October 5, 2022

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Vinit Bharara knows a thing or two about business. Over the past 20 years, he’s sold companies to powerhouses like Amazon and Topps — and he still wants to accomplish more.

Right now, he’s focused on Mojo — a sports stock market app that lets you make real investments in the future of your favorite players. Bharara says it’ll revolutionize sports betting, and he’s backed by prolific entrepreneur Marc Lore and New York Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez (who recently bought the Minnesota Timberwolves together).

We spoke to Bharara about all of the above and much more on the latest episode of My Other Passion. Check out the full conversation on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

Everton in Takeover Talks With Soros-Led SPAC [[link removed]]

Everton FC

Everton FC has received takeover interest from a blank-check company co-led by Jeffrey Soros, the nephew of businessman and philanthropist George Soros, according to Bloomberg.

The Premier League club — the 16th-most valuable soccer team in the world at $940 million, per [[link removed]] Forbes — is having ongoing talks with LAMF Global Ventures Corp. I, but no deal is imminent.

LAMF raised $253 million in November 2021 in an initial public offering.Everton is owned by Farhad Moshiri, who first purchased a 50% stake in 2016.The club will have a new $566 million, state-of-the-art stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool.

Everton also has takeover interest from another U.S. investor.

In October, Minnesota-based investor Maciek Kaminski was in advanced [[link removed]] talks to purchase Everton in a deal believed to be worth roughly $446.8 million, according to the Financial Times.

Kaminski was initially going to make a bid [[link removed]] for Everton with former Chelsea and Manchester United CEO Peter Kenyon, investment banker Michael Klein, and Barrick Gold executive chair John Thornton.

Kaminski has since split with that group to make an offer of his own.

Iconic Takeovers

A deal for Everton would see the latest takeover of an iconic English club.

In May, a group co-led by Todd Boehly purchased Chelsea FC for $5.3 billion, which put nine of 20 Premier League clubs under American ownership.

Manchester United is also the subject of sale speculation [[link removed]] as its owner, the Glazer family, deals with pressure from fans due to concerns over the club’s viability and future.

Fan With 62nd Home Run Ball Faces Million-Dollar Decision [[link removed]]

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who is expected to sign a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars this offseason, may have made another millionaire with one historic swing on Tuesday night.

Texas Rangers fan Cory Youmans caught [[link removed]] Judge’s 62nd home run ball, which broke the American League single-season record set by Roger Maris in 1961.

When asked what he planned to do with the ball shortly after catching it, Youmans replied, “That’s a good question. I haven’t thought about it.”Many have estimated [[link removed]] that the ball could be worth millions.“It’d be great to get it back, but you know, that’s a souvenir for a fan,” Judge said after the game [[link removed]]. “They made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”

Judge’s 60th home run ball was caught by a fan and exchanged for four autographed balls, a signed game bat, and a meeting with Judge. His 61st landed in the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen and was given to Judge, who gave it to his mother, Patty.

Judge’s run at the record caused a surge [[link removed]] in ticket demand. Sales on StubHub for the Yankees’ final regular-season homestand jumped 60%, with bleacher seats more than doubling in price.

Good Judgment

Judge, 30, turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer [[link removed]] from the Yankees prior to this season. That decision could earn him an additional $100 million, as the Yankees will have to bid against the other 29 teams to retain the services of the likely American League MVP.

SPONSORED BY MOGL

The NIL Solution for All Athletes

MOGL [[link removed]] is the leading NIL technology connecting athlete influencers to brands for marketing campaigns and professional opportunities in a seamless and NCAA-compliant manner.

Recently, MOGL released revolutionary university solutions offering NIL deal development, disclosure, and education capabilities for partner institutions through a program called MOGL Monetize™ [[link removed]]. Universities interested in learning more can reach out to the MOGL team.

MOGL is minority-founded and led by Notre Dame classmates Ayden Syal (SBJ 30 Under 30) and former Notre Dame QB, Brandon Wimbush (FOS Rising 25). The platform is free to join and committed to supporting all athletes as they navigate this new era in collegiate athletics.

What’s more? MOGL has pledged to donate profits to Every Kid Sports to support the next generation of athletes.

Learn more [[link removed]].

ONE Championship Reports $111M in Losses for 2021 [[link removed]]

ONE Championship

Asia’s largest sports media property hasn’t emerged unscathed over the past financial year.

Combat sports promotion ONE Championship suffered losses [[link removed]] of $111 million in 2021, according to an annual filing with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority in Singapore.

ONE Championship — owned by Group ONE Holdings — ranks second in digital viewership [[link removed]] among global sports properties but has amassed $383 million in total losses as of Dec. 31, 2021.

ONE Championship saw marketing expenses reach $56 million in 2021.Costs of sales for the promotion hit $35 million during the same period.Total revenue reached $67.7 million in 2021, up 19% year-over-year.Revenue from media rights made up more than $50 million of total revenue in 2021.

ONE Championship could hit the public market soon, as its parent company prepares for an initial public offering.

In August, Group ONE announced plans to change [[link removed]] its legal domicile from Singapore to the Cayman Islands. The company originally planned to go public via a SPAC merger and had previously been linked to Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs for the deal.

Going Global

In January, Group ONE raised [[link removed]] $150 million in a funding round led by Guggenheim Investments and the Qatar Investment Authority, valuing ONE Championship at $1.4 billion and allowing for expansion outside of Asia.

In July, it agreed [[link removed]] to a multiyear streaming rights deal with Amazon Prime Video and secured [[link removed]] a pact in September with BeIN Media Group to broadcast events in North Africa and the Middle East.

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, MLB revenue is set to top pre-pandemic levels, the Supreme Court dismisses Oakland’s suit against the NFL regarding the Raiders’ relocation, a European video game publisher sells for $642 million, and Ukraine is reportedly added to a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. On Wednesday, Boise State football released [[link removed]] a trading card program — created in part with LEARFIELD’s licensing services — featuring every member of the team. Giannis Antetokounmpo gives us the key [[link removed]] to what really makes NBA players great.

SPONSORED BY ODDSCHECKER

Ohio: Have You Claimed $100 From FanDuel?

Big news, Ohio! Legalized sports betting is coming to the state. This means very soon you can place bets on things like Bears vs. Washington on FanDuel Sportsbook [[link removed]].

To celebrate this and prepare for sports betting going live, FanDuel is giving away $100 FREE to anyone who registers an account today!

All you have to do is register [[link removed]] to FanDuel Sportsbook today, and you will get a completely FREE $100 when sports betting goes live.

This is a limited-time-only promotion, so don’t hang around on this. Ohio sports betting goes live on January 1st, 2023. And on that date, you will have $100 in your wallet.

Claim now [[link removed]].

Market Movers

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

MTN [[link removed]]

Vail Resorts Inc.

[[link removed]]

$224.01

[[link removed]]

+0.05%

[[link removed]] CMCSA [[link removed]]

Comcast Corp

[[link removed]]

$30.82

[[link removed]]

+0.13%

[[link removed]] CWH [[link removed]]

Camping World Holdings Inc

[[link removed]]

$26.90

[[link removed]]

+0.94%

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

Nike, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$91.13

[[link removed]]

+4.15%

[[link removed]] T [[link removed]]

AT&T, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$15.95

[[link removed]]

-0.44%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 10/5/22) What to Watch

The South Florida Bulls (1-4) face the Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1) on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

How to Watch: 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / Stream USF vs. Cincinnati exclusively on ESPN+ [[link removed]]*

Betting Odds: Cincinnati -27.5 || ML -8000 || O/U 59.5

Pick: Expect the Bulls to avoid a blowout loss. Take South Florida to cover.

*Sponsored content. Game availability differs by market, check your local listing.

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Written by Justin Byers [[link removed]], Owen Poindexter [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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