under Armour have experienced significant growth in our nearly two decades as partners, including our moves from the Mountain West to the Pac-12, and now to the Big 12 Conference. Thank you to Kevin Plank and the team at Under Armour for their incredible support for the University of Utah, our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans.”

A spokesperson for Under Armour provided a separate statement when reached by SBJ on Monday: “Under Armour remains deeply committed to supporting student-athletes through its robust collegiate athletics program. While we have agreed to conclude our partnership with the University of Utah, we are proud of the support and resources we’ve provided their student-athletes, coaches and fans over the years. We look forward to completing a strong final year with the Utes.”

Utah is one of a handful Power Four schools to leave Under Armour for another apparel provider in recent years, including South Carolina and Auburn -- both of which switched to Nike over the last year-plus. The brand has, however, inked major extensions with Notre Dame (through 2034) and Wisconsin (through 2036).

The Plano City Council “unanimously approved” hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and incentives for the Stars to leave downtown Dallas for a planned new arena at The Shops at Willow Bend site. The city’s leaders approved “four measures after over an hour of public comment,” paving the way for the suburb’s first major league sports team. Officials “backed more than” $700M in funding in support of a new entertainment district. The vote comes less than a week after the Stars submitted a nonbinding letter of intent for a new arena and entertainment district in Plano as their lease at American Airlines Center expires in 2031. While the agreement is nonbinding, the Stars have “every intention of making Plano their new home,” with plans to build a $1B stadium to anchor a $3B mixed-use development, supplemented by $700M in public funding (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/8).

The USMNT moved into its temporary home in Irvine on Monday, where the players “found thousands of new Southern California neighbors waiting in line to watch them kick a ball.” The City of Irvine held a raffle for passes to see the team train in its only public workout. About 32,000 people applied and 5,500 received access on a warm Monday morning to watch the team “rush through a light 45-minute practice.” The practice was notable because it was the “first at Championship Soccer Stadium,” about 50 miles southeast of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where the USMNT will open its World Cup on Friday against Paraguay (L.A. TIMES, 6/8). Players took the field at Orange County’s Championship Soccer Stadium on Monday to the “cheers of several thousand fans who had turned out just to watch a mere practice,” and were given “yet another reminder of just how special this opportunity will be if they seize it.” The fans “stood in lengthy security lines at this sprawling athletic complex for an up-close morning look at a team that isn’t among the favorites” (AP, 6/8).

TIME since 1999 has published an annual list of the top 100 most influential people in the world, and it’s now debuting a top 100 fully devoted to sports. LeBron James is on the cover of the magazine as the “athlete of the century” in TIME 100 Sports. James has been on the TIME100 list twice before.

Other athletes such as Lionel Messi, Stephen Curry and Rory McIlroy are included, but it also features high-profile names from the business ranks, including Michael Jordan, Roger Goodell, Gerry Cardinale, Carlie Irsay-Gordon and more. A number of sports media personalities are also on the list, including Bill Simmons, Pat McAfee, Mike Tirico and Shams Charania, among others.

“We’re trying to take a holistic view of who’s having an impact beyond the field or court,” TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs said. “We’re also trying to capture trends across major sports.”

Jacobs said the project, which took about four months from start to finish, was meant to be a gathering place for sports fans. “There are fewer and fewer places that bring large audiences and people that disagree with each other together,” Jacobs said. “As a brand we aspire to be a similar place.”

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The Southwest Area Commission will vote at its meeting Tuesday on “whether to recommend approval of the rezoning application” for the Columbus NWSL expansion team facility plan. McCoy Park could be the site of the “state-of-the-art, heated soccer fields and a two-story, 45,000 square-foot training facility.” The Haslam Sports Group shared plans for the Columbus NWSL team training facility ahead of its request to the Columbus Southwest Area Commission to “endorse the group’s rezoning application.” Use of the park was “part of a hotly contested public-private deal that will invest” $50M in local public money. Part of the deal would see the Haslams and co-owners donate $12M to Franklin County early childhood education and food insecurity and $3M to Southwest Side parks (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 6/9).

The AUSL released its sponsorship roster heading into the 2026 season, which begins Tuesday. The league reached new sponsorship deals with Adidas, goodr, Sequel, StubHub and LonelyPlanet, all starting this year. Additionally, Sephora, Rawlings/Easton, Franklin Sports and Mizuno all agreed to multi-year sponsorship renewals this year. Adidas is the official on-field uniform, apparel and footwear provider of the AUSL.

Sephora’s expanded relationship with the league includes the launch of a Sephora Braid Bar at AUSL events, in addition to athlete-focused storytelling, fan experiences and broadcast integrations. Franklin Sports’ extended its AUSL sponsorship through 2030 and introduced custom batting gloves for each team. Rawlings/Easton’s long-term pact includes the launch of the AUSL Gold Glove award. StubHub is now the league’s official ticket marketplace. Labcorp also joined as the official consumer health testing sponsor of the AUSL.

Meanwhile, LonelyPlanet will launch a series of travel guides and destination content designed to help fans experience their six home markets outside of the respective ballparks.

AUSL’s 2026 sponsorship roster: premier sponsors adidas and Sephora; league-wide sponsors DICK’S Sporting Goods, Franklin Sports, Gatorade, GameChanger, goodr, Lonely Planet, MiraLAX, Mizuno, PitchCom, Rawlings/Easton, Sequel, StubHub and Labcorp.

Tech consultancy firm Next League is hosting the fourth installment of its two-day immersive program, called Next League University, starting Tuesday in its N.Y. office.

This year’s class features 48 people, the largest class so far for the program, with a mix of college students, recent graduates, and fledgling professionals in the sports industry. The group features an equal mix of young male and female professionals, with more than a quarter coming from BIPOC communities. Next League CEO David Nugent said that when this year’s program ends on Wednesday, more than 150 people will have completed the Next League University experience. “What started out as a simple idea has turned into something our entire organization gets behind and is incredibly proud of,” Nugent added.

Participants were referred to Next League by current clients like NASCAR, LPGA, PWHL, and TMRW Sports. Guest speakers this year include NWSL VP/Digital MZ Goodman, USOPC SVP/Chief of Fan & Brand Engagement Jess Park, PWHL VP/ Growth Strategies & Team Operations Jayne Bussman-Wise and CBS Sports analyst Mackenzie Brooks. That group will join Next League’s stable of pros with significant experience in the sports industry.

Next League is the presenting partner of SBJ Tech Week and the SBA: Tech Next in Sports Tech: Rising Woman of the Year award to highlight the up-and-coming talent in the sports tech space.

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ESPN’s Holly Rowe joins SBJ’s Ben Portnoy at NACDA to discuss her recent work. She shares insights from the Women’s College World Series and her involvement with the Allstate Good Works team, highlighting the importance of community service. This conversation offers a glimpse into the life of a sports journalism veteran.

SBJ Executive Editor and Publisher Abe Madkour will moderate a keynote Association-Wide Featured Session at the annual NACDA Convention in Las Vegas with NCAA President Charlie Baker and Learfield President / CEO Cole Gaughan on Tuesday at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT in Oceanside A at Mandalay Bay. 

SBJ will sponsor four sessions Tuesday, with a focus on women’s sports, content teams in college athletics, building scalable athlete brand programs and venue innovation. The 30-minute sessions begin at noon ET / 9 am PT in Mandalay Bay I.

• “Women’s Sports, By the Numbers: Building Revenue Where Your Fans Already Are,” with SMU AD / CRO Lauren Adee, Las Vegas Aces CRO Jason Andrea and Badger Sports Properties VP / GM Scott Silvestri and moderator Ben Portnoy of SBJ.
• “From Content Team to Creative Agency: The Next Frontier of NIL Activation,” with Tyson Hutchins, BYU Senior Associate AD, Creative Strategy; Caitlyn Hummel, Director, Social Content and Strategy at Georgia; and Chris Kutz, Boise State Senior Assoc. AD, External Affairs at 9:45 am PT with Portnoy as moderator.
• “How Athletic Departments Can Build Scalable Athlete Brand Programs,” emphasizing how athletic departments can create systems that teach athletes to grow their brand, navigate NIL and avoid pitfalls led by AthleteCon Founder Sam Green.
• “Building Buzz Before the Build: Lessons from a Visionary Leader on Venue Innovation and Putting Fans First” concludes SBJ’s block at 11:15 am PT, as Madkour sits down with Athletics President Marc Badain, the top executive behind the building of Allegiant Stadium and now the A’s for a wide-ranging conversation.

SBJ’s Brand Innovation Summit returns to Chicago at a new venue with two days of programming featuring innovative CMOs and brand leaders. More than a thousand attendees are expected at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile on Tuesday and Wednesday. Following morning networking sessions and lunch, programming begins Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. with a conversation with Dude Perfect CEO Andrew Yaffe. The first panel discussion of the event focuses on today’s biggest trends followed by two tech-focused sessions with AWS and USAA and a look ahead to Bank of America’s World Cup plans. The programming continues with a panel on “The Game Plan for CMOs,” featuring team and league CMOs, followed by a presentation by Keurig Dr Pepper SVP Derek Dabrowski, a panel discussion on premium hospitality and sessions on the playbooks used by Honey Deuce and Sephora. Wednesday’s programming kicks off at 9:45 am ET with Kristyn Cook, State Farm’s EVP & Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer. To see the full agenda, click here.

“The title of this series that premiered in 2012 goes back to a colloquial word coined by Alben Barkley’s grandson.”