In this week’s SportsMoney Playbook: inside Alex Rodriguez’s business empire, 30 Under 30 lists and Europe’s Super League fail. Plus: the Forbes NFL mock draft.
Sports Business
Phenix, which reduces the latency of video streams, could enable bettors to wager on the result of a game’s next play. The startup, valued at $90 million after a new funding round, believes that could be a game-changer for sports media.
Arizona‘s new law allowing pro sports teams to directly participate as licensed sports wagering operators could go live by the 2021 football season. It could also be the start of a cross-country trend.
Just weeks after closing a $305 million funding round at a $2.6 billion valuation, Dapper Labs, the Vancouver-based startup behind the leading NFT marketplace NBA Top Shot, is reportedly raising more capital, this time at an eye-watering $7.5 billion valuation.
Pro Football
Trevor Lawrence is sure to be the first pick in next week’s NFL draft—and then the questions begin. See how the first round could shake out in our mock draft, and check out our full draft preview, with analysis of how all 32 teams can find their missing piece.
Soccer
Sunday’s announcement of a 12-team European Super League, using the lucrative U.S. sports model, had its founding clubs looking ahead to huge media deals, perhaps with a new streaming service. Facing fan backlash, however, Chelsea quickly decided to pull out, setting off a domino effect that sunk the initiative and may have cost a Manchester United executive his job. Still, with UEFA making concessions, the Premier League‘s most powerful team owners emerge from the experience with most of what they wanted.
Covid-19 has cost lower-tier women’s pro soccer players in England virtually two years, and the recent decision to discontinue play after lockdown restrictions lifted has left many players contemplating their futures. “I know how devastated our players have been because at this level you’re doing it for the love of the game,” says one club chairman.
30 Under 30
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford‘s efforts to combat child poverty and hunger impacted the lives of millions affected by the pandemic, earning him a place in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe sports and games class of 2021, among others demonstrating leadership in a time of crisis. Another honoree, Jon Rahm, is in the midst of a big month. We also unveiled the 30 Under 30 Asia entertainment and sports list this week, headlined by sprinting star Dutee Chand, India’s first openly gay athlete and a Tokyo Olympics hopeful.
Cricket
After years of inertia and petty internal squabbling, cricket appears a step closer to being included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after a concession from the mighty Indian cricket board.
Pro Basketball
Shaquille O’Neal‘s lavish Florida estate, which was listed for $28 million in 2018, is back on the market after a deal fell through. This time, it’s priced at $16.5 million.
Featured Story
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez
PHOTO BY JEROD HARRIS/FILMMAGIC
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez’s recent split doesn’t raise too many questions on how their combined fortune of more than $500 million will be divvied up. But it does illuminate Rodriguez’s impact on Lopez’s entrepreneurship and branding, as well as all the time A-Rod put into developing his business acumen, even while still a baseball player. Read more on Rodriguez’s journey from major league slugger to business mogul.
Hot Reads:
Upon Further Review
With a newly appointed board, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal’s foundation is doubling down on supporting underserved youth, primarily in Atlanta and Las Vegas. Why those places? Because that’s where O’Neal lives, and he’s keen on being directly involved with things he’s passionate about. Those things are not limited to basketball and philanthropy, either. Shaq has also drawn crowds as big as 50,000 (pre-pandemic) as a DJ. Read more about the “biggest DJ on the planet.”
The Last Word
“When the pandemic first hit, I was just learning how to walk right before the whole world shut down.” – Morgan Stickney
For many Olympic hopefuls, the postponement of the Tokyo Games upended their livelihoods and left their futures uncertain. But others, like Paralympic swimmer Morgan Stickney, were given an opportunity. Stickney, a bilateral amputee who lost both of her legs from a condition in which bones die because of a lack of blood flow, says the year-plus pause has provided much-needed time to better prepare to compete. Read more on Covid-19’s varying impact on Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
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