Roblox released its first earnings report as a public company and the returns are positive. 

The company reported Q1 2021 revenue of $387 million, a 140% increase compared to the same period last year.

Daily active users of the wildly popular game are up 79% to 42.1 million. Daily active users over the age of 13 saw 111% growth while the player base outside of the U.S. and Canada increased by 87%.

Roblox flourished during the pandemic, as gamers stayed put and created their own experiences using the platform. That momentum has been well-maintained in 2021. 

The latest earnings report adds to a busy first half of the year for Roblox: 

• January 2021: Raised $520 million in a Series H funding round at a $29.5 billion valuation.
• March 2021: Went public via a direct public offering at a $41.9 billion valuation. 
• May 2021: Whether Roblox should be classified as a game or an app has been a topic of discussion during the Epic Games v. Apple trial.  

Roblox generated $923.9 million in revenue in 2020, an 82% uptick from the year prior. Now, the company is well on its way to surpassing that milestone after coming out the gate strong in Q1.

An NFL team in the frigid Midwest and a pair of soccer teams in sunny Florida may soon have the same owners.

The Wilf family, owner of the Minnesota Vikings, is believed to be closing in on the purchase of Orlando City SC and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Orlando Pride for $400-450 million, per Sportico.

The real-estate development billionaires will have to divest their minority share of Nashville SC to complete the purchase.

The deal would also include Exploria Stadium and the Orlando City academy system.

• Brothers Zygmunt and Mark Wilf and cousin, Leonard Wilf, bought the Vikings in 2005 for $600 million. The team is now worth $2.95 billion, according to Forbes.
• They were rumored to be top contenders to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves last summer. In April, the T-Wolves were sold to a group led by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore.

Just 10 teams in 2004, MLS has nearly tripled in size since, with 27 teams this season and one more set to enter the league in each of the next two seasons. 

Soccer is the third-most popular sport among Americans ages 6-24, and team values grew 30% from 2018 to 2019, per Forbes.

It looks like J. Cole will be taking his talents to the Basketball Africa League. If he can make shots with the same consistency he delivers No. 1 albums, he’ll be a difference-maker.

Basketball has been a constant theme of the St. John’s walk-on turned multi-platinum rapper’s music. He earned an estimated $31 million in 2019, per Forbes, and was the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation.

His RS Dreamer sneaker, produced in partnership with Puma, has been worn in NBA games by Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo, and others. Jay-Z joined Puma as creative director in 2018. Last week, the company reported that Q1 2021 revenue was up 25.8% year-over-year to $1.88 billion.

Cole should provide a jolt of star power to the BAL as it gears up for the start of its inaugural season on May 16, two days after Cole releases his sixth album, “The Off-Season.”

• The Basketball Africa League, a 12-team league founded by the NBA and FIBA, was initially set to launch in March 2020. 
• Nike and Jordan Brand are sponsors of the league will produce jerseys for half of the league’s teams. Pepsi is also a sponsor.
• Each team hails from a different country, with every region of Africa represented. Cole is joining the Rwanda Patriots.

The BAL is the centerpiece of the NBA’s investment into Africa. Last August, the league appointed investment banker Victor Williams, formerly of Goldman Sachs and Standard Bank Group, to lead its development efforts on the continent.

Growing up, Moolah Kicks founder Natalie White felt like women’s basketball was treated like the JV-level to men’s varsity. In particular, she was always disappointed when shopping for women’s basketball shoes. 

By her senior year of college in 2019, White — by then a lifelong basketball player and Boston College women’s team manager — was fed up. So she decided to launch Moolah Kicks, a women’s basketball sneaker brand focusing exclusively on elevating the women’s game. 

“Instead of complaining about it, we’re making space for ourselves,” White told Front Office Sports.

The company launched in January 2020 and began its crowdfunding campaign this month. Three days after the campaign went live, it’s raised more than $18,000 from 154 backers. 

Moolah Kicks aims to rectify two major issues in women’s sports: That companies prioritize men’s basketball over women’s, and that sports equipment — and shoes in particular — are often designed for men.

It’s opportune timing, given the spotlight on discrepancies between the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in March, and the way viewership soared, suggesting a major market for women’s basketball.

White spent more than a year on research. She found out that women’s feet have several differences compared with men’s feet, from a higher arch to a more narrow heel. According to her findings, many sneakers billed as “women’s basketball shoes” don’t accommodate those differences.

To make the shoes she wished she had growing up, White enlisted designer Sean Gayle, who serves as the company’s head of design. The advisory board boasts three chief executives: former Saucony CEO John Fisher, Ryka founder Sheri Poe, and Jones and Vining CEO Jim Salzano.