Sport & Story Daily September 13, 2024

Picking and Owning

September 13, 2024

Good morning! See what companies, athletes and teams are investing in.

Fox to take up option to buy 18.6% of FanDuel at cut-price US$4.3bn
Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch intends to exercise the company’s right to purchase 18.6% of betting firm FanDuel. They estimate the deal is worth $4.3 billion. The market value of the deal would be about $6.8 billion. FanDuel is currently worth $35 billion. The option expires in 2030.
^{SportsPro Media}

Juncos Hollinger Racing to display in-car digital screens in bid to enhance sponsor value
Juncos Hollinger Racing is the first IndyCar team to embed digital advertising in its cars. Seamless Digital helped bring the technology to F1 in 2022. Elongated screens will now wrap around the inner aero screen area of the car.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard Strikes NIL Deal With Dick’s Sporting Goods
Riley Leonard signed an NIL deal with Dick’s Sporting Goods. He is in the top 25 of On3’s NIL 100 with a valuation of $1.1 million. Leonard chose to share the NIL opportunity with his linemen. He shared the fees and gift cards with the men who protect him every week.
^{Front Office Sports}

Christian McCaffrey Is NFL’s Biggest Advertising Star in Week 1
Christian McCaffrey didn’t see the field in Week 1 but was on the screen a lot. He starred in the most commercials of any current or former player or coach aired during nationally broadcast games in Week 1. He was the only player to be featured in three separate ads on Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. Lowe’s, Uber Eats and Visa featured McCaffrey.
^{Front Office Sports}

NRL 2024 viewership up 30% YoY on Kayo Sports
The 2024 National Rugby League regular season was the most watched of all time across Foxtel’s linear and digital platforms, including over-the-top platform Kayo Sports. Kayo Sports viewership went up by 30% year-over-year. This is the seventh consecutive year the NRL has seen viewership growth on Foxtel.
^{SportsPro Media}

Scottie Scheffler, Randy Moss Invest In Sports Fishing League
Olympic gold medalist Scottie Scheffler and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss are investing in the Sport Fishing Championship. It is an international saltwater finishing league. Alvin Kamara, Grant Williams and Brian Kelley also invested in the league.
^Sportico

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes says he will not endorse anybody for president
During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris like to see famous people endorsing them. Patrick Mahomes said he will not endorse either of the presidential runners, even as Donald Trump continued to call Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, a supporter of his campaign. Mahomes’ statement came less than a day after Travis Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift endorsed Harris for the presidency.
^{AP Sports}

Colorado St. adding field sponsor for Colorado game
CSU faces Colorado this week in the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Colorado State is set to unveil a partnership with HR technology provider UKG that includes the company’s logo on the 50-yard line at the game.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Pac-12 lands four MWC schools for conference rebuild
The Pac-12 is rebuilding for the 2026-27 school year. The conference voted unanimously to admit Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State to the conference beginning July 1, 2026. The four programs will join Oregon State and Washington State.
^{Sports Business Journal}

FBI Contacted George Mason Over Botched Bahamas Basketball Bash
The FBI’s Washington Field Office has been in touch with George Mason University’s athletic department about a “foreign tour” for the men’s basketball team to the Bahamas that was canceled shortly before the departure date. The airline and hotel accommodations had not been secured. GMU had contracted with The VII Group to arrange the trip and paid them $160,000.
^Sportico

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