November 1, 2022

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A year ago this month, Crypto.com announced a 20-year, $700 million deal to change the name of Staples Center to Crypto.com Arena. Since then, the cryptocurrency market has been upended, leaving many wondering what’s next for all the expensive partnerships crypto companies struck in sports — and if the Lakers’ home will even hold onto its new name for much longer.

Crypto.com told Front Office Sports [[link removed]] that, despite the bear market, they’ve passed the 70 million user mark and are as confident as ever in their deals with the arena, Formula 1, UFC, and FIFA.

Women’s Soccer Is Growing and Drawing More Investors [[link removed]]

Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

As women’s soccer gains more fans, increased investment follows.

Setting The Pace — FIFA’s benchmarking report [[link removed]] covering women’s soccer — found that the number of women’s leagues with title sponsors has risen 11% from 2021 to 77%, while the number of leagues securing broadcasting revenue grew from nine to 10.

FIFA’s second edition of the report, which analyzes 30 leagues and 294 clubs, also revealed that 7% of clubs generate more than $1 million from matchday, broadcast, commercial, and prize money sources.

Clubs’ commercial revenue increased 33% year-over-year, and leagues’ commercial revenue jumped 24% year-over-year.

Clubs that sell merchandise on matchday generated $311,000 in commercial revenue, while clubs that don’t generated $116,000.Teams spending more than $100,000 on marketing and activation generated higher average commercial revenues of $1.1 million.

“The data in this year’s report underscores that organizations that are prepared to invest in women’s football are receiving return, and we expect this will only increase,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s chief women’s football officer.

Numbers Back It Up

The Women’s Euro 2022 was the most watched ever — with projected [[link removed]] cumulative live viewership of 365 million — as well as the best attended, averaging 18,544 fans.

The NWSL’s 2022 regular season drew [[link removed]] 1,042,063 fans — a record — and enjoyed [[link removed]] its highest-attended regular-season match in September with 32,000 spectators.

Predators’ Sale Will Reportedly Value NHL Club at $775M [[link removed]]

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Nashville Predators will reportedly be worth roughly $775 million on the completion of the team’s sale to former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam by the end of 2025.

In June, Haslam agreed [[link removed]] to purchase the NHL franchise from Predators Holdings, a consortium of 17 owners that purchased the team for $175 million in 2007.

Forbes valued [[link removed]] the Predators at $600 million in 2021 — a 38% increase from the year prior.Haslam — who has an estimated [[link removed]] net worth of $2.6 billion — will acquire majority ownership by purchasing [[link removed]] shares held by Predators Holdings’ current principal, healthcare entrepreneur Herbert Fritch, and others.His brother, Jimmy Haslam, is the owner of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.

Haslam’s Predators purchase will be the second-largest sale for an NHL franchise. It comes after Fenway Sports Group’s deal [[link removed]] to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins from billionaire Ron Burkle and former Penguins center Mario Lemieux for $900 million in 2021.

FSG also owns MLB’s Boston Red Sox and the Premier League’s Liverpool FC.

On The Rise

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league could see its salary cap rise [[link removed]] by $4 million for the 2023-24 season, depending on revenue and the ability to pay off roughly $1 billion in debt.

The NHL generated around $5.4 billion in hockey-related revenue last season. This season the cap saw a $1 million year-over-year increase and the first uptick in three years.

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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.

Serie A Club Could Sell Major Stake To U.S. Investors [[link removed]]

Udinese

U.S. investors are close to making their latest strike in European soccer.

An unnamed U.S.-based SPAC is close to buying a significant stake in Italian Serie A club Udinese from the Pozzo family, according [[link removed]] to The Athletic.

The deal will also likely include around 10% of Watford from the second-tier English Football League Championship.Udinese is valued at around $200 million. Watford’s estimated value is $160.6 million, but that could jump to $229.4 million should the team win promotion to the Premier League.There have also been talks of combining the transaction with a purchase of Sabadell, a team in Spain’s third-tier Primera Federación.

If the purchase is completed, the company holding the teams will seek to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

SPAC Drop

SPACs, which raise money in an initial public offering with the intent to acquire a private company and take it public, experienced a huge rise throughout the sports industry and beyond over the last two years, but are showing signs of a dropoff.

Total SPAC proceeds rocketed [[link removed]] to $83.4 billion in 2020 and then nearly tripled to $162.5 billion in 2021. This year, the investment vehicle has seen only $13.2 billion in proceeds, similar to 2019’s $13.6 billion.

The average IPO size for SPACs has been $160.5 million this year, which would be the lowest since 2014.

Indian National Cricket Teams to Equalize Pay for Men and Women [[link removed]]

Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most popular sports in the world is taking a big step toward gender equity.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that it will equalize pay for men’s and women’s teams.

“The match fee for both Men and Women Cricketers will be the same as we move into a new era of gender equality in Cricket,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted [[link removed]].

The pay for members of both teams will be $18,229 per test match, $7,292 for one-day internationals, and $3,646 for a Twenty20 international.India’s women players currently earn [[link removed]] $4,861 for tests and $1,215 for the other contests.

It’s unclear if there will be a change to the contract system. Under the current system, women at the top level earn $60,764 annually, $36,458 at the next level, and $12,153 below that.

In comparison, men make $850,694 annually at the highest level, and $607,639, $364,583, and $121,528 at the lower levels.

Cricket and The Mouse

Cricket has become an increasingly sought-after media property. In August, Disney Star acquired [[link removed]] broadcast rights to global events put on by the International Cricket Council from 2024 through 2027.

Terms weren’t disclosed, but officials said the price represented a “significant uplift” from Star’s previous pact, which was for $2.1 billion over five years.

In June, Disney Star secured domestic TV rights to the Indian Premier League in a $3 billion deal.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Setting The World Stage

As the world’s attention turns to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Front Office Sports goes off the pitch with leading figures behind the ultimate sports spectacle in Global Goals: The World Cup and Beyond virtual summit [[link removed]].

Join us on Wednesday, November 16 at 1 p.m. ET to hear from soccer analysts, former athletes, broadcasters and marketers on the experience of building one of the most impactful business and cultural events in sports and its reverberation on U.S. soccer [[link removed]]. In this virtual event you will:

Hear from renowned journalist Grant Wahl on the ground in Qatar to get an insider’s look at how the World Cup extravaganza comes together. Listen to veteran USMNT Forward and ESPN Analyst Herc Gomez discuss his own World Cup experience and his second act after soccer. Discuss the growth of the game and its return to North American soil in 2026 with acclaimed broadcaster, podcaster, author, and co-founder of Men in Blazers Media Network, Roger Bennett.

Register now [[link removed]]!

Conversation Starters The NBA is prepared to sell [[link removed]] an exclusive streaming-only package of games worth as much as $1 billion under its next media rights package, sources tell Front Office Sports. The lure of a deal with live games is likely to attract the world’s biggest streamers, including Amazon and Apple. Don’t miss the final matches of the group stage! Which players will step up and help their clubs punch a ticket to the knockout round? Stream every UEFA Champions League match live exclusively on Paramount+ [[link removed]].* The city of Miami might land its biggest [[link removed]] sports icon since LeBron took his talents to South Beach. Recent speculation had Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi either staying in France or returning to his beloved Barcelona — but according to one report, the GOAT is close to signing with MLS’ Inter Miami after years of courtship. From home runs to Hail Marys, Atmosphere Sports is bringing sports back to the center with scores, highlights, and more. Learn more [[link removed]].* You have to see the result [[link removed]] of Tennessee’s $288 million renovation of Neyland Stadium. Today's Action

MLB

08:03 PM

Astros (-125) at Phillies (+105)

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Ball State (+215) at Kent State (-255)

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07:40 PM

Bulls (+110) at Nets (-130)

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