Sodexo Live has been selected as the food and beverage provider for New Nissan Stadium in Nashville, replacing the two providers in the existing stadium, Legends and Levy. Both Sodexo and the Titans confirmed the deal.

The New Nissan Stadium account was a coveted target in the sports F&B world; not only is it a new NFL venue and presumed future Super Bowl host, it’s also in a market that should regularly draw major concerts and other large indoor events, like NCAA Final Fours. One source pegged the potential annual F&B revenue at nine figures.

Legends, Levy and OVG Hospitality all competed in the RFP, which was due Jan. 19. Interviews occurred in February.

The Titans moved to two F&B providers in 2017 . The two incumbents, Legends -- which handled Nissan Stadium general concessions; and Levy -- which handled premium only -- will remain in place for the final three years of the existing stadium’s existence, with Sodexo Live taking over once the new building opens in 2027.

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Now more than ever, innovation is the mantra of many sports leagues and governing bodies. But how are leaders in the space building their innovation plans with real-life goals in mind?

On Thursday afternoon at SBJ Tech Week, David Lehanski , EVP, Business Development & Innovation for the NHL, Chris Schlosser , SVP, Emerging Ventures for MLS and USTA CTO Paul Maya shared their thoughts on that very question onstage during a roundtable discussion with SBJ’s Head of Sports Technology Taylor Bloom .

Schlosser emphasized the importance of figuring out the priorities of the organization first before moving forward. For MLS, Schlosser identified player development, fan engagement and media technology as the league’s main priorities. From there, MLS found 500 companies that fit those needs and after due diligence, the league narrowed it down to six, which were then chosen to be a part of the league’s new MLS Innovation Lab .

“We give them a nine-month program where they get to test, showcase and present to our clubs, executives and youth leaders. We work with them to grow their business and give them the best chance to succeed. … The true value is if we are finding and incubating incredible companies that they’ll help drive the next generation of products, experiences and revenue for the league.”

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BSE Global Chief Digital Officer Keia Cole chats with SBJ’s Rob Schaefer at SBJ Tech week about her biggest learnings from her first year with the organization. Cole also shares how thinking like a fan sparks innovation and what role generative AI will play in shaping the sports industry.

Kroenke Sports President Josh Kroenke said that the company "is in the design stages" of a new practice facility for both the Avalanche and Nuggets. There is "no timeline for when a new shared practice facility might open." Kroenke said, “While I can’t provide any specifics on timeline, I have seen the designs, and they’re pretty incredible for what we’re trying to do here for downtown Denver." The most "plausible location for a new Avalanche/Nuggets facility is among 55 acres of Kroenke-owned land surrounding Ball Arena, mostly parking lots, that is planned for redevelopment" ( DENVER GAZETTE, 3/8 ).

The Aces became the first team in WNBA history to sell out their entire season ticket allotment, which sits at "around 8,600" tickets, further cementing the team as "one of the WNBA's biggest draws." The Aces are looking to become the first team since the 1997-2000 Houston Comets to win three straight titles. Last season, the team averaged a "league-high 9,551 fans per game." A limited-number of single-game tickets will go on sale for their 19 home games at Michelob Ultra Arena "by late April," while tickets to their Sept. 3 game at T-Mobile Arena will go on sale at the end of March ( LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/7 ).

The Washington Spirit have secured a local media rights agreement with Monumental Sports Network that will see the RSN carry 10 Spirit matches on its linear channel and direct-to-consumer platform during the 2024 NWSL season. The Spirit’s deal with Monumental Sports Network is in supplement to the NWSL’s new four-year national media rights deals with Amazon, ESPN, CBS and Scripps Sports.

The deal is for one season and is structured as an ad barter agreement. Monumental Sports Network VP/Content & Programing Caitlin Mangum negotiated the deal directly with Spirit CEO Kim Stone and VP/General Counsel Shameeka Quallo .

Last season, the Spirit partnered with Monumental Sports Network — formerly NBCSports Washington — to broadcast nine games. The first game set to be televise on MSN is the Spirit’s NWSL season opener March 17 against the Seattle Reign.

The 10 matches included in the package are the remaining inventory available after the league announced its national broadcast schedule. As part of the national deal, the Spirit saw 17 of their matches selected to be carried by the league’s national partners. Matches not carried by any of the league’s national partners will also be available on the league’s first-ever domestic DTC streaming platform, NWSL+, at no cost to fans. The Spirit said it will be using the on-air talent from the NWSL+ broadcast for all matches on MSN

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Next League has reached a new multiyear deal with the LPGA to support the women’s golf organization. The move extends a relationship that started as a multiphase partnership in 2022 during the LPGA’s digital transformation, where Next League offered strategic counsel.

As part of this new announcement, Next League has committed $100,000 to the LPGA Foundation, the association’s nonprofit charity that focuses on both equal opportunity and youth participation in golf. This coincides with a pair of women-focused initiatives that Next League announced throughout the last week. At the Sports Business Awards: Tech ceremony on Tuesday night, Next League -- the presenting partner of SBJ Tech Week – shared that it would be making a $10,000 donation to the Women’s Sports Foundation in recognition of the women’s speakers at the league.

Next League will also bring a new award to the event next year, called the “Next in Sports Tech: Rising Female Tech Leader” award, which will be awarded to a woman with a technology role in a sports-focused organization.

Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light brand will be the presenting partner of UFC 299 this Saturday in Miami, as it continues playing up its newfangled partnership with the fighting property.

Bud Light replaced Modelo this year as UFC’s official global beer sponsor as it looks to bounce back from heavy marketshare losses last year, and it’s been getting branding in the UFC Octagon since January.

But UFC has started turning to event presenting partnerships as a key asset to grow revenue in 2024, and Bud Light will take the position for the event at Kaseya Center, where the main event will be a re-match between “ Suga ” Sean O’Malley and Marlon “ Chito ” Vera for the bantamweight title on ESPN+ PPV.

Additional assets Bud Light will get as presenting partner include increased integration into the ESPN broadcast and increased branding throughout the event like having its logo on press conference backdrops, weigh-in steps and the round cards.

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The Bears have "resumed negotiation" with suburban school districts "over the property taxes" on the proposed stadium site in Arlington Heights, where Mayor Tom Hayes "remains optimistic for an agreement." Hayes: "We're trying to emphasize that they're very, very close. I'm still hopeful that we're going to come to an agreement." The Bears have been "unable to reach agreement with three local school districts over property taxes" for their $197M site where they proposed a $5B development that includes a stadium. Recently, the Bears "have been looking into" building an enclosed stadium along the lakefront just south of their current home at Soldier Field. A source said "specific details" about that project could be "released soon" ( CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/7 ). 

SME, a design, fabrication, logistics, and services provider in the experiential marketing and premium hospitality sectors, has entered a partnership with Daniel Island Capital Partners to help build and cultivate the company’s growing roster of clients and relationships. Daniel Island, led by partners Lawton Logan , Ray DeWeese (formerly CEO of Revel xp), and Greg Byrnes — all of whom have sports industry executive and investment experience — will make a minority investment in SME as part of the new relationship.

SME — its full name is Specialized Mobile Exhibits — was founded 12 years ago by Toby Robertson and is based in Winston-Salem, N.C. Its array of services includes project development and design, production and fabrication, logistics and operational support, and activation/day-of support. SME’s primary clients are major events, rightsholders and properties, brands and activations, and experiential marketing agencies, and its work has been utilized at the Super Bowl, NHL Stadium Series, Daytona 500, F1 and the CFP. 

In addition to supporting rightsholders with custom craftsmanship and activation, SME owns and operates numerous rentable and customizable hospitality assets, including school buses, Airstream campers, Sprinter vans, double decker buses, trailers that expand, and several styles of temporary experience spaces for fans and consumers at venues and properties.

The WTA Foundation is establishing a fund geared toward women’s health called the WTA Foundation Global Women’s Health Fund. Hologic, the title sponsor of the WTA Tour, has committed $1.5M at the outset, with the aim of providing one million women in low- and middle-income countries with prenatal vitamins over the next year. All money raised for at least the first year of the fund’s existence will be directed to the UNICEF-led Child Nutrition Fund combatting child wasting.  

The fund is part of a larger campaign the WTA is rolling out along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation called Women Change the Game, which the tour says will incorporate multimedia assets and activations with corporate sponsors across its portfolio of events to raise awareness.

The Laver Cup will be played at Chase Center over three days beginning Sept. 19, 2025, marking the "first time it’ll be on the West Coast" ( SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/8 ).

The Big East announced new and returning sponsors for its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, including Jeep as the presenting sponsor. Other returning sponsors include Keurig (Schweppes), Continental Tire, Gatorade, Samuel Adams, Truly, Rothman Orthopaedics, Hackensack Meridian Health, General Dynamics Electric Boat and Stout. New sponsors include Invesco QQQ, Pluto TV, Elevate, Tropical Smoothie Café, TIAA Cref and Discount Tire ( Big East ).

The Red Bulls signed a new partnership with Toyota that includes sponsorship of a gate at Red Bull Arena ( SBJ ).

The WASHINGTON POST goes with the header: " By clinging to the past, the NCAA has no future. " The NCAA is good at "staging basketball tournaments." But other than that, "maybe losing court cases?" The Dartmouth case is "interesting in part because it’s Dartmouth, not Kentucky or North Carolina." The kids who "voted to unionize at the Ivy League school aren’t supporting a seven-figure salary for their coach or filling a gym with 20,000 paying customers 20 times a year." The NCAA was "not built for this era." Without leadership that can "anticipate what’s coming rather than react to what happens, it is obsolete."

Also : 

• College sports "stares down its doomsday scenario."

• PGA Tour Enterprises' BOD proves players "can't run a billion-dollar business as a side gig."

The MLBPA is looking for a VP/Business Development. The hybrid, N.Y.-based position is responsible for identifying, creating and executing new business growth opportunities across multiple categories ( MLBPA ).

Williams Racing is looking for a Head of Brand. The position is based in (Grove) Oxfordshire, England ( Williams Racing ). 

IdeaQuest is looking for a VP/Business Development and a Strategic Account Manager of Brand Consulting. The positions are based in Ramsey, N.J. ( IdeaQuest )

Red Bull is looking for a Legal Counsel for Sports Projects. The position, based in Salzburg, Austria, is responsible for providing legal support as a Legal Business Partner, among other duties ( Red Bull ).

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"'From the 470s B.C., Aeschylus ’ earliest surviving work has this title; he’d fought them repeatedly in the preceding years."

"What is 'The Persians'?"