Welcome back, and in case you've been living under a rock (unless it's a "30 Rock"), two of the biggest sporting events will command millions upon millions of eyeballs for NBC this weekend with the Winter Olympics (already in full swing in Beijing) and the National Football League's (NFL) Super Bowl LVI due to kick-off on Sunday between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams (and Madison Avenue Agencies). However, at least for the time being, both Olympic and NFL news have largely been focused on matters taking place "outside the lines." At the Olympics, a medal ceremony in figure skating was postponed for legal reasons – namely a member of the purported gold-medal winning Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team having a suspected positive doping test. Already on thin ice for widespread doping violations, one wonders whether ROC is once again up to its old tricks or whether this is an isolated incident by one triple (k)lutz. Or perhaps, whether the figure skating team will be heralded as mettlesome or admonished as medal-less. In the NFL, former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores' lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring practices remains a hot button topic. Just this past week, we learned of Commissioner Roger Goodell voicing displeasure with the NFL's lack of diversity in coaching and front office positions, while two of the NFL's co-defendant teams, the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans hired minority coaches Mike McDaniel and Lovie Smith, respectively. Meanwhile, media mogul Byron Allen is rumored to be preparing a bid to buy the Denver Broncos (another co-defendant), and in so doing, make the Broncos the first Black-owned NFL team. While those moves – calculated or not – may undermine Flores' case, in just two weeks, Flores' taking a stand has seemingly sparked soul-searching, for which Flores should be commended. From Olympic torches and stadium lights, let's jump into the "Spotlight."
- How many comedians does it take to have streaming services pay joke-writing royalties just as they do songwriting royalties? With the Estates of George Carlin and Robin Williams, together with a handful of living court jesters suing Pandora, we may yet find out.
- Mega singer-songwriter, Sia joins forces with a plant-based pet food company on a mission to tell traditional meat-based pet foods, "see ya."
- Although Amazon is far from an incumbent in the sports broadcasting space, in Al Michaels, they may be bringing aboard an industry veteran to handle its Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Waiting in the wings if Michaels doesn't get the gig? Al-exa.
- A digital plot of land in the metaverse neighboring Snoop Dogg's sold for the low price of $450,000. Fitting that with respect to the metaverse, what some view as an investment, others see as money going "up in smoke."
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
American Skier Eileen Gu, Who Won Gold for China,
Now Has Deal Prospects on Both Sides of Pacific
February 8, 2022 via Forbes – Most Popular
(subscription may be required)
The American-born Eileen Gu said she decided to compete for China
to honor her mother, who was born there. It turned out to be a
great financial choice, too.
UConn Star Paige Bueckers Announces Deal With Cash
App, Her Third Major NIL Partnership
February 8, 2022 via Forbes – Business (subscription
may be required)
University of Connecticut basketball star Paige Beuckers announced
a new partnership that's sure to add to her buckets of cash off
the court.
NLL's Texas Expansion Team Inks Record Sponsor
Deal With PlayUp
February 8, 2022 via Sportico – Business
(subscription may be required)
The Panther City Lacrosse Club, the newest National Lacrosse League
expansion team in Fort Worth, Texas, has agreed to a record
multiyear sponsorship agreement with online gaming company and
sportsbook PlayUp.
Wasserman Named as Official Global Agency of
Record for FTX
February 7, 2022 via Sports Business
Journal
Wasserman has triumphed in an agency review to become a sports and
entertainment agency for crypto currency exchange FTX.
American Track League's Seven-Figure Puma Deal
Chases Diamond League
February 7, 2022 via News Break – Top
Stories
ATL announced a three-year deal with Puma ahead of its season
opener in Louisville. The agreement is worth "multiples of
seven figures," according to people familiar with the deal,
and gives the apparel company title sponsorship rights.
On Joins Penn Relays as the Exclusive Footwear and
Apparel Sponsor in a Multi-Year Partnership
February 4, 2022 via PR Newswire – News
Releases
Global performance brand On and the Penn Relays, one of the
greatest and longest-standing traditions in track & field,
announced a partnership.
No, Dr. Phil and These Celebrities Are Not
Endorsing CBD Gummies
February 3, 2022 via PolitiFact Check News
Before you go out and buy CBD gummies that purportedly help to
treat diabetes or to quit smoking, please know that these people
are not endorsing or selling them: Baptist pastor Charles Stanley,
TV evangelists Joel Olsteen and Pat Robertson, and former Shark
Tank contestants Donna and Rosy Khalife.
In Play: Colleges Navigate New World of Athlete
Endorsement Deals
February 2, 2022 via Biz Journal – Accounting
News
Patrick MacWilliams has long been a big supporter of UMass
athletics. So, when a new policy allowed student athletes to sign
endorsement deals for the first time last summer, the owner of Five
College Movers didn't wait to be asked.
Asics Defies Nike's China Underperformance in
Return to Profit
February 2, 2022 via Bloomberg – News (subscription
may be required)
Sneaker maker Asics Corp. appears to have dodged the controversies
in China that tripped up Nike Inc. last quarter, as the Japanese
company's performance there propelled it back to profit in
2021.
LIFEWTR Teams Up With 'Black-ish' Star
Marsai Martin for Campaign Supporting Black
Creators
February 4, 2022 via BevNet News
This Black History Month, LIFEWTR, a premium bottled water brand
committed to advancing and showcasing all sources of creativity,
celebrates and uplifts Black creatives who continue to shift the
culture of today and reimagine the future of tomorrow through the
latest chapter of its Black Art Rising.
Why Famous People are Joining Food Tech Advisory
Boards
February 8, 2022 via Food Dive – News
Hollywood A-listers including Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher,
former government officials and other household names are working
with companies, lending their expertise and cachet.
Sia Furler Joins Bond Pet Foods as Investor,
Adviser
February 8, 2022 via Daily Camera
Bond Pet Foods Inc., a Boulder company that makes pet food out of
meatless proteins, has added a prominent new investor and adviser:
Grammy-nominated musician Sia Furler.
Sports
Shaun White's Run as Greatest Snowboarder Ever
Is Coming to an End
February 8, 2022 via Los Angeles Times
By the end of the day, his body ached all over. His ankle and back,
a knee still sore from surgery. Shaun White was feeling every bit
of 35 years old, worn down from a lifetime spent attacking the
halfpipe, launching himself skyward, spinning and twisting.
How Does Winning a Gold Medal Impact an
Olympian's Earnings?
February 8, 2022 via Yahoo Finance - Top
Stories
With gold trading at around $58 per gram as of February 7, the six
grams of gilding alone is worth almost $350 — and that's
not counting all that silver, which makes up the other 92.5%.
NHL All-Star Game Returns with Gimmicky, Fun
Weekend in Las Vegas
February 7, 2022 via Sports Business
Journal
The All-Star Game and its related activities in Las Vegas were
"fun-filled, fast-paced and action-packed in an environment up
and down the Strip that traffics exclusively in fun-filled,
fast-paced and action-packed," according to Case Keefer of
the Las Vegas Sun.
Athletes Are Getting Burned by Weed Rules. Is the
Sports World Out of Touch?
February 3, 2022 via The Walrus
On February 8, 1998, a Canadian snowboarder launched himself down
Mount Yakebitai, in Nagano, Japan. He was one of the first athletes
to do so at an Olympic Games: snowboarding had just been made an
official Olympic sport.
W.N.B.A. Raises $75 Million With Hopes of Business
Model Revamp
February 3, 2022 via New York Times (subscription may be
required)
The W.N.B.A. has raised $75 million from more than two dozen
investors in a bid to revamp its business model as players call for
expansion, higher salaries and better benefits.
SBJ Unpacks: Twitter Taps into SoFi Stadium for
Unique Activation
February 3, 2022 via Sports Business
Journal
Tonight in Unpacks: Twitter is leaning into SoFi Stadium's
innovations for a unique activation ahead of the Big Game. WNBA
raises $75 million in capital funding round MoneyLion leaves
Penske, signs with 23XI Racing Throwback.
It'll Be Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning Again
— for Retirement Supremacy
February 2, 2022 via The Star-Ledger
Tom Brady, who will be most remembered in our neck of the woods as
a two-time Super Bowl loser to Eli Manning, announced his
retirement on Tuesday morning, February 1.
The Checkout: Former NFL Player Sued for Promoting
Nestle's Plant-Based Protein Brand; Laird Superfood Announces
New CEO
February 4, 2022 via Project NOSH - News
The Texas Beef Council this week filed a lawsuit against former
NFL-player-turned-celebrity-chef Eddie Jackson in Texas Southern
District Court accusing him of a breach of contract after Jackson
also announced a partnership with Nestle's Sweet Earth brand to
promote its plant-based Chik'n products.
Music Biz
Ol' Dirty Bastard's Widow Sues Wu-Tang
Clan for $1 Million Over Unpaid Royalties
February 9, 2022 via Register Citizen
Icelene Jones claims ODB's estate hasn't been paid 10 years
of royalties, though RZA sent her a $130,000 check last July.
Jimi Hendrix Bandmate's Heirs Sue Sony Over
Copyrights in British Court
February 8, 2022 via Billboard
A dispute over the rights to Jimi Hendrix 's music has
escalated into a transatlantic legal war, with the heirs of his
former bandmates filing a new lawsuit in British court against Sony
Music Entertainment.
FNDM Agency Launches to Provide Creative and
Technology Partnerships to the Music Industry
February 8, 2022 via Music Week
FNDM has officially launched to offer full-service creative and
technology partnerships to the music and entertainment
industries.
Estates of Alice in Chains' Layne Staley and
Mike Starr Sell Music Rights to Primary Wave
February 7, 2022 via Greenwich Time
Primary Wave Music announced that it has acquired the music rights
from the estates of Layne Staley and Mike Starr of the
Grammy-nominated Seattle band Alice In Chains.
What the Neil Young-Joe Rogan Dust-Up Tells Us
About the Music Industry
February 6, 2022 via Washington Post
The music industry is thriving — but it's not always
trickling down to artists. If your 2022 bingo card didn't
include Neil Young vs. Joe Rogan, you weren't alone.
Spotify Needs Joe Rogan, CEO Tells Staff in Town
Hall
February 3, 2022 via News Break - Top
Stories
Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek has told employees that exclusive
deals like one with Joe Rogan are critical to the company's
business, and that while he sometimes finds the podcast offensive
he doesn't consider Spotify a "publisher" in terms of
bearing responsibility for content it carries.
Film & TV
Relevent Sports Group Awarded to Sell UEFA
Champions League Media Rights in U.S.
February 8, 2022 via PR Newswire - News
Releases
Relevent Sports Group (RSG), the premier soccer events and media
business in North America and Asia, is proud to announce it has
been awarded to market the media rights in the United States for
UEFA men's club competitions.
Amazon's Thursday Night Football Sets Off
Broadcast Musical Chairs
February 7, 2022 via Sportico – Business
(subscription may be required)
Al Michaels will become a free agent after the victory confetti
blankets the SoFi Stadium turf this Sunday, but the veteran
broadcaster says he aims to secure a booth assignment before the
2022 NFL season kicks off.
Amazon's New Super Bowl Ad Uses Humor and Star
Power to Build its Alexa Brand - Forbes
February 7, 2022 via Forbes - Charles Taylor - Google Alert
(subscription may be required)
Following a string of successful Super Bowl ads in recent years
that have featured celebrities while reinforcing Alexa's
capabilities and making viewers laugh, Amazon's Alexa is
returning to the Super Bowl this year.
Gaming Giants Like Activision Blizzard, Riot Bet
on Esports' TV Prospects
February 4, 2022 via Sheppard Mullin - Media
Mentions
Esports is the biggest opportunity in TV that nobody's talking
about — yet. That's the view from video game industry
veterans who see esports — or the exploding world of live
video gaming competitions, complete with crowds of virtual fans
cheering them on.
35 Media Rights Deals Agreed as Part of BLAST
Premier's Expanded 2022 Global Broadcast
Network
February 3, 2022 via Cision - Nordic
Companies
BLAST Premier has announced a record 35 global media rights deals
that sees the esports tournament organizer's 2022 season
broadcast in over 130 TV territories and watched in 25 languages.
NHL Wiewership With New Media Partners Slightly Up
Heading Into All-Star Weekend
February 2, 2022 via Sports Business
Journal
The NHL is seeing a small uptick in viewership headed into All-Star
weekend, and with a backloaded linear TV slate, the league could
see its best average in years.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
From MP3s to NFTs
February 7, 2022 via Rolling Stone Magazine
Back in 1876, the only way you could listen to your favorite music
was if it was being played live.
They're Digital, Desirable and Can Be Worth
Millions – but What are NFTs?
February 4, 2022 via The Age
One of the rarest available NFTs is a small, pixelated image of a
bearded man wearing dark sunglasses and a top hat and smoking a
cigarette.
Eminem's Bored Ape NFT Valued At
$462,000
February 3, 2022 via The Inquisitr
Famous Detroit rapper Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, has a
Bored Ape NFT valued at $462,000.
Someone Just Paid $450,000 to Be Snoop Dogg's
Neighbor in The Metaverse. Here's How You Can Live by a
Celebrity Too
February 2, 2022 via Yahoo Finance
Would you pay $450,000 to be Snoop Dogg's digital neighbor?
Somebody did that in December, Decrypt reports, as the famous
rapper was selling a "parcel" in the Snoopverse.
Blue Chips: UK Men's Basketball Team Gets in
on the NFT Game
February 2, 2022 via Biz Journal - Accounting
News
Would you pay $5,000 for a pair of sneakers? What about $5,000 for
an NFT depicting a pair of 3D sneakers, signed by one of the
University of Kentucky's top basketball stars?
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