October 27, 2021

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Major League Baseball games have averaged 4.4 million viewers this postseason — up 95% compared to last year. 📈

Stadium Vote Boosts Confidence A’s Will Stay in Oakland

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Oakland cleared a major hurdle Tuesday in its quest to keep the A’s from departing to Las Vegas or another city.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 for a non-binding resolution to commit tax dollars to the $12 billion Howard Terminal project, a proposed new baseball stadium and surrounding development area.

Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf cheered the vote, saying it “paves a clear path to keep the A’s rooted in Oakland and build a world-class waterfront ballpark district that will benefit Bay Area residents for generations to come.”

The proposal goes beyond the new stadium to encompass commercial, residential, and community efforts.

  • 1.8 million square feet of commercial space
  • 3,000 residential units
  • A 3,500-capacity performance venue
  • A hotel with around 400 rooms

A key sticking point in negotiations between the team, city, and county involves the team’s plan to privately fund development of the surrounding area, then recover funds through tax revenue.

In July, the Oakland City Council voted to allow the team to recover tax funds from stadium-related infrastructure but removed $352 million in paybacks for infrastructure spending on the surrounding Jack London Square area.

Oakland saw the Golden State Warriors move across the bay to San Francisco in 2019, and the NFL’s Raiders left for Las Vegas in 2020.

Puma Reports $2.2B in Revenue Despite Production Issues

Puma/Design: Alex Brooks

Puma raised its forecast for the rest of the year on Wednesday following its third-quarter earnings report.

The German sportswear and shoe manufacturer increased sales by 20%, bringing quarterly revenue to $2.2 billion. Net income reached $167 million in the quarter, up from $132 million a year prior.

The company expects full-year sales to jump by 25% in 2021, compared to a previous target of 20%.

Puma has increasingly leaned on athlete partnerships in search of global visibility.

  • In 2020, the company signed Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar Jr. to a long-term contract worth around $30 million annually after he parted ways with Nike following allegations of sexual assault.
  • The same year, the company signed NBA guard LaMelo Ball to a deal reportedly worth $100 million.
  • In August, USMNT captain and Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic left Nike for Puma.

Puma’s strong results come despite some logistical setbacks.

The company saw production factories in Vietnam shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks and faced a difficult market in China because of consumer backlash against Western brands.

Still, Puma has generated $5.8 billion in revenue for the first nine months of 2021 — a 39% increase year-over-year.

SPONSORED BY PANINI

Instant NFL NFTs Available Now

Panini America officials recently launched the first wave of Panini Instant NFL NFT Blockchain cards that honor the league’s biggest weekly performances and milestones with new cards Minted daily. Be sure to check out the Panini NFT Blockchain site every day to see which players from the previous week’s games are being produced.

Each NFT will be available to purchase for a limited time, so if you see the player you want, get it! All Panini Instant NFL NFT Blockchain cards will be Minted only to the total number of cards ordered.

For more information, visit the Panini NFT Blockchain site.

Fitness Boosts Garmin’s Revenue to $1.19B

Garmin/Design: Alex Brooks

Garmin reported $1.19 billion in third-quarter revenue Wednesday — with net sales for its fitness segment growing 4% to more than $342 million.

During the first three quarters of 2021, the company’s net fitness sales increased 26% from the same period last year.

Known for its GPS devices, Garmin is making strides with activity trackers and sports watches, too. The company said the increase in fitness sales was “driven by solid demand for our cycling and advanced wearable products.” The global wearable technology market is estimated to be worth $47.89 billion.

Garmin’s outdoor segment fell 3% to $324 million during the quarter. In that time, it launched the Approach R10, the company’s first portable golf launch monitor, designed to help golfers by showing metrics in real time.

  • Garmin’s fitness and outdoor segments accounted for 55.5% of its revenue back in Q2.
  • The company recently announced a collaboration with Dexcom to provide people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes access to their glucose levels on Garmin smartwatches, as wearables become more entrenched in health spaces.

Garmin increased its 2021 full-year guidance to $4.95 billion in revenue.

Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters

  • In today’s Leadoff, Hertz taps Tom Brady to promote its $4.2 billion Tesla order, Silver Lake is reportedly close to acquiring a stake in the A-Leagues, Apple expands Fitness+ as gyms bounce back, and soccer brings billions of tourist dollars to the U.K. Click here to listen.
  • The NHL has fined the Chicago Blackhawks $2 million for mishandling allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player in 2010. As a result, GM Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac have resigned.
  • The NFL will not make its investigation into the workplace culture at the Washington Football Team public. Commissioner Roger Goodell cites the anonymity of the people involved with the investigation as too high a priority.
  • 2021 has brought an explosion in the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and blockchain technology. Join us tomorrow, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. ET as we sit down with FTX’s Head of Brand Partnerships to discuss how they have become one of the leaders in the sports and crypto landscape.

SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU

How NASCAR Became an Omnichannel Success

Customer-centric brand NASCAR is always looking to maintain connection and engagement with fans.

For its most recent birthday email campaign, the team created an interactive experience that simulated the unwrapping of a gift, revealing a mystery birthday discount. With the help of cross-channel personalization platform Sailthru, the team used A/B testing and a unique combination of dynamic elements to increase conversions by 94%.

This case study details how a five-year partnership with Sailthru empowered NASCAR to deliver highly personalized experiences and increase revenue generated by email.

Market Movers

U.S. stocks were mixed on Wednesday following a session of gains. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

(Note: All as of market close on 10/27/21)
What to Watch

What to Watch

The Atlanta Braves (1-0) face the Houston Astros (0-1) tonight at Minute Maid Park for Game 2 of the World Series.

How to Watch: 8:09 p.m. ET on FOX

Betting Odds: Astros -1.5 || ML -125 || O/U 8.5*

Pick: Expect the Braves to build on last night’s Game 1 win. Take Atlanta to cover.

Who ya got? Reply to this newsletter with your prediction for the Braves-Astros winner and final score. 

Shoutout: Congrats to FOS reader Mia Mundy for correctly predicting Atlanta’s upset win over Houston!

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Win a Pair of LaLiga ElClásico Tickets

Win a Pair of LaLiga ElClásico Tickets

In addition to winning gear, every referral will earn an entry into the LaLiga 2022 ElClásico ticket giveaway (ends Oct. 31)! ESPN is the new home of LaLiga in the U.S. Follow the best soccer league in the world with the top stars streaming every match across all ESPN platforms. Subscribe now. 

It’s easy to spread the word. Copy and paste your unique link below and share it in an email or on your timeline. One referral = one entry.

Your custom referral link: [RH_REFLINK]

Or use these one-tap sharing methods:

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Written by Owen Poindexter, Abigail Gentrup, Justin Byers

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