Joshua Kushner Wants To Buy FIFA For $4.2B

The global soccer body is offering a 21% stake to an investor group led by venture capitalist Joshua Kushner.

This deal would raise $4.2B to triple development funding for member nations, giving smaller countries vital cash to grow the sport.

European soccer authority UEFA strongly opposes the sale, arguing that the sport belongs to fans and should never be sold for private profit.

The Saudi-backed golf league is scrapping its August season finale, eliminating a planned $40M prize pool for the participating teams.

The cancellation occurs as the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the league's primary financial backer, plans to halt its support after this season.

With two tournaments left in a shortened schedule, the organization is urgently seeking $350M from new investors to survive into 2027.

The federally regulated sports exchange secured the funds from investment firms Parlay Capital and Data Point Capital to scale its platform.

Active users and platform assets grew by 50% in 30 days after the company received federal approval to operate.

Unlike traditional sportsbooks, the platform lets users trade directly with each other and aims to triple its trading volume by 2026.

The university will place logos from financial services company SoFi on its uniforms in an agreement worth up to $20M annually.

The new revenue will help offset soaring athletic expenses, as assembling a modern college football roster now costs over $40M.

Banking giant JPMorganChase will pay $17M annually to put its logo on uniforms for all 36 sports teams at Ohio State University.

This college sponsorship exceeds the average $10M per season earned by professional NBA teams for similar jersey advertising.

The US soccer league will review a plan to remove complex spending limits, allowing teams to freely invest across their entire rosters.

Sparked by the arrival of global star Lionel Messi, the rule overhaul aims to elevate overall team quality ahead of the 2027 season.

Improving team quality is critical to boosting television ratings before the league's current $275M annual broadcasting contract with tech giant Apple expires in 2029.

The Chicago event hosted nearly 20K fans, breaking league records and outdrawing the men's NBA All-Star Game for the first time ever.

League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced a record 73M viewers by mid-season, easily beating the previous full-season record of 63M.

This massive growth follows expanded national TV coverage and a historic union contract that secured major salary increases for players.

German football executive Axel Hellmann confirmed the national sports association is preparing a World Cup hosting campaign utilizing the country's strong existing infrastructure.

The event requires significant public investment to modernize stadiums, aiming to replicate the massive global branding boost of their 2006 tournament.

Hellmann also criticized global soccer governing body FIFA for record-high match tickets, warning that expensive admission creates social barriers excluding everyday fans.

The baseball franchise and greeting card maker Hallmark plan to build a $3B downtown stadium and entertainment district by 2031.

Labor advocacy groups are demanding a citizen vote on an already approved $600M city funding package for the project.

This public pressure follows an April 2024 vote where local residents strongly rejected using taxpayer money for a new ballpark.