The Detroit Sports Commission's new executive director played a key role in the city's record-breaking NFL Draft.

Why it matters: Marty Dobek, 38, is taking on the role as Detroit tries to maintain the draft's momentum by attracting more elite sporting events to boost the local economy.

Flashback: Dobek was the commission's deputy director and the primary liaison to the NFL for the draft, which set attendance records and generated an estimated $213.6 million in economic impact.

• The event's success bolsters the city's case to land an NBA or NHL All-Star game in the near future, Dobek tells Axios Detroit.
• "NBA representatives were in town over those couple days (of the NFL Draft), so they saw firsthand — Detroit just showed up and broke all these records," he said.

Driving the news: Dobek's promotion was announced this month as part of a leadership transition in advance of the 2027 NCAA Men's Final Four at Ford Field.

• Dobek will oversee event bidding and all other facets of the commission's operations.
• The organization's previous executive director, Dave Beachnau, will lead the Detroit Local Organizing Committee for the Final Four. Beachnau will also continue as executive vice president of Visit Detroit, which oversees the commission.

Between the lines: Dobek was inspired to work in sports by his late uncle, Matt Dobek, who oversaw media relations for the Pistons' three championships in 1989, 1990 and 2004 during a nearly 30-year career with the team.

• Marty Dobek graduated from Wayne State, interned with the Detroit Lions and worked in the Free Press' sports department before starting his 13-plus-year career at the commission.

State of play: The nonprofit commission had $2.2 million in net expenses in 2023, per Crain's.

• In addition to attracting major events, the commission supports annual events like the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club and the Detroit Grand Prix.

What they're saying: Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem and Visit Detroit CEO Claude Molinari praised the leadership changes.

• "These moves will continue to position Detroit as a premier sports and entertainment destination and build upon our momentum from an incredible 2024 NFL Draft," Molinari said in a statement.

Only 13 U.S. states send more money to the federal government than they receive, a recent analysis found, and Michigan isn't one of them.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's push for states to be more financially independent brushes up against the reality that many depend on federal money for everything from disaster relief to food aid.

Zoom in: Michigan gets $2,689 more per capita from the federal government than it sends, discounting COVID-19 relief spending, according to a 2024 Rockefeller Institute of Government report.

How it works: Each state's balance of payments reflects how much federal money is distributed there (in the form of programs like Medicaid and SNAP, for example) versus how much money residents and businesses send to the federal government (via income or employment taxes, for instance).

• A negative figure means a state sends more to the federal government than it receives, while a positive figure means it gets more than it gives.

Zoom out: Massachusetts (-$4,846), New Jersey (-$4,344) and Washington (-$3,494) had the lowest balance of payments per capita as of 2022, according to the report.

🎤 Wu-Tang Clan's self-proclaimed final tour will stop at Little Caesars Arena on July 8, promoters announced yesterday. Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday through Ticketmaster. (Detroit News)

🚧 Repair work at the site of last week's massive water main break in Southwest is expected to last through next week. A 15-foot segment of replacement pipe was put in place on Friday, while city crews continue to clean out basements. (WXYZ)

🧵 16-year-old local fashion designer Langston Howard appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" yesterday as part of a Black History Month series on young change-makers. At the end of the interview, he received a $10,000 check to grow his brand. (Free Press)

Wendy's is serving up a new Thin Mints Frosty that combines two classic desserts.

The big picture: The new Frosty flavor inspired by the most popular Girl Scout cookie flavor debuted Friday nationwide during National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, when the cookies were also widely available.

Zoom in: The Thin Mints Frosty is available in two flavors for a limited time.

• John Li, Wendy's vice president of research and development, said a fudgelike cookie butter developed with the Girl Scouts can be swirled into either the classic chocolate or vanilla Frosty.

💭 Joe's thought bubble: Workers inside the Wendy's at 9 Mile and I-75 were already making two vanilla Thin Mints Frostys for a drive-thru order when I stopped by yesterday to try one for myself.

• I went with a chocolate Frosty, and the results were a spot-on match with the cookie's deliciousness.
• I just wish I had brought some Thin Mints of my own for dipping purposes.