Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
The Brandr Group Makes Two Executive Leadership Changes
Brian Learst has been named CEO of The Brandr Group, a sports brand management firm. He replaces Wesley Haynes, who founded the company and was CEO since 2014. Learst was the founder and CEO of Quint, a live event travel and experience company, prior to selling the company to Liberty Media in 2024. Additionally, The Brandr Group has named Jody Billiard as COO and CFO. Billiard was most recently the CFO of the Riley Power Group, a service provider in the nuclear defense and energy industries, where he was responsible for operations and finance.
PARTNERSHIPS
Elevate Named by BAFTA to Lead Partnership Strategy and Sales
Elevate, a full-service consulting firm, has been appointed by BAFTA, an arts charity and academy championing the screen industries, to lead its commercial partnership strategy and sales. Elevate will secure commercial partnerships for BAFTA’s events and philanthropic initiatives, including the EE BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises, and the BAFTA Games Awards. Elevate will design partnerships with commercial brands. BAFTA’s has’s brand partnerships include EE, P&O Cruises, Bvlgari, Don Julio, Lancôme, Dunhill, Netflix, The Savoy, and Champagne Taittinger.
AECOM Named Official Venue Infrastructure Partner for Los Angeles Olympics
AECOM has announced that it has been named the Official Venue Infrastructure Partner for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA. AECOM will support the delivery of the venue infrastructure program for the 50-plus Olympic and Paralympic sports, 800 events, and over 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The company has done infrastructure work for Olympics in London in 2012, Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. AECOM will help deliver LA28’s venue infrastructure program, which relies on temporary venues and temporary overlays on existing permanent venues.
Delta Air Lines Becomes Official Global Airline of PGA Tour
Delta Air Lines has entered into a multi-year agreement with the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. As part of the partnership, Delta and the PGA Tour will provide experiences to SkyMiles members through the SkyMiles experiences platform, including offering access to TPC Network golf courses, which includes TPC Sawgrass. Delta customers can also anticipate seeing Delta-sponsored PGA Tour players Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Stewart Cink showcased throughout digital content on both Delta and PGA Tour channels. This agreement builds on the airline’s existing support in the golf world, notably Delta’s role as a tournament partner of the Masters Tournament and sponsor of the Mizuho Americas Open for the LPGA, as well as ambassador partnerships with players across the PGA and in women’s golf.
BWT Alpine Formula One Team Announces Partnership With Viagogo
BWT Alpine Formula One Team has announced a partnership with Viagogo, the ticket marketplace, making viagogo’s brand visible across BWT Alpine Formula One Team’s garage environment, hospitality areas and digital platforms throughout the 2025 season and beyond.
Under Armour, Baltimore Orioles and Baseball Factory Partner on Game
Under Armour, the Baltimore Orioles and Baseball Factory will partner to put on the 2025 UA Next All-America Game. It will take place at Camden Yards on Saturday, Sept. 13, showcasing the nation’s top 40 high school baseball players.
NWSL’s NC Courage Team With Inmar Intelligence on Marketing
The North Carolina Courage of the NWSL and Inmar Intelligence, a technology-driven media and incentive provider, announced a multiyear partnership for sports marketing and fan engagement. Inmar’s data analytics will be applied to the fan experience as well as the club’s ticketing, marketing and engagement strategies. This partnership will integrate digital media, influencer activations, out-of-home advertising and loyalty programs directly with the club’s ticketing platform. Inmar will also become the Courage’s official back-of-kit sponsor for the next two seasons.
U.S. SailGP Names AG1 as Nutrition Partner, Mbappé Invests in French Team
The United States SailGP Team and AG1, a global nutrition company, announced today a new multiyear partnership that names AG1 as the Official Foundational Nutrition Partner for the team. AG1 will provide the U.S. SailGP Team with access to daily nutrition support. As part of the agreement, AG1 will have its branding showcased on the U.S. SailGP Team’s F50, team kit and team base at SailGP races globally starting with this weekend’s Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix. Coalition Capital, owned by the French soccer star Kylian Mbappé, has announced its investment in the France SailGP Team. Mbappé’s Inspired by KM (IBKM) association will become the French team’s official charity partner.
Cricket Australia Partners With Two Circles
Cricket Australia has joined forces with international sports and entertainment marketing specialists Two Circles to amplify its commercial approach, drive revenue growth and promote cricket’s global reach. Two Circles has expanded its presence in Australia, appointing Rod Woodford as sales director to lead the relationship.
Big Sky Conference Inks Media Rights Extension With Scripps Sports
The Big Sky Conference and Scripps Sports have entered into a five-year renewal, extending their relationship through at least the 2029-30 academic year. Scripps Sports currently airs Big Sky games on 18 Scripps-owned stations in all eight states of the league’s footprint. Following ESPN’s selections, Scripps will have the right to broadcast annually at least 12 conference football games featuring Montana and Montana State, with each team playing at least one conference game per season in primetime. Also included in the contract, Scripps will have the right to select, after ESPN, as many as eight women’s or men’s basketball games involving Montana or Montana State for broadcast, as well as the four “Brawl of the Wild” games between their men’s and women’s basketball squads.
Liverpool FC Adds Visit Maldives to Global Partnership Portfolio
Liverpool FC has agreed a multiyear global partnership with Visit Maldives, making it the club’s official tourist destination partner. The partnership, which is inclusive of the club’s men’s and women’s teams, will drive awareness of the Maldives as a tourist destination, while demonstrating the activities, heritage and locations the island country has to offer. Fans will have the chance to win a five-night trip to the Maldives, including flights and accommodation, through a MyLFC competition.
Husqvarna Enters Into Partnership With Nick Faldo as UK Brand Ambassador
Husqvarna, an outdoor power products and robotic mowers firm, has entered into a UK partnership with golfer Nick Faldo, who has signed as one of the brand’s key ambassadors, for both its professional and residential range of smart robotic mowers. Husqvarna has also secured deals with former golf professional Iona Stephen, Golf Life channel, including Peter Dale (Soccer AM’s Tubes), his brother Ange and ex-England international Jimmy Bullard, and also OuttaBoundz, a production company and social channel formed of ex-England football professional Jay Bothroyd and Trey Niven, a PGA professional and full-time golf coach. The brand has also partnered with television personality and golf enthusiast Mark Wright.
Team Combat League Signs Sponsorship Deal With HotelPlanner.com
Team Combat League has entered into a sponsorship agreement with HotelPlanner.com, a provider of individual, group and corporate travel bookings. The deal will see HotelPlanner.com serve as TCL’s exclusive and official hotel booking engine and will formally be recognized as the Official Hotel Reservations Partner of TCL, serving to fulfill all of the league’s lodging needs. In addition, TCL will amplify HotelPlanner.com’s visibility through targeted email campaigns and digital and social media promotion along with providing access to TCL’s intellectual property, editorial photo right, and the use of the TCL logo and website links. The partnership will also have HotelPlanner.com showcased across Team Combat League’s digital and social platform.
Horizon Sports & Experiences and Fox Sports Partner on Women’s Hoops Event
Horizon Sports & Experiences and Fox Sports are collaborating on an early-season women’s college basketball showcase, the Shark Beauty Women’s Champion Classic, set for Dec. 20, and scheduled to tip off in primetime on Fox. This event will feature games between Tennessee and Louisville and Iowa and UConn. The event will remain in New York after the inaugural event attracted a crowd of more than 11,000 and peaked at 800,000 viewers on FOX.
AVP Strikes Multiyear Broadcast Deal CW Network and CBS Sports
The AVP, a professional beach volleyball league, has entered into a national broadcast partnership with The CW Network and CBS Sports. The CW will broadcast professional beach volleyball matches live on AVP Saturday Nights from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend from 8-10 p.m. ET. CBS Television Network will broadcast the 2025 AVP League Championship on Aug. 31, from 2-4 p.m. ET in addition to matches airing on CBS Sports Network throughout the season.
PRODUCTS
Roku Offers National Women’s Soccer League Zone as Season Opens
Roku announced the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Zone, a new destination in Roku Sports. The NWSL Zone will showcase live games and related programming from the professional women’s soccer league. Within the NWSL Zone, fans can find where to watch live games for free or purchase, as well as short-form content such as clips, highlight reels and re-airs. NWSL games will be featured in several sports-focused zones, including the Sports Zone, Soccer Zone and Women’s Sports Zone.
Soft2Bet to Launch iGaming Products in United States
Soft2Bet announced plans to launch in the U.S., headlined by the debut of its Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA) product, made possible through a market access agreement with Caesars Entertainment. The launch will see Soft2Bet unveil a new iGaming brand in New Jersey, following necessary regulatory approvals, with a target date of this summer.
PURCHASES
Dayton Dragons Welcome Diamond Baseball Holdings as New Owner
Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC, led by Nick Sakellariadis, Greg Rosenbaum and Mike Savit, announced it has entered into an agreement to sell the Dayton Dragons to Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), an organization that owns and operates select minor league clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB). The club will remain in Dayton as the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and join the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats, on the DBH roster. The Dragons existing front office staff, led by President Robert Murphy, will continue to operate the club. The Dragons have sold out each of their 1,573 home games at Day Air Ballpark over the past 24 seasons, which the club says marks the longest sellout streak in North American pro sports history.
Crossfit Enlists Moelis in Search for Potential Buyer
Crossfit has initiated a process to find a new owner. In 2020, Berkshire Partners invested in CrossFit, and now the company has announced it will work with Moelis & Company to help review potential buyers.
Craveworthy Brands Adds Cinnamon Roll Concept Backed by Suh
Craveworthy Brands, a restaurant company and franchisor, has acquired Kinnamōns, a cinnamon roll customization bakery founded by former NFL star Ndamukong Suh that is based in Oregon. Craveworthy Brands, which has been on an acquisition spree in recent months, will place Suh on its advisory board.
Major League Table Tennis Adds Expansion Teams in New York and Atlanta
Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), the first professional table tennis league in the United States, announced the addition of two new teams, the New York Slice and the Atlanta Blazers. These teams will join MLTT’s eight original teams for Season 3, beginning in September. The expansion to 10 teams reflects follows the league’s recent national media deal with CBS Sports. MLTT also closed a $5.5 million financing round in October 2024.
