Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
Personnel
Sports Media Veteran Peter Hutton Joins Greenfly as Advisor
Greenfly, a real-time digital media management software, announced that sports broadcasting and technology veteran Peter Hutton is joining the company as an advisor will work with Greenfly co-founders Daniel Kirschner and Shawn Green, providing growth strategy and facilitating conversations with prospective sports leagues and media customers.
QuintEvents Appoints New VP of NBA Experiences, COO
QuintEvents, a provider of official ticket, hospitality and travel experiences, has appointed Evan Bruno as vice president of NBA Experiences and Nickolas Cardinale as chief operating officer. Bruno is responsible for leading and overseeing the strategy of NBA Experiences partner communications, product marketing, management and development. Bruno will work directly with the NBA, maximizing the revenue and profitability of NBA Experiences at the league’s marquee events such as NBA All-Star, NBA Summer League, NBA Draft, NBA Combine and the NBA Global Games. Cardinale will lead the day-to-day operations of the business including event operations and logistics, client services, human resources and information technology. He will also oversee the brand’s travel division, QuintRooms.
Brian Huss Joins Buzzer as VP of Product
Buzzer, a mobile platform delivering short-form access to live sports highlights, has hired Brian Huss as vice president of product. Huss joins Buzzer from FanDuel, where he most recently served as vice president of product and oversaw Daily Fantasy, Free to Play and the FanDuel Faceoff platform. Previously, Huss served as senior director of growth & innovation at NBA Digital.
Sports Tech Startup Mogl Hires COO
MOGL—an NIL platform offering digital agency services, compliance and education to athletes, brands and institutions—has hired Kate Reinmiller as chief operating officer. Prior to joining MOGL, Reinmiller most recently was co-founder and CRO at Boltive (formerly Ad Lightning), an AdTech SaaS platform that prevents malware in digital advertising, and COO and VP of client operations and product at Mixpo Inc (Netsertive), a SaaS platform for building digital video ads.
Laura Andriani Promoted to SVP, Consulting at Two Circles
Two Circles, a sports marketing and data technology company, announced that Laura Andriani has been promoted to senior vice president of consulting. Prior to Two Circles, Andriani spent nearly a decade working at DAZN and ESPN.
Altius Sports Partners Names Former Stanford Deputy AD as CSO
Altius Sports Partners (ASP), an advisor to college athletics programs amid the evolving NIL era, has appointed Tommy Gray as chief strategy officer (CSO). Gray, who will report to CEO Casey Schwab, will join ASP from Stanford University, where he served as chief of staff to the athletics director and oversaw external relations.
USTA Brings on Henry Lescaille as Chief People & Culture Officer
Henry Lescaille has been named the United States Tennis Association’s chief people and culture officer, a new position within the organization. Lescaille will be based at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., and will report directly to USTA CEO and executive director Lew Sherr. Prior to joining the USTA, Lescaille served as vice president, people experience & strategic operation, for Sony Music for five years. Previously, he had worked with Time Warner.
Washington Spirit Appoints Kate Greenberg as VP of Marketing and Communications
The Washington Spirit has named Kate Greenberg as its new vice president of marketing and communications. Greenberg joins the Spirit after serving as chief marketing and development officer for Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals. Prior to the Nationals, Greenberg held executive leadership positions at the Trust for the National Mall and at Hill + Knowlton Strategies.
Partnerships
Telemundo, U.S. Soccer Federation Enter Multiyear Media Rights Agreement
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation announced a multimedia rights agreement that will make Telemundo the new exclusive Spanish-language home of the Women’s and Men’s National Teams across all platforms, including Peacock, in the United States. The new agreement will feature more than 20 U.S. National Team matches each year across Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and Telemundo’s digital platforms.
XFL, Catapult Partner to Expand Next-Generation Player Data Strategy
The XFL announced a partnership with Catapult Sports, a sports technology solutions company for professional athletes and teams. The XFL will utilize Catapult’s wearable technology, equipped with football-specific algorithms, to capture data that measures athlete load to keep players on the field and performing while promoting health and safety.
Religion of Sports, Main Event Media Join Forces With Production Deal
Main Event Media, the production company founded by producer Jimmy Fox, joined the Religion of Sports team under a multiyear exclusive production deal. Main Event Media will be a production label under the Religion of Sports banner as the company continues to expand its footprint in all genres. Religion of Sports—founded by Gotham Chopra, Tom Brady and Michael Strahan—has centered its content around the narrative of why sports matter to the world. Main Event will serve as the pop culture arm of Religion of Sports. Fox’s title will be president of Main Event Media.
Getafe CF and Legends Announce 15-Year Strategic Partnership
Getafe CF and Legends, a global premium experiences company, announced a 15-year strategic partnership centered around maximizing the club’s commercial offering and enhancing the fan experience. The initial phase of the partnership will focus on the planning and management to transform and modernize the stadium experience for fans at match and non-match days.Legends’ team will conduct a market and feasibility study to guide an approach for the stadium.
USA Triathlon Aligns With Nix Biosensors as Official Hydration Sensor Partner
USA Triathlon has partnered with Nix Biosensors through 2024. Nix’s wearable sweat patch analyzes an athlete’s sweat and prescribes a personal hydration strategy, delivered to an athlete’s phone, watch or bike computer (coming soon) in real time to tell athletes when, what and how much to drink, ensuring athletes stay properly hydrated.
New York Knicks Sign MSC Cruises as Global Rights Partner
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. announced a multi-year marketing partnership with MSC Cruises, naming the brand as the Official Cruise Line Partner of the New York Knicks. MSC Cruises will receive brand promotion during all Knicks games at The Garden including LED Signage and Virtual On-Court Signage. MSC Cruises will also sponsor the Knicks in-game T-Shirt Toss. This spring, the Knicks will host a Jr. Knicks clinic at the basketball court aboard MSC Meraviglia during her inaugural call at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
Purchases
GF Sports and Entertainment Acquires World Long Drive, PLDA
GF Sports and Entertainment has acquired World Long Drive and the Pro Long Drive Association (PLDA), and has agreed to a deal with NBS Sports and GOLF Channel to show over 50 hours of programming. With that acquisition, World Long Drive will expand to 12 events domestically and over 30 events being held by World Long Drive affiliates internationally.
Products
WTA Announces New Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and IMG announced Abu Dhabi will be the newest destination for the world’s professional women’s tennis tour. The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open will be held in the capital of the United Arab Emirates from Feb. 5-12. It is the first ongoing WTA sanctioned tour event in the Emirate, and is being produced by IMG, the company behind the Miami Open and Madrid Open.
PR7s Reveal Bay Area’s Franchise Name, Additional Tournament Details
Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) announced the Bay Area franchise will be called the Golden State Retrievers. The expansion franchise will host the 2023 Western Conference Finals tournament for PR7s at PayPal Park on July 15. PR7s plans to host five tournaments in 2023.
Goldin Launches One-Stop-Shop Marketplace for Cards & Collectibles With PSA
Goldin—a marketplace for trading cards, collectives and memorabilia—launched Goldin Marketplace to buy and sell collectibles including trading cards, pop-culture and historical items, video games, VHS tapes and toys. The new platform will combine authentication and grading services from PSA with vaulting, buying and selling for collectors.