As women’s sports continues its momentum in 2023, international soccer players are seeing significant boosts in prize money and salaries.

In the U.K., this season’s Women’s FA Cup purse total will double to $7.34 million. The club that wins the final match will earn $527,000, in addition to other prize money from throughout the tournament.

It’s yet another major increase in prize money for the competition — last season’s Women’s FA Cup purse jumped from $490,000 to $3.68 million. The FA says its goal is to eventually make prize funds for the Women’s FA Cup equal to the men’s, which will award more than $25 million in total this year.

Boost Down Under

A new collective bargaining agreement between Football Australia and its players will increase individual salaries for women’s national members by as much as around $60,000 each.

Top women’s players made about $70,000 a year under the previous deal but could now be paid up to $128,000 — and that’s on top of any tournament prize money and salaries they receive from their club teams.

The moves follow this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which paid out $110 million in prize money, a record for the women’s tournament.

WWE and UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings is set for a sizable shift in its ownership structure. WWE founder Vince McMahon is selling 8.4 million shares in the company, an interest currently worth more than $713 million.

The Endeavor-controlled TKO filed a prospectus with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission late Thursday detailing the bombshell offering. The shares amount to roughly 10% of the company and comprise nearly a third of McMahon’s interest in TKO. 

Notice of the sale arrives three days after TKO indicated in a separate SEC filing that “Mr. McMahon’s membership on our board could have adverse financial and operational impacts on our business.” 

Despite his status as TKO executive chairman, McMahon has been under investigation by the company for sexual misconduct and was served with a federal grand jury subpoena this past summer, though no charges have been filed.

TKO — which is 51% controlled by Endeavor — indicated it intends to buy about $100 million worth of the shares. Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, president and COO Mark Shapiro, and other TKO directors said they intend to buy $1 million, $1 million, and $850,000 worth of the stock, respectively.

Historic Shift

The McMahon sale marks major changes for the company, as he developed WWE more than four decades ago from a minor pro wrestling circuit to a global entertainment colossus. TKO shares dipped more than 5% in after-hours trading Thursday following the news. 

Earlier this week, TKO reported revenue growth in its first quarterly earnings report since becoming a standalone company, in turn fueling meaningful gains on Endeavor’s balance sheet as it considers going private.

Even though it’s already the established market leader in U.S. online sports betting, FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment is preparing to further expand its American footprint.

Headquartered in Ireland and currently listed on the Euronext Dublin exchange, Flutter has filed an application with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission to sell shares on the New York Stock Exchange, with a goal of kicking off trading in 2024’s first quarter. Once finalized, Flutter plans to delist from Euronext Dublin while keeping a separate listing on the London Stock Exchange.

The moves, which have been under consideration for more than a year, are aimed at occupying a greater position in the company’s top market.

“We are making good progress towards our U.S listing, which will bring the group significant benefits from accessing the world’s deepest and most liquid capital market,” said CEO Peter Jackson.

Betting Returns

The Flutter move arrives as the FanDuel-DraftKings sports betting duopoly begins to face greater competitive pressure from well-resourced new entrants Fanatics and ESPN Bet.

Flutter just reported an 8% rise in overall quarterly revenue to $2.5 billion and a 16% increase in average monthly players to 11.1 million. Those results, however, were lower than analyst expectations, and Flutter’s London shares fell more than 10% in Thursday trading.

Athletic brands are struggling to find their footing in 2023 — and now one of the biggest American companies is adjusting its outlook after falling short of expectations.

Under Armour saw revenue decline by 1% in its most recent fiscal quarter with a 2% drop in North America, its largest market. With the slowdown in sales, Under Armour is now telling investors that its annual revenue may dip between 2% and 4% — the company had been hoping to come out flat or slightly ahead year-over-year.

Amid the up-and-down year, Under Armour has remained active in sports.

Notre Dame reportedly reached a new $100 million licensing extension with the brand in a deal believed to be the richest apparel collaboration in college athletics. Under Armour also signed Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry to an extension that could end up becoming a lifetime deal.

Under Armour Isn’t Alone

Just this week, Adidas reported a revenue dip of 6% as it continues to deal with the fallout from terminating its contract with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The German brand said that sales in North America had fallen 10%.

Last month, Puma reported a weaker-than-expected quarter, with operating profit down slightly to $252.3 million.