Taking in the WWE; A-B drops the Commanders; Bucs go for two and remembering John Clayton.
I took in WWE SmackDown on Friday night here in Charlotte, North Carolina, and if you have never experienced the WWE live, you have to. The event production offers learnings for everyone in the business of event and game presentation. A really fun, impressive night. Then on Saturday night, Charlotte FC secured its first win in team history. A crowd of just over 29,000 was in attendance at Bank of America Stadium. Remember, this comes after the club's debut earlier this month saw more than 74,000, which set the league's single match attendance record. But Saturday night's attendance of around 29,000 was exactly what club officials thought attendance would settle at. Anywhere between 28 and 30,000 per game.
So this is your Morning Buzzcast for Monday, March 21st. I'm Abe Madkour. Hope everybody had a great weekend. Beautiful weather here in the South. Lots of great basketball. Let's start the Buzzcast though with football, because big news out of Washington, Anheuser-Busch has ended its deal with the Washington Commanders. They become the third company in the past year to cut ties with the franchise. Anheuser-Busch is of course the official beer sponsor of the NFL. It declined to provide a reason for why it ended the deal, and it's not clear whether it has ended relationships with other teams, but Anheuser-Busch was one of the Commanders' biggest corporate sponsors, with a large presence throughout FedExField. This is noteworthy, of course, as any time such a large sports sponsor walks way from a team, it's sure to have other sponsors rethink their position. And it's indicative of how sponsors are evaluating their support of Dan Snyder and his ownership of the organization. When dollars are pulled, it really changes the narrative, and we'll have to keep watching if others follow what Anheuser-Busch did with the Commanders.
Staying with football, the Tampa Bay Bucs are looking to leverage Tom Brady's last season, because now for the first time in franchise history, the Buccaneers are requiring new season ticket holders to purchase tickets for two seasons. Yes, those wanting to see Brady play home games this season can get their season tickets, but they will have to pony up for 2023 as well. The team is also looking to limit opposing fans filling up the lower bowl at Raymond James Stadium. They're requiring anyone wanting to buy tickets in the lower bowl to provide a valid Florida identification, matching the name on the ticket account, and present it 48 hours before purchase.
So a couple of things here. They want to secure home field advantage by having only Bucs fans in that lower bowl, and they want to get some ticket security over the next two years. The interesting part is the Bucs having season ticket inventory in the first place, as going into last season, tickets were sold out. There was a waiting list, but then Tom Brady retired. Renewals likely weren't as high, and now with Brady back, the team is looking to lock in fans for two seasons. So an interesting ticket strategy by the Buccaneers.
Let's shift to baseball. A lot of baseball news, it'll be all over sportsbusinessjournal.com. But one of the biggest stories on the business side to keep your eye on is the Chicago Cubs' plan for a direct to consumer streaming option. Many people in the business have been talking about it for some time, and over the weekend Team President of Business Operations, Crane Kenney, said the team is exploring such a direct to consumer option, hopes to have it ready for the 2023 season.
Now, there are some obstacles here, such as Major League Baseball's plans to perhaps launch its own national service, and there is also the technology challenges of creating such a service. But Crane Kenney talked about developing a very robust app around the team-owned Marquee Sports Network that would allow it to stream Cubs games, but also potentially allow fans to buy tickets and merchandise. So the key here is if the Cubs get out in front and do this service on their own, or do they work with Major League Baseball on a more national baseball based streaming option? That's what you want to watch here, but a very interesting story developing in Chicago.
The deadline for bids for Chelsea were due on Friday, and among the bidders were Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment co-managing partners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer. Harris and Blitzer formed a partnership with former British Airways Chair, Martin Broughton, and also government leader and former Olympian, Sebastian Coe. I found that very interesting. Among the other known bidders for Chelsea include the Ricketts family, which of course owns the Chicago Cubs, and also Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly. So now with the deadline past, look for negotiations to heat up for the acquisition of Chelsea, which will be one of the biggest team deals certainly of the year.
SBJ today revealed our 2022 Class of Champions, full of achievers, innovators and trailblazers. These six individuals will be honored over the next few months with an extensive profile in Sports Business Journal. Our 2022 Class of Champions are longtime International Olympic Committee Member, Anita DeFrantz, a member of both the Pro Football and NASCAR Hall of Fame, Joe Gibbs, longtime Fox Sports Executive Vice President, Larry Jones, the first female president of an NBA team, Susan O'Malley, longtime sports agent, Leigh Steinberg, and former ACC Commissioner, John Swofford. Those are our 2022 Champions. They are certainly pioneers and innovators in sports business, and they'll be featured in SBJ over the next few months.
And finally, I was sorry to hear that longtime NFL reporter John Clayton died after a brief illness. He was a young 67. He was a true pro, and his career spanned roughly 50 years, dating back to his days covering sports in his native Pittsburgh. He was known for his work ethic, he was also incredibly kind. I first met John Clayton during an event around the Pro Football Hall of Fame years ago, he couldn't have been kinder, and he always remembered my name and he remembered me time and time again after that, sharing stories and asking about Sports Business Journal. Rarely did you meet someone so well respected and well liked than John Clayton. John Clayton passes away at the too young age of 67. So that is your Morning Buzzcast for Monday, March 21st. I'm Abe Madkour. Hope everybody has a great start to their week. Be good to each other. Stay healthy. Let's pray for some peace. I'll talk to you tomorrow.