Jan 10, 2025

Illustration by Lorenzo Gordon Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry. PERSONNEL Sphere Entertainment Names Robert Langer to Executive Roles Sphere Entertainment Co. has hired Robert Langer as executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, effective Jan. 13. Langer will work closely with Sphere Entertainment’s management team to support the long-term direction of the company. He will provide financial insight on all facets of the business, from overseeing financial matters, including all planning and analysis, to strategy and business development. Langer was previously with The Walt Disney Company where he most recently served as global leader of enterprise-wide financial planning and corporate strategy. Just Women’s Sports Adds Head of Partnerships, Director of Social Media Just Women’s Sports has named Courtney Burgess as head of brand partnerships and Ryan Cole as director of social media. Burgess will spearhead the company’s brand partnership efforts, connecting brands with the women’s sports platform and its audience of over 3.6 million. She brings over a decade of experience in sports media, including her most recent role as vice president of brand partnerships at Minute Media, where she drove initiatives for brands like Sports Illustrated, The Players’ Tribune and FanSided. Cole will lead social media strategy and operations, focusing on audience growth, content innovation and platform optimization. He joins Just Women’s Sports following roles at The Athletic, Bleacher Report and ESPN. Angel City FC Names Laura Flynn Chief Revenue Officer Angel City FC has named Laura Flynn as the NWSL club’s chief revenue officer. Flynn will oversee and execute sales strategies across sponsorship, ticketing, events and merchandise. She will work directly with the club’s 32 partners and vendors and collaborate with stakeholders to deliver fan experience in the stadium and within the community. She will also work in partnership with the executive team and ownership to continue to execute the club’s business strategy, including identifying and growing new revenue streams. Before joining Angel City, Flynn served as senior vice president of commercial partnerships at the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. USA Volleyball Names Erik Sullivan Head Coach of U.S. Women USA Volleyball has appointed Erik Sullivan as the head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Sullivan succeeds Karch Kiraly, who led the team to three Olympic medals and a World Championship title. For the past 14 years, Sullivan has served as associate head coach at the University of Texas, where he helped guide the Longhorns to eight NCAA Final Four appearances and three national titles. Sullivan served as the team leader for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the last three Olympic Games and has been a consultant coach for the squad for many years. He’s also part of the National Team Development Program Scouting Network for indoor girls. Daktronics Makes Two Hires in Its Professional Services Business Daktronics has hired John Gandy as executive experience director and Keith Haeberle as creative production manager of the professional services team. Gandy brings extensive experience from his roles with the Miami Dolphins and major events like Formula 1, Crypto.com and Miami Grand Prix. He will contribute to Daktronics’ ongoing efforts in creative services by planning, preparing and producing for audiovisual systems. Haeberle brings more than 18 years of experience in media production, project management and team leadership. He has served as managing director at Blended Frames LLC and The Heat Group, where he managed budgets and produced marketing campaigns. In his role at Daktronics, Haeberle will focus on optimizing operational processes, monitoring key performance indicators and improving communication and collaboration within production teams. Arctos Promotes Joe Corcoran to Internal Partner, Makes Other Moves Arctos has promoted Joe Corcoran to partner, across the firm’s Investment Capital Solutions and Operations teams. The promotion of Corcoran marks Arctos’ first internal partner promotion since the firm was founded in 2019. In addition to his investment responsibilities, Corcoran is responsible for sourcing, evaluation and management of investments for the Keystone strategy, which provides strategic partnership to leading financial sponsors. Additional promotions include: Zach Baran and Julie Bernodat to managing director; Larissa Wall to managing director, finance; Paige Franzoi, Jonathan Lile and Tanner Houston to director; Clark Smyth to director, finance; Matt Banas, Luke Dinges, Samy Khan and David Trott to vice president; Jay Chintham, Jacob Harrison, Mehul Patel and Matt Webster to senior associate; Amanda Del Biaggio to administrative manager; and Lisa Klimek to office manager. Brad Raymond Joins The Tewaaraton Foundation Board Of Directors The Tewaaraton Foundation has added Brad Raymond, co-head of global institutional equities and advisory at Stifel, to the board of directors. In 2025, the Tewaaraton Award will be celebrating its 25th year recognizing the best male and female college lacrosse players in partnership with the Native American community. USAC Appoints Don Hawk as Series Director for Silver Crown Division The United States Auto Club (USAC) has named Don Hawk as series director for the USAC Silver Crown Division. As series director, Hawk will oversee all aspects of the division’s operations, working closely with competitors, promoters and sponsors. With more than 33 years of experience in motorsports management and event operations, Hawk’s background includes a role as president of Dale Earnhardt Inc., director of regional racing development for NASCAR, chief racing development officer and executive vice president for Speedway Motorsports Inc., and most recently, the CEO of SRX. Upland Workshop Makes Two Key Hires in Modern Media and Communication Upland Workshop has named Alexa Youssefian and Daniel-Yaw Miller as vice presidents. Youssefian will spearhead Upland Workshop’s growth in the independent creator economy. Miller Daniel-Yaw Miller will play a pivotal role in Upland Workshop’s sports culture practice. Youssefian joins from TikTok to specialize in non-traditional media. Miller joins from Business of Fashion to focus on original content and strategy. As a former leader in global product communications at TikTok, Youssefian helped in launching tools like Stitch, Effect House and TikTok Search. At The Business of Fashion, Miller founded and led its sports-focused vertical, covering topics ranging from the rise of women’s sports to the cultural resonance of Formula 1 and the fashion industry’s role in global sports events like the Olympics. Pop Warner Names Steve Strawbridge as President and CEO Pop Warner Little Scholars has hired Steve Strawbridge Jr. as its next president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Jon Butler, who retired at the end of the 2024 season after 33 years as executive director. Pop Warner also has promoted Tim Glase to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Strawbridge was chief administrative officer of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and previously served as director of merchandising for the Philadelphia Eagles. In Canton, Strawbridge managed operations, sales and oversight of the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week, including the annual NFL game, enshrinement ceremonies  and concert. NESN Appoints Lee to Newly Created Role, Elevates Schulman NESN has appointed Hahn Lee to the newly created role of chief corporate development officer, and Cosmina Schulman has been elevated to chief advertising revenue officer. Schulman and Lee will report to David Wisnia, president and CEO of NESN. As chief corporate development officer, Lee will focus on overseeing strategic growth opportunities for NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP). Lee has more than 20 years of experience in media and entertainment helping television networks and studios transition to digital models. Most recently he served as EVP of corporate development and strategy for 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty. Schulman has been with NESN since 2020. In her new role, she will continue to oversee advertising sales and strategy while helping shape the strategic vision and business direction for NESN and SNP. Brian Jacobs Joins GSE Worldwide as Senior VP of Broadcasting GSE Worldwide has added Brian Jacobs to its team as senior vice president of broadcasting, representing on-air sportscasters and newscasters in the television industry and bringing a roster of clients to the agency. Prior to his role at GSE, Jacobs was an agent at CAA/ICM Partners for eight years and a talent manager for over a decade at Headline Media Management. Jacobs has negotiated broadcasting deals in the news, sports and entertainment industries, including publishing, marketing, life rights, media rights, podcasts and production deals. Nashville SC Promotes Lindsey Paola to CBO, Ian Ayre Becomes Vice Chairman Nashville Soccer Club has promoted current Chief Operating Officer Lindsey Paola to Chief Business Officer as Ian Ayre transitions into the organization’s Vice Chairman. Paola and Ayre assumed their new roles on Jan. 1, with both reporting directly to Majority Owner and Chairman John Ingram. Ayre—who will serve as an advisor to Ingram, Paola and General Manager Mike Jacobs—will maintain oversight of the club’s annual budgets, and lead special projects, including team investments and fundraising/capital raises. As Chief Business Officer, Paola joins an elite group of women executives acting in such capacity across MLS clubs. In this new role, Paola will continue to drive culture for the organization as she oversees the day-to-day business operations for Nashville SC and Huntsville City FC, the club’s MLS NEXT Pro club. PARTNERSHIPS WWE, Cosm Join Multiyear Partnership to Deliver Live Events in Shared Reality WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and Cosm, an immersive technology, media and entertainment company, have entered into a multiyear partnership that will see WWE Premium Live Events—such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble—delivered to fans in shared reality at Cosm’s experiential venues in Los Angeles and Dallas, starting with Royal Rumble at Cosm Dallas on Feb. 1. Cosm’s experiential venues in LA (Hollywood Park) and Dallas (Grandscape) feature large-scale 87-foot-diameter 12K+ LED domes. Adidas Enters Formula 1 With Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Partnership Adidas has entered into a multiyear partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. Throughout the 2025 season and beyond, Adidas and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team will create a complete range of apparel, footwear and accessories for the entire team and its fan base. A specifically designed team kit will be built for the individual needs of each team member’s role and will be made available to fans as well. The partnership will also include apparel, footwear and accessories created and designed specifically for supporters of the team and its drivers. Several limited edition drops are planned throughout the year. WWE and Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer Strike Multiyear Partnership WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, has entered in a multiyear partnership with WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer that will showcase Real American Beer branding within WWE’s weekly flagship program Monday Night Raw as well as other key WWE assets. As an official partner of WWE, Real American Beer will receive ring mat corner branding during every episode of Raw. Further, WWE will become a minority owner in the company, which is now available in 20 states. Additionally, Real American Beer will receive social and digital support, including original, short-form content that will be distributed across WWE’s social and digital channels. FIFA Names Beyond Hospitality as Hospitality Provider of Club World Cup FIFA has named Beyond Hospitality as the Official Hospitality Provider of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, set to take place in 12 venues across the United States from June 14 to July 13. Thirty-two of the world’s best club teams will compete. Beyond Hospitality will offer ticket-inclusive fan experience packages for the tournament. Official hospitality will be available in multiple product tiers and in bundled packages (or series), such as the Venue Series that allows fans to make a stadium their home base and the Final Round Series for supporters wanting to catch every moment of the tournament’s latter stages. Hospitality sales for the inaugural edition of the FIFA Club World Cup are planned for launch in January. Colorado QB Recruit Julian Lewis Signs Equity NIL Deal With Fanstake Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis, the highly touted QB recruit and recent Colorado commit, has signed an equity NIL deal with Fanstake, marking the platform’s inaugural athlete partnership. Fanstake is a fan-driven Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) platform in college athletics. Through Fanstake, fans can pledge financial support—called “stakes”—to athletes they want to see join or stay with their college teams. If the athlete commits to the school, the funds are used to finalize an authentic NIL endorsement deal. If the athlete chooses a different path, the pledged funds are credited back to the fans. Fanstake recently launched with a $3 million pre-seed round led by Susa Ventures and Will Ventures. Orlando Magic Join LEAD, DeVos Family for Magic Venture Challenge The Orlando Magic will host the Orlando Magic Venture Challenge, powered by LEAD, in collaboration with the DeVos family and LEAD Venture Corporation. Through the DeVos family and LEAD, the challenge will provide up to $750,000 in total investment capital to early-stage sports, health and wellness startup companies. The Orlando Magic Venture Challenge is an exclusive pitch event designed to discover and support cutting-edge innovations in sports, health and wellness, providing startup companies the opportunity to pitch directly to an investment committee consisting of the DeVos family, LEAD and Magic executives. The challenge will provide up to six companies the opportunity to gain funding, partnerships and mentorships. Samsung Joins Unrivaled Hoops League as Official Technology Partner Samsung Electronics America Inc. announced a partnership with Unrivaled, the professional women’s basketball league, to serve as its official technology and presenting partner. Founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled will exclusively use Samsung electronics, including smartphones (Galaxy S Series, Z Series), wearables (Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Ring), headphones (Galaxy Buds), tablets featuring Galaxy AI and monitors. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch will be integrated into the league’s training program to help track and elevate performance. Additionally, Samsung Galaxy tablets will provide access to real-time data for each of the league’s six teams and coaching staff. PRODUCTS PGA Tour, Pro Shop Announce Creator Series Building on the success of the inaugural Creator Classic last August, the PGA Tour and Pro Shop are launching a season-long sequence of events and content featuring the most prominent YouTube creators in golf. The creator series will unfold across three PGA Tour events throughout the 2025 FedExCup Season. Last year’s inaugural Creator Classic was staged the day before the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, the finale to the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs. In 2025, the PGA Tour and Pro Shop will produce three additional events at The Players Championship, March 12; Truist Championship, May 7; and Tour Championship. Aug. 20. More than 20 fan-favorite creators will participate across these three events, with some of the stars from the first Creator Classic returning to compete alongside new personalities. Read More About: