SBJ Morning Buzzcast: September 10, 2026

0:00The Monster Energy SMX World Championship is where the world's best off-road motorcycle racers battle for victory on custom-built tracks packed with speed, skill and intensity. Join the millions of passionate fans and learn more at supermodocross.com. SEC presidents will no longer vote on expelling LSU from the league, as that item has been removed from today's meeting agenda per Yahoo Sports. Those are the days, and these are the days in the SEC. And this is your morning buzzcast for Thursday, September 10th. I made Madcore. Well, the Seattle Seahawks escaped with a win as the Patriots really crumbled last night in Seattle. The 12th man really makes a difference at Lumen Field. The Seahawks introduced their new owners, the Kustler family, on Wednesday. And they discussed a range of topics. The family said smartly that they don't plan to make major changes, while hoping that

1:05the team can soon get back to another Super Bowl. They added the family plans to work closely with the current management team. But they don't think the family's approach will be telling management what to do. Again, that is smart, because under President Chuck Arnold and General Manager John Schneider, the Seahawks, one of the best run organizations in the NFL. Meanwhile, the family confirmed that no one plans to move to Seattle, but they will be in Seattle frequently and visiting the team. So again, a new era of ownership for the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL has its first game in Australia tonight on Netflix, 49ers, Rams in Melbourne. Here's one of the biggest hurdles for players adjusting to the 17-hour time difference in Melbourne. To prepare for a 1035 local time kickoff, the 49ers left San Francisco over a week ago

2:06to acclimate to their new routine. The Rams, they took a total opposite approach. They left Tuesday night. Actually about 24 hours before kickoff, they opted to have their team sleep on the 16-hour flight land and then get ready to play. So you have two different approaches on how to adjust to the time difference. And yes, the 49ers have been in the city for a few days. They hosted a clinic with special Olympians. They completed Jersey swaps with stars of Melbourne's football and rugby teams. They also have a local bar where fans are gathering. And the NFL will return to Australia, but they're not sure when. They have a four-year contract with Visit Victoria, which guarantees two games and up to three games through 2029. But I can tell you, the league has been very encouraged by the environment and atmosphere in Melbourne. There is a sellout attendance expected.

3:07And again, people on the ground have been very, very bullish about the environment there. And continued global growth is a key storyline around the NFL's upcoming season. So they have games in new markets like tonight in Australia. Also they have a game in Paris, France later this year. And I can't tell you how many of my sources are going to that Saints, Vikings game in Paris. That is a new market where the appeal of NFL is uncertain. But it is a top destination for corporate hospitality and the corporate community. So a lot of people want to take in that game in Paris. We know the other markets where the NFL will play Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Spain, England. They should perform well as the NFL looks to continue to spread its product around the world. Yes, we know that many teams chafe about these international series games.

4:07They don't love the fact that they have to go play abroad. But the overwhelming sentiment that I hear after the trips is all positive. Trust me on that for the team, the players, the fans and the overall brand of the franchise. They are generally very well received after these trips have been done. Another thing to look for. How can the NFL convince teams to be more aggressive overseas in their marketing? Remember, all 32 teams are in the league's global market program. That means they can market in certain territories around the world. But enthusiasm and commitment varies dramatically from club to club. And the league wants that to change. They want every team to be very active and activate heavily in their designated market. Right now, it varies, like I said, from team to team. So watch tonight. I think the energy and the atmosphere will be very positive.

5:11Staying with the NFL, I found this interesting. The New York Post named its 10 most influential women in football before the start of this season. Here are some of the names. Don Aponte. She is with the New York Giants overseeing football operations and strategy very well regarded. From the Bengals, Katie Blackburn, she is of course from the family that owns the team. Carly Erse Gordon, of course, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Mina Kimes from ESPN, a very, very astute NFL analyst. Nicole Lynn, she is the president of football at clutch sports. And if you watched hard knocks, you saw many conversations between Nicole Lynn and Seahawks GM John Schneider, another name NBC pre-game host Maria Taylor's. Those are just some of the names listed among the most influential women in the NFL. And speaking of influence, as my colleague Ben Fisher has written, you want to watch how the power structure continues to change within the NFL.

6:16The power structure and influence has largely been the same for the last 20 years. But I will argue the power center and the influential roles of the league will change more in the next five years than it has in a very long time. Now 10 years ago, we were doing the buzzcast and we talked about the power structure in the NFL. It would have been with Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Dan Rooney, John Mara, Jerry Richardson, Arthur Blaine. Those would be the names that I would have said back then had the most influence within the league. Today, one could argue, of course, it's still Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones, but it's also Clark Hunt, the Browns, Jimmy Haslam, the Broncos, Greg Penner, Stan Cronkie, of course, Josh Harris at the commanders and Jeffrey Lurie at the Eagles. And in five years, what does it look like?

7:17So you're having a changing of the guard when it comes to power structure and influence within the NFL, fascinating to watch. And I suggest you keep your eye on that dynamic shifting to soccer. There is always the push from fans of MLS that clubs in the league need to spend more money to get more and more top talent. While the numbers released by the league show an interesting story, MLS clubs invested more in the global transfer market more than ever over this last summer with the league setting records for both acquiring talent and transferring talent. And so again, this is pretty interesting, spending on players acquired from outside MLS total $370 million. That was up 10% from 25. So again, fans want clubs to spend more on global talent. They want them to spend to bring players to MLS to make their clubs better.

8:20And MLS is arguing that they are doing that and that their talent is getting better and younger. So 30 players with World Cup experience joined MLS this year. And this comes as the investment's skew younger. The average age of international signings was 25 years old, nearly 60% of those signings were 25 or younger. So the bottom line, MLS is stressing that it's spending more on talent and it's getting younger better talent from around the world and that should bode for a better, stronger MLS in the future. And staying with MLS, the city of Chicago saw a record setting match between Inter Miami and Chicago Fire FC last night that would have been Wednesday night, a sold out crowd of more than 63,000 soldier field in Chicago. That set a new all time attendance record for Chicago Fire.

9:22This match featured star power and international talent, Lionel Messi and Robert Leandowski. And the fans came out to watch these two players and this continues a trend we've seen all year as six clubs have set new single match attendance records this year. And again, it's largely around Messi and it's largely around talent that is imported from the international market. And finally, a toast and a hat tip to Barry Melrose who died at the age of 70. Melrose turned me and so many others onto the game of hockey. He was a legendary ESPN studio analyst, often paired with Steve Levy and viewers loved his information, but also his style as he had this informal nature on air during his time at ESPN. He had the look of a hockey player. He had the hair of a hockey player and he really made the NHL relevant to new audiences

10:27through ESPN's coverage from 1996 until 2023. What a run. He retired after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Barry Melrose passes away on Wednesday at the young age of 70. So rest in peace, Barry Melrose. So a couple of takeaways from today's buscast. The NFL begins another new chapter playing tonight in Australia. You will see a very successful event with a engaged, rowdy audience. The Aussies love big time sports and the NFL will be a hit in another country. If you're watching the NFL, continue to watch the shift in power structure within the league. You are seeing a generational change when it comes to influence at the NFL and take away number three. Rest in peace, Barry Melrose, who brought a unique spirit and style as an NHL analyst that I would argue he laid the foundation for others who followed after him and brought a more

11:31informal edgy approach on air. And so that is your morning buscast for Thursday, September 10th. I'm a mad core. Thanks for listening. Stay healthy. Be good to each other. I'll speak to you tomorrow. The Monster Energy SMX World Championship is where the world's best off-road motorcycle riders come to race. The sports biggest stars, including Jed and Hunter Lawrence, Hayden Deegan, Joe Shimoda and more. The Monster Victory on custom built tracks packed with speed, skill and intensity. The SMX World Championship delivers high-flying action, intense competition, electric crowds and an unforgettable live motor sports experience. Join the millions of passionate fans and learn more at supermodocross.com.