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Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, purchases and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
160/90 Elevates Justin Zambuto to Executive Vice President
Cultural marketing agency 160/90 has elevated senior marketer Justin Zambuto to executive vice president, leading global sports and entertainment partnerships. In his newly expanded role, Zambuto will be responsible for the continued growth and success of the agency’s entertainment marketing division in addition to retaining his leadership across 160/90’s sports partnerships team. 160/90’s entertainment marketing team connects brands to entertainment through talent partnerships, co-promotional partnership, branded content and 360-degree-campaign support.
NWSL Adds Two Leaders to Expanding Executive Bench
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has made a pair of key executive hires, appointing Pauline Philippi as chief financial officer and Mma Afoaku as chief of staff, as the league continues to expand its leadership team. As CFO, Philippi will oversee all financial aspects of the NWSL, including financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting. She joins the NWSL after spending 16 years at Nike, most recently as vice president of global business planning, As chief of staff, Afoaku will serve as a key liaison between commissioner Jessica Berman and the NWSL’s executive leadership team. Afoaku joins the NWSL after serving as a consultant at McKinsey & Company.
Sphere Entertainment Expands Jennifer Koester’s Role to President, COO
Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) has expanded Jennifer Koester’s role to president and chief operating officer. Koester most recently served as the president, Sphere business operations, where she led the strategy and execution of all business aspects of Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium in Las Vegas. In this expanded role, Koester will continue working together with executive leadership, and across the broader Sphere team, to grow the business and optimize its operations. Koester will now also provide strategic oversight for Sphere Studios—the immersive content studio in Burbank dedicated to developing multi-sensory experiences exclusively for Sphere—including further developing the studios’ full-service production capabilities.
SFIA President & CEO Tom Cove to Retire in October
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association announced that president & CEO Tom Cove will retire effective Oct. 4. Cove has led the organization since 2005 and previously served as SFIA’s vice president of government relations for more than 13 years. During his tenure, Cove oversaw the transformation of the association from a traditional tradeshow-focused manufacturers group into a full-service industry organization. In 2014, Cove led the Board of Directors through a foundational strategic review and rebranding process for the 108-year-old organization that re-established its mission and strengthened its foundation.
PARTNERSHIPS
USL Super League and Peacock Ink Multiyear Media Rights Agreement
The USL Super League, a Division One professional women’s soccer league beginning play this summer, has chosen streaming service Peacock to be the “Official Home of the USL Super League.” The multiyear agreement is part of an expanded partnership with NBCUUniversal that will see additional USL leagues and properties leverage NBC Sports Next’s SportsEngine Play streaming service and digital products. Starting with the USL Super League’s weekend Aug. 17-18, every regular season and playoff match—115 matches combined—will be available to stream on Peacock to fans in the United States.
United Talent Agency Adds ROOF to its Sports Portfolio
United Talent Agency (UTA), a talent, sports, entertainment and advisory company, has added Representatives of Outstanding Footballers (ROOF) to its growing sports portfolio. Through this partnership, ROOF is set to expand its market position in the global football (soccer) market and integrate with Klutch Sports Group to reimagine the landscape of representation for a new generation of top football stars. ROOF represents approximately 150 clients across Europe’s “Big Five” leagues—English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and German Bundesliga—the latter of which counts the agency as the market leader. The addition of ROOF to UTA’s growing sports portfolio, which has been led by Klutch since 2019, further elevates UTA’s international footprint.
Don’t Quit Nutrition Brand to Partner With iHeartMedia’s Marketing Assets
Don’t Quit, a sports nutrition brand, has entered into a multiyear partnership with iHeartMedia’s marketing assets to drive brand awareness and sell-through of their products. Don’t Quit was launched by fitness instructor Jake Steinfeld and LA Libations founder Danny Stepper. Don’t Quit recently completed a Series B Capital Raise of $10 million. The round was led by Madison Square Garden, and includes L Catterton, Sweetwater Private Equity, Grey Matter Capital, etc., who join Keurig Dr. Pepper and LA Libations on the cap table. Don’t Quit features sports energy and hydration drinks and protein drinks.
New Era Cap Joins Team USA and LA28 With Multiyear Product Agreement
New Era Cap, a sports and lifestyle brand, has entered into a multiyear official product agreement to create exclusive sportswear for Team USA for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milan in 2026 and the LA 28 Summer Games. New Era will provide exclusive headwear to U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, beginning with the moment they make the U.S Olympic and Paralympic teams through their experiences in Paris. This agreement with New Era Cap represents Team USA’s first official product deal with a headwear-focused brand.
Italian Sports Brand Lotto Invests in Brooklyn Aces
Lotto, an Italian sports brand, has partnered with the Brooklyn Aces, a Major League Pickleball franchise, joining owners Kevin Durant, Rich Kleiman, Drake and Michael B. Jordan. Lotto will become the first athletic brand in the ownership group of a professional pickleball team. Additionally, Lotto branding will be integrated into the Brooklyn Aces logo and on player apparel. The Brooklyn Aces recently entered their second year in Major League Pickleball.
Baltimore Orioles and T. Rowe Price Enter Jersey Patch Sponsorship
T. Rowe Price has been named the exclusive investment and wealth management sponsor of the Baltimore Orioles. The centerpiece of the deal is a T. Rowe Price-branded uniform patch that will adorn the sleeve of Orioles players’ jerseys for all regular season and postseason games. The exclusive sponsorship coincides with new ownership of the Orioles, led by Baltimore native David M. Rubenstein and his partners at Charm City Sports Partners LLC, and a new global initiative by T. Rowe Price to raise brand awareness. In addition to the jersey patch, the sponsorship agreement includes ballpark signage, media and hospitality assets, as well as in-game activations, community program and a brand presence at the Orioles’ spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla. The multiyear partnership was supported by Elevate and Allied Sports.
New York Road Runners Partners With Runna
New York Road Runners (NYRR) has announced a new partnership with Runna, the running coaching app, as an Official Training Platform for the TCS New York City Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half and RBC Brooklyn Half. Through the three-year partnership, NYRR, a nonprofit that produces 60 adult and youth races annually in New York City, including the TCS New York City Marathon, will provide runners with training experience for its marquee events.
Yahoo Sports, The Hockey News Team Up for Comprehensive Hockey Coverage
The Hockey News and Yahoo Sports have announced a strategic partnership involving editorial integration, syndication and exclusive video content. The partnership also calls for Yahoo Sports technology to power TheHockeyNews.com advertising and sales integrations, including on its new NHL team community platform built with Roundtable technology. The Hockey News will become the primary hockey content provider for Yahoo Sports, which will distribute The Hockey News content across its platforms, guiding fans to a wide range of coverage produced by journalists reporting on every NHL team.
PURCHASES
Learn to Win Closes $30M Series A Funding Round
Learn to Win, a provider of enterprise training software, has raised an oversubscribed $30 million Series A funding by the Westly Group, with follow-on participation from Northwest Venture Partners and Pear VC. Founded in 2019, Learn to Win’s software platform utilizes data analytics and AI to personalize and optimize learning effectiveness. Its clients include the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, Novartis, AbbVie and sports teams such as the Los Angeles Rams and the University of Michigan football team.
PRODUCTS
Flo Sports Launches FloCollege, an NCAA Sports Platform
FloSports is launching FloCollege, an NCAA sports platform that will showcase its conference partners across the D-I, D-II and D-III levels, providing one destination for live events and editorial coverage. The new platform will package live stream events, sports data, editorial content and social programming across all divisions, with a focus on D-II and D-III programs. It will also offer the largest portfolio of women’s sports at the D-II and D-III level available on any streaming platform. FloCollege is scheduled to launch in October. FloSports plans to invest more than $50 million into FloCollege to support rights fees, production, content, product technology and marketing.
Z Athlete Factory Relocates to Las Vegas to Build New Headquarters
Z Athlete Factory, a provider in A.I.-driven athletic solutions, has relocated its headquarters from Scottsdale, Ariz., to Las Vegas and announced the pending construction of its new headquarters, Z Athlete Village. Under the leadership of founder and chief executive officer Zig Ziegler, Z Athlete Factory is designed to be a hub for athletic training, sports performance and events for competition. The development will include a sports performance and technology center, an indoor track and field arena, a 2,600-seat aquatics center, an Olympics caliber gymnastics center and indoor tennis courts. The destination will also feature over 1,000 condotel units available for investment or acquisition by real estate investors. The $1.2 billion project will be built in phases over the next four years with a projected completion date for all phases of mid-2028, just before the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.