May 16, 2023

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Tennis icon Serena Williams’ portfolio [[link removed]] keeps on growing. The 23-time Grand Slam champ is now the third retired star athlete to join the Consello Group as a senior advisor, following Tom Brady and Pau Gasol. In addition to ownership stakes in the NWSL’s Angel City FC and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, Williams has invested in over 60 startups through her own private equity firm, Serena Ventures.

NBA Draft Lottery Will Conclude Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes [[link removed]]

Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday night will mark championship-level celebration for one lucky NBA franchise.

The NBA Draft lottery, airing at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, is expected to change the future of the team that lands the first overall pick — and the right to select French sensation Victor Wembanyama.

The 7-foot-4 teenager is such a highly touted prospect that the NBA made all of his games in France’s LNB Pro A available to stream [[link removed]] for free this season.

Here’s the breakdown on the odds to land the No. 1 overall pick:

The Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs each have a 14% chance at landing the first selection, and all 14 teams in the lottery have at least a chance at winning. The Charlotte Hornets (12.5%) and Portland Trail Blazers (10.5%) have the fourth- and fifth-best odds. Wembanyama’s future is up in the air: There’s a 35% chance he could end up in Orlando, Indiana, Washington, Utah, Dallas, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Toronto, or New Orleans — all of which have no more than a 9% chance of winning the lottery.

Look for tonight’s lucky team to waste no time capitalizing on their good fortune.

The Pelicans, for example, reportedly [[link removed]] sold 3,000 season-ticket packages the day after winning the 2019 lottery and the right to select Zion Williamson. Just last week, the Chicago Blackhawks sold [[link removed]] $5.2 million in season-ticket packages after winning the NHL’s draft lottery and thus the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.

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Can Toronto Seal Deal On WNBA Expansion? [[link removed]]

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

In the aftermath of Toronto’s rousing success as host for a preseason WNBA game this past weekend, talk of the league’s expansion to Canada is quickly gaining steam.

The sellout [[link removed]] crowd for the Minnesota Lynx-Chicago Sky matchup at Scotiabank Arena, home of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, showed that North America’s appetite for women’s sports only continues to grow.

If the WNBA can sell out an exhibition game in Toronto, it seemingly would want to enter the market as soon as possible. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Toronto is indeed on a short list [[link removed]] of cities the league is considering for expansion, but still won’t lay out a timeline for any decisions.

Engelbert previously said [[link removed]] the league is now targeting 2025 for any expansion teams to enter the league, after originally hoping for 2024. The WNBA wants to give any new league franchises 18-24 months to prepare business and basketball operations.

Toronto appears to be battling [[link removed]] with cities like Nashville, Oakland, and San Francisco as the top contenders for potential expansion teams. Location and club amenities will certainly be a factor in choosing the right spot for the WNBA, which has worked hard to give its players better working conditions, as with the expansion [[link removed]] of its charter-flight program.

As for price, the WNBA will want to charge as much as possible for an expansion fee.

Earlier this year, the Seattle Storm received a valuation [[link removed]] of $151 million after new investment — far and away the highest figure in the league.

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Join the Best in Sports Marketing

Join Clio Sports [[link removed]] on May 24 at the Whitby Hotel in New York City for conversations, cocktails, and a closer look at top creative ideas in sports marketing and fan engagement. You’ll hear from advertisers, agencies, and others about how they’re using innovation, advocacy, and engagement to build brand affinity with sports fans.

The Summit will feature speakers from brands including Michelob ULTRA, Frito-Lay, and Bleacher Report with the Broadcast Boys, and teams like the New York Mets, New York Liberty, New Jersey Devils, and Angel City FC.

Learn more [[link removed]] about the State of Play: Clio Sports Marketing Summit.

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Women’s FA Cup Final Is Latest To Smash Attendance Records [[link removed]]

Chelsea FC Women

Behind another clutch performance from Sam Kerr, Chelsea FC defeated Manchester United for its third consecutive Women’s FA Cup title — and it’s part of a much bigger victory for women’s soccer.

The Blues accomplished the feat in front of a record [[link removed]] 77,390 spectators at Wembley Stadium — smashing the previous record [[link removed]] for the competition (as expected [[link removed]]) and setting a world record for a women’s domestic club match.

It continues a promising trend of increasing attendance for the women’s game.

In April 2022, 91,648 fans packed [[link removed]] into Camp Nou to watch Barcelona beat Wolfsburg in the Women’s UEFA Champions League semi-final, eclipsing the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final in the U.S. (90,185) to set the world record for a women’s soccer match. In September, Arsenal set [[link removed]] the Women’s Super League attendance record when 47,367 fans watched a match vs. Tottenham at Emirates Stadium. That same month, a match between San Diego Wave and Angel City FC set [[link removed]] the NWSL attendance record when a sold-out crowd of 32,000 turned out at Snapdragon Stadium.

That momentum could continue into this summer when the 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off from Australia and New Zealand.

While the attendance at the international tournament should be encouraging, some of the media rights to showcase the tournament are still being worked out: FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently threatened [[link removed]] to black out the tournament in many of Europe’s biggest countries due to extremely low media rights offers.

Peacock Plans To Stream All Paris 2024 Events Live [[link removed]]

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock will offer live coverage of every sport and event at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

All 329 medal events — as well as full-event replays, video clips, and exclusive original programming — will be included in Peacock’s livestreams. Fans will be able to stream all events for free with the exception of men’s basketball, which consumers can access with Peacock’s $4.99 premium tier.

NBC’s broadcast TV network will continue to be the primary home of Olympic coverage.

With Paris six hours ahead, U.S. viewers will get nine hours of daily coverage, plus live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, and track and field.

“The Paris Olympics are going to be the most binge-worthy event of 2024,” said Pete Bevacqua, chairman of NBC Sports.

“For those wanting to watch the competition as it happens, Peacock will have everything live, creating the greatest single destination in sports media history.”

Summer Setback

The 2021 Tokyo Games drew the smallest audience for the Summer Games since NBC took over the packages in 1988, according to Reuters [[link removed]]. NBCUniversal aired those games across a confusing mix of digital sites and traditional broadcast and cable networks.

Conversation Starters If approved, Josh Harris’ $6.05 billion purchase of the Commanders will be the largest team sale in sports history. See how it will stack up [[link removed]]. The Boston Red Sox held their first-ever postgame drone show [[link removed]] this weekend — deploying 200 of them over Fenway Park. Formula 1’s reigning champion Max Verstappen used to fly business class — now he owns a Dassault Falcon 900EX that bears his own logo. Take a tour [[link removed]].

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AR adoption is booming with 700 million people using AR effects across Meta platforms each month. Sports partners are leading the charge, with fun, interactive effects that engage fans and build community.

That’s why Front Office Sports has partnered with Meta to launch Metaverse Essentials: Building the Future, our latest free course [[link removed]] covering the ins and outs of metaverse-related technologies.

The four-lesson course includes a lesson on Building Expressions and Connections, where Meta’s Angel Gonzalez sits down with Sportsmanias CEO Vicente Fernandez and House of V CCO Justin Allen to discuss how augmented reality can unlock new immersive experiences [[link removed]] for athletes and fans alike.

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Editor's Picks Led By Female Athletes, LSU Is Dominating NIL [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Led by female athletes, the Tigers have risen to the top of the NIL game. Magic Meets Maryland Governor as Commanders Seek New Home [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Competition is brewing in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia for Commanders stadium. Sports Betting Has Reached a Tipping Point [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]PASPA was invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 14, 2018. Question Of The Day

Do you like to watch College Football rivalry games?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Monday’s Answer

91% of respondents use online/mobile banking.

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