December 21, 2021

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Jaden Rashada, one of the top-rated dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class, is going to pull in a four-figure sum to help promote the AIR app. The junior from California is the first high school football player to profit from NIL endorsements.

NHL First Pro League To Pause Season This Year

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

The National Hockey League was already on thin ice with 15% of its players in COVID-19 protocols on Monday, and now it’s the first North American professional sports league to fully halt its season.

On Monday night, the NHL and NHLPA announced [[link removed]] a pause in play from Wednesday through Saturday, with all facilities closed. The night of the announcement, 10 teams were already shut down.

The league lost [[link removed]] nearly $3.6 billion in revenue last season due to attendance restrictions and a shortened season. While games have not been completely cancelled this season, the league still has a hike to get back on track.

Teams are still expected to return on Sunday for practice and coronavirus testing, however the Capitals-Flyers game next Monday was postponed [[link removed]] Tuesday afternoon.

A total of 44 games have already been postponed this season. All but five happened in the last week.Monday’s game and the five originally scheduled for this Thursday will add to that total.

Pending test results, Tuesday’s games are still on the schedule.

More Precautions

The league unveiled new protocols on Saturday for teams: masks in club facilities and while traveling, daily tests for players and staff, virtual team meetings, and no holiday parties. The guidelines will be reevaluated by Jan. 7.

On Sunday, the league announced [[link removed]] it would suspend travel between the U.S. and Canada. The NHL and NHLPA reportedly [[link removed]] also entered an agreement on Tuesday to not participate in the Beijing Olympics in February.

VR Gaming Platform Rec Room Raises $145M

Rec Room/Design: Alex Brooks

Rec Room, a free-to-play VR gaming platform, has raised $145 million, valuing the company at $3.5 billion.

Led by Coatue Management, the funding round included existing investors Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, and Madrona Venture Group.

Rec Room will use the fresh capital to build out its creator tools, expand to new platforms, and grow an audience that has reached 37 million users, up from 2 million users in March.

Rec Room adds to a growing list of tech companies embracing VR and the metaverse [[link removed]].

In June, Meta’s virtual reality division, Oculus, acquired [[link removed]] BigBox VR, a VC-backed startup that creates online VR games, for an undisclosed amount. ForeVR Games raised $7 million during a seed round in August to bring classic real-world games to VR platforms. In October, Florida-based augmented reality startup Magic Leap raised [[link removed]] $500 million from unspecified investors, valuing the company at $2 billion. Last month, Microsoft announced [[link removed]] an integration with its office-focused Microsoft Teams software and metaverse platform Mesh. Promising Growth

Rec Room has yet to disclose revenue figures, but the company said in March it has paid [[link removed]] out $1 million to game creators on its platform. That same month, the company raised $100 million, giving it “unicorn” status as a privately held startup valued at more than $1 billion.

SPONSORED BY PANINI

Mosaic NFL NFT Trading Cards Available Now

Panini America officials recently introduced its NFL NFT trading card packs [[link removed]] with its 2021-22 NFL Mosaic product.

The NFL NFT pack introduction will be followed with other popular Panini brands including NFL Prizm and Donruss Optic where fans will be able to collect [[link removed]] this heralded rookie class, top players and popular Panini inserts like Downtown, Marvels and Kaboom.

Stay tuned [[link removed]] for additional information and visit the Panini America NFT Blockchain site [[link removed]] for future release dates, ongoing Challenges and more.

NRL Extends Broadcast Deal, Worth $409M Annually

NRL/Design: Alex Brooks

The National Rugby League has secured a five-year extension [[link removed]] with longtime broadcasting partner Nine Entertainment Co.

The deal is reportedly worth [[link removed]] $409 million per year in revenue. According to the NRL’s official site [[link removed]], the overall figure for the deal is more than $2 billion — an increase from its current deal that’s worth $1.8 billion.

The partnership will pay $82 million each year until 2027.There will be annual options worth $10.7 million for “contra and other non-cash services.”

Nine will continue to broadcast the State of Origin series and the Telstra Premiership NRL Grand Final, two of Australia’s most popular sporting events. It will gain rights to three matches each season and new streaming rights.

The partnership will also focus on “continuing growth of the women’s game and to develop targeted grassroots initiatives,” Nine head of sport Brent Williams said.

The NRL also has deals with Fox Sports and New Zealand’s Sky.

The Players’ Cut

Now that the league has secured at least five years of cash flow, it will have to turn its attention to its collective bargaining agreement with the Rugby League Players Association. The current CBA expires in 2022.

Officials told [[link removed]] the Australian Associated Press they hope a deal can be reached in “record time.”

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, Nike posts $11.4 billion in Q2 revenue, thousands of JD Group stores are set to sell Reebok products, the NFL’s Washington Football Team is reportedly pushing for a domed stadium, and WAGMI United’s bid to buy soccer teams is rejected. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. Counter Press Acquisition, a sports-focused blank-check company, has filed [[link removed]] for an initial public offering with plans to raise $75 million. Led by Randy Frankel, the co-owner of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, Counter Press Acquisition would command a market value of $98 million after the IPO. FuboTV has launched [[link removed]] Fubo Sportsbook in Arizona in partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian community, giving the sportsbook market access to its second U.S. state following last month’s launch in Iowa. An otherwise average Vikings team now occupies the final NFC postseason spot thanks to the extraordinary play of Justin Jefferson [[link removed]]. On Monday, Jefferson hauled in his ninth TD catch of the season in Minnesota’s 17-9 victory over the Bears. Subscribe to Sports Section for more [[link removed]] on the dynamic young receiver.

SPONSORED BY GAMEON

NFT-Based Prediction and Fantasy Games on Polygon

Polygon, a pioneering blockchain that has onboarded millions to the Web3 ecosystem, recently committed $100 million to gaming projects. Investments include DraftKings and now GameOn [[link removed]].

The investment allows GameOn to offer the full stack of capabilities from the creation, minting and selling of NFTs, to the game layers it already deploys for partners such as prediction and fantasy games.

“GameOn is one of the fastest-growing game technology providers in the blockchain space. We’re excited to support their development of NFT-based games on Polygon,” said Sandeep Nailwal, Polygon Co-Founder.

Reach out [mailto:[email protected]] to power your NFT game project with GameOn.

Market Movers

U.S. stocks experienced gains across all three major indexes on Tuesday. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

GOLF [[link removed]]

Acushnet Holdings Corp

[[link removed]]

$51.67

[[link removed]]

+0.64%

[[link removed]] LULU [[link removed]]

Lululemon Athletica inc.

[[link removed]]

$383.13

[[link removed]]

+2.36%

[[link removed]] NKE [[link removed]]

Nike, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$166.49

[[link removed]]

+2.37%

[[link removed]] PLAY [[link removed]]

Dave & Buster`s Entertainment Inc

[[link removed]]

$37.3

[[link removed]]

+9.51%

[[link removed]] MANU [[link removed]]

Manchester United Plc.

[[link removed]]

$14.09

[[link removed]]

-0.21%

[[link removed]] DKS [[link removed]]

Dicks Sporting Goods, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$103.47

[[link removed]]

-0.41%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 12/21/21) Sponsored by Learn More [[link removed]] Listing of securities is not a recommendation to trade. Sponsored by Learn More [[link removed]] Listing of securities is not a recommendation to trade. What to Watch

The Seattle Seahawks (5-8) face the Los Angeles Rams (9-4) tonight at SoFi Stadium.

How to Watch: 7 p.m. ET on FOX

Betting Odds: Rams -6.5 || ML -290 || O/U 47*

Pick: Expect the Rams to build on a two-game win streak. Take Los Angeles to cover.

Who ya got? Reply to this newsletter with your prediction for the Seahawks-Rams winner and final score.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook [[link removed]] for details.

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Written by Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]], Justin Byers [[link removed]], Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]

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