June 14, 2024

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The Bears’ stadium saga refuses to end, even with a proposed $4.7 billion lakefront project. … The U.S. Open is showcasing Peacock’s latest notable sports push. … NBC golf analyst Smylie Kaufman joins Front Office Sports Today. … Utah’s NHL franchise has its first-year name and branding. … France is getting an Olympic win that was a long time coming. … And we revisit an all-time off-field moment from one of soccer’s biggest stars.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Back in the ’Burbs? Bears Weighing Renewed Stadium Interest from Cities [[link removed]]

Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears insist they’re still entirely focused on their proposed $4.7 billion stadium project [[link removed]] on the downtown Chicago lakefront. But the political and financial difficulties [[link removed]] already swirling around the effort have prompted a marked resurgence of the suburban pushes to land the NFL team.

In some ways echoing the extended tour [[link removed]] the Bears made of the Chicago area last year in pursuit of a stadium site, both Aurora and Arlington Heights have renewed their public pursuit of the Bears.

The core of both suburban arguments is the same: with the Bears fighting an uphill battle to get the downtown stadium project going, the more distant options provide an alternative that could represent a materially easier path to actually completing the project. The Illinois legislature recently concluded its spring session without taking up the Bears issue.

“Instead of negotiating with state and local officials over where the money for a new lakefront stadium in Chicago will come from, we’re poised to immediately welcome the Bears’ storied franchise to the City of Lights,” wrote Aurora officials, including mayor Richard Irvin, in a recent Chicago Tribune op-ed [[link removed]].

Not to be outdone, Arlington Heights also said there is a rather different conversation to be had now with the Bears.

“By no means do I think it is over,” Arlington Heights trustee Jim Bertucci told the Daily Herald [[link removed]] in Illinois. “If they want to come back and look more seriously again at Arlington Heights, I think we’re going to have a better path for them than [it] was in the past, and maybe an easier path than what’s happening in Chicago.”

The team still owns 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, and it had intended to place the stadium there before running into a tax dispute with the town.

Walking a Careful Line

The renewed suburban interest has created a rather delicate situation for the Bears. On one hand, the Bears certainly do not want to forfeit any potential momentum around the downtown project, and certainly don’t want to appear fickle or indecisive with any public official. At the same time, though, having additional options could prove vital, particularly if the team is not ultimately able to make the lakefront vision a reality.

“Every jurisdiction has their own way of doing business. This is exactly what I expected,” said team president Kevin Warren at a Lincoln Forum event with the Union League Club of Chicago. “We live in a complicated world. This is an election year. … We have a lot of complex issues that we are dealing with. So I’m a realist to understand these projects are not something you do just over a weekend.”

The Bears have estimated that every year lost to delays adds more than $150 million to the stadium cost. The project is also premised in part on creating a domed stadium that would make the No. 3 media market in the U.S. eligible to bid for major events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, and College Football Playoff.

The team will be featured [[link removed]] on Hard Knocks this summer after years of resistance to the high-profile documentary series. Meanwhile, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the top selection in the 2024 NFL draft, has introduced [[link removed]] his 888 Midas investment firm.

After Success With NFL and Women’s Hoops, Peacock Is Turning to Golf [[link removed]]

Austin American-Statesman

What do Patrick Mahomes, Caitlin Clark, and Scottie Scheffler (above) have in common? The superstars have all become part of one media company’s strategy to boost its streaming service, as the landscape continuously shifts [[link removed]] toward more live broadcasts off cable and network TV.

NBCUniversal, via Peacock, has leaned in to that online paywall strategy like so many others. In the last 12 months, the streamer has used premium-game inventory—like the NFL playoffs and Clark’s biggest moment with Iowa—to try to drive new subscribers. Now, golf can be added to that list.

During the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, Peacock has 11.5 hours of exclusive coverage, or 42.5% of the total 27 hours that NBC Sports plans to be on air showing the championship’s early happenings. That’s up slightly from just under nine Peacock-only hours on Thursday and Friday last year.

The kicker this year is who is playing during Peacock’s coverage. The three top-ranked players in the world—Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy—are grouped together in the U.S. Open’s marquee threesome. Their first round (1:14 p.m. ET tee time) concluded on Peacock, and nearly all of their second round (7:29 a.m.) will play out on the streamer.

The New Reality

NBC Sports released its coverage plans [[link removed]] last week, before tee times were announced Tuesday, but it’s certainly possible that network power brokers made it known who they would prefer to play when. While Scheffler’s group is Peacock-heavy, it should be noted that the entirety of Tiger Woods’s first two rounds were available on USA or NBC.

Streaming is bountiful throughout men’s golf major championships these days, not just at the U.S. Open. The first two rounds of the PGA Championship in May had 10 exclusive hours on ESPN+. The Masters didn’t come on ESPN until 3 p.m. ET, although streaming options earlier in the day were free through the tournament’s website and app, in addition to paid offerings from ESPN+.

NBC Sports has not released its full coverage plan for the final men’s major of the year, the Open Championship, but last year Peacock did have some exclusive windows.

No Sport Untouched

In January, Peacock’s exclusive NFL stream of the Chiefs-Dolphins playoff game led to both subscriber and subsequent revenue growth [[link removed]]. When Clark broke the NCAA women’s basketball scoring record in February, it was also Peacock that had the broadcast [[link removed]].

In September, Peacock will carry the NFL’s first game from Brazil on the Friday night of Week 1, as well as another exclusive Notre Dame football broadcast, as it has done in recent years.

SPONSORED BY WENDY’S

Wendy’s New $3 English Muffin Deal

[[link removed]]

With Wendy’s $3 English Muffin Deal [[link removed]], you get your choice of a tasty grilled sausage or applewood-smoked bacon English Muffin Sandwich with a fresh-cracked egg and gooey cheese. But wait! There’s more!

This breakfast wouldn’t be complete without a small side of crispy Seasoned Potatoes [[link removed]], which are truly worth waking up for. Oh, and did we mention you get all that for just three bucks? So, grab a proper breakfast with Wendy’s new $3 English Muffin Deal at your earliest, literally, convenience.

Limited time only. U.S. price and participation may vary. Select or request an English Muffin Deal [[link removed]] to obtain the discount. Not valid for à la carte or combo orders. Single item at regular price. Prices are higher in AK and HI.

Done Deal: Utah Hockey Club Unveils Identity, Colors, and Jerseys [[link removed]]

Utah Hockey Club

On a day in which Ryan Smith formally closed his deal to acquire an NHL franchise for Utah, the team is now taking several additional—and significant—steps to establish itself in its new home.

The organization said late Thursday that, as expected, it will be known officially as Utah Hockey Club for its first season in its new home, with “Utah” running across the jerseys. The franchise has also selected a color scheme of “rock black,” “salt white,” and “mountain blue” to serve as a base of its identity for both for this initial campaign in Salt Lake City and beyond. Those colors were chosen in part to be complementary to the existing look of the NBA’s Jazz, also owned by Smith.

Utah HC additionally released the first images of its new jerseys, which will be worn by the team’s selections at the NHL draft set for June 28–29. Some initial Utah HC merchandise will go on sale to fans at that time, followed by wide rollouts as the regular season approaches.

These key steps to prepare for the 2024–25 season arrive as the franchise prepares a forthcoming third round of fan voting on the permanent team name. After starting [[link removed]] with 20 options, the remaining choices include Yeti, Mammoth, Blizzard, Venom, Outlaws, and retaining the Utah HC identity. There is not a timetable to conclude the process, but that third round of voting will happen later this summer.

Both this interim identity and the permanent one are being developed with the aid of design firm Doubleday & Cartwright. The closing of the deal for Smith, also the owner of two local pro soccer teams, happened just shy of two months after the NHL announced its plan [[link removed]] to turn the Coyotes franchise dormant [[link removed]] and set up a team in Utah.

The latest moves are also happening as Utah HC has received [[link removed]] more than 34,000 deposits for season tickets, far in excess of the capacity of the Delta Center and creating something of a problematic demand crunch.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY How the U.S. Open Is Built to Challenge Players

NBCUniversal

Smylie Kaufman (above) has stayed enmeshed in golf as an analyst for NBC Sports after retiring from professional play in 2021. At age 32, his fresh perspective has made Kaufman a fan favorite for many tuning in to TV broadcasts. He joins the show to dissect the U.S. Open from how NBC will cover the competition to how the course design shapes the drama of the event. He also gives his picks for who could win the tournament.

🎧 Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

ONE BIG FIG Better Late Than Never

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

124

Number of years later France was awarded a silver medal from the 1900 Paris Olympics. The International Olympic Committee executive board approved a rectification of its historical records Thursday.

“The medal in question was won by Lloyd Hildebrand, who competed in two cycling events and finished second in the men’s 25km race,” the IOC explained in a statement. “As was the norm then, and for several later editions of the Olympic Games, athletes had only to send the number of their license, established by the national federation where they were regularly competing, and pay the entry fees to compete at the Games. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were not involved in the process, as they are today.”

Research showed that, even though Hildebrand was a British citizen, he was born and raised in France, and he competed for a French club before and after the 1900 Paris Olympics. The medal won by Hildebrand will now be credited to France instead of Great Britain.

TIME CAPSULE June 14, 2021: A Pricey Pour

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

On this day three years ago: Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo moved two Coca-Cola bottles out of camera view during a Euro 2020 press conference, a move coinciding [[link removed]] with a $4 billion drop in the soft drink giant’s market capitalization and amplifying years of unease around exclusive branding in many postgame media events. The Portugal captain, speaking ahead of a group-stage match against Hungary and well known for maintaining a strict diet, shouted instead for water.

The move quickly caused a major ripple as Coca-Cola has been a UEFA sponsor with the Euro in every tournament iteration since 1988. The brand, likely seeking to cool the tension around the situation, responded by saying “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences.” All parties involved, though, ultimately went on to greater heights. Portugal bowed out in that tournament in the round of 16, but Ronaldo still tied as the event’s top scorer, and he now is the world’s highest-paid athlete [[link removed]]. And Coca-Cola, which saw its market capitalization fall to $238 billion after the incident, now stands at about $270 billion, and last year renewed [[link removed]] its UEFA deal and will be part of Euro 2024 beginning Friday.

SPONSORED BY WENDY’S

[[link removed]]

The famed Stanley Cup trophy is the only trophy in professional sports that has the names of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff inscribed on it. It weighs 34.5 pounds and is estimated to be worth $23,478, equivalent to 7,826 Wendy’s $3 English Muffin Breakfasts, based on silver prices. During Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Peyton Manning recounted a story about their “top secret workout” from more than a decade ago. Read more about it here [[link removed]]. Tiger Woods was part of recent meetings with representatives from LIV Golf’s financial backers at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Hear what [[link removed]] he had to say.

Breakfast Fun Fact

With the Stanley Cup heating up, eyes are on the Finnish captain Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov of the Florida Panthers who is gearing up to get back out on the ice after taking a hard hit along the boards during Monday’s game. In Finland, a typical breakfast is often savory, including rye-bread sandwiches, porridge, and Karelian pies, rice porridge surrounded by a rye-flour crust.

Editors’ Picks Everything You Need to Know About the Schism Rocking Competitive Eating [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The business story about hot dogs that you never knew you needed. Sage Steele Claims in Suit That Her Agents Prioritized Relationship With ESPN Over Her [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]She says CAA chose its relationship over ESPN over advocating for her. The Many Beneficiaries of Dan Hurley’s UConn Career Crisis [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]His return inadvertently helped the players, athletic department, and perhaps the conference. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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