Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and purchases across the sports business industry.
Personnel
General Sports Worldwide Adds Kayla Lawson for Search and Consulting
One week after announcing the addition of Jentry Mullins as senior director of executive search and team consulting, General Sports Worldwide welcomes Kayla Lawson as manager of that same group. In her role, Lawson will seek out executive search candidates, perform interviews, provide recommendations, managing the division’s digital and social-media accounts. She was twice promoted while working in sales and membership services for the Phoenix Suns from 2017-2020. Most recently, she was a corporate giving officer for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Phoenix.
LIV Golf Tabs Kerry Taylor CMO, Brings on Ross Antrobus for Analytics
LIV Golf Investments has hired Kerry Taylor as chief marketing officer and Ross Antrobus as nead of research and analytics. Taylor had previously been EVP of entertainment brands for Viacom CBS International, where she oversaw MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network and BET in 180 markets outside of the U.S. with lead responsibility for managing programming and content development. In her new position, Taylor will oversee LIV Golf’s brand and marketing efforts globally as well as the company’s Communications, Digital, Research & Analytics, Membership and Loyalty, and Event Marketing departments. Antrobus joins LIV Golf from The English Football Association where he worked as head of behavioral insights business analytics. In his new role, Antrobus will deploy a variety of tools to analyze fan segmentation, insight-led customer acquisition and engagement and retention programs, commercial insights to support the growth of sponsorship and media rights efforts, and event data. Both Taylor and Antrobus will be based in the London office.
Partnerships
Buzzer and Dazn to Bring Live Short-Form Sports Content to Mobile
Buzzer, a mobile platform delivering short-form access to the best moments in live sports, has entered a U.S. partnership with sports streaming site DAZN, which will kick off with live boxing content in March. The deal marks Buzzer’s first partnership with a multi-sport streaming platform. As part of the agreement, Buzzer will market and distribute boxing moments from some of the fights available to DAZN subscribers, with the goal of reaching younger fans where and how they are watching sports. Buzzer will provide access to championship rounds, rounds immediately after a knockdown and more. DAZN content will be available on Buzzer in the U.S. for purchase instantaneously through secure and easy micropayments, giving fight fans the unprecedented opportunity to buy only those moments they want to watch.
Future and the Knicks Team Up on Digital Fitness
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. has formed a marketing partnership with the digital fitness-coaching service Future, naming the personal-training app an official fitness coaching partner of the New York Knicks. Future will be the presenting partner of an original content series, which will spotlight the key role that the Knicks strength and conditioning personnel play. The series will feature Knicks’ strength-and-conditioning staffers and will run across the Knicks digital channels and in-arena. Future will receive significant brand promotion throughout Knicks games at Madison Square Garden, including LED Signage, Basket Stanchion Signage and promotional in-game features on GardenVision.
Gopuff and McLaren’s Formula One Team Unite on Speed
Consumer delivery company Gopuff has joined McLaren’s Formula One team as its official instant delivery partner. The multiyear agreement comes as Gopuff continues its global expansion and will bring together one of the fastest in delivery with one of the most successful teams in motorsport. To kick off the partnership, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo surprised McLaren superfans by making a delivery from Gopuff, while Gopuff-branded McLaren cars also raced around town. Fans outside London can catch a glimpse of Gopuff and McLaren’s partnership in action at key races during the 2022 season, where Gopuff branding will be featured on the team’s cars.
Busch Light to Help Put Women Behind the Wheel
There are currently no women competing at NASCAR’s highest level, and Busch Light wants to change that by providing funding that will allow for more track time, more media exposure and more training to those in driving’s lower echelons. At the 64th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, Busch Light will introduce the Busch Light Accelerate Her Program—a first-of-its-kind, $10 million commitment to sponsor every 21-and-over woman driver in NASCAR. The three-year commitment will elevate NASCAR’s leading women—Toni Breidinger, Natalie Decker, Amber Balcaen, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brittney Zamora, Stephanie Moyer and Melissa Fifield—and help to open pathways for more women to pursue motorsports as a career.
Spotlight Sports Group to Provide Advance Media Outlets With Local Betting Platforms
Betting and fantasy sports outfit Spotlight Sports Group has partnered with media powerhouse Advance Local to provide national sports betting offerings customized to maximize SEO and revenue for a number of Advance Local markets. Advance Local serves over 50 million people daily through digital and print media and operates 12 digital websites with highly engaged audiences following local and national sports content. Spotlight Sports Group’s turnkey sports betting solutions will provide Advance Local’s audience with sports betting sections that include, feature articles, free bets and offers, scoreboards and betting tools with latest odds, custom event guides, smart content modules and free-to-play games.
Quintevents Announces Long Term Partnership with Dorna Sports
QuintEvents, a provider of ticketing, hospitality and travel experiences for numerous events, has become an official partner of Dorna Sports as it launches MotoGP Premier. Beginning with the 2022 season, the partnership is set to provide a range of experiences for Grand Prix fans, from tailor-made weekends in the MotoGP VIP Village to grandstand tickets with additional exclusive experiences. QuintEvents is already an authorized agency for the MotoGP VIP Village.
CSMG and The BrandR Group Join for NIL Opportunities
Integrated sports and entertainment media company Collegiate Sports Management Group and The BrandR Group, a brand management agency specializing in group licensing and sponsorship rights in the collegiate marketplace, will work together on NIL deals. The multiyear partnership agreement will focus on combining personnel resources and university network connections for mutual benefit and develop turnkey solutions that work at a conference level. Collectively, CSMG and TBG represent more than 250 conferences, universities and colleges. The financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Cloudbet Adds 11 New Coins and Tokens
Crypto casino Cloudbet has added of 11 new options to the range of coins and tokens bettors can use on its site. The new selections Shiba Inu, BNB, Solana and Cardano. Cloudbet’s sportsbook prides itself on its low-margin odds on markets around the world, while the Cloudbet casino offers hundreds of slots and a live-dealer experience with all classic table games. Regardless of coin choice, the company plans to keep its focus on low fees, easy deposits and speedy withdrawals.
Purchases
Joe Burrow, Travis Kelce, Sloane Stephens Among Athletes Getting Breakfast
Kodiak makes a line of protein-powered breakfast staples that has attracted an investment by Patricof Co., a private investment platform for professional athletes. Joe Burrow, Travis Kelce, Sloane Stephens, CC Sabathia and several dozen other athletes participated in the investment. The group joins L Catterton, a consumer investment firm that acquired Kodiak last year to fuel its retail expansion and support its continued growth. In addition to the investment, Patricof will work with Kodiak to create an athlete advisory council, facilitating quarterly meetings between the athlete investors and C-level executives to co-create new food products, marketing campaigns and sustainability initiatives.