Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
Personnel
Athletes Unlimited Adds Two To Advisory Board
Women’s sports icons Cat Osterman and Sheryl Swoopes have joined the Athletes Unlimited advisory board, lending their support and advice to the organization. Osterman was the first champion in Athletes Unlimited history (2020 Softball) and Swoopes is the broadcast analyst for Athletes Unlimited Basketball. In addition, Athletes Unlimited rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 31 in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the same day it played host to a virtual stakeholder meeting, sharing updates about 2023 plans with athletes and partners.
College Football Hall of Fame Adds to Its Board of Directors
The College Football Hall of Fame announced that Carl Allegretti, president of Arbor Investments, has been named to the nonprofit’s board of directors. Allegretti’s other current board roles include the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the USA Football Board and the National Football Foundation Board. In 2022 he was inducted into the National Football Foundation’s Leadership Hall of Fame. He was recognized as the 13th member of the NFF Leadership HOF.
Arena Football League Relaunches Under New Ownership Group
The Arena Football League (AFL) has announced that it will be relaunching under new leadership with plans to return to the gridiron in 2024. Investment group F1 Sports & Entertainment purchased the rights to the AFL in January 2022. The league’s board of directors will include chairman Chris Chetty, president Anthony Rossi and president of operations Shan Singh. The executive leadership team includes commissioner Lee A. Hutton III, deputy commissioner Travelle Gaines, president of entertainment Tuo Clark and executive vice president Curt Feldtkeller. Under Hutton’s leadership, the AFL will launch with 16 teams that will play 10 regular-season games before postseason play.
Former Turner Exec Joins Religion of Sports
Former TNT/TBS head of unscripted series and specials Michael Bloom has joined Religion of Sports, the sports media company founded by Gotham Chopra, and NFL superstars Tom Brady and Michael Strahan. Bloom will serve as executive vice president of content; also added to the team are Eric Hoberman as head of development and Lauren Fisher as VP/executive creative director of Religion of Sports Labs. At Religion of Sports, Bloom oversee all content, including partnerships, scripted, unscripted, audio and branded entertainment. Bloom most recently ran his own company, Bongo Pictures. Bloom’s credits also includes MTV, AMC, Fox Sports, IMG and Warner Media, and projects such as Being: Liverpool, Talking Dead, Shaq Life, Drop The Mic, ELeague and others. Expansion comes following Religion of Sports’ $50 million raise in a Series B funding round led by Shamrock Capital (with support from Elysian Park Ventures and Cerro Capital).
Partnerships
UFC, Logan Paul and KSI Meet for Drinks
UFC, Logan Paul’s Prime and influencer KSI have entered a multiyear global marketing partnership that will make Prime the official global sports drink of UFC. The deal includes a wide range of integrations into UFC assets, including every UFC Pay-Per-View and Fight Night, highlighted by broadcast features and branding inside the Octagon. In addition, UFC, Logan Paul, and KSI will collaborate on original content that will be distributed through their social media channels, including YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Collectively, UFC, Paul, and KSI reach nearly 400 million social media followers worldwide.
Hospital for Special Surgery Links With Major League Pickleball
Major League Pickleball (MLP) and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), have made a deal designating HSS as MLP’s official hospital. HSS will provide MLP athletes with access to clinicians at each tournament throughout the year. Dr. Joshua S. Dines will serve as the league’s medical director and oversee the coordination of all physician and clinical staffing, and the management of player health throughout the season. HSS will receive branding through signage and product display at all MLP events and have opportunities for content, fan engagement and other activations throughout the season. The one-year deal includes an option to extend.
Formula E, New Era Cap Join for Headwear Partnership
Formula E and New Era, an international sports and lifestyle brand, announced a multiyear global licensing deal for a range of fan headwear products with New Era supplying the official podium cap for the first time in motorsport. A range of five other caps featuring Formula E’s refreshed brand will launch from Spring 2023. The consumer range will be available to purchase across New Era’s international distribution platforms alongside Formula E’s official e-commerce channels and retail stores at races. New Era and Formula E will also collaborate on bespoke and limited-edition styles, such as unique designs for landmark races and a championship edition. Aligned with Formula E’s sustainability commitments, the New Era range will also utilize Repreve fabric, where plastic bottles are transformed into a technical yarn used for performance-ready headwear.
UTSA, Playfly Sports Announce Multimedia Rights Agreement
UTSA and Playfly Sports announced a new multimedia rights (MMR) agreement. Per the deal, Playfly will serve as UTSA’s exclusive MMR holder and sponsorship sales arm effective Sept. 1, 2023. UTSA’s partnership with Playfly will leverage the company’s multimedia rights expertise and suite of marketing and media solutions. Playfly Sports will target existing platforms and identify opportunities for UTSA Athletics to expand its fanbase and corporate partners. Playfly will manage all sponsorships for UTSA Athletics, along with making capital investments.
University Hospitals Renewed as Health Care Partner for Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns and University Hospitals (UH) are extending their partnership for UH to serve as the Official Health Care Partner of the team. Since 2014, UH has worked with the Browns to to care for players, staff members and their families while also emphasizing engagement in the Northeast Ohio community. UH has developed a sports medicine team that addresses Browns players’ medical, training and overall health care needs.
Products
NFL Including Virtual Concert as Part of Super Bowl LVII Experience
The NFL announced the Saweetie Super Bowl Concert Presented by Intuit on Roblox, which will be part of the NFL’s Super Bowl LVII event lineup. It will take place in Warner Music Group’s Rhythm City, a music-themed experience on Roblox. Saweetie will perform a family-friendly, fully motion-captured performance. The virtual concert will celebrate the upcoming Super Bowl LVII and promote a message of female empowerment. The virtual concert will premiere on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. ET and will re-air every hour on the hour until Sunday, Feb. 12. The concert will also be paired with a collection of digital items to be sold on the Roblox marketplace.
