Morning Buzz

Unless 11th-hour financing can coerce its nine MLB teams to stay put, Main Street Sports Group could have little choice but to file for Chapter 7 and immediately liquidate its business next week, sources told SBJ. Under that scenario, the FanDuel Sports Networks for 20 NBA and NHL teams could conceivably go dark at midseason after a brief grace period -- forcing the teams to scramble to contingency plans that involve league-controlled apps or independent streaming platforms that could emergently digitize their games.

While meetings between Main Street, prospective buyer/financier DAZN, MLB, the NBA and NHL have reconvened in various forms and subsets this week, a clear domino effect will emerge if the nine MLB teams -- Braves, Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals and Rays -- decide it is fiscally irresponsible to remain with the Main Street RSNs. As of Thursday night, sources were convinced those nine teams were resigned to permanently opt out, considering the baseball season begins in 58 days and due to ongoing skepticism about Main Street’s viability after it emerged just a year ago from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

With that particular Chapter 11, the plan was to reorganize. But if Main Street loses all its MLB teams, DAZN almost certainly would back out of any potential sale -- leading to the Chapter 7 scenario and leaving the remaining NBA and NHL teams in jeopardy of having no broadcast homes at midseason. Main Street sources have said that if the sale to DAZN fails, they will wind down their business at the end of the regular season with a promise to broadcast games until then. But considering Main Street has already defaulted on its January rights fee payments and has asked teams to take 20% reductions in rights fees going forward -- and defer them to Q2 or Q3 -- sources said there is gaining suspicion that immediate liquidation is a conceivable and almost likely outcome. NBA and NHL teams are holding out hope, sources said, that Main Street will finish the season, although the Main Street creditors will purportedly make that ultimate decision. But if liquidation occurs, the leagues are certainly prepared with plans.

For more on the issues facing Main Street, read Tom Friend’s full piece here.

The possibility of a WNBA player strike has heightened in recent days, sources told SBJ, with collective bargaining talks now at a 16-month impasse and with union leadership believing the league has shown little urgency to compromise on the core issue of revenue sharing.

The union -- which was authorized by a 98% player vote in December to strike if they saw fit -- has begun accelerated discussions with players about work stoppage scenarios and other procedural matters, sources said, especially since players such as Breanna Stewart have been hoping for a resolution by early February. The final step, barring progress in negotiations, would be an executive committee decision to strike, once it factors in recommendations from WNBPA staff and counsel. No firm strike decision or strike date has been solidified, sources maintained.

The players’ union on Thursday would not confirm any strike scenario, while WNBA officials declined comment. But sources said team executives leaguewide are anticipating a potential work stoppage and are bracing for perhaps a delay in the 2026 season, which is scheduled to begin May 8. Although there has been intermittent verbal sparring for months, the CBA talks had remained active and largely civil until this latest development. But the turning point purportedly was the league’s continued non-response to a union proposal a month ago for a 30% player share of the revenue pie and a $10M-plus salary cap.

For more on the WNBA labor strife, read Tom Friend’s full piece here.

The Golden Knights have agreed to a multiyear renewal of their sponsorship agreement with the Southern Nevada Toyota Dealers that includes a jersey patch placement on the team’s away jerseys. Sunday’s game against the Ducks will mark the first time the NHL franchise has worn sponsor patch on its white road uniforms.

Financial terms of the Golden Knights’ deal with the local Toyota dealers were not disclosed. Jersey patch deals that include both home and away rights for an NHL team are typically valued in the mid-seven-figures annually, topping at around $10M. Resort and casino brand Circa Las Vegas has been the team’s home jersey patch partner since the 2022-23 season.

The team is also running a promotion offering all Toyota vehicles with Golden Knights license plates a free carwash from fellow team sponsor WOW Carwash through Sunday.

Both Saatchi & Saatchi and Professional Sports Partners advised the Southern Nevada Toyota Dealers in striking the deal with the Golden Knights. The dealers have sponsored the team since its inception in 2017-18.

USA Volleyball has brought on JMI Sports as its third-party sales rep through 2030. The NGB had been running commercial efforts in house.

It’s the first time JMI has represented an NGB and an indicative of volleyball’s growth across all levels of the sport. In addition to USA Volleyball’s more than 600,000 members, and two competing pro leagues, the sport has exploded in popularity at the high school and college levels, including an astounding 92,000 in attendance at a 2023 Univ. of Nebraska match, the largest crowd to watch any women’s sporting event. Additionally, the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Championship with Canada will mark the first time the event will be held in North America.

Accordingly, in 2028, “If volleyball isn’t one of the breakout sports at L.A. 28, something’s wrong,” said JMI CEO Erik Judson. “It’s growing at every level and demographic, so our mission is to build a bigger and better platform for commercial partners and add more year-round touchpoints.”

JMI named VP/Partnerships Erika Quiel as its lead on USA Volleyball, reporting to SVP Pete Thuresson.

NASCAR has “postponed the two local races scheduled for Saturday” at Bowman Gray Stadium which were “part of this weekend’s Cook Out Clash,” due to impending winter weather. However, Friday’s Clash Preview at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Event Center is “still scheduled” from 10am-2pm ET. The Cup drivers practice, qualifying and heat races have also “been postponed because of the impending weather conditions.” NASCAR said that the Sportsman and Modified races “are not cancelled, but the hope is to run those two races at a future date.” The Cook Out Clash is “still scheduled for Sunday,” with practice and qualifying “scheduled from” 2pm-4pm and set to be broadcast live on FS2. The Last Chance Qualifier is scheduled for 6pm on Fox (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 1/29).

The incoming winter weather in the North Carolina area this weekend is “setting up what could be the coldest race in NASCAR history.” Multiple “fallback options were examined,” but “ultimately keeping the Clash at Bowman Gray -- and as close to its originally scheduled date as possible -- made the most sense.” This marks the “second time in three years that Mother Nature has significantly negatively impacted the Clash.” The 2024 edition “hastily moved up a day” due to severe weather bearing down on the L.A. area (THE ATHLETIC, 1/29).

Sports business investors David Blitzer and Paul Wachter are joining the new ownership group of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team in MotoGP, becoming some of the first American financiers to take a bet on the series under Liberty Media’s ownership. This morning, the various sides are announcing that Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and Wachter’s Main Street Advisors are among the new investors that are joining IKON Capital, which purchased the team last fall from prior owner Herve Poncharal. As previously announced at the time, former Haas F1 Team principal Guenther Steiner is also part of the new group and is now serving as CEO of Tech3.

The group is investing $50M and will own 100% of the team, according to a person familiar with the matter. Investors across the world have been exploring deals in MotoGP in recent months after Liberty’s deal to buy the series was finally approved, raising hopes that it can unlock a “Drive to Survive” effect of some sort for the motorcycle racing series like it did for F1. Also joining the consortium is French private equity firm Trail Slam, which F1 driver Pierre Gasly is a part of; ALK Capital; Penman Holdings’ Barry English; Tom Stafford; Charles de Carvalho; and Dolphin Capital’s Richard Cook.

Blitzer, who owns stakes in several stick-and-ball leagues, said in a prepared statement: “MotoGP is well positioned to enjoy the type of meteoric rise we’ve seen with Formula 1, andwe’re confident our investment in Tech3 is an investment in the future of motorsports.” Wachter, an advisor to the likes of LeBron James and Maverick Carter, added in his comment: “Our platform, which blends investing, business building, and strategic advisory, is uniquely positioned to help accelerate the growth of Tech3 and MotoGP and we can’t wait for more people, especially in the U.S., to be introduced to this exciting sport and its rich history.”

Shares in Adidas “jumped” on Friday after the German sportswear maker released preliminary Q4 2025 figures and announced a $1.2B (all figures U.S.) “share buyback.” The buyback -- “set to launch in February -- reflected positive brand momentum and cash-flow generation, robust fundamentals and management’s confidence in Adidas’s future development.” Adidas stock traded 5.8% higher at $181.29 “shortly after the European open.” In its Q4, Adidas’s revenue rose to $7.26B from $7.13B in the previous-year quarter. The company reported an 11% increase in revenue for the Adidas brand “on a currency-neutral basis” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/30).

Milan’s Santagiulia Arena, the main venue for the Olympic hockey tournament, “has seen all kinds of progress” in recent weeks and should be ready for the start of the Games. The rink has “improved greatly with the ice,” and it has “some of the markings on there.” Additionally, the dressing room areas “were far from complete earlier this month,” but they now are “looking good.” Meanwhile, the arena “was supposed to seat 14,000 fans but the IIHF says it’s going to be closer” to 11,800. The first game at the arena, Italy-France in the women’s tournament, takes place next Thursday (“Insider Trading,” TSN, 1/29).

T’Wolves players sported “black warm-up shirts that read ‘Stand with Minnesota’” during pregame warmups before Thursday’s game against the Thunder in response to this month’s losses of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both fatally shot by federal immigration officers. The team “put out a statement on behalf of the players.” The statement said, “We mourn the lives lost and send strength, peace and compassion to all who are hurting.” The shirts and statement both “echoed similar sentiments to what players had shared over the past week -- nothing divisive or political, but rather support for the community they both live in and love” (St. Paul PIONEER PRESS, 1/30).

Former NBAer Mark Aguirre was honored by the Mavericks with a jersey retirement ceremony on Thursday night, as the American Airlines Center “sellout crowd cheered as the banner rose to the rafters and Mavericks immortality.” At halftime of the Mavericks’ 123-121 loss to the Hornets, Aguirre -- the No. 1 overall pick of the 1981 NBA Draft -- became the fifth Maverick to have his jersey retired, but “having endured the longest wait” -- 36 years, 11 months and 15 days after his last game in a Mavericks uniform. Former NBAer Brad Davis’ No. 15 was retired on Nov. 14, 1992; former NBAer Rolando Blackman’s No. 22 went to the rafters on March 1, 2000; former NBAer Derek Harper’s No. 12 was retired on Jan. 7, 2018; and Basketball HOFer Dirk Nowitzki’s No. 41 went to the rafters on Jan. 5, 2022. Through the years, Blackman and Harper “quietly lobbied for Aguirre’s inclusion to the exclusive club” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/29).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, FanDuel President Christian Genetski shares how FanDuel approaches sports betting advertising -- keeping it light, relatable and fan‑first. He also reveals his favorite ad from this season and why communal sports moments matter.

The Bills are looking for a Manager/Corporate Partnership Marketing. The buffalo-based position is responsible for the strategic planning, execution, and daily management of sponsorship agreements, ensuring all deliverables align with and achieve partner goals (Bills).

GameChanger is looking for a Senior Manager/Emerging Sports Operation. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for operationalizing the emerging sports business, building structure, processes, and operating rhythms that support GM-led strategy and P&L ownership (GameChanger).

Amazon is looking for a Sports & Entertainment Partnership Lead. The S.F.-based position is responsible for owning the League relationship, drive the technical roadmap, and create storytelling opportunities aligned to AWS marketing priorities (Amazon).

The A’s are looking for a VP/Sponsorship Sales. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for leading the development and execution of sponsorship and media sales strategies designed to maximize revenue for the team, with focus on Las Vegas–based partnerships and long-term ballpark activation (A’s).

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“This body of water with over 1/3 of the world’s marine mammals, like the vaquita, has been called ‘the aquarium of the world.’”