FC Barcelona will need $535 million to avoid financial devastation, according to the vice president of the club’s economic department.

“It is what we need to save Barca,” Eduard Romeu told the Spanish daily newspaper Sport. 

The necessity for fresh capital follows heavy financial losses for Barcelona over the last year.

• In March 2021, Barcelona was technically bankrupt.
• Three months later, the club borrowed $605 million from Goldman Sachs.
• In October 2021, Barcelona reported $1.56 billion in debt.

Barcelona has already taken several steps to prevent financial collapse. 

The La Liga club — the second-most valuable soccer team in the world at $5 billion — is seeking approval for a cash injection of up to $750 million. Barcelona could receive the money by selling future media rights and a stake in its Barca Licensing & Merchandising subsidiary.

The club is reportedly in talks to sell a stake of its television rights to Bank of America in a deal valued at $645 million, per Bloomberg. Barcelona’s plan to sell the minority stake in its media rights — roughly 25% — will depend on a vote by club members on June 16. 

The club has already received offers for up to a 49.9% stake in its BLM business, but has deemed them to be too low. A sale of the stake could provide Barcelona with $214 million. 

More Help 

In March, Barcelona agreed to a long-term deal with audio streaming platform Spotify reportedly worth $306 million. Spotify will become the main sponsor of the club.

After luring in some of the world’s top golfers with massive paychecks, LIV Golf secured a suite of broadcast partners shortly before the start of its inaugural tournament.

The breakaway golf league, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has reportedly struck deals with numerous broadcasters including DAZN, DirecTV, L’Equipe, and Sina Sports to broadcast the tournament series in 150 countries and territories.

• DAZN’s rights cover the U.S., Canada, Japan, Italy, Spain, and German-speaking countries.
• DirecTV’s deal provides rights to Latin America. Sina Sports holds the rights in China, and L’Equipe will show the tournaments in France.
• LIV reportedly offered U.K. rights to Sky Sports and BT Sports but could not reach a deal.
• LIV is also broadcasting its first tournament at London’s Centurion Club, which runs from Thursday to Saturday, on YouTube, Facebook, and LIV’s website.

PGA Uproar

ESPN has backed the PGA Tour as it takes increasingly aggressive action to punish golfers who have joined LIV. Seventeen golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, have been suspended by the PGA Tour, while Dustin Johnson and Kevin Na have resigned from the Tour.

The PGA is considering lifetime bans for golfers who join LIV, sources told Front Office Sports.

LIV paid some golfers in excess of $100 million to join the tournament, and the prize purse at the London Invitational will be larger than any PGA tournament in history, with a winner’s prize of $4 million and a minimum payout for finishers of $120,000.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King and Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai were part of a $6 million funding round for Just Women’s Sports valuing the media platform at $36 million. 

The round, led by Tsai’s family office Blue Pool Capital, included Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang, NBA Top Shot creator Dapper Labs, VC firm Bolt Ventures, and others. 

Just Women’s Sports also introduced new additions to its roster of star-studded investors, including Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, former USWNT forward Abby Wambach, and former professional lacrosse player and Premier Lacrosse League co-founder Paul Rabil.  

• In May 2021, Just Women’s Sports raised $3.5 million in seed funding.
• The round was led by VC firm Will Ventures.
• It also included Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and Drive by DraftKings. 

Just Women’s Sports’ latest funding round follows promising financial growth and reach for the platform. It saw Q1 2022 revenue grow four times what it generated for the same period last year. Just Women’s Sports is also on pace to triple its Q1 2022 revenue in Q2. 

The platform has secured sponsorship and advertising deals with major players in sports, fashion, and tech, including Nike, Puma, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Cisco. 

Growing List 

Tsai’s backing of Just Women’s Sports adds to his growing list of sports-related investments.

Last year, he was part of a funding round for the PLL that included New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The Alibaba co-founder has also invested in the National Lacrosse League.