SBJ Morning Buzzcast

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: June 10, 2022

Episode Summary

The fractured state of men's golf; Another brand backs off a LIV golfer; Commanders stadium plan in limbo and Warner Bros. Discovery gets new sports media leader.

Episode Transcription

Congratulations are in order to the University of Oklahoma and Athletic Director, Joe Castiglione, as Oklahoma beat Texas to win their second straight women's college world series. Well done to the University of Oklahoma. And this is your morning Buzzcast for Friday, June 10th. I'm Abe Madkour, you made it to another Friday in the summer. Congratulations. While PGA tour commissioner, Jay Monahan has talked tough about the threat of LIV Golf from the start and yesterday, Jay Monahan backed up that tough talk with a tough response. As soon as LIV Golf teed off in London, the PGA tour sent a memo to all members and alerted players that they are suspended or otherwise no longer eligible to participate in PGA Tour tournament play, that includes the President's Cup, which of course is this September. Players who resign their PGA Tour membership will be removed from the FedEx Cup points list.

So it's all really happening. It is going down as we speak. It's unclear how the PGA Tour would respond if the players wanted to return to the tour. LIVE Golf called the move vindictive and said it would deepen the divide between the PGA Tour and players on the LIV Golf Invitational series. Later, one of the stronger player voices against LIV Golf, the well respected Roy McIlroy sounded much more discouraged than we're used to hearing him sound. He called it a shame. What's going on today is going to fracture the game of golf. And he's right. This is clearly fracturing the game. So there's a lot to unpack from day one of the LIV Golf Invitational series, which is taking place in London.

The event broadcast seemed to be well received by those who watched on YouTube or on LIV Golf's website. Many fans commented positively on the shotgun start format and other broadcast elements. Remember, David Hill is a consultant to LIV Golf so it's understandable if the production has a lot of bells and whistles and a lot of pace. There was, of course, no sponsorship branding on the course except for LIV Golf branding. There weren't a lot of spectators in attendance in London at the Centurion Club, but I will say, people continue to be interested in the story based on the number of notes and text messages I'm getting about LIV Golf and their event continues today, of course, in London. And there's more and more fallout.

And the brand sponsorship connection is something to keep your eye on. I haven't talked to one brand or agency executive who is interested in supporting the LIV Golf tour and brands are backing away from the players who are part of it. Rocket Mortgage yesterday ended its sponsorship deal with Bryson DeChambeau due to his reported commitment to the LIV Golf series. Bryson DeChambeau is reportedly planning to participate in the second event of the LIV series in Portland, Oregon, beginning June 30th. So Rocket Mortgage cited its longtime commitment to the PGA Tour, both through their role as an official partner and of course they are a tournament host in Detroit. They cited that as the reason for dropping Bryson. Now, DeChambeau won the PGA Tour's Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit in 2020 and became a partner with the brand shortly thereafter.

Well, this continues a trend we've seen. Remember we saw RBC, the Royal Bank of Canada cut ties with Dustin Johnson. We saw UPS drop Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen. So again, not every company has dropped the golfers, as many were seen wearing their traditional brand logos during Thursdays opening round, but the endorsement piece is one to keep your eye on. And finally, if you're curious about all of this and want more and want to learn more, check out today's New York Times, which gives page one treatment to the Saudi's backing of LIV Golf and its potential impact on the game of golf and the overall sports marketplace. It's a good read, and we will continue to cover this story on the Buzzcast.

Let's move on. It seems the Washington Commanders shouldn't be too optimistic about plans for a new stadium in Virginia. Remember, there was a lot of energy about a stadium plan that was introduced about a month ago, but the Virginia legislature will not consider a stadium bill for the Commanders anytime soon, they will leave that stadium bill in committee and any further action won't take place until next year's general assembly. Virginia leaders say they are still supportive of a stadium plan, but there are just too many issues surrounding the team that need to be resolved before they are comfortable moving forward. So the Commanders and their future stadium plans remain in limbo.

I found this story interesting, Wimbledon is on high alert for the threat of cyber attacks aimed at disrupting the tournament's computer systems because of the ban on Russian and Belarusian players from the All England Club. There are fears that hackers may attempt to break into the scoring system and disrupt it during matches. But IBM, which handles cybersecurity for Wimbledon, said it is confident that it can withstand any threat. But that's a very fascinating story, cybersecurity is prevalent across industries and many are concerned it could hit a major sport event in the future.

We see more and more investments in sports media companies. Here's another one, Just Women's Sports, the women's sports focused media outlet, which is led by SBJ New Voices Under 30 Honoree, Haley Rosen, has raised $6 million in a funding round that was led by the Family Office of Nets' owner, Joe Tsai. But there are a lot of other bold faced sports names as part of this round of funding. David Blitzer from Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Billie Jean King, Michelle Kang, who is of course the new owner of the NWSL's Washington Spirit, and Dapper Labs also participated in this round. Just Women's Sports is now valued at $36 million.

And let's end the Buzzcast around some names in the news. First, veteran NFL CFO, Joe Siclare, has taken a more senior role at the NFL and will help lead a search for a successor in the role that he's held for more than a decade. Siclare's in his 30th year with the NFL. He will become Executive Vice President of Finance and League Policy, which reflects how broad the role and how big that role has become. He has held the CFO title since 2011. He replaced Anthony Noto, who is now the CEO of SoFi. Prior to being CFO, Joe Siclare had been Senior Vice President and Treasurer. A longtime executive at the league, he gets a larger role and will help fill his CFO position.

Let's shift to media because a surprising announcement, to me, from David Zaslav and Warner Brothers discovery, we have heard that they've been looking for a new head of sports for some time. Yesterday, they named Luis Silberwasser to lead their sports division. He will become chair and CEO of Warner Brothers Discovery Sports. He is a longtime colleague of Zaslav. They know each other very well. Silberwasser was at Univision, he was at Discovery, and now he will work very closely with both Lenny Daniels and Patrick Crumb in leading Warner Brothers Discovery Sports. Both Daniels and Crumb will report to him. And remember, Warner Brothers Sports has a very nice portfolio. The NBA, now they have the NHL, they have Major League Baseball, and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. So Luis Silberwasser is a name now to know as he will lead Warner Brothers Discovery Sports.

And finally Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, or BSE Global, as well as owner Joe Tsai, named longtime IMG Endeavor Executive, Sam Zussman, as CEO. So Sam Zussman will transition into the CEO role this summer. He'll join the organization full-time, prior to the start of this upcoming NBA season. Sam Zussman, he's been very well respected. He comes to Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment after 16 years at IMG and Endeavor largely over in London. But again, very well regarded. He was at the IMG Academy for a number of years. Currently based in London, he of course will relocate to Brooklyn. He will take over for the departing CEO, John Abbamondi. So Sam Zussman taking over as CEO of BSE Global. So that is your morning Buzzcast for Friday, June 10th, another week in the books. Hope everybody has a great weekend. Stay healthy, be good to each other. I'll speak to you on Monday.