Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (February 6-19)

<h4><strong>(01:05) - Feel good stories</strong></h4> <ul> <li>Figure skating star <strong>Yuna Kim</strong> has donated $100,000 to aid earthquake recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria.</li> <li><strong>Michael Jordan</strong> has donated $10M to Make-a-Wish.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>(02:50) - Business of Athletes</strong></h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://profluence.com/carmelo-anthony-isos-capital-750m-fund/"><u><strong>Carmelo Anthony</strong></u></a> is co-launching a $750 million sports-focused private equity fund alongside former WWE executives.</li> <li>Super Bowl champ, <strong>Travis Kelce</strong>, has become an investor/partner in<a href="https://profluence.com/travis-kelce-invests-in-casa-azul-tequila-soda/"> <u>Casa Azul Spirits</u></a> alongside legendary beverage founder Lance Collins.</li> <li><strong>Tom Brady</strong> is jumping right into acting post-retirement with a performance in the comedy, 80 For Brady.</li> <li>Penn State Quarterback <strong>Sean Clifford</strong> sold his agency,<a href="https://profluence.com/sean-cliffords-limitless-nil-team/"> <u><strong>Limitless NIL</strong></u></a>, for multiple 7 figures to <strong>TEAM</strong> Group Holdings.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>(06:15) - Name, Image, and Likeness</strong></h4> <ul> <li><strong>BrinxTV</strong> which owns the <strong>NIL House</strong> has<a href="https://profluence.com/brinxtv-investment-icon-source/"> <u>acquired a stake</u></a> in the NIL marketplace, <strong>Icon Source</strong>.</li> <li>Athlete brand-building firm <strong>Firestarter</strong> announced a formal partnership with Pittsburgh-based sponsorship sales and consulting agency <strong>CohnCollab</strong>.</li> <li>Ohio State’s two NIL collectives <strong>THE Foundation</strong> and <strong>The O Foundation</strong> are merging.</li> <li>Former Oklahoma football coach, <strong>Bob Stoops</strong>, compared NIL to the ‘NFL Without Any Salary Cap</li> <li>Florida Governor <strong>Ron DeSantis</strong> signed a measure that will allow colleges and universities to help athletes get endorsement deals.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>(10:30) - Future of Sports</strong></h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://profluence.com/300m-sports-fund-launched-by-bluestone-equity-partners/"><u><strong>Bluestone Capital</strong></u></a> announced an inaugural $300 million growth equity fund focused on the sports, media, and entertainment industries.</li> <li>The <strong>sports tourism market</strong> is expected to<a href="https://profluence.com/sports-tourism-market-560b-rise/"> <u>grow</u></a> USD $559.75 Billion between 2022 and 2027 at a CAGR of 12.88%.</li> <li>Blockchain-based fantasy cricket platform, <strong>Sportiqo</strong>, has launched in India allowing users to invest or trade players, just like stocks.</li> <li>The <strong>Premier League</strong> is close to<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash/video/7200863827922226478?lang=en"> <u>agreeing</u></a> on a six-year deal with video game giant <strong>Electronic Arts</strong> worth close to USD $603 million.</li> <li><strong>Stack Sports</strong> has acquired<a href="https://profluence.com/meridix-acquired-by-stack-sports-to-integrate-video-streaming-platform/"> <u><strong>Meridix</strong></u></a>, a streaming platform for sports.</li> <li>The <strong>WNBA</strong> and <strong>Athletes Unlimited</strong> are<a href="https://profluence.com/athletes-unlimited-and-wnba-partnership/"> <u>partnering</u></a> to bring more women's basketball to fans.</li> <li>AI content creation platform,<a href="https://profluence.com/35-ventures-and-apex-capital-invest-in-scoreplay/"> <u><strong>ScorePlay</strong></u></a>, has received investments from <strong>APEX Capital</strong> and <strong>35 Ventures</strong>. German soccer player <strong>Mario Götze</strong> is an angel investor.</li> <li><strong>PENN</strong> has acquired the remaining interest in <strong>Barstool Sports</strong> for approximately $388 million.</li> </ul>