April 21, 2022

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The Houston Astros might want to consider a permanent new look. The club’s Space City uniforms had the largest [[link removed]] launch day sales of any of the nine MLB teams involved in Nike’s City Connect program, beating the previous record by 329%.

Chelsea Bid Gets Backing From Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton

Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY SPORTS

Final bids for Chelsea FC were submitted last week — and now two of the world’s top athletes are entering the mix.

According to Sky Sports, 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams and seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton have joined [[link removed]] Sir Martin Broughton’s consortium, agreeing to invest roughly $13 million each should the group win the bid. The team could fetch [[link removed]] around $4 billion.

Reports suggest that private-equity billionaires Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own and run Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment — the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils — would hold [[link removed]] the controlling stake in the bid but would need to sell their Crystal Palace shares.

Broughton’s Barriers

One of the remaining three bidders is the consortium led by Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who said [[link removed]] this week that he intends to remain owner of the club for his “lifetime” if his bid is chosen.

Pagliuca also owns a majority stake in Atalanta and would be required to sell some of his shares, as UEFA rules block clubs controlled by a one entity from playing in the same competition. However, Pagliuca said [[link removed]] he would look to create a partnership between the teams.

The third consortium is led by Todd Boehly, an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, and Sparks. He’s joined by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and property developer Jonathan Goldstein, with backing from Clearlake Capital.

Raine Group is expected to announce the winning bid this week.

Turns Out Tesla Was Also A Big Super Bowl Winner

Tesla

The company that may have benefited most from Super Bowl LVI didn’t run a single ad.

Tesla revealed in its first-quarter earnings presentation that orders for its cars spiked on the day following the Big Game on Feb. 13, which featured numerous ads for the EV carmaker’s competitors.

BMW, Audi, GM, Kia, Hyundai, and Polestar all ran ads promoting EV models. Wallbox, which produces EV charging stations, also ran a spot.The surge in orders helped Tesla post an 87% year-over-year increase in automotive revenue to $18.8 billion in Q1 2022. Profits hit $3.3 billion.Tesla handily beat revenue expectations by 5.1%. The company’s stock was up around 3% on Thursday after initially leaping 8%.

The moment was further validation for Tesla’s unique marketing strategy: In its 19-year history, the company has not spent a single dollar on advertising.

In 2021, Tesla produced the top-selling EV in both the U.S. [[link removed]] (Model Y) and Europe [[link removed]] (Model 3), each of which placed 17th in sales among all car models.

Super Spend

Some ad rates for the 2022 game, which was broadcast on NBC, Telemundo, and Peacock, reached [[link removed]] a record $7 million for a 30-second spot. Over 30 advertisers bought in for the first time.

NBCUniversal’s haul likely beat that of ViacomCBS, which held rights to the 2021 game, bringing in $434.5 million.

Automotive companies were among the top spenders, along with those in entertainment and beverages.

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Formula 1 Gets Green Light for Lavish Miami Weekend

F1 Miami Grand Prix

The show will go on: A Miami judge blocked an attempt by local residents to call off Formula 1’s inaugural race in Miami Gardens.

A local group had sought an injunction on the highly anticipated contest on the grounds that noise from the event could reach damaging levels.

“Although the burden may seem unfair to the plaintiffs, I do find that any potential harm is avoidable,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alan Fine.He went on to call the evidence that the race could cause hearing loss “very highly speculative.” “It is not based on any current Formula 1 noise information,” he said, adding it “does not take into consideration the south wall,” referring to sound-mitigating walls installed by event organizers.

The race, the first of 10 in Miami Gardens, is scheduled for May 6-8. Fine did order noise monitoring for the event, noting that the lawsuit could continue afterward with potential consequences for future races.

Money Speeding In

In addition to the noise, F1 is bringing an influx of people and money to the area. Event organizers expect [[link removed]] an additional 35,000 hotel bookings on race weekend.

Hard Rock Stadium is being outfitted for a race that fits FIA standards, while the surrounding area is getting a makeover, including a temporary 24,000 square-foot beach with swimming pools and a marina with dry-docked yachts.

F1 is providing $5 million in community benefit funding to Miami Gardens.

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, Netflix taps the brakes on live sports, the Atlanta Braves submit a request for $200 million in tax breaks for a development, Dave Stewart leads a group eyeing an MLB team in Nashville, and Lululemon looks to double its revenue in five years. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. The 2022 MLS All-Star Game will feature a match between the MLS All-Stars and All-Stars from Liga MX, Mexico’s top soccer league. The match is the product of a partnership between the two leagues. Talk show host, WWE commentator, and former NFL punter Pat McAfee is reportedly [[link removed]] in talks with Amazon to join its “Thursday Night Football” coverage. McAfee has also discussed airing his “The Pat McAfee Show” on Amazon Prime Video. The Boston Celtics aren’t a star-studded superteam [[link removed]] on a record-breaking budget, but they’ve constructed the perfect defensive-minded squad for an NBA Finals trip. On Wednesday, the Celtics held Kevin Durant and the $174.8M Brooklyn Nets to 15 fourth-quarter points to take a 2-0 series lead. Subscribe to Scoreboard [[link removed]] for more on the Celtics.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KAULIG RACING

The Path to Racing Success

Matt Kaulig [[link removed]] doesn’t fit the mold of a typical NASCAR team owner. He isn’t a former driver, he is a business owner and former sponsor who saw the value of the marketing behind NASCAR.

From starting LeafFilter in his basement to establishing a winning racing team, Kaulig has continually developed new ventures that flourish. In just six years, Kaulig Racing has established itself as a leader of the next generation of NASCAR [[link removed]].

In the first episode [[link removed]] of our new series, Behind the Wheel: Inside the Next-Gen of Racing, our Editor in Chief Ernest Baker chats with Matt Kaulig on his unconventional path to racing, success, and what he’s learned along the way.

Watch now [[link removed]].

Market Movers

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

DAKT [[link removed]]

Daktronics Inc.

[[link removed]]

$3.65

[[link removed]]

+0.82%

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

Nike, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$135.64

[[link removed]]

-1.04%

[[link removed]] GCO [[link removed]]

Genesco Inc.

[[link removed]]

$68.39

[[link removed]]

-2.08%

[[link removed]] UA [[link removed]]

Under Armour Inc

[[link removed]]

$15.13

[[link removed]]

-3.01%

[[link removed]] MSGS [[link removed]]

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp

[[link removed]]

$169.81

[[link removed]]

-3.39%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 4/21/22) What to Watch

The Golden State Warriors (53-29) face the Denver Nuggets (48-34) on Thursday at Ball Arena.

How to Watch: 10 p.m. ET on TNT

Betting Odds: Warriors -2 || ML -130 || O/U 223

Pick: Expect the Nuggets to perform well at home. Take Denver to cover.

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

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