Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Wasserman Hires Dan Vertlieb
Global sports, music, and entertainment company Wasserman has hired Dan Vertlieb as senior vice president, baseball, announced by executive vice president & managing executives, baseball Joel Wolfe and B.B. Abbott. Vertlieb’s MLB clients include Adley Rutschman, Matt Brash, Tony Gonsolin, Scott McGough and Ryne Nelson. Vertlieb has over 20 years of experience in the sports industry, including 15 years as an agent and attorney. He is a member of the Sports Law Association and also has an extensive background in media relations.
Lori Kalani to Join DraftKings as First Chief Responsible Gaming Officer
DraftKings has named Lori Kalani chief responsible gaming officer, reporting to DraftKings’ chief executive officer, Jason Robins. She will be responsible for the elevation and integration of the company’s player safety and protection. Kalani’s experience in consumer protection law and accomplishments in developing working relationships with regulators, attorneys general and other key stakeholders position her to work alongside DraftKings’ compliance team to cultivate DraftKings’ consumer safety and protection practices. Kalani previously was a partner at the Cozen O’Connor law firm and co-chaired the State Attorneys General practice.
Sportradar Appoints Craig Felenstein as Chief Financial Officer
Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) has named Craig Felenstein the chief financial officer of the company, effective June 1, 2024. Felenstein joins the company from Lindblad Expeditions, where he most recently served as CFO. He will report directly to Sportradar chief executive officer Carsten Koerl. Felenstein brings nearly 30 years of senior finance and operating experience for U.S. publicly listed companies across the media, entertainment, experiential and digital content industries to his new position at Sportradar. In his role as Sportradar’s CFO, Felenstein will lead the company’s global finance, accounting and investor relations functions. He will be based in New York.
PARTNERSHIPS
ON Bolsters Partnership Roster With League-Level USL Partnership, New Clubs
ON, an AI chat platform, has partnered with the United Soccer League, League One and USL Super League to bring it ticketing and guest experience support. In addition to the six clubs already leveraging the platform, ON has added the Hartford Athletic, Oakland Roots, Oakland Soul and others to a roster of USL properties that includes the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Sacramento Republic FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies. USL features 48 professional teams in three leagues and the first youth-to-pro pathway for men and women within a single ecosystem.
Minute Media Partners with Lega Serie A Calcio in the United States
Italian football league Serie A has joined forces with Minute Media, a digital sports and culture content company, to provide Italian football moments to fans throughout North America. Home to sports content brands like football-focused 90min and global athlete storytelling platform The Players’ Tribune, Minute Media will work with Serie A to bring fans a 360-degree view of the game. As part of the partnership, 90min.com will add a Serie A-specific vertical to its site, capturing pre-match content, with information on where to watch the games for U.S. audiences as well as tune-in information for broadcast.
OnlyFans and DAZN Form Sponsorship and Content Partnership
OnlyFans is teaming up with sports streaming service DAZN in a sponsorship and content partnership across a series of fight nights over the next 12 months. DAZN will use its page on OnlyFans as its dedicated online fanclub for multiple boxing events throughout the year, sharing custom content from fighters as they compete. DAZN and OnlyFans will also partner to produce an exclusive new show for OFTV, titled All Access. Individual fighters such as John ‘Scrappy’ Ramirez will also join OnlyFans. He will be followed by others from across the DAZN boxing offering. Fans can expect behind-the-scenes footage, post-fight commentary, training tips and more on the OnlyFans platform.
NWSL Players Association Extends Partnership With Ally Through 2027
The NWSL Players Association has agreed to a multiyear sponsorship extension with Ally Financial Inc. The extension runs through 2027 and keeps Ally as the Official Retail Banking Partner of the NWSLPA. As its first official partner, the NWSLPA brought Ally onboard in February 2022. Ally’s initial investment allowed the organization to add staff, increasing the NWSLPA’s ability to improve professional standards, player safety, pay and benefits. OneTeam Partners, the sponsorship and licensing partner of the NWSLPA, facilitated this partnership. With this renewal, Ally will continue its efforts to elevate the profile of the players association.
Sixt Partners With Klutch Sports Group
Sixt and Klutch Sports Group have partnered together to further activate the current NBA partnerships of Sixt with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as to source opportunities across teams and leagues to further the presence of the premium mobility provider in the U.S. In October 2023, Sixt entered two individual partnerships with the Lakers and Bulls to further increase customer trust and brand awareness in Sixt’s largest growth market, the USA.
Ferrari and HP Inc. Form Multiyear Title Partnership
Ferrari and HP Inc. have formed a multiyear title partnership to advance innovation and accelerate technology across the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team, the Scuderia Ferrari ESports team and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. Ferrari will deploy HP technology and services, including adaptive PCs and devices, products and services and printing capabilities to improve performance on and off the track. The title partnership includes a new team name and brand identity, Scuderia Ferrari HP. In addition, the HP logo will make its debut on the Maranello F1 cars ahead of the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 3-5, when the team will start competing as Scuderia Ferrari HP.
Manchester City Forms Partnership With Digital Collectible Platform Quidd
Manchester City has formed a multiyear partnership with Quidd, a digital collectible platform.Quidd, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, first partnered with the club in December 2020. Quidd allows fans to swap and collect digital cards. The partnership will give fans the opportunity to acquire official Manchester City merchandise, hospitality tickets and other experiences, including an exclusive opportunity to watch a first team training session at the City Football Academy. Quidd will be releasing a range of special edition digital collectibles through the Quidd marketplace, which has facilitated the issue, sale and exchange of limited-edition, officially licensed digital collectibles since the brand’s formation in 2016.
United Pickleball Association, Global Sports Bringing PPA Tour and MLP to India
The United Pickleball Association and Global Sports have inked a deal to bring the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball to India, and an official PPA Tour stop will be added in India—the Indian Open 2025. As part of the partnership, the organizations will launch key initiatives to the country, promoting the rapidly-growing sport to a young market. Top PPA Tour players will hold a marquee exhibition at the PPA Tour India Monsoon Pickleball Championships in Mumbai in August 2024. In addition, 20 PPA Tour players will compete in the pro division of the event itself. PPA Tour India will officially launch, offering PPA Tour ranking points to players at events around the country to expand the global reach of professional pickleball and provide an opportunity for players to rise in the rankings. MLP India will debut with a week-long competition featuring players from India as well as top MLP and PPA Tour professionals. UPA plans to hold an open process to sell MLP franchises with the goal to launch a full 12-team season in 2025-26.
Tubi and DAZN Partner for Fast Channel Launch in North America
Tubi, Fox Corporation’s ad-supported streaming service, has partnered with DAZN for a groundbreaking licensing agreement that will see DAZN Ringside and DAZN Women’s Football FAST Channels launch in the U.S., and DAZN TV and DAZN Women’s Football FAST Channels launch in Canada. This is the first time the DAZN Women’s Football FAST Channel will be available in North America, and it highlights a shared commitment by DAZN and Tubi to spotlight the athletes, their stories, the elite soccer competitions and women’s sports in general.
PRODUCTS
Audacy Launches Audacy Sports
Audacy, a sports audio content and entertainment company, is launching Audacy Sports. Aggregating its broadcast, digital and podcast inventory under Audacy Sports offers an opportunity for advertisers to connect with 43 million monthly listeners across the company’s sports portfolio while continuing to build equity in the Audacy brand. Audacy Sports is powered by the company’s portfolio of 40 owned-and-operated all-sports stations and affiliates, 160 sports streaming channels on the Audacy app, and a sports podcast network featuring over 600 titles and live events.
FloSports to Stream 57th Snowball Derby on FloRacing
FloSports has added a super late model race to its portfolio, acquiring the exclusive live event rights to the 57th Snowball Derby. The annual event will be streamed live on FloRacing and extensively featured across FloRacing social channels in the lead up to the race. In support of the agreement, Five Flags Speedway has announced that it will increase the winner’s purse to a record $50,000. The 57th Snowball Derby will stream live from the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. Dec. 4-8 on FloRacing.
PURCHASES
Milk & Honey Music + Sports + Ventures Acquires VMG Sports
Milk & Honey Music + Sports + Ventures has acquired VMG Sports, built by NFLPA certified agents Adam Heller, Michael Simon, Greg Diulus and Sammy Spina who will now join the Milk & Honey executive staff and be based on the East Coast. Through this new deal, Travis Kelce, Paris Johnson and 15 total NFL players will join the Milk & Honey family joining the existing roster of clients including Courtland Sutton (Denver Broncos) and Kamren Curl (Los Angeles Rams). The company now represents 83 athletes in total across football and baseball. Founded in 2011, VMG Sports was a full-service management firm specializing in the representation of NFL players.