Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Fanatics Launches New Advertising Division Led by Jeremi Gorman
Fanatics has launched Fanatics Advertising and appointed Jeremi Gorman, an industry veteran who has served as a strategic advisor to the company since last November, as chief revenue officer for the division. The team oversees the advertising and brand partnerships strategy that spans Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, Fanatics Collect and Fanatics Events.
Portland Fire Announce Vanja Černivec as General Manager
The Portland Fire, a WNBA expansion team debuting in 2026, have named Vanja Černivec as general manager. In her incoming role, Černivec will oversee all basketball operations, including spearheading the search for the team’s head coach, roster construction and overall player development. Černivec will begin her tenure with the Portland Fire on Sept. 15. Černivec joins the Portland Fire from the Golden State Valkyries, where she has served as vice president of basketball operations since July 2024.
Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Name Matthew Caldwell as CEO
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx have named Matthew Caldwell as chief executive officer of the organization, effective Sept. 2, in a 10-year commitment. In this role, Caldwell will oversee day-to-day business operations and high-level strategic initiatives for the Timberwolves, Lynx and Iowa Wolves. Caldwell brings over a decade of sports management experience, most recently serving as president & CEO of the Florida Panthers for the past nine years. This appointment follows the recent sale of controlling interest in the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who assumed the roles of co-chairmen in June 2025.
Hawks, State Farm Arena Promote Brunson to EVP & Chief Ticketing Officer
The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena have announced the promotion of Kyle Brunson to executive vice president and chief ticketing officer and the addition of Shawn Thornton as senior vice president and chief partnership officer. Brunson, who started with the organization in 1998 as a ticket sales representative, most recently served as senior vice president, ticket sales and service. Thornton joins the Hawks and State Farm Arena organization following a 20-year NHL career as a player and eight-year stint as an executive for the Florida Panthers where he oversaw the team’s ticket sales and service, community relations, foundation and corporate partnerships departments as the team’s chief revenue officer.
PARTNERSHIPS
NFL, Cosm Announce Multiyear Partnership Extension
The NFL and Cosm announced a multiyear extension of their partnership that will see Cosm continue to produce and distribute live NFL games in “shared reality” at their entertainment venues throughout the 2025 season and beyond. Leveraging Cosm’s Live 8K production, the NFL and Cosm debuted NFL football in “shared reality” during the 2024 season. Football fans can experience live NFL games at Cosm’s venues—an experience powered by Cosm’s large-scale 87-foot-diameter 12K+ LED domes. This season, Cosm will once again feature Thursday Night Football and Sunday Night Football, as well as an offering of games on CBS and Fox, at its venues in Los Angeles and Dallas.
WWE and PSG Announce Long-Term Strategic Collaboration
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, and soccer club Paris Saint-Germain announced a long-term collaboration that will include original content development, exclusive merchandise and retail, fan engagement initiatives, community programs and interactions between PSG players and WWE superstars. Both brands will look to expand their reach to new and diverse audiences as the relationship begins in conjunction with WWE’s first-ever Premium Live Event in the French capital, Clash in Paris, at La Défense Arena on Aug. 31.
DAZN Reaches Deal With ESPN for U.S. College Rights in Select Territories
DAZN has acquired live rights to a wide range of U.S. college football and basketball content through a multiyear sublicensing agreement with ESPN. From the 2025 season, fans across selected territories in Europe and the MENA region will be able to watch up to 25 college football games per week during the regular season only on DAZN. Moreover, DAZN’s offering will include all of the College Football Playoffs and the national championship, as well as all other major bowl games. DAZN will broadcast approximately 20 games per week across men’s and women’s basketball, as well as 63 March Madness games across both the men’s and women’s tournaments, including the entirety of the Elite Eight, Final Four and national championships.
LSU Athletics Signs Multiyear Extension With Taymar
LSU athletics and Taymar have signed a multiyear extension for the firm to continue partnering on ticket sales with LSU and the Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF). The Taymar team, headed by vice president/general manager Matthew Douglas, added two account executives to assist with fan experience and service. The Taymar team will continue working closely with others on the TAF and LSU athletics staff.
NWSL and The Gist Partner
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and The Gist, the women-led sports media brand, announced a digital media partnership designed to elevate women’s soccer and unlock monetization opportunities through storytelling. As an official digital media partner of the NWSL, The Gist will spotlight league moments through snackable highlights, original programming and bespoke content across its multi-platform ecosystem, including its newsletter audience. From league action to branded series and IP, the partnership will connect the NWSL with The Gist’s Gen Z and Millennial community.
FloSports and OHL Enter 7-Year Media Partnership
FloSports has entered into a seven-year media partnership with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), beginning with the 2025–26 season. The new agreement establishes FloHockey as the global home for live and on-demand streaming coverage of the OHL’s full regular season, postseason and marquee league events. It will bring more than 680 OHL games, including regular season matchups, playoff rounds, Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game and the OHL Championship Series for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. In addition, FloHockey will produce original content and invest in a broad social media strategy.
Legends/ASM Global Expand Strategic Partnership With FC Porto
FC Porto has struck a new five-year agreement with Legends/ASM Global, the premium live events and experiences company. The new deal will see Legends/ASM Global oversee all food and beverage operations at the club, including both general admission (GA) and premium hospitality areas. The partnership includes both match-day and non-match day events, as well as the training and development of on-site teams.
Radiance Technologies Extends Independence Bowl Title Sponsorship
The Independence Bowl Foundation and Radiance Technologies announced the extension of the title sponsorship of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl through at least the 2027 bowl season—with three additional one-year options to extend the agreement through 2030. Radiance Technologies has been the title sponsor of the Independence Bowl since 2020. The 49th Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
ETPL Appoints London-Based Oakvale Capital as Exclusive Investment Banker
The European T20 Premier League (ETPL), an ICC-approved T20 league co-owned by Abhishek Bachchan and backed by Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, has appointed Oakvale Capital as its exclusive investment banker. In addition, KPMG in India has been appointed as ETPL’s strategic advisor.
Mono Partners With WSC Sports to Power EPL Coverage in Thailand
Mono Next, a Thailand broadcast and streaming group and operator of the MonoMax OTT service, announced a multiyear partnership with WSC Sports that it says “will change how Thai audiences experience the English Premier League (EPL).” Mono has a goal of reaching 2.5-3 million new OTT subscribers. WSC Sports’ platform will drive Mono’s video strategy, delivering real-time highlights, personalized short-form content and visuals at scale across social media and MonoMax OTT. In a regional first, Mono will also launch WSC’s integration with Google Web Stories, turning key EPL moments into vertical video stories that appear directly in Google Search.
All-American Rejects Become Official Partner for Music City Grand Prix
Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) and Conor Daly have announced the All-American Rejects, multi-platinum American alternative and pop-rock band, as Official Partner for the Music City Grand Prix. The All-American Rejects will activate the partnership with a full livery and additional content opportunities. Additionally, Conor Daly will wear a firesuit visually designed by streetwear disruptor, KidSuper. The All-American Rejects will also be headlining the pre-race party at the season finale in Nashville.
PRODUCTS
First Global Professional Pickleball Tour Launches
The Association of Pickleball Players (APP), Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL), European Pickleball Federation (EPF), India’s Global Sports, Australia’s National Pickleball League (NPL), Pickleball England and Vietnam’s Pickleball D-Joy are uniting to announce the formation of a new global alliance for professional pickleball worldwide. Established executives and organizations in the sport will work together to create a unified, non-conflicting tournament calendar, a streamlined global-ranking system, a tiered prize money structure, additional commercial arrangements and financial scholarship support. The year-round world calendar is inclusive of at least 30 pickleball tournaments in 2026.
Skateboard Association to Announce Launch of Co-Ed League
The Skateboard Association (SBA) will announce the launch of the first co-ed, equal-pay professional skateboarding league on Monday, Sept. 1. NBA champion Gary Payton II is not only a co-founder and investor, but also the league’s first official team owner. As official partners of the SBA, Visit Big Bear, Hueco Tanks and Bear Mountain will serve as the home of the SBA’s flagship arena, training complex and media hub. Additional launch partners include SBA’s official recovery device partner Hyperice and Hypervsn, a London-based technology company.
SEGG Media Launches SEGG Digital and SEGG Productions
SEGG Media Corporation, a sports, entertainment and gaming conglomerate that owns Sports.com, Concerts.com and Lottery.com, announced a major expansion of its international operations with the launch of two new business enterprises: SEGG Digital and SEGG Productions. The focus of these new operations is to accelerate audience growth, unlock new revenue streams and expand global brand influence across SEGG Media’s premium media portfolio. SEGG Digital will serve as the group’s global marketing arm, with operations spearheaded by Charlie Davis. SEGG Productions, led by Tamer Hassan, will focus on original, premium storytelling across music, lifestyle and entertainment.
Bud Light Launching New Tailgate Initiative With NFL Players
Bud Light and Traeger Grills partnered to create “the Traegerator,” a keg-and-grill machine. In a new infomercial-style social spot, starring Bud Light partners George Kittle and Baker Mayfield, Bud Light is also giving fans the chance to secure the device for their own tailgate at a football game this season. The 90s-style infomercial parody sees Kittle and Mayfield dreaming up a grill that can simultaneously grill meat and pour beer. Suddenly, their dreams become a reality and the Traegerator is born as the grill top, designed to look like a Bud Light can, is lifted to unveil the meats and kick off the jingle.
PURCHASES
Christian McCaffrey Joins While on Earth as Co-Founder and Investor
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has officially joined performance footwear and apparel brand While on Earth as a co-founder and investor. McCaffrey had spent his professional career to date with Nike. Joining McCaffrey is a team of executives including Todd Meleney, who spent a decade leading marketing at NoBull, in addition to CrossFit legends Mat Fraser and Brooke Wells.
