Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome to the Spotlight! As hard as it is to believe, summer is winding down, Joro spiders seemingly avoided (wish I could say the same about spotted lantern flies), hot dogs (OG or vegan) consumed, marshmallows roasted, medals awarded and for many, lifelong memories made. That last one came into striking relief last weekend at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. As if it wasn’t enough that the kids on these teams get to play in nationally televised baseball games, they also get to spend the day with, and cheer on, their favorite Major League Baseball players as part of annual MLB Little League Classic.

This year featured a game between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, but I am not writing to talk about the game—particularly after the Yankees closing pitcher Clay Holmes blew yet another save to hand the Tigers the victory. Instead, the real standout from this year’s event was from a player who did not even play in the game due to a stint on the injured list. The Yankees’ recently acquired dynamic All-Star player Jazz Chisholm, Jr. not only played video journalist to document the Yankees’ day behind the scenes leading up to the game, capturing compelling, joyful, authentic moments shared amongst Major League and Little League teammates alike, but he also took up the mantle of becoming a “big brother” to an adoring Little Leaguer named Russell McGee, proclaiming in a television interview that he’s “gonna make sure he gets to the big leagues one day.” What could have been empty words were followed up with a heartwarming gesture as Chisholm exchanged phone numbers with McGee and joined him in the stands to cheer on Chisholm’s teammates. A really cool moment of kindness, humility and paying it forward to witness—and one that it sounds like McGee and Chisholm will carry with them for a long time to come. I’ll catch you all back on the other side of the Labor Day holiday, but for now here’s my payment forward to you.

• • At long last, the collaboration between Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese and Reese’s candy has become official, as they roll out some cleverly co-branded apparel. What Reese is getting paid for the collaboration is not yet known, but it’s probably more than peanuts.
  • Oklahoma State University’s football team is leaning into the name, image and likeness (NIL) era in college sports as they will all have QR codes on their helmets, linking people to the program’s NIL fund. With this on-field innovation possible, sportsbooks across the country are now wondering whether they can buy a referee if you use a barcode scanner on his or her uniform.
  • NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports sues its former sponsor, restaurant chain Hooters over its failure to pay $1.7 million in sponsorship fees. What a hoot—I thought owls were supposed to be wise!

Welcome back to the Spotlight! As we wave au revoir to the rousing success that was the Paris Olympic Games, in which the United States racked up the most gold medals and highest overall medal total, and NBCUniversal saw its Olympic audience swell to the largest it has been since 1994, the Olympic torch has begun its four year journey stateside to Los Angeles. There, LA28 is set up beautifully to surpass the watermark set by the City of Lights – that is, if people can make it off the 405. What’s on tap for the City of Angels is sure to be even more advertising spend and sponsorship dollars than what we saw in Paris, for one thing. For another thing, California native Snoop Dogg—who became a staple of the past Olympic Games—will undoubtedly reprise his supporting role, with Hollywood cameos to boot. As for the events themselves, although breakdancing will not be returning to the Games (much to internet trolls’ dismay), flag football will make its debut—possibly with NFL players taking the field, while those craving a full contact sport may find themselves drawn closer fo rugby—particularly with the Rugby World Cup coming to America in 2031. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. If recent history is any guide, there’s a whole lot of stuff that can go wrong along the way! On that dark note, here’s a Spotlight to lift you back up…

• • Not content with bringing home a gold medal from Paris, NBA All-Star Kevin Durant is bringing an equity investment in French Football Ligue 1 Champions Paris Saint Germain. It’s been a while since I’ve flown to Europe but it sounds like they’ve really spruced up their duty free offerings. 
     
  • Prime Video is debuting “The Money Game,” a docuseries following Louisiana State University most prominent NIL athletes including gymnast Livvy Dunne, basketball players Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson and Quarterback Jayden Daniels through their 2023 seasons on and off campus. A documentary about getting paid in college while getting paid to be followed said is notable, particularly considering how many people would pay NOT to have footage of their time at college released. 
     
  • Semiconductor company Qualcomm is extending its sponsorship of the English Premier League’s Manchester United Football Club through 2029. With that type of ‘chip’ reaching ubiquity in England, perhaps they’ll start referring to deep fried potatoes as “fries.”
     
  • Tennessee Titans Quarterback Will Levis, who (in)famously puts mayonnaise in his coffee, unveils a playful, albeit nausea-inducing collaboration with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise for a mayo-scented cologne. For his safety, Levis is advised not to wear the fragrance during games, because if ever there were a time to smell like mayo, it definitely wouldn’t be while being chased down by a 300 pound defensive lineman.

Welcome back to the Spotlight! After years of training and trials, our United States’ Olympians are assembling an impressive, gleaming mosaic of accomplishments as if their medals were tiles. In track & field, a new “World’s Fastest Man” was crowned, his name is Noah Lyles. In gymnastics, a hard-fought redemption was earned for Simone Biles, both individually and alongside teammate Jordan Chiles. Even in defeat, the pair generated smiles, in a show of sportsmanship and grace they bowed to the victor, in so doing, cementing courage in their profiles. I would be remiss not to mention swimmer Katie Ledecky’s continuing to stack up medals through butterflies, breaststrokes, and freestyles.  In the meantime, don’t forget USA basketball is in the gold medal game, so be sure to set your TV dials. Upon their return home, each of these athletes is going to receive endorsement deals in anything from technology to textiles and in their country be the opposite of exiles. I hope you enjoyed my poetic styles, and if you think I’ve run out of rhymes, I assure you I have them in piles. 

• • The US Army claims that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his United Football League should refund the $6 million it paid for social media promotions intended to drive enlistments, when in actuality, no enlistments resulted from the promotions, and a number of enlistments may have even dropped out. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
     
  • With sights set on appealing to a new generation of fans, the New York Yankees are putting out their own original content in the form of an animated Saturday morning cartoon series. On the one hand, I miss the good old days of winning the World Series. On the other hand, the series will be required curriculum for my boys.
     
  • NBA All-Star Steph Curry stole the show on Thursday, as his mockumentary series “Mr. Throwback” launched on Peacock, while he played the role of Mr. Comeback in Paris, propelling Team USA—who trailed by as many as 17 points--into the gold medal game with a victory over Serbia. Excellently scripted if you ask me.  Oh and by the way, the national bird of Serbia? You guessed it…the eastern imperial eagle.
     
  • While recording artist Adele had a $130 million structure built specifically for her performance residency in Munich, Germany, another recording artist is paying $1.5 million to have his slapped his name on the side of a stadium, as Pitbull enters into a multiyear naming rights deal with Florida International University. The delta can almost certainly be attributed to there being more construction costs, and better pretzels and beer

Welcome back to the Spotlight! With our calendar pages turning over to August, we are right in the thick of the so-called “Dog Days of Summer” which get that name from the appearance of the dog constellation Sirius in the Northern Hemisphere. Siriusly.  For my longtime readers, you know it would be cavalier of me not to unleash an appropriately themed introduction (how farfetched!). For those barking up this tree for the very first time (first time collar?), allow me to be your shepherd. Though the tail end of summer may be approaching, I do not despair in melan-collie – for football season is near, and with it, the return of husky offensive linesmen and my favorite: wide retrievers. Of course, given that this space is dedicated to Sports and Entertainment industry business, I bet you have been hounding, but fear not, I will throw you a bone. I have the following for you to sink your canines into while I take a bow…wow.  

• • NFL star wide receivers DK Metcalf and Odell Beckham, Jr. catch endorsement deals with athleticwear and lifestyle brand Lululemon. Dealing with these peak athletes is both easy to defend and nearly impossible to defend. 
     
  • Two businesses pushing immersive, interactive experiences rake in funding, with Batbox a baseball-centric restaurant with tech-enhanced batting cages raising $7.5 million, and Cosm, a company whose theatre-like venues deliver a front row seat to media and entertainment shows and events to the masses, brings in $250 million in its latest round. Meanwhile, I am fully invested in microcosm, watching shows and events on my couch in the comfort of my home.
     
  • Online gaming company DraftKings shutters its NFT marketplace amid legal scrutiny and lawsuits, marking the first time that both DraftKings and its gamers saved money. 
     
  • Rugby continues its ascent in America as the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens win their first-ever Olympic medal, and on its heels, the Major League Rugby championship takes place this Sunday between the Seattle Seawolves (of whom Foster Garvey is a sponsor) and the defending champion (who you’ll just have to look up yourself).