In N.Y., Michael de la Merced profiles the Raine Group, which "may not be as instantly recognizable as Wall Street fixtures like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley," but the "small merchant bank helped" Clippers Owner STEVE BALLMER buy the team. Raine sold a "stake in the parent of the Manchester City soccer team to a group of Chinese investors" at a $3B valuation, "one of the highest in the sport." In just over six years, Raine has "become a top player in the world of media and telecommunication deals." Raine co-Founder & Partner JEFFREY SINE said the company's "competitive advantage is to get deeper" into media and entertainment deals (N.Y. TIMES, 1/4).
NAMES: WWE Chair & CEO VINCE MCMAHON, Chief Brand Officer STEPHANIE MCMAHON and Exec VP/Talent, Live Events & Creative and former wrestler TRIPLE H attended yesterday's Redskins-Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium in Cowboys Owner JERRY JONES' suite (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/3)....Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT "walked the sidelines" with girlfriend RICKI LANDER before yesterday's Patriots-Dolphins game (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/4)....Dolphins Owner STEPHEN ROSS, who turns 76 later this year, said, "I have no interest in ever retiring. ... As much as I have a passion for sports, it's a lot harder to be successful in sports than it is in business. It's more fun to run a real estate company" (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/2)....The MLBPA and MLB are jointly contributing $250,000 to assist victims of flooding in the Midwest, specifically Missouri and Illinois, that occurred last week (MLBPA)....MARCUS JORDAN, son of basketball HOFer MICHAEL JORDAN, is hoping to use the Jordan brand to "create his own lasting legacy." Marcus plans to "open a retail boutique called the Trophy Room" in spring '16 at a location "yet to be determined" (CNBC.com, 1/1)....Int’l Boxing HOF Exec Dir ED BROPHY, promoter JOE DEGUARDIA, former New York State Athletic Commissioner RANDY GORDON and Queens manager DENNIS RAPPAPORT were announced as inductees into the New York State Boxing HOF’s ’16 class. Late announcer HOWARD COSELL will be posthumously inducted (ESPN.com, 12/31)….SI.com’s Grant Wahl predicted that Asian Soccer Confederation President SHEIKH SALMAN BIN EBRAHIM AL KHALIFA "will win the FIFA presidency," marking the first change in 18 years (SI.com, 1/1).
IN MEMORY: Former St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist DON RILEY, who spent three decades at the paper, died Thursday at the age of 92 (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/3).
