Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and purchases across the sports business industry.
Personnel
PointsBet Hires Christensen as U.S. Chief Marketing Officer
PointsBet, the global online gaming operator, announced the hiring of Kyle Christensen as the company’s U.S. chief marketing officer. As CMO, Christensen will oversee PointsBet’s overall marketing strategy, working with core partners to drive product growth and gain overall market share. He will report to PointsBet U.S. CEO Johnny Aitken.
Christensen previously worked as the head of U.S. brand and consumer marketing for Facebook, where he led the company’s first-ever brand marketing campaign. Before joining Facebook, Christensen held key executive roles at National Geographic and Netflix.
Force3 Names Goldsmith CEO and President
FORCE3 Holdings LLC, a sports safety-oriented equipment company known for its shock-absorbing catcher’s mask, has announced the appointment of Steven D. Goldsmith as chief executive officer and president. FORCE3’s founder, Jason Klein, will transition from the role of CEO to executive chairman while continuing in his role as chief technology and innovation officer.
Playly Sports Promotes Hoppel to Chief Accounting Officer
Sports media, marketing and technology company Playfly Sports announced the appointment of Megan Hoppel to chief accounting officer. In her new role, Hoppel will act as a financial adviser to Playfly’s executive leadership team.
Hoppel, who previously served as the company’s corporate controller, was promoted after joining Playfly in December 2020. Previously, the Philadelphia-native was a corporate controller at PureStar Linen Group as well as Clinical Supplies Management, a pharmaceutical services company.
Perfect Game Names Destinee Martinez National Director of Softball Operations
Perfect Game announced that former NCAA women’s softball champion and Team USA member Destinee Martinez is joining the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service as its national director of softball operations.
Martinez joins Perfect Game after spending seven years with USA Softball, the sport’s national governing body, where for the past two years she was managing director of sport development.
Partnerships
NFL Signs New Five-Year Deal With Sport 24 for Inflight Broadcasts
Sport 24, the live 24/7 sports channel for the inflight industry, has renewed and expanded its partnership with the National Football League for an additional five years, extending a partnership that started in 2014.
The IMG-owned and -operated service will broadcast 100 live NFL games per season to passengers on select airlines including JetBlue, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airlines and ANA. The agreement includes all international games, playoffs, Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl, which is set for Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Sportradar Extends Data Partnership With International Tennis Federation
Sportradar, the leading global sports technology, announced a three-year extension to its agreement with the International Tennis Federation to serve as the ITF’s official data partner.
The agreement extends the partnership between Sportradar and ITF, which, since 2012, has encompassed the World Tennis Tour as well as a number of other major ITF competitions, such as the Billie Jean King Cup. Terms were not disclosed.
Interactive Video Company Kiswe Expands Fundraising With Sony Investment
Kiswe, the interactive video company, today announced Sony Innovation Fund by IGV has invested in the company as it scales to meet global demand for its cloud-based interactive video solutions for content creators and rights holders.
Sony Innovation Fund by IGV joins notable investors including Ted Leonsis, founder and CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment and New Enterprise Associates. This latest investment increases Kiswe’s total raised funds to $46 million since its inception in 2013.
Panini Signs Exclusive Trading Card Deal With WWE
The Panini Group and WWE announced a multi-year agreement that will make Panini WWE’s exclusive trading card and collectible sticker partner. The deal will begin in the first quarter of 2022 and will include multiple trading card products during the first year. Panini’s U.S. subsidiary, Panini America, will be responsible for developing the WWE trading card products.
NFT Maker TopGoal Signs International Soccer Stars to Endorsement Deal
TopGoal, an officially licensed digital trading card game and collectibles marketplace incorporating NFT and blockchain technology, has announced NFT partnerships with soccer legends Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri and Gabriel Batistuta on TopGoal’s growing roster of athletes to be enshrined in NFT form through the platform.
State Farm Reaches Multi-Year Agreement With Overtime Elite
Overtime Elite has announced a multi-year sponsorship with State Farm, making the company the exclusive on-campus home, auto and life insurance sponsor for the new league. State Farm will support OTE’s elite athlete education, empowerment, development and community outreach programs that will be coming to the Atlanta community.
Marucci Sports Announces Acquisition of Lizard Skins
Marucci Sports LLC, a subsidiary of Compass Diversified and a designer and manufacturer of baseball and softball equipment and apparel, today announced it has acquired Lizard Skins LLC, a designer and seller of branded grip products, protective equipment, bags and apparel for use in baseball, cycling, hockey, esports and lacrosse. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.