Morning Buzz

MLS will officially unveil its new office at 2 Penn Plaza in Manhattan with an invite-only press event Wednesday afternoon. The league moved into the two-floor, 126,000-square-foot space last month, nearly double the square-footage of its prior headquarters at 420 Fifth Avenue. MLS EVP & Chief Business Officer Camilo Durana called the move a “game changer” and reflective of the league entering a new chapter of growth, which it has branded “MLS 3.0.”

“We were running out of space,” Durana told SBJ, referring to the old office. “We were struggling with the ability to add full-time people and still make it comfortable. In this, we have room to grow.”

The majority of MLS’ staff -- nearly 500 employees -- are based at the N.Y. headquarters under a four-days-per-week in-office schedule (about 25 work out of MLS Productions’ space housed in the Studios at WWE in Stamford, Conn.).

MLS worked with TPG Architecture to custom-design the new office. Spread across the two floors are more than 80 meeting rooms, four “wellness” areas (e.g., for meditation or nursing), two outdoor spaces, multiple podcast recording studios, a cafeteria, and an operations hub for match day viewing. There are also LED ribbons throughout that can be programmed to display partner branding or live scores, and pervasive design elements meant to evoke the feel of a stadium, including mesh walls that look like nets, curved archways that mimic the shape of a soccer goal, and club-specific banners.

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Negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association on a new CBA “have progressed far enough that the union has scheduled a ratification vote for Thursday night,” according to sources cited by ESPN.com. The agreement “would avoid the need for replacement officials this season." The existing CBA is set to expire May 31. Specific terms of the agreement “were not immediately available.” The NFL began recruiting potential replacement officials from the college ranks in early March, and owners approved a sweeping set of rules that would have allowed league staff members to help officiate games from the NFL headquarters in N.Y. (ESPN.com, 5/5).

F1 has started exploring another preseason launch event next year with potential host cities including Milan, according to people familiar with the matter, after holding a first-of-its kind showcase last year in London.

Getting its 2026 campaign back on track last week in Miami after missing a month due to postponed races in the Middle East, F1 completed its fourth round and first U.S. race of the season. The series has been relentless in recent years in trying to increase its entertainment prowess and create more big events outside of its grands prix, and last year it debuted a new launch event during its 75th anniversary that involved all 10 of its teams at the time and drew an announced 16,000 fans at The O2 Arena in London. F1 said tickets were sold out in 20 minutes, although it later warned that some appeared on unauthorized secondary markets.

Typically in F1, teams have done car reveals on their own individual basis, so the 2025 launch event marked the first time the commercial rights holder of the sport had organized a singular showcase for all teams. There was no such event held this year.

At the time in 2025, F1 said the event marked its second-most watched stream on its YouTube page, had 7.5 million views on social channels and was aired by 42 broadcast partners. It also featured musical performances.

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The Maple Leafs “won the NHL draft lottery” on Tuesday night and “will pick first overall” for the third time in franchise history. The Leafs “had 85 of 1001 combinations in the lottery machine.” Winning the first overall pick “changes somewhat the narrative around the team” following the “underwhelming” hirings this week of hockey operations adviser Mats Sundin and GM John Chayka. It also “gives fans a reason to hope because a top prospect is going to land in their lap” (TORONTO STAR, 5/5). It is a “potential franchise-altering development for the Leafs,” fresh off missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The Leafs using the top pick on anyone other than Penn State LW Gavin McKenna, “at this point, could be surprising.” The 18-year-old “has been the No. 1 pick in the mock drafts that have been done most recently” (TORONTO SUN, 5/5).

Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford revealed in a “surprise announcement” on Tuesday that he will “step down from his role” following next month’s NHL Draft. The 77-year-old said that he will “stay with the team as an adviser and alternate governor.” Vancouver fired GM Patrik Allvin on April 17, and Rutherford said the “search for a new GM has involved more than 15 candidates.” He noted the list “has now been narrowed down to five,” and a “final decision is expected by next week.” Rutherford added that the way the team’s “front office is structured following the new hire remains to be seen” (CP, 5/5).

Wings CEO & Managing Partner Greg Bibb said that the team is “in ‘advanced negotiations’ with American Airlines Center to play the 2027 season there.” Wings coach Jose Fernandez on Tuesday “accidentally let slip during a national call with reporters that the Wings will play all their home games next season at the American Airlines Center.” However, Bibb clarified that the “agreement is not yet finalized.” Bibb: “We do not have a finalized agreement, nor have we achieved the approvals from the league that you technically need to have to change venue for a season. So while I’m optimistic that we’re going to have news on that front soon, we do not have that news as of today.” The Wings currently practice and play at College Park Center on the Univ. of Texas at Arlington campus. The team “originally planned to move into a new practice facility and downtown Dallas arena by the start of the 2026 season but construction issues delayed the move to 2027.” The Wings plan to “play in a renovated Memorial Auditorium by 2028, so a potential agreement with the American Airlines Center would be limited to the 2027 season” (USA TODAY, 5/5).

The Wings “could have utilized AAC as their full-time arena as early as the 2026 season” but “will play nearly all their home games at College Park Center,” where they will host the Dream for their home opener May 12. Of the Wings’ 22 home games in 2026, three will be played at AAC. City representatives did not respond to questions “about why the AAC clause isn’t being exercised now or speak to any hurdles that could be preventing its use” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/5).

The Oklahoma City Council has “approved plans for an indoor softball facility to be built next to Devon Park” in the northeast part of the city. In a “unanimous vote,” councilors on Tuesday approved plans to “move forward with the bidding process for construction of the facility, which is estimated to cost about” $25.4M. Construction of the indoor facility, “as well as other improvements at Devon Park, will be funded in large part by a bond issue” approved by Oklahoma City voters in 2025. Oklahoma City-based STUDIO Architecture “created the design for the indoor facility.” Construction is “anticipated to begin this summer and be completed in late 2027 before the 2028 Women’s College World Series and before Oklahoma City hosts Olympic softball for the 2028 Games” (OKLAHOMAN, 5/6).

The Yankees will lean into one of baseball’s most enduring fashion crossovers Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, wearing Spike Lee-inspired red caps for batting practice ahead of their game against the Rangers.

The activation is tied to “New Era 59Fifty Day” and marks the 30th anniversary of Lee receiving approval from late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to have New Era Cap Company create a custom red cap for the 1996 World Series -- moment that helped turn the team’s on-field logo into a fashion statement.

Lee will be in attendance Wednesday alongside rappers Fabolous, Fat Joe and Jadakiss, with New Era CEO Chris Koch also on site as part of the brand’s in-stadium activation.

The red cap became a defining fashion symbol in the late ’90s and early 2000s, notably worn by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst in the 1999 music video “Nookie.” ESPN revisited the broader cultural significance of the Yankees cap in a 2024 feature.

Artificial intelligence-powered legal services platform Harvey AI continued its recent spree of sports sponsorship deals by signing the Golden State Valkyries and Warriors and N.Y. Liberty to multiyear pacts. The agreements, for which financial terms were not disclosed, designate Harvey as the teams’ “official legal AI partner.” Sportfive supported Harvey in negotiations, while the teams negotiated directly.

Harvey has now announced nine sports sponsorship deals since the start of March, with the Valkyries/Warriors and Liberty joining soccer clubs PSG, Fulham and Stuttgart; MLB’s Cubs and Rangers; the NBA’s Mavericks; and the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Harvey COO Katie Burke told SBJ investing in sports sponsorship is an area of emphasis for the three-and-a-half-year-old startup, which uses generative AI to streamline legal tasks like research and drafting/reviewing contracts. The firm recently hired a CMO (Rachel Hepworth) and Head of Brand Partnerships (Mali Robertson) to lead its growing marketing vertical.

“We’re in hyper-growth mode,” Burke said, noting that Harvey now has more than 1,500 customers in more than 60 countries. “Most average consumers can only name one or two AI companies. In spite of all the discussion around AI, we think people understanding and knowing our brand and it being familiar is key to our long-term success.”

Harvey will receive brand visibility on signage and hospitality considerations at Valkyries/Warriors and Liberty games -- and be the presenting sponsor of the Liberty’s “player of the game” award on social media. Some of Harvey’s sports deals also include partners using their technology. The Liberty, for example, was already a Harvey user, and the USTA recently signed on to use its platform.

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On this week’s pod, SBJ media reporters Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter saddle up to break down the biggest Kentucky Derby audience since 1983. Then, it’s the latest on a carriage dispute between Disney and Comcast over NFL Network and why Duke basketball made sense for Amazon Prime Video. Finally, Matthew Caldwell of the T’Wolves and Lynx dishes why he moved from the NHL to the NBA, fan reaction to Year 1 of the new NBA media deals, what’s next for the two teams on local distribution and his favorite Army-Navy game memories.

Horizon Sports & Experiences is looking for an Associate Dir/Property and IP Sponsorship Sales. The hybrid-based position is responsible for developing and establishing new business opportunities around the deep roster of owned IP and sports properties (Horizon Sports & Experiences).

The S.F. Giants are looking for a Manager/Business Development & Partnerships. The S.F.-based position is responsible for identifying and building a pipeline of qualified prospective partners that align with the programs & sponsor opportunities across Mission Rock events, venues and specialized programming (Giants).

Playfly Sports is looking for a GM/Naismith Basketball HOF. The Springfield-based position is responsible for generating incremental sponsorship revenue on behalf of the Basketball HOF for museum sponsorships, special events, award ceremonies and others (Playfly Sports).

Foot Locker is looking for a Manager/Sports Marketing. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for shaping and executing initiatives deepening the connection to basketball and sneaker culture with campaign strategy, partner relationships and cross-functional alignment across brand, retail and digital channels (Foot Locker).

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“In 2025 Taylor Swift tied Drake & this singer for the most No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Canadian Albums chart, with 15.”