Morning Buzz

NBC had a slight reduction in its commercial time for the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday, as J.J. Spaun collected his first major title. In total, NBC aired 44 minutes, 15 seconds of ads during live play in the final round (excluding a 90-minute weather delay), down from 45 minutes, 45 seconds for last year’s final round.

SBJ tracked three types of ads: Full breaks, “presented by” breaks and “Playing Through,” which features a split screen with both live golf and commercials. SBJ tracked the commercial load via WCNC-NBC in Charlotte starting at 2pm ET, just before the final groups teed off. NBC came on the air at 1pm.

RELATED: Tracking NBC’s commercial load for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2

NBC’s second hour, from 3-4pm, was its heaviest commercial hour, with 15 minutes, 15 seconds of ads during that time. Of that time, 9 minutes were of the full break variety, with another 6 coming via “Playing Through” and one 15-second “presented by” segment.

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JJ Spaun collected his first-ever major championship at the U.S. Open on Sunday, firing a 1-under-par 279 “to fend off a half-dozen challengers on what became a rock fight of a final round” at Oakmont Country Club. Some “might look at the U.S. Open and consider it a disappointment because there weren’t bigger names at the top.” Scottie Scheffler “never really made a move,” and “neither did Jon Rahm." Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy’s “biggest swing was the one he took at the media who cover him,” and we “didn’t hear much” from Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth or a few other recognizable names all week. However, “that didn’t detract from the quality of competition” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/15). Spaun’s win at the U.S. Open netted him $4.3M in prize money (GOLF, 6/15).

Spaun’s victory was “a refreshing change of pace from a recent run of big stars claiming all of the biggest events in men’s golf.” The past six major titles “had gone to four people:” Scheffler, McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, DeChambeau, Schauffele and Scheffler. It “felt kind of fitting in this instance that a no-name like Spaun who’d been grinding for years in the Tour’s shadows was the one best equipped to overcome the non-stop adversity” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/15).

ESPN is taking “SportsCenter” on the road this summer for 50 consecutive days from all 50 states, beginning with a special edition Scott Van Pelt preview show from D.C. on June 27. Other major events include UFC 317 in Las Vegas with Nicole Briscoe and Michael Evans, the MLB Home Run Derby from Atlanta with Elle Duncan and Kevin Negandhi, and WNBA All-Star Weekend from Indianapolis with Duncan and Hannah Storm.

Programming includes a mix of live on-site shows and storytelling segments, and a blend of tentpole properties and smaller things, like whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon, Cape Cod League Baseball and a youth baseball tournament at the Field of Dreams. The initiative ends on Aug. 15 with the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania.

“We wanted to create the most robust quilt of American sports,” said Mike Foss, SVP/Sports Studio & Entertainment. “That was first calculus. How do we do this stunt in such a way that we are capturing just about every sport that we possibly can during this stretch?”

The ESPN team has been working on 50 Days since December, with Foss emphasizing the leadership of Andrea Pelkey, Coordinating Producer I; Scott Clark, VP/Production; and Julie McGlone, VP/Creative Content, Production.

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S.F. Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey “seized the attention of the sports world” on Sunday night, making “the big, bold trade that had been elusive for the Giants for so long” when he acquired DH Rafael Devers from the Red Sox in exchange for P Kyle Harrison, P Jordan Hicks and two minor leaguers. Devers “gives the Giants their most powerful left-handed bat since Barry Bonds." It’s the “kind of aggressive move that Giants fans have been pining for,” and the kind of blockbuster midseason move “that the previous regime failed to make” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/15).

The Giants “have been rebuffed in both trade and free agent negotiations over the past decade,” but now they “don’t have to worry about being used as stalking horses come next winter.” Luring an elite bat to S.F. “has proven almost impossible.” And one “just fell into the Giants’ lap” (USA TODAY, 6/15).

The trade also “made a statement to the fanbase and the rest of baseball: The Giants are done acting like anything less than the single big-league team in the richest metro area in America.” The Giants will “take on every penny of what remains on Devers’ contract” -- $250M through 2033 (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 6/15).

Palmeiras vs. FC Porto in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., drew 46,275, “largely made up of passionate Palmeiras fans.” Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira suggested that FIFA should “consolidate fans within the lower rings” of MetLife Stadium when attendance falls “considerably below a sell-out” during the Club World Cup. While the lower rings appeared “close to full, supporters were scattered across three tiers which does not make for the best atmosphere.” Ferreira said the issue is the “stadium is huge.” Ferreira, FC Porto coach Martin Anselmi and Palmeiras F Estevao also “criticised the turf” at the stadium (THE ATHLETIC, 6/15).

The Club World Cup match between the Seattle Founders FC and Botafogo, which ended with a 2-1 Botafogo win, drew a crowd of 30,151 at Lumen Field in Seattle. It was a “mixed reaction that was expected for these games” due to “high ticket prices and a general lack of buzz for the new event.” More seats were “made available on the east side of the stadium” but the upper deck on the west side “was completely empty.” Before the match, 1,038 participants “set a new Guinness record for most people receiving a soccer lesson” outside the stadium (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/15).

Paris Saint-Germain, UEFA Champions League winners, kicked off the Club World Cup “in strong fashion” with a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in front of 80,619 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/15). Bayern Munich “romped” to a 10-0 victory over Auckland City at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati with 21,152 fans in attendance. Fans displayed a “red-and-white banner” referring to the 2015 raid by U.S. law enforcement at a Zurich hotel that “led to the arrest of many soccer officials: ‘10 Years Baur Au Lac -- World Football is More Poorly Governed than Before! Smash FIFA!’” (AP, 6/15).

While the USMNT “easily handled” Trinidad and Tobago en route to a 5-0 Gold Cup win that snapped their four-match losing streak, an announced crowd of 12,610 showed up to watch at 18,000-capacity PayPal Park -- “far from the ringing endorsement the program could have hoped for on home soil with less than a year to go till the World Cup.” Such a turnout “served as just a footnote amidst a recent string of USMNT turmoil.” The fact that the USMNT “failed to fill up a small stadium fresh off of a record year in terms of home attendance overshadowed the details of its on-field performance Sunday.” Across a dozen home matches in 2024, the USMNT averaged 37,925 fans, its highest average home attendance since 2015. But “even its lowest home attendance that year” was a Toyota Field record of 9,191 fans. Filling two-thirds of PayPal Park “reflected what has been a frustrating 2025 for the USMNT” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/15).

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino said that the win “cut the negative results” and “gave the U.S. a chance to start building something” ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. lost two friendlies leading into the tournament, the second in “decidedly embarrassing fashion.” A deep run in the Gold Cup “could help build belief around the program again.” It “certainly would take focus away from the off-field drama and turn the spotlight back to on-field productivity” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/15).

NASCAR EVP & Chief Venue and Racing Officer Ben Kennedy was “non-committal” Sunday on if the Xfinity and Cup Series will return to Mexico next year but said “we’re very hopeful to be back here in the future.” Kennedy said that he was “pleased with the weekend’s events and the crowd.” He noted that “44% of the crowd came from Mexico City and that 90% of the crowd came from Mexico,” though he “did not reveal attendance numbers for the weekend or Sunday’s race.” NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps said, “Racing here in Mexico City, amongst these passionate fans in such an impressive venue for the first time in NASCAR Cup Series history, is in a word, spectacular.” Kennedy did say that “should NASCAR return it would ‘ideally be around an off week’ because of the travel challenges for teams” (NBCSPORTS.com, 6/15).

Driver Shane Van Gisbergen took home the checkered flag at NASCAR’s Mexico City event, winning on the road course “to earn an automatic berth into NASCAR’s playoffs.” Van Gisbergen led 60 of 100 laps and beat Christopher Bell by 16.567 seconds. Daniel Suarez, who “appeared to be blinking back tears as he sang along with the Mexican national anthem in pre-race ceremonies, desperately wanted the home win” in his contract year with Trackhouse Racing. He was “the face of this event” as NASCAR ventured outside the U.S. with its top series for the first time since 1958 (AP, 6/15).

With U.S. tennis player Ben Shelton rising from No. 12 to No. 10 in the ATP world rankings -- joining countrymen Taylor Fritz (No. 4) and Tommy Paul (No. 8) in the top 10 -- this is the “first time there are three American men inside the Top 10 at the same time in almost two decades.” The last time it happened was the week of April 17, 2006 -- when Andy Roddick was No. 4, James Blake was No. 7 and Andre Agassi was No. 10. It’s also “possible we could have four American men in the Top 10 soon,” with Frances Tiafoe “lurking just outside the elite” at No. 13. The U.S. is the only country with three men in the current Top 10 (TENNIS, 6/16).

RELATED: Ben Shelton joins WME’s tennis roster

The USTA has brought on four new managing directors across its grassroots and pro tennis divisions.

• Patrick Briaud, Managing Director/Tennis Advocacy, will lead advocacy campaigns to expand access to tennis facilities, influence public policy and form partnerships that drive participation growth at the local level. Briaud is a former touring pro who spent the past 11 years as Principal & Head/Impact Investing for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. He will report to USTA Managing Director, Head/Section Partnerships Ted Loehrke.
• Lydia Colaresi, Managing Director, Head/Digital Strategy, will oversee efforts that use technology to connect players to play opportunities. Colaresi spent 15 years with Live Nation Entertainment, starting in ticketing operations and rising to VP/Digital Marketing, CRM & Marketing Solutions. She will report to the USTA’s forthcoming Chief Growth Officer, whose hire, according to the organization, will be announced “in the coming days.”
• Christian Gabriel, Managing Director/National Infrastructure & Venue Strategy, will lead efforts to expand tennis court infrastructure through court preservation and new developments. Gabriel was most recently the Founder & Creative Director of landscape consulting firm Public Nature Projects, and worked for the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (Deputy Director) and U.S. General Services Administration (National Design Director/Landscape and Architecture). He will report to Loehrke.
• Angus Mugford, Managing Director/Athlete Performance & Operations, will oversee USA Tennis’ sport science, mental performance and athlete education departments. Mugford worked in player development-focused executive roles with the NHL’s Devils, MLB’s Blue Jays and IMG. He will report to USTA GM/USA Tennis Tracy Davies.

Each of the new hires start today and are based out of the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida.

A special 60-page insert in this week’s issue is set aside for SBJ to recognize its 26th Forty Under 40 Class. Meet the members of SBJ’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2025 and learn more about the deals, decisions and influence they have on sports business. Three honorees join the Hall of Fame for three-time honorees: Uzma Rawn Dowler of MLB; Russ D’Souza of SeatGeek; and Michael Melnitzky of Allen & Company. The class will be celebrated at an awards gala on Nov. 21 in N.Y.

In this week’s issue:

• Frank Vuono shaped the NFL’s sports licensing business, then struck out on his own, founding agencies that represented some of the world’s biggest stars. SBJ’s Terry Lefton has the story of how Vuono, one of SBJ’s 2025 Champions, channeled his hardscrabble New Jersey roots to build a successful marketing career.
• SBJ’s Tom Friend takes us inside Oklahoma City’s 20-year journey from the temporary home for the New Orleans Hornets after Hurricane Katrina to this year’s NBA Finals.
• Laver Cup organizers expect their biggest event ever as the World vs. Europe tennis tournament heads to Chase Center in S.F. in September. SBJ tennis writer Rob Schaefer has the details about the event’s record revenue projections.
• With the College World Series underway in Omaha, Neb., SBJ’s Ben Portnoy describes how college baseball is positioned to benefit from the post-House settlement environment.
• A new per-bet surcharge in Illinois, on top of a progressive tax that went into effect last July, will have market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings paying an effective 51% rate, matching that levied in New York. SBJ senior writer Bill King explains how the sportsbooks are responding.

“Some 200 years after her birth, she was awarded the rank of General in Maryland’s National Guard on Veterans Day 2024.”