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The USTA yesterday “pushed back the start” of the U.S. Open Men’s Final a half-hour from its original 2pm ET start time due to the “extra security measures in place” because President Trump was watching the match from a suite inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, but “thousands of fans were still far from the entrance to the arena when play eventually began.” Some fans said “they were never informed” what they “would face after they arrived,” and “once they went through security to enter the grounds, as usual, there was then another stop to be checked in front of the steps into Ashe.” When the Alcaraz-Sinner match eventually began, there were “thousands still stuck in a line that snaked all the way to the practice courts.” As a shot of the crowds was shown during ABC’s coverage, broadcaster Chris Fowler noted that it appeared fans were “not adequately told to be prepared for this” (AP, 9/7).

Trump “briefly emerged from his suite” about 45 minutes before the match started and “heard a mix of boos and cheers from an Arthur Ashe Stadium that was still mostly empty.” He “appeared again to more boos before the National Anthem.” Standing in salute, the president “was shown briefly on the arena’s big screens during the anthem, and offered a smirk that briefly made the boos louder.” Trump was shown on the big screen “again after the first set ended, and elicited a roar of louder boos and some piercing whistles.” He “raised his left fist in salute as the noise continued in the stadium.” Trump attended the final “as a guest of Rolex,” despite imposing steep tariffs on the Swiss watchmaker’s home country. The USTA also tried to limit negative reaction to Trump’s attendance being shown on ABC’s national telecast, though the reactions to Trump “didn’t ultimately constitute big disruptions” (AP, 9/7).

The USTA “reverted to amateur hour” in its handling of Trump’s attendance. There will “undoubtedly be refunds for fans who missed entire sets while waiting in security lines.” But what was “worse” were the “written -- why commit this in writing? -- instructions for broadcasters not to capture any crowd reactions.” This “drew universal condemnation, less as a political statement than complicity in an act of censorship” (SI, 9/7).

Meanwhile, Trump is “expected to attend the game between the Tigers and Yankees at Yankee Stadium on the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.” It would mark the first appearance by Trump at an MLB game in his second term, and his second game as president, after attending Game 5 of the 2019 World Series in D.C. during his first term (DETROIT NEWS, 9/7).

U.S. Open Tournament Dir Stacey Allaster “was recognized” by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on Sunday after “ending her run” as the tournament’s lead executive. Allaster, the first woman to hold that role, announced late last year that she would transition from that role and chief executive of pro tennis for the USTA into an advisory role “so she can pursue other interests.” Both finalists “thanked her in the trophy presentations” after Alcaraz beat Sinner for the title. Allaster joined the USTA in 2016 and became the U.S. Open tournament director in 2020. Before that, she was Chair & CEO of the WTA (AP, 9/7). The “person who doesn’t support Eric Butorac" to become the new U.S. Open tournament director “is the kind of person who doesn’t vote for” Roger Federer’s Tennis HOF candidacy. It’s “such a no-brainer, it’s gratuitously contrarian to stand in opposition” (SI, 9/7).

Some of those spotted at the U.S. Open included musicians Bruce Springsteen, Usher, Pink, Sting and Shaggy; comedian Kevin Hart; actresses Lindsay Lohan and Mindy Kaling; actors Ben Stiller, BJ Novak, Danny DeVito and David Duchovny; Warriors G Stephen Curry, 76ers F Paul George and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, among others (SBJ).

This story was featured in the latest SBJ Morning Buzzcast, our daily podcast that brings you the hottest stories in sports business in less than 15 minutes. Listen to the episode below and subscribe on all major podcast platforms. Apple | Spotify | YouTube

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The USTA paused its $800M renovation of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the 2025 U.S. Open, with the only indication of the upgrades to be completed by 2027 a two-story parking garage nestled beside the western facade of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

But with the tournament now in the rearview, work on the interior of Ashe and a new player performance facility next door is set to resume in earnest.

By the 2026 U.S. Open, the USTA will demolish and replace everything below the mezzanine level of suites in Ashe, adding about 2,000 seats worth of “courtside” inventory (and bringing its total courtside capacity to 5,000). They will also rebuild two levels of suites above Ashe’s lower seating bowl -- which will be unfinished and temporarily furnished for 2026, then completed by 2027 -- and construct the shell of the player performance center, which won’t be functional until 2027.

“The construction window is so small for us between the Opens, and we have to get so much done in each of the three years,” said Daniel Zausner, the USTA National Tennis Center’s longtime COO. “The [2025 U.S.] Open ends on [September] 7th, we have a concert on the 11th and we will start the demolition process the following Monday. On September 15, it will be full-bore until next August.”

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Led by Bessemer Venture Partners and seconded by Serena Ventures, 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled has closed an oversubscribed Series B, raising its valuation to $340M.

To place it in context, league officials pointed to the top two team valuations in the WNBA -- the Liberty’s $450M and the Fever’s reported $370M -- and believe they are markedly ahead of internal projections heading into their second season.

“A year and a half ago we were beating down doors for people to take a flyer and give us some money to launch a league,” said Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell, husband of co-founder Napheesa Collier. “Napheesa and Breanna [Stewart, the other co-founder] went live on SportsCenter before we had a dollar raise. It took a lot of courage because it could flop. But where we’re at now, we have to say no to a lot of people who want to invest.”

Building on Bazzell and Co.’s “mission to try to create a billion-dollar league,’’ Unrivaled’s Series B also includes repeat investments from Warner Bros. Discovery and Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures. In addition, the round contains funding from Hawks G Trae Young, Univ. of Maryland President Darryll Pines and his wife Sylvia, sports exec Sam Rapoport, Magic Fs Franz and Moritz Wagner and Next Legacy Partners.

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Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur said that the club “is not for sale” and that its majority shareholder Enic Group “had turned down takeover interest from two parties, including” Amanda Staveley. In a statement on Sunday, Tottenham said its majority shareholder had “unequivocally rejected” what it described as two separate “preliminary expressions of interest” in a takeover. The club’s ownership “has been in focus” since the announcement last week that Daniel Levy was leaving the club after almost 25 years as executive chair. Per the rules of the U.K. takeover code, Tottenham said that Staveley’s PCP International Finance and the other consortium have until Oct. 5 “to either announce a firm intention to make an offer or walk away.” PCP said on Sunday that it “does not intend to make an offer for Tottenham,” although it “could return if another bidder announces a firm intention to make a bid” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 9/7).

Staveley’s statement confirming she will not follow up her approach with a bid “means that, under takeover rules, she cannot return with an offer for six months.” It is understood that Staveley’s approach “did not include any Qatari involvement” (London TELEGRAPH, 9/8). Tottenham’s statement, while “required” by the U.K. Takeover Code, “also serves as a quietening of the noise.” Tottenham has, “for now, dismissed takeover talk.” Yet “the truth is the club has long been available for the right price” (THE ATHLETIC, 9/8).

It’s understood the Lewis family trust “is open to external investment, but after it invited Levy to step down in a move designed to help” Tottenham claim “more wins, more often,” the majority owners’ “main focus is on providing the required support” to new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington, CEO Vinai Venkatesham and coach Thomas Frank (London INDEPENDENT, 9/8).

Former NWSLer Alex Morgan had her number retired by the San Diego Wave on Sunday as the crowd of 15,626 at Snapdragon Stadium “chanted her name.” Moments earlier, “a video had played featuring many of her former teammates, San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas, and her husband Servando Carrasco with their children, congratulating her on a storied career." The Wave players “looked on as Morgan spoke about being with the club since its first year, witnessing its growth.” Her retirement last summer “elicited tributes throughout the sport, none bigger than Sunday’s jersey retirement at Snapdragon Stadium” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/7).

About 100 of Morgan’s family members and friends were in attendance for Sunday’s match and ceremony, including former teammates such as Tobin Heath. The Wave commemorated the jersey retirement -- “a rare honor in soccer -- by giving fans pink headbands, a look that Morgan made iconic.” There was “also a huge ‘No. 13’ structure wrapped in pink pre-wrap, which Morgan used to roll up to make her headbands” (ESPN.com, 9/7).

NBC Sports has rolled out a new promo spot for its return as an NBA broadcaster within tonight’s Ravens-Bills Week 1 “SNF” game. The spot, which was created in-house, highlights NBC’s tip-off doubleheader on Oct. 21 and will begin airing across NBCU platforms before the NBA season begins. NBC Sports’ six analysts -- Grant Hill, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford -- appear in the spot alongside the Thunder’s big trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren (the Thunder host the Rockets in NBC’s first game back). Lead NBC NBA play-by-play voice Mike Tirico also lends his voice to the spot. NBCU SVP/Creative Marketing for Sports & Entertainment Joseph Lee led the internal effort in creating the new spot.

As the NBA continues to prioritize streaming, the league’s investment arm is pouring capital into MediaKind, the technology company that powers the direct-to-consumer League Pass.

The move by NBA Investments means the league will directly collaborate with MediaKind on digital innovation, significant in an era where every nationally-televised NBA game this season will be tethered to a DTC service -- on Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN’s new app. In a corresponding deal, the NBA has also signed a multiyear extension with MediaKind that will keep the company providing technology and white glove service for League Pass.

“Our [League Pass] agreement was up for renewal,’’ said MediaKind’s COO Jeff Sherwin, whose company first contracted with the league for the 2022-23 season. “I think they looked around and said the experience that we’re having with MediaKind just simply cannot be beat. And we started talking about how to go and really figure out a long-term solution where they would not only be willing to continue to use our solution, but … invest in the innovation with us and develop features together.’’

MediaKind has been lauded for its proprietary research on video compression, and when its former CTO Allen Broome became CEO roughly four years ago, the company leaned on cloud-based video services to develop pristine picture quality with the lowest possible latency. Their technology within League Pass has ensured, for instance, that the shot clock is synchronized on-screen, that dynamic ad insertions are on point and blackouts or market protections are seamlessly managed.

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Nexstar Media-owned WPIX-TV is renewing a deal with SNY to carry 30 Mets games over-the-air in N.Y. through 2028, extending a pact that began in 2006. The deal includes a new component whereby games on WPIX will also air on Nexstar–owned and operated stations in a number of upstate N.Y. markets (Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse and Utica), as well as in Hartford.

Among the 30 telecasts, 25 will be on Friday nights during the regular season. Five spring training games are also included. Each regular-season game will have a 30-minute live pregame show on WPIX. Each market of the markets getting games outside N.Y. also will have access to authenticated online streaming. SNY will continue to produce the WPIX game broadcasts. Chris McDonnell, VP & GM of Nexstar’s N.Y. operations, ran point on renewing the deal with SNY.

EA Sports is working with Spotify for “Campus Pregame,” a series of events on four campuses to promote the College Football 26 video game and programming on the music-streaming platform. No agencies were involved in this deal.

In addition to a curated playlist on Spotify (which will change to fit the schools and participating celebrities and streamers each week), Campus Pregame features stop at three SEC games and one Big Ten matchup:

• Thursday-Sunday: Georgia at Tennessee
• Oct. 2-4: Texas at Florida
• Oct. 30-Nov. 1: Penn State at Ohio State
• Nov. 13-15: Oklahoma at Alabama

Each stop features activations on and off the field, including a series of streamed video match contests between celebrities. The first EA Sports College Football Showdown Presented by Spotify is between country music singer/songwriter Tucker Wetmore and James Bordeaux, a YouTube and TikTok steamer who focuses on college football. This matchup is during this week’s series stop at Knoxville. A spokesperson said EA Sports would share more information on who will be participating in these College Football 26 matchups it confirms deals between the video game publishing giant and talent.

A spokesperson from EA Sports declined to share financial details or which events company, if any, would put on the events.

In this week’s issue:

• Teams and leagues face more competition than ever before for a fan’s entertainment dollar. Our In-Depth this week from Bret McCormick and David Broughton explores 13 different ways those entities are making adjustments to enhance the fan experience, from parking and wayfinding to concerts, drone shows and extra perks.
• Few presidents of major league teams waited 30 years to land the job. And fewer of them are as grateful for the chance -- or enjoy it as much -- as the Mariners’ Kevin Martinez. SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo explores the long journey Martinez made to the top in Seattle.
• Outside of Fort Worth is a sports facility where world-class athletes and at-risk kids can come together to train, develop and change their lives. Irving Mejia-Hilario reports from AP Ranch.
• Rugby has long been popular in other countries, but less so in the U.S. Before the men’s and women’s World Cups come to the U.S. next decade, World Rugby is investing $250M to turbocharge the sport. Vitas Carosella has the details.