2026-09-15
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Finance & Investments
Deutsche Bank, the German lender, found the big four US leagues gained 16.0% a year over the past decade, beating the S&P 500's 14.5%.
Scarcity is the main reason, with only about 124 US franchises and 20 Premier League clubs, and several teams now worth over $10B.
The bank cautions that growth should cool as huge TV deals, such as the NFL's $125B package through 2033, hit saturated markets.
The 20 richest American team owners are now worth a combined $666B, up 10% from last year.
Ballmer, the ex-Microsoft CEO worth $156B, was banned for a year after the NBA found his Clippers hid payments to a star player.
Stan Kroenke, who controls six teams including the LA Rams and Arsenal, saw his fortune jump 30% to $27.6B.
The digital soccer media platform raised $1M from investors like professional player Alejandro Bedoya, valuing the startup at $5M.
The company is using the money to financially support independent local soccer podcasts without taking any ownership of their shows.
Sponsored by tire manufacturer Continental, the project inserts national news into local broadcasts to fix a major American soccer coverage gap.
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Media, Broadcasting & Sponsorships
The season opener between the Patriots and Seahawks averaged 25.1M viewers, peaking at 27.4M early in the broadcast.
While viewership fell 12% from last year, this marks TV network NBC's fourth straight kickoff game exceeding 25M viewers.
The broadcast achieved record viewership among younger adults and included new streaming audience data from television measurement firm Nielsen.
Disney+, the streaming service owned by Disney, will show Swedish subscribers up to seven NFL games a week, including the Super Bowl.
Four of those games air at European-friendly times, with live Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night coverage plus morning replays and Swedish commentary.
The deal extends the NFL's European expansion, following new agreements in Spain, Ireland, France, and Germany, where Sky airs over 200 games yearly.
The three companies founded the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance, run by TechNet, a trade group representing large technology firms in Washington.
US regulators opened an inquiry into a 1961 law that lets sports leagues sell TV rights collectively, after games moved behind streaming paywalls.
The group will push for rules that treat streaming and broadcast equally, protecting its ability to keep buying live sports.
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Teams & Leagues
Basketball team owner Steve Ballmer paid a $30M fine and accepted a one-year suspension after previously fighting the league's strict ruling.
The team will also lose five future draft picks and suspend key executives over illegal salary agreements with star player Kawhi Leonard.
This compliance allows the franchise to finally complete a delayed blockbuster trade sending Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for new players.
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Miscellaneous
Olympic athletes criticized the betting platform's ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, arguing it sexualizes women's sports rather than highlighting true athletic achievements.
The backlash follows a $75M funding round led by investment firm Pantera Capital to support the platform's massive $4B in annualized trading volume.
This marketing misstep compounds ongoing legal battles, as state regulators accuse the company of operating illegal gambling products disguised as unregulated financial contracts.
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