On the latest episode of Sporticast, host Scott Soshnick is joined by Sportico managing editor Matt Bok to discuss the week’s news, including a recap of Major League Baseball’s breakup with Topps after a 70-year relationship. MLB plans to start anew with Fanatics in a venture that seeks to leverage the apparel maker’s growing footprint as it expands into memorabilia and sports betting. Topps, for its part, has since scrapped plans to go public via SPAC and is considering its next steps.
The hosts also take a look at the sports business empire of Joe Tsai’s BSE Global, owner of the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center and several other sports properties. Tsai’s keys to success: majority control, with an emphasis on licensing rights.
And while Tsai speaks of the importance of majority control, sometimes a minority stake will do just fine. Giannis Antetokounmpo capped his remarkable year by buying a stake in the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming one of a handful of players with ownership in other professional franchises. Hear it all below, along with a detour about what happened in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium this weekend when the WWE took a crack at our “cashless future.”
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