The multi-year agreement between Fanatics and Saudi Arabia’s entertainment arm for sponsorship of a flag football league fronted by Tom Brady is in peril, Front Office Sports has learned.
Riyadh Season, a promotional vehicle for Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), had a sponsorship deal for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic to take place in Riyadh last month. The event, which aired on Fox, was moved to Los Angeles after a coalition including the United States and Israel attacked Iran, triggering turmoil in the Middle East. Fanatics and Saudi Arabia officials were at odds about moving the event, with the latter preferring to postpone it and host it in Riyadh once the geopolitical situation cools down, sources said.
The Saudis pulled out of further funding the event after it moved to Los Angeles, a source said. The source added that Fanatics Studios, the upstart production arm of the apparel and collectibles company, is expected to continue producing the event with or without Saudi funding.
A spokesperson for Fanatics declined comment, and the press inbox for Riyadh Season did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to Brady, current and former NFL players, including Rob Gronkowski, Jalen Hurts, and Jayden Daniels, also played in the Flag Football Classic, as did celebrities such as Logan Paul. The broadcast averaged about 650,000 viewers on Fox while going up against the NCAA Tournament.
Flag football will be an event at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the growth of the sport is a major priority for the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell.
The uncertainty surrounding the Fanatics partnership comes as Saudi Arabia is reevaluating its spending priorities. The Financial Times reported Wednesday that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is “on the verge of cutting its support for LIV,” the golf league that poached a number of renowned golfers including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm from the PGA Tour for nine-figure sums several years ago. (Koepka has since returned to the PGA.)
According to the FT, PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan said Wednesday that “of course the war would add more pressure to reposition some priorities.”
