April 14, 2022

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New Balance is on the rise. On Wednesday, the company unveiled The Track, an “innovative multisport facility” near its headquarters in Boston that features a dual-terrain indoor track as well as basketball, soccer, and volleyball courts.

Nike, Adidas Make Top 10 Valuable Brands List

Nike

Nike and Adidas ranked among the top 10 most valuable apparel brands, with the former taking the top spot — again.

Brand Finance’s annual review revealed [[link removed]] that the Swoosh’s brand value jumped 9% to $33.2 billion but still isn’t at the level it was two years ago. Last year, Nike’s brand value dropped [[link removed]] 13% from 2020 to $30.4 billion but still managed to hold the top spot.

The majority of the other eight brands were made up of mostly designer names, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, and Hermès. Aggregate brand value for sportswear brands in the top 50 grew 10% to $74 billion, while luxury brands grew 21% to $125 billion.

Adidas’ brand value grew 2% to $14.6 billion.Puma’s brand value jumped 13% to $4.5 billion.Lululemon’s brand value increased 28% to $4.2 billion.

“With convenience at the center of marketing strategy, luxury and sports brands have mastered online delivery fulfillment,” Brand Finance managing director Richard Haigh said [[link removed]].

Smaller, But Still Mighty

While more well-known sportswear brands increased, smaller sportswear brands were among the fastest-growing brands on the list. Skechers’ brand value skyrocketed 68% to $3.2 billion, and Li-Ning’s brand value increased by the same amount to $2 billion.

Five sportswear brands — Nike, Skechers, Moncler, Li-Ning, and Adidas — were among the top 10 “Strongest Brands,” ranked 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively.

UEFA Accused of Super League-Like Reforms

UEFA

After working to stop the European Super League, UEFA is now being accused of proposing a “backdoor attempt” at the same idea.

Premier League clubs and prominent fan group Premier League Network have pushed back [[link removed]] against a proposal to change which teams qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

The key point of contention is over UEFA’s proposal to add two wild-card teams in 2024, which would be based on the teams’ historical success rather than their performance in the most recent season.Wild cards would be awarded based on a calculation called the 10-year club coefficient.The top teams based [[link removed]] on the coefficient include many of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, some of which joined the initial European Super League, such as Real Madrid (1st), Barcelona (3rd), Chelsea (4th), Atlético (5th), and Juventus (6th).UEFA is expected to settle on a new format at its executive meeting on May 10.

The European Super League proposed a major departure from the typical European system of basing promotion, relegation, and tournament qualification entirely on performance.

Super Revival

Meanwhile, UEFA is seeking to hold off a new attempt at a Super League spearheaded [[link removed]] by Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus.

The three clubs filed a suit against UEFA and FIFA in October claiming that they violate European competition law by profiting from the competitions they regulate.

The Italian Football Federation has threatened Serie A clubs with expulsion if they join a breakaway league.

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These 1:1 NFT highlights are available now for pre-order [[link removed]] and dropping on 4/18/22. Thousands of AFFL Youth Athletes will soon be releasing their own Ultimate Rookie Collection, with a 5 NFT Series per player.

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Viral Nation Lands More Than $198M in Funding

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Marketing firm Viral Nation Inc, which focuses on influencer marketing and includes a robust sports portfolio, announced a major infusion of capital.

Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries led a round that contributed more than $198 million to the brand. Maverix Private Equity also participated.

Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers — and one of the preferred bidders for Chelsea FC — is now a part of Viral Nation’s board.

The company boasts a valuation of $515 million, Bloomberg reported [[link removed]].

Viral Nation will receive a little more than half the funds up front, and the rest in the next year-and-a-half.The money will be used for expansion in Europe, Brazil, and Israel, co-founder and CEO Joe Gagliese told Bloomberg.

Gagliese told Bloomberg he expects total revenue to top $174 million this year.

Diving Into NIL

Since college athletes gained the right to profit off their name, image, and likeness in July 2021, Viral Nation has leaned heavily into the college sports space.

Given that more than 60% of NIL activities have focused on “posting content,” according [[link removed]] to Opendorse, it made sense for Viral Nation to jump in.

In December, Viral Nation announced it had landed more than $400,000 worth of deals for “athlete-influencer” Anthony Hamilton Jr.

Sports Video Tech Company Trace Closes $47M Funding Round

Trace

Trace, which uses advanced technology to film sporting events, recently announced that it raised $47 million in a Series C funding round. The company has reached $65.2 million in total funding.

The round was led by Pelion Venture Partners and also included Toba Capital, Lakestar, and NextGen VP.

The new capital will be used for hiring more employees, improving the product, and dipping into new sports.

Trace, which is available for soccer, baseball, and softball, utilizes GPS sensors and a wide-angle camera to not only record games, but also compile performance metrics.CEO David Lokshin said the product can “deliver personalized moments to each player without any additional work from anyone on your team.”The brand has been used by more than 1.4 million athletes, according to Lokshin.

Between 2021 and 2026, one study suggested [[link removed]]the sports technology market would increase from $17.9 billion to $40.2 billion.

Industry Boom

Trace is tapping into an extremely lucrative sector of the sports industry: youth sports.

A study estimated [[link removed].] that in 2019, the U.S. market was worth $19.2 billion — and that it could balloon to more than $77 billion by 2026.

While those numbers were charted before the pandemic temporarily halted the industry, the market is likely beginning a comeback.

SPONSORED BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH

Just a Few Days Left to Nominate!

Just a few days left to nominate an up-and-coming young professional changing the game in the business of sports!

The Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]], presented by Anheuser-Busch, celebrates the careers of the brightest young stars in the business of sports. To date, we’ve honored 125 individuals and we’re looking for our next group of young stars.

Nominations are open through Monday, April 18. Winners will be announced in June and honored at a celebration in New York City this fall.

Nominate, today [[link removed]]!

Conversation Starters Stock-trading app Robinhood has entered an agreement [[link removed]] with West Virginia University to provide financial support and resources for all the school’s athletes. The Dallas Cowboys, the most valuable sports team in the world at $6.5 billion, have a struck a deal [[link removed]] with Blockchain to become the first NFL team with an official cryptocurrency partnership. In March, the London-based crypto company raised capital at a $14 billion valuation. More than $7 billion of assets linked to Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich have been frozen [[link removed]] by a Jersey court. Sports Illustrated is adding resort hotels to its portfolio, called Sports Illustrated Hotels and Resorts,” which will provide [[link removed].] “active, participatory visitor attractions, high-quality dining, lifestyle and wellness experiences, and celebrating some of the most iconic moments and athletes in sports history.” Question Of The Day

Have you purchased anything from Nike or Adidas in the last year?

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

Wednesday’s Answer

50% of respondents are interested in visiting a Swingers mini-golf course.

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

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