94% Of English Soccer Bleeds Cash

The Independent Football Regulator, England's official watchdog for men's professional football, says wages and other costs are outpacing clubs' record £9B-plus combined revenue.

Over a quarter of clubs would run out of cash within 30 days if owners stopped funding them; club debt now totals £4.1B.

The regulator wants the Premier League, England's richest league, to share more money; a deal more than doubling payouts to lower leagues is close.

Municipal bonds let a city borrow from investors; taxes on certain D.C. businesses will help cover infrastructure and stadium-related costs.

Under D.C.'s $3.7B stadium plan, the Commanders, Washington's NFL team, will invest at least $2.7B and cover any cost overruns; public money tops $1B.

Investment banks Goldman Sachs and Loop Capital Markets could sell the bonds the week of Nov. 16, if market conditions allow.

Media company Just Women's Sports bought tech startup Victra Sports to build a central app for live scores, stats, and news.

This digital expansion leverages the brand's massive 115M monthly reach to attract 10M new fans into the growing women's sports ecosystem.

The business also launched specialized basketball and soccer sub-brands to provide distinct fan communities with their own dedicated programming and coverage.

The game drew 16.7M viewers to Amazon Prime Video, setting an all-time record for a Week 5 Thursday night football broadcast.

The platform is averaging 17.5M viewers for Thursday games this season, an 11% increase from last year that highlights growing digital sports audiences.

Despite the massive turnout, the event trailed two earlier games, breaking a trend of Dallas Cowboys appearances automatically setting season-high viewership records.

US marketing agency Relevent will manage media and sponsorship sales for major European soccer events from 2028 to 2036, replacing longtime partner CAA Eleven.

Relevent won the contract after successfully boosting revenues for European club tournaments, putting them on track to surpass €5B in annual commercial sales.

The agreement includes highly profitable global tournaments like the European Championship, which generated roughly €2B in broadcast and commercial income in 2024.

The American Express Hong Kong Sail Grand Prix runs January 23 and 24 in Victoria Harbor, opening global sailing league SailGP's 2027 season.

Payments company American Express will offer cardholders premium experiences, discounts, and early ticket access, aiming to make its cards more rewarding.

This is SailGP's first East Asian race since Singapore in 2023, as the league makes Asia its main expansion target for the next 5-10 years.

The race, backed by Rwanda's government, will use a new track near the capital, Kigali, starting in the early 2030s with no fixed year.

F1 says it has 100M fans in Africa, and 60% in key sub-Saharan markets are under 35, making Africa a young, growing market.

Human rights group Amnesty International called the race "sportswashing," saying Rwanda uses sport to polish its image despite abuses at home and in Congo.

The National Park Service, the agency managing federal parks, removed about 430 trees over the weekend, with 299 more slated for removal.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes froze all work until at least Tuesday afternoon, angry the government gave her court only one day's notice.

The work supports Trump's plan to turn the public course into a championship venue, though every U.S. Open through 2042 is already awarded.