Today's Sports Business Pulse
Messi joins Ronaldo in billionaire football ranks after US endorsement deals
Lionel Messi's net worth now exceeds $1 billion, matching Cristiano Ronaldo as the only footballers to reach that milestone. The surge comes from a series of high‑value U.S. endorsement and licensing agreements across apparel, technology, and media.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Lucra raises $20M Series A
Las Vegas Group Says It Submitted Bid to Buy MLS’ Whitecaps
A Las Vegas‑based investment group led by Grant Gustavson has formally submitted a bid to purchase Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the franchise to Las Vegas. The Whitecaps are valued at roughly $450 million, while Gustavson’s mother, Tamara Gustavson, is an $8.5 billion Forbes billionaire. The proposal is privately financed and unrelated to any of the city’s newly announced arena projects. MLS has acknowledged receipt of the bid but has not disclosed any relocation fee or timeline.
Stephen A. Smith Accuses PGA Tour of Forcing Golfers to Join LIV: ‘It Was Their Abuse’
Stephen A. Smith accused the PGA Tour of forcing players to join Saudi‑backed LIV Golf, calling the Tour’s treatment an "abuse" that created the rival league. He urged the PGA to welcome former LIV members back without punishment as LIV’s...
Canzano: Pac-12 Aims to Bring Games to Fans
The Pac‑12 is preparing a direct‑to‑consumer streaming platform to launch in 2026, marking its fourth and final media‑rights arrangement. The conference has not yet promoted the service or opened subscriptions, despite a July 1 relaunch and upcoming competition schedule. A new...
Steelers Seem Worried Aaron Rodgers Could Sign with Another Team: Possible Landing Spots for the Four-Time MVP
The Pittsburgh Steelers placed an unrestricted free‑agent tender on 42‑year‑old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a move used only six times in the past decade. The tender guarantees the Steelers a compensatory draft pick if Rodgers signs elsewhere and locks him into...
Five Iron Golf Opens First Location in Saudi Arabia
Five Iron Golf launched its first Saudi Arabian venue inside Riyadh’s PIF Tower, occupying over 12,000 square feet. The indoor complex features 11 high‑tech simulators from Trackman and Golfzon, a full‑service bar, kitchen, and flexible event spaces. Developed with Golf...
UC3 Names Preferred Bidders for UEFA Club Rights in 19 Markets
UC3, the UEFA‑Club commercial joint venture, named preferred bidders for the 2027‑31 men’s club competition media rights in 19 territories. The shortlist blends incumbent broadcasters such as Sky and Canal+ with streaming giants Disney+, Paramount+, ESPN and DAZN, reflecting a...
Seeking Stories of Forgotten Brands and Vanished Leagues
Part of our posts will be a new piece of content... “whatever happened to?” is there a league/team/business/arena/platform that was all the buzz and either disappeared or morphed into something else that you worked with, followed, knew of? Should be...
How the Edmonton Oilers Built Pro Sports’ Largest 50/50 Raffle
The Edmonton Oilers’ Community Foundation ran the largest 50/50 raffle in professional sports, pulling almost $16 million (≈$16 M) from the Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Since 2001 the raffle has sold roughly $350 million (≈$255 M) in tickets, donating about $175 million...
Spanish Police Dismantle Kodispain Piracy Network
Spain’s Guardia Civil has dismantled Kodispain, a major platform that streamed live LaLiga matches without authorization. The raid followed complaints from LaLiga and telecoms group Telefónica, highlighting coordinated enforcement against sports piracy. Investigators examined over 91,000 files and about 25,000...
Nielsen: Prime Video’s NBA Playoffs Coverage Drew Highest Mix of 18-49 Year-Old TV Viewers Through April 26
Prime Video’s NBA playoff broadcasts have become the top destination for the coveted 18‑49 demographic through April 26, according to Nielsen data. The Spurs‑Blazers first‑round game attracted 58.5% of its audience from that age group, translating to 1.466 million viewers. Across the...
NWSL & Overtime Re-Up Gen-Z Focused Content Partnership
Overtime and the National Women’s Soccer League have renewed their content partnership for the 2026 season, extending a collaboration that began last year. The deal leverages Overtime’s 100 M+ social following to deliver behind‑the‑scenes player access, highlights, and digital‑first storytelling across...
World Rugby and IMG Announce Long-Term Media Rights Partnership
World Rugby has entered a long‑term media rights partnership with IMG to accelerate the sport’s growth in the United States ahead of the 2031 men’s and 2033 women’s Rugby World Cups. IMG will advise on U.S. and global media rights,...
Tigo Sports Upgrades Video Infrastructure with Ateme Technology
Tigo Sports, Paraguay’s top sports broadcaster, has overhauled its video infrastructure using Ateme’s TITAN Live encoder, TITAN Mux multiplexing platform, and PILOT Manager orchestration suite, complemented by KYRION CM5000e ingest encoders. The rollout targets live production and broadcast of Paraguayan football,...
Newcastle CEO: PSR Changes Will Help Us ‘Chase Down’ Premier League Elite
Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson says the Premier League’s shift from profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) to a squad cost ratio (SCR) will let the club expand its spending envelope. SCR permits clubs to allocate up to 85% of...
USA Lacrosse Names SportsEngine Preferred Youth Sports Management Platform Partner
USA Lacrosse announced an expanded partnership with SportsEngine, designating it as the Preferred Youth Sports Management Platform Partner. The integrated solution links registration and payments directly to USA Lacrosse memberships while offering scheduling, communication, mobile apps, and roster management tools....
Ex-Hawks Exec Lands in Prison Over Fraudulent Jet-Set Lifestyle
Former Atlanta Hawks senior vice president of finance Lester T. Jones Jr. was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud that siphoned more than $3.7 million from the franchise. Jones exploited his...
Valvoline Drives Fans To World Cup
Valvoline has launched its first FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, "The Original Motor Oil. For the Driven," leveraging a 160‑year brand heritage to connect with soccer fans traveling to host cities. A ParkMobile survey shows 18% of Americans plan road...
Gukesh vs Sindarov Chess World Championship Match: Prize Fund of USD 2.5 Million, Budget of USD 8.5 Million as FIDE...
FIDE has opened the bidding process for the 2026 World Chess Championship between India’s D Gukesh and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov. The match is provisionally set for Nov 23‑Dec 17, 2026, spanning 25 days, with an $8.5 million budget and a minimum $2.5 million prize fund. Bidders...
Riis Says Netcompany-Ineos Would Be a 'Dream Team' For Vingegaard
Former Tour champion Bjarne Riis says the newly announced partnership between Danish IT firm Netcompany and Ineos creates a “dream team” for current Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard. The combined resources could give Vingegaard the muscle needed to challenge five‑time champion...
Shift4 Lines up Wrigley Field and Other Digital Transactions News Briefs From 4/30/26
Shift4 Payments announced it will provide point‑of‑sale services at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and the adjacent Gallagher Way entertainment district. American Express rolled out enhanced gold‑card benefits, including a five‑fold boost in rewards points for prepaid hotel bookings, while Better Home...
ŌURA Named Official Wearable of the USTA, USTA Coaching and Official Sponsor, Official Wearable of the US Open
Oura announced a five‑year deal making its ring the official wearable sponsor of the US Open, the USTA, and USTA Coaching – the first wearable partnership in USTA history. The agreement equips every Main Draw player with a ring, integrates...
SBJ Morning Buzzcast: April 30, 2026
The episode highlights three major sports business moves: MLS and KKR are launching Hometown Soccer Holdings to centralize commercial operations for MLS Next Pro teams and build 6,000‑8,000‑seat stadiums in midsize markets; the Big 12 has secured a private‑capital partnership...
Ranmore Fund Management Partners With England Hockey League Premier Division Finals On 2-3 May 2026
Ranmore Fund Management Ltd announced a partnership to sponsor the England Hockey League Premier Division Finals, scheduled for May 2‑3, 2026 at Surbiton Hockey Club. The two‑day event will showcase the top four women’s and open/men’s teams competing for national...
LIV Golf Gets New Independent Board, Seeks Funding
There was a lot of discussion yesterday...about just what was "new" with the LIV Golf headlines...we pretty much knew about much of the PIF funding cuts stuff around the time of LIV Mexico. But this is new news...with Yasir Al-Rumayyan stepping...
Decade of NBA Jersey Sales Reveals Surprising Player Trends
Top 10 best-selling NBA jerseys in every season since 2004 What surprises you here? ⬇️ https://t.co/L6hbe9ofaw
LIV Golf Begins Planning for Future Without Saudi Backing
LIV Golf announced an independent board to find new financing after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund pulled its $5 billion backing. The board, led by turnaround experts Gene Davis and Jon Zinman, will explore league‑level partners or team sales to secure...
Thanksgiving Eve Becomes Sports' Biggest Night Across Platforms
The hottest day on the sports calendar is Thanksgiving Eve: - NBA scheduled a triple-header for the first time on ESPN in 2025 - Duke will play UConn on Amazon Prime this year - The NFL is considering scheduling a Thanksgiving Eve game,...
Group Pushes Whitecaps FC Relocation to Las Vegas
From me and @JustBirny: This is the group behind the leading effort to bring the @WhitecapsFC to Las Vegas. Gustavson has met with both @MLS and the team's owners, @Sportico has been told. More to come.
How the San Francisco 49ers Uses Gen AI, Gamification and Personalization to Make Global Fans Feel Local
The San Francisco 49ers have launched an AI‑powered mobile app in partnership with PwC to deliver a hyper‑personalized fan experience for its three‑million‑strong global audience. The app leverages generative‑AI, including the Sourdough Sam chatbot, to tailor news, stats, ticketing and...
Investors Flee Expensive Leagues, Driving NWSL Valuations Up
Today's CNBC Sport newsletter kickoff story is now online -- NWSL team valuations are soaring. It's a nice story for the NWSL, but something else is going on that's leading to these soaring values -- a substitution effect causing bidding...
Amazon Eyes Ohio State Football, Faces Rights Hurdles
Easy to see Amazon wanting a football version with Ohio State, for example, but vastly more difficult to execute/media partner agreement But in the next rights cycle …
The NCAA Is Expanding March Madness. Who Asked For That?
Hosts Scott Soschnick and Eben Novy-Williams dissect the NCAA's plan to expand March Madness from 68 to 76 teams for both men’s and women’s tournaments. They explain the new format—adding a "first 12" play‑in round—and argue the move is driven...
Taylor Swift's Trademark Playbook Shields Athletes From AI Deepfakes
AI is exploiting athletes’ identities, it will only get worse as AI gets better and NIL protections aren't enough. Enter Taylor Swift’s trademark strategy to protect her NIL. It offers a potential roadmap for athletes battling deepfakes and AI misuse: https://t.co/4TdMv2PYiY.
Saudi Sports Push Accelerates Asset Sales, Targets More Clubs
From two weeks ago... Saudi Arabia doubles down on its sport ecosystem development as asset disposals commence Al Hilal has been sold, LIV Golf could be next, will Newcastle United follow? https://t.co/D7nWjAQ9l9 @Fire_and_Skill #Geosport https://t.co/WiuBZ36nqT
KKR Buys Into MLS Next Pro as League Plots Overhaul
Private equity firm KKR is investing up to $200 million in MLS Next Pro through a new joint venture, Hometown Soccer Holdings, that will take over commercial operations for the league’s 30‑team development tier. While MLS clubs retain player payroll and sporting...
Zuckerberg and Cook Not Directly Bidding Seahawks, Fund Involved
Mark Zuckerberg isn't considering a bid for the Seahawks. ... He may be invested in a fund that's putting forward a bid... but that's a very different thing ... I assume same true for Tim Cook.
Oilers' Massive Raffle Funnels 28% to Parent Company
The @EdmontonOilers have the largest 50/50 raffle in sports, creating millions for fans and charities. It's also pushed millions into a lottery ops entity owned by the @NHL club's parent. ~28% (!) of 2025 raffle sales went to that org. More...
Atlanta Hawks Finance VP Sentenced for $3.7 M Fraud
A $3.7M fraud, years of fake invoices, luxury trips to Thailand and the Bahamas on the company dime—and the Atlanta Hawks’ own VP of finance was the one signing off. How a “dream job” turned into a federal prison sentence....
KKR Invests in MLS NEXT Pro to Boost US Soccer Infrastructure
KKR backs MLS NEXT Pro with strategic investment to build US soccer's commercial infrastructure Get the full scoop here: https://t.co/nSpfoq2ytO https://t.co/QOKxxdQaSu
Kalshi Ranks Fourth Among US Sportsbooks, Shows Explosive Growth
Kalshi would be the No. 4 US sportsbook by average handle per adult, trailing only FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics, per @EilersKrejcik; E&K stresses the indirect comparison between trading volume & handle, but these figures nevertheless underscore Kalshi's massive growth
Bengals Decline Murphy's Option, Free Agency Awaits
The #Bengals have officially declined a $14.475M 5th-year option for EDGE Myles Murphy, who posted career highs in 2025. The 24-year-old carries an $11M valuation in our system, and is now eligible for free agency next March.
NFL Gains 300K Viewers via Alternative Platforms
Looks like NFL added around 300,000 viewers from those "alternative" sources outside of ABC, ESPN and NFL Network for the 1st Round to get to 13.2 million (traditional number closer to 12.9 million) (i.e. numbers from Deportes, ESPN app, Hulu, Disney+,...
FanDuel Becomes First Official F1 Betting Partner in US
#FanDuel has been named an Official Betting Operator of #F1 in the United States and Canada. Notably, it's the first time #Formula1 has partnered with a betting operator in the United States. #sportsbetting #sponsorship #partnership https://t.co/38aEj9qBVV
Key Sports Media Moves: ESPN, CW Streaming, Fever, Derby Preview
This week's @SBJ Sports Media Pod: 🔲Disney’s decision to hold ESPN -- for now 🔲 @TheCW gets a streaming solution 🔲@IndianaFever games are national, but still local 🔲And a chat with @ChurchillDowns CEO Bill Carstanjen ahead of the @KentuckyDerby https://t.co/ZUvyMNWz2b
Rethinking College Sports Gambling Amid Ongoing Scandal
NEW EXTRA POINTS: As yet another gambling scandal threatens to meaningfully upend college sports, I think it's worth asking...as fans AND admins...how we should think about sports gambling. How is this different from other "sin" industries? Is it? (full link below) https://t.co/yo3Ktcm697
LIV's Failure Leaves Minimal Value—Time to Sell
Well, as it turns out we do know that LIV has failed. This thread is more about the why now than the maybe. Is there any value to the carcass? A bit, to the usual types and suspects. But not...
Portland Stands Out as MLB’s only Viable Expansion City
IMO, only Portland is a real MLB expansion candidate. Others are too small (Raleigh, SLC), lack credible local backers (Orlando, Sacramento, Vancouver), financially tapped out (Nashville, Charlotte), or have baggage (Montreal, Oakland). I doubt expansion happens under Manfred.
LIV Golf Plots Future Independent of Saudi Funding
The Plan for LIV 2.0 LIV Golf Begins Planning for Future Without Saudi Backing https://t.co/6tQAnBkAJ4 via @sportico @novy_williams
KKR Pours $170M Into MLS Next Pro Expansion
NEWS: KKR is investing across @MLSNEXTPRO. It is committing ~$170 million to a new JV, called Hometown Soccer, that will oversee the development league's commercial growth. Expect more teams to rebrand and move to new communities. More @Sportico 👇 https://t.co/oNWEz7c8fk
Burnley's Borrowings Spike After 2020 Takeover
Burnley cash and borrowings totals over the last few years. The club were taken over on 31 December 2020. Are these two issues connected? https://t.co/IsE6WIlYVN