Morning Buzz

The WNBA opens its 29th season on Friday as it nears “an exciting yet pivotal inflection point.” The league has expanded to 13 teams with the addition of the Valkyries, seen the hiring of eight first-time head coaches and overhauled rosters in the offseason. But “just wait for what 2026 has in store.” Not only will the WNBA add two more franchises in Toronto and Portland, “all but two veterans are going to be free agents at the end of this season.” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said that the “optionality and unprecedented nature of what awaits next season is exciting.” All unanswered questions pertaining to the CBA will “need to be fleshed out before any of that chaos can ensue.” It’s all “gearing up for what may be one of the most anticipated WNBA seasons to date” (N.Y. POST, 5/16).

The Valkyries kick off their first season after “blockbuster demand from fans.” Their lone preseason home game “saw a whopping” 17,428 in attendance, the third highest-attended preseason game “in league history.” The team kicks off the season with more than 10,000 full season ticket holders (REUTERS, 5/15).

Thanks to Wings G Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, sports fans are “paying more attention to the Wings.” Bueckers, making her WNBA debut tonight against the Lynx, is tasked with “helping lift the Wings’ on-court product” and is expected to “drive the Wings’ cultural relevance in a North Texas region that loves sports but” is still “learning to fully embrace professional women’s hoops” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/16).

Charter Communications has “agreed to combine with privately held” Cox Communications in a deal that unites “two of the biggest US cable providers.” The transaction will “value Cox at about” $34.5B, including debt. The Cox family will “be the largest shareholder in the combined company with a stake of about” 23% and will have seats on the board. Cox’s systems and regional footprint are “expected to complement those of Charter,” increasing the chances of a deal “passing muster with regulators.” Charter, which operates under the Spectrum brand, is the “top cable TV company” (BLOOMBERG, 5/16).

A letter sent to Celtics shareholders said that Bill Chisholm has “obtained sufficient commitments to purchase the Celtics,” and his ownership group has “been finalized.” The deal will “not become official” until it receives approval from the NBA Board of Governors, likely in June or July, which is “expected to be a formality.” Chisholm’s group will purchase 51% of the team this summer, “with the balance closing in 2028.” It is “unclear what percentage of the team Chisholm is purchasing,” but he is “required to own at least” 15% in order to hold the controlling stake. Chisholm and current majority owner Wyc Grousbeck have “sat together in TD Garden courtside seats often,” including the Celtics’ Game 5 win against the Knicks (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/16).

The Bengals “alleged a conflict of interest between another negotiator” Hamilton County has hired for ongoing stadium discussions hours after the county moved to terminate its longtime riverfront counsel, noting that the negotiator “is also doing work” for the Browns. The Bengals said that they were “surprised the county retained an outside stadium consultant, Inner Circle Sports, that also does work for the Cleveland Browns.” The Bengals said in a statement, “This was not disclosed to the team initially, and the team undertook research to finally uncover this truth. The team has expressed concern to the county that a stadium consultant performing services for the Cleveland Browns might not have Cincinnati’s best interests at heart.” The statement was “in response to one made earlier Thursday by Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich.” Pillich, who represents the county, said that the team has “all but refused to talk to [David] Abrams [of ICS],” and that the Bengals “will not dictate who negotiates for the county.” An agreement between the county and ICS “calls for a $25,000-per-month retainer, assuming Abrams works on the project in a particular month, plus additional fees for certain services.” The deal “could ultimately be worth” more than $1M (CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER, 5/15).

A current Suns employee “sued the team” in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Tuesday, “citing allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.” The lawsuit is the “fourth filed against the Suns by a current or former member of the organization in the past seven months.” Suns’ director of safety, security and risk management Gene Traylor, who joined the team in January 2023, is the plaintiff in the case. He alleges the team “discouraged him from taking protected leave after he was diagnosed with cancer.” In response, the Suns “denounced” Sheree Wright, one of two attorneys representing Traylor (ESPN, 5/15).

Today’s Black-Eyed Susan and tomorrow’s Preakness Stakes will “mark the last one” at what will eventually be known as the old Pimlico Race Course. The nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club will be the “new operator at Pimlico,” taking over from 1/ST Racing and the previous version of the Maryland Jockey Club. Once Saturday’s race is contested, work on dismantling Pimlico will “proceed full bore with the demolition of the grandstand/clubhouse structure -- where the grandstand is already condemned and closed -- expected to start in June.” Pimlico’s racing surfaces will not be altered, but the new grandstand/clubhouse will be “considerably smaller, housing maybe 6,000-8,000 fans on a regular basis” (BLOODHORSE, 5/15).

Grand Slam Track announced that it has cut its Philadelphia event at the end of the month “from three days to two.” Organizers realized over the course of the first two showcases -- held in Kingston, Jamaica, and Miami -- that there “was too much time between races each day.” Fans in attendance “complained,” as did the athletes competing. The Philadelphia event, held at Franklin Field, will be on May 31 and June 1, with May 30 being removed from the calendar. The move might “prompt questions about ticket sales, and organizers haven’t said much about that yet.” But they are “issuing full refunds for anyone who bought May 30 tickets, and partial refunds for anyone who bought multi-day packages” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/15).

MLB is highlighting geographical rivalries with its inaugural Rivalry Weekend presented by Booking.com. Every team will play its designated rival, with 11 interleague series and four non-interleague series. The weekend will be highlighted by Mets RF Juan Soto returning to the Bronx to face his former team, the Yankees, and Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani hosting his former team the Angels (MLB).

The World Trade Center will “host free watch parties” for the Mets-Yankees series. The three-day event will see every game shown on a “large projection screen with speakers.” Fans can also “have their photo taken with a World Series trophy” (MLB.com, 5/14).

The Padres will host the Mariners Friday for the “first official game of the Vedder Cup” -- named after Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. The rivalry came after the Mariners and Padres “joined together this offseason” with the approval from Vedder, whose family moved to the San Diego area when he was a child, to give the “matchup between the ‘natural rivals’ an official name after years of it being referenced that way unofficially.” It started years ago as a “fun running joke among baseball scribes and bloggers in San Diego who were fans of the band, caught on by their colleagues in Seattle who were also fans of the band, and was later adopted by a subset of Padres and Mariners fans in general on social media” (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/15).

Prodigy Search is partnering with the McLendon Foundation as the Preferred Talent Partner of the McLendon Leadership Initiative. The Foundation is committed to creating educational opportunities and expanding career pathways across the sports industry. Prodigy Search will lead the recruiting, vetting, and placement process for the McLendon Leadership Initiative’s 2025-26 class of Fellows. (Prodigy Search).

Churchill Downs Racetrack is looking for a Senior Dir/International Sales. The Louisville-based position is responsible for spearheading and overseeing the development of businesses in international markets, aiming for revenue growth and pipeline creation to international markets (Churchill Downs Racetrack).

The Snow League is looking for a League Experience Dir. The remote based position is responsible for leading the end-to-end design and implementation of experience programs for Athletes, Media, VIPs, Fans, and Staff/Vendors (The Snow League).

Wasserman is looking for a Manager of Social Media. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for being the primary manager of the main brand social media account, working with all areas of the company to support the vision and ensure active, growth-driven feeds (Wasserman).

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Regarding the idea of “women first”, she queried, “Women demand equal rights on land–why not on sea?”