A "record-setting crowd" was on hand at Austin's Circuit of the Americas yesterday as Max Verstappen "fended off Lewis Hamilton to win" the F1 U.S. Grand Prix. The "spectacle of the weekend finally took a backseat to the sport on Sunday before more than 140,000 fans, a crowd that made it the largest single-day sporting event in the Austin area’s history and one of the biggest single-event crowds in the U.S." since the pandemic began. The full weekend’s attendance reached 400,000, which "topped the projection of 360,000 from COTA CEO Bobby Epstein at the beginning of the week." Race attendees again had issues with COTA shuttles, a day after officials said "more than 100 buses canceled at the last moment." Ticket holders "took to Twitter to complain about waiting hours for a shuttle back to their cars" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/25).

Spotted at the race were sports figures including Shaquille O’Neal, Serena Williams and Rory McIlroy. Michael Jordan "had been due to attend but was a late cancellation." There was "plenty of Hollywood glamour as well," with Ben Stiller and Renee Zellweger, rapper Megan Thee Stallion and supermodel Karlie Kloss in attendance (LONDON TIMES, 10/25).

Ahead of the Nets’ home game against the Hornets yesterday, a "group of anti-covid vaccine mandate protesters marched through Brooklyn and attempted to force their way into Barclays Center" in support of the benched Kyrie Irving. Protesters chanted "Let Kyrie Play!" and "tried to barge through the metal barricades into the arena’s front doors." But they "didn’t get very far." Some of the protesters' signs "attempted to debunk the science behind the vaccine, some were in opposition of the current Biden administration, some read 'Let Kyrie Play' and one had a swastika on it" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/25).

The march of about 500 protesters began "about an hour and a half before Sunday’s game." They "marched several blocks through Brooklyn to the plaza in front of Barclays Center." The group "chanted fairly peacefully for approximately 30 minutes" before a "splinter group of approximately 100 protesters pushed their way toward the building’s main entrance." The building went "on lockdown for approximately 10 minutes" (NEWSDAY, 10/25).

The Blackhawks -- one of only two winless NHL teams -- "saw their capacity-crowd streak end at 535 games" with last night's loss to the Red Wings at United Center, with 19,042 in attendance. Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz during the game issued this statement: “We thank our fans for bringing the energy each and every game night -- and in this moment, it’s hard to be anything but grateful to them for showing up in full force for more than 530 games in a row. We’re actively building toward more competitive play on the ice as well as an experience that invites fans back following the COVID-19 pandemic" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/25). This comes after the  Penguins' 633-game home sellout streak ended last week.

Esports organization FaZe Clan announced plans this morning to merge with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. to become a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ through a business combination (private investment in public equity deal, or PIPE) that will see the new entity (to be called "FaZe Holdings Inc," and traded as "FaZe") with an "implied equity valuation" of approximately $1B. This valuation includes transaction proceeds of approximately $291M (including an estimated $118M in PIPE proceeds).

FaZe's estimated gross transaction proceeds will total $291M, including $173M in cash from BRPM’s IPO proceeds held in trust (assuming no redemptions), and $118M from committed PIPE investments. The funds will be used to fund growth in multiple sectors, including entertainment, gaming, consumer products, and more.

FaZe CEO Lee Trink will lead the new entity as CEO and Chairman of the Board; Amit Bajaj will serve as CFO; Kai Henry as Chief Strategy Officer; and Tammy Brandt as Chief Legal Officer.

Read more.

In preparation of the U.S. Soccer Federation retaining both its commercial and media rights from Soccer United Marketing beginning in '23, the soccer governing body is making senior-level executive hires, including naming Kelly Higgins VP/Partnership Marketing and Dan Gaiman VP/Partnership Development.

“My expectation is that ‘23 is going to be a growth year, and to make that become a reality, we had to be fully up and running,” U.S. Soccer Chief Commercial Officer David Wright said. Higgins, who most recently served as senior director of team partnerships within NBA’s Team Marketing & Business Operations group, started Oct. 4. Gaiman will begin in early November.

He previously served as VP/Global Partnership Sales at BSE Global. Both previously worked together at the Mets and the NBA in the 2010s. They’ll each work remotely from N.Y. and report to Wright.

Wright said Higgins’ team will focus on “driving strategic value for existing partners” and “manage growth and retention of those existing partners.” Meanwhile, Gaiman’s mandate centers around identifying new brand sponsors. Current partners include the likes of Volkswagen, AT&T, Chipotle, Visa, Allstate and Deloitte.

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Amnesty International has urged David Beckham to use his role as ambassador for the '22 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to “speak out” about the “deeply concerning human rights situation” in the host nation. Earlier Sunday, it was reported that Beckham "had agreed" to become the "face of next year’s World Cup." The event "has come under intense scrutiny for the treatment of those working in the construction of stadiums, as well as the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals in the country -- homosexuality remains illegal." Beckham has "previous ties to Qatar," having signed for Paris Saint-Germain -- owned by Qatar Sports Investments -- in '13 as the final club of his playing career (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/24).

A fan at Sunday's Bengals-Ravens game "tried to climb into the radio booth in search of a beverage," with the game "live on air" from M&T Bank Stadium. The moment came "late in the first quarter on the Bengals’ third drive." Ravens radio analyst Obafemi “Femi” Ayanbadejo "interrupted in a panic." With plenty of concern, he said to the fan, “What-- what, what, what are you doing?! What are you doing?” Nearly 17 seconds of silence ensued until play-by-play broadcaster Gerry Sandusky "continued to broadcast the game." Sandusky: "We actually had a fan who was trying to climb into the broadcast booth. She said, ‘I’m a veteran and I’m looking for a drink’” (BALTIMORE SUN, 10/25).

The Professional Fighters League has brought on Frank’s RedHot as a new sponsor for this week’s world championship event. The deal will be announced later today and revolves around the world championship event that takes place this Wednesday on ESPN2 and ESPN+ from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Assets for the hot sauce company include presenting rights to two of the six fights plus branding in the PFL SmartCage and co-branded social content. The deal was landed by PFL CRO Jon Tuck. 

Meanwhile, the league will also promote “HotBox by Wiz Khalifa,” a ghost kitchen brand owned by the rapper who is an investor in the PFL. The world championship is the culmination of the PFL season and will see fights across its six weight classes, with the winners taking $1M. PFL CEO Peter Murraytells SBJ that the league now has 23 sponsors total, including 14 that have come on this season. Other sponsors include DraftKings, Anheuser-Busch, Bose, IBM and BetMGM. Murray: “Global leading brands are now looking to MMA and the PFL to access 18-34-year-old males. Today we’re a mainstream sport versus five years ago, MMA was considered a niche.” 

Below are attendance figures from Week 7 of the NFL season, including Thursday night's game in Cleveland and all of Sunday's matchups (SBJ).

Every week, SBJ Atlas contributes data-driven insights to SBJ across multiple channels, including sponsorship insights, partnership rosters, social media movers and other content to inform your business decisions. To find out more about how SBJ Atlas can help you target partnerships, connect with decision-makers and eliminate research time, sign up for our weekly newsletter.

The Drone Racing League will hold its season-ending Championship Race at an outdoor course along the Las Vegas strip at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 5, the opening night of the Consumer Electronics Show (DRL).

The Columbus City Council is scheduled to vote today “to pay $21.82 million for the construction phase of a new parking garage at the new Astor Park mixed-use development adjacent to the Columbus Crew's new Lower.com Field” (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 10/25).

The Charlotte Observer added Ellis Williams as a Panthers beat writer. Williams previously wrote for Cleveland.com, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sporting News and others (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/25).

The San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon returned yesterday morning after a 17-month hiatus, and "about 20,000 registered runners" crossed the starting line (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/25).

“He’s going to get something nice in return, so we’ll get him a helmet or a couple of jerseys or some other stuff” -- Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, on the fan who returned the ball Brady threw for his 600th career touchdown. Bucs WR Mike Evans gave it to the fan not realizing it marked the milestone (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 10/25).

"There is no finish line when it comes to the health and safety of our sport, specifically around concussions” -- NFL Exec VP/Communications Jeff Miller, on NFL ads that claim the league has reduced concussions by 25% the last three seasons and is funding research to develop a safer helmet ( “Nightly News,” NBC, 10/24).

"The downside is, you’re constantly recruiting your football team every single year and other schools are recruiting your football team every single year. If you think it's not happening, you have your head in the sand, and they’re doing it with NIL, offering money, offering cars. It's flat-out free agency” -- Fox Sports’ Bob Stoops, on the transfer portal and NIL in college football ( “Big Noon Kickoff,” Fox, 10/23).

"I've seen the pain in his eyes and in his heart that it caused and hopefully, one day people can at least accept him that, ‘Hey, you're not perfect, neither am I. But hey, we love you’” -- Raiders QB Derek Carr, on former coach Jon Gruden ( “Fox NFL Sunday,” Fox, 10/24).

USA TODAY does a deep dive on the Appalachian League, which was "fraught with disarray, COVID-19" and "frustration" this season. Without someone "specially assigned to enforce protocols or address issues in the Appalachian League, many coaches and staff members, who already had their hands full with a six-game-a-week schedule, said the season became exhausting and disorganized." There were times when coaching staffs -- "struggling to get direction from USA Baseball and MLB -- developed their own COVID-19 protocols." Or they would "reach out to other teams to see what they were doing."

Also: 

• Muhammad Ali has "long had book and film appeal."

• A Texas non-profit develops a plan to grow hockey in the Southwest.

• Padres have potential advantage with Ron Fowler, CBA talks.

• Industry watchdog's take: Why F1 should "quit its addiction" to tobacco money.

• How "revenge spending" at Super Bowl will generate millions for L.A.

MONDAY

• Facebook, Big 5 Sporting Goods report earnings

TUESDAY

• World Series begins at Minute Maid Park (Braves-Astros, coverage on Fox)

• NFL fall meetings begin in N.Y. (2 days)

• Stephen A. Smith appears on syndicated "Tamron Hall"

• Alphabet, Twitter report earnings

WEDNESDAY

• Apple, Spotify, Churchill Downs Inc. report earnings

THURSDAY

• ASOIF Diversity & Gender Equality Consultative Group Meeting (virtual)

• Amazon.com, Comcast, SiriusXM Holdings, Nielsen report earnings

Read More >>>

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

• Kraken open Climate Pledge Arena

• Suns, Robert Sarver deny misconduct claims

• COTA expects record three-day attendance

• Sellout crowd sees football game at Polar Park

This week's issue highlights Power Players: Outside Counsel. Look for upcoming sections on:

• Nov. 1: College Basketball Season Preview

• Nov. 8: New Voices Under 30

• Nov. 15: Facilities: Fan Experience

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

• Why ownership ranks in sports are becoming more gender-diverse

• NFL sent pointed message to underperforming clubs

• NASCAR looks a decade ahead at schedule changes

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was "1970s Top 40 Hits.”

“Seeing a poster for a production of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ in a seedy Paris hotel and ladies of the evening nearby inspired this hit.” 

“What is ‘Roxanne?'"