Indy’s big weekend; GW goes with Revolutionaries and final takeaways from the judges’ decisions at the Sports Business Awards.
Good morning. This is your Morning Buzzcast for Friday, May 26th. I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast. I hope everybody has a great Memorial Day weekend. And one tradition for this weekend is the Indianapolis 500. I have never been to the 500, but one of my good friends here in Charlotte, Steve Lauletta, many of you know him. He works in Motorsports, calls the 500, one of the most memorable live events in sports that he's ever attended, and he has attended a bunch of events. He says it's a spectacle like none other. And there is a good story around the 500 this year, as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said that less than 5,000 seats remain for Sunday's race. And such a turnout is very good news for IndyCar, as it would make this the biggest crowd except for the 100 running of the 500 in 2016 in about 25 years. So Sunday, yes, could be one of the biggest crowds in about 25 years.
An estimated 230,000 seats have been sold, and that's even before infield seating and the so-called snake pit. So, no matter how you cut it or no matter how you look at it, that's a very impressive number of ticket sales for the Indy 500. So, a big weekend bracing in Indianapolis. Let's move on. An interesting story out of Washington DC when it comes to a school's nickname as George Washington University's sports teams will now go by the name of the George Washington Revolutionaries. Revolutionaries replaces Colonials, which was the school name, but school leaders and many students had deemed divisive and dated, and they believed it stood for European imperialism. Now, GW had gone by that term colonials since 1926, but starting next year they will be the Revolutionaries and Revolutionaries beat out three other finalists. One was Blue Fog, the second Centennials, and the third Ambassadors. So, at the end of the day, it is now the GW Revolutionaries.
I do want to put a bow on the Sports Business Awards. I got a number of notes and text messages asking for my perspective. I couldn't do the Buzzcast on Thursday. It was a late night Wednesday and a very early morning on Thursday flying back to Charlotte. But here were my takeaways. First, the category amongst the judges that took the least amount of time of debate and deliberation was Best In Sports Media. That was probably the easiest decision this year. It was an easy decision because of the year that Fox Sports had, which included a World Cup, a Super Bowl, and a leading role in the Big Ten's media deal. They also launched the USFL and successfully revamped two broadcast boosts, not just the NFL, but also Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, while Vest In Talent, representation is usually one of the most challenging categories to decide. There was an early consensus behind Wasserman and the work that Wasserman did in supporting its client Brittney Griner, while she was detained in Russia.
So, that was an easier decision this year for the judges as well. I do believe the first award of Wednesday night got some of the biggest surprise reaction, and that was the debut of the Deal Of The Year category. I remember being with the judges and they quickly wondered why the acquisition of Chelsea wasn't among the initial nominees, and that's because the deals had to be based in North America. While the judges quickly focused on three deals, the MLS Apple deal, the Big Ten's media deal, and Michelle Kang's acquisition of the Washington Spirit. Now, the complexities of each of those deals were understood. I mean, the MLS Apple deal was just a very, very difficult deal to get done. Same with the Big Ten's media deal. But at the end of the day, a number of judges just felt what Kang was able to achieve. And finally landing the team, she really outmaneuvered a more competitive bidder in Todd Boehly. She was able to stabilize that franchise and many believe it reset the bar for the valuation of a woman's sports team.
And at the end of the day, that made the difference in her winning that category. And that was the outcome I've heard the most surprise on over the last two days, or since the awards were announced. Otherwise, Team Of The Year that was also a very competitive category, and there were three teams that were really looked upon closely. One group of judges couldn't overlook the continued growth and innovation around the Golden State Warriors, but the Warriors have been nominated in that category seven times, and they've won twice, so that might have hurt them at the end. There were a number of judges who were drawn by the brick by brick success of LAFC and how that team is captured such a share of the Los Angeles marketplace. But a majority of judges convincingly kept coming back to Angel City FC and how that organization, they felt had the steepest climb in its inaugural season, yet had business results that mirror or surpassed established teams in other leagues.
And just the impact that that team has made, not just in the LA marketplace but nationally. And many felt that was the tipping point for Angel City to be named Team of the Year. And many were surprised, ho-hum, the NFL won League Of The Year. Well, it should be noted, the NFL has not won League Of The Year since 2010. And I've been in many of these, well, actually all of these deliberations, most feel the NFL sure could win every year. But this year judges, at first, there wasn't a lot of support around the NFL, but then more and more conversation focused on the season they had, their growth in international markets such as London and Germany, their debut game in Germany was a huge hit. Judges also admired the new Sunday ticket deal, the strong attendance at the league, and certainly the strength of its media product and its ratings. And I believe that was enough to have the NFL emerge victorious in this category.
Like I said, the first win in this category since 2010, and I got a number of notes about how the NHL, digital dasherboards were the sports breakthrough of the year. I would say that conversation came down to a couple. Track house racing, overtime elite, even live golf was discussed. But at the end of the day, the judges really admired how the NHL had worked so long to change the presentation and the commercial viability of its sport through these very nimble, flexible, dynamic digital dashboards that the judges believed really were a game changer for the NHL, its broadcast, its teams, and its local broadcast revenue. So again, that was a big, big interesting discussion. And the discussion around Sports Facility Of The Year was very interesting.
Judges, of course, immediately gravitated toward Allegiant Stadium and SoFi Stadium. They liked the business model of the Moody Center, but a number of judges kept coming back to a building that seemed to do more and to do more creatively throughout the year. And that was Fenway Park. And at the end of the day, Fenway Park emerged victorious in this category, and some judges acknowledged they initially dismissed Fenway because of its historic legacy. But when they saw the scope and breadth of what the facility accomplished, they felt it personified what the category of Sports Facility Of The Year stood for. And many asked like, how were the decisions done? Well, we had selected nearly 50 judges. We had given them files of the nominations and supporting documentation. We gave them about two weeks to study. We met over a couple of days at SBJ's New York office at One World Trade Center, and we went category by category discussing each of the nominees, what stood out and how judges ranked them.
And you see how judges come in firmly entrenched on one side, but then they get swayed and they change their mind and they may vote another way. The judging is a fantastic learning and networking experience. If you're ever interested in being part of this judging process, please just let me know. So, that was some color. That was some of my insights and takeaways from the Sports Business Awards. It was a great night, nearly 1,200 leaders, so many bold-faced names in that ballroom at the Marriott Marquee, one of my favorite nights of the year, and it's just a great celebration of the sports industry. If you've never been, you got to come next year. And so, that is your Morning Buzzcast for Friday, May 26th. I made Abe Madkour. Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Stay healthy, be good to each other, spend time with friends and family, and I'll speak to you on Tuesday.