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Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for December 8

Sportico Staff
·11 min read

Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

Sportradar Appoints Jim Bombassei as Senior Vice President

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Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD) announced the appointment of Jim Bombassei as senior vice president, investor relations and corporate finance, effective immediately. Based in New York, he will report directly to Gerard Griffin, chief financial officer. In this role, Bombassei will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with the global investment community, and communicating the company’s business model, long-term strategy and financial performance. He will also have oversight of the company’s corporate finance function. Bombassei brings financial and investor relations experience to the role having held senior executive positions in the media, technology and gaming industries. Most recently, Bombassei served as CFO of SciPlay Corporation, a leading cross platform global games company, where he oversaw accounting, financial reporting, FP&A and investor relations.

Oak View Group Elevates Francesca Bodie to Newly Created COO Position

Oak View Group (OVG), a venue development, advisory and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, has appointed Francesca Bodie as chief operating officer. In this newly established position, Bodie’s role will increase from capital development, mergers and acquisitions to a focus on new revenue streams including overseeing all day-to-day operations for OVG globally, as well as leading OVG’s executive committee into this next stage of growth. Bodie’s promotion comes as OVG announces a major strategic investment in Family Entertainment Holdings, as well as newly announced Navarro’s activations in partnership with Christian Navarro following OVG’s April 2023 announcement of the venture. Bodie served as the architect of both deals that bring new premium entertainment offerings to OVG venues and partner venues globally. Based in Denver, Bodie will report to Tim Leiweke, chairman and CEO of Oak View Group.

Boston Unity Soccer Partners Names Kim Miner as Chief of Staff

Boston Unity Soccer Partners (BUSP) has named sports executive Kim Miner as the club’s chief of staff. In this role, she will oversee the development and implementation of business strategy for the organization, which was recently awarded the National Women’s Soccer League’s 15th team, with play set to kick off in the 2026 season. Miner will report to BUSP controlling partner Jennifer Epstein. Miner joins BUSP after serving as executive vice president/general counsel for the Worcester Red Sox, where she was responsible for all aspects of the team’s legal operations and was a key partner and advisor to chairman Larry Lucchino in negotiations to build Polar Park, the team’s home ballpark. She also held a leadership role with the team’s philanthropic arm, the WooSox Foundation.

Virsona Announces Puttshack President Logan Powell as Investor and Advisor

Virsona announced that Puttshack president and chief operating officer Logan Powell has invested in the company and will join its board of advisors. Virsona is an experiential retail concept creating a technology- and video gaming-infused social living room experience. Powell joins Virsona to provide insight and guidance as founders Grant Kimmerling and Matt Settle build its experiential entertainment venues across the country. Powell brings significant experience to Virsona after leading Puttshack to open 10 locations across the United States and United Kingdom, with an additional 11 venues coming soon.

PARTNERSHIPS

MetLife Stadium, Giants, Jets and Ticketmaster Extend Partnership

MetLife Stadium, the New York Giants and the New York Jets announced a multiyear extension of their long-standing partnership with Ticketmaster. After a record 18 summer concerts at MetLife Stadium this year, the ticket industry leader will continue to provide ticketing services for all Jets and Giants games, and all concerts, tours and events. Tickermaster’s tools remain available to manage verified tickets on mobile devices, including through the Giants and Jets apps powered by Ticketmaster, and to access important venue and ticket information.

NFL Players Association Names UBS an Institutional Financial Advisor

UBS has been named an institutional financial advisor of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), the official union of professional football players in the National Football League. With this program, select UBS financial advisors, in coordination with the firm’s Athletes and Entertainers group, will provide financial advice and guidance to current and retired NFL players. UBS financial advisors bring a planning orientation and extensive experience to helping professional athletes and their families deal with issues such as sudden wealth, complex contracts and family financial dynamics.

University Of Miami Athletics and Legends Announce Partnership Expansion

University of Miami Athletics and premium experiences company Legends announced a significant expansion of their partnership. Initially focused on marketing partnerships and rights since April 2021, this collaboration has evolved to encompass all facets of revenue generation within Miami’s athletics programs. The partnership now includes overseeing athletics sponsorships, ticketing, annual fund initiatives and an off-campus Hurricanes retail store. In addition to the expanded scope within athletics, Legends will help the university to enhance campus partnerships that include both athletic and non-athletic assets. As part of this expanded alliance, Jason Layton, currently the senior deputy director of athletics at Miami, will assume the role of chief revenue officer of Hurricanes sales and partnerships within newly formed Legends College.

Liverpool FC and Carlsberg Extend Partnership for 10 Years

Liverpool FC and Carlsberg have extended their existing long-term partnership for another 10 years. The agreement will bring the partnership to 42 years, the longest partnership in Premier League and club history. The relationship between Liverpool Football Club and Carlsberg was first launched in 1992, when Carlsberg became a principal partner of the club, with its logo on the front of the Reds’ shirt. The partnership has lasted through some of the club’s most notable moments, including the cup treble in 2001, the miracle of Istanbul in 2005, a UEFA Super Cup and The Gerrard Final. Carlsberg then went on to become the club’s official beer in 2010, and will remain so until at least 2034 with the renewal.

Analytics FC Teams With Ankura Consulting on Soccer Investment Services

Soccer data insights company Analytics FC and independent global expert services and advisory firm Ankura Consulting Group have a new alliance to provide services in the area of soccer club investment. This is the first time that such services have been available under one umbrella, bringing together experts across a range of key sporting, financial and governance. Analytics FC provides data insights and assessment of clubs’ footballing qualities, sporting infrastructure and strategy. Ankura has expertise in financial risk analysis, due diligence and dispute resolution.

Inter Miami CF Announces Multiyear Partnership with Ketel One Vodka

Inter Miami CF has a new multiyear partnership with Ketel One Family Made Vodka, solidifying the brand as the Official Vodka of Inter Miami CF. Ketel One Family Made Vodka was initially developed by Carolus Nolet Sr., who drew on over three centuries of family heritage and distilling expertise. Located on the first floor of the NW Club Bar, The Ketel One Bar offers premium cocktails on matchday and serves specialty Ketel One Espresso Martinis and a selection of other premium Ketel One Vodka cocktails.

LA Clippers, Levy Launch 310 Provisions for Food at Intuit Dome

The LA Clippers have teamed up with hospitality partner Levy to launch 310 Provisions at Intuit Dome. Opening Summer 2024, Intuit Dome was built with a vision to optimize the food and beverage experience for fans. Intuit Dome will be the first arena with 100% frictionless hospitality, enabled by technology to serve fresh foods with no wait times. The venue includes a 14,000-square-foot main kitchen, multiple commissaries located throughout the building to support distribution, a dozen exhibition kitchens in premium spaces, and energy-efficient kitchens in 65% of fan locations.

M88 Mansion Partners With Icons Series Golf Tournament

Global sportsbook and online casino firm M88 Mansion has been named the Official Sportsbook Partner of the Icons Series Golf Tournament for the MENA Series on Feb. 22-23, 2024. The Icons Series features sports personalities in a team matchplay golf tournament. M88 Mansion’s role as the title partner involves promoting the tournament and enhancing the experience for fans. The partnership, facilitated by Nick Hunter of P11, aims to combine sports and entertainment in the MENA region and includes features like an LED first tee stadium. The tournament adopts a team matchplay format, with teams captained by Ernie Els and Fred Couples. It has previously included celebrities such as Harry Kane, Pep Guardiola, Brian Lara and Canelo Alvarez.

Uplift Labs to Provide LSU Baseball with Movement Tracking Technology

Uplift Labs, whose AI-powered technology delivers mobile movement tracking and 3D analysis to improve human performance, announced that it will partner with LSU Baseball to analyze and improve hitting, pitching mechanics and basic movement patterns to help improve player performance. Uplift Capture requires just two iPhones or iPads to produce accurate 3D biomechanical data that can be used to identify and correct faulty movement patterns in an athlete’s swing and pitching motions. The team will have access to PDF hitting and pitching reports produced by Uplift, as well as standardized movement assessments. The automated reports allows coaches to identify potential risk factors for injury and improve specific segments of the swing and pitching delivery to enhance performance.

PRODUCTS

HISA, Palantir Develop AI Tool to Identify Horses at Increased Risk of Injury

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has partnered with Palantir Technologies to create a data-enabled tool to assist industry stakeholders in identifying horses at risk for injury before they race. The tool will generate a daily report for each racetrack, flagging any horses entered in that day’s races who may present potential risk factors for injury. The tool accounts for such risk factors as the length of a horse’s previous layoff (if any), term with current trainer, history on the vet’s list and other indicators of previous injury or poor performance. The process for evaluating these records for each horse entered in a race had previously taken veterinarians an average of five hours per race. This same review can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes.

SwingVision Brings AI Stats and Line Calling to Pickleball

SwingVision is expanding into pickleball. Backed by Andy Roddick, Lindsay Davenport, James Blake and other athletes, SwingVision has been focused on the tennis industry and its 23.6 million players across the U.S. The expansion means pickleball players across the U.S. can take advantage of automated stats, highlights and line calling using their phones. SwingVision is a single camera solution for AI object tracking in pickleball, delivering automated stats, highlights and officiating from video captured from a player’s iPhone or iPad. Using object-tracking AI, SwingVision automatically tracks the ball trajectory in 3D using just the users’ device to generate stats, highlights and line calling.

NBA Infinite Brings Nonstop PVP Basketball to Players’ Fingertips

Gaming brand Level Infinite and Lightspeed Studios unveiled their new basketball action game, NBA Infinite. Players who pre-register on the App Store or Google Play Store will receive in-game rewards that can be claimed at launch. NBA Infinite is an officially licensed free-to-play mobile game, offering fans infinite ways to play and compete anywhere, coming to iOS and Android devices in 2024. Fans can collect and upgrade a roster of current NBA players, make decisions that turn a starting five into a championship lineup, and upgrade the coaching staff to strengthen their defensive and offensive tactics.

PURCHASES

GameOn Technology Evolves Into ON, Secures $25M in Funding  

ON—formerly GameOn Technology—has announced a fresh funding round and an updated mission to help enterprises and leading brands with generative AI chat. The company’s position in AI chat, coupled with the growing marketplace excitement for generative AI, prompted a $25 million funding round, bringing the total funding raised to $80 million. Notable participants in the round include Equiam; B3 Capital; Commonwealth Financial Network; and Mirae Asset Venture Investment, which previously co-led the company’s Series B. Under this new brand—and with strategic capital to deploy—ON is gearing up to expand its footprint in e-commerce, while also diversifying into consumer banking, healthcare and publishing.

Brooklyn Football Club Acquires Youth Academy

Two Bridges Football Club will join as the official youth academy of Brooklyn Football Club, a United Soccer League team slated to start USL play in 2025. Additionally, executive director of Two Bridges, Maximilian “Mack” Mansfield, has joined Brooklyn Football Club as president and CEO. Two Bridges will continue to operate as an educational platform for inner city athletes. The sporting side of the organization will rebrand as Brooklyn Football Club and participate in the USL academy program in 2024, allowing BKFC academy players a development pathway to the first team.

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