Soccer clubs have spent a combined $48.5 billion on international transfer fees over the past decade, according to a report by FIFA. Annual spending increased from $2.66 billion in 2012 to $7.35 billion in 2019. 

Between 2011 and 2020, a total of 133,225 international transfers —  whether outright sales or loans of players — were completed with more than 66,000 players involved across FIFA’s 200 member associations. 

• The number of clubs completing transfers grew by more than 30%, reaching 3,167 in 2011 and peaking at 4,139 in 2019. 
• The top 30 clubs in transfer spending were all based in Europe with a total of $22.8 billion allocated toward the transactions — a 47% share of the global total.
• Since 2011, the most expensive transfer was Paris Saint-Germain’s $262.45 million deal to acquire Neymar from FC Barcelona in 2017. 

Despite the influx of spending and fresh talent for clubs, the proliferation of transfers can come at a cost. 

Italian club Juventus — which made roughly $17.7 million from Cristiano Ronaldo’s move back to Manchester United — will actually suffer a loss of approximately $16.6 million after signing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner for $118.05 million in 2018.

With a U.S. media rights deal already in place, WWE is now pursuing the value of its international streaming rights. 

The wrestling media company is looking for a global deal along the lines of its recent pact with NBCUniversal. WWE migrated to Peacock on a five-year streaming deal reportedly worth over $1 billion. 

A robust media offering has been the key to WWE’s success:

• It’s in the middle of a five-year linear programming deal with Fox Sports, worth just over $1 billion.
• In August, WWE announced a podcast deal with The Ringer and Spotify.
• WWE’s Q2 revenues grew 19% year-over-year to $265.6 million, driven by $233.9 million in media revenue.
• The company currently has a patchwork of linear and streaming deals in China and various European countries with Baidu’s iQIYI, DAZN, Virgin Media, and others.

With 81.1 million subscribers, WWE is the most popular sports channel on YouTube, and its 13.3 million TikTok followers match the NBA and best the NFL and MLB.

WWE boasts enduring popularity: Its “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” was the top-rated show on Friday. Its recent SummerSlam event at Allegiant Stadium had around quadruple the gate revenue of the same event in 2019 in Scotiabank Arena, the company told FOS. 

Sales of performance running footwear in the U.S. grew by roughly one-third in the first six months of the year and brands are cashing in.

After seeing a 95% year-over-year sales increase to $213.1 million in its latest quarter, athletic shoe company Hoka One One is set to open its first brick-and-mortar stores in New York and California on Wednesday.

The Hoka brand, best known for its cushioned running shoes, is opening the stores as the running category sees explosive growth. 

• Brooks Running recorded a 75% increase in year-over-year revenue, also claiming the top spot in the women’s performance running industry for another quarter. It expects  40% growth in European markets this year, with plans to launch in China in 2022.
• In April, ON Running announced plans to go public in the fall at a $5 billion valuation. Swiss tennis star Roger Federer invested $54 million in the brand after 20 years with Nike.
• Women’s athletic footwear grew by about 40% during the first half of 2021 compared to 2020.

Hoka parent company Deckers, which includes Teva, Sanuk, Ugg, and Kollaburra in its portfolio, saw sales rise 78% to $504.7 million in the first quarter. 

From opening stores to new product lines, brands are doing everything they can to capitalize on the growing global athletic footwear market, which is estimated to reach $66.31 billion by 2027.

Nifty Games closed $38 million in new funding to bring its short-form mobile sports games to a broader audience.

The California-based mobile app developer secured $26 million in a Series B round, plus an additional $12 million in a connected debt financing.

The round was led by Vulcan Capital, which is chaired by Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers chair Jody Allen. Boston Celtics managing owner Steve Pagliuca participated in the round, as did Courtside Ventures, March Gaming, and Defy Partners.

• The company announced licensing deals with the NBA and its player association, as well as with the NFL and NFLPA, in April.
• Its “NFL Clash” and “NBA Clash” games debuted this year. The titles are set to launch in the U.S. later in 2021. 
• Nifty raised a $12 million Series A round in April.

The company’s investors include team owners from MLB, MLS, NHL, as well as esports leagues, per TechCrunch. Its short-session games offer a contrast to more involved ones such as “Madden NFL 21” and “FIFA 21.”

Nifty said it would use the new funding to create new sports-themed games and grow its staff. The company opened a Chicago office in July 2020.