Weekend Rap

Ticket prices for the USMNT’s next two World Cup games have “soared on resale sites after the team’s emphatic win over Paraguay in its opener.” The U.S. will have to wait a week for its second group-stage match, next Friday in Seattle against Australia. For that game, the get-in price on third-party resale sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek “rose above $1,800 late Friday night, nearly six times the Category 3 price set by FIFA.” Earlier this week, the get-in price was “hovering around” $1,000. As of Saturday morning, the price for the USMNT’s third group match at SoFi Stadium against Turkey on June 25 had risen by 66% compared to three days earlier (THE ATHLETIC, 6/13).

The USMNT’s World Cup opener on Friday “began with thunderous chants of ‘U-S-A’ and climaxed with the best 45 minutes in U.S. men’s World Cup history.” It was “seven years and 364 days in the making, and it was worth every day, hour, second of waiting.” But “no one could have realistically envisioned this -- a rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay, patriotic glee on the field and in the stands, silky soccer and eruptions of noise.” The team’s performance was “more than a near-perfect start to this home World Cup” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/13).

With this “phenomenal match, the Americans also look like they’ve arrived.” This “production, this confidence, this dominance -- it was nothing like the vast majority of the Americans’ previous performances on the international stage” (AP, 6/13).

After he scored two goals in the opener, USMNT F Folarin Balogun’s jerseys are “on backorder until early July.” On Nike’s website, Balogun’s red-and-white-striped home shirt is sold out, with “limited stock of his dark blue away shirt still available.” On Dick’s Sporting Goods’ website, Balogun’s home jersey is “available in limited sizes and carries a notification that the shirt is ‘selling fast’ with 300 purchased in the last 24 hours.” In the last 24 hours, 18 of Balogun’s soccer cards have “sold for $500 or more” on eBay (THE ATHLETIC, 6/13).

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — If there were a lot of empty seats at SoFi Stadium on Friday night, it was only because so many fans spent much of the game on their feet.

Widely reported frustrations over ticket prices and fan transportation couldn’t dampen the atmosphere for Team USA’s home opener, the first World Cup game on home soil in 32 years. Though a handful of sections, mainly around midfield, had noticeable chunks of empty seats, an in-arena announcement boasted of a “full house” crowd of 70,492.

Fans were loud and jubilant from more than five hours ahead of kickoff. Security ingress appeared to run smoothly for thousands of American and Paraguayan fans. The same can’t be said for media entry, slowed by a malfunctioning bag scanner.

Thousands first turned to the “Stadium Fan Experience,” a sponsor activation space across two parking lots on SoFi’s northwest corner. The footprint is littered with local food trucks and activations from FIFA’s commercial roster, including a two-story, pop-up bar from Michelob Ultra and a Fox broadcast stage. The interior of the stadium was all FIFA.

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The USMNT’s opening World Cup match on Friday at SoFi Stadium drew a wide range of notable figures. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the official U.S. delegation, and sat next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Paraguay President Santiago Peña. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy were part of the delegation as well. Duffy was joined by wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, a “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host. Among celebrities at the game: Tom Cruise, Victoria and David Beckham (who received a star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame” earlier Friday), Bill Gates, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Paris Hilton, George Lucas, Mellody Hobson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Candace Parker, Jaxson Dart, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lindsey Heaps, Puka Nacua, Jared Goff, Norman Powell, Jason Sudekis, Sofia Vergara, Derwin James, Cameron Dicker, Owen Wilson, Draymond Green, IShowSpeed, Hilary Duff, Vince Vaughn, Jamie Foxx, Tobey Maguire, Elmo and Cookie Monster, Josh Peck, Jaafar Jackson, Future, Becky G, Taylor Deardon, Gerran Howell and Anya Taylor-Joy. MLS Commissioner Don Garber also was at the game. (SBJ).

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass attended, with Bass’ spokesperson saying she paid $2,735 for her ticket (L.A. TIMES, 6/13).

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the U.S. game in support of girlfriend Katy Perry, who performed in L.A. Noting some social media uproar that he was not at Canada’s opener in Toronto, Trudeau posted on X, “Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup,” with a Canadian flag emoji (X, 6/13).

Nearly 20 current and former members of the USWNT were in attendance, including Alex Morgan, Tobin Keith, Christen Press and Julie Ertz (X, 6/12).

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Trepidation loomed over the first FIFA men’s World Cup match at the venue usually known as MetLife Stadium, owing to the complicated transportation logistics of no on-site parking, a limited number of affordable shuttle bus tickets and an expectation that attendees would predominantly opt for a train operating at a 750% markup.

But the ingress and egress were largely absent of major challenges for the sellout crowd of 80,663, mirroring the second half of the 1-1 draw between Brazil and Morocco in which both goals and all the serious scoring opportunities occurred before the halftime break.

Attention on and security for any New York City-area sporting event is always heightened, but this was an important first litmus test for the temporarily rebranded “New York New Jersey Stadium” that will host eight matches in total, including the July 19 final.

There were some reports of fans who paid for the $98 roundtrip train tickets getting redirected onto buses from Secaucus Junction -- instead of trains -- with those coaches then getting mired in the predictably deadlocked traffic within a few miles of the stadium. The only available parking was a 1.3-mile walk, for $200-plus, at the American Dream Mall because FIFA’s sponsor activations, other hospitality and operations infrastructure overwhelmed the adjacent lots.

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U.S.-Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup group stage put up an audience number on par with the playoffs for the major U.S. sports, as Telemundo, Peacock, Fox and Tubi delivered a combined 24.8 million viewers (English+Spanish), per preliminary numbers. Fox’s Mike Mulvihill predicted that number will climb over 25 million when full Big Data numbers are in.

Fox and Tubi averaged just under 16 million viewers for the game on Friday night with the 9pm ET start (15.986 million), marking the best USMNT English-language audience ever. That figure is up 106% from the USMNT’s first match again Wales in the 2022 World Cup, which aired in late November on Fox (7.8 million). Friday night’s game, a 4-1 win for the USMNT, peaked toward the end of the match with 18.9 million viewers from 10:45-11pm. Tubi alone drew 1.13 million viewers for U.S.-Paraguay, marking the best streaming audience yet for a USMNT match. For a Tubi comparison, it drew 13.6 million viewers for the Super Bowl in 2025.

Meanwhile, Telemundo and Peacock averaged 8.9 million for U.S.-Paraguay, marking the best Spanish-language USMNT match ever in the U.S. It was also the best World Cup group stage match ever on Telemundo for a telecast not involving Mexico. Telemundo was up 156% compared to the U.S.-Wales game four years ago (3.5 million).

The combined U.S.-Paraguay audience compares favorably to a number of recent big sporting events. The USMNT World Cup match drew 6 million more viewers than what NBC and Peacock drew for U.S.-Canada in the men’s Gold Medal hockey game in February at the Milan Cortina Games. It was also around 2 million viewers more than what NBC/USA/CNBC drew for coverage of the Winter Olympics in the window just after the Super Bowl. The U.S.-Paraguay game was still around 5 million viewers shy of what ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU drew for the Indiana-Miami CFP Championship, but was well above either CFP semifinal. For a non-sports comparison, U.S.-Paraguay had a bigger audience than President Trump’s inauguration in 2025, which aired over several networks.

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Among the matches on Saturday was Scotland-Haiti at Gillette Stadium, which “appeared to proceed with but a few hiccups.” Traffic getting to the stadium was “reasonable, similar to a Patriots Sunday” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/14). Meanwhile, thousands of “soccer faithful poured into” Boston’s City Hall Plaza on Friday, turning the “brick expanse into a sea of vibrant soccer jerseys, national flags, and a crescendo of soccer chants.” Nearly “150,00 people have registered” to Boston’s World Cup Fan Festival -- a free, 16-day event, though capacity “will be limited to 5,000 attendees at any one time.” More than “200 people were standing in line by the time the games officially opened” at 2pm ET. The start of the festival “appeared to go as smoothly as organizers had hoped” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/12).

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced the “distribution of more than 500 free World Cup tickets to Boston residents.” Wu said that the free tickets include “round-trip transportation to the game.” The city said that it “intents to partner with local soccer and youth groups as well as cultural organizations to distribute the tickets” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/13).

Fans enjoyed the U.S.-Paraguay match on Friday on the “big screens at the packed Coliseum” on Day 2 of the L.A. FIFA Fan Festival. Fan Jose Santiago said, “We bought these tickets [at the] last minute, not knowing what to expect. And so far, we’ve been blown away.” Fan Tyler David said the event was “beyond belief,” and it was “so cool to see everybody and the cultures colliding” (L.A. TIMES, 6/12).

The third day of K.C.’s FIFA Fan Fest at the National World War I Museum & Memorial was “affected by the weather.” After opening at 2pm CT, the festival closed at 5pm CT. Screens at the event said, “Due to anticipated severe weather, FIFA Fan Festival is closing early at 5 p.m. and not reopening” (K.C. STAR, 6/13).

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With ticket pricing and availability among the biggest stories at the World Cup, SBJ has partnered with TicketData.com to track get-in price and trends for upcoming games. Here is where things stand as of this morning for the four games to be played Sunday. For information on additional games, visit the World Cup page at TicketData.com.

The handoff was anti-climactic — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver slipping the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Knicks owner James Dolan with a passing glance. But, nevertheless, there had been some intrigue in the moment, considering Dolan over the past few years has sent the league’s Board of Governors multiple notes on Knicks letterhead, asking for less revenue sharing and more budgetary transparency from the league office.

But if the perceived rift is real at all -- and there are signs it is not -- it is obviously more insignificant than New York winning its first NBA championship in 53 years. On the postgame stage in San Antonio Saturday night, a smiling Silver started the title presentation this way:

“The wait is over. To Jim Dolan, Leon Rose, William Wesley, Coach Brown, and this incredible team, congratulations. You’re the 2026 NBA Champions.”

Silver exited stage right, Dolan shouted, “Hey New York, I’m sorry it took so long” -- and any purported tension was seemingly forgotten.

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The handoff was anti-climactic — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver slipping the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Knicks owner James Dolan with a passing glance. But, nevertheless, there had been some intrigue in the moment, considering Dolan over the past few years has sent the league’s Board of Governors multiple notes on Knicks letterhead, asking for less revenue sharing and more budgetary transparency from the league office.

But if the perceived rift is real at all -- and there are signs it is not -- it is obviously more insignificant than New York winning its first NBA championship in 53 years. On the postgame stage in San Antonio Saturday night, a smiling Silver started the title presentation this way:

“The wait is over. To Jim Dolan, Leon Rose, William Wesley, Coach Brown, and this incredible team, congratulations. You’re the 2026 NBA Champions.”

Silver exited stage right, Dolan shouted, “Hey New York, I’m sorry it took so long” -- and any purported tension was seemingly forgotten.

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NBA Finals Game 5 at Frost Bank Center on Saturday drew a large amount of celebrities as the Knicks beat the Spurs to win the NBA Championship. Prince Harry made a surprise appearance and sat next to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “When you’re the commissioner of the league, you meet interesting people, don’t you?” ABC’s Mike Breen said when they were shown. Harry was joined by JP Lane, a U.S. Army veteran who has competed in the Purple Heart Warrior Games. Lane lost his legs in Afghanistan in 2011 and is based in San Antonio.

As expected, the Knicks’ army of celebrities returned to San Antonio for Game 5. Among the regulars in attendance: Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet, John Turturro, Tracy Morgan and Fat Joe, along with Knicks legends Walt Frazier, Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston and Charles Oakley. Spurs legends David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Avery Johnson and Gregg Popovich attended, along with celebs Sydney Sweeney and boyfriend Scooter Braun, Billy Baldwin, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Safdie and Cam Skattebo. U.S. House members from New York: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hakeem Jeffries, Grace Meng and Gregory Meeks; and Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly posed for a photo in a suite with the caption, “The Starting Five” (SBJ).

The weather could prove problematic for Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House, but the fighting property got a perfect scene and thousands of attendees for the first day of its fan fest in D.C. on Saturday. The forecast for D.C. shows a 65% chance of rain this evening with a 39% chance of thunderstorms. The Ellipse park across the street is the area where UFC has prepared for fans to watch the fights for free on Sunday with only 4,300 people coming to the White House largely expected to consist of military members, VIPs, members of President Trump’s administration and media. UFC did not comment by press time on how many people attended the fan fest.

The Secret Service and U.S. Park Police had airport-type security screenings for everyone who entered the park, and for those wanting to drink alcohol there were tents to verify your identity and get a wristband. There were meet-and-greets with fighters, while Fanatics had a tent at the Ellipse with more than 40 Freedom 250 items available. Fanatics also has a pop-up store in D.C. this weekend with more than 100 souvenirs for sale. The company told SBJ that hot sellers so far include the limited-edition title belts made for Freedom 250, a commemorative poster and the event-branded apparel. SBJ observed roughly 150 people in line to buy merchandise around 6:00pm ET.

There were a range of different food tents including some local flavors like the Chop Shop Peruvian chicken and San Matteo pizza. Brands or government entities with experiential activations, giveaways or libations for sale included Monster Energy, Ram trucks, Meta, Cuervo, Bud Light, Budweiser, Topps, New Amsterdam Vodka, the U.S. Secret Service and Paramount Skydance Corp.

With massive screens set up next to a stage, TKO Group had programming throughout the afternoon that included promoting its other properties, including its newest one in Zuffa Boxing. During an on-stage Q&A with broadcaster Heidi Androl, Zuffa announced a new fighter signing from D.C., and Zuffa also had a punching game experience elsewhere on the grounds. WWE had a mock ring and giant model belt that fans could take pictures with.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- UFC on Friday night held the first of its events at landmarks in the nation’s capital for Sunday’s Freedom 250 card, with a press conference on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Originally scheduled for 8:15pm ET, the press conference was delayed until closer to 9:30pm due to rain, but once the showers eased, hundred of fans packed the area just in front of the Washington Monument’s reflecting pool.

Lined by military service members on the steps, fighters on the card walked down from Abraham Lincoln’s enormous statue to the dais. UFC president and CEO Dana White announced that World Liberty Financial, the crypto-related company co-founded by the Trump family, would be a sponsor for the Freedom 250 card and add $250,000 to the performance bonuses to be doled out.

With the White House grounds set to host its first professional sporting event, signage at the press conference proclaimed Freedom 250 as “The most historic sporting event of all time.” The card, which survived a legal challenge that was denied by a judge Friday, adds to UFC’s recent streak of unusual sites for fights after it held the first sports competition at the Sphere in 2024. It also is the latest historic location for a combat sports event, after Saudi power broker Turki Al-Sheikh put on a boxing card next to the Pyramids in Egypt last month.

Earlier on Friday, startup defense contractor Anduril Industries announced it had signed on with TKO Group to be a Freedom 250 sponsor. Anduril, which is also a major sponsor of NASCAR’s Naval Base Coronado race near San Diego next weekend, will get Octagon branding and broadcast integrations and will be a sponsor of UFC 330 in Philadelphia in August. It also becomes a sponsor of TKO’s Zuffa Boxing, which will hold a special fight card with military members who box as part of the deal.

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To watch Freedom 250 card, viewers will “need a Paramount+ subscription, where the event will be exclusively streamed.” This is “by design because, though CBS has aired a little UFC, it is really a Paramount+ property.” The event will “be a spectacle, but with it on a streamer, it has no chance to reach the [viewership] of the Super Bowl” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/12).

The public’s reaction to the event taking place at the White House “underscores how sports have become a partisan playing field, with football, golf, auto racing and UFC skewing Republican” -- and President Trump “repeatedly wrapping himself in those fans’ embrace.” By contrast, Trump did not attend the USMNT’s first game in the World Cup on Friday. Polls have shown that “fans of soccer, like basketball and tennis, skew toward Democrats” (WASHINGTON POST, 6/13).

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison will be in attendance for UFC Freedom 250 after “months of meticulous courtship” of Trump and his senior aides. Paramount got word on Friday that the Justice Department “would not challenge” its $111B merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, “eliminating one of the last major obstacles for the deal to close.” The merger “will elevate” Ellison into a “rarefied level of media moguldom” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/14).

UFC President & CEO Dana White and Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan hosted a Meta/UFC Freedom 250 reception on the Ned’s Club rooftop in D.C. on Friday night with special guest Ivanka Trump (POLITICO, 6/13).

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The UFL wrapped up its season Saturday with the Louisville Kings beating the DC Defenders 27-20 in the United Bowl before 19,023 at Audi Field. The Kings ended their inaugural season on a six-game winning streak and turned Louisville into what UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon called “a hallmark franchise” in the UFL. Across five home games, the Kings drew a combined 55,975 fans to Lynn Family Stadium. Their average attendance of 11,195 -- roughly 73% capacity -- ranked second in the league. Brandon said, “Louisville is certainly a blueprint for the success that we look to have in new markets as we continue to grow” (LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/13).

UFL officials “will evaluate each existing market” as the league enters its offseason. UFL co-owner Mike Repole said that there is an “80% chance the UFL will retain all eight local markets.” Repole noted that his public talk of expansion “has prompted interest from several new markets.” Repole’s goal has been to “place teams in smaller venues in less saturated markets that better fit attendance realities.” Perhaps the UFL’s “most notable accomplishment this season is cultivating the Louisville and Columbus markets” (ESPN.com, 6/13).

The Univ. of Kentucky “has targeted” Michigan State AD J Batt “to be the school’s new athletic director.” The sides “have not completed a deal,” but Kentucky is “in the throes of a strong push” to bring in Batt. Former MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, who played “an outside role” in recruiting Batt, “left unexpectedly” in May for Clemson (ESPN.com, 6/13). Batt’s MSU contract had a provision in it that “cuts his buyout to take another job in half with Guskiewicz no longer being MSU’s president.” The buyout “drops from” $5M to $2.5M from now until June 30, 2027 (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/13).

MSU Board of Trustees Chair Brianna Scott said she expected Batt to remain AD, “even though a clause cuts his buyout in half should he decide to leave for another school.” Scott said, “My understanding is he’s still on board” (DETROIT NEWS, 6/12).

The USA Track & Field L.A. Grand Prix this weekend “serves as an important checkpoint for the sport’s hope to break out of the four-year popularity cycle.” The two-day event, which began Saturday with the women’s hammer throw, features 18 Olympic or world champions competing primarily at USC’s Allyson Felix Field. Sunday’s marquee competition beginning at 1pm PT will be televised on NBC. There are “no shortage of stories” at the L.A. Grand Prix. Almost “everyone who matters in American track and field will be there.” But with USA Track & Field building toward a home Olympics, L.A. has been a “critical but stubborn market to conquer.” Last year’s L.A. Grand Prix, which would have been the third edition of the meet, was canceled in April. This year’s inaugural USATF Tour “aims to organize the fragmented sport by streamlining the calendar and working with existing event coordinators to provide resources, including prize money and travel for top athletes, marketing and drug testing.” The tour has 17 events in 10 states (L.A. TIMES, 6/13).

Former Michigan State AD Alan Haller was hired as the NFL’s senior director of collegiate flag football development. Flag football is “exploding in popularity” as the NFL announced an investment of up to $32M in a new pro league. Haller spent three seasons in the NFL and then 13 years with MSU. He was named associate AD in 2010 and promoted to senior AD in 2015, before he was eventually hired as AD in 2021. Former MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz fired Haller in May 2025 with more than a year remaining on his contract (MLIVE, 6/12).

The Brook Park City Council will discuss a proposal Tuesday night to create a special community authority “that would own the new Browns stadium and lease it back to the football team.” Browns co-owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have “long advocated for the concept of a community authority,” similar to the arrangement in Columbus for the Crew. Among the benefits for the club is that public ownership of the stadium would “allow the waiving of sales taxes on construction materials.” That alone “could be worth” $100M. The Brook Park City Council is “scheduled to discuss the proposal on Tuesday night” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 6/12).

The Univ. of Minnesota’s Williams Arena will have a “different official name as part of a new partnership” between the school and Blue Cross Blue Shield. The home of men’s and women’s basketball will “finally be known by its long-standing nickname of ‘The Barn,’” with the full official title “The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.” The venue was known as Williams Arena for 76 years, starting in 1950 until this year. The new name is part of a 10-year, $17M deal between the two institutions to “create opportunities for health innovation.” Other features of the collaboration include “creating new outdoor community basketball courts, developing youth sports clinics led by student-athletes and a campaign to promote mental health awareness and lifestyle changes” (KTSP.com, 6/12).

The Univ. of Texas has secured its fifth NACDA Learfield Directors’ Cup as the “best athletic department in the nation.” NACDA awards the prize each season “based on results from all of a school’s sports teams, men’s and women’s.” This is the fifth Directors Cup in six years for Texas, all of which have come under the tenure of AD Chris Del Conte. The school “clinched Friday evening” when the track team finished in 26th in NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field finals, which was enough to push them to 1291.5 points (LONGHORNS WIRE, 6/12). Success in the spring and summer “helped Texas edge past Stanford in a close race.” The school finished inside the top three in over half a dozen sports. The baseball team is still active in the College World Series (SI, 6/13).