August 9, 2021

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After a storybook career and more endorsements than you can count, Peyton Manning is officially a Hall of Fame quarterback following the weekend’s enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.

CVC Deal Pits La Liga Against Top Clubs

La Liga/Design: Alex Brooks

Barcelona and Real Madrid publicly criticized an agreement between the league and CVC Capital Partners concerning the firm’s proposed $3.2 billion investment in league assets.

La Liga needs a majority of the 42 teams in its first and second divisions to agree to the deal — which would see CVC receive 10% of the league’s revenue — for it to move forward.

  • Real Madrid argued that La Liga was effectively offering up rights owned by the clubs: “This agreement, by way of a misleading structure, expropriates 10.95% of the clubs’ audiovisual rights for the next 50 years, in breach of the law,” the team wrote on Thursday.
  • Barca critiqued the length and value of the deal, writing, “The terms of the contract that La Liga is describing condemn FC Barcelona’s future with regard to broadcasting rights.”

At a Friday press conference regarding the departure of superstar Lionel Messi, Barcelona president John Laporta noted that, ​”we have received a terrible inheritance from the previous board which means that salaries at the Club represent 110% of income.”

The spat is the latest chapter in an ongoing clash over the financial future of La Liga and European soccer. Real Madrid and Barca have not disavowed their membership in the Super League, which would have created a midweek tournament among Europe’s top clubs.

Messi is now reportedly considering a two-year contract offer from Paris Saint-Germain worth about $35 million per year.

Indians Extend Lease, Ending Relocation Talk

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

The Cleveland Indians are changing their name, but the team isn’t going anywhere.

The club agreed to a 15-year extension of its lease at Progressive Field, keeping the team in place through 2036. The deal includes two five-year options that could extend it to 2046.

As part of the $435 million deal, the team, city, county, and state will fund ballpark renovations. 

Renovations to the 35,041-seat stadium could start in the next five years, according to team owner Paul Dolan.

  • The team will pay $10 million each year of the lease, $4.5 million of which will go toward stadium upgrades and repairs.
  • Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will collectively contribute $17 million annually from existing revenue. 
  • Ohio will chip in $2 million annually. Gov. Mike DeWine got involved with the lease negotiations to help ensure the team would stay in Cleveland.

The remaining step is for the lease to be approved by the Cleveland city council.

The original lease was set to end in 2023, fueling chatter that the team could relocate if it did not reach a new agreement. 

The team will change its name to the Guardians at the end of the 2021 season.

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Building The College Athlete’s Personal Brand

To help college athletic departments and athletes capitalize on the new NIL new era of collegiate athletics, Front Office Sports, together with Facebook and Instagram, have created Athlete Marketing Essentials: NIL Certification, a free online course. 

The course includes Building Blocks for a Personal Brand, where Nick Marquez, Lead, NA Sports Team Partnerships at Facebook breaks down what athletes need to thrive in the NIL era and how institutions are supporting athlete content creation and distribution. 

Upon completion, you’ll earn a verified digital certification badge to display on your LinkedIn profile. Plus, you’ll have access to the Facebook and Instagram Safety Guide for Athletes as well as the College Athletes on Facebook and Instagram online hub. 

Get in the NIL game and register now!

China Wants to Make Its Sports Industry Massive

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

With the 2022 Winter Games around the corner, Beijing says it wants to make sports a $773 billion industry for China by 2025.

Up 70% increase from 2019 levels, the figure represents an effort to drive the economy by creating jobs and attracting investment. In turn, China has increased sports spending and set new national goals for the sector.

  • It plans to increase the number of people participating in regular physical activity to 38.5% by 2025.
  • The country wants to make sure every community has gym equipment, with plans to build and renovate more than 2,000 stadiums, sports parks, and fitness centers.
  • It plans to have three million people employed as fitness trainers.

Chinese sneaker manufacturers and other sports-related companies saw shares jump after the goals were released last week.

If Beijing’s goals are met by 2025, the sports industry would total 3.3% of China’s gross domestic product, up from 2.5% in 2015.

Beijing already has a $3.9 billion budget for the 2022 Games in February, but with a surge in COVID-19 cases and boycotts looming from countries around the world, there’s a chance Beijing could face the same tough decisions as Tokyo about whether or not to cancel the games.

Mobile Gaming Leader Zynga Keeps Growing

Zynga/Design: Alex Brooks

Mobile gaming company Zynga reported $720 million in second-quarter revenue, up from $680 million in Q1.

The “Words With Friends” developer reached a number of other milestones in the past few days.

  • Zynga announced on Thursday it is acquiring “Golf Rival” developer StarLark for $525 million in cash and stock.
  • The company confirmed it completed its acquisition of Chartboost, a mobile advertising and monetization platform, in a $250 million cash deal.
  • Rollic, a subsidiary of Zynga, announced that it surpassed one billion downloads across its portfolio of games. Zynga acquired Rollic in October 2020.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 55% of U.S. gamers played more during the pandemic, and 90% said they’ll continue to play as the country opens up.

Those figures line up with Zynga’s results.

CEO Frank Gibeau told The Hollywood Reporter that in May and July there was a drop in users from those that recently started gaming, but “those who joined early on in the COVID-19 pandemic are still playing regularly.”

SPONSORED BY OPENDORSE

Keeping Student Athletes Safe in the NIL Era

It’s been a busy month in college sports since the NIL announcement.

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET, Adam White of FOS and Blake Lawrence from Opendorse will sit down with compliance leaders from leading universities to discuss the developments and surprises from the first month of NIL in college sports. Panelists include:

  • Andy Humes, Deputy Athletics Director — Administration, Mizzou
  • Justin Kume, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance, Ohio State
  • Ike Ukaegbu, Sr. Associate Athletics Director for Compliance, TCU

Key topics to discuss include: 

  • How pre-NIL expectations have compared with market realities
  • What leaders have learned in the first month
  • How schools and student-athletes can simplify deal disclosures to stay safe together

Grab your seat and register now!

Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters

  • A 1985 Super Mario Bros. video game sold for $2 million on Friday, breaking the record for the most expensive video game sale. 
  • MLB is seeing a 12% decline in TV households watching the league compared to its last full season in 2019.
  • LeBron James’ SpringHill Company will produce “Rez Ball,” a coming-of-age Netflix film about a Navajo high school basketball team from New Mexico. 
  • Focus Home Interactive bought 77.5% of Dotemu’s shares for $45.5 million. Dotemu publishes games like “Streets of Rage 4.”

Question of the Day

How many days per week do you work remotely?

 0   1-2   3-4   5 

Friday’s Answer
60% of respondents have a life insurance policy.

Today's Action

*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.
*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

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Written by Owen Poindexter, Abigail Gentrup

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