$2.6B — The projected amount of annual NIL spending by 2027-28, up from $458M in 2021-22, per a data report from Opendorse (Opendorse)
Sports
Closing Bell

Mastercard to be naming sponsor for McLaren F1 team…Groundwork for the T’Wolves’ Matthew Caldwell hire was years in the making…ESPN re-org has Scott Clark overseeing ‘SportsCenter’

Mastercard will become the naming partner of McLaren’s F1 team in 2026 as the team will “expand its existing sponsorship agreement” with the company. The team’s official name will become “McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team” next season. Sources said that the deal is “estimated to be in the region of” $100M per season, and it is a “long-term agreement that is understood to run through to the mid-2030s.” The deal is also believed to “stand as the biggest title sponsorship agreement on the F1 grid,” and it is the “largest commercial deal in McLaren’s history.” This will be the first time since the end of 2013 that McLaren has raced with a title sponsor. McLaren was previously the only team left on the F1 grid that did not race with a title sponsorship (THE ATHLETIC, 8/27).

When Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore pursued a purchase of the New York Mets in 2020 — their first foray into business together — their partner on the bid was Florida Panthers owner and billionaire Vinnie Viola. Viola had someone he wanted them to meet: Matthew Caldwell.
That familiarity — along with Caldwell’s championship pedigree, his leadership qualities and his background in facility development — all led to his hire as T’Wolves and Lynx CEO at a time the franchise is in transition after a bevy of departures and a round of roughly 40 layoffs last week.
Lore and Rodriguez — after being introduced to Caldwell five years ago during their failed Mets bid and led to him again this time by TurnkeyZRG — decided to hand him a 10-year contract, which a source close to the T’Wolves said “is wild. But I know Marc wanted to send a message on the confidence of the hire.”
Sources also said Lore and Rodriguez will give Caldwell, a 2018 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree, the leeway to replace numerous C-suite positions in the organization after an exodus in recent months, including the position of COO.

ESPN is doing a re-org within the production group led by David Roberts, EVP & Executive Editor/Sports News & Entertainment.ESPN is promoting VP/Production Scott Clark to VP & Executive Producer, overseeing all of “SportsCenter,” “ESPN Bet Live” and “Fantasy Football Now.” He’ll continue to report to SVP/Sports Studio & Entertainment Mike Foss within Roberts’ group. Clark, who has been at ESPN since 1999, was also the lead exec on the recent “SportsCenter: 50 States in 50 Days” initiative. All other producers on various editions of “SC” will report into Clark now.ESPN will also out searching soon to fill a newly created role — SVP & Editor-in-Chief — that will report to Roberts.
New renderings of the planned renovations to Paycor Stadium come weeks after the team and Hamilton County signed a new lease that will keep the Bengals in Cincinnati for “at least a decade.” Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals today released renderings of the planned renovations to Paycor Stadium. The new renderings come weeks after the team and Hamilton County signed a new lease that will keep the Bengals in Cincinnati for at least a decade. The Bengals in a statement said that the renovations are “designed for socializing with more bars and comfortable seating.” The county will pay $350M for upgrades to concession stands, seats, restrooms, elevators, escalators, video boards, enhanced Wi-Fi, a renovated locker room for visiting teams and a new, enhanced Jungle Vision control room. According to the lease, the Bengals will pay $120M to “renovate the suites and club lounges along with other concession improvements and ‘stadium beautification’” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/27).
Sabres COO Pete Guelli in a letter to season-ticket holders revealed that the team is “making several upgrades” to KeyBank Center. According to the letter, the team has “already installed a new ‘multi-million-dollar’ audio system and acoustic panels that gives the Sabres additional capability to direct sound.” The team is also “making upgrades to arena technology, including installing Evolv Express for faster and frictionless entry and using Aifi’s frictionless checkout technology at the 100 level’s food market.” Guelli in the letter wrote, “Off the ice, we have continued to take season-ticket member feedback directly into account” (BUFFALO BUSINESS FIRST, 8/27).
Meanwhile, an exhibition basketball game between the Univ. at Buffalo and Syracuse will be coming to the KeyBank Center in October. This marks UB’s first game at KeyBank Center since December 2021, when they played there against Canisius. It is “part of a plan” by Guelli to hold an assortment of events at the arena to “keep it busy nearly 200 times a year.” Part of his push at the arena, and soon at the new Bills stadium, “will be to bring Division I athletics events to the venues” (BUFFALO NEWS, 8/27).

UNC Charlotte today held a groundbreaking ceremony at Jerry Richardson Stadium for the school’s $70M stadium expansion project. The expansion — including $20M in general university and athletics funding — will “add seven luxury suites, an indoor private club area, loge boxes, ledge seats and east and west outdoor patio sections as part of a tower that will anchor a second seating deck.” Expected to “open in 2027,” the addition will increase capacity at the stadium “by 20%, or 3,000 seats, to 18,000.” Charlotte AD Mike Hill noted that the new premium seating options are “crucial for continuing to build toward competitiveness in football, the most expensive — and lucrative — sport in college athletics” (CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/27).

The NCAA is “weighing a rule that would require” incoming D-I athletes to disclose NIL deals “from high school or junior college to the NIL Go clearinghouse” established under the $2.8B House settlement. Athletes would “report all non-institutional deals dating to the first day of their junior year.” Junior college transfers would “report deals from the date of initial enrollment at a two-year college.” All reporting of previous deals would be “due to the College Sports Commission upon enrollment.” At least 40 states allow high school students to earn money from their NIL. The potential rule aims to “prevent pay-for-play deals between prospective athletes and boosters or school-affiliated entities.” The exact consequences of failing to comply are “still being determined, but lost eligibility is a possibility” (AP, 8/27).
Broadcaster Ian Darke will “join Fox Sports as a play-by-play broadcaster during its coverage of the 2026 World Cup,” according to a source. Darke currently calls La Liga games for ESPN in the U.S. and also calls Premier League games “on a freelance basis” in the U.K. It would be Darke’s ninth World Cup as an announcer. He called the 2018 World Cup in Russia for the world feed, and ESPN loaned him to Fox for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Darke’s first World Cup assignment was in 1982 for BBC Radio (THE ATHLETIC, 8/27).
Speed Reads…
CBS Sports unveiled talent for its new “The NFL Today+” pregame show this season, which will be on 10am ET on Sundays on Paramount+, CBS Sports HQ and the NFL on CBS YouTube channel. Amanda Guerra will host the show, alongside analysts Kyle Long, Matt Ryan and Antonio Pierce. The digital show will lead into “The NFL Today” on CBS in the 12pm window. Ryan is set to be an analyst on both shows (SBJ).
ESPN has reached a multiyear deal with former NFLer Cam Newton to expand his role on “First Take” (ESPN).
Gold Bar Whiskey announced the release of its first ready-to-drink cocktail in collaboration with Pro Football HOFer Joe Montana called the Gold Bar Whiskey “Double Gold” (Gold Bar Whiskey).
Chipotle Mexican Grill has partnered with every scholarship and walk-on student athlete at Ohio State, the Univ. of Florida and the Univ. of Georgia to give them free access to Chipotle during their respective seasons (Chipotle Mexican Grill).
Nature Made announced its first college sports sponsorship in a multiyear agreement with Learfield that will see it pair with the Univ. of Alabama, Ohio State and the Univ. of Oregon (Nature Made).
Mexican juice brand Jumex is now an official sponsor of the Univ. of Texas at San Antonio, making it the first Mexican brand to sponsor an NCAA Division I athletics program (Vilore Foods).
Suncoast Credit Union and the Gainbridge Super League club Tampa Bay Sun FC announced a partnership that includes naming rights for Suncoast Credit Union Field, charitable giving to support Blake High School students and exclusive ticket benefits for Suncoast members (Tampa Bay Sun FC).
Coca-Cola is debuting a new 360-degree fall sports marketing campaign, which will include taking drinks to campuses with an on-campus tour, as well as on-pack and in-stadium promotions (Coca-Cola).
The NWSL and The GIST announced a digital media partnership that will provide highlights, original programming and content across The GIST’s ecosystem (The GIST).
Quick Hits….
“The growth of IndyCar among younger viewers is a vivid demonstration of the power of broadcast TV. … We had a belief that if we simply put every race on the biggest and best platform viewers would find it, and they have” — Fox Sports President of Insights and Analytics Michael Mulvihill, on Fox seeing a reported 86% rise in viewers between the age of 18-34 (RACER, 8/27).
Around the World….
WWE and Paris Saint-Germain announced a long-term collaboration that will cover multiple areas, including the development of original content, merchandise, retail, fan engagement initiatives, community-focused programs and interactions between WWE and PSG players (WWE).
John Textor has “registered his interest” in Championship club Sheffield Wednesday with owner Dejphon Chansiri and is “poised for talks over a potential takeover of the troubled” club (GUARDIAN, 8/27).
Premier League club Everton FC and Castore have released the club’s third kit for the 2025-26 season, taking inspiration from the area surrounding the club’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium (Everton FC).
Brussels football club Union Saint-Gilloise has “received the go-ahead from environmental authorities to cut down 237 trees to make space for the future stadium in Forest” (BRUSSELS TIMES, 8/26).
India’s Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has “approved the submission of a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.” The decision includes approval for “signing the Host Collaboration Agreement and providing grant-in-aid to the Gujarat government if the bid is successful” (TIMES OF INDIA, 8/27).
National Rugby League Papua New Guinea expansion team CEO Andrew Hill has resigned from the role, “accepting a position as Panthers Group chief executive” (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/27).
Leading promoters are “already plotting to bring more marquee football” to Hong Kong after visits from English, Italian and Saudi clubs this summer (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 8/26).
Social Scoop….
Red Sox numbers on @NESN are the best since 2021 with the team 4 games back of Blue Jays in AL East (and with top Wild Card spot)
Friday’s Yanks-Sox was NESN’s best game in over 3 years. Game ratings are +46% this season
In August, NESN 360 app had 6 of its 10 best games ever
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) August 27, 2025
Our hearts are heavy this week with the passing of one of our friends and former teammates, Zach Yager. Zach was a true athlete of the sport and a friend to many in the NASCAR family.
In honor of Zach, our No. 17 car will carry a tribute decal this week in Darlington.
Our… pic.twitter.com/LKtOGEpFaJ
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) August 27, 2025
The Honey Deuce at the U.S. Open is the best cocktail in sports — and the numbers back it up.
2024 U.S. Open Sales
556,782 Honey Deuces
x $23 each
————
= $12.8 millionThey raised the price by a dollar last year and still sold 100,000 more drinks.
Pure insanity. pic.twitter.com/MkzQdi4cDg
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 27, 2025
Daily Download….
Warby Parker announced a three-year partnership with Texas QB Arch Manning. Ahead of Texas’ season-opener against Ohio State on Saturday, Warby Parker released an ad that features him and his dad, Cooper Manning, to unveil Arch Manning’s frame picks.
Daily Digit….
Sports
No. 2 seed ASU volleyball advances to Sweet 16 in NCAA Tournament
Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 11:15 p.m. MT
One step closer.
No. 2 seed Arizona State volleyball is back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
The Sun Devils defeated Utah State in four sets (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Dec. 5.
“It was really special for me,” senior outside hitter Bailey Miller said. “I was one of the only ones last year when we got upset (in the second round), so I think going into it, all the girls just wanted to recognize all the girls who didn’t get to go to the Sweet 16 last year and took it seriously. It was really special.”
ASU’s return to the Sweet 16 offers a sweeter follow-up to last season’s second-round exit after the Sun Devils earned a hosting bid for the first two rounds. As painful as it was for coach JJ Van Niel, he chose not to let last year cloud the current success.
“I don’t reflect back,” Van Niel said. “That’s negative, but it’s just moving forward. Every year is a new shot, but last year was very painful. Mostly, because I didn’t think we played our best volleyball.”
With few players remaining from last year, Van Niel wasn’t sure how ASU’s season would go and if they’d repeat as Big 12 champions and NCAA Tournament hosts. But his team has done both and added more with a Sweet 16 berth.
“I really had no idea this year what we were going to look like,” Van Niel said. “It’s 100% a new lineup and I’m really proud of these kids because they’ve fought and they’ve scrapped. They’ve all gotten better through the year and they’ve earned this Sweet 16, it’s a really special group.”
What was key for ASU was their defense against a scrappy team that rarely went down in one swing. The Sun Devils were up to the task as they benefited from USU’s 21 attack errors.
USU’s strong offense forced ASU’s middle blockers to front the middle, exploiting their right-side players. While the middle blockers didn’t get as many kills as they did in the first round, it opened the floor for Miller, Noemie Glover and Tatum Parrott.
Miller led ASU with 18 kills on .471 hitting and two errors, a stark improvement from her first-round performance. Glover didn’t commit any errors and had 17 kills on .531 hitting. Parrott added 13 kills.
ASU was serving well again as the Aggies sided out 56.3% of the time, including less than half the time in the first set. Miller’s three aces helped ASU finish with a 7-5 advantage in service aces.
“They’re a great offensive team and their middle (blockers) were very active,” Miller said. “We haven’t really seen a lot of that, so it definitely took some adjusting. But in the end, that’s our bread and butter, being able to adjust and be ready.”
The Aggies got their first lead since early in the first set when they started with an 8-5 edge over ASU in the third set. Instead of putting them away like in the first two sets, ASU had trouble against USU’s attack.
As the third set neared the end, neither side scored twice for six consecutive points until USU got a 24-22 lead over ASU. The Aggies then scored off a bad set from ASU’s Sydney Henry.
The Aggies were strong to start the fourth set, but ASU’s 6-0 run midway through the set helped the Sun Devils gain the separation needed and eliminate them.
The Sun Devils will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, and play No. 3 Creighton in the regional hosted by No. 1 seed Kentucky, either Dec. 12 or 13.
ASU capped off an impressive season at home where it went 16-0, and only dropped eight sets in those games.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing.
Sports
Babcock sets record as Pitt women’s volleyball team rolls in 1st round of NCAA Tournament
Olivia Babcock didn’t realize her performance during the first round of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament gave her the Pitt record for most kills in a season. Babcock knew she met the previous record holder, Wendy Hatlestad, during alumni weekend.
Babcock recorded 13 kills during the Panthers’ 25-10, 25-17, 25-13 win Friday night at Petersen Events Center in front of a crowd of 4,240. Babcock now has 558 kills, going past the single-season record of 555 Hatlestad set in 2003.
“I was talking to her two weeks ago,” Babcock said. “That’s crazy I just met her. But I think it says a lot about how much my team trusts me to take those big rips, and it gives me the opportunity to score and get as many kills as I do.”
Everyone had a good night hitting for the top-seeded Panthers, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight season.
The Panthers committed only four attack errors against UMBC (13-12) and finished with a hitting percentage of .551.
“It’s really good to start out and to remind ourselves to maintain high standards,” Babcock said. “Obviously, all of these teams have made it into the tournament because they’re an amazing team, and everyone’s going to bring their best volleyball. I think we just need to make sure that we’re playing our best, too, because, especially in these matches, we don’t wanna slip up and give away a set or a match.”
Pitt (27-4) hasn’t dropped a set in the first round since it beat VCU, 3-1, in 2017 at Penn State.
The Retrievers qualified for the tournament after winning the America East Conference for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Pitt setter Brooke Mosher, who finished with 34 assists, said the Panthers got themselves in system thanks to their good passing.
Blaire Bayless was second for the Panthers with nine kills, and Abby Emch contributed eight.
“That made it really easy for me to spread the ball around and get the middles involved,” Mosher said. “Then, I trusted my teammates to be able to put the ball away.”
Pitt lost the first point of the match after UMBC delivered on a kill by Jalynn Brown. The Panthers responded by scoring the next three points, capping the surge with an ace by Izzy Masten.
UMBC struggled to find holes in Pitt’s defense. The Retrievers hit .129 and were led by seven kills from Hannah Dobbs.
UMBC coach Kasey Crider was happy with how they played.
“We don’t have an Olivia Babcock slayer, so, bummer,” Crider said. “I’ve been to this tournament a few times as a head coach and assistant coach, and I’ve never walked away from the tournament thinking we were the best at the end until today. It still hurts, but there were no regrets.”
Pitt will take on Michigan in the second round Saturday. The Wolverines advanced by beating Xavier. The Panthers are 3-6 all-time against the Wolverines.
Pitt’s only meeting with Michigan in the NCAA Tournament came in 2018, when the Wolverines upset Pitt in five sets at Petersen Events Center.
Mosher, who previously played in the NCAA Tournament with Illinois, said she doesn’t feel any extra pressure playing as the No. 1 seed.
“I think just being in the tournament has its own weight in itself,” Mosher said. “Every game your season is on the line, which is the same no matter who you are.”
Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.
Sports
Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska in NCAA Tournament channel, time
Dec. 6, 2025, 6:03 a.m. CT
Kansas State volleyball survived and advanced, and now it will take on the No. 1 team in the country in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats and Nebraska Cornhuskers will face off at 7 p.m. in the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Watch K-State volleyball in NCAA Tournament
Nebraska enters the match 31-0, seeking its first championship since 2017. The Huskers cruised to a three-set win over Long Island.
K-State’s win over San Diego to advance was more dramatic. The Wildcats (18-9, 10-8 Big 12) pulled it off in five sets, while needing to win the fourth to make it possible.
What channel is Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska on today?
- TV channel: None
- Stream:ESPN+
Kansas State volleyball vs. Nebraska will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Watch K-State volleyball in NCAA Tournament
Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska time today
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
- Start time: 7 p.m. CT
Kansas State and Nebraska will begin at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
Sports
Women’s track and field begins indoor season at M City Classic
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women’s track and field team turned in 13 performances that ranked on its all-time performers’ list at the season-opening M City Classic on Friday at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.
First years accounted for 11 of the 13 performances that ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list at the unscored meet, which included teams from the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and club levels. In addition to the top-10 list performances, senior Ella Landis posted St. Olaf’s lone first-place finish at the meet by winning the one-mile run in 5:17.28.
In her first collegiate meet, first year Evangeline Sappington broke onto the program’s all-time performers’ list in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Sappington was the top Division III finisher and was 10th overall in the 200-meter dash (26.84), while also taking second among Division III competitors and 16th overall in the 60-meter dash. Sappington’s time in the 60-meter dash ranks second on the Oles’ all-time list – just four one-hundredths of a second off the record – and her time in the 200-meter dash is fifth.
Sophomore Izzi Jaeckle clocked in with St. Olaf’s No. 4 time in the 60-meter dash by placing 17th (8.10), while first year Ellie Semple also broke onto the list in 10th with a time of 8.28 seconds to finish 27th. Sophomore Logan Paulsen moved up to seventh on the Oles’ list with a sixth-place performance in the shot put (12.48m, 40′ 11 ½”), while first year Abigal Frei cleared 3.26 meters (10′ 8 ¼”) for a No. 5 all-time result and an eighth-place finish.
First years Svea Frantzich and Claire Stein recorded St. Olaf’s No. 8 and No. 10 scores in the pentathlon by finishing seventh (3,005) and eighth (2,993), respectively. Frantzich tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 17′ 10 ¼”) and was sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.47), which both ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list. Stein also tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 10′ 10 ¼”) to highlight her day. First year Annika Walsh was the runner-up in the high jump (1.62m, 5′ 3 ¾”) – fifth all-time – and was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (9.48) – ninth all-time – as part of a ninth-place finish in the pentathlon (2,881).
St. Olaf will be back in action in 2026 at the Ole Opener at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Tostrud Center.
Sports
Second-Screen Golf Experiences : Player Profiles
In addition to offering an on-site fan experience, IRCODE, as a Technology Partner, introduced an interactive viewer experience for fans at home. When players appeared on-screen, viewers used the IRCODE app to scan their screen and instantly accessed a full, interactive profile for shopping their favorite players’ gear, diving deeper into their stories and learning more about the causes that are meaningful to them.
Player Profiles leverages IRCODE’s patented EXACT Match technology and proprietary computer vision, and applies real-time visual recognition to usher in the next generation of second-screen entertainment.
Sports
Catch Saturday’s Basketball and Indoor Track and Field Action
BEREA, Ohio – Fans can follow or watch Saturday’s Baldwin Wallace University basketball and indoor track and field action via live results, statistics or video.
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams open the 2025-26 season when it travels to Cleveland to compete in the Spartan Alumni Holiday Classic hosted by Case Western Reserve University inside the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center at 11:00 a.m.
Live Results:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3MlDQcr
FloCollege On Demand Live Video:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3KFq6st
The men’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the first game of a men’s and women’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 1:00 p.m. Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.
Tickets:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll
Live Statistics:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/493Gehq
FloCollege On Demand Live Video:
https://flosports.link/47hSw2V
The No. 21 nationally ranked women’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the second game of a women’s and men’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 4:00 p.m. Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.
Tickets:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll
Live Statistics:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/49Ist7Q
FloCollege On Demand Live Video:
https://flosports.link/4qu1Fyr
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