SBJ Morning Buzzcast

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: November 15, 2022

Episode Summary

World Cup security includes 20,000 in-stadium cameras, Budweiser is scrambling to hide the beer and mobile sports betting could be online soon in Maryland.

Episode Transcription

We'll open with a congratulations to SBJ's 40 Under 40 class of 2022 that will be recognized in an award ceremony in New York City tonight. This group of sports business leaders was announced in the spring and profiled in the June 27th issue of Sports Business Journal and tonight they get to celebrate with each other, as well as family, friends and colleagues. Honorees include league officers, team presidents, and top media executives, brand side marketers, and the heads of the industry's top agencies. Here's to a great celebration tonight in New York.

Good morning. It's Tuesday, November 15th. This is your SPJ Morning Buzzcast. I'm David Albright filling in for Abe Madkour. Traveling fans who misbehave at the World Cup in Qatar will not be able to escape the all-seeing eye of 20,000 cameras in the eight stadiums alone, making this year's World Cup the most heavily surveilled of its kind. Fans will be monitored from the moment they enter the stadium area to their departure and all over the Gulf State, local organizers have said. A sophisticated central surveillance and control hub has been developed that will convey instructions to security staff on the ground with the aim of stopping any trouble as soon as it begins. Local organizers say that their artificial intelligence programs are so advanced, they can tell whether a spectator is angry from analyzing facial expressions.

Meanwhile, a week before the opening match tournament organizers are scrambling to balance late changes ordered by powerful Qatari officials with the interests of a major FIFA sponsor, that's Budweiser. The highest levels of the Qatari state have ordered that the beer tents must be moved and there would be no discussion about it. Qatari organizers have been working hurriedly in recent days to relocate Budweiser branded beer stations at eight stadiums after a sudden demand that reportedly had come from inside the country's royal family. Budweiser said it only learned of the new plan on Saturday, eight days before the tournament begins.

Mobile sports betting could launch in Maryland by Thanksgiving as officials slightly accelerated what had been a drawn out process. The sports wage ring Application Review Commission planned to review 10 applicants for mobile licenses on November 21st, but the commission announced it would instead review them during a meeting this Wednesday. That does not mean mobile sports betting would launch on Wednesday. Applicants must then complete operational requirements for Maryland lottery and gaming to give approval and then complete a controlled demonstration of its systems and procedures. In-person betting began in the state in 2021, but the launch of online gambling has taken longer.

The Atlanta Falcons and Wells Fargo are announcing a five year sponsorship agreement, making Wells Fargo an official bank of the team. In addition to branded cards and content, Wells Fargo and the Falcons will work together to develop an HBCU fellowship program aimed at creating more formalized relationship with local HBCUs and more career opportunities for HBCU graduates. The partnership, which is currently slated to run through the 2026 season, also will present the rise up, warmup digital series, which we'll feature behind the scenes content with an insider access field during player arrivals to the stadium, warmups and other pre-game activity.

Electronic arts enjoyed a fantastic month for sports games with FIFA 23 and Madden NFL 23 holding steady in the top five of NPD groups October U.S. sales charts and its NHL game debuting in the top five for the first time since October of 2020, reports our Jason Wilson, EA and 2K Sports releases appear to be performing better this year than in 2021, though NPD cautions that since this report focuses on premium sales and doesn't include in-game transactions like purchases of ultimate team packs, we'll get a better picture of EA and 2K's strength when they release financials for the quarter.

FIFA 22 debuted at number two in 2021, while this year's release debut at number one in September and came in at number three last month. Madden NFL 23 held steady at number four compared to last year, but the real star here is NHL 23, which debuted at number five this year after coming in number nine in its debut month in 2021. NBA 2K 23 went from number three in September to number eight in October, and PGA tour 2K 23 debuted this month at number 17. HB Studios didn't make a PGA tour game in 2021 for 2K sports.

3Step Sports has hired Tonya King as its new CEO, a move that allows founder and former CEO David Geaslen to shift to chairman of the budding youth sports conglomerate. King will be responsible for partnering with Geaslen on strategy and leading the company's day to day operations. Geaslen said 3Step's continued growth, it's now a $300 million business and made 29 acquisitions this year, necessitated King's hiring, which came through a connection. Geaslen said his Wilmington, Massachusetts based company will also announce a new CMO in a few weeks. King most recently served over two years as an operating advisor at Juggernaut Capital Partners, where she helped lead the firm's sale of Mitchell and Nest to fanatics. Before that, she served in a number of executive roles at Advantage Solutions.

We'll close on a programming note. Join SBJ for our Media Innovators event in New York City on November 30th and December 1st. This year's Media Innovators will bring together the individuals and companies reshaping the media industry. Some of the featured speakers include Mark Lazarus, Chairman of NBC Universal Television and streaming, Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN and sports content for the Walt Disney Company, and Jay Marine, Vice President of Prime Video and Global Head of Sports at Amazon. You'll hear from these executives and more. To view the full agenda and to register for the event, visit sportsbusinessjournal.com. That's your SBJ Morning Buzzcast for Tuesday. I hope everyone has a great day and we'll see you back here tomorrow morning.