Deals and Combines in Sports: Recap of Transactions and Mergers for June 27
Ready for the scoop on the latest in sports business? Here's your freshly-brewed rundown of personnel, partnerships, products, and purchases across the sports biz sphere.
PERSONNEL
New biz in town! Jim Scholefield has joined forces with Legends as their new CTO, overseeing the combined Legends and ASM Global's tech strategy, innovation, and execution. With a 35-year tech leadership resume under his belt, Jim's no stranger to the game. He most recently served as Marriott International's global CIO & Digital Officer.
PARTNERSHIPS
Big Ten and Big 12 teamed up with PayPal to modernize the distribution of institutional payments to student athletes. The new revenue-sharing model will make athlete payments as easy as buying tournament tickets or college textbooks.
Spurs had a digital security company, Ledger, score a slam dunk with its new jersey patch partnership. San Antonio's favorite team showed off Ledger-branded jerseys at the NBA draft, with both the NBA and AUS teams rocking the new patch.
WTA Ventures and Tennis Channel signed a six-year media rights deal, ensuring tennis fans can watch the Hologic WTA Tour across the U.S. until 2032. Now that’s a long partnership!
The Senior Bowl just added some fresh ink, announcing Panini America as its new title sponsor. The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl will happen on Jan. 31st, 2026, at South Alabama's Hancock Whitney Stadium.
In a powerful move, LIV Golf joined forces with MGM Resorts International. LIV Golf Week will relocate from Florida to Las Vegas before the 2026 LIV Golf season, bringing players, team staff, and league officials for a weekend packed with content capture, media engagements, and commercial campaigns.
Spanish tennis talent, Carlos Alcaraz, is now in the Danone gang. He'll promote holistic health through balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and healthy hydration across Danone brands.
The WNBA’s Indiana Fever, LA Sparks, and Washington Mystics teamed up with media and commerce company Togethxr for an expanded partnership. The collaboration introduced the Tunnel Fits campaign, boosting player visibility and style on Togethxr platforms.
The Lionesses and Xero teamed up for the "Feel on Top of Your Game" campaign, focusing on female soccer players in the UK. The campaign will run across outdoor, radio, digital, and TV channels.
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship has a new partner: Common Goal. Launched in 2002, Common Goal connects the soccer industry with local organizations worldwide. As the Official Beer of UEFA men's national team football, Carlsberg's partnership with Common Goal aims to make a positive impact on communities.
PRODUCTS
Barcolutions! FC Barcelona has launched its first Web3 wallet, Barcà.Pass, powered by Futureverse. The wallet allows users to create and manage custom avatars, store digital collectibles, explore Web3 platforms, and interact with Barça fandom in a whole new way.
Pro Athletes will now have more resources to enhance their careers, thanks to a $7.6 million funding round led by GSV Ventures. The Series A will be used to expand virtual education programs, mentorship, and career support for current and former professional athletes.
PURCHASES
The Reading Fightin Phils have welcomed Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) as their new owner. The team will continue as Double-A affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies, and FirstEnergy Stadium will remain the home field.
USA Surfing secured a major investment from Kamaka Responsible Development and Resin Services, providing the necessary funds for the NGB recertification before the LA28 Olympics. The partnership is also working to develop a wave pool for year-round surfing opportunities.
Pro Athlete Community Inc. raised an oversubscribed Series A funding round of $7.6 million. Investors include GSV Ventures, Maveron, and others. The funds will be used to bolster virtual education programs, mentorship, industry access, and career support.
The USTA announced its strategic investment initiative, USTA Ventures, had invested in Edge Sound Research, an audio technology company. Edge's technology transforms everyday materials at stadia into high-fidelity sound objects, enhancing fan experiences. This is the third USTA Ventures investment, following PlayReplay and Court16.
Stay tuned for more thrilling sports business updates! If you have questions about specific transactions, personnel moves, or partnerships, just holler, and I'm here to help.
- In a strategic move, Jim Scholefield, a tech expert with 35 years of leadership experience, has been appointed as the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Legends, overseeing the combined Legends and ASM Global's tech strategy, innovation, and execution.
- The Big Ten and Big 12 conferences have partnered with PayPal to modernize the distribution of institutional payments to student athletes, implementing a new revenue-sharing model to simplify athlete payments.
- San Antonio's Spurs basketball team has formed a partnership with digital security company Ledger, with the new partnership being showcased through a jersey patch on the team's uniforms.
- LIV Golf, a league of professional golfers, has joined forces with MGM Resorts International, with the 2026 LIV Golf season set to relocate from Florida to Las Vegas, with a weekend packed with content capture, media engagements, and commercial campaigns.
