Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and purchases across the sports business industry.
Personnel
Deltatre’s Marini Named CEO as Rinaudo Retires to Non-Executive Role
International technology company Deltatre has announced that CEO Giampiero Rinaudo will soon retire after more than 35 years with the business. Existing deputy CEO and chief commercial officer, Andrea Marini, will succeed him at the end of October.
Rinaudo, who founded the company with two others in 1986, will assume a new role as non-executive chairman and board member. Marini has held his present roles since mid-2019. He will also maintain his seat on the board, representing the interest of his family’s shareholding in the company.
Arctos Sports Partners Names Chad Hutchinson as Partner
Arctos Sports Partners, a private investment platform dedicated to providing growth capital and liquidity solutions to professional sports franchise owners across the “Big 5” North American leagues and European soccer, welcomed Chad Hutchinson as a Partner on the investment team and management committee.
Prior to joining Arctos, Hutchinson served as a managing director at Sixth Street (formerly TPG Sixth Street Partners) where he helped build the firm’s agricultural investment practice and led a number of investments in specialty finance, growth equity and structured solutions. Before his decade and a half career in finance, Hutchinson was a two-sport professional athlete serving both as a starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and as the starting quarterback for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears.
FanDuel Group Appoints Dale Hooper to Manage Canada Operations
Online gaming operator FanDuel Group has announced that Dale Hooper has joined the company as its General Manager of Canada. In this newly created role, Hooper will be responsible for developing and implementing FanDuel Group’s long-term strategy in the region, in keeping with the nation’s regulatory and legalization process within each province.
Hooper joins FanDuel Group from Deloitte Canada, where he most recently served as a Partner focused on the cannabis industry. Hooper will report directly to FanDuel Group CEO Amy Howe, effective immediately.
David Cone Joins Jomboy Media to Host Pitching-Specific Podcast
Jomboy Media is adding longtime major league pitcher David Cone to its digital content line-up. Cone will lead Toeing the Slab, a weekly podcast devoted to the art of pitching. Cone be joined by co-host, executive producer and Yankees digital broadcaster Justin Shackil and YES Network statistician James Smyth, along with current and former players as guests.
Daily Wire Signs Allison Williams, Ousted ESPN Sportscaster Who Resisted Vaccine Mandate
The Daily Wire announced that it has signed ousted ESPN college basketball and football reporter Allison Williams to lead a special sports series that will be exclusively available for the conservative media company’s members. Earlier this week, Williams announced she was leaving ESPN after the sports network’s parent company, Disney, announced it would force its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or face termination.
NuArca Labs Adds Julie Haddon and Brandon Gayle to Company Board
Julie Haddon, former NFL Senior Vice President, Global Brand and Consumer Marketing, and Brandon Gayle, Chief Operating Officer for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, have joined the advisory board of NuArca Labs, an NFT platform.
NuArca Labs is the NFT division of NuArca, a five-year-old global blockchain and AI solutions company. NuArca’s patent-pending technology platform enables brands, athletes and artists to create content and mint and sell their own NFTs.
Partnerships
WWE and Mattel Extend Longtime Licensing Agreement
WWE and Mattel, Inc. have announced a multi-year extension of their global master toy licensing agreement. The extended partnership includes exclusive rights around Action Figures, Action Figure Accessories and Kids Toy Title Belts. WWE Action Figures have ranked as the No. 1 action figure property in the U.S. and Mattel’s WWE Basic Action Figure Series is the longest-running continuous action figure assortment in the industry.
University of Georgia and Brandr Strike Group Licensing Deal
The University of Georgia Athletic Association has expanded its LeGAcy NIL program to allow university athletes to work with The Brandr Group on group licensing agreements. The potential collaboration with TBG enables UGA athletes to profit off their NIL using the school’s official trademarks and logos.
Georgia athletes will have the option to voluntarily join the group licensing program, which does not limit individual NIL rights.
Online Marketplace Obsesh Raises $1 Million Pre-Seed for Athlete Platform
Obsesh, a centralized marketplace interface for fans to book athletes and get access to training, tips and pro feedback, has closed a $1 million pre-seed fundraising round. Obsesh allows athletes to set their own prices while keeping 75% of each transaction.
