Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
PGA Tour Taps Andy Weitz for New Role
The PGA Tour announced that Andy Weitz has been named chief marketing and communications officer and executive vice president, investor relations, for the tour’s global operations. In the role, Weitz will be responsible for positioning the PGA Tour brand for current and future investment while communicating its global strategy and performance to the tour’s stakeholders. He comes to the PGA Tour following a decade at Aon plc, where he most recently served as chief marketing officer for the global professional services firm.
OneTeam Partners Appoints Former YouTube Exec as Senior VP
OneTeam Partners, a firm that commercializes rights for pro and collegiate athletes, has named former YouTube exec Lauren Glaubach as senior vice president, IP partnership and college. In this role, Glaubach will manage OneTeam’s Player Association partnerships, lead the college business and support new IP partnerships. She spent 11 years at YouTube, where she most recently served as director, global head of youth partnerships & programming. There, she played a key role in building YouTube’s kids & family business. Before YouTube, Glaubach worked at The Walt Disney Company and ESPN in brand management.
Professional Women’s Basketball League Unrivaled Names First Commissioner
Professional women’s basketball league Unrivaled announced the latest sports executive to join its lineup with the appointment of Micky Lawler as commissioner of the league. The seasoned executive brings more than 30 years of experience propelling women’s sports forward. In this role, Lawler will manage day-to-day operations for Unrivaled including launching the league in January, driving direction and strategy, leading partnership initiatives, overseeing all revenue verticals and being a voice to the athletes. Lawler joins Unrivaled following nearly a decade of leading the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) as its president.
PFL Taps Damian Willoughby as Head of Global Partnerships
Damian Willoughby will join the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as head of global partnerships. In his role Willoughby will lead commercial growth for PFL franchises including PFL PPV Super Fight Division, Bellator, PFL Global Season, PFL Europe, PFL MENA and new international leagues, across sponsorship, ad-sales and betting revenue streams. PFL will launch additional international leagues in key regions such as Africa, Australia, Latin America and Asia. Willoughby has led brand, revenue and fan growth for leading EPL clubs including City Football Group, Chelsea and Rangers FC. He founded Accretive Sports, a UK based sports marketing agency, serving as chief executive officer.
PARTNERSHIPS
NFL and Wilson Sporting Goods Extend Multiyear Partnership
Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and the NFL have renewed their partnership, naming Wilson again as the official football of the league. The partnership has been in effect since 1941, making it one of the longest in sports history. As part of the multiyear extension, Wilson will unveil a new football factory in Ohio, as well as become the official football of NFL Flag programs internationally, continuing the brands’ joint mission of growing the game across various demographics and countries. Every Wilson NFL game football, dubbed “The Duke,” has been handcrafted at Wilson’s facilities in Ada, Ohio, through a 20-step process. This week, Wilson debuted its new football factory, nearly doubling the capacity of the previous plant. The upgraded facility is also home to product testing, ball customization and Wilson’s game-ready product break-in process.
G.O.A.T. Fuel Becomes WNBA’s Chicago Sky’s First Official Energy Drink
G.O.A.T. Fuel is the first official energy drink of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. The partnership will include press conference integration, on-court logo placement, celebrity features and in-arena activations. Fan engagement activities will include curated samplings, giveaways and sweepstakes for fans. G.O.A.T. Fuel was the first official energy drink of the Los Angeles Lakers and is now expanding into the WNBA. G.O.A.T. Fuel is a high-performance sports energy drink created by pro football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and his family, including co-founder and CEO, Jaqui Rice Gold, and co-founder and chief brand officer Trevion Gold.
PFL Announces Multiyear Media Rights Partnership With Setanta Sports
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced a media rights deal with Setanta Sports for all PFL and Bellator programming in Eurasia and the Philippines. Through the partnership, all PFL programming—including live coverage and archived footage of PFL Global, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Europe, PFL MENA and Bellator Champions Series—will be available live in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines via Setanta Sports.
Pepsi Joins With Esports World Cup in New Partnership
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has joined forces with Pepsi for a strategic partnership that will see both parties collaborate on experiences for fans at the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pepsi and the EWCF will work together to provide fans with activations to elevate the esports landscape in Saudi Arabia. Fans can expect interactive and immersive experiences such as the Rockstar Bar, where they can get a selection of drinks and spend time in between matches in the karaoke box. In addition, Pepsi is the naming partner of the Falcons venue, called “Falcons HQ by Pepsi.”
Japan Airlines Becomes Liverpool FC’s Official Airline Partner
Liverpool Football Club and Japan Airlines (JAL) have entered into a global, multiyear partnership that will see the airline become the club’s Official Airline Partner. The partnership, which extends to the men’s and women’s teams, will see both organizations work together to support and complement their growth plans, leveraging their respective strengths to grow their global footprints. LFC is the most engaged club in the Premier League with over 1.5 billion fan engagements on social and is the most viewed club on socials with 11.9 billion views.
DirecTV Named Presenting Sponsor of Big Ten Network Big 10K
DirecTV, an existing partner of the Big Ten Conference and BTN, has been named the presenting sponsor of the 2024 BTN Big 10K. The 13th annual event returns to Soldier Field on July 13. New this year, fans and alumni of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington will have the opportunity to participate in both the 10K and 5K. Post-race festivities will include food and beverages, music, games, giveaways and photo opportunities with Big Ten mascots and cheerleaders. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana joins Special Olympics Chicago as an Official Charity Partner of the event.
2 Chainz Becomes the Newest Smoothie King Franchisee
Smoothie King’s newest franchisee is rapper 2 Chainz. 2 Chainz, in partnership with longtime Smoothie King franchisee and friend Philip Jones, opened a Smoothie King kiosk inside State Farm Arena in time for the Atlanta Hawks’ NBA Draft party on Wednesday. Now Atlanta sports and entertainment fans can enjoy Smoothie King during events, including Hawks games. Smoothie King became the Official Smoothie Partner of the team in 2023. This venture showcases an expansion of Smoothie King’s presence in Atlanta, with more than 80 stores.
Genesis Named First Founding Partner of TGL Presented by Sofin
Genesis has been named the first Founding Partner of TGL presented by Sofi, the new team golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The TGL partnership builds on Genesis’ long-term commitment to golf with the Genesis Invitational, Genesis Scottish Open, Presidents Cup, and DP World Tour and KPGA TOUR’s co-sanctioned Genesis Championship. TGL’s tech-infused, progressive approach to golf complements Genesis’ efforts to provide people more access to innovative experiences.
Stephen Curry Collaborates With Golf Grip Manufacturer Golf Pride
Golf Pride, a golf performance equipment company, has partnered with Stephen Curry and his Underrated Golf brand on a limited-edition grip kit. Purchases of the kit support Underrated Golf and its mission to provide greater equity, access and opportunity to student athletes and balance participation in the sport to reflect our society. There are only 8,200 of the grip kits available around the world, an homage to Curry’s 82 game NBA season. Each kit includes 14 grips designed by Curry, a one-of-a-kind ball marker and a collector’s display. Over the past two seasons, Underrated Golf has hosted 10 tournaments throughout the U.S., which help junior athlete golfers gain access to great courses and create a special and inclusive environment.
PRODUCTS
International Tennis HOF Unveils Multimillion Dollar Museum Renovation Project
The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) announced a multimillion dollar museum transformation project on the property in Newport, R.I. The renovations will provide fans with a more interactive and modern experience which preserves and promotes the sport’s history. The Hall of Fame will also introduce new features and physical spaces to celebrate legends and support the sport’s growth. The ITHF announced Advent, a Nashville-based experiential design firm, was selected to lead the renovations, after a nationwide RFP process.