Morning Buzz

ATLANTA -- FIFA CBO Romy Gai said at the SBJ Business of Soccer conference that the governing body has sold all 16 of the global sponsorship packages available for the 2026 World Cup. This includes the organization’s top two corporate partnership tiers: FIFA Partners and World Cup Sponsors. FIFA has yet to announce the brand that has purchased the last global sponsorship position.

Gai noted there are two sponsorship packages remaining within the regional Tournament Supporter tier.

In its revised 2026 budget, FIFA said it expects marketing rights to generate $1.8B, accounting for 20% of its forecasted $8.9B in revenue for the year.

Brands are increasing investment in soccer partnerships in North America as the sport’s popularity grows and the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches. Brands like Walmart and Home Depot see opportunity in MLS’s growth and the global reach of European leagues. Speaking at SBJ’s Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta, Walmart Head of Brand Experiences and Partnerships Kim Tunick said soccer is at an inflection point as it is growing and rapidly changing. She said that at Walmart they have come from the viewpoint of removing friction and making things seamless.

“Soccer felt like a ripe opportunity for us to come in at this very point,” Turnick said. “And actually help throw them in America.”

Home Depot VP/Integrated Marketing Allison Kolber mentioned that stretching across three countries -- Mexico, Canada and the U.S. -- with World Cup matches in major markets is about being present in local communities.

Despite not having FIFA rights, Tunick and Walmart have been focused on leveraging not being present at the games and bringing energy to the stores and in other real-life capacities like watch parties.

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Business of Soccer wrapped up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday, with speakers like Arthur Blank discussing the state of the sport.

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The Dodgers on Thursday opened the season at Dodger Stadium for the first time in three years after opening in Asia in 2024 and 2025, and prior to the game the team “trotted out their World Series trophies from those years,” carried by 2B Miguel Rojas and 1B Freddie Freeman -- who “arrived via a convertible driven by actor Will Ferrell." P/DH Shohei Ohtani “caught a ceremonial first pitch” from Basketball HOFer and Dodgers minority owner Magic Johnson, who “hoisted a blue-and-white World Series flag in center field.” The Dodgers also “debuted their new championship gold jerseys and caps,” which have gold trim that “outlines the team name in script on the front.” The cap “has a gold LA logo in between two stars representing their eighth and ninth world championships and a solid gold brim.” It also “has a World Series champion patch on the right side” (AP, 3/27).

There were “fireworks, there was a flyover, ... Keith Williams Jr. crooning and four months of cheers unleashed by fans wearing championship belts and howling grins." While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts “downplayed the three-peat talk" before an 8-2 win over the D-backs, “you know it’s here, it’s there, it’s everywhere” (L.A. TIMES, 3/26).

The Dodgers seem to be “embracing their role as the villain for the new season.” The team posted its Opening Day video on X “that had the words ‘BAD GUYS’ appear on screen in the first few seconds of the video.” Actor Jason Bateman, who’s also a Dodgers fan, narrated the video. The minute and 44-second-long video “showed highlights from the Dodgers’ postseason run last year.” In the video, Bateman said, “But if we’re being honest, sometimes it’s fun to root for the bad guy” (L.A. MAGAZINE, 3/27).

Tiger Woods’ return brought TGL its second most-watched match ever on Tuesday night, with the Jupiter Links-L.A. Golf Club match averaging 989,000 viewers on ESPN. That’s only behind Woods’ debut with the league in 2025, which just crossed over 1 million viewers.

Tuesday night, which saw LAGC clinch the SoFi Cup title, peaked at 1.15 million viewers and averaged 1.05 million for the final hour of the match between 7:30-8:30pm ET. TGL’s previous high for Season 2 was 793,000 for a Jan. 13 match between Jupiter and New York.

For its four-match postseason, TGL averaged 618,000 viewers across ESPN (three matches) and ESPN 2 (one match). Last year’s postseason -- also four matches -- averaged 434,000 viewers with two matches on ESPN and two on ESPN2.

TGL did see a bump late in the season, as its matches in March averaged 556,000 viewers compared to 322,000 in 2025. TGL averaged 488,000 viewers across the entire 2026 season using Nielsen Big Data + Panel. Last season -- using Nielsen Panel only data -- averaged 498,000 viewers.

It could’ve been a scene from Curb.

YES Network Friday will air a commercial for its first broadcast of the 2026 season featuring Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David and Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay. In a hilarious exchange, David vents to Kay over the phone about not being able to find the Yankees game on TV.

“It’s very Curb-like,” Kay told SBJ. “I joked with him when the crew was in L.A. with him, I said you know this could be the next Ted Lasso. We could get a whole series out of this. And he started laughing.”

David is a passionate N.Y. sports fan, rooting for the Yankees, Jets, Knicks and Rangers. He’s also a friend of Kay, which is how YES landed him for the commercial. Kay declined to ask David directly due to their friendship but asked if he could send a pitch from YES to David’s rep. David provided his email and quickly said yes.

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A mix of more than 300 Thunder fans, civic leaders, architects and contractors “gathered Thursday to celebrate the start of construction” of the team’s new $1B arena in downtown Oklahoma City. The groundbreaking took place just 48 hours after a naming rights agreement with Continental Resources to open the venue as Continental Coliseum. The arena is “under a tight deadline,” with “expectations it will open in time for the 2028-2029 NBA season.” Both Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Thunder Chair Clay Bennett “praised the arena design.” Bennett also “thanked partners in the team’s ownership group” and “praised residents for supporting the team and construction of the arena.” Bennett: “This is your day” (OKLAHOMAN, 3/26).

DraftKings, FanDuel, the NFL and its official statistics distributor Genius Sports are being sued over the “marketing of what critics call ‘unreasonably dangerous’ sports betting on wagering platforms.” Attorneys with Northeastern Univ.’s Public Health Advocacy Institute filed a product liability lawsuit in state court in Pennsylvania accusing DraftKings and FanDuel of “using artificial intelligence to develop and distribute ‘highly addictive’ wagering opportunities.” Among the tactics the lawsuit cites is “pairing the bettors with ‘VIP hosts’ who provide perks and promotional offers, including tickets to games, to encourage betting.” The complaint also “focuses on ‘microbets,’ or in-game wagers on fleeting aspects of sporting events, such as baseball pitch speeds or whether the next play in a football game will be a run or pass.” In football, such wagers are “fueled by fast-moving data crunching provided by Genius Sports,” which has an exclusive arrangement with the NFL. The league also is one of Genius’s largest shareholders. Meanwhile, a judge recently allowed a pending Massachusetts case against DraftKings led by the Public Health Advocacy Institute “to move forward to trial” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/26).

A federal judge on Thursday “denied the NCAA’s motion” for a temporary restraining order to stop DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The complaint for trademark infringement, filed in the Southern District of Indiana last week, “requested that DraftKings stop” using “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” and variations of those terms “to promote its business.” Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled the NCAA “did not show how” DraftKings’ “use of the terms would cause irreparable harm” (AP, 3/26).

RELATED: DraftKings responds to NCAA ‘March Madness’ trademark lawsuit, says it has right to use the terms

Oregon State AD Scott Barnes, who for almost a decade “guided one of the most turbulent periods” in school sports history, “is retiring.” Barnes, who had four years remaining on his contract, will serve as AD “until August 31, when he’ll retire and become a senior advisor for athletics through Aug. 31, 2027.” Barnes’ decision comes after the Pac-12 finalizing media rights deals with CBS Sports, USA Sports and The CW ahead of the reformed conference’s July 1 launch. Barnes began discussing his retirement with OSU president Jayathi Murthy “in August” and they “agreed the launch of the new Pac-12 was the best time for him to depart.” A $162M campaign to rebuild the west side of Reser Stadium was “among several significant athletics facility upgrades to take place” under Barnes. But his time at OSU also saw the school lose its “status as a Power Five school” and the “messy rollout” of an NIL program that led to the resignation of an executive deputy AD. OSU plans to “retain a search firm to conduct a national search” for a new AD (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/26).

Legends Global is looking for a EVP/Venue Management. The remote-based position is responsible for driving operational excellence, cultural alignment and sustained financial performance across Legends Global’s North American portfolio of stadiums, arenas, convention centers, theaters and attractions (Legends Global).

The NHL is looking for a Manager/Fan Analytics. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for deriving data driven insights that support leaguewide fan engagement, primary and secondary market ticketing performance, and strategic growth initiatives across all 32 Clubs (NHL).

Univ. of South Florida is looking for a VP/Athletics Partnership Activation. The Tampa-based position is responsible for leading the development and execution of partnership activation strategies, including ongoing client engagement, performance tracking and identification of new opportunities (Univ. of South Florida).

Monterey Bay FC is looking for a Dir/Sponsorship Sales. The Monterey-based position is responsible for building and maintaining a partnership pipeline while generating new business with innovative partnership packages that drive maximum revenue (Monterey Bay FC).

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“When it was founded in northern Minnesota in 1902, this company had one goal -- to mine for corundum; it has since expanded.”