Morning Buzz

Canada C Connor McDavid scored in overtime to lift his nation to a 3-2 victory over the U.S. in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off yesterday. McDavid “lifted a wrist shot” past the glove hand of U.S. G Connor Hellebuyck at 8:18 of the extra period to deliver the rematch to Canada. Political tensions between the two nations “gave the game an added layer of intrigue and perceived importance,” after U.S. President Trump “called the U.S. squad to offer support” before the game. Toronto’s CN Tower was “bathed in red and white” and New York’s Empire State Building was “lit up in red, white and blue.” When the puck dropped, there was “pushing and shoving but there were no fights.” It was “clean, hard hockey” (GLOBE AND MAIL, 2/20). There were 17,850 fans in attendance at TD Garden for the final (ESPN, 2/20).

Two hours prior to puck drop, “boisterous chants of ‘USA!, USA! USA!’ erupted around the Bobby Orr statue outside TD Garden.” Fans “decked out” in Canada and USA apparel “streamed in and out of North Station and shimmied cheek-to-jowl the aisles of the jampacked Bruins Pro Shop.” Captains for the U.S. and Canada were Mike Eruzione and Wayne Gretzky, respectively, on a “night of national pride and long memories” (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/20).

The pomp and circumstance was “fittingly spine-tingling.” For the Canadian national anthem “O Canada,” there was a “smattering of boos to start but it was overtaken” by the anthem’s singing. There were “plenty of Canadians in attendance,” but it was “loud enough to suggest many Yanks had chosen to lend their voice, helping singer Chantal Kreviazuk along.” Then came the Star Spangled Banner, with singer Isabel Leonard being “backed beautifully by the Boston Pops and thousands of full-throated American fans” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/21).

The Canadian national anthem singer at the 4 Nations Face-Off final, Chantal Kreviazuk, “changed a lyric in ‘O Canada’ as a response” to U.S. President Trump‘s repeated remarks about making the country the 51st state. Publicist Adam Gonshor said that she “changed the lyric from ‘in all of us command’ to ‘that only us command’ and confirmed Trump’s 51st state comments were the reason why.” Kreviazuk said she did it because “I believe in democracy, and a sovereign nation should not have to be defending itself against tyranny and fascism.” Kreviazuk also “wrote the phrase ‘that only us command’ with mascara on her left hand.” Fans in Boston “lightly booed the song,” though it was “drowned out by Kreviazuk’s singing” (AP, 2/21).

Kreviazuk “tried to explain her position on Instagram later in the night” and “admitted that she could have sounded better because her performance was widely panned.” Kreviazuk said that she “had to do something and couldn’t sit idly by” (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 2/21). She “apologized if her performance ‘rubbed you the wrong way’ and later emphasized the sovereignty of Canada” (TORONTO STAR, 2/20).

MLB and ESPN have mutually agreed to opt out of the remainder of their national TV deal after this season, SBJ confirmed.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred sent a letter to owners Thursday, according to The Athletic, in which he stated the league had “not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”

The sides had a mutual opt-out date of March 1, though the 2025 season was already locked in.

MLB and ESPN agreed to a seven-year deal in 2021 worth $550 million annually that included the 30 regular-season games, the Wild Card round and the Home Run Derby. It will not continue for 2026-28.

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The PGA Tour projected optimism on Thursday following a half day of meetings at the White House with President Trump and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

The tour’s contingent included Commissioner Jay Monahan, along with player directors Adam Scott and Tiger Woods. Sources said Trump initiated Thursday’s discussions, which began around noon and ended after 6pm when the tour released a statement saying there was a “constructive working session” among all parties to find a way to unify pro golf. The tour also said it was “committed to moving as quickly as possible” toward a deal with the PIF.

Notably, the last line of the statement says, “we all want the best players in the world playing together more often.” Monahan last week in California specifically talked about operating “under one tour.”

Early Thursday, sources were optimistic the sides would emerge from the meeting with some form of a potential deal agreed to. Though one wasn’t announced Thursday, industry sources still believe it’s more a matter of when, not if, a deal is agreed to.

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Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson “put pressure” on Jackson County leaders to come up with a plan to keep the Chiefs and Royals, “suggesting that another stadium vote could come later this year.” Patterson said that Jackson County leaders “needed to develop a stadium funding plan -- and fast -- before Missouri officials commit to anything.” He added that he “supports Jackson County leaders putting a Chiefs-only stadium proposal on the November ballot.” Patterson said that the funding would “serve as the foundation for any Missouri-led stadium package.” With the legislative session underway, there “appears to be newfound energy among state officials to respond to Kansas” (K.C. STAR, 2/20).

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said Thursday that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) defamation lawsuit against the USADA and ethics complaint against former U.S. drug czar Rahul Gupta had “both been withdrawn.” USADA CEO Travis Tygart called the end of the legal actions “complete vindication for us both.” The latest disagreement came over WADA’s “handling of the case involving Chinese swimmers who tested positive, but received no sanction after the country’s anti-doping agency determined the positives were the result of contamination” (AP, 2/20).

The Indiana men’s and women’s basketball teams “won’t be wearing the newly designed ‘Fear of God’ alternate uniforms this season.” No reason was given for the decision. The women’s team “planned to wear” the specially designed Adidas jersey Thursday night against Ohio State and the men were “planning on wearing them” Feb. 26 against Penn State. Indiana “put out videos” of the teams “receiving their new Fear of God apparel on their social media channels Wednesday, but those videos that were taped earlier in the week have since been taken down.” The decision to scrap the uniforms “was made Thursday afternoon.” The Hoosiers wore their “traditional white jerseys against Ohio State” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/20).

The Cavaliers are looking for a Senior Dir of Event Services. The Cleveland-based position is responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and execution of large-scale events hosted at the venue while developing and implementing operation procedures tailored to specific needs of the venue and its events (Cavaliers).

The Titans are looking for a VP/Marketing, Advertising & Analytics. The Nashville-based position is responsible for shaping and executing marketing strategies to drive fan growth, engagement, and brand expansion, reaching key target audiences and emerging markets (Titans).

The Orioles are looking for a VP/Corporate Partnerships. The Baltimore-based position is responsible for leading the development and execution of multi-year partnership strategy, driving significant revenue growth through new partnerships and retention efforts in complex, strategic partnerships, especially within emerging industries and new technologies (Orioles).

To have your job postings included in “Roster Spots” -- a feature in Morning Buzz on Fridays -- please send information to JWatson@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

“The 4-syllable name of this city is almost identical to its namesake town in Spain, except that the Spanish one has an extra ‘R.’”