Morning Buzz

In Charlotte Thursday night for the public unveiling of upgrades to a $1.3B stadium renovation planned by the Carolina Panthers, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deftly dodged owner David Tepper’s suggestion that the city be considered for a Super Bowl, but offered an appealing alternative: The NFL Draft.

“You see the way the downtown is evolving, the first thing that came into my mind, I said to David, ‘This is built for a draft,’” Goodell said after touring an immersive sales center the Panthers will open across the street from the downtown stadium. “The draft now has close to 1 million people attending. And they’re coming from all over, including internationally. It’s become a global event that I think would be a terrific thing here in this town with all that’s being built.”

The next two drafts are scheduled for the National Mall in D.C. and then Minneapolis.

“Our fan-facing renovations start in 2027 and we should be done by 2030,” said Panthers President Kristi Coleman. “After that, we’ll definitely have conversations about a draft. Of course we would. We would open the door for them.”

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A number of key players in the sports world turned up in Charlotte Thursday night for the public unveiling of upgrades to a Bank of America Stadium renovation planned by the Carolina Panthers. Some of those spotted at the event included: Nicole Tepper; Lincoln Harris’ Johnny Harris; former Bank of America exec Andrea Smith; Bank of America’s Keith Cockrell, Brad Ross, Elliott Cox and Elliott McCabe; Speedway Motorsports’ Marcus Smith; Roger Goodell, Jeff Miller, Peter O’Reilly and others from the NFL; former NFLers Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olson and Jonathan Stewart; Panthers coach Dave Canales; Panthers QB Bryce Young; Panthers GM Dan Morgan; former Panthers President and Charlotte Sport Foundation Exec Advisor Danny Morrison; Will Pitts and Cadie Koppenhaver from the Charlotte Sports Foundation; Charlotte FC’s Zoran Krneta; Miller Coors’ Adam Dettman; Ticketmaster’s Clay Luter; Underdog’s Megan Hughes Allison; the ACC’s Amy Yakola; UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon Gaber; and Advent’s John Roberson (SBJ).

The Protect College Sports Act “is not expected to be put to a full vote in the U.S. Senate before Congress takes its August recess,” according to a source cited by ESPN.com. Without a Senate vote in early August, the bill “faces a very small window of opportunity to get through Congress prior to November’s elections.” The SEC and Big Ten oppose the bill “as written because they believe several provisions unfairly targeted their leagues.” U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) met with college sports officials in D.C. this week “to discuss changes to the bill,” and their staffs “are continuing to meet to tweak language.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who “decides if the bill will reach the Senate floor for a vote,” was asked for an update on the bill and another unrelated piece of legislation. Thune said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to get them done” (ESPN.com, 7/23). Thune added, “I would like to at least get Clarity started. We’ll see where the votes are” (X, 7/23).

The NCAA Division I BOD on Thursday “doubled down” on its new age-based eligibility rule that has “prompted some athletes to go to court in hopes of extending their college careers.” The BOD said in a statement, “The Board has no plans to modify their application, notwithstanding a series of lawsuits recently filed on behalf of student-athletes with no remaining eligibility. We look forward to ensuring that the age-based eligibility rules are enforced consistently so that all institutions play by the same rules, like all participants in sports.” The rule “allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first” (AP, 7/23).

Providence Equity Partners, the private equity firm that already owns 60% of The Team, is “finalizing a deal to buy out founder Casey Wasserman and take full control of the company.” The deal, which “won’t close for a few weeks, values The Team at about” $3.4B. There were “about a dozen serious bidders,” including UTA and the PE firms Permira and New Mountain Capital. But during the process, Wasserman “insisted on a sky-high valuation and additional go-away money in exchange for a noncompete agreement.” Sources said Wasserman has “indeed agreed to the noncompete” (PUCK, 7/23).

WNBA All-Star weekend returns to Chicago this weekend, and the league’s fan fest “has grown to a sprawling three-day event at McCormick Place.” The WNBA “expects 30,000 fans to attend the fest that features 34 brands.” On Thursday, “many influential people in women’s basketball gathered” at the WNBA All-Star Media and Innovation Summit at the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court to “address topics affecting the sport.” Among the speakers was 2026 Basketball HOF inductee Candace Parker. The Obama Center also “will host media day for the All-Stars on Friday, while various events around Chicago will be held to engage fans” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/23).

Storm G Natisha Hiedeman and Lynx G Courtney Williams, known as the StudBudz, are “running back their live stream on Twitch” for the WNBA All-Star festivities. The stream started at around 2:30pm ET on Thursday, and “more than 7,000 people were watching.” The two will “again give fans an inside glimpse of All-Star weekend with a 72-hour live stream.” This season, the stream is “even sponsored by AT&T.” Thus, the pair has “switched from their signature pink hair dye to blue” (USA TODAY, 7/23).

The Orioles will open the Corona Flag Court in right field for fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards this weekend. It features a wraparound bar with service on both the flag court and Eutaw Street sides of the ballpark. The team had announced before the season that the social space would not be open until after the MLB All-Star Break, with fans having limited access to the flag court during construction.

Orioles CRO Don Rovak told SBJ that the fixed structure will better tie-in Eutaw Street with the flag court area, which has been a popular congregation spot at Camden Yards for years. “We’re kind of walking the line of integrating the two brands of Corona and the themes that are important to them while also bringing this new social area to life,” he said.

In 2026, the team unveiled renovations as part of a $400M multi-phase plan that included a new center field videoboard, LED ribbon boards and an upgraded sound system. New spaces included the PureWager Pavilion underneath the videoboard; the premium 350-seat Truist Club; and a pair of climate-controlled bars along the first base and third base lines.

“We’re not done,” Rovak said. “We’re continuing to explore what the park needs to continue to update it and make sure it’s a place our community can utilize on gamedays and non-gamedays.”

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The Dodgers’ 2025 World Series team on Thursday “visited the White House,” where President Trump “praised them as ‘really a special team.’” Dodgers owner Mark Walter “presented Trump with a personalized No. 47 jersey just as the team did last year,” but “this time Walter also gave Trump his own World Series ring, inscribed with the president’s name.” Neither President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman nor GM Brandon Gomes were present at the event, while team President & CEO Stan Kasten was there. Dodgers EVP & CMO Lon Rosen was there, as well. Citing “space limitations,” the White House Press Office “did not credential any” of the Japanese media who cover the Dodgers on a daily basis to attend this year’s event (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/23).

The Rams on Thursday night “unveiled two alternate ensembles that commemorate their 1951 NFL championship team and their storied defensive front of the 1960s and ’70s” during a fan event at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood. The “Classic Sol” uniform features a “yellow jersey that honors the 75th anniversary of the Rams’ title,” while the “Fearsome White” uniform “harks to the storied Fearsome Foursome defensive line.” The “Classic Sol” jersey includes “era-specific number design and three blue shoulder stripes.” The “Fearsome White” uniform features a “helmet that includes white horns and a white face mask.” The Rams will wear the “Classic Sol” uniform for the home opener against the Giants on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 21, and for their Dec. 3 game against the Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football.” The “Fearsome White” uniform will be worn for the Nov. 25 “Thanksgiving Eve” game against the Packers (L.A. TIMES, 7/23).

F1 parent company Liberty Media, which also promotes the Las Vegas GP, “has agreed to a settlement of about” $3M to “end a class-action lawsuit brought by spectators regarding the inaugural 2023 race.” The opening-night practice session on Nov. 16, 2023, was “halted after nine minutes” when driver Carlos Sainz Jr. “drove over a water valve cover that severely damaged his Ferrari.” Practice “didn’t resume until the early morning hours of Nov. 17,” ending at about 4am PT. Fans “were removed from the viewing areas before the 90-minute session took place.” Those who “had tickets for only that practice session or bought three-night tickets are eligible for compensation under the settlement” (AP, 7/23).

F1 broadcasts will now have access to a new AI-powered tool, Strategy Insight, developed in collaboration with AWS. Using machine learning and F1’s real-time data feed, Track Pulse, Strategy Insight is a predictive model that will appear in graphic boxes explaining what is likely to happen based on current conditions and historical precedent.

“F1 strategy’s always been described as a bit of a dark art and a black box, and now with the power of the insights that we have available to us that are empowered by AWS, we can make that a glass house,” said Ruth Buscombe, an F1 Race Strategist and AWS Technical Advisor.

Buscombe previously led race strategy for Alfa Romeo’s F1 team and worked with Scuderia Ferrari and Haas as well. She is now an on-air analyst for F1’s world broadcast feed who assisted in the creation of the Strategy Insight feature. The model will predict optimal race plans on when to pit or change tires for the viewers. Buscombe noted that the depth of information available through the AWS product is similar to what she had access to with her F1 teams.

“Teams are constantly assessing and changing [strategy],” Buscombe said, “and that Strategy Insight plugin, we hope, is a way to be able to bring that story to the forefront to give the viewers at home a clearer window into the decision-making process.”

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On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, SBJ’s Austin Karp is joined by SBJ contributor Richard Deitsch to discuss how the next FIFA World Cup rights battle could change sports media forever. Will traditional broadcasters keep control, or are Netflix and Amazon about to reshape the future of soccer coverage?

The Athletics are looking for a Senior Network & Systems Engineer. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for the design, implementation, administration, security and support of the organization’s enterprise network and server infrastructure (Athletics).

Legends Global is looking for an SVP/Venue Technology. The Frisco-based position is responsible for architecting and delivering venue technology strategy across a diverse, global portfolio of stadiums, arenas, convention centers and hospitality venues (Legends Global).

The Rams are looking for a Senior Manager/Marketing Analytics & Consumer Insights. The Woodland Hills-based position is responsible for leading and developing marketing and media analytics and consumer insights strategy, including performance analysis, consumer research, fan segmentation, brand measurement, media evaluation and market intelligence (Rams).

Versant Media is looking for a Senior Analyst/Growth Strategy & Business Development. The Orlando-based position is responsible for providing analytical support in evaluation of key initiatives that drive meaningful revenue and EBITDA growth across Versant’s portfolio of Digital Platforms and Ventures assets (Versant Media).

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“She sometimes signed letters ‘Charles Thunder.’”