Chris Smith

  At the end of August, the Professional Pickleball Association, one of the sport’s two leading pro tours, arrived in Kansas to host the Kansas City Open. The sold-out event was a “golden ticket” qualifier that would grant winners entry to the National Championships....

Mets owner Steve Cohen ’s Point72 Asset Management has acquired a 5% stake in Fox Corporation, according to an SEC filing this week. That position of some 12 million shares, including 2.37 million shares that are “issuable upon exercise of options,” is worth around $376.9M at Fox’s stock price...

Prolific sports investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer and have been joined by strategic investor The Chernin Group in launching Unrivaled Sports, a new youth sports holding and operating company. Unrivaled will operate companies in Harris and Blitzer's existing...

Editor’s note: This story is updated from the print edition. Since the start of 2024, three of the NWSL’s 14 teams have been sold, and the league’s most valuable franchise is now seeking a buyer. More broadly, all but two...

Activewear brand Rhone has appointed ESPN Chair Jimmy Pitaro and longtime marketing exec  Tess Roering , formerly the Chief Commercial Officer for CorePower Yoga and head of marketing for Athleta, to its board. They join Rhone co-founder & CEO Nate Checketts , his brother-in-law and fellow...

Digital media startup Basketball Forever has raised a $4M Series A round led by Yolo Investments, an Estonian VC firm focused on gaming and fintech startups. Beyond its media offerings, Basketball Forever also operates free-to-play and real-money gaming, and the new funding is partly intended...

Michael Smith , who for the last decade has served as SVP and head of brands for PR agency ID, has departed to launch sports and entertainment communications agency Midnight Dawn. The new agency’s client roster is headlined by Warriors G Stephen Curry...

Two years ago, the Texas Rangers signed Dominican infielder Echedry Vargas for just $10,000. Though the 19-year-old is a little-known prospect, he’s beginning to look like a bargain after last year leading the rookie-level Arizona Complex League in homers and batting .315 before getting...

Indoor golf venue operator Five Iron Golf has received a $20M minority investment from Enlightened Hospitality Investments. As part of the transaction, EHI cofounder and managing partner Peter Mavrovitis has joined Five Iron’s board. The funding announcement follows the recent opening of Five Iron Golf’s new flagship...

  Sports marketing agency Two Circles has released a new report that estimates global sports IP owners -- mainly comprised of federations, leagues, teams, events and athletes (for off-field earnings) --  last year generated $159B in revenue, and it projects that figure will rise...