Morning Buzz

Wyndham Clark hung on to win the U.S. Open Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, becoming just the ninth “true wire-to-wire winner” in the championship’s history. He finished at 4-under for the week, topping Sam Burns by one. Given the fact that Clark had played so well -- and is an American -- “it was curious to see and hear how poorly the fans were treating him through Sunday’s winning march.” Clark said, “They definitely didn’t want me to win. It’s pretty rare in a (U.S. Open) or major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots.” Clark was paired with Scottie Scheffler, who “was gunning to complete the career grand slam,” and “everyone was cheering for something special” (SPORTSNET.ca, 6/22). The jeers at Clark came “through the broadcast audibly for much of the final round” (GOLFWEEK, 6/21).

Clark “held his nerve” against a charge by Burns and “a Shinnecock Hills crowd that never gave him much love” to win his second U.S. Open title in four years. Clark “noticed fans leaving early on Saturday and hoped for a big crowd and big energy for the final round.” He “got every bit of that,” and it “was uncomfortable at times.” One fan “was ejected when he shouted, ‘Don’t choke, Wyndham.’” The grandstand behind the seventh green also “broke into cheers when his shot rolled off the green and into the bunker” (AP, 6/21). A couple more fans were reportedly “sent home during the day as well.” On the sixth hole, one fan yelled for Clark’s approach to “splash!” in the sand. On the seventh, a fan yelled for Clark’s ball to “get in the bunker!” (GOLF, 6/21). The “verbal abuse of Clark got so relentless that after tossing several hecklers early,” a security veteran at one point on the back nine turned to a media member and said, “Can’t throw a whole grandstand out” (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 6/21).

Driver Corey Heim “passed teammate and points leader Tyler Reddick on the third-to-last lap then won just ahead of Bubba Wallace” to give 23XI Racing its first 1-2 finish ever at the inaugural Anduril 250 on Naval Base Coronado Sunday. Heim scored his first NASCAR Cup victory in just his 13th start as a part-time starter (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/21). It was “one of NASCAR’s most improbable wins in recent times,” and it “came at one of the most challenging tracks in NASCAR history” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/21).

The event “hosted 100,000 NASCAR fans over two days -- the majority of whom had never been on a military base before” -- and the weekend’s operation “exceeded expectations.” NASCAR San Diego President Amy Lupo said, “Navy security, our security, crowd control: the three teams have such a buttoned-up plan.” Stern added traffic and parking, two concerns throughout the weekend, were handled by what Lupo called “a hand-in-hand partnership” between NASCAR, the Navy, CalTrans, the California Highway Patrol and Coronado officials (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/21).

Among the celebrities and athletes at Sunday’s race: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce; former NFLers Jason Kelce, Marshawn Lynch and Alshon Jeffrey; Suns G Devin Booker; Chargers S Tony Jefferson; actor Scott Eastwood; and host Kay Adams. Pro Football HOFer Drew Brees; Baseball HOFer Trevor Hoffman; and ABC/ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer were at the track Saturday (SBJ).

There has been plenty of anticipation surrounding every World Cup game featuring Argentina and F Lionel Messi, and get-in prices for Monday’s match in Dallas reflect the hype. Argentina-Austria get-in prices sit at $2,494 as of Monday morning, a 5% decrease over the past three days but a 27% increase over the past seven and 88% since the start of the tournament, per TicketData.com. France-Iraq in Philadelphia will also cost fans plenty as it will cost $1,053 to get in the door, up 68% since the start of the tournament. Norway-Senegal, playing in N.Y. N.J. Stadium, tickets sit at $837, a 7% downtick over the past three days, while Jordan-Algeria in Santa Clara is costing fans $693, up 23% over the past three days and a whopping 234% increase since the start of the World Cup. SBJ has partnered with TicketData.com to track get-in prices and trends for upcoming games. For additional information on games, visit the World Cup page at TicketData.com.

Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations & GM Bill Zito made “his latest blockbuster move” on Sunday by acquiring F Brady Tkachuk from the Senators, a deal that “unites the Tkachuk brothers and brings yet another star hockey player to South Florida.” Florida sent four draft picks to the Senators in the deal. It had been “rumored for the better part of the past few months” that Tkachuk wanted out of Ottawa. He has a no-movement clause in his contract, which “allowed him to essentially pick his destination if the Senators relented and decided to deal him.” Tkachuk gave the Senators “a four-team list” of the Panthers, the Hurricanes, the Golden Knights and the Wild as “destinations he would be willing to be sent to.” But “in the end, it was always going to be Florida if the sides could come to terms.” Once again, Zito “showed he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a big move that could have seismic ramifications on the Panthers” (MIAMI HERALD, 6/21).

ESPN is tapping College GameDay host Rece Davis as a studio host for its upcoming two weeks of Wimbledon coverage, continuing a year of shake-ups to the network’s talent lineup for tennis. This is Davis’ first foray into tennis, which he told SBJ was initially broached with him by ESPN President/Content Burke Magnus during contract negotiations last year. Davis signed a multiyear extension with ESPN in April 2025.

“If you were a sports fan at all, you grew up watching Wimbledon and being mesmerized by everything that goes into one of the great events on the sports calendar,” Davis said. “You get to a point in your career where if you get an opportunity to do something as high-profile and prestigious and memorable, from both a personal and professional standpoint, it’s a blessing.”

Davis and Malika Andrews will combine to lead the network’s on-site studio coverage and “Breakfast at Wimbledon” shows throughout the tournament. Chris McKendry was the network’s primary studio host for Wimbledon coverage last year but has shifted to a play-by-play role starting with the 2026 Australian Open.

Davis said he will try to bring fresh eyes and amplify the network’s stable of analysts. “I’m approaching it with the knowledge that tennis fans are discriminating and demanding, and they should be,” he said. “The best thing I can do is put my analysts, whoever they are, in the studio in positions to shine and be great.” One of those analysts has already helped him, albeit indirectly: Davis said listening to Andy Roddick’s “Served” podcast has been “enormously helpful” in preparations. Roddick signed a multiyear deal to contribute to ESPN’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open coverage earlier this year.

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As part of its longstanding technology sponsorship with the All England Lawn Tennis Club, IBM has developed multiple new, artificial intelligence-powered features to be used in Wimbledon’s app and website during the 2026 edition of the tournament. Fan-facing elements include a new feature called “Key Moments,” which adds contextual, text-based insights underneath the Wimbledon app’s rolling a “Likelihood to Win” metric during matches; and “Match Chat,” a conversational, generative AI assistant that answers fan questions during matches. The AI features were built using IBM’s watsonx AI platform and trained on Wimbledon’s editorial style. Using its AI coding agent “Bob,” IBM also this year helped the AELTC rebuild the architecture that underpins its content archive of more than 15,000 digital assets (e.g. articles, videos, photos, metadata).

AELTC Dir/Marketing & Commercial Usama Al-Qassab, IBM VP/Global Sports & Entertainment Partnerships Kameryn Stanhouse and IBM Consulting Associate Partner Fred Baker unveiled the changes during a press briefing last week. Al-Qassab said Wimbledon’s web and app platforms, which are powered by IBM, drew 18 billion engagements in the past year, a 16% year-on-year increase.

“Yes, there’s a lot of great tennis content, so we’ve got to thank the players first and foremost and the teams that deliver all of that content to the world,” he said. “But it [the AI features] is certainly driving much higher levels of engagement. It’s driving more people to be more inquisitive, to ask questions, creating greater amounts of engagements and shares than we’ve ever seen. And, indeed, that perpetuates the whole of the digital ecosystem, including all that we do with social media and all that we do with gaming.”

IBM has been a Wimbledon sponsor for 36 years, and earlier this year renewed its deal on a multiyear basis (Stanhouse said during the briefing that the new deal will “take them into 40 years together”). IBM has similar tech deals with the U.S. Open (tennis), the Masters, ESPN (focusing on its fantasy football product), UFC, and Scuderia Ferrari HP’s F1 team.

Disney this August will “launch a new interactive hub” called ESPN Fan House that “aims to bring fans closer to the sports they enjoy -- and make advertisers part of the exchange.” The new “Fan House” will “debut alongside ESPN’s college football coverage.” Fans will be able to “take part in live polls, trivia and sweepstakes and examine merchandise and brand integrations, at on-site events, while watching from home or during interactions with social and digital platforms.” Publicis Sports has already struck an agreement to take part in the new initiative. The move has Disney, “like other traditional media companies, leaning harder on sports to help monetize relationships with advertisers” (VARIETY, 6/22).

Monumental Sports and Entertainment is going to market today with a theater box product that’s part of the billion-dollar-plus renovation of Capital One Arena. The theater boxes will be located within The Halo, the multi-level premium hospitality space that will debut ahead of the 2027-28 NBA and NHL seasons.

Twenty-four theater boxes with capacity for 96 guests will share a club space. They’ll be sold through four and eight-seat memberships on multi-year leases (the cost wasn’t disclosed). Owners can access all events at Capital One Arena, including Capitals and Wizards games, concerts, and other arena events.

The Theater Box experience will also include:

• Elevated all-inclusive dining, with a curated menu available at every arena event;
• Premium beer, wine and craft cocktails, prepared and served by dedicated mixologists (Aramark Sports + Entertainment is the arena’s food and beverage provider);
• Attentive hospitality, supported by professional service staff and an on-call concierge team;
• Dedicated event seating, offering sweeping views of the action;
• Personalized hosting space, with a reserved dining table and dedicated signage for each theater box;
• Access to The Halo, a multi-level hospitality space offering curated dining, service, and retail for select ticketholders;
• One arena parking pass included with each box;
• Access to theater box reserved seating and amenities for all Capital One Arena events.

Premium finishes, bespoke lighting, and refined décor will give the club the character of an intimate lounge and dining space. The theater boxes, designed by Gensler, are replacing traditional suites, allowing Monumental to create a more diverse mix of premium within the building as part of the company’s ongoing effort to better meet evolving customer preferences and demand.

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The state of N.Y. is “forming an exploratory committee to consider whether” Lake Placid and N.Y. “should bid to co-host a future Winter Olympics.” The announcement Monday from N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office “suggested a dual-hosting format.” It “does not mention a year,” but the “first likely available spot for New York to host would be 2042.” The exploratory committee “will take about a year to complete its work.” The formation of the committee “does not mean New York is officially involved in a bid process.” The chair of the committee will be Ashley Walden, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (AP, 6/21).

“SBJ Inside the Industry,” a half-hour show co-produced by Monumental Sports & Entertainment and SBJ, won the Capital Emmy award in Business/Consumer Long-Form Content for the episode “Rise of Sports Leagues.” The winners were announced at the 68th National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter Emmy Awards Gala in Bethesda, Md. The episode featured Washington Spirit CEO Kim Stone joined by SBJ Publisher & Executive Editor Abe Madkour, SBJ media reporter Austin Karp and host Tarik El-Bashir. The award was among 14 won by MSE, including Overall Excellence and Sports Excellence. “Inside the Industry,” which offers insight and analysis for sports professionals and casual fans alike, can be seen on MSN, SBJ TV and SBJ’s YouTube channel.

In this week’s issue:

• Which areas of sports business show the most promise for job growth? Will AI play a large role? How do executives evaluate talent? These are just some of the discussion highlights from SBJ’s roundtable on careers in sports.
• Six matches. Five days. SBJ reporters share their observations from the first week of the World Cup, from stadium commutes to fan salutes.
• With the NBA and NHL seasons now in the books, SBJ’s Tom Friend and Alex Silverman highlight the leagues’ playbooks for the months ahead.
• SBJ’s Rob Schaefer looks at Tom Dundon’s growing portfolio in pickleball and why the owner of the Trail Blazers and Hurricanes sees nothing but opportunity ahead.
• Hard Rock Stadium’s incredibly busy NFL offseason includes hosting seven World Cup matches, which follow the Miami Open, Miami Grand Prix and college football championship. SBJ’s Bret McCormick talks to stadium food and beverage provider Sodexo about the unique tastes and expectations guests have for each event.

What’s on Matt Hong’s mind? The president of USA Sports shares how they are growing their business beyond a traditional pay TV model.

Big League Wiffle Ball is looking for a VP/Corporate Partnerships Sales. The Scottsdale-based position is responsible for generating revenue from national, regional and local companies across marquee team assets and properties (Big League Wiffle Ball).

San Diego FC is looking for a Dir/Social Media. The San Diego-based position is responsible for shaping channel strategy that plays to each platform’s strengths, crafting content that feels native, showcasing SDFC’s bold identity as a professional football club rooted in San Diego’s culture (San Diego FC).

The Cavaliers are looking for a Senior Producer/Promotions. The Cleveland-based position is responsible for developing and executing high-impact promotional content driving brand identity on networks across linear, digital and social platforms (Cavaliers).

Red Bull is looking for a Manager/Athlete Marketing. The Atlanta-based position is responsible for collaborating at the regional level to develop strategic athlete partnerships, athlete-driven projects and targeted marketing initiatives (Red Bull).

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“A dark blue square in the upper left corner of the flag of this country represents the continent of Africa.”