Players to push for NWSL changes; Baird breaks her silence; why the Suns should be a record-breaking deal and the Eck set to sign off.
Please let me know if I will see you next week in New York for the CAA World Congress of Sports. It's next Tuesday and Wednesday. We have a great agenda. There are dinners, receptions, you won't want to miss it. Still time to register, worldcongressofsports.com. Let me know if you're there. I'd love to say hi and see you. Meanwhile, NBC Universal said that subscribers to Peacock have risen to 15 million, up from around 13 million. So growth, slow, but growth at Peacock. And this is your Morning Buzzcast for Wednesday, October 5th. Good morning. I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast.
First, the ramifications of the scathing rapport on abuse in the NWSL will be far reaching, and it's going to be in the news for some time. I'm sure this will be a topic of discussion at next week's conference. If you haven't read or skimmed the report, it's so disturbing and such a damning reflection on the culture of coaches and administrators and leaders in women's soccer, this will surely result in changes and we started to see some changes yesterday. Portland Thorns owner, Merritt Paulson and Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler are both stepping away from decision making roles with their NWSL clubs until the findings are released from an ongoing investigation into the numerous reports of sexual misconduct and abuse around the league and around those specific franchises.
Paulson, of course, has been around soccer for a number of years. He is also the owner of MLS's Portland Timbers. Whisler, he serves on the NWSL Board of Governors. He'll recuse himself from that role. And like I said, both of these organizations were the focus of Sally Yates' investigation. Now Paulson said that Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub, who have both served in executive roles with Paulson's teams, are stepping away from the Thorns, and the Thorns are still in the NWSL playoff, so they'll be around in the news. Now Paulson's statements didn't indicate whether they will also step away from the Timbers, and Paulson gave no indication that he plans to sell his club.
So that is a story that bears watching, but this story is not over and it shouldn't be. The more people dig into this report, the more they will want to see change, and I expect more and more calls for change from the players. They will have great influence and a big voice in this as they should. Meanwhile, former NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird broke her long silence on the issue and she spoke to ESPN and she feels she acted appropriately and didn't ignore allegations of misconduct during her time running the league. Baird said she followed up on everything that was brought to her attention. She did say she could second guess herself, but felt she made the best decisions she could with the information she had at the time.
Now, I'm not privy to the information she had at the time, but I'm sure if there was something Lisa Baird wished she really did, I bet she wished she called for a sweeping investigation and report about the abuses that she was made aware of while she was commissioner. That would've been the thing to do, but we don't know. Maybe she couldn't convince the owners at the time it was needed, or maybe she didn't have the standing or political savvy or influence to get the owners on board with such a dramatic move, because that takes real power, real influence, and a lot of times owners don't want to do what they don't want to do. We will never know, but the fallout from years of abuse will be felt for some time.
Let's move on. Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver is working with advisory firm Moelis & Company on the potential sale of those franchises. Now Moelis served as the financial advisor for the sale of Chelsea Football Club. That was to a group led by Todd Boehly and Clear Lake Capital. Remember that deal was for $5.3 billion. Moelis is certainly a big hitter in this M&A category. Meanwhile bankers are very optimistic about the sale of the Suns. One investment banker told ESPN he felt the Suns deal will be the highest price ever paid for an NBA team, and I agree. We've talked about this on the Buzzcast. I floated a source that said the number could be $3 billion. Remember, Joe Tsai bought the Nets for an NBA record that was about 2.35 billion in 2019. You had Tilman Fertitta purchase the Rockets for 2.2 billion. Remember Steve Balmer set the bar, really, when he bought the Clippers for 2 billion in 2014.
So why will the Suns being attractive buy? Well, there are a number of reasons. A great market, close to really some very important areas in America, a strong team on the court, a newly renovated arena, a new practice facility. In addition, we all know that the NBA has a new media deal coming up. They are in talks on a new CBA. We know the growth around the NBA. We know that there's talk of expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas. So all of that will lift revenue around the NBA and make the Suns a more attractive buy, and certainly increase the value of that franchise over the coming years. So I would look for a deal for the Suns within the next 9 to 12 months, but this will be a hotly contested bidding for the team. And again, it will likely go and it should go for a record NBA price.
We talk a lot about Saudi Arabia's investment in sports. We've seen it with the public investment fund and LIV Golf. Well that's just the start, and we've mentioned that on the Buzzcast. Here's some more news. Saudi Arabia will organize international skiing and snowboarding events at a futuristic called mega city in Saudi Arabia. That's after a $500 billion real bid or offer to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at this futuristic city. This is an amazing, aggressive bid for the games. It was of course unanimously approved by the Olympic Council of Asia. This mega city is expected to be completed in 2026, three years before these games. It'll offer outdoor skiing, a manmade freshwater lake, a nature reserve. So that's one effort for the Saudi group.
And this all comes as last week Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group, which is run by the Public Investment Fund, said it will invest nearly $38 billion into the gaming and eSports industry in an effort to become the global hub of eSports and gaming by 2030. So 38 billion they're investing in eSports and gaming, and they're building and investing 500 billion into this mega city that will host the Asian Winter Games. So again, Saudi Arabia's interest in hosting sports and being a big player in sports is real. Staying in that region of the world, remember, the NBA is playing in the Middle East this week. They're playing for the first time in Abu Dhabi. The Hawks will play the Bucks. They'll play two games at Etihad Arena. These are the NBA's first games in the UAE and the Arabian Golf. There's a game tomorrow, Thursday, and the second game on Saturday. We'll have a full recap as the NBA plays their first games ever in Abu Dhabi.
Let's shift to the NFL because we talk about strong numbers, strong viewership numbers continue around the NFL and especially for CBS. If you watch the Patriots Packers overtime game on Sunday, let's just say you are not alone, as CBS led the entire weekend with nearly 25 million viewers for that four o'clock Sunday national Window. That is a very big number. It's CBS's best week four number since CBS returned to the NFL as a media partner in 1998. So these numbers are strong. For the year so far CBS is now averaging 18.6 million viewers. That's its best start to an NFL season since 2010. So despite believing we'd see a slight drop in NFL ratings, we certainly haven't to date. They have been incredibly strong.
Let's end on two things, more development around MLS and soccer specific stadiums. The Philadelphia Union have unveiled plans for a 32 acre sports and recreation complex with naming rights partner WSFS Bank. It is a privately funded $55 million project. It'll sit right next to Subaru Park on the banks of the Delaware River in Chester, Pennsylvania. It'll bring the Union's academy team with the MLS team. Groundbreaking should take place in late this year, early next year, and the whole facility should be opened by June of '24, but a real investment by the Philadelphia Union on their facilities in Chester, Pennsylvania.
And finally, goodbye to the Eck. New England Sports Network' Dennis Eckersley will call his final Red Sox game tonight, Wednesday night, which will mark the end of his two decade tenure of really being the on-air voice of that storied franchise. Eckersley announced his decision to retire from broadcasting in early August. Eckersley is quitting cold turkey. He's moving out west with his wife to be around his children and grandchildren. He will not do any more Red Sox games after tonight. It's going to be tough for Dennis Eckersley to say goodbye. He's an emotional sort, and New England and Boston mean a lot to him. Now the Red Sox had offered an on-field ceremony for the final game, and Eckersley said he wanted no part of that. That doesn't surprise me.
If you live in New England like I have over the years, and I grew up there, Dennis Eckersley and Jerry Remy were really the soundtrack of your summer nights. Remember Jerry Remy died last October and now Dennis Eckersley calls it quits. Both have left unbelievable, endearing and enduring memories for Red Sox fans. Now the 68 year old Eckersley is of course a former Red Sox pitcher. He started broadcasting Red Sox games in 2009, and if you ever get the chance, watch the MLB Network documentary called Eck: The Story of Saving. It's one of the best documentaries on a former player that I've ever seen, because of his honesty about his struggles, personal and professional during his career. And Eckersley is just a fantastic storyteller. So Dennis Eckersley's final game for the Boston Red Sox tonight. And that is your morning Buzzcast for Wednesday, October 5th. I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast. Until I see you or talk to you again, stay healthy, be good to each other. I'll be with you tomorrow.