January 5, 2022
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The NCAA shut down its former March Madness Twitter profile and created two new accounts — one for men’s March Madness and another for women’s. This year, the women’s college basketball tournament will use March Madness branding for the first time.
FIFA President Foresees Biennial Euros
UEFA/Design: Alex Brooks
The two biggest international soccer tournaments could both double in frequency, should FIFA successfully institute biennial World Cups.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Italian station Radio Anch’io that the Euros “would also take place every two years” if plans to do so for the World Cup materialize.
At present, both tournaments happen once every four years and are timed to not overlap.
A biennial World Cup could create an extra $4.4 billion in revenues for FIFA in the first four-year cycle, according to [[link removed]] a Nielsen study.A separate study, commissioned by domestic leagues, found that UEFA and those leagues would collectively lose $9 billion from FIFA’s plan. Mass Opposition
UEFA, CONCACAF, the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the European Club Association, and Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted have all come out against the proposal.
However, Infantino told [[link removed]] reporters in December that he believes the idea has majority support among FIFA’s members.
The issue could come before a vote at the FIFA congress in Doha on March 31, but Infantino has not yet committed to that.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani has floated a compromise which would add more global tournaments instead of World Cups, such as a revised Confederations Cup — a FIFA-run tournament that ran from 2001 to 2017.
ONE Championship Raises $150M at $1B Valuation
ONE Championship/Design: Alex Brooks
Group ONE Holdings, the parent company of martial arts platform ONE Championship, has raised $150 million in a funding round.
The Singapore-based sports media property and mixed martial arts promoter plans to use the money to continue expanding the league outside of Asia.
The round was led by Guggenheim Investments and the Qatar Investment Authority, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund. The announcement was made on Dec. 22.
One Championship is reportedly [[link removed]] now worth more than $1 billion.
Growth Plan
Group ONE Holdings, which also includes gaming network ONE Esports, is already a major force in the international sports scene.
It broadcasts to more than 150 countries.In June 2021, Nielsen ranked ONE Championship in the top 10 for global sports properties using engagement and viewership metrics.ONE Championship saw “record” revenues in 2021, according to Hua Fung Teh, Group President of ONE.
The organization reportedly wants [[link removed]] to bring ONE Championship into the U.S. market, where it will likely compete with UFC.
The group will also use the funds to create new content. ONE Championship recently announced its reality TV show, “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,” will air on Netflix sometime this quarter — though it won’t be available in the U.S.
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F1 Team Builds Prototype for Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz/Design: Alex Brooks
Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, used experts from its Formula 1 racing team to produce an electric prototype [[link removed]] to compete with Tesla.
The Vision EQXX, which debuted at the 2022 CES Show, can be driven for more than 621 miles on a single charge and has a battery smaller than Mercedes-Benz’s flagship EV, the EQS.
Engineers from Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz F1 team developed the prototype in just 18 months.
Mercedes-Benz will integrate the prototype’s battery technology in the company’s compact cars starting in 2024, putting the expertise of its F1 team to use for a large consumer project.
The company isn’t the only luxury car maker using F1 to develop new vehicles.
Aston Martin announced a plan [[link removed]] in September to build F1’s first “smart” facility in England for between $207 million and $276 million.The 400,000-square-foot campus will house Aston Martin’s entire manufacturing system and an F1 simulator. Underwhelming Numbers
Daimler generated $45.3 billion in revenue in Q3 2021, compared to $45.5 billion for the same period the year prior. About 578,000 units were sold during the quarter, down from 773,000 units sold in Q3 2020.
The automaker’s lukewarm quarter is the product of the ongoing semiconductor shortage and supply chain constraints plaguing tech industries around the world.
Zwift Has New At-Home Fitness Products Coming
Zwift/Design: Alex Brooks
Online fitness training platform Zwift is expanding its footprint in the at-home fitness market with a new smart bike and indoor trainer.
The Zwift Wheel and Zwift Ride, which retail [[link removed]] for about $1,214 and $2,294 respectively, are the result of a recent customer survey developed with market research firm Toluna. They’re expected to launch as early as this summer.
The company is also partnering with LG to develop [[link removed]] a 55-inch curved floor-to-ceiling screen that will bring the outdoor riding experience to life for users indoors.
Zwift — geared towards cyclists, runners, and triathletes — has seen more than 3 million accounts created on its platform across 190 countries.For $15 per month, the app allows users to interact, train, and compete with one another by pairing a smart bike or treadmill with the platform. Past and Future
In September 2020, Zwift raised $450 million during a Series C led by private equity firm KKR & Co. The round — which valued [[link removed]] Zwift at more than $1 billion — also included British investment firm Permira, Zone 5 Ventures, and the Amazon Alexa Fund.
Zwift announced [[link removed]] a four-year partnership in June with the women’s Tour de France, beginning with the inaugural competition scheduled to start on July 24, 2022.
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Conversation Starters Following the shutdown of NBC Sports Network, Sky Sports is currently no longer [[link removed]] available on U.S. television. La Liga is the first [[link removed]] soccer league to have its own e-commerce portal on Amazon after launching an official store on the retail giant’s platform. EA Sports will reportedly [[link removed]] launch its college football game revival during the summer of 2023. Ben Roethlisberger won what was likely his final home game [[link removed]] in Pittsburgh — and most likely won’t play in another postseason. The Steelers (8-7-1) beat the Browns 26-14 on Monday night, but in addition to a win in Baltimore on Sunday, they’ll need a Jaguars victory against the Colts to get in. Subscribe to Sports Section for more [[link removed]] on Big Ben and how he still leads the league in two clutch stats. Question Of The Day
Should the World Cup and Euros be held every two years?
Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]
Tuesday’s Answer
25% of respondents plan on buying sportswear in the metaverse.
Written by Owen Poindexter [[link removed]], Amanda Christovich [[link removed]], Justin Byers [[link removed]]
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