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Morning Buzz

Published

8 months ago

May 17, 2025

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Abe Madkour: Eyes on the W and its momentum; Celtics deal close to completion; Maryland pulls from the pro ranks and previewing the Sports Business Awards

Most attended/watched WNBA game — After the 2025 season, all but two veterans will be free agents. NBAE via Getty Images

The WNBA opens its 29th season on Friday as it nears “an exciting yet pivotal inflection point.” The league has expanded to 13 teams with the addition of the Valkyries, seen the hiring of eight first-time head coaches and overhauled rosters in the offseason. But “just wait for what 2026 has in store.” Not only will the WNBA add two more franchises in Toronto and Portland, “all but two veterans are going to be free agents at the end of this season.” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said that the “optionality and unprecedented nature of what awaits next season is exciting.” All unanswered questions pertaining to the CBA will “need to be fleshed out before any of that chaos can ensue.” It’s all “gearing up for what may be one of the most anticipated WNBA seasons to date” (N.Y. POST, 5/16).

The Valkyries kick off their first season after “blockbuster demand from fans.” Their lone preseason home game “saw a whopping” 17,428 in attendance, the third highest-attended preseason game “in league history.” The team kicks off the season with more than 10,000 full season ticket holders (REUTERS, 5/15).

Thanks to Wings G Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, sports fans are “paying more attention to the Wings.” Bueckers, making her WNBA debut tonight against the Lynx, is tasked with “helping lift the Wings’ on-court product” and is expected to “drive the Wings’ cultural relevance in a North Texas region that loves sports but” is still “learning to fully embrace professional women’s hoops” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/16).

Charter Communications has “agreed to combine with privately held” Cox Communications in a deal that unites “two of the biggest US cable providers.” The transaction will “value Cox at about” $34.5B, including debt. The Cox family will “be the largest shareholder in the combined company with a stake of about” 23% and will have seats on the board. Cox’s systems and regional footprint are “expected to complement those of Charter,” increasing the chances of a deal “passing muster with regulators.” Charter, which operates under the Spectrum brand, is the “top cable TV company” (BLOOMBERG, 5/16).

Bill Chisholm Celtics — Bill Chisholm has “obtained sufficient commitments to purchase the Celtics” and his ownership group has “been finalized.” Symphony Technology Group

A letter sent to Celtics shareholders said that Bill Chisholm has “obtained sufficient commitments to purchase the Celtics,” and his ownership group has “been finalized.” The deal will “not become official” until it receives approval from the NBA Board of Governors, likely in June or July, which is “expected to be a formality.” Chisholm’s group will purchase 51% of the team this summer, “with the balance closing in 2028.” It is “unclear what percentage of the team Chisholm is purchasing,” but he is “required to own at least” 15% in order to hold the controlling stake. Chisholm and current majority owner Wyc Grousbeck have “sat together in TD Garden courtside seats often,” including the Celtics’ Game 5 win against the Knicks (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/16).

The Bengals said that they were “surprised the county retained an outside stadium consultant, Inner Circle Sports, that also does work for the Cleveland Browns.” Getty Images

The Bengals “alleged a conflict of interest between another negotiator” Hamilton County has hired for ongoing stadium discussions hours after the county moved to terminate its longtime riverfront counsel, noting that the negotiator “is also doing work” for the Browns. The Bengals said that they were “surprised the county retained an outside stadium consultant, Inner Circle Sports, that also does work for the Cleveland Browns.” The Bengals said in a statement, “This was not disclosed to the team initially, and the team undertook research to finally uncover this truth. The team has expressed concern to the county that a stadium consultant performing services for the Cleveland Browns might not have Cincinnati’s best interests at heart.” The statement was “in response to one made earlier Thursday by Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich.” Pillich, who represents the county, said that the team has “all but refused to talk to [David] Abrams [of ICS],” and that the Bengals “will not dictate who negotiates for the county.” An agreement between the county and ICS “calls for a $25,000-per-month retainer, assuming Abrams works on the project in a particular month, plus additional fees for certain services.” The deal “could ultimately be worth” more than $1M (CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER, 5/15).

Phoenix Suns jersey — The lawsuit filed against the Suns on Tuesday is the fourth lawsuit against the Suns in the past seven months filed by a former or current employee. Getty Images

A current Suns employee “sued the team” in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Tuesday, “citing allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.” The lawsuit is the “fourth filed against the Suns by a current or former member of the organization in the past seven months.” Suns’ director of safety, security and risk management Gene Traylor, who joined the team in January 2023, is the plaintiff in the case. He alleges the team “discouraged him from taking protected leave after he was diagnosed with cancer.” In response, the Suns “denounced” Sheree Wright, one of two attorneys representing Traylor (ESPN, 5/15).

Today’s Black-Eyed Susan and tomorrow’s Preakness Stakes will “mark the last one” at what will eventually be known as the old Pimlico Race Course. Getty Images

Today’s Black-Eyed Susan and tomorrow’s Preakness Stakes will “mark the last one” at what will eventually be known as the old Pimlico Race Course. The nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club will be the “new operator at Pimlico,” taking over from 1/ST Racing and the previous version of the Maryland Jockey Club. Once Saturday’s race is contested, work on dismantling Pimlico will “proceed full bore with the demolition of the grandstand/clubhouse structure — where the grandstand is already condemned and closed — expected to start in June.” Pimlico’s racing surfaces will not be altered, but the new grandstand/clubhouse will be “considerably smaller, housing maybe 6,000-8,000 fans on a regular basis” (BLOODHORSE, 5/15).

Grand Slam Track is cutting its Philadelphia event from three days to two after complaints from fans and athletes that there was “too much time between races each day.” grand slam track

Grand Slam Track announced that it has cut its Philadelphia event at the end of the month “from three days to two.” Organizers realized over the course of the first two showcases — held in Kingston, Jamaica, and Miami — that there “was too much time between races each day.” Fans in attendance “complained,” as did the athletes competing. The Philadelphia event, held at Franklin Field, will be on May 31 and June 1, with May 30 being removed from the calendar. The move might “prompt questions about ticket sales, and organizers haven’t said much about that yet.” But they are “issuing full refunds for anyone who bought May 30 tickets, and partial refunds for anyone who bought multi-day packages” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/15).

Mets OF Juan Soto will face his former team, the Yankees, for the first time in the Bronx. Getty Images

MLB is highlighting geographical rivalries with its inaugural Rivalry Weekend presented by Booking.com. Every team will play its designated rival, with 11 interleague series and four non-interleague series. The weekend will be highlighted by Mets RF Juan Soto returning to the Bronx to face his former team, the Yankees, and Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani hosting his former team the Angels (MLB).

The World Trade Center will “host free watch parties” for the Mets-Yankees series. The three-day event will see every game shown on a “large projection screen with speakers.” Fans can also “have their photo taken with a World Series trophy” (MLB.com, 5/14).

The Padres will host the Mariners Friday for the “first official game of the Vedder Cup” — named after Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. The rivalry came after the Mariners and Padres “joined together this offseason” with the approval from Vedder, whose family moved to the San Diego area when he was a child, to give the “matchup between the ‘natural rivals’ an official name after years of it being referenced that way unofficially.” It started years ago as a “fun running joke among baseball scribes and bloggers in San Diego who were fans of the band, caught on by their colleagues in Seattle who were also fans of the band, and was later adopted by a subset of Padres and Mariners fans in general on social media” (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/15).

Prodigy Search is partnering with the McLendon Foundation as the Preferred Talent Partner of the McLendon Leadership Initiative. The Foundation is committed to creating educational opportunities and expanding career pathways across the sports industry. Prodigy Search will lead the recruiting, vetting, and placement process for the McLendon Leadership Initiative’s 2025-26 class of Fellows. (Prodigy Search).

Churchill Downs Racetrack is looking for a Senior Dir/International Sales. The Louisville-based position is responsible for spearheading and overseeing the development of businesses in international markets, aiming for revenue growth and pipeline creation to international markets (Churchill Downs Racetrack).

The Snow League is looking for a League Experience Dir. The remote based position is responsible for leading the end-to-end design and implementation of experience programs for Athletes, Media, VIPs, Fans, and Staff/Vendors (The Snow League).

Wasserman is looking for a Manager of Social Media. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for being the primary manager of the main brand social media account, working with all areas of the company to support the vision and ensure active, growth-driven feeds (Wasserman).

Speed Reads…

Vancouver will “host the 76th FIFA Congress” on April 30, 2026, winning out over co-hosts U.S. and Mexico (CP, 5/15).

The Pittsburgh Riveters, a USL W League club, will play at Highmark Stadium Friday for their “first-ever game.” Breeze Airways is the primary uniform sponsor (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 5/15).

Morning Hot Reads: College track and field at risk amid NCAA changes

The Portland OREGONIAN went with the header, “Is the future of college track & field, including Oregon, in jeopardy? ‘If we don’t act now, we’ll never save it.’” College track, a “revenue loser everywhere,” even in Track Town USA, is “beginning to look like so much collateral damage” as the NCAA nears major, structural changes to intercollegiate athletics. Virginia track coach Vin Lananna and others say that unless college track “becomes something the public can easily watch and understand, it risks descending into a tiny niche, contested by only a handful of schools.”

Also:

Social Scoop…

“You shouldn’t be punished for hitting it in the fairway!”

Scottie Scheffler was left angry at a ‘mud ball’ issue after round one of the PGA Championship 💬 pic.twitter.com/rwnvXQ2ZnE

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) May 15, 2025

Saturday nights are for lacrosse 🥍🤩

This is Saturday Night Lacrosse— Every weekend. All summer long.

Starting on May 31st
7PM ET on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/9DtTCvgobg

— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) May 15, 2025

Regarding the idea of “women first”, she queried, “Women demand equal rights on land–why not on sea?”

Off the presses…

The Morning Buzz offers today’s back pages and sports covers from some of North America’s major metropolitan newspapers:

Final Jeopardy…

“Who is Margaret Brown? (Molly Brown)”

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Pat McAfee dealt blunt reality check from college football fans

Published

46 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Pat McAfee remains one of the more polarizing voices in the college football media landscape, and it appears the College GameDay personality is losing some of his base of support among fans, according to a new survey.

McAfee’s approval ratings among college football fans have fallen to an all-time low coming out of the 2025 season, according to a poll taken by The Athletic this week.

How do you feel about Pat McAfee?

Fans were asked a simple question: “How do you feel about Pat McAfee on College GameDay?” And the answers definitely tilted one way.

Nearly half of those who answered the question said they “Don’t like it,” with 49.5 percent of fans who took part saying they didn’t approve of McAfee’s contribution to the weekly College GameDay program.

That contribution has been noteworthy from the beginning, capped off by his bombastic (and often shirtless) game predictions that helped give the program a transition from Lee Corso’s famous headgear picks as a method of closing out each show on Saturday.

The field-goal kicking contest that McAfee hosts on GameDay, which includes him paying out serious money to the winners, is also highly-regarded among fans who watch.

Those who do like what McAfee brings to the table? That number is down to 31.6 percent of those who were surveyed by The Athletic.

Just under 20 percent of those asked, 18.9 percent, said they had no opinion of him.

Previous polls agree on McAfee

This marked the third year that The Athletic polled fans on McAfee, but this edition of the vote saw the highest mark among those who answered negatively about him.

Last year, 42.5 percent of respondents said they didn’t like McAfee, and in 2023, that number swelled to 48.9 percent.

Two seasons ago, the negative conversation around McAfee’s performance on College GameDay even resulted in viral speculation that he considered leaving the program.

Last offseason, it was revealed that McAfee did not have a contract to appear on College GameDay that fall and it was an open question for a time whether or not he would return.

Those rumors were put to bed about a month later, when McAfee revealed that he signed a new deal with ESPN to appear on the show that season.

College GameDay is still very popular

Whatever fans may think of McAfee, they are very clear on the College GameDay program overall: they love it.

The overwhelming majority of those fans polled, 83.6 percent of them, said they prefer College GameDay to the Fox pre-game program Big Noon Kickoff.

That confidence was expressed in the TV ratings this season, as College GameDay established viewership records in the 2025 season averaging 2.7 million viewers per show, up 22 percent from last year.

(Athletic)

Mailbag Call: So…Indiana? | Off Tackle Empire

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Is this the new normal? The new Bloomington? The new Big Ten?

Good afternoon, and happy Monday. Three-quarters of the MNW household are struggling with some form or residuals of the flu, and the other one is me. That, of course, has led to no resentment of the fact that I am healthy other than a little cough, no sir.

Indiana feels inevitable at this point, do they not? The Hoosiers have, through Curt Cignetti’s shrewd use of the transfer portal and quality coaching, turned college football completely on its ear.

Well, a deep-pocketed donor by any other name is…a deep-pocketed donor, still. Add to that Mark Cuban’s money for 2026? We might be dealing with the Hoosiers until Curt Cignetti gets bored.

Of course, there have been flashes in the pan before: the wisconsin Rose Bowls, the Peak Weather Machine years of Michigan State, that one time Minnesota won ten games or whatever—but it’s undeniable that none of those programs ever made a national championship and that none of them did it in the style that Indiana is doing it right now.

Watching Indiana do it—or, indeed, the entire SEC going belly-up in the postseason—is certainly cathartic. It’s better than the usual suspects doing it over and over again, and it’s at least more above-board than the standard SEC model of used car dealers buying themselves a championship. I take little solace in knowing that there’s less program-building, less connection to a campus, less-anything that feels “authentically” college football, but it’s incredibly possible that my feelings of “authenticity” always relied on a lie—the lie that it was possible to square “belonging” or “identity” of a college campus with athletes being fairly treated.

Congratulations, of course, to Indiana on their seemingly inevitable championship. It is truly exciting for the Hoosiers and their fans, as well as those coming back to football to join the thousand or so of their long-suffering brethren. Glad you’ve finally left the tailgate lots and headed in. Enjoy Miami.

Of course, you might have questions or comments about completely different things—basketball, wrestling, the best episode of Magic School Bus, the worst way to cook cod. We in the OTE Hive were recently discussing our careers as Quiz Bowl contestants (MNW, AlmaOtter, LPW), speech wannabes (LPW, Kind of…, Dead Read), or speech titans (BRT, Jesse, et al). Ask us what you’d like, and we’ll answer how we’d like.

This is a Mailbag call, and I hope you’ll treat it as such.

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Hollywood Smothers’ flip to Texas underscores Alabama’s NIL struggles, dwindling mystique

Published

3 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Elite running back Hollywood Smothers flipped from Alabama to Texas in the 2026 college football transfer portal on Sunday, signaling deeper issues within the Crimson Tide program.

On the field, Alabama has fallen short of sustaining the elite standard set by Nick Saban, losing as many games in two seasons under Kalen DeBoer (eight) as it did across the previous five seasons under the seven-time national championship-winning coach.

Coaching deserves its fair share of blame for Alabama’s slight fall from grace, but deeper issues may lie within the Crimson Tide’s NIL operation, which has lagged behind many of its peers this cycle.

Alabama has lost six players ranked inside Cooper Petagna‘s top 100 of the college football transfer portal rankings this offseason, while adding just one: defensive lineman Devan Thompkins.

National college football and transfer portal analyst Chris Hummer went inside Alabama’s NIL struggles, offering insights into what’s gone wrong in Tuscaloosa and what the future may hold for one of college football’s most storied programs.

“A decade ago, Alabama could land everyone they wanted,” Hummer said on CBS Sports HQ. “They could be like a dragon sitting on a chest of gold. There’s nothing you could do about it.

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VCU’s Phil Martelli Jr. on the state of college sports amid NIL, transfer portal, conversations with dad

Published

3 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

State

Zip Code

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Scarlet Knights Legend Leonte Carroo Sues Rutgers Over NIL Claims

Published

4 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Rutgers football legend Leonte Carroo is suing Rutgers University over the use of his Name, Image, and Likeness from when he was playing in college, according to an article written by Brian Fonseca of Nj.com/NJAdvancedMedia. Carroo’s lawsuit claims that he is entitled to back payments for the money he generated for the university throughout his college career. The lawsuit values those figures between 2.8 and 3 million dollars.

Carroo and his team originally filed the lawsuit in October. In December, Rutgers countered and tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that the statute of limitations had long passed and that several courts from around the country had already unanimously denied the type of NIL claim that Carroo’s team is making. On January 9th, Carroo’s legal team filed a brief meant to argue that the university’s dismissal should be denied.

According to the article by Fonseca, Carroo’s team gave Rutgers a formal demand letter in June seeking compensation for the unauthorized use of his NIL. The university did not provide such compensation, which led to the lawsuit.

The House vs. NCAA settlement granted back payment to college athletes who were in school between June 2016 and 2024. Carroo’s playing at Rutgers career falls just outside that, as he played from 2012-2015. Carroo’s legal team is arguing that just because he falls outside the period given, it does not take away from the fact that Rutgers unjustly profited from his time as a player.

Carroo was one of the most well-known players at Rutgers while he was playing. He currently holds the receiving touchdowns record in school history by a wide margin, and he was one of the faces of the team when they first entered the Big Ten. Carroo and his legal team argue that some sort of compensation is in order for his level of stardom.

If the courts side with Carroo in this case, it has the potential to open up a whole can of worms across college athletics. It would lay the groundwork and encourage other former athletes from other schools to sue their own school for the same reason. Similar cases to this, including players from other college programs, have been dismissed or denied already across the board. It remains to be seen what will come of this lawsuit in particular.

A link to the original article by Fonseca can be found here.

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Big Ten vs. SEC: Josh Pate explains where college football supremacy currently sits

Published

5 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Your Sports Nation

The great debate regarding which conference — the Big Ten or the SEC — reigns over college football might not be much of a debate anymore. Especially given the SEC’s dismal 4-10 bowl record this offseason.

That bowl record looks even worse in games between the SEC and other Power Four teams, with the Southeastern Conference finishing the 2025-26 bowl season a combined 1-8 versus the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12. That includes a winless 0-4 mark against the ACC and a 1-3 record vs. the Big Ten, which has won the last two CFP national championships and will play for a third when No. 1 Indiana takes on No. 10 Miami in next Monday’s College Football Playoff national title game.

In fact, following No. 6 Ole Miss‘ 31-27 loss to the Hurricanes in last Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl CFP semifinal, the SEC — winners of 13 national titles in 17 years between 2006-22 — was shut out of playing for a third consecutive national championship game, something it hasn’t experienced since 2000-02.

Those struggles have led college football fans and pundits alike to effectively dance on the grave of the once-dominant conference. College football analyst Josh Pate joined the fray on Sunday’s episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, making it clear he’s been off the SEC gravy train for awhile now.

“The SEC is lagging behind the Big Ten, at the top, (and) I would even venture to suggest the middle-tier now is at least comparable if not slightly lagging behind,” Pate said Sunday night. “That’s probably where my perception has changed of late, moreso than at the top. So I’m not beating that drum.”

Pate then preceeded to break down all the ways the SEC ultimately lost its crown as King of College Football to the Big Ten, including his perception Big Ten “culture” is just more focused on football, as opposed to SEC’s perceived focus on the pomp and circumstance of the sport.

“Maybe the average Big Ten player is wired a little bit differently, maybe they focus a little more on the football aspect, the mean-and-potatoes aspect of football, instead of the more highlight-ish, branding aspect of football,” Pate added. “I think there’s something to that.”

From there, Pate addressed how the advent of NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal has leveled the playing field from a talent perspective. In fact, Pate suggested the SEC became so spoiled by its multi-decade talent advantage, effectively drunk off its own supply, that it didn’t do what was necessary to maintain it. That ultimately resulted in what Pate described as “lazy practices” like prioritizing recruiting over coaching and player development, including a tendency to fill out their football staffs based on the agency they were associated with rather than the most-qualified candidates.

“If you think that’s ridiculous, it’s because it is,” Pate concluded. “But that’s been standard practice in the SEC for awhile. And I don’t find it to be the case in the Big Ten.”

And while the SEC could certainly return to glory by this time next year, at least for forseable future, college football fans in the South will suffer through more gloating from their neighbors to the North.

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