Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ Today:
- Northwestern’s new Ryan Field is solving a different problem than its Big Ten stadium peers
- NBC draws best Kentucky Derby viewership since early 1980s
- Longtime Yankees radio voice John Sterling dies at 87
- Plus: Miami Grand Prix crowds, Qualcomm’s NASCAR race sponsorship, PIF’s plans for Saudi Arabia ATP event and more
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Josh Carpenter: Major milestones at the Kentucky Derby; a busy weekend in South Florida; and changes coming in MLB ownership. Listen >>
THE BIG STORY
Northwestern’s new Ryan Field is solving a different problem than its Big Ten stadium peers
Before touring the Ryan Field construction project in mid-April, SBJ’s Bret McCormick sat down across from Pat Ryan Jr., whose family is funding the $870 million football stadium for Northwestern, to better understand why it will be so different from other Big Ten football venues when it opens Oct. 2 when Penn State visits.
First, consider these facts:
- Twelve of the Big Ten’s 18 stadiums were first built between 1917 and 1929. Ryan Field will be just the second Big Ten football stadium built this century.
- Ryan Field’s 35,000 seats will be 15,000 fewer than the next smallest stadium, Minnesota’s, and less than half the Big Ten stadium average of more than 71,000.
- Three Big Ten stadiums (Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State) have capacities topping 100,000.
“If you look at the classic cathedrals to college football, they were all built to maximize the number of seats, because back then it was the only way you could see a game,” Ryan Jr. said.
Fast forward a century’s worth of technological advances and societal shifts, and attending a live sporting event is the most demanding way to see a game. Whereas historic stadiums were built for capacity, Ryan Field is designed to create a college football experience that can’t be replicated at home or on a screen. Every fan will have a seat with a cupholder — no bleachers! — and the massive canopy covers every seat. It’s a premium experience for everybody.
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5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING
1. NBC draws best Kentucky Derby viewership since early 1980s: NBC’s great weekend on the track at Churchill Downs was also felt on the airwaves, as it drew 19.6 million viewers for the Kentucky Derby, reports SBJ’s Austin Karp, marking the race’s best audience since 1983 on ABC. It’s easily NBC’s best audience yet for the race since it acquired it in 2001.
2. Longtime Yankees radio voice John Sterling dies at 87: Longtime Yankees radio play-by-play voice John Sterling has died at age 87. Sterling, who worked as the team’s radio voice from 1989-2024, called more than 5,000 regular-season games in a row for the team.
3. Miami Grand Prix still draws a crowd despite rainy weekend: The Miami Grand Prix saw a strong crowd Friday, with far fewer fans Saturday and a middling attendance Sunday during a rainy weekend that saw Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli win the race.
4. Qualcomm joins NASCAR San Diego sponsor roster with circuit naming rights: NASCAR has brought on San Diego-based Qualcomm Technologies for its planned race at Naval Base Coronado in the California city this summer, reports SBJ’s Adam Stern.
5. PIF still committed to plan for Saudi Arabia ATP event amid reduced investment: PIF subsidiary SURJ Sports Investment has “reiterated its commitment to staging an ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Saudi Arabia starting 2028” despite scaling back with LIV Golf and other endeavors.
ON THE MOVE
- The Maple Leafs named former Coyotes GM John Chayka as their new GM and also brought in Hockey HOFer and former team captain Mats Sundin as a “senior executive adviser in hockey operations” (TORONTO STAR).
- The Wild named Maria Troje as president and alternate governor of the AHL Iowa Wild. She will continue her role as the Wild’s SVP/ticket sales and services. Wild Assistant GM Michael Murray will serve as governor of the Iowa Wild, and Iowa Wild VP/Business Operations Allie Korinek and Iowa Wild GM Matt Hendricks will serve as Alternate Governors for the Iowa Wild. Todd Frederickson, who served as President of the Iowa Wild since April 2013, will continue in his role as SVP/marketing for the Minnesota Wild and will continue to oversee the president of MLV Minnesota and business operations for the expansion volleyball franchise (Wild).
- Davis Polk will open an office in L.A., the firm’s first in Southern California. Jason Russell will lead the office as a partner in its civil litigation practice. Partner Rob Morrison will also work in the L.A. office (Davis Polk).
- GameChanger named Vivek Bedi as chief product and technology officer (GameChanger).
NAMES IN THE NEWS
- Two new wrongful death lawsuits were filed in connection with the December plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle his wife, Cristina, their two children and pilots Dennis Dutton and his son, Jack. The Dutton estates filed the lawsuits earlier this week, each seeking $15 million in damages. The Dutton family alleges that Biffle, who owned the aircraft, alleges that Biffle didn’t properly maintain the plane (ESPN.com).
- Mavericks F Cooper Flagg, the NBA Rookie of the Year, drove the pace car for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Würth 400 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway (FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM).
- The National Soccer HOF inducted its 2026 class Friday, which includes former soccer players Chris Wondolowski, Kevin Crow, Tobin Heath, Heather O’Reilly and Tony Sanneh and referee Kari Seitz (San Jose MERCURY NEWS).
HOT READS
D MAGAZINE went with the header, “City Hall’s David vs. Goliath Showdown.” Dallas “has a long history of tearing down” its history, and the latest example is the battle over what will happen to City Hall. The Mavericks “love the idea of a downtown site” for their new arena, which would likely require City Hall to be demolished.
Also:
- Michael Jordan stopped in Fort Worth for NASCAR rather than do F1 in Miami.
- When the A’s, Raiders and Warriors left, Oakland lost a shared language.
- Ranking the NFL uniform changes.