Serena Williams may be following in the footsteps of Tom Brady as the latest athlete to return to their respective sport after mulling retirement. 

“I’ve just been saying that I think Tom Brady started a really cool trend,” Williams told “Good Morning America” in September when asked about a possible return to the tennis court. 

Ahead of the U.S. Open, the 23-time Grand Slam winner told Vogue that she was “evolving away from tennis,” but last week declared she was “not retired” at a TechCrunch conference. 

Williams — who Forbes ranked as the third-highest-paid tennis player this year with $35.1 million in earnings — said that her chances of returning to the sport are “very high.”

• As of June 2022, Williams’ estimated net worth was $260 million.
• She has pocketed $94 million in prize money since going pro in 1995.
• Williams has also invested in over 60 startups through her VC fund Serena Ventures. 

What was believed to be Williams’ last dance at the U.S. Open in September saw record-breaking viewership as millions tuned in to see one of the greatest athletes in history compete for perhaps the final time. 

Williams’ third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic averaged 4.6 million viewers — the most-watched tennis telecast in ESPN’s history. The results were an 18% uptick from ESPN’s previous record of 3.9 million in 2012 for the men’s final. 

Business Empire

Williams has invested in fitness-related companies, including Tonal. She is also a part-owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the NWSL’s Angel City FC.

The NWSL is on the right path to command an increase in its next media rights deal, according to one team owner.

Angel City FC lead investor Alexis Ohanian told Reuters that the league has “ammo” for negotiations when its reported $4.5 million, three-year TV rights deal expires at the end of 2023.

“When we were given CBS as the stage, we either competed with — matched or even outperformed — the MLS,” the co-founder of Reddit said. “Facts over feelings. When we’re put on that stage, the fans show up.”

• MLS, which averaged 343,000 viewers for its regular season, signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion media rights deal with Apple TV this year. 
• In comparison, CBS drew audiences ranging from 349,000 to 461,000 for NWSL regular-season games and the Challenge Cup. 
• Most NWSL games were streamed on Paramount+ and Amazon-owned Twitch in 2022, which has a roughly $1 million deal with the league. Streaming figures are not public.

“We’re a fraction of the size in terms of teams and age,” Ohanian said, referencing MLS, “but we’re already putting up some great numbers.”

Women’s Worldwide Negotiations

The NWSL isn’t the only organization seeking fair value for media rights in women’s soccer.

FIFA’s chief business officer Romy Gai said FIFA recently rejected several broadcast bids for the 2023 Women’s World Cup for being too low, adding that the offers didn’t reflect the popularity of women’s soccer.

Porsche appears to have a dance partner to enter Formula 1.

The iconic luxury carmaker is reportedly finalizing a deal to buy 50% of the Williams Racing team.

• Porsche would act as the engine supplier for the team.
• The partnership would kick in for the 2026 season, when F1 switches to using fully sustainable fuels and nearly triple the electric power in its vehicles.
• Porsche previously appeared to be near a similar deal with Red Bull, but the F1 team reportedly soured on the idea of selling half of its technology company.

If the deal is completed, Porsche will be one of two Volkswagen brands entering the grid in 2026: Audi has reportedly agreed to a deal with Sauber, which races under the Alfa Romeo name.

Williams already made headlines recently with the announcement prior to Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix that American Logan Sargeant will join its F1 team in 2023 if he receives the requisite number of points in his remaining F2 races.

Porsche Pops on Public Market

Porsche held an initial public offering on Sept. 29 at a $73 billion valuation, one of the highest in Europe’s history.

The company is off to a strong start on the Frankfurt stock exchange, rising nearly 19% since hitting the market.

Kevin Durant, Ray Lewis, and Pharrell Williams are part of a group teaming up to revitalize a Baltimore arena that has hosted everyone from NBA teams to the Beatles.

CFG Bank Arena — originally the Baltimore Civic Center and most recently Royal Farms Arena — received its new name Tuesday at a ceremony featuring Williams and Lewis as it prepares to reopen next year. 

The 61-year-old arena is one of the country’s oldest.

• The arena closed in May to undergo around $200 million in renovations. The revamped arena will hold 15,000 people and have upgraded concession stands, self-service food purchasing, and a new facade.
• The cash came from Durant’s Thirty-Five Ventures and developer Oak View Group.
• The arena hosted NBA teams the Baltimore Bullets and Washington Bullets, as well as teams from the American Hockey League, World Hockey Association, and others. Its most recent client was the Arena Football League’s Baltimore Brigade.
• The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association will play its basketball tournaments there in February.

Oak View’s Perspective

As part of the investment deal, Oak View will lease the arena from the city of Baltimore for 30 years at an annual rate of $1.75 million. The rate will rise with inflation, but the city will refund any taxes paid above that amount.

The company developed the Seattle Kraken’s $1.15 billion Climate Pledge Arena and built the New York Islanders’ $1.1 billion UBS Arena. Both hockey teams have invested in Oak View.