May 3, 2022

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The metaverse is like the Wild West — it’s wide open, and everyone is carving out their own piece. Italy’s top-flight soccer league Serie A broadcasted the first live soccer game from the new frontier, allowing fans in Africa and the Middle East with NFT “tickets” to watch AC Milan’s 1-0 home victory over Fiorentina from a room in The Nemesis metaverse.

Oakland A’s Could Land on Las Vegas Strip

Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal

While the Oakland A’s potential downtown development in their current city waits on legal proceedings, the team is moving forward on two potential Las Vegas sites, including one on the famed Vegas Strip.

One spot would compel the team to either own the land the stadium is built on or enter a public-private partnership, according [[link removed]] to team president Dave Kaval, while the other presents a potential tie-in with a resort operator.

The resort operator in question may be Gaming & Leisure Properties, a real estate investor that owns the Tropicana hotel on the Strip. In an earnings call on Friday, Gaming & Leisure Properties CEO Peter Carlino said [[link removed]], “It’s been widely publicized that the A’s are looking at this site,” referring to the Tropicana location. “It’s safe for me to say that they have a very, very strong interest in our site if the transaction can work to their advantage,” he added.

Kaval said that he hopes to announce a proposed location and design for a 30,000-seat, $1 billion ballpark soon.

Oakland’s Port Problem

While the team could remain in Oakland and develop a $12 billion stadium, retail, and housing area by the waterfront, several hurdles remain.

The city will have to redesignate the Howard Terminal area to make it not exclusively for port use, overcoming a non-binding commission vote [[link removed]] of 5-4 with one abstention to retain that status. A final vote will come on June 30.

“If we lose that, we’re dead,” said Kaval.

Super League Suffers Yet Another Setback

FC Barcelona

The three soccer teams vying for a European Super League can’t catch a break.

The latest complication: Plans for Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid to play preseason exhibition games in the U.S. “are at risk of collapse,” according [[link removed]] to ESPN. The outlet first reported in February that the three rebel teams wanted to plan a tournament.

The main motivation for playing is to maximize revenue following major pandemic losses, but the report suggests that it’s unlikely to happen now.

The tournament would have potentially included AC Milan as a fourth team.Las Vegas might have held a game between Real Madrid and Barca.

Now, the three teams will consider other options for playing U.S.-based friendlies in the upcoming season — which they’ve previously done on many occasions.

Troubled Past

In April 2021, 12 teams announced plans to create a European Super League. But after public outcry, most of the teams dropped the idea within 24 hours.

Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid refuse to let it go, however — despite mounting hurdles.

In April, a Spanish court ruled [[link removed]] that UEFA and FIFA could sanction them if they followed through on Super League plans. The decision overturned a previous ruling that could have protected the teams from some of the ire of their governing bodies.

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Crypto’s 3% of Top Category & Continues to Climb

Crypto has exploded in U.S. sports – among the five major pro sports, crypto was the most expanding industry within finance in 2021.

There has been a +1,500% increase in deals since 2019, but crypto still has a long way to go, as they only hold 3% of all finance sponsorship deals.

Want to learn more about which finance brand (hint: crypto brand) added the most sponsorship deals in 2021? The ‘21-’22 Marketing Partnership Finance Report [[link removed]], from SponsorUnited, digs into this and so much more.

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Activision Blizzard CEO Could Score $500M from Microsoft Deal

J. Emilio Flores/Corbis

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has taken heat for company issues that helped lead to its sale to Microsoft, but he could profit handsomely if the deal goes through.

Kotick could pocket [[link removed]] over $500 million from his shares of the video game giant.

The CEO owns 4.3 million shares, which would be worth $408.5 million at Microsoft’s proposed $95-per-share purchase price. Activision’s stock closed at $78.06 on Monday.He also holds an option to purchase an additional 2.2 million shares, which would raise the total value of his equity to over $500 million.Kotick, whose compensation was $826,549 in 2021, will receive $14.4 million in severance pay if he’s terminated or quits under certain conditions within a year of the sale of the company.

Activision’s stock plunged 44.7% from its peak in February 2021 to early December due to lawsuits related to sexual harrassment and gender-based wage discrimination, but partly rebounded in January when Microsoft agreed to purchase the company.

Buffett’s Bet

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has been growing [[link removed]] its stake in Activision Blizzard in a bet that the sale to Microsoft will be completed. The famed investment house now owns around 9.5% of the “Call of Duty” maker, Buffett told shareholders on Saturday.

The Federal Trade Commission and European Union regulators have been examining the deal on competitiveness grounds, and the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating three investors for insider trading related to the deal.

Thriving U.S. Cricket Region Scores 10,000-Seat Stadium

Kolkata Knight Riders

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world — second to only soccer — and now one U.S. county with an estimated 100,000 cricket fans is getting a 10,000-capacity cricket stadium.

The Knight Riders Group is reportedly [[link removed]] making an investment – in the range of $30 million – in the stadium, located on a 15-acre plot in Orange County, California.

KRG owns the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Indian Premier League’s third [[link removed]]-most valuable team ($1.1 billion), and the Caribbean Premier League’s Trinbago Knight Riders.Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan backs KRG. Actor Juhi Chawla and businessman Jay Mehta join KRG in the investment.

Major League Cricket, the first [[link removed](MLC)%20Is,in%20the%20American%20cricket%20landscape.] professional T20 cricket league in the U.S., received approval to advance lease negotiations following an exclusive negotiating agreement with Irvine, California.

The Knight Riders Group previously invested in MLC, which begins [[link removed]] in 2023, with American Cricket Enterprises. ESPN reports MLC plans [[link removed]] to build or renovate as many as eight facilities in the coming years for an estimated $110 million.

Cricket Competitions

The stadium is roughly 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles, the home to two of 27 Minor League Cricket teams — the Socal Lashings and the Hollywood Master Blasters — and another 200,000 fans in Los Angeles County.

Co-hosted by the U.S. and West Indies in 2024, the stadium could help host the International Cricket Council’s Men’s T20 World Cup if it’s completed in time. The ICC is also bidding for cricket to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

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Conversation Starters The bat Jackie Robinson used in the 1949 All-Star game sold [[link removed]] for $1.08 million, including the buyer’s premium. The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly [[link removed]] looking to sell naming rights to its entertainment district for $4 million annually. Vanessa Bryant introduced [[link removed]] a basketball court in the Pearson Park neighborhood of Anaheim, California, in honor of Kobe and Gigi Bryant. From the NBA playoffs to the NFL Draft & the Kentucky Derby, Atmosphere Sports is bringing sports back to the center. Learn more [[link removed]].*

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

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