At age 50, Phil Mickelson is once again a champion.

The celebrated golfer became the oldest player to win a major, holding off Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka for a 2-stroke PGA Championship victory. The man affectionately known as Lefty took home $2.16 million for his performance, part of a record $12 million total purse for the tournament.

Mickelson is among the most storied golfers in the game, with 45 PGA Tour wins, six major titles, and $94.6 million in career winnings — second only to Tiger Woods’ $120.8 million total. His last major tournament win came in 2013 at the British Open.

The victory could bring a fresh wave of energy to Mickelson’s brand. Hideki Matsuyama saw estimates of up to $1 billion for what he could earn in endorsements after his win at the Masters in April.

Mickelson is close to actually realizing that sum: Forbes estimated in 2020 that the golfer has made $750 million in endorsements. His sponsors include Amgen, Callaway Golf, Heineken N.V., and Rolex. He added Amstel Light and hat company Melin to the list in 2020.

The buzz from one of the world’s most famous golfers pulling off a surprise victory could boost the PGA’s efforts to diversify the sport through its Make Golf Your Thing campaign. 

As an outdoor sport with easy social distancing, interest in golf surged during the pandemic. The National Golf Foundation counted 24.8 million golfers in 2020, a 2% increase from the previous year and the sport’s biggest net growth in 17 years. 

Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona have been together for 17 years, but the relationship between soccer’s biggest star and most valuable team could be coming to an end.

Messi signed his current four-year deal in 2017, worth a reported $673.8 million. For context, Patrick Mahomes has the richest contract in NFL history — a 10-year, $450 million deal.

Come June, the 33-year-old will be free to sign elsewhere. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are known to have their eyes on the very expensive superstar.

• Messi was second on Forbes’ 2021 list of highest-paid athletes (behind Conor McGregor) with $97 million in salary and $33 million from his lifetime deal with adidas and other off-field earnings.
• Barcelona edged out Real Madrid as the most valuable soccer team in the world at $4.76 billion, per Forbes.

Messi submitted a transfer request last year, after his relationship with team president Josep Maria Bartomeu soured. Bartomeu is accused of orchestrating a smear campaign against Messi and other players who were critical of the club. He resigned in October and, in March, was arrested in a case that appears related to that scandal.

Current Barca president John Laporta, who is optimistic he can retain the star, is preparing a two-to-three-year deal at a lower annual rate than Messi’s current salary.

Laporta is also looking to sign another top player, such as Neymar, to make the club more desirable to its longtime icon.

Formula One’s flagship race was called off in 2020 after 64 consecutive years, but it returned over the weekend to much fanfare.

The Monaco Grand Prix had the biggest crowd that any Grand Prix event will see this year, with about 7,500 spectators, or 40% of the race’s usual capacity.

Max Verstappen won the race for the first time and also leads the Formula 1 championship for the first time in his career, but he wasn’t the only winner.

A popular destination for the world’s wealthiest, the Monaco Grand Prix brings in an average of $110 million per year for the city-state’s economy.

Still, there were some restrictions in place this year that put a cap on the event’s standard levels of decadence.

Monaco’s government instilled a 10 p.m. curfew, closed nightclubs, and requested that no music be played in restaurants — but it’s hard to ignore the inherent luxury in such a location.

• The Monaco Grand Prix track, converted from the road over six weeks, is surrounded by stores like Gucci and Hermes.
• Louis Vuitton designed the race’s trophy trunk.
• A studio apartment in the country costs roughly $2.4 million.

Yacht owners love Monaco, too. Lawrence Stroll, who owns the Aston Martin Formula One racing team, had one of the most extravagant boats in the harbor: the $200 million Faith.

Earlier this month, Liberty Media reported $180 million in Q1 revenue for Formula One, up significantly from a dismal $39 million in the same quarter last year.

It’s normal to see fans in the stands across sports again, and the major telecommunications companies are betting that their 5G networks help define the live sports experience after the pandemic. 

Last week, Verizon announced that its 5G technology is now live in more than 60 stadiums and arenas — but how exactly do those networks affect fans in real life?

Simply put, the real-time data available to spectators is becoming more dynamic than anything previously conceivable.

“Imagine being able to get shot make/miss projections for a player as he begins to take a shot, based on total career shooting percentage from that spot on the floor, in similar game situations,” Verizon said in a statement about the increased availability of its 5G tech in NBA arenas.

Fans at Super Bowl LV with a Verizon 5G connection and the NFL Mobile app got exclusive access to seven high-definition cameras around Raymond James Stadium for a closer look at the game.

In April, Verizon reported Q1 revenue of $32.9 billion with $16.7 billion from its wireless division. The company is also testing the 5G-supported application of augmented reality statistics with the NHL.

According to AT&T, which reported $43.9 billion in first-quarter revenue, data usage in sports venues is growing by 67% year-over-year.

“Venues are made for memorable experiences,” said AT&T executive Melanie Sullivan. “That’s why we’re helping stadiums provide fans with interactive, personalized, and connected engagements.”

T-Mobile, which has the largest 5G map in the U.S. with over 40% of the country covered, saw its Q1 revenue reach $19.8 billion.