Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (February 6-19)

(01:05) - Feel good stories Figure skating star Yuna Kim has donated $100,000 to aid earthquake recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria. Michael Jordan has donated $10M to Make-a-Wish. (02:50) - Business of Athletes Carmelo Anthony is co-launching a $750 million sports-focused private equity fund alongside former WWE executives. Super Bowl champ, Travis Kelce, has become an investor/partner in Casa Azul Spirits alongside legendary beverage founder Lance Collins. Tom Brady is jumping right into acting post-retirement with a performance in the comedy, 80 For Brady. Penn State Quarterback Sean Clifford sold his agency, Limitless NIL, for multiple 7 figures to TEAM Group Holdings. (06:15) - Name, Image, and Likeness BrinxTV which owns the NIL House has acquired a stake in the NIL marketplace, Icon Source. Athlete brand-building firm Firestarter announced a formal partnership with Pittsburgh-based sponsorship sales and consulting agency CohnCollab. Ohio State’s two NIL collectives THE Foundation and The O Foundation are merging. Former Oklahoma football coach, Bob Stoops, compared NIL to the ‘NFL Without Any Salary Cap Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a measure that will allow colleges and universities to help athletes get endorsement deals. (10:30) - Future of Sports Bluestone Capital announced an inaugural $300 million growth equity fund focused on the sports, media, and entertainment industries. The sports tourism market is expected to grow USD $559.75 Billion between 2022 and 2027 at a CAGR of 12.88%. Blockchain-based fantasy cricket platform, Sportiqo, has launched in India allowing users to invest or trade players, just like stocks. The Premier League is close to agreeing on a six-year deal with video game giant Electronic Arts worth close to USD $603 million. Stack Sports has acquired Meridix, a streaming platform for sports. The WNBA and Athletes Unlimited are partnering to bring more women's basketball to fans. AI content creation platform, ScorePlay, has received investments from APEX Capital and 35 Ventures. German soccer player Mario Götze is an angel investor. PENN has acquired the remaining interest in Barstool Sports for approximately $388 million.