The remaining three bidders for Chelsea FC are strengthening their groups and eyeing potential hires and partnerships.

The consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton, which includes Philadelphia 76ers, Crystal Palace FC, and New Jersey Devils’ co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, is bringing on billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo, a board member of Budweiser-owner AB InBev, will hold a minority stake in the team if the bid is successful.

• The consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake added George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2016.
• The group, which also includes Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, hired Robey Warshaw, an advisory firm Osborne joined in 2021.
• Robey Warshaw is working with Goldman Sachs as advisors on the bid.

The Raine Group is expected to announce its preferred bidder in the coming weeks, but may wait for the Premier League to clear all three finalists first.

Atalanta Tag Team?

The third remaining bidder, Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca, also owns Serie A club Atalanta. It has been presumed that he would have to sell his stake in the Italian team if the bid is successful, but Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi is envisioning a partnership.

“An axis of collaboration could be created which for Atalanta would be very precious,” Percassi said, saying that the two clubs could strike favorable deals through the player transfer market.

UEFA rules state that if two teams with the same majority ownership are scheduled to play one another, one team would have to forfeit.

Foot Locker’s Champs Sports unveiled its new retail concept, Champs Sports Homefield — which at more than 35,000 square feet is the largest Foot Locker location ever. 

Coined a “true home for the modern athlete,” the store in Pembroke Pines, Florida, will offer experiences, performance and lifestyle products, and services catered to athletes’ lives. 

• Full-sized basketball and multi-sport court
• Champs Sports Combine digital VR system
• Nutritional and recovery products
• Apparel, sneakers, and equipment for various sports and activities
• Try-on treadmill for running shoes

Champs Sports Homefield arrives after Foot Locker reported a record earnings year with a net income of $893 million. The company’s earnings per share increased 91.3% from 2019. As of Jan. 29, 2022, Champs had 525 open stores — Foot Locker merged the Champs and Eastbay brands in November.

Retail Revolution

Champs isn’t the first retail store to provide experiences to its consumers. 

Last year, Dick’s Sporting Goods opened its first House of Sport location in Victor, New York, a 100,000-square-foot store that includes an indoor rock-climbing wall, golf driving bay, putting bay, and health and wellness store. Shortly after, a second location opened in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Other brands with similar concepts include Lululemon, YETI, Vans, and Tonal, which added stations to at least 40 Nordstrom locations last year.

Several recent reports have suggested that AC Milan is in “exclusive talks” about changing ownership.

Investcorp, the Middle East’s biggest alternative asset manager, is allegedly close to purchasing the club from Elliott Management for $1.1 billion. 

But the fate of the team’s $733 million new stadium project with Inter Milan now appears to be a centerpiece of the deal, according to a recent Eurosport.it report. 

• Before the Bahrain-based asset manager can purchase the club, there must be a guarantee that the project can move forward.
• It has been stalled by the local government.

The deal was reportedly set to close on May 4.

A New Home

The project for a new stadium was originally announced in 2019, but a design was only unveiled last December.

“The Cathedral,” which would replace the historic yet antiquated San Siro, features blueprints created by well-known stadium developer Populous. The stadium would be LEED-certified and carbon neutral. Part of the plans include a pedestrian-only district and area of greenery outside.

The Golden State Warriors are building out their brand with the announcement of a new division called Golden State Entertainment.

With David Kelly, the team’s top legal executive, at its helm, GSE will produce music, host Bay Area events, and create licensed documentary content — including films covering the stories of two former NBA players. 

The concept of GSE has been a few years in the making, but it came to the forefront following the success of “The Last Dance.” The documentary, which followed Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls, averaged 6.1 million viewers in the first two episodes. 

• “The Last Dance” was a 10-part series originally released on ESPN, then distributed through Netflix.
• Kelly expressed that GSE will look to license its content to streaming platforms. 

“We’re not just a sports team,” Kelly said. “So, it’s incumbent upon us to flush out what that means.” He added that majority owner Joe Lacob also wants the Warriors to be a media and technology organization.

Warriors’ World

While the Warriors have a $5.6 billion valuation — the second-most valuable NBA team behind the New York Knicks — the franchise won’t only focus on itself. 

“We want to tell some Warriors stories, and we think we’re well-positioned to be able to tell those stories, but we’re not limiting ourselves to Warriors stories,” Kelly said.

Two-time MVP Steph Curry won’t be featured in GSE’s content until he retires due to language in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.