The wide-reaching impact of Vanderbilt’s shocking upset over Alabama continues to play out for the school and its players.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the Commodores’ 40–35 win Saturday, is not being shy about his desire to cash in on the moment. Pavia seemingly posted his agent’s phone number to X on Monday afternoon. The quarterback wrote: “For NIL inquiries hit my Agent … 5055447267 … ‘Vandy we turnt’ ‼” 

On Sunday, Pavia took to social media to apologize for swearing during his postgame interview on the SEC Network.

Vandy Fever

Pavia isn’t the only one looking to capitalize on the victory, though.

On Vanderbilt’s official online store, fans can buy T-shirts commemorating the biggest win in the football program’s history. A black shirt with gold text reading “WE REIGN SUPREME” is available for $32.99. The shirt also includes the 40-35 game score, as well as the location (Nashville, Tennessee) and the date (October 5, 2024).

The school, which was fined $100,000 by the SEC after fans stormed the field at FirstBank Stadium, has also been auctioning off items from the historic game, like individual pylons, pieces of the goalposts, and game balls.

The Utah Hockey Club completes its rebrand Tuesday night when it hosts the Blackhawks to cap off the NHL’s opening-night tripleheader of games on ESPN. The puck is dropping in North America after the Devils swept the Sabres in a two-game global series in Prague over the weekend.

Salt Lake City’s new NHL franchise has gone through a wild ride this year:

• Just six months ago, the team completed the 2023–2024 season as the Arizona Coyotes.
• The NHL moved swiftly in buying the team from owner Alex Meruelo and reselling it to Ryan Smith, who also owns the NBA’s Jazz and is a co-owner of Real Salt Lake (MLS) and the Utah Royals (NWSL). Smith then relocated the franchise to Utah.
• It took just two months for Smith & Co. to land on the interim name of Utah Hockey Club for at least this season. Permanent options range from the Yeti and Glaciers to the Mountaineers and Mammoth. 
• With Utah playing in the Delta Center (also the home of the Jazz), Smith and local officials are nearing a $900 million deal to help fund upgrades to the arena and the surrounding area.

Now, as the season begins, Utah is a major part of the NHL’s expected continued growth.

Hitting the Ice

The hype has been building around Utah all summer and into the fall ahead of the franchise’s regular-season debut.

“You felt the general enthusiasm from the public—and that started with an Uber ride to dinner right after we first landed here,” Bill Armstrong, the club’s general manager, tells Front Office Sports senior reporter A.J. Perez, who is in Salt Lake City covering the special occasion.

“There’s a fascination with having their own NHL team in this market,” Armstrong says. “There’s already been a lot of powerful moments that we’ve had with this community and it’s still early on. We want to be community-obsessed and we want to pay them back for that emotion that they gave us on the first day.”

Utah head coach André Tourigny is ready to get the season started. “So far, everything that’s been promised has been delivered,” he told the media in Salt Lake City on Monday. “I think the enthusiasm around the team is through the roof.”

“We have a great opportunity to start in front of our fans with a lot of energy,” Tourigny said. Utah will go on a three-game road trip after their home opener.

The mainstream limelight may not be on soccer quite as much as it was last year, but the sport is nonetheless having a historic season in the U.S. with plenty of new records being set.

Over the weekend, Major League Soccer surpassed 11 million in 2024 attendance, reaching that figure for the first time in league history, and doing so with 16 matches and nearly two weeks left in the regular season. The figure beat last year’s league record of 10.9 million. 

Inter Miami forward and international superstar Lionel Messi remains a major attraction, including an April 13 match at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Chiefs, that drew 72,610, the largest individual attendance figure for the league this season. But now in his second MLS season, every game involving Messi is no longer a national curiosity. Additionally, MLS attendance figures also owe to other factors, including growth in season-ticket sales across the league, more consistent scheduling, and local strength in numerous individual club markets.

Further attendance growth is expected next year when the league’s 30th team, San Diego FC, begins play. 

The Women’s Surge 

The National Women’s Soccer League, meanwhile, has more than ably followed up on a banner 2023 season that included record attendance, the establishment of two expansion franchises, and record-setting TV contracts. This year, the NWSL has already surpassed 1.5 million in attendance—surging past last season’s 1.37 million—and expects to reach two million by the end of the regular season. Both the expansion Bay FC and the revived Utah Royals began play this year, with the former currently in line for a playoff spot. 

Furthering trends from earlier this season, the NWSL is also enjoying the fruits of an expanded schedule and more games played in larger, MLS-sized facilities. The league additionally set a single-game league record in June with a game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of MLB’s Cubs, that drew more than 35,000.

While a rising tide lifts all boats, the NWSL’s achievements this year nonetheless arrive as the WNBA has hit an entirely different inflection point with the transformative arrival of heralded rookie star Caitlin Clark. 

Rising Tide 

The robust soccer numbers also highlight the growth of the sport in the U.S. as a series of major international events are due to hit the country in the next several years, including the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup, and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

In years past, the survival of both MLS and the NWSL were in question at various points as both attendance and revenue numbers were shaky in many markets. Those rocky periods are increasingly a distant memory now.

“When I started this journey many years ago, I never thought the league would be where it is today,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said earlier this year, upon hitting the 25th anniversary of his tenure. “It speaks to the resilience of the sport in our country.”