Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and purchases across the sports business industry.
Personnel
Legends Names Antonio de la Rosa as head of Attractions, Iberia
Legends appoints Antonio de la Rosa as Head of Attractions, Iberia. In this new role, de la Rosa will lead Legends’ Attractions business in Spain and Portugal and drive an expansion strategy across multiple verticals, including sports, museums, arenas, convention centers and more. De la Rosa has held senior positions at L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, Viacom, Microsoft, and international entertainment operator Parques Reunidos.
Sports/Tech VC Firm KB Partners Closes on $127 Million Fund II
KB Partners has announced a Fund II raise of $127 million, surpassing its original $100 million target. KB has made 10 investments in the new fund to date, including professional 3-on-3 ice hockey league 3ICE, training apparel innovator Omorpho and metaverse-oriented Stadium Live. Among those joining KB Partners as investors and Advisory Board members are John Abbamondi, past CEO of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclay’s Center; Chip Brewer, CEO of Callaway Golf; Mary Owen, former senior executive with the Buffalo Bills; Sara Slane, former MGM executive and sports betting expert; Josh Pyatt, WME co-head of sports; Steve Byrd, former head of global partnerships at Sportradar; Reggie Love, Apollo senior advisor and former aide to President Obama; and Joe Vrankin, CEO of Puttshack.
Partnerships
NFLPA Strikes Deal With BreakAway Data for Player Tracking App
BreakAway Data and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) are partnering to put athlete data in the hands of all NFL players via the BreakAway mobile app. The NFLPA is also acquiring an equity stake in BreakAway Data, with the goal of advancing innovation in football. The app tracks advanced and traditional game stats, as well as practice and training data—including GPS/tracking data, sensor data, biomechanics data, wearables data and sleep/recovery data.
CONCACAF Debuts on TikTok
CONCACAF is officially launching on TikTok to promote its four member teams competing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States. CONCACAF is teaming up with Wave Sports + Entertainment (WSE) to manage the association’s TikTok throughout the FIFA World Cup 2022. The content produced by WSE for CONCACAF will be hosted by WSE’s flagship global football brand FTBL.
Warner Bros. Discovery Secures Best of Biathlon
Warner Bros. Discovery has cemented its winter sports lineup by agreeing a new multi-year deal with the European Broadcasting Union to screen all International Biathlon Union (IBU) events. The deal encompasses 44 countries and territories across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China) and means viewers watching on Warner Bros. Discovery platforms—Discovery+, Eurosport and Eurosport App—will be able to watch every men’s and women’s IBU World Cup event. The IBU World Cup starts in Kontiolahti, Finland, on Nov. 29 and the championship starts Feb. 10 in Oberhof, Germany.
Legends of Basketball Classic Tourney to Return in 2023
Following the inaugural Legends of Basketball Classic, Intersport, the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), the McLendon Foundation and iNDEMAND jointly announced plans to extend the partnership through 2023. Intersport will continue to lead the event operation and has begun the team recruitment and venue selection process for next season. iNDEMAND served as the exclusive streaming and TV distributor of the event, which was the first national telecast of major college basketball on the pay-per-view platform and introduced a new model for raising charitable funds.
