Spurs and Jazz reach back into their past; Guardians unveil progressive changes while D'Backs face critical decisions and Mississippi State makes historic AD hire.
Tough news out of the Australian Open on Monday, today, as Nick Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open just ahead of his scheduled first round match because of an injury to his left knee that will require surgery. There was a lot of hype around him. He was profiled in Sunday's New York Times as the face of tennis, and is a key part of Netflix Break Point docu-series, but now he faces knee surgery and it's a definite tough blow for the Australian Open.
This is your morning Buzzcast for Monday, January 16th, an abbreviated Buzzcast on Martin Luther King Day. Hope everybody has a nice holiday. Let's start with the San Antonio Spurs. They hearkened back to the team's pass on Friday night as the franchise broke the NBA's all time single game, regular season attendance record. They had more than 68,000 fans at the Alamo Dome for their game against the Warriors. It was a great watch on ESPN on Friday night, if you caught the game. That attendance number topped the more than 62,000 who saw the Hawks play the Bulls in a 1998 game at the Georgia Dome.
But the Spurs night really quite a night. It's being called one of the most memorable nights in the Spurs 50-year history. It was the team's first game at the Alamo Dome since they left the building for the AT&T Center before the 2002 season/ in the San Antonio Express News, Friday's game was called "Part kegger and part family reunion with a basketball game thrown in for good measure, and the team offered up a lot of history and nostalgia throughout the evening." So a big night for the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA on Friday.
Speaking of reaching back to the old days, the Utah Jazz have brought back Delta Air Lines as their naming rights partner, and the Salt Lake City Arena will now be called the Delta Center starting on July 1st after current naming rights partner Vivint steps aside on June 30th. Terms of the new deal weren't disclosed. Remember, the Jazz arena had been known as the Delta Center from when it opened in 1991 through 2006. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said every time someone called at the Delta Center, it would bother him, and he felt guilty over not renewing the naming rights deal. But he talked to new Jazz owner Ryan Smith, the two worked out a deal. Delta's back, Vivint moves on from naming rights, but remains a major corporate partner of the Jazz. So the Jazz getting a new naming rights partner, and their old partner, Delta, returning to name the building the team plays in starting July 1st.
This news hit late last week, but we're seeing another major renovation project in sports as the Cleveland Guardians revealed a significant renovation plan for Progressive Field. Everything is scheduled to be completed by the 2025 season, and these plans are major. They include significant new initiatives throughout the ballpark, and they come after the team signed a new lease with the city, county, and state of Ohio. One theme you will see will be an emphasis on social enhancements and multiple social spaces throughout the ballpark, and there'll be many more food options, including a beer hall and upgraded food and beverage experiences. So the estimated total of the projects will be north of $200,000,000. And $67,000,000 of that is coming from the team, the other will be funded by the city, the state, and the county. So a $200,000,000 renovation project hitting Progressive Field. Remember, this building is almost 30 years old. It opened in 1994. It is the 11th oldest ballpark among MLB ballparks. And this renovation is really a great sign that the Dolan family is committed to keeping the team in Cleveland.
Let's stay with baseball, because the Arizona Diamondbacks are facing some critical decisions about their future. President and CEO Derek Hall said that the organization still doesn't know if they will remain playing at Chase Field for the long term or if they will look to build a new ballpark. He said the team needs a decision on this issue within the next several months. The team is talking to people interested in building a new facility, but they also remain in talks with the city about the potential to renovate Chase Field, while also developing a mixed use project surrounding it. But Derrick Hall warned that renovating Chase Field won't be cheap. It could be roughly $500,000,000. And so that will certainly impact the decision to renovate or to build anew, and it could impact whether managing general partner Ken Kendrick brings on a limited partner to help finance any new facility effort. So some critical decisions facing the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Let's end the Buzzcast like we do around people. A historic hire in college sports as Mississippi State has a new athletic director, naming Zac Selmon to the role on Friday. He is the first black athletic director in school history. He is 37 years old. He's been working at Oklahoma's athletic department since 2015. He's very close to the well-respected Joe Castiglione at Oklahoma. A few college insiders think Zac Selmon's departure from Oklahoma is just temporary and that he could eventually go back to succeed. Joe Castiglione. That's how well thought of he is. So he's been involved in everything at Oklahoma, including name, image, and likeness, fan experience, ticket sales. Many of you probably know Zac Selmon comes from a football family. He was a four-year starter for Wake Forest and he graduated with degrees in religion and international studies before pursuing a master's degree from Oklahoma. So this is seen as a strong hire for Mississippi State, as they have landed a young rising executive who certainly will bring new ideas and energy to campus.
And finally, we mentioned this before, Matt Goodman had left LIV Golf. He was of course charged with building out their franchise model for LIV Golf. Now, Matt Goodman is joining the Dallas Mavericks as their Chief Operating Officer. Matt Goodman has a lot of team experience. Prior to joining LIV Golf, Matt Goodman worked for NYC FC, and before that he was at the NBA. Now he joins the Dallas Mavericks as Chief Operating Officer.
And so that is your morning Buzzcast for Monday, January 16th. I'm Abe Madkour. Have a great holiday, stay healthy, be good to each other. I'll speak to you tomorrow.