March 3, 2022

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The NFL and NFLPA announced Tuesday that they have suspended all aspects of their joint COVID-19 protocols after nearly two years, meaning no more masks, tracking devices, or mandatory surveillance testing is required — unless mandated by state and local law.

European Super League Reportedly Set to Relaunch

UEFA/Design: Alex Brooks

In sports, no matter how badly you lose, you can always give it another shot — at least that’s what the remaining backers of the European Super League are hoping.

Nearly a year after the initial project rose and fell in a dramatic 48 hours, the league is reportedly preparing to relaunch with changes to the format and the participants.

Real Madrid, Juventus, and Barcelona never disavowed the original project and filed a suit against UEFA and FIFA in October on the grounds that the organizations both regulate and profit from the competitions they oversee, violating European competition law.La Liga’s Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, Serie A’s Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan, and the Premier League’s Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all reportedly [[link removed]] prepared to join.A separate report denied [[link removed]] that any Premier League clubs are involved in the relaunch.

The new Super League format reportedly eschews permanent membership for the promotion-relegation system familiar to European soccer.

UEFA President Appalled

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin did not hold back in commenting on the reported Super League revival.

“They first launched their nonsense of an idea in the middle of a pandemic. Now … they are planning to launch another idea in the middle of a war,” he said. “These people, they obviously live in a parallel world.”

Čeferin added that “nobody forbids them to play their own competitions. But if they want to play their own competition, they cannot play in ours.”

‘Fortnite’ Maker To Acquire Bandcamp

Fortnite/Design: Alex Brooks

Epic Games, the video game publisher best known for “Fortnite,” announced plans to acquire independent music storefront Bandcamp.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The music company will use Epic’s resources to assist with international expansion but will “keep operating [[link removed]] as a standalone marketplace and music company.”

Epic emphasized Bandcamp’s role in “Epic’s vision to build out a creator marketplace ecosystem for content, technology, games, art, music, and more.”

Bandcamp’s artists net [[link removed]] an average of 82% of every sale.Co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond said Bandcamp’s payments to artists and labels are “closing in on $1 billion.”

The video game publisher isn’t new to the music scene — “Fortnite” has produced [[link removed]] a number of musical series, including in-game performances from Travis Scott and Marshmello. Earlier this week, “Fortnite” added [[link removed]] four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka as an in-game character, joining LeBron James and Neymar.

An Epic Expansion

In November, CEO Tim Sweeney called [[link removed]]for a single, all-platform app store. Epic has recently battled Google and Apple, avoiding the tech companies’ developer fees for apps and in-app purchases by allowing users to download the game from its website or Samsung’s Galaxy Store.

Reports in October implied that Epic was considering creating [[link removed]] an entertainment division to focus on scripted shows and movies, including a “Fortnite” film.

Epic was valued [[link removed]] at $28.7 billion as of April 2021.

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Serena Williams Venture Capital Firm Lands $111M

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY/Design: Alex Brooks

Serena Williams just scored a major off-court win — this time, with her venture capital firm.

Serena Ventures announced on Wednesday that its first fund has raised $111 million. The fund will “invest in founders with diverse points of view,” according [[link removed]] to The New York Times.

The company has made angel investments in about 60 brands, including Daily Harvest and MasterClass.Its track record already includes six exits and 13 unicorns.Some of the fund’s limited partners include Liontree, Kapor Foundation, Norwest, and Capital G.76% of founders in Serena Ventures’ current portfolio come from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Williams began [[link removed]] investing in 2014 but didn’t announce the company publicly until 2019. Her business partner is Alison Rapaport Stillman, whose résumé includes Wasserman and J.P. Morgan.

A Portfolio of Her Own

Williams’ venture capital firm is just one of many business ventures the tennis star has pursued in recent years.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion also raked in $45 million in off-court earnings in 2021, according [[link removed]] to Forbes, second only to Naomi Osaka among female athletes.

Williams, who owns an estimated 0.5% stake in the Miami Dolphins, is on Poshmark’s board of directors, and also launched clothing line S by Serena in 2018. In April 2021, she signed [[link removed].] a TV deal with Amazon.

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, Fanatics raises $1.5 billion at a $27 billion valuation, ANTA Sports plans to launch a FILA-branded hotel, WarnerMedia secures U.S. Soccer rights for $200 million, and Reebok looks for new opportunities, including NFTs. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. Arsenal suffered an operating loss [[link removed]] of $144 million in 2021 due to COVID-related restrictions, up from a previous loss of $64 million for the year prior. The Premier League club saw matchday revenue drop from $100 million in 2020 to $5 million over the past 12 months. First in the Western Conference a year ago, the Utah Jazz wasted another year of greatness from Donovan Mitchell with a disappointing postseason. Now, expectations are higher than ever [[link removed]] as Mitchell is coming off his most efficient season. The Jazz have also allocated a ton of money for role players capable of winning a title, but is it enough to keep Mitchell in Salt Lake? Subscribe to Scoreboard for more [[link removed]] on the Jazz and Mitchell’s future with the franchise. It is currently anticipated that $579 million will be spent on NIL deals in the first 12-month period ending in July 2022. Download [[link removed]] our latest white paper to learn how your brand can leverage NIL.*

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KAULIG RACING

Establishing a Culture of Competition and Community

Since its inception in 2016, Kaulig Racing has experienced tremendous growth [[link removed]] both on the track and off it.

A well-established entrepreneur and philanthropist, Matt Kaulig is attracting partners [[link removed]] in new and innovative ways. When the team competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) in Kaulig’s native Ohio, all three of its drivers raced with all locally-based companies like LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Rocky Boots, and auto parts manufacturer, Ramco Specialties Inc.

This local approach to partnerships is mirrored by the team’s approach to fan engagement. The team is highly active on social media, inviting fans to experience the enthusiasm [[link removed]], camaraderie, and friendship that define Kaulig Racing.

Learn more [[link removed]] about Kaulig Racing’s rapid growth and what makes it the Next-Gen Team.

Market Movers

U.S. stocks were mixed on Thursday. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

CMCSA [[link removed]]

Comcast Corp

[[link removed]]

$47.05

[[link removed]]

+1.20%

[[link removed]] COLM [[link removed]]

Columbia Sportswear Co.

[[link removed]]

$93.19

[[link removed]]

-0.67%

[[link removed]] ARMK [[link removed]]

Aramark

[[link removed]]

$36.19

[[link removed]]

-1.12%

[[link removed]] VFC [[link removed]]

VF Corp.

[[link removed]]

$56.20

[[link removed]]

-1.75%

[[link removed]] WWE [[link removed]]

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$59.68

[[link removed]]

-2.16%

[[link removed]] DKNG [[link removed]]

DraftKings Inc

[[link removed]]

$20.95

[[link removed]]

-10.68%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 3/3/22) What to Watch

The Michigan State Spartans (19-10) face the Ohio State Buckeyes (18-9) on Thursday at Value City Arena.

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

Betting Odds: Ohio State -6 || ML -250 || O/U 139* ( Bet on DraftKings [[link removed]])

Pick: Expect the Buckeyes to bounce back from Sunday’s loss. Take Ohio State to cover.

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

Written by Owen Poindexter [[link removed]], Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]], Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]

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