Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, purchases and products across the sports business industry.
Personnel
TMRW Sports Adds Brian Cleek to Senior Leadership Team From PGA Tour
Brian Cleek will join TMRW Sports as its senior vice president of business development after working as the PGA Tour’s vice president of business development. Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is focused on building modern approaches in sports, media and entertainment. Cleek brings more than 20 years of sports marketing experience to TMRW Sports with early career positions at the NFL in both the league office and with the New York Giants. Cleek also held business development roles at the PGA of America and Roush Fenway Racing.
StatusPro Hires Victor Lugo as Chief Product Officer
StatusPRO, Inc., a company that uses augmented and virtual reality to help train athletes and entertain sports fans, has hired Victor Lugo as its chief product officer. Most recently, Lugo served as the director of immersive experiences at NBCUniversal. There, he helped expand the global portfolio of immersive play experiences, connected toys and games for Universal Destinations and Experiences. He and his team spearheaded the creative development of immersive play in the recently opened Illumination’s Villain Con Minion Blast and DreamWorks Land as well as interactive play initiatives within the Wizarding World, Super Nintendo World, Jurassic Park and Minecraft. As chief product officer at StatusPRO, he will oversee the engineering, production, art and design teams.
Atlanta Hawks, State Farm Arena Promote Andrew Saltzman
The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena announced that Andrew Saltzman has been promoted to president of business enterprise & chief commercial officer. In his new role, Saltzman will add the responsibilities of finding new commercial opportunities and driving enterprise value through new strategic integrations, partnerships and service agreements. With the Centennial Yards downtown district launching in 2025, and major events such as the upcoming 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship and the FIFA World Cup 2026, Saltzman will lead this new revenue vertical and build a team to capitalize on the live experience sector, including the creation of owned and operated future events. Additionally, he will now oversee Hawks Ventures, the organization’s venture fund for minority-led/underrepresented startups and finding strategic investments that can benefit the Hawks and/or State Farm Arena businesses.
Werner Brell Named CEO of Motorsport Network
Motorsport Network announced Werner Brell as CEO, effective Oct. 1. Brell will be based in New York and report to the Board of Directors, chaired by Gary Fegel, founder and principal of GMF Capital, which acquired a controlling majority of Motorsport Network in June 2023. With more than 40 million monthly unique users and an active social media community of more than 15 million, it is the world’s largest independent motorsport and automotive media platform. Previously, Brell was president of Red Bull Media House North America where he launched Red Bull’s media business in the U.S., developing commercial media products for web, mobile app and OTT, network TV and print. Brell was chief experience officer at Tonal where he oversaw product, sports performance, content and editorial to drive engagement with product and brand. Additionally, he has held senior roles at Samsung Electronics America, MacAndrews & Forbes and MTV Networks International.
National Women’s Soccer League Adds Gregorius, Thompson as Directors
The National Women’s Soccer League announced two hires to the front office’s sporting function: Sarah Gregorius as senior director, sporting, and Karla Thompson as director of youth development. Gregorius, previously the director of global policy and strategic relations for women’s football at FIFPRO, will draw on her experience in policy and player relations within the global women’s football landscape to guide the strategic development of the NWSL’s sporting initiatives. Gregorius’ focus at the league will center on advancing player relations and development, optimizing performance standards, and centralizing best practices and minimum standards to ensure consistency of athlete experience across the league’s member clubs. Thompson’s role will involve building stronger connections between the league and elite youth programs around the country, working closely with clubs to standardize and enhance youth training methodologies, and creating opportunities for young players to gain exposure to the professional environment at the appropriate stage in their careers.
Partnerships
MLB Partners With Improbable to Host Interactive Watch Parties
Major League Baseball is hosting an interactive party at the league’s virtual ballpark for selected regular-season games each Wednesday in September. The first of these four virtual ballpark experiences was the Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays game on Wednesday. Fans access the virtual ballpark for free on any internet-connected device by logging with their MLB account. MLB’s virtual ballpark was developed last year in partnership with Improbable, a London-based technology firm that specializes in creating and managing virtual spaces. Other games to be shown in the virtual ballpark are Reds at Cardinals, Sept. 11; Giants at Orioles, Sept. 18; and Rays at Tigers, Sept. 25.
JetBlue Named Official Partner of UBS Arena and New York Islanders
JetBlue has been named the official domestic airline partner of UBS Arena and the New York Islanders. Through the partnership, JetBlue will give TrueBlue and TrueBlue Mosaic members special benefits, including pre-sale access and special offers for select UBS Arena events and Islanders games. Mosaic members will also receive access to a designated priority lane at the main entrance of the UBS Arena. UBS Arena’s Northwest Terrace will become the TrueBlue Terrace by JetBlue, serving as an outdoor front porch for TrueBlue members. JetBlue will also transform the UBS Arena’s event level to the JetBlue Runway Level, which will feature the JetBlue Mosaic Lounge (formerly the Spotlight Club) and the Mosaic Suites (formerly the Spotlight Suites).
Troon and The Sports Facilities Companies Form Strategic Partnership
The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) has entered into a strategic partnership with Troon, which provides golf and club-related leisure and hospitality services. As part of the agreement, Troon and SFC will collaborate on new business opportunities. This partnership combines Troon’s expertise in golf and club management with SFC’s experience in developing and managing sports, recreation and entertainment facilities. It will also allow SFC to further elevate the experiences offered at its managed venues, which host more than 25 million visits and generate $200 million in overnight hotel stays annually. Troon provides management services at over 900 locations in 45 states and 35 countries.
Team Ignition Signs Deal With Nitrocross as Official Sponsor
Nitrocross and Team Ignition have announced an exclusive partnership deal for upcoming races including Richmond, Phoenix and Miami. Team Ignition, a new digital action adventure platform, will join forces with the American rallycross racing series as an official sponsor. The partnership will debut at Nitrocross Rounds 1 and 2 on Sept. and Sept. 8 in Richmond, Va. As part of the partnership, there will be live events and rallycross-inspired activities, including an AI photobooth where fans can create their own racing cards and enter a prize giveaway. This comes as Team Ignition launches a new podcast series of in-depth interviews with guests within the extreme sport space.
University of Michigan Partners With Legends
The University of Michigan athletic department has entered into a 10-year partnership with premium experiences company Legends to create a new online shopping experience for fans and at all existing athletics facilities. Legends will have the exclusive rights to manage, operate, sell and distribute all Michigan-licensed merchandise and will operate the Official Team Store, which will continue under the MDen name. Legends will use a data and fan-led approach to develop customized merchandise solutions for Michigan that will deliver an expanded product assortment and enhanced customer experience for students, alumni and fans wherever they purchase their U-M gear. In addition to the existing athletics facilities, work is underway to secure a new off-campus retail store location.
Jefferson Health Named Jersey Patch Sponsor of Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have entered into a multi-year agreement with Jefferson Health that will make it the official health system partner of the Eagles. As part of that recognition, Jefferson Health will have the exclusive right to have its logo on the team’s practice jerseys. The partnership also includes logo integration on the Eagles’ home press conference backdrop. In addition, Jefferson Health will receive a prominent branding presence at Lincoln Financial Field, which will include a dedicated activation space on Pepsi Plaza for fans to engage with on game days. Promotional support and exposure will also extend across the team’s digital, print, and social media platforms, as well as radio advertising during Eagles game broadcasts and integration into the team’s preseason telecasts.
NFL Zone Partners With Roku for 2024-25 Season
The NFL Zone has partnered with the Roku platform in the U.S. for the 2024-25 season. The NFL Zone provides fans with NFL content such as anticipated live and upcoming NFL games, clips and league highlights. Building off the success of the 2023 partnership, the refreshed zone for the 2024-25 season will now allow fans to now enjoy team-vs.-team highlights for every game and watch exciting off-season moments. Viewers can find the NFL Zone directly from Sports in the Roku Home Screen Menu. The renewal of this partnership shows the work that Roku is doing to simplify the sports streaming partnership. In addition to this renewal, in the last two years, Roku has secured sports rights deals (landed exclusive rights to MLB Sunday Leadoff games and Formula E), launched league-branded destinations (NFL, NBA), launched the NBA FAST Channel, introduced a platform wide Sports experience aggregating sports programming into one location and most recently, launched the Olympics Zone to easily follow and find how to watch this summer’s games in Paris.
Products
JLab Launches Football Content Series Celebrating QB-Receiver Duos
JLab, a personal technology and audio brand, has launched a social media content series as part of its College Sports Program. This series will highlight the talented college football players on JLab’s roster, showcasing their stories for the upcoming season and academic year. The campaign’s theme—Connectivity—will spotlight prominent quarterback and receiver duos, as well as standout players at top universities across the country. The athletes, dubbed “JLab Playmakers,” include Travis Hunter, Colorado; Graham Mertz and Chimere Dike, Florida; Jackson Arnold and Nic Anderson, Oklahoma; Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona; Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State; and Miller Moss and Zachariah Branch, USC.
Seregh Real Estate Investing Platform Launches With Backing From HBSE, CAA
Sports and Entertainment Real Estate Global Holdings (Seregh, pronounced “surge”), a platform dedicated to investing in and developing real estate around sports and entertainment venues, has launched this week. Founded by Jonathan Fascitelli, the company aims to create developments in partnership with sports and entertainment venue owners. Seregh strategic investors include Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), with more to be announced soon. Fascitelli, formerly CEO of HBSE Real Estate, 76 Devcorp and DAE Development, brings experience navigating the complexities of large-scale developments, public-private partnerships and community engagements. During his tenure at HBSE he worked across various team holdings, including the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, as well as affiliated entities such as the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians. Seregh will provide capital and development expertise and focus on filling the gap in team-led real estate development.
Purchases
GSE Worldwide Gains Investment From BC Partners Credit
GSE Worldwide (GSE), an athlete talent management and sports marketing firm, announced BC Partners Credit, the $8 billion credit arm of investment firm BC Partners, has made a strategic investment into the company. It joins Gatemore Capital Management as investors in GSE with the goal of supporting GSE’s growth plans. Gatemore took control of GSE in 2018, and the agency now represents over 275 athletes across golf, tennis and NFL, including two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, American tennis stars Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula, and Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. BC Partners Credit’s investment enables GSE to expand its talent practice, bolster its capabilities in brand services, increase property ownership and more.
Wasserman Acquires Long Haul Management
Wasserman has acquired Long Haul Management and named CEO/founder Dan Levitt its senior vice president, creators. As part of the acquisition, all Long Haul staff and clients are joining Wasserman Creators, the talent representation division launched in October 2023. The Long Haul team has an extensive work history with Wasserman in a number of different capacities, including creative, production, media buying, creator marketing and activations. Levitt founded Long Haul—a digital-first talent representation company focusing on sports, gaming and lifestyle creators—in 2013. Long Haul has particularly helped pioneer the creator sports space, striking partnerships with companies such as the NBA, House of Highlights and Overtime. Prior to founding Long Haul, Levitt had experience working for Big Frame, Disney and Columbia Records.
