At an event on Wednesday night, Alabama’s Nick Saban said that name, image, and likeness deals were skewing the recruiting landscape — and that those NIL deals are the reason the Crimson Tide didn’t score the top class this year.

Saban, who has won seven national championships, bemoaned that Texas A&M’s collective deals paved the way for the Aggies’ No. 1 recruiting class designation. “A&M bought every player on their team.”

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher provided a withering response, saying his team has not committed any violation. He invited reporters to “dig into” his former boss’ past, implying Saban is a rule-breaker. 

“It’s despicable that a reputable coach could come out and say this when things don’t go his way.”

• More generally, Saban decried the use of NIL collectives — groups composed of donors, boosters, and/or alumni who pool funds to offer athletes deals.
• He claimed that at other schools, “the coach actually knows how much money is in the collective, so he knows how much money he can promise players.”

Last week, the NCAA provided updated guidance attacking collectives and boosters that offer recruiting-related deals — and claimed it’s going to investigate.

Saban’s NIL Plan

Either way, Alabama players have fared well. Saban said 25 athletes made a total of $3 million last year, in a way he claims was aboveboard.

He did acknowledge Alabama has a collective — but said it would offer the same amount to every player.

The Professional Fighters League has raised $30 million in a funding round that includes former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, who will also serve on the mixed martial arts company’s board. 

Led by Waverley Capital, the round reportedly values the company at $500 million — a significant increase from the $400 million valuation it received in 2021. Since it was founded in 2018, PFL has raised $200 million.

The funding will be used to expand internationally — establishing PFL Europe and PFL Mexico — and add athletes, including those from Endeavor-owned UFC, as PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis told CNBC.

• The PFL says it has 600 million global fans.
• The company is controlled by investors including Ares Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, former NFL player Ray Lewis, and Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner.

PFL has a pay-per-view “Super Fight” scheduled to debut next year. It also extended its media rights deal with ESPN in January.

A-Rod’s Ownership

The PFL adds to the former New York Yankees star’s sports portfolio. Rodriguez, who made more than $450 million over his baseball career, joined former Walmart e-commerce executive Marc Lore in April 2021 to purchase the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx for $1.5 billion. He’s also an investor in UFC Gym.

“Alex is building a business career in sports that he wants to equal his baseball career,” Davis said, adding that Rodriguez is “innovative in his approach to investing and building companies.”

Real Madrid has signed a $381 million deal with investment group Sixth Street and entertainment experiences company Legends to host concerts and other events at the La Liga club’s 81,000-seat stadium. 

The capital will allow Real Madrid to create additional streams of revenue as it works to alleviate financial losses caused by the pandemic. In 2020, Real Madrid saw its income fall by 8% compared to the previous year, but the club remains the second-most-valuable soccer team in the world at $4.75 billion, just behind La Liga rival FC Barcelona at $4.76 billion. 

• A new company will manage the stadium and proceeds from its events.
• The proceeds will be split 70% for Real Madrid and 30% for Sixth Street.
• The deal will run for 20 years.

A deal between the three entities comes as no surprise. Legends has led Real Madrid’s retail strategy since 2020, and a year later Sixth Street acquired a majority stake in Legends, valuing the company at $1.35 billion. In January, Legends and Real Madrid agreed to a 25-year pact to host non-sports events at Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the club’s home field since 1947. 

Perfect Timing

Real Madrid’s desire to make the Bernabéu a facility that hosts more than just soccer games comes as it undergoes major renovations, which include a retractable roof and a new pitch.

The club secured an initial loan of $651 million in April 2019 for the project and in December 2021 it received a $255 million loan from JPMorgan and Bank of America.