I wrote today about growing pains at the NWSL and WNBA. The two women's league, both undergoing rapid commercial growth, are also facing labor issues, expansion challenges, and in the soccer league's case, a real threat overseas. www.sportico.com/leagues/socc...

🚨 Lee Corso Data Viz 🚨 As the College GameDay host approaches his final mascot pick, @sportico.bsky.social went back through all 430, dating back to Oct. 1996. He's 286-144 (66.5%) through the years. A quick thread 🧵

This is a great series of visual breakdowns, check it out!

Lee Corso's headgear picks would be a really cool addition to his @sports-reference.com page cc: @sportinfo247.bsky.social @sean-forman.com

🚨 Lee Corso Data Viz 🚨 As the College GameDay host approaches his final mascot pick, @sportico.bsky.social went back through all 430, dating back to Oct. 1996. He's 286-144 (66.5%) through the years. A quick thread 🧵

Today's Club Sportico round-up hits on an absurd trading card, the collapse of an athlete's Hollywood story, Aaron Rodgers' helmet fiasco, and more... club.sportico.com/p/trading-ca...

If you want to better understand Michigan's ~$30 million spying fine relative to the Wolverines balance sheet...

🤔🤔🤔

SCOOP: Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has an agreement in place to buy the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. His group intends to keep the team in Oregon. More at @sportico.bsky.social 👇 www.sportico.com/business/tea...

BREAKING: The Pohlad family, one of MLB's longest-tenured owners, will keep control of the Twins after exploring a sale. LPs coming in instead. No path to control. More at @sportico.bsky.social w/ @soshnick 👇 www.sportico.com/business/tea...

This week's weirdest sports story isn't about the WNBA, or even sex toys. It's about memecoins, betting, and the economy of virality. Today's Club Sportico installment 👇 club.sportico.com/p/the-sex-to...

SCOOP: The Chicago Bears' current owners--the McCaskey and Ryan families--have reached an agreement to split the ~2% stake previously owned by Andrew McKenna. The deal values the Bears at an NFL record $8.8 billion. More at @sportico.bsky.social 👇 www.sportico.com/business/tea...

Wrote today about the commercial undertones to Deion Sanders' cancer presser: - He included two brands he co-owns - He featured two other companies that pay him - He's both a patient and a former paid spokesman of UCHealth - UCHealth pays Buffs millions More 👇 www.sportico.com/business/com...

As college sports change dramatically, some things don't. Today Daniel Libit and I wrote about the web of overlap between Maryland athletics, search firm TurnkeyZRG, and Ohio State 👇 www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

There are nine schools that are primarily DII and DIII that are sharing revenue with their athletes. Here is that list, via @sportico.bsky.social

SCOOP: The NFLPA fires arbitrator who ruled NFLPA then-president J.C. Tretter's comments about running backs faking injuries for contract leverage violated CBA, which requires both PA and league use best efforts to carry out duties. @ebennovywilliams.bsky.social & I have more @sportico.bsky.social:

Maryland's new AD gets a bonus equal to his base salary if the Terps revenue grows by $50 million. But that "revenue" is based off NCAA accounting, which includes student fees and institutional support as "revenue"... @sportico.bsky.social story from Daniel Libit 👇 www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

BREAKING: Austin FC has added five local investors at an enterprise valuation a little north of $900 million, sources tell @sportico.bsky.social. Anthony Precourt remains majority shareholder and governor. None of the other LPs fully exited. More 👇 www.sportico.com/business/tea...

Wrote today at @clubsportico.bsky.social about one of the Tour de France's most prominent sponsorships, and the lengths that some riders may go to avoid it. Teams used to sew other company's logos on their skinsuits to satisfy TdF rules... club.sportico.com/p/the-cautio...

Wrote today at @clubsportico.bsky.social about one of the Tour de France's most prominent sponsorships, and the lengths that some riders may go to avoid it. Teams used to sew other company's logos on their skinsuits to satisfy TdF rules... club.sportico.com/p/the-cautio...

TIL: The Florida Panthers have considered other names, including the Fort Lauderdale Panthers and the South Florida Panthers... 🎙️: via @sportico.bsky.social's Sporticast podcast

The Florida Panthers raised season ticket prices by 36.5% (!) heading into this season. Fans renewed at a 91% clip. Here's how an NHL team with a season ticket waitlist monetizes three straight Stanley Cup appearances. More from @sportico.bsky.social 👇 www.sportico.com/business/fin...

Wild that PSG spent *all that money* chasing a Champions League title--at one point with Neymar, Mbappe and Messi together--and then won in one of the first years after slowing the spending...

There were 21 new NFL owners announced in the last few months, and 18 of them were individuals, not institutional funds.

On today's Club Sportico, I wrote about the curious first year of the NFL's private equity era, which has been dominated by... wealth individual buyers?? Maybe the league's demand problem was really just a shortfall in supply? club.sportico.com/p/the-nfl-mi...

NEWS: BELP, MLB's $1.2 billion venture arm, is investing "eight figures" into Athletes Unlimited's new softball venture. It is MLB's biggest investment yet into pro softball. More with Kurt Badenhausen 👇 www.sportico.com/leagues/base...

Sportico’s deputy editor and co-host of the Sporticast podcast @ebennovywilliams.bsky.social shares the latest on the potential sale and relocation of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Listen to the full episode: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

Fanatics is doing its first sporting event. Kind of. Fanatics Games is the latest example of Michael Rubin's company folding over onto itself, utilizing its celebrity connections to do something else fans might pay for, or watch. www.sportico.com/business/com...

Shot Chaser

In today's Club Sportico, we ranked (and linked!) all 32 NFL schedule release videos #32 -- Lions #31 -- Steelers ... #3 -- Cardinals #2 -- Titans #1 -- ????? club.sportico.com/p/nfl-team-s...

In today's Club Sportico, we ranked (and linked!) all 32 NFL schedule release videos #32 -- Lions #31 -- Steelers ... #3 -- Cardinals #2 -- Titans #1 -- ????? club.sportico.com/p/nfl-team-s...

BREAKING: The @49ers are selling about 6% of the @NFL team to a trio of local families - the Khoslas, Deeters and Griffiths - at a valuation north of $8.5 billion. It's the highest valuation ever for a sports team in a transaction. More at @sportico.bsky.social www.sportico.com/business/tea...

NEWS: Yesterday, a new FTC rule took effect requiring ticket platforms to display all-in pricing. On the week the NFL releases its schedule--and fans flock to buy tickets--some of StubHub's mobile NFL listings don't appear to be showing all-in pricing.

NEWS: The Connecticut Sun are for sale. The team, which we valued at $80M last year, plays in the WNBA's smallest market, have lagged in investment, and could definitely relocate. Allen & Co. handling process. More at @sportico.bsky.social www.sportico.com/business/tea...

The Villanova Effect

Today's Club Sportico is about the world's largest non-sports sporting event: the Conclave! It includes a basketball 🏀 office prank, a 🔥 NFL take, and some beautiful ⛪️ data viz. Here's a preview:

Looks like it's officially official. The Utah Hockey Club will be the Mammoth...

SCOOP: Marc Lasry and Michael Strahan have joined forces to pursue an investment in the Giants. There's ~10% of the NFL team on the market, and the Giants are hoping to sell to individuals. More from me and Soshnick 👇 www.sportico.com/business/tea...

Thinking today about this story my colleague Eric Jackson wrote for @sportico.bsky.social about Shedeur Sanders. We've never seen a quarterback prospect--or maybe any NFL prospect--as online as Sanders. How much does that actually matter in the league today? www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

Two years in, how successful has the NBA been in trying to limit load management and star absences? It's a mixed bag, per @levakabas.bsky.social. His data 👇

BREAKING: The NCAA, which has kept sports betting at arms length, has agreed to sell its data to sportsbooks through Genius Sports. I'm told no extra rights fee, they'll continue existing revenue sharing. More at @sportico.bsky.social 👇 www.sportico.com/business/spo...

Same data. Another view.

In 2010, Sam Bradford signed the largest rookie deal in NFL history. It will probably be another decade until a top pick gets a deal that eclipses it. Given the explosion of salaries over the past 15 years, this chart will never cease to surprise me 👇

In 2017, seven NFL owners donated to Trump's inauguration. This year, it looks like 0 did. Here's a list of the owners and sports companies that contributed. There are some surprises (Oak View Group), and some obvious ones (Adelson) 👇

Six thoughts on today's big $600M soccer deal: - Why are MLS owners selling before the World Cup? 🤔 - Wild Utah Royals appreciation 📈 - Unrivaled's role 👦 - Ryan Smith chooses not to expand Utah sports empire ❌ - Blitzer retains unique sports title 🏆 www.sportico.com/business/tea...

Trump's administration has threatened to rescind Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students. International athletes make up ~21% of rosters in the Crimson athletic department, the largest in D-I. More from me, Lev and Daniel 👇 www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

Trump's administration has threatened to rescind Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students. International athletes make up ~21% of rosters in the Crimson athletic department, the largest in D-I. More from me, Lev and Daniel 👇 www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...