How Can You Not Be Romantic About AI Coaching Your Favorite Baseball Team?
Last Saturday, the Oakland Ballers - in true Moneyball fashion - made history as the first pro baseball team to hand every in-game decision to an AI agent. Trained on live stats and past player performance, it set the lineup, called pitching changes, made pinch-hit decisions, and positioned the fielders.
The stunt worked: the Ballers edged the Great Falls Voyagers 3-2. But while the experiment paid off on the field, fans weren’t ready for AI in the dugout to become the new norm:
“It was great to have another win, but yeah, [let’s] never do that again. Aaron Miles is doing an awesome job, let’s let him keep doing that.”
“Cool, let’s make sports as unfun as possible.”
“Literally no one asked for this. Never do that again.”
Which raises the real question: is AI baseball coaching really going to be our future?
Baseball Teams Are Already Bullish on AI.
It’s already reshaping team strategy - and even MLB’s rulebook:
Similar to the Moneyball A’s in 2002, teams that don’t have enough financial power to buy all of the star players are finding their competitive advantage through AI. The Miami Marlins are weaving it across their entire organization - roster construction, player development, in-game feedback:
“We use data from every pitch, swing and play to understand who our players are today – and who they could become tomorrow.”
They’re building a true data flywheel: every play at their stadiums and affiliates is captured in high-frame-rate video and broken down for internal ML models. And the edge is so valuable that teams are fighting to lock it down. The Phillies even sued to keep Zelus Analytics’ Titan platform exclusive, underscoring just how crucial AI is to their baseball operation.
What If an OpenAI-Level Product Called the Shots?
The Oakland Ballers’ AI was built in two weeks - and it still pulled off a win. But what happens when it’s not a scrappy prototype, but an OpenAI-caliber platform trained on decades of Statcast, live biometrics, biomechanics of every player, etc.?
At that scale, AI wouldn’t just squeeze out a marginal edge. It could simulate thousands of outcomes per inning, generate strategy on the fly, and become the difference between making the playoffs or watching from home.
That’s the owner’s dilemma: do you hand the keys to a machine and risk alienating fans, or stick with tradition and risk losing?
The Answer Isn’t So Simple
Ballers fans had an uneasy reaction to AI calling the shots despite the win. Sports has long felt insulated from the threat of AI replacing jobs. While back-office roles, software engineers, and entire industries once thought safe are being disrupted, it’s always been a given: athletes won’t be replaced, and coaches will still call the shots.
But team operators may feel differently. Brian Chase puts it simply:
“[AI] will help us make the best possible decisions to bring the best players to the field and also provide a winning culture and an environment to help us bring a third World Series championship to South Florida.”
For front offices, wins will always trump hesitation: it brings in media deals, ticket and merchandise sales, and sponsorship revenue. The race is on to build the sharpest AI models into every game plan.
Still, questions linger. While AI might sharpen strategy, it seems that only humans can rally the clubhouse, make a call on pure grit, and gamble on instinct when everything is on the line. As AI coaching inches closer to inevitability, the key debates become:
If fans and front offices disagree, does the sport start to feel less authentic, as wins are credited to algorithms rather than human instinct?
Will owners value winning and profits more than the fan’s sentiment?
If AI proves too contentious, will teams front a human coach while quietly deferring to algorithms in the background?
If every team relies on AI, will strategy converge - and will baseball become less exciting?
These aren’t easy answers, but they’re the questions worth asking as AI grows more prevalent in the decision-making fabric of sports.
If algorithms make the choices, will we still recognize the game we fell in love with?
Sports-Tech Market Activity: Investors & Deals
New Funds
Momentous Sports, a pro sports team & real estate investment vehicle, seeks $100M in debut fund (Sept. 10th)
Lead investor in Sporting JAX, tied to stadium, housing, and public field development
Targeting secondary markets first; additional deals in US major leagues and Europe, with some attributed to separate SPV deals
Led by Marley Hughes; backers include John Elway, Tim Tebow, Blake Bortles, and Chick-fil-A heir Andrew Cathy, among others [SBJ]
CVC Global Sport Group launches $14B fund (Sept. 11th)
New vehicle consolidates stakes across La Liga, Ligue 1, Premiership Rugby, United Rugby Championship, Six Nations, Volleyball World, and WTA Ventures
Positioned as one of the largest dedicated sports investment platforms to date, targeting Europe, LatAm, and global marquee properties [Sportico]
Venture Capital
Unrivaled, the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league, raises oversubscribed Series B round, league valuation climbs to $340M (Sept. 8th)
Follows last year’s $28M Series A led by Don Berman’s family office
Funds will expand Wayfair Arena in Miami, support development staff and trainer hiring, and consider potential non-WNBA cities tours
Investment led by Bessemer Venture Partners; other investors include Serena Ventures, Trybe Ventures, and WBD [Sportico]
ProRata, a search, advertising, and attribution solutions startup targeting content creators, raises $40M in Series B funding (Sept. 5th)
Funds support launch of ‘Gist Answers’, scale publisher adoption, and growth of AI-driven product suite
Platform leverages 700+ licensed publishers to offer ethical AI search, driving engagement and new ad revenue via Gist Ads
Investment led by Touring Capital; brings total funding to $75M [FinSMEs]
Billy Bets, a 24/7 AI-powered sports-betting agentic tool providing users with advanced analytics and real-time updates, raises $1M in Pre-Seed funding (Sept. 5th)
Funding will support public launch of Billy Terminal, personalized autonomous agents, and expand $BILLY utility token
Investment led Coinbase Ventures; other investors include Virtuals Ventures, Contango Digital, and CMS Holdings, among others [FinSMEs]
Aescape, a robotics startup that develops automated massage tables, adds influencer Logan Paul as investor-partner (Sept. 9th)
Follows $83M strategic investment in February, bringing total funding to $128M
Logan Paul builds on wellness portfolio; move follows Superpower Health backing in $30M Series A back in April [Athletech]
Crush Yard, an indoor pickleball and eatertainment hospitality venue, secures $2M in ‘media-for-equity’ funding (Sept. 9th)
Expansion planned for Nashville and Huntsville venue locations (currently in Charleston and Orlando)
Investment backed by Mercurius Media Capital; other investors include Wyclef Jean and Lyft co-founder John Zimmer [Athletech]
Nutrabolt, a health and wellness company housing human performance-oriented functional beverage brands, tops $200M+ investment in Mari Llewellyn’s Bloom Nutrition (Sept. 9th)
Adds to Nutrabolt’s 20% stake in 2024, signaling potential majority control
Expansion beyond greens, superfood powders, and energy drinks into functional supplements, including zero-sugar creatine gummies, widening reach [Athletech]
LocusX, a gaming tech startup developing an AI-powered issue resolution engine for game devs, raised CAD$3M ($2.2M) in Seed funding to support launch (Sept. 10th)
Clyx, a social platform combating Gen Z loneliness via behavioral science and shared experiences, raised $14M in Series A funding (Sept. 11th)
App hit 250K downloads in past 3 months; targeting 1M over the next 12 months
Investment led by Blitzscaling Ventures; other investors include Simon Sinek, Filter Fund AI, and Nico Rosberg, among others [TechCrunch]
PixVerse, an AI video generation platform that produces content from text and image prompts, raised $60M in Series B funding (Sept. 10th)
Funding to accelerate global adoption of its multipurpose video creation solutions
New PixVerse V5 model benchmarks #1 in image-to-video and #2 in text-to-video globally, per independent AI benchmarking company Artificial Analysis
M&A and Investments
NBA Investments acquires stake in global video technology company MediaKind, extending ‘multiyear’ partnership for DTC League Pass platform (Sept. 8th)
Multiyear extension keeps MediaKind powering NBA League Pass with advanced compression, latency, and ad-insertion tools
Strengthens NBA’s DTC push as every nationally televised game this season is tied to a streaming service [SBJ]
Günther Steiner-led consortium acquires €20M ($23.5M) stake in Tech3 MotoGP, 4x F1 champ Max Verstappen eyes MotoGP team purchase (Sept. 5th, 8th)
MotoGP team valuations range hit €25M–€30M ($29M–$35M)
Steiner takes on CEO role next season; Investment financed by Ikon Capital
Verstappen reportedly approached Honda’s LCR and Aprilia’s Trackhouse Racing, though both deals look unlikely [SportsPro] [BlackBook]
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro hints at possible future equity swaps with leagues (Sept. 5th)
ESPN may pursue equity-for-media rights deals, building on recent 10% stake swap with the NFL; NFL-ESPN deal, expected to close in 2026
Equity tie-ups could give ESPN leverage as leagues eye international expansion and new rights packages [Sportico]
European T20 Premier League appoints gaming, gambling, and sports investment bank Oakvale Capital to lead franchise capital raise (Sept. 9th)
Oakvale will source team buyers and raise funds for the six-city franchise model (across Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands); KPMG continues as strategic advisor
League postponed 2025 debut to 2026 after ownership talks slowed, following three prospect owners redirecting focus to acquiring stakes in ‘The Hundred’ [SportsPro]
Dick’s Sporting Goods concludes $2.4B Foot Locker acquisition following US antitrust waiting period (Sept. 8th)
Foot Locker to operate as standalone brand under Dick’s portfolio
Deal expected to be accretive to EPS in FY2026, excluding one-time costs
Acquisition creates 3.2K+ store network, expanding Dick’s into international markets [PYMNTS]
Minute Media, a sports culture digital media company group backed by BlackRock, acquires automated video solutions startup VideoVerse (Sept. 9th)
VideoVerse valued at $200M–$250M in 2023; reportedly generating $65M revenue with 35–40% EBITDA margins
Clients include IPL, WPL, FIFA+, and Nippon TV– expanding Minute Media’s reach into fast-growing sports streaming markets [TechCrunch]
Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur raises £90M in media rights financing agreement with Australian IB Macquarie Group, amid profitability struggles (Sept. 9th)
Deal monetizes future Premier League broadcast income due to Tottenham from Dec. 2025–May 2026; additional terms include fee and interest, for Macquarie
Financing comes amid ownership scrutiny after executive chairman Daniel Levy’s exit and arising takeover rumors that have been rebuffed [SBJ]
Paramount Skydance, the Ellison-backed studio group, reportedly prepares majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (Sept. 11th)
Majority-cash offer planned for Warner Bros. Discovery (valued at ~$33B market cap); move reported amid WBD’s planned two-company split
Deal would unite HBO Max and Paramount+ with two historic studios, though antitrust scrutiny is likely given scale and assets [SBJ]
Photo Creds: Unrivaled Raises Series B at a $340M Valuation.
Strategic Ventures
Oakland Ballers, a Pioneer League baseball club, partnered with nearshore software firm Distillery to become first AI-managed pro sports team (Sept. 5th)
AI platform was developed within two weeks by LA-based firm Distillery
Manager Aaron Miles handed over lineup, pitching, and fielding decisions to AI in a live game, a pro sports first – this Saturday [TheAthletic]
Prediction market Kalshi partners with PPA Tour to launch US pickleball event futures trading (Sept. 9th)
Fans can now trade ‘YES/NO’ futures on PPA Tour outcomes directly on Kalshi’s US-regulated exchange
Adds sports wagering dimension to pickleball, traditionally limited to sportsbooks and fantasy platforms; signals growing overlap of prediction markets and sports betting [Pickleball.com]
Roblox CEO unveils suite of AI technologies for game creators, boosts creator rev share by 8.5% (Sept. 5th)
Move seeks to position Roblox to capture 10% of all gaming content revenue
Suite of tools includes 4D objects, text-to-speech/speech-to-text APIs, and real-time voice chat translation, among others
Average daily users hit 111.8M (up 41%); DevEx payout rates increased by 8.5%, meaning 100K Robux now equals $380 vs. $350, directly raising creator income [GamesBeat]
Italy’s Serie A partners with JP Morgan for international media rights strategy amid broadcast revenues troubles (Sept. 9th)
Partnership targets closing the global broadcast revenues gap with fellow European leagues, Premier League and LaLiga
Overseas rights currently generate €240M–€250M annually; reported aim is to stabilize and grow beyond that baseline [Sportcal]
NFL sidelines ‘chain gang’ as it debuts Hawk-Eye’s virtual first down measurement tech (Sept. 8th)
First in-game use featured during Broncos–Titans Week 1 matchup, replacing traditional chain crew
Hawk-Eye’s six 8K camera system cuts measurement time by ~45 seconds (Hawk-Eye’s 30s vs. Chain Gang’s 75s) [SBJ]
Unanimous Media, a Steph Curry-founded multimedia production company, signs with CAA for representation (Sept. 8th)
Founded 2018, Unanimous has deals with Comcast NBCUniversal for scripted/unscripted TV and with DreamWorks for kids/family content
Recent projects include ‘Mr. Throwback’ (Peacock), upcoming animated film ‘Goat’ (Sony), and Apple TV+ doc ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ [SBJ]
Places Athlos on ION TV, expanding women’s sports portfolio alongside WNBA, NWSL, the inaugural Sports Illustrated Women’s Games, and Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off [Sportico]
Athlos, an Alex Ohanian-backed women’s track series, enters multi-year partnership with Scripps Sports for ION broadcast rights deal (Sept. 9th)
Places Athlos on ION TV, expanding women’s sports portfolio alongside WNBA, NWSL, the inaugural Sports Illustrated Women’s Games, and Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off [Sportico]
NFL-and RedBird-backed distributor EverPass partners with ESPN to deliver ESPN+ to bars and restaurants (Sept. 10th)
Multiyear deal adds NBA, NHL, LaLiga, and college sports to EverPass’ commercial portfolio starting in October
EverPass already distributes NFL Sunday Ticket, plus streaming rights from Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, and YouTube [Sportico]
Dick’s Sporting Goods launches VR House of Sport tour featuring NFL star J.J. Watt as guide (Sept. 10th)
Users can roam the 100K sq ft HOS store online, guided by a J.J. Watt avatar
Built with Napster, the project extends Dick’s flagship concept stores into e-commerce
The Athletic, the NYTimes’ sports media outlet, partnered with NFL to integrate official game footage (Sept. 11th)
Deal brings official NFL recaps and highlights from every regular season and postseason game to The Athletic and NYT platforms
Game footage to feature in The Athletic Football Show, Scoop City, and original video essays blending journalism with NFL content; offering fans direct access to official league media alongside in-depth analysis [SBJ]
Job Board & Opportunities: Week of Sept. 12th
Here are some cool roles we found and personally curated this week - enjoy!