October 26, 2022

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“Call of Duty” is a cultural phenomenon, bringing in over $30 billion in total revenue to date with 425 million units sold. After 12 years as an executive at the NFL, Johanna Faries joined Activision Blizzard to lead the business behind the game.

On the latest episode of My Other Passion, we spoke with Faries about the upcoming “Modern Warfare 2” release, representation in the video game industry, how yoga has helped her career, and much more. Listen or watch now on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

LeBron, KD Investing In Fanatics’ Mitchell & Ness [[link removed]]

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Vintage sports jersey maker Mitchell & Ness is adding athletes to its already impressive celebrity investor list.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, CJ McCollum, Devin Booker, James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Odell Beckham Jr. are investing [[link removed]] in the company in which Fanatics purchased a 75% stake at a $250 million valuation in February — five times the amount Adidas sold it for in 2016 to Juggernaut Capital Partners.

The remaining 25% went to a celebrity cohort including [[link removed]] Maverick Carter, Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, and the D’Amelio family.The athletes, as well as Kevin Hart, Rich Paul, Rich Kleiman, Scooter Braun, and Steve Stoute, will be part of the cohort.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin told CNBC that Mitchell & Ness grew 30% this year, making it a $350 million business.

“Athletes, celebrities, and artists are sick of just getting checks, they want to make money from equity,” Rubin said. “They want to be partners in these businesses.”

Fanatics is valued at $27 billion.

League Lock

Mitchell & Ness, which operates [[link removed]] as a separate brand from Fanatics, secured a deal with the NHL, NHLPA, and NHL Alumni Association in June to collaborate on licensed apparel and accessories.

At the time of the announcement, the company said the first products will be available in November.

Foot Locker, Gap Remove Yeezy-Related Products From Stores [[link removed]]

Foot Locker Inc.

Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — is no longer on Forbes’ billionaires list as businesses and athletes continue to drop him and his products.

Foot Locker has become the latest brand to end its relationship with the rapper and designer over antisemitic comments he made on social media platforms. The sneaker and activewear retailer sent an internal message to its 2,799 brick-and-mortar locations to pull all Yeezy footwear from its sales floors immediately.

Gap also ended its deal with Ye, removing Yeezy Gap merchandise from its stores and shutting down YeezyGap.com.

The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald announced [[link removed]] they would be leaving Donda Sports — Ye’s sports marketing agency. Adidas immediately [[link removed]] halted production of Yeezy products and stopped all payments to Ye’s companies on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, Ye was estimated [[link removed]] to be worth $2 billion — ranking 1,513 on Forbes’ rich list.He is now estimated to be worth $400 million after Adidas terminated its deal.

Foot Locker generated [[link removed]] $2.07 billion in revenue in Q2 2022, down from $2.28 billion for the same period last year. The company reported a net income of $94 million, compared to $430 million in Q2 2021.

The Songs Will Play

Ye still has the support of one of the biggest companies in music — Spotify. The audio streaming giant has decided to not remove Ye’s music from its platform.

“It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy,” said [[link removed]] Spotify CEO Daniel Ek.

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Innovation at The Worldwide Leader in Sports

“WSC helps us deploy resources in areas for maximum impact,” says Kevin Lopes, ESPN’s VP of Business Development and Innovation. Read the full interview [[link removed]] to learn how ESPN is utilizing WSC Sports.

Your most creative people need time to craft stories for fans. You can’t provide the best experience without automation. WSC Sports [[link removed]] automates the instant creation and distribution of video highlights using proprietary AI technology.

In addition to ESPN, over 250 partners, including the NBA, NHL, MLS, WarnerMedia, and YouTube TV, rely on WSC Sports for the premier modern fan experience.

Schedule time [[link removed]] with WSC executive David Gavant to learn how they can help automate content creation and distribution.

Audi to Buy Stake in Sauber, Join Formula 1 in 2026 [[link removed]]

Formula 1

Audi is officially joining Formula 1 when the series revamps its engine regulations.

The Volkswagen-owned carmaker confirmed [[link removed]] longstanding rumors and announced its team-up with Sauber, beginning in 2026.

Audi plans to acquire a stake in the Sauber Group.

Ferrari will remain Sauber’s power unit supplier through the 2025 season.Audi will construct the power units at its Neuburg facility, which it will expand throughout 2023 in personnel, building space, and technical infrastructure.The first tests of Audi’s F1 power unit will come in 2025.

Porsche, another Volkwagen-owned brand, appears likely to join [[link removed]] Audi in 2026, as its deal to buy 50% of Williams Racing is reportedly close. Porsche previously appeared to have a similar deal in place with Red Bull, but the racing team reportedly backed out.

Climate Shift

Audi was lured into the global racing series by its commitments to sustainability.

“Formula 1 is taking a big step towards sustainability with the new regulations that will come into effect from 2026,” Audi said. “This was an important prerequisite for Audi to decide to enter the championship.”

In 2026, F1 will require an electric drivetrain that has as “nearly as much power as the internal combustion engine,” per Audi, as well as CO2-neutral sustainable synthetic fuel.

Conversation Starters Pickleball is exploding in popularity, and the Front Office Sports team digs into the phenomenon in the latest episode of the Newsroom. Thomas Shields, founder of pickleball media site The Dink, joined the show to delve into the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. Listen on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]] and YouTube [[link removed]]. Testimony in the wrongful death suit of Gee vs. NCAA revealed [[link removed]] decades of sports medicine documents that disappeared from NCAA archives. Howard University signed a 20-year deal with Jordan Brand this summer, and the HBCU’s marching band was recently seen wearing [[link removed]] unreleased Cherry Air Jordan 11s.

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Market Movers

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

GOLF [[link removed]]

Acushnet Holdings Corp

[[link removed]]

$45.70

[[link removed]]

+1.08%

[[link removed]] DIS [[link removed]]

Walt Disney Co (The)

[[link removed]]

$104.71

[[link removed]]

+1.21%

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

Nike, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$92.31

[[link removed]]

+1.52%

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

AT&T, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$18.09

[[link removed]]

+2.64%

[[link removed]] RCI [[link removed]]

Rogers Communications Inc.

[[link removed]]

$42.70

[[link removed]]

+7.18%

[[link removed]] MTN [[link removed]]

Vail Resorts Inc.

[[link removed]]

$218.55

[[link removed]]

-0.66%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 10/26/22) What to Watch

The Denver Broncos (2-5) face the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) on Sunday in London’s Wembley Stadium as part of the NFL International Series.

How to Watch: 9:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+ / Stream Broncos vs. Jaguars exclusively on ESPN+ [[link removed]]*

Betting Odds: Jaguars -2.5 || ML -140 || O/U 39

Pick: Expect Russell Wilson to get back on track. Take Denver to cover.

Game availability differs by market, check your local listing.

Refer Friends to Score Your Favorite Team’s Jersey

Front Office Sports is celebrating that Paramount+ is home to world-class soccer matches from around the globe by giving away five authentic official jerseys.

How can you score one? Refer your friends and colleagues to Front Office Sports. Copy and paste your unique link below and share it in an email or on your timeline.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between October 24, 2022 @ 12:01 a.m. ET – December 18, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Open to US residents age 18+ only. 1 entry per person. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules [[link removed]] for details.

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