LEAGUES & TEAMS
Photo: MSG Sports files SEC registration to spin the Knicks and Rangers into two publicly-traded standalone companies.
MSG Sports files SEC registration statement to advance proposed split of the New York Knicks & Rangers (May 18th)
Move would separate the Knicks and Rangers into standalone entities, simplifying future capital raises or minority stake sales
Investors speculate on potential future asset sales, with the Knicks and Rangers currently carrying a combined estimated valuation of ~$13.5B [Sportico]
Arctos Partners adds its third NFL stake, acquiring 3.2% of the Cleveland Browns at a ~$9B valuation (May. 19th)
Infusion supports the Haslams' $1.755B commitment to a $2.6B Brook Park stadium development
Adds to Arctos’ 10% of Bills and 8% of Chargers; deal described as "first tranche" with more to follow [SBJ]
Las Vegas Raiders to sell 25.3% stake to new group of high-profile LPs at a $9.9B valuation (May. 19th)
LPs include: Ari Emanuel, Michael Dell, Joseph Baratta & Mark Shapiro
Deal approved by NFL owners Tuesday; BDT & MSD advised the selling consortium [SBJ]
Big Ten pushes for 24-team College Football Playoff format, threatens to reject proposed 16-team model (May 19th)
Commissioner Tony Petitti argues 24-team format would maximize late-season relevance, increase playoff inventory, and create stronger financial incentives
Leadership warned it would oppose a 16-team CFP expansion beyond 2026 unless the SEC eventually supports a move toward a 24-team structure [ESPN]
World Team Tennis, a mixed-gender team tennis league, relaunches with player equity model, city-based teams, and entertainment-first format (May 19th)
Revamped league will feature city franchises, shorter made-for-TV matches, and athlete ownership stakes [WorldTeamTennis]
PWHL expands to San Jose for the 2026-27 season, bringing women’s pro hockey to SAP Center (May 19th)
Led by Sharks Sports & Entertainment and the City of San Jose, with the new club set to train at Sharks Ice and play home games at SAP Center
Becomes the PWHL’s fourth announced expansion market alongside Detroit, Hamilton, and Las Vegas [PWHL]
NFL targets 2027 launch for professional men’s and women’s flag football leagues ahead of LA28 Olympics (May 19th)
NFL is developing standalone pro flag football leagues with plans for a late spring or summer 2027 debut alongside operational partner TMRW Sports [SBJ]
NFL approves up to 10 international games for 2027 and removes team protections blocking marquee matchups from going overseas (May 19th)
NFL owners voted to eliminate a key scheduling policy that previously allowed teams to protect certain home games from being moved abroad, opening the door for bigger international matchups
Leadership pushing towards an eventual 16-game international slate [CBS Sports]
United States Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer defeat NASL antitrust appeal in legal battle tied to $500M+ in damages (May 19th)
Federal appeals court upheld a prior jury verdict rejecting claims that U.S. Soccer and MLS illegally blocked the North American Soccer League from Division II sanctioning status [Sportico]
Pac-12 Conference and Mountain West Conference reach settlement framework in lawsuits over poaching penalties and exit fees (May 19th)
Legal battle centered around disputed “poaching” penalties and exit fees that could have totaled tens of millions as the Pac-12 worked to restore conference stability [OPB]
Mercedes faces growing opposition to proposed Alpine stake purchase as FIA and rival teams push back on multi-team ownership concerns (May 20th)
Explored acquiring Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine F1 Team, though the FIA is now viewed as likely to oppose the deal over multi-team ownership concerns
Growing resistance could strengthen former Oracle Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner as an alternative bidder for the Alpine stake [F1 Oversteer]
Newcastle United FC acquires historic Leazes Terrace next to St. James’ Park as part of long-term stadium planning strategy (May 19th)
Acquisition gives Newcastle control over most of the Grade I-listed property directly adjacent to St James' Park, increasing flexibility around future stadium development options [Newcastle]
FIFA secures last-minute China World Cup media rights deal with China Media Group after fears of nationwide blackout (May 18th)
FIFA reportedly accepted a ~$60M deal with CCTV parent CMG – roughly one-fifth of its original asking price – to avoid losing distribution in one of the World Cup’s largest global viewership markets [SportsPro]
Tampa Bay Rays reach preliminary agreement with Tampa and Hillsborough County on proposed $2.3B stadium and mixed-use development project (May 14th)
Proposed deal would see the Rays contribute roughly $1.27B toward a new 31,000-seat stadium and surrounding redevelopment project in West Tampa, with the club also responsible for any construction overruns [Fox]
CCTV secures multi-year exclusive deal with FIFA to broadcast the 2026 & 2030 men's World Cups and 2027 & 2031 Women's World Cups in mainland China (May 15th)
CMG to pay ~$60M for the 2026 tournament, below FIFA's nine-figure asking price; Migu expected to sub-license streaming rights
Move leaves India as the only major market without a 2026 broadcast deal [Sportcal]
LIV Golf launches fundraising effort targeting up to $250M from new investors after PIF’s pulled funding (May 18th)
$250M projected to reach profitability in ~20 months; reportedly could raise as little as $150M and rely on rising team values and new media deal [Axios]
Saudi Arabia's Cricket Federation is launching the Dunes T20, a six-team pro T20 league, in October 2026 (May 18th)
Created via tie-up with agencies Prolithic and Unique Sports; PIF not involved
Franchise ownership interest expected from India, US & UAE [Sportcal]
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STARTUPS & VENTURE CAPITAL
Photo: Two Dice raises Series A funding from Oak View Group.
Two Dice, an immersive ent. & media company, receives Series A funding from pro sports real estate and venue company Oak View Group (May 19th)
OVG CEO Chris Granger joins Two Dice's board; Two Dice's model targets scalable formats across sports, music & culture, designed to operate within and adjacent to major venues [Two Dice]
SponsorCX, a sponsorship management platform, raises an additional Series A tranche (May 18th)
Platform connects leagues, brands, and teams for sponsorship inventory management, fulfillment tracking, and partner value reporting
Round led by Kickstart; backers include Blueprint Equity, Capital Eleven, Frazier Group & Helm Ventures; funds earmarked for AI capabilities and global expansion [FinSMEs]
Status AI, an immersive social media simulation app, raises $17M in combined Seed and Series A funding (May 19th)
Funds will accelerate the platform housing 13M+ created worlds, 5M+ character profiles
Investment backed by Abstract, General Catalyst, Union Square Ventures, Y Combinator, and LightShed Partners [TechCrunch]
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M&A AND INVESTMENTS
Photo: Lawmakers propose a bill to effectively ban private equity’s involvement in youth sports.
Lawmakers introduce “Let Kids Play Act” targeting private equity ownership in youth sports ecosystem (May 14)
Proposed legislation would force private equity firms to divest youth sports assets within two years while banning practices like mandatory hotel bookings, junk fees, and youth data collection
Bill comes as institutional investors increasingly target the $30B-$40B youth sports market; concerns around “vulture investors” commercializing and consolidating community-based sports infrastructure [FOS]
THE·TEAM acquires significant stake in Italian football agency GG11 as part of global expansion strategy (May 20)
GG11 represents football talent including Guglielmo Vicario, Radu Drăgușin, and Stefano Pioli, with the firm known for brokering high-profile player and manager deals across Italy and international football [THE·TEAM]
Cristiano Ronaldo acquires a ‘significant stake’ in LiveModeTV, the international broadcast arm of Brazil's CazeTV streaming enterprise (May. 15th)
LiveMode secured free YouTube rights to 34 World Cup 2026 matches in Portugal; CazeTV's portfolio spans Copa Libertadores, Serie A, Bundesliga, NFL & international games [Sportcal]
Ariel Investments trims its Sphere Ent. stake by 22%, sells 700K+ shares (May. 15th)
Ariel retains 8.6% of Class A shares, down from 11.1%; Ariel’s portfolio includes a stake in Manchester Utd, $1B-target ‘Project Level’ fund which holds stakes in NSWL Denver Summit FC & LOVB [Sportico]
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STRATEGIC VENTURES
Photo: CFTC sues Minnesota to prevent a statewide ban on federally-regulated prediction markets.
CFTC sues Minnesota to block first statewide ban targeting prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket (May 19th)
Minnesota’s new law would criminalize event contracts tied to sports, elections, weather, and entertainment, marking the first outright legislative ban on prediction markets at the state level [FOS]
American Express, Fanatics announce a strategic multiyear partnership, including a new co-branded Fanatics American Express® Card (May 20th)
Amex becomes Official Payments Partner across select Fanatics locations and presenting sponsor of Fanatics Fest NYC (July 16–19)
Fanatics ecosystem spans 100M+ fans, 6K+ athletes & 900+ sports properties; 80% of surveyed US Amex Consumer Card Members identify as sports fans [Fanatics]
Three Six Zero, the management company behind Calvin Harris and Kid Cudi, launches Three Six Zero Sports in partnership with PRJCT:A founder Florian Schroeder (May 19th)
Schroeder's existing roster includes Reece James, Sam Kerr & Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Positions Three Six Zero as a full-service athlete brand-building shop; investments, media, merch, and entertainment beyond traditional representation [Boardroom]
Apple expands Apple Sports app to 170+ countries ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 rollout (May 19th)
Added support for 90+ new markets and introduced new World Cup features including tournament brackets, live activities, lineup visualizations, and real-time match tracking [Apple]
EA Sports launches global competitive circuit FC Pro Mobile, for EA Sports FC Mobile, with a $350K total prize pool (May 15th)
Circuit launches June with regional online qualifiers; Mid-Season Playoffs ($100K) in July; World Championship ($250K) in October
FC Pro Masters previously peaked at 673K viewers in the most-watched football esports event to date [InsideWorldFootball]
Next League signs tech partnership with AI engineering firm Marvik to expand its AI enablement services for sports properties (May 18th)
Marvik holds preferred partner status with Anthropic and NVIDIA
Next League's existing AI enablement clients include Gotham FC and the Breeders' Cup; firm is actively hiring for VP of Engineering and data science roles [SBJ]
Polymarket named exclusive US prediction market partner of Serie A in multiyear regional deal (May 14th)
Markets powered by official Serie A data via Genius Sports; brand integrations across Serie A's US media and digital channels
Second major soccer partnership in months after LALIGA North America; Polymarket's sports roster also includes MLB, NHL, UFC & MLS [BusinessWire]