May 19, 2022

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

The Los Angeles Chargers will soon have a new $276 million headquarters in El Segundo, California. The team broke ground on the 14-acre campus that will include a 145,000 square foot training facility, an esports and media center, three natural grass fields, and open-practice seating for more than 5,000 fans.

Nick Saban Blames NIL for Alabama’s No. 2 Recruiting Class

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

At an event on Wednesday night, Alabama’s Nick Saban said that name, image, and likeness deals were skewing the recruiting landscape — and that those NIL deals are the reason the Crimson Tide didn’t score the top class this year.

Saban, who has won seven national championships, bemoaned that Texas A&M’s collective deals paved the way for the Aggies’ No. 1 recruiting class designation. “A&M bought every player on their team.”

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher provided a withering response, saying his team has not committed any violation. He invited reporters to “dig into” his former boss’ past, implying Saban is a rule-breaker.

“It’s despicable that a reputable coach could come out and say this when things don’t go his way.”

More generally, Saban decried [[link removed]] the use of NIL collectives — groups composed of donors, boosters, and/or alumni who pool funds to offer athletes deals.He claimed that at other schools, “the coach actually knows how much money is in the collective, so he knows how much money he can promise players.”

Last week, the NCAA provided [[link removed]] updated guidance attacking collectives and boosters that offer recruiting-related deals — and claimed it’s going to investigate.

Saban’s NIL Plan

Either way, Alabama players have fared well. Saban said 25 athletes made a total of $3 million last year, in a way he claims was aboveboard.

He did acknowledge Alabama has a collective — but said it would offer the same amount to every player.

PFL Strikes $500M Valuation With A-Rod Investment

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Professional Fighters League has raised $30 million in a funding round that includes former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, who will also serve on the mixed martial arts company’s board.

Led by Waverley Capital, the round reportedly [[link removed]] values the company at $500 million — a significant increase from the $400 million valuation it received in 2021. Since it was founded in 2018, PFL has raised $200 million.

The funding will be used to expand internationally — establishing PFL Europe and PFL Mexico — and add athletes, including those from Endeavor-owned UFC, as PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis told CNBC.

The PFL says it has 600 million global fans.The company is controlled by investors including Ares Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, former NFL player Ray Lewis, and Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner.

PFL has a pay-per-view “Super Fight” scheduled to debut next year. It also extended [[link removed]] its media rights deal with ESPN in January.

A-Rod’s Ownership

The PFL adds to the former New York Yankees star’s sports portfolio. Rodriguez, who made [[link removed]] more than $450 million over his baseball career, joined former Walmart e-commerce executive Marc Lore in April 2021 to purchase the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx for $1.5 billion. He’s also an investor in UFC Gym.

“Alex is building a business career in sports that he wants to equal his baseball career,” Davis said, adding that Rodriguez is “innovative in his approach to investing and building companies.”

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KAULIG RACING

Race Track Hydration

Cirkul, a water bottle designed to make drinking water easy, fun, and delicious, joined Kaulig Racing [[link removed]]’s arsenal of partners earlier this season.

The “Tik Tok famous” water bottle was founded in 2018 and makes water drinking easier by enabling users to flavor their water, sip by sip, with just the turn of a dial – with over 50 delicious flavors.

Cirkul has served as the primary sponsor [[link removed]] for reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Champion Daniel Hemric for the past four races and will continue for the next three NXS events.

Kaulig Racing has been putting bottles in hands each race weekend to experientially encourage NASCAR fans to hop on the hydration bandwagon – building on the loyalty between fans’ favorite racing teams and their sponsors.

Keep up [[link removed]] with Kaulig and their partners.

Real Madrid Inks $381M Deal to Transform Iconic Stadium

Real Madrid

Real Madrid has signed a $381 million deal with investment group Sixth Street and entertainment experiences company Legends to host concerts and other events at the La Liga club’s 81,000-seat stadium.

The capital will allow Real Madrid to create [[link removed]] additional streams of revenue as it works to alleviate financial losses caused by the pandemic. In 2020, Real Madrid saw its income fall [[link removed]'s%20income,euros%20because%20of%20the%20pandemic.] by 8% compared to the previous year, but the club remains [[link removed]] the second-most-valuable soccer team in the world at $4.75 billion, just behind La Liga rival FC Barcelona at $4.76 billion.

A new company will manage the stadium and proceeds from its events.The proceeds will be split 70% for Real Madrid and 30% for Sixth Street.The deal will run for 20 years.

A deal between the three entities comes as no surprise. Legends has led Real Madrid’s retail strategy since 2020, and a year later Sixth Street acquired [[link removed]] a majority stake in Legends, valuing the company at $1.35 billion. In January, Legends and Real Madrid agreed [[link removed]] to a 25-year pact to host non-sports events at Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the club’s home field since 1947.

Perfect Timing

Real Madrid’s desire to make the Bernabéu a facility that hosts more than just soccer games comes as it undergoes major renovations, which include a retractable roof and a new pitch.

The club secured [[link removed]] an initial loan of $651 million in April 2019 for the project and in December 2021 it received a $255 million loan from JPMorgan and Bank of America.

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, the PGA Championship’s quick organization could set a new precedent, the $320 million sale of Angel Stadium is in limbo amid a corruption investigation, U.S. soccer makes history with equal pay, and UEFA pumps the brakes on a $6.3 billion rescue fund. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. Taylor Ward has emerged as an offensive force for the Los Angeles Angels. Ward is having a monster season at the plate, but while his star teammates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani make a combined [[link removed]] $43 million, Ward is bringing home $720,000. The first postseason Battle of Alberta in over 30 years [[link removed]] didn’t disappoint, thanks to a historic glut of goals. On Wednesday the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers opened their conference semifinals series with 15 combined goals — the fifth-most in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. Subscribe to Scoreboard for more [[link removed]]. Ever wondered what your favorite athletes have been up to since they retired? Now’s your chance. Check out [[link removed]] the full Second Acts series, presented by Fidelity [[link removed]], today — five former athletes, five video interviews, five amazing stories of reinvention.*

*Sponsored Content

SPONSORED BY STUKENT

Help Student Athletes Master Personal Branding

In this one-hour webinar, Stuart Draper, Founder and CEO of Stukent [[link removed]], will be joined by Oklahoma State University’s Senior Associate Athletic Director Kevin Klintworth and OSU Professor of Marketing Dr. Maribeth Kuzmeski.

Join Stukent as they discuss the impact of the OSU Brand Squad and how you can help student-athletes hit the playing field with Stukent’s new NIL simulation and certification programs.

Join the free event [[link removed]] tomorrow!

Market Movers

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

WWE [[link removed]]

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$60.36

[[link removed]]

+0.42%

[[link removed]] EA [[link removed]]

Electronic Arts, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$130.04

[[link removed]]

+0.83%

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

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp

[[link removed]]

$162.49

[[link removed]]

+0.91%

[[link removed]] LYV [[link removed]]

Live Nation Entertainment Inc

[[link removed]]

$90.47

[[link removed]]

+5.57%

[[link removed]] FL [[link removed]]

Foot Locker Inc

[[link removed]]

$30.30

[[link removed]]

-0.46%

[[link removed]] ELY [[link removed]]

Callaway Golf Co.

[[link removed]]

$20.10

[[link removed]]

-0.64%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 5/19/22) What to Watch

The Boston Celtics face the Miami Heat on Thursday at FTX Arena. The Heat lead the Eastern Conference Finals playoff series 1-0.

How to Watch: 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Betting Odds: Heat -3.5 || ML -160 || O/U 208.5

Pick: Expect the Celtics to bounce back from Tuesday’s Game 1 loss. Take Boston to cover.

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Written by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]], Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]], Justin Byers [[link removed]]

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