Sportico this week launched Sportico Studio, a dedicated content and creative solutions offering for brands looking to engage the sports business community. The studio, featured on a new video page on Sportico’s homepage, will leverage Sportico‘s unique position at the center of the sports business ecosystem, connecting brands with influential decision-makers across leagues, teams, media, […]
The Milwaukee Bucks traded star Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat early Tuesday morning in a move that shakes up the Eastern Conference, especially since Heat rival Boston Celtics also sought the “Greek Freak.” The trade effectively gives Antetokounmpo a multimillion-dollar raise, since the Heat play in Florida, a state without an income tax. As reported by […]
Novig is the latest prediction market company to hire someone with experience in President Donald Trump’s administration. The company on Tuesday announced Elie Mishory as its new chief regulatory and legal affairs officer. Last year, Mishory worked as a point person in Trump’s temporary, Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, focusing on the U.S. Securities […]
The Washington Wizards made AJ Dybantsa the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, choosing him over Darryn Peterson. Draft day uncertainty over who Washington would pick marked a stark contrast to 2025, when everyone knew the Dallas Mavericks would choose Cooper Flagg. What is not in question this year (or in […]
On the 563rd Sporticast episode, hosts Jacob Feldman and Justin Birnbaum discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including a detailed breakdown of Netflix’s FIFA World Cup video game. Following Electronic Arts and FIFA’s split in 2022, both parties now have World Cup-related offerings on the market. Electronic Arts recently launched […]
A federal judge in Chicago has dismissed a $250 million lawsuit filed by Rick Butler, one of the nation’s most prominent junior volleyball coaches, against women’s sports advocate and civil rights attorney Nancy Hogshead. The four-and-a-half-year-old case centered on statements that Hogshead had made in 2017 and 2018 about Butler, who was accused of abusing […]
Sportico took to the iconic Croisette on the first day of Cannes Lions, speaking exclusively with some of the biggest names in sport as an official media partner of SPORT BEACH. Sportico spoke with Celtics’ Jaylen Brown about the launch of Plyrs Untd, the NBA’s new commercial arm that will look to build equity and […]
Throughout the historic championship run of the 2026 New York Knicks, fans searching for orange-and-blue merchandise have lamented the disappearance of Modell’s Sporting Goods, the long-bankrupt retailer whose catchy jingle (“Gotta Go to Mo’s”) and convenient stores throughout the five boroughs made it a New York icon. On Monday, aiming to capitalize on public demand […]
Kilmer Sports Ventures, the private investment firm led by Larry Tanenbaum, is joining the Professional Women’s Hockey League as a strategic partner and injecting $100 million into the burgeoning property, according to a person familiar with the matter. Ilitch Companies, the parent organization of the Detroit Red Wings and Tigers, also came aboard in the […]
The NBA Players Association is launching a new consumer-facing unit and brand, Plyrs Untd, that will initially focus on events and content. It effectively replaces the NBPA’s current B2B brand, Think450. “Consumers do not know our brand, but consumers obviously know our guys, and our guys, probably more so than any other sport, represent culture […]
ROME—I had a chat with the pope the other day. I left The Vatican believing that sports has never been more important. My exchange with Pope Leo was the culmination of two-plus days of discussions, organized by the Vatican, on topics deemed critically important to the leader of the Catholic Church—things such as artificial intelligence […]
As Iran’s World Cup match with Belgium kicked off on Sunday afternoon, digital ads around the SoFi Stadium field in Los Angeles flashed the logo of Aramco, the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant. Similar advertising appeared on sideline boards during Iran’s World Cup opener against New Zealand in Santa Clara, Calif., when a Visa ad […]
Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open Sunday with a final round 73 to beat Sam Burns by one stroke at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. It was the second major title for Clark—he also won the 2023 U.S. Open—and worth $4.5 million in prize money. The 32-year-old American entered the final round up […]
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry. PERSONNEL MLB Names Shimon Hoizumi Managing Director of Japan Major League Baseball announced that Shimon Hoizumi has been named managing director, Japan, effective immediately. Based in MLB’s Tokyo office, Hoizumi will oversee business operations in Japan and […]
The 2026 World Cup has only just begun, but plenty of legacy building is already in the works. Many stakeholders, including sponsors such as Adidas and Coca-Cola, want to use the event to capture the next generation of consumers and soccer fans. For the Philadelphia Union, the plan is to finance the education of soccer […]
Indiana University is paying a sculptor $195,000 to memorialize legendary Hoosiers basketball coach Bob Knight, according to public records seen by Sportico. The university announced in February that it had commissioned sculptor Brian Hanlon to create a permanent bronze statue of Knight that will be installed in the south lobby of Assembly Hall alongside other […]
Penske Media Corp., the owner of Sportico, said Thursday it is acquiring certain Vox Media brands in a deal that executives said bolsters Penske’s position as the world’s largest digital publisher. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Along with Sportico, Penske’s brands include Billboard, Variety, Rolling Stone, WWD, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Robb Report, Artforum, SHE Media, StyleCaster and […]
Local news outlet The New Jersey Girl published an April story headlined “WTF is Happening with NJ Transit for World Cup?” That question has been on the minds of many soccer fans descending on the Garden State this summer, and the answer has been difficult to surmise. NJ Transit—the elderly train line that serves New Jersey, along with areas of New York and Pennsylvania—has a notorious history with […]
LSU’s term sheet with Lane Kiffin does not appear to have misstated the purchase price of a Mississippi home the Tigers’ head football coach owned, contrary to previous reporting by Sportico. Per the term sheet, which was signed last November, LSU agreed to reimburse Kiffin up to $500,000 if he sold his “primary residence” in […]
NEW YORK—All was quiet along the Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday morning—or, at least, as quiet as a stretch of downtown Manhattan can be on a summer workday. Flocks of tourists maneuvered around lumbering delivery trucks, hawked to by distributors of seemingly unlicensed 2026 Knicks championship gear. On Broadway, someone watered the flower pots wrapped […]
On the 562nd Sporticast episode, hosts Eben Novy-Williams and Justin Birnbaum discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including takeaways from the opening days of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. The hosts talk through a number of pre-tournament storylines, providing updates now that most teams have played one group stage […]
For all the pre-launch Chicken Little-ing about America’s seeming disinterest in the World Cup, the TV and streaming audiences thus far have surpassed even the expectations of FIFA’s network partners. With less than a week’s worth of ratings data to pick through, five matches already seem poised to secure spots on this year’s list of […]
Brendan Sorsby’s NCAA eligibility has spanned state and federal courts, and though the former Texas Tech quarterback hopes to join the NFL, comments made by his agent, Ron Slavin, show how his college career will remain a source of litigation. Slavin told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Wednesday that officials from the University of […]
The New England Patriots on Monday sued Foxborough, Mass.—the town where their team facilities and Gilette Stadium are located—accusing town leaders of illegally scheming to raise what should be a $100 entertainment license renewal fee for Gillette Stadium into a bill of nearly $1 million. The Patriots—joined by Kraft Sports and Entertainment and the New […]
On Monday, Sixth Street announced it would pay $600 million for a 27% stake in Pinnacle Gas Services, a deal that values the energy company at $2.2 billion. While the transaction does not involve sports directly, there is a sports connection: Pinnacle Gas Services is a subsidiary of Comstock Resources, the publicly traded natural gas […]