2026-05-22
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Finance & Investments
The Saudi-backed league anticipates reaching profitability in three years under the new business plan shown to prospective investors.
LIV doubled revenue from 2024 to 2025 and expects another $100M jump this year, backed by deals with HSBC, Rolex and Fox.
Investment bank Ducera Partners is running the process, which officially launched Thursday after Saudi Arabia's PIF pulled future funding.
Sports collectibles platform Fanatics Collect brokered the $1.35M private sale for this unique, single-print 2018 trading card.
The deal shatters his previous $312K record, making it the second most expensive soccer card ever sold behind a $1.5M Lionel Messi item.
This historic purchase highlights a booming soccer memorabilia market as wealthy collectors seek rare investments ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
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Media, Broadcasting & Sponsorships
Fox, the English-language broadcaster, is charging between $15M and $50M for premium tournament sponsorships.
Advertisers are eager to buy commercials because the 2026 matches will be hosted locally across the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Telemundo, the US Spanish-language network, is also seeing massive demand from brands wanting to reach soccer fans.
The new global showjumping competition invited 20 production companies to pitch for broadcasting rights for its 14-event inaugural 2027 season.
Backed by McCourt Global, a billionaire-owned investment firm, the league offers a massive $300M prize pool, dwarfing existing competition payouts.
To attract new audiences, the league also partnered with Box to Box Films, the television producers behind Formula 1’s popular documentary series.
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Teams & Leagues
Veteran promoter Scott Coker and venture capitalist Peter Levin secured $60M to fund a new tournament-style mixed martial arts league.
The unnamed company plans to host its first live fights in early 2027 while it works to secure media deals and talent.
The founders aim to discover the next generation of fighting stars to compete in an industry currently dominated by the UFC.
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian estimates every SEC team spends at least $30M on players, with some nearing $50M.
These totals easily bypass the $20.5M official cap because programs use unmonitored third-party sponsorship deals to acquire top athletes.
Top college stars like quarterback Arch Manning help keep school costs down by making millions through independent endorsement deals instead.
Illinois lawmakers face a May 31 deadline to pass a tax bill needed for the NFL team to build a suburban stadium.
The legislation is critical because construction costs for the $5B development are increasing by $10M every month during these delays.
If state politicians cannot agree, the football team could abandon Illinois for an already approved location in neighboring Indiana.
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Miscellaneous
The prediction market platform filed to offer combined sports bets where users only win a payout if every selected outcome is correct.
By self-certifying these contracts, the company bypasses prior approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and plans a late May launch.
This expansion aims to combat falling trading volumes against rival Kalshi while testing legal boundaries between federal derivatives oversight and state gambling laws.
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