2025-12-05
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Finance & Investments
The deal follows other Gulf state F1 investments, including in McLaren and Sauber.
The team posted a £40.4M loss last year despite rising F1 team valuations.
PIF’s sports portfolio includes Newcastle United, LIV Golf, and four domestic football clubs.
The bid is a mostly cash offer of $28 per share for WBD.
The acquisition excludes WBD's linear cable networks, including the TNT Sports division.
WBD's excluded cable networks are planned to be spun off into an independent company.
Proceeds support his $4B+ purchase of the Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise.
He has been the sole owner of the Carolina hockey team since 2021.
The sale likely involves under 50% equity to ensure he retains majority control.
The funding round was co-led by Partech and Game Changers Ventures.
Its AI coach analyzes gameplay for EA’s F1 Series and iRacing to improve lap times.
The platform targets 190M monthly racing gamers and 90M hobbyist racetrack drivers.
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Media, Broadcasting & Sponsorships
The organization is nearing its $2.5B sponsorship target for its overall $7.1B budget.
LA28 added 15 new sponsors this year, including four top-tier founding partners.
It is the first committee authorized by the IOC to sell venue naming rights.
The company will manage over 2,000 retail locations across 16 stadiums.
The tournament features 104 matches in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Fanatics will also oversee retail operations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Phil Knight's 2016 memoir "Shoe Dog" ranks as the year's top sports audiobook.
The top 10 podcast list also includes fantasy football, outdoors, and YouTube creators.
Running is a popular audiobook theme, with three of the top 10 books.
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Teams & Leagues
The plan would replace a scholarship deduction with a 20% "luxury tax" penalty.
Currently, the $20.5M cap is effectively $18M for most schools after deductions.
Including a planned 4% raise, athletes could see $3.3M in new money next year.
The group claims the league's proposed model amounts to under 15% of total revenue.
Negotiators seek to eliminate the core franchise tag and shorten rookie contracts to three years.
The WNBA player union also opposes an early March start date that limits earning opportunities in other leagues.
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Miscellaneous
A survey of 30,000 people reveals 64% of Gen Z prioritize fitness spending over dating.
This generation is twice as likely as Gen X to list weight training as their primary sport.
ASICS Novablast became the year's top running shoe, followed by the Nike Pegasus.
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