Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (Nov 27 - Dec 3)

Audio Timeline:

1:55 - Feel good stories

• Alabama and Auburn team up for a good cause and a $100,000 donation for scholarships.

4:08 - Business of Athletes

• Alex Morgan invested in Soccer Post, a large soccer retailer and online site.
• Mario Gotze participated in the $5.5M seed round of Secjur, a German compliance and information security company.
• Rumors are swirling that Cristiano Ronaldo is considering a $207 million per year contract with the Saudi Arabian squad Al Nassr FC.

7:30 - Name, Image, and Likeness

• Pack of Wolves NIL collective announced $25,000/year NIL deals for every scholarship football player at NC State.
• Ohio State fans questioning NIL after CJ Stroud’s comments about the loss to Michigan not “defining” him.
• Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang Entertainment has signed 25 college athletes to NIL deals.
• Deion Sanders is expected to accept the coaching job at Colorado leaving HBCU Jackson State University.
• Penn State NIL collective Success With Honor has launched a $2 million fundraising campaign backed by a $1 million matching donation.

10:30 - Future of Sports

• CROSSNET, the world’s first four-square-volleyball-like net game, has announced an investment from JB Capital.
• Fnatic, an esports team and performance brand, announced a strategic partnership and investment with Hivemind Capital, a crypto asset manager.
• The Rossignol Group, a sustainable mountain sports equipment and apparel company, has announced a $50M plan through 2026.
• NBA is now allowing sovereign and endowment funds to purchase stakes in teams.
• Korean eSports company DRX has received an investment from Wemade.
• NBC Sports Next has acquired Albatros Datenservice, a German company, and Digital Golf Solutions, a French company. Both are leading golf technology companies in Europe.
• BeONE Sports, an athlete training technology company, has raised a pre-seed round of over $500,000.