MetLife Stadium has a capacity of 82,500 for football games, and the NHL "expects 140,000 total for the two games"Getty Images

MetLife Stadium is serving as the venue for the NHL’s Stadium Series this weekend, as the Devils are scheduled to play the Flyers tomorrow night and the Rangers and Islanders will face off Sunday afternoon. Both games "will influence the playoff hopes for all the teams" with less than two months left in the regular season. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly "wasn’t sure if any of the 39 previous outdoor games had as much playoff implication" (AP, 2/15). MetLife Stadium has a capacity of 82,500 for football games. The NHL reported it "expects 140,000 total for the two games" (NEWSDAY, 2/16).

There will be "plenty of entertainment and excitement for the fans" before puck drop on both days. The Devils Woo Crew "will be on-site" tomorrow, "along with a Devils shooting accuracy activation and mascot, N.J. Devil’s Ride, which is equipped with the Devils Gaming Group video game station." The Islanders "bring their Slap Shot Booth and epic Prize Wheel" on Sunday. The Rangers PreGame on Sunday will feature the Rangers Blue Crew along with chances to grab a giveaway and "take a photo with the NO QUIT IN NY letters" (BERGEN RECORD, 2/16). The Jonas Brothers will host a pre-game concert which will begin at 6:30pm ET prior to Devils vs. Flyers. Fellow N.J.-based band Gaslight Anthem will also perform at the game (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 2/15).

The Coyotes and regional rightsholder Scripps Sports are launching a direct-to-consumer product to be carried by Kiswe, the same streaming partner of the area’s NBA franchise, the Suns. The new DTC offering -- called Coyotes Central -- is immediately available for subscriptions and will make its game broadcast debut with this evening’s 7pm MT home contest with the Hurricanes.  

Coyotes Central will carry all games that are not excluded by national broadcasters as well as on-demand replays and other shoulder programming. The price point is $11.99 for a monthly subscription or $24.99 for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Pricing for the first full season of action, 2024-25, will be announced at a later date. Scripps also holds local NHL rights for the Golden Knights, but the streaming partner for those games is a competitor, ViewLift. Kiswe also handles streaming for the Jazz.

S&P Global Ratings has upgraded NASCAR Holdings’ debt levels as the racing company’s outlook stabilizes on the heels of signing new media rights agreements. NASCAR Holdings’ main property, NASCAR, last year signed a seven-year media-rights agreement with five different broadcasters that goes from 2025 through 2031 and will net the sport $7.7B in total. The debt ratings agency also noted that “ongoing strong attendance and recent asset sales have supported very strong and rapid voluntary debt paydown,” and that the France family is traditionally conservative with its fiscal policies.

Those factors led S&P to raise NASCAR’s credit rating from BB+ to BBB, the latter of which is considered investment grade. NASCAR has about $135-145M in annual free cash flow, S&P said, in a January note earlier reported on by Sportico. The credit ratings agency noted that NASCAR’s plan to pay its teams more money in the next cycle “could erode margin beginning in 2025 ... suppressing EBITA growth.”

Projecting EBITA growth of 6-8% this year for NASCAR, S&P added: “However, normalizing capital spending following completion of a new production operations building and finalization of technology upgrades at NASCAR-owned facilities should reduce this figure to $85 million in 2024 and 2025 from about $100 million in 2023. We expect consistent free cash flow to drive leverage below 1x by the end of 2025.” NASCAR Holdings also controls several race tracks and owns the IMSA sports car series among other assets.

Wendy's

In a sign that it is seeing proper ROI, Wendy’s is returning for another major activation around a Daytona 500, and its infield promotional area this time will have a drive-through and mini golf holes. The Ohio-based QSR chain is now aligned with Trackhouse Racing, and it also has worked with NASCAR several times in recent years to activate at Daytona International Speedway, though it’s not the official QSR of NASCAR. The infield activation area in recent years has had free samples of burgers and fries, and this year a full drive-through has been built. The chain is also working with DJ Khaled, who is the honorary starter of the 500, on an Uber Eats promotion on Saturday and Sunday. A customer who buys at least $20 from Wendy’s on Uber’s platform will get an extra Biggie Bag Double Stack for free. At Daytona, Wendy’s will run a primary paint scheme in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday with driver Daniel Suarez, with the livery showing off the company logo on the hood with the Wendy character’s braids flowing down the sides of the car.

The company will design one of the cars on the grid this year that will be driven by French driver Lola Lovinfosse of the Rodin Motorsport teamCharlotte Tilbury

F1 Academy, an all-women junior series, has inked a sponsorship deal with high-end cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury, an early example of the sort of brands that F1 is trying to match with that property. The partnership was announced last night and marks U.K.-based Charlotte Tilbury’s first foray into not only racing but sports itself. Becoming an official partner of F1 Academy, the company will design one of the cars on the grid this year that will be driven by French driver Lola Lovinfosse of the Rodin Motorsport team. The car features crimson and rose gold colors and images of “hot lips” with the slogan: “Make up your destiny.”

The company will use its owned channels and platforms to promote the F1 Academy drivers, whom F1 is hoping will eventually be able to race in its main series. The champion of the first season of F1 Academy in 2023, Marta Garcia, now has a fully funded seat in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, which is considered another step up the ladder closer to F1. The London-based property founded F1 Academy last year to grow its participation of women drivers. Only two women have ever competed at the top level of F1, which was founded in 1950.

The NHL has produced a new one-hour documentary that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the league’s All-Star festivities earlier this month. “NHL BTS: 2024 NHL All-Star,” which is executive produced by NHL EVP/Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer and NHL Productions EP & Creative Director Craig Axelrod, premieres tonight at 7pm ET on NHL Network and ESPN+ for U.S. viewers, and on Sportsnet at 8pm for those in Canada. The documentary leans heavily on mic’d up content, including mics on all 12 competitors in the All-Star Skills competition as they vie for a $1M prize, and celebrity and team captains mic’d up during the All-Star Game. Cameras follow N.Y. Rangers C Vincent Trocheck and his young kids as they get ready for the red carpet; Bruins RW David Pastrnak as he strategizes which skills to compete in; and Maple Leafs C Auston Matthews as he gifts a special pair of NHL All-Star skates to a young patient of the SickKids Hospital.

Apple TV+'s 10-part docuseries on the Patriots, "The Dynasty," is produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard and Brian Grazer -- whose relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft was vital in ensuring the filmmakers had access to the entire rolodex of key figures involved with the team and the green light to prod into sensitive topics, such as "Spygate" and the murder conviction of former Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez.

Grazer, an Oscar winner with more than 200 executive producer credits to his name, told SBJ that he has never been much of a football fan and instead developed a friendship with Kraft in the early 2010s after the two continued bumping into each other at social events. After attending a Patriots game for the first time and reading Jeff Benedict’s 2020 book of the same name, Grazer pitched Kraft on the idea for a docuseries. 

With Kraft on board, Grazer and his team won access to essentially everyone -- more than 60 players, executives and other key people are interviewed in the series -- as they sought to lift the veil on a franchise that was largely shrouded in secrecy during its run with coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady at the helm. Kraft did not have any editorial control over the project.

Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck appeared on WEEI-FM's "The Greg Hill Show" this morning, and he decided it was "the perfect time to reveal" that the team has greenlit a new docuseries. Grousbeck: "Nothing official to report yet but we are in production on a multi-part ... documentary series ... and we are deep into that. We signed contracts. It’s being filmed, archives are being gone through and it’s in process. They’re following the team this whole year. It’s behind the scenes, so we’ll see what happens." Grousbeck "didn’t elaborate on a potential platform for the docuseries" (NESN.com, 2/16).

One of the planned renovations at City Ground is increasing its capacity to 40,000 from 29,550Getty Images

Premier League club Nottingham Forest has unveiled its detailed plans for renovations at City Ground, though there are "still obstacles to negotiate." Work is "underway" at the stadium, with "a new 'corner box' of executive suites" on each end to be "built from shipping containers." Other renovation plans include: 

• Increasing the stadium’s capacity to 40,000 from its current level of 29,550.
• Extending the Bridgford Stand by another 5,000 seats, to go with replacing the Peter Taylor Stand with a two-tier 10,000-seat replacement.
• Building a new "state-of-the-art" training ground, with an announcement "expected soon" about location. 
• Opening a museum "in the bowels of the Trent End."
• Extending the current lease with Nottingham City Council, which owns the land the stadium sits on, or "potentially buying the freehold" (THE ATHLETIC, 2/16).

All The Smoke Productions, the new content production company with the "All The Smoke" podcast as its cornerstone, has formalized its lineup of voices and programs to signal its arrival. Rachel Nichols and former NBAers DeMarcus Cousins, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo join former NBAers Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to form the new roster. Weekly series include the new "All The Smoke Unplugged," new "Bully Ball with Rachel Nichols and DeMarcus Cousins" and "Forgotten Seasons." The all new "The Truth Lounge with Paul Pierce" is coming in March. Rondo is currently contributing across these programs with additional content in development. Last month, All The Smoke Productions began a formal partnership with Meadowlark Media and DraftKings (All The Smoke Productions).

L.A. Galaxy

The L.A. Galaxy and Herbalife have unveiled the club’s new 2024 jersey -- the Angeleno Kit -- in advance of their 2024 MLS season. Herbalife has sponsored the Galaxy’s jersey for 17 consecutive seasons, the longest-running jersey sponsorship in MLS history (Galaxy).

The Argentine men’s national soccer team has "finalized plans to play Guatemala" at FedExField on June 14, "a deal that will bring superstar Lionel Messi to the Washington area for the second time in a three-month span." There is "no certainty" Messi will play, but "with Argentina opening defense of its Copa América title six days later, he seems almost certain to play at least a portion" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/16).

Inter Miami has signed Duracell as the club's Official Power partner. Duracell will help power player GPS vests and heart monitors and will also have a visible presence throughout DRV PNK Stadium with matchday signage and new Duracell-branded phone charging stations (Inter Miami)

Wine producer Caymus Vineyards has renewed and expanded its partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. Caymus Vineyards will have a yearlong presence on the lower-rear quarter panel of the No. 41 Ford Mustang driven by Ryan Preece, along with branding on Preece’s firesuit. Additionally, Caymus Vineyards will have heightened signage on all four Stewart-Haas cars (Stewart-Haas Racing).

The England and Wales Cricket Board has "turned down a proposal" for the Hundred from Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi, who "values the competition at one billion dollars" (London TELEGRAPH, 2/16).

Red Bull Racing Team Principal & CEO Christian Horner said that the "allegations of inappropriate and controlling behaviour against him are 'a distraction'" for his team. He is the subject of an internal investigation after "complaints from a female colleague" (BBC.com, 2/16).

More: 

• Concussion in women: New research under way into impact on female athletes.
• Welcome to the last country on earth without a soccer team: the Marshall Islands.

Taylor Swift donated $100,000 to the GoFundMe for the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, killed at the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade. The goal of the fund was $75,000. pic.twitter.com/lZlOlh9AJl

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 16, 2024

As part of our commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices in journalism, #NBAonTNT will host Derryl Barnes as the Oscar Pope Lift Every Voice Fellow.@DerrylRoyce will appear across NBA on TNT broadcast and social platforms throughout #NBAAllStar Weekend. pic.twitter.com/YFn6dno7NC

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 16, 2024

Sothebys is auctioning off the entire set of Lakers jerseys (13) that every player on the team wore during their semifinals tournament game.

Opening bid is $200,000 pic.twitter.com/CMndeJXSt7

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 16, 2024

At today’s NBA All-Star Tech Summit in Indianapolis, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Spurs C Victor Wembanyama unveiled NB-AI, an NBA-trained voice assistant that uses AI technology to personalize the live game viewing experience. Silver and Wembanyama introduced several possibilities, including a feature for fans to watch a live game in the form of a dramatic movie.

57,564 -- Number of followers gained by N.Y. Liberty G Sabrina Ionescu since Jan. 25, when it was announced that she would compete against Warriors G Stephen Curry in a 3-Point Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis (Casinos Sweeps).