The cultural clout of the soon-to-launch virtual golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy continues to grow.
TGL, which was first announced last August, has built an impressive and still-growing list of stakeholders, players, team owners, and other business partners.
Last week, reports emerged that ESPN was close to sealing a media rights deal with TGL, which will begin play on Monday nights in January. A partnership with ESPN would expose the league to more general sports fans, as opposed to a more niche audience from a network like Golf Channel.
Matches will be played in South Florida on the campus of Palm Beach State College at a new 2,000-seat venue, which was just christened the SoFi Center as part of a wide-ranging deal with TGL parent company TMRW Sports.
Best known in sports for its affiliation with the $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the digital finance company brings crucial backing for TGL, although the deal terms are unknown.
Big Names Backing TGL
Three months ahead of its debut, TGL has announced four of its six founding team ownership groups. They include Steve Cohen, Arthur Blank, Serena Williams, and Fenway Sports Group.
Beyond the majority owners, TGL teams have attracted a slew of well-known minority investors including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michelle Wie West, and Alex Morgan. TMRW Sports has an even larger list of athlete and celebrity investors across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Formula 1, tennis, and more.
