The six English teams that joined the Super League have closed the book on that embarrassing chapter, and all it cost was $31.1 million. 

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham agreed to a settlement with the Premier League in which they’ll pay about $5.2 million per squad. The funds will go toward grassroots and community soccer programs, among other initiatives. 

Any team that joins another breakaway league will be fined an additional $35.3 million and penalized 30 league points. The point deduction would be sure to knock a team out of the Champions League and could even risk relegation.

Those six teams, plus AC Milan, Internazionale, and Atletico Madrid, previously agreed to a separate settlement with the UEFA, in which they’ll pool together $18.3 million, plus 5% of their UEFA match revenue for one season.

The settlements and the Premier League’s $7.2 billion broadcast rights deal with Sky (for three seasons starting in 2022) will help bring a fresh start after the pandemic and Super League fiasco. It remains to be seen if these developments will quell fan rancor.

American owners Stan Kroenke (Arsenal) and the Glazer family (Manchester United) have both faced fan protests calling for their ousters, but neither seems inclined to sell their team.

Real Madrid, Juventus, and Barcelona are still clinging to their Super League memberships, despite threats of bans from the Champions League and, in Juventus’ case, from Serie A, should they refuse to back out.

Millions have moved their fitness training from gyms to living rooms over the last year — and the revolution appears here to stay.

Liteboxer, the connected boxing machine and workout class company, raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Nimble Ventures including a contribution from Grammy-winning music artist Timbaland.

Outside of its innovative boxing tech, Liteboxer supplements workouts with songs users select through the company’s exclusive partnership with Universal Music Group.  

Launched in 2020 by Spark Capital co-founder Todd Dagres and MIT-trained engineer and personal trainer Jeff Morin, Liteboxer has raised $28.5 million in total capital. 

The company is comparable to Peloton, as it offers a pricey product – the boxing machine costs $1,495 – and a $29 monthly subscription for training sessions and workouts. 

Liteboxer’s inventory also includes accessories that range from $39 to $350.

It’s only the latest episode in a fundraising frenzy for the at-home fitness market. 

• Tonal, a wall-mounted system, raised $250 million at a $1.6 billion valuation in March with contributions from Drew Brees and Sue Bird.  
• Ergatta, a connected rowing company that gamifies workouts, raised $30 million at a $200 million valuation in April.
• Home fitness startup Tempo raised $220 million in April and has more than tripled its $250 million valuation from last June.
• CLMBR, a connected climbing machine company, raised $13.5 million in May that included contributions from tennis star Novak Djokovic and business mogul Jay-Z. 

“The fitness industry needs innovation, and what the Liteboxer team has achieved over the last year is the start of something remarkable,” said Nimble Ventures founder John Burbank.

Sky Sports is back on level ground after losing more broadcasting rights to DAZN.

The division of Comcast secured a four-year deal with Top Rank Boxing, per The Athletic. The first fight airs this Saturday.

Sky Sports’ 27-year run with Matchroom ended earlier this month when the boxing producer announced a five-year deal with DAZN as an exclusive broadcast partner in the U.K. and Ireland. The deal goes into effect July 1 and is worth more than $100 million.

It wasn’t the first time DAZN took broadcasting rights from Sky — in March, DAZN was granted international Serie A rights in a three-year, $2.95 billion deal.

“Top Rank has a deeper stable of star power, and that will be a boon to Sky Sports’ content schedule, but the network will surely miss the presence of all the U.K. fighters Matchroom offered,” said Mike Coppinger, The Athletic’s boxing insider.

• Sky won’t receive any rights to Tyson Fury’s fights, as the Top Rank co-promoted boxer has an exclusive TV deal with BT Sport.
• The time difference means some American fights will air in the middle of the night in the U.K.

Last year, Top Rank’s founder and CEO Bob Arum — who’s worth a reported $350 million — said he’s open to selling the company. “If it was sold to the right people, it would do better than it’s doing now.”