The Nets signed a multiyear jersey patch deal with online brokerage company Webull. Terms were not disclosed, but the sponsorship puts Webull’s logo on the Nets jersey and also gives the company global marketing rights to the Nets as part of the NBA’s international marketing sponsorship program. CNBC reported the deal was worth $30M annually. Webull’s logo also will be on the jerseys of the WNBA Liberty, G League Long Island Nets and NBA 2K League affiliate NetsGC. Webull becomes the official online brokerage of the Nets, with in-arena digital signage at Barclays Center and integration across the teams’ digital channels. No agencies were used in the deal.

“We are both New York City-based companies but also companies with global aspirations,” said John Abbamondi, CEO of Nets parent company BSE Global. “We are both young companies and challenger brands focused on millennials and Gen X fans and customers.” This is the first sports sponsorship for Webull. “This is now our opportunity to let everyone know who we are,” said Webull CEO Anthony Denier. “This is by far our first and biggest partnership that we have.”

The Clippers have signed their first founding partnership of the Intuit Dome with sustainability-focused fintech company Aspiration. It is the first of 8-10 planned founding partnership level deals the Clippers are targeting for their privately financed $1.8B development featuring the 18,000-seat arena set to open in '24 in Inglewood. Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources said it is a 23-year deal. The agreement will give the California-based company in-arena signage, hospitality and other activations focused on sustainability. CAA represented the Clippers. Aspiration did not use an agency.

Aspiration will also become the presenting partner of the Clipper Nation MVP Program season-ticket program. The Clippers are focusing on a variety of sustainability efforts tied to their new arena, with plans to earn LEED Platinum certification for their facility. The deal comes after the Clippers last week announced a naming-rights deal with software company Intuit.

The Lions on Sunday honored recently inducted Pro Football HOFer Calvin Johnson at halftime against the Ravens, but the ceremony was "marred by loud booing from the crowd at Ford Field." Lions Owner Sheila Ford Hamp was "drowned out as she attempted to give remarks." Hamp also "made some comments, but the fans muffled her words." Johnson "gestured for the crowd to relent" (DETROIT NEWS, 9/27).

Meanwhile, Giants fans booed team President & CEO John Mara as he "stepped to the microphone at halftime" to honor former QB Eli Manning at MetLife Stadium. It was "alarming," after former NFLer Shaun O’Hara’s introduction "gave way to Mara’s speaking part, to hear a thunderous rain of boos from the fans, who have had enough losing year after year." As he walked back to his box to watch the second half, Mara said, “Of course I heard it. Listen, I would have booed, too. We’re 0-2 and down at the half” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/27).

Former casino mogul Steve Wynn "ventured back into the public eye on Sunday, lighting the Al Davis Memorial Torch" prior to Dolphins-Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, and he was "met with mostly cheers." A video "mentioning that support played as a way to warm up the crowd." There was "no mention of Wynn’s resignation from his company, Wynn Resorts, in February 2018, as a result of a series of accusations of sexual harassment and coercion against female employees." Sunday’s appearance was Wynn’s "first public event in Las Vegas since he left his company" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 9/26).

Below are attendance figures from Week 3 of the NFL season, including Thursday night's game in Houston and all of Sunday's matchups. Visit SBJ Atlas for more insights (SBJ).

The Chiefs indicated coach Andy Reidis “doing well, currently resting and in stable condition,” after he left Arrowhead Stadium shortly after yesterday's game against the Chargers for care at a local hospital. The Chiefs "confirmed the 63-year-old Reid was transported to the University of Kansas Health System hospital 'for further evaluation' after receiving attention from the team’s medical staff." The Chiefs previously announced that Reid "felt ill after Sunday’s 30-24 loss" to the Chargers and "would not be available to address the media" after the game. Exact details about what ailed Reid "remained unknown." Special teams coach Dave Toub, who held the Chiefs’ postgame news conference, said that Reid "addressed the team in the locker room right after the game" (K.C. STAR, 9/27).

The Fire and Nashville SC played to a 0-0 draw at Soldier Field in front of a season-high crowd of 15,915, but also on a "grass surface with football markings" a day after the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game at the stadium. The field was "clearly worse for wear, with divots and pockmarks around the entire playing surface, contributing to a forgettable 90 minutes of soccer." Nashville SC coach Gary Smith "brought up the playing surface before taking questions from the media." He said that the field "was 'incredibly difficult,' giving both teams fits." Smith: "I’ve got to say, that’s the worst grass field I’ve been on in a long, long time at this level" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/27).

Alex Palou said he was "proud to be the first" Spanish driver to win the NTT IndyCar championship in the season finale, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. All Palou had to do was "finish 12th or better to emerge with the hardware that is the Astor Cup, and he came in fourth." Team owner Chip Ganassi "made his way into the post-race news conference." He said, “This is as good as it gets.” Grand Prix Association of Long Beach CEO Jim Michaelian said that the "attendance over three days of racing was 180,000" (Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM, 9/27).

T'Wolves Owner Glen Taylor and incoming co-Owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez today are "scheduled to speak publicly" about the firing of ex-team President Gersson Rosas as the team opens training camp. Lore "has already been in the process of examining all facets of the organization, basketball operations included." Sources said that the T'Wolves "started an investigation into Rosas' tenure to see if there were any other issues that might come to light." Lore has "pledged to take a deep look at how the Wolves do business, and it didn't take long for him, Taylor and Rodriguez to decide change had to happen now" (Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE, 9/25).

TD Garden "welcomed 12 of the best tennis players in the world with open arms" for this weekend's Laver Cup, in which Team Europe handily beat Team World. Fans "packed the house" for the three-day event. Among those in attendance for Day 1 (Friday) were Bruins RW David Pastrnak and Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore. The "loudest hooting and hollering occurred on Day 1, when the video board hanging over mid-court" showed event co-founder Roger Federer, who "made the trip, watching from the stands." Federer was back for Day 2, this time taking in the action alongside fellow tennis great Andy Roddick, and "again was warmly received" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/26).

Meanwhile, John McEnroe "wishes the Laver Cup could get more attention and thinks it’s a mistake that the ATP Tour schedules regular tournaments that conflict with the three-day exhibition event." McEnroe: “This is my personal opinion, but I don’t think there should be any tournaments going on if they want to try to get to the level of a Ryder Cup, say. It’s got to stand on its own” (WASHINGTON POST, 9/27).

The governor of Louisiana and mayor of New Orleans "informed the NFL that the Caesars Superdome is ready to host the Saints' home game" next Sunday against the Giants. Saints VP/Communications Greg Bensel "confirmed the team is good to go for next Sunday -- its first true home game since the team evacuated Aug. 27" before Hurricane Ida made landfall (NFL.com, 9/26).

The Kraken beat the Canucks 5-3 in their preseason debut last night, in front of 10,208 "raucous fans at Spokane Arena" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/27).

Bleacher Report is launching its hockey vertical, B/R Open Ice. Andrew ‘Nasher’ Telfer will anchor the brand's content strategy and star in interactive mid- and long-form offerings. The focus of B/R Open Ice will extend from stats and news to hockey culture (Bleacher Report).

The N.Y. TIMES is the latest to examine why so many female athletes are "speaking out on abortion rights." More than 500 filed a "startling brief" to the Supreme Court last week in a "bold show of support for reproductive rights in a pending case that could lead to the dismantling of Roe v. Wade." The brief’s "primary claim? If women do not have the option of abortion, their lives could be disrupted and they will not thrive in sports at levels we’ve grown accustomed to -- levels witnessed recently at the Tokyo Olympics, in the WNBA playoffs and the U.S. Open." Some female athletes "manage to have children and remain in the upper reaches of their sport." There is a "flip side: the way that steering clear of motherhood, sometimes through abortion, keeps female athletes in the game and balanced in life."

Also:

• Why Billie Jean King won for all women, not just in tennis.

• The story of Serena Williams' first endorsement deal.

Some of the top news items from yesterday's edition of Weekend Rap.

• Notre Dame-Wisconsin game draws 59,000 at Soldier Field

• Georgia Tech tops UNC in first of six games at M-B Stadium

• Ontario ups outdoor event fan capacity to 75%, or 30,000

• Simone Biles' Gold Over America Tour rolls on at SAP Center

This week's issue presents our '21 class of Game Changers. Look for upcoming sections on:

• Oct. 4: NHL Season Preview

• Oct: 11: NBA Season Preview

• October 18: Sports & Pop Culture

Also, see this week's SBJ for stories on ...

• Golf ratings taper off, but network execs stay bullish on game

• UNC leads way as NIL group licensing gains momentum

• NASCAR crafted ’22 schedule with big network windows in mind

MONDAY

• Global Tech Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland

TUESDAY

• AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises And Ticketing Symposium begins. SBJ hosts at Park MGM/NoMad, Las Vegas over three days

• NBA training camp begins

WEDNESDAY

• Sports Future Rendez-Vous in Lausanne, Switzerland 

SUNDAY

• MLB regular season concludes

Read More >>>

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “History of the 19-Teens."

“Saying he ignored warnings of enemy vessels, the British Admiralty sought to blame William Turner, this ship’s last captain in 1915.”

“What is the (RMS) Lusitania?”