Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (February 6-19)

(01:05) - Feel good stories

• Figure skating star Yuna Kim has donated $100,000 to aid earthquake recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria.
• Michael Jordan has donated $10M to Make-a-Wish.

(02:50) - Business of Athletes

• Carmelo Anthony is co-launching a $750 million sports-focused private equity fund alongside former WWE executives.
• Super Bowl champ, Travis Kelce, has become an investor/partner in Casa Azul Spirits alongside legendary beverage founder Lance Collins.
• Tom Brady is jumping right into acting post-retirement with a performance in the comedy, 80 For Brady.
• Penn State Quarterback Sean Clifford sold his agency, Limitless NIL, for multiple 7 figures to TEAM Group Holdings.

(06:15) - Name, Image, and Likeness

• BrinxTV which owns the NIL House has acquired a stake in the NIL marketplace, Icon Source.
• Athlete brand-building firm Firestarter announced a formal partnership with Pittsburgh-based sponsorship sales and consulting agency CohnCollab.
• Ohio State’s two NIL collectives THE Foundation and The O Foundation are merging.
• Former Oklahoma football coach, Bob Stoops, compared NIL to the ‘NFL Without Any Salary Cap
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a measure that will allow colleges and universities to help athletes get endorsement deals.

(10:30) - Future of Sports

• Bluestone Capital announced an inaugural $300 million growth equity fund focused on the sports, media, and entertainment industries.
• The sports tourism market is expected to grow USD $559.75 Billion between 2022 and 2027 at a CAGR of 12.88%.
• Blockchain-based fantasy cricket platform, Sportiqo, has launched in India allowing users to invest or trade players, just like stocks.
• The Premier League is close to agreeing on a six-year deal with video game giant Electronic Arts worth close to USD $603 million.
• Stack Sports has acquired Meridix, a streaming platform for sports.
• The WNBA and Athletes Unlimited are partnering to bring more women's basketball to fans.
• AI content creation platform, ScorePlay, has received investments from APEX Capital and 35 Ventures. German soccer player Mario Götze is an angel investor.
• PENN has acquired the remaining interest in Barstool Sports for approximately $388 million.