Business of Sport’s Post

Classic Football Company Ltd. have secured a $38.5m investment from Venture Capital firm The Chernin Group (TCG) to help try and expand the brand in North America. The retro football shirt retailer is looking to expand their portfolio of front-of-shirt sponsorships in North America to make more people from the region aware of the brand. The investment from The Chernin Group makes them the only major outside investor. Funds from the investment will help expand the business percentages in North America which currently stands at 15%. A pop-up shop has recently opened in New York with a permanent one set to open there later this year as well as a store in Los Angeles. Classic Football Shirts signed a one year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Burnley Football Club in 2022 which saw the side return to the Premier League. Also, a deal with Parma Calcio 1913 was secured and they have also returned to their top division Lega Serie A. Cormac Barry, former CEO of Sportsbet and CarTrawler, has also joined Classic Football Shirts acquiring the role of executive chairman. Gary Bierton, cofounder and chief growth officer at Classic Football Shirts, speaking on the investment from TCG said: “ We started to think about it 18 months ago mainly because, as business got bigger, more and more opportunities have come along.” “We reached a point particularly after doing the pop-up in Miami last summer [where] we were kind of like ‘this is just too big an opportunity.” #classicfootballshirts #thecherningroup #tcg #investment #venturecapital #privateequity #burnleyfc #parmacalcio #premierleague #seriea #northamerica #usa #football #soccer

The dichotomy of #sportbusiness in a nutshell. The lack of #prorel in MLS has certainly increased franchise valuations at times-revenue must faster and higher than anyone expected. De-risking may not be a word but it certainly is a concept for MLS franchise operators that don't have to worry about poor performance as much as clubs do in the best football leagues in the world. The risk of relegation (ie. league wide revenue streams) does not exist. Promotion-relegation is better as a sporting concept and better for communities on the outside looking in. Do we do what is better for the sport or what is better for the business.

The WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) is coming to Toronto with a franchise set to begin play in 2026. Here's what brands need to know👇 🏀The WNBA reached 5.7M+ Canadians over the past 12 months, this new franchise will accelerate growth from coast-to-coast: https://lnkd.in/gtmBWBRv 🏆 The W is already a strong and established basketball property in the country - within and beyond the basketball landscape: https://lnkd.in/gpehc3bA 🎯The W's most engaged audiences represent important segments that brands will value connecting with through sponsorship: https://lnkd.in/gvUu5_JY 🚗I'm betting there will be a significant partnership announcement with an automotive partner before the franchise hits the court for the first time: https://lnkd.in/g8J-72kq 💰So what's an expansion sponsorship going to be worth? Reach out for a perspective. #sponsorship #wnbaintoronto

🏀 In 2002, Wyc Grousbeck bought the Boston Celtics for $360 Million. In 2023, the Celtics were valued at $4.7 Billion. That's an increase of 1200%. Grousbeck is now looking to sell the team and it will likely sell for a value much higher than $4.7 Billion considering the continuing increase of team values and the positive momentum specifically for the Celtics, which includes winning the NBA Championship this year. While I expect NBA team values to keep growing, it's a great time for Grousbeck to sell after such a strong return on investment. NBA Teams are a fantastic investment and the Boston Celtics are such a cultural monument that the next person or group who buys the Celtics will have not only a power house sports team with religiously devoted fans, but also a great financial investment for the future. In 2001, the average value of an NBA franchise was $207 Million. In 2023, the average value of an NBA franchise was $3.85 Billion. (Via Statista) That's an increase of 1750% and we're looking at the average, not even zooming in on the most valuable teams. For example, this year Ron Burkle sold the NWSL team San Diego Wave FC for $120 Million after paying only $2 Million for the team two years ago. That's an increase of 5900%. While not everyone can afford to buy the Boston Celtics or the San Diego Wave, I've seen a lot of people look more deeply into sports investments for similar returns. There is an explosion of new sports formats, leagues, and teams as people take sports more seriously as an asset class. Each case study like Ron Burkle or Wyc Grousbeck and subsequent year that team values increase will encourage more investors to look more closely at sports. #celtics #sports #sportsbusiness #nba #basketball #investment

Sport as a new economy. Since 2005, the value of sports franchises in the United States has significantly exceeded the S&P 500 index. Of the four major North American sports leagues, the NBA currently has the highest average price-to-earnings ratio at around 9. The average NBA team's revenue is $310 million, and the average club's value is $2.6 billion. #sport #economy #US #NBA #revenues

"Laugh now, cry later" 😂😭 - may say Venezia FC after the club managed to raise the funds 💸 necessary to start a new season and settle down safely in the domestic competition ⚽ (Lega Serie A). This worked well thanks to the involvement of one of the icons of modern music 🎤 - Drake, whose help turned out to be inevitable for the project 🎯. Shall we expect more music fans 🎶 - football fans ⚽ mergers this season that lead to significant expand of the particular clubs' fandom and peaks in merch sales? 🤔 Drake has a long list 📜 of public performances in football kits 👕 including Juventus Football Club 🦓, FC Barcelona 🔵🔴, and the Mexico national team. After the appearance in the Old Lady kit ⚪⚫, Juventus saw a noticeable spike 📈 in their jersey sales. While exact numbers were not disclosed 🤫, the club experienced a surge in interest from fans in North America 🇺🇸, where Drake has a massive following 🎤. Although a bit more dated 🕰️, when Jay-Z was seen wearing an Arsenal jersey 🔴⚪ in the mid-2000s, the club reported an increase in merchandise sales 💸 in the United States 🇺🇸. This was significant at the time because Premier League clubs were still building their presence in the American market 🌍. Arsenal’s online store saw an uptick in traffic 🚀, and the club gained more visibility among hip-hop fans 🎧. This helped Juventus solidify their presence 🏆 in the North American market, where they had been actively trying to expand 🌐. https://lnkd.in/dkKJikmE

National Basketball Association (NBA) 30 franchises totalled more than US$1.5 billion during the 2023/24 season, according to SponsorUnited’s latest NBA Marketing & Partnerships Annual Report. Finance (US$247 million), technology (US$122 million) and healthcare (US$105 million) feature once again in the top three spending categories. Brands from technology, automotive, alcohol, non-alcohol and insurance sectors account for more than half the total growth in sponsorship spend. NBA is creating new ways for companies to advertise, like during the new In-Season tournament with LED courts, which adds that the number of technology sponsorships across the league will rise sharply due to the ‘growing necessity for digital transformation and cybersecurity’. Read my full article - https://rb.gy/1iud4b #sportsmarketing #sportsbusiness #sportssponsorship #nba

NBA basketball & Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has become a shareholder of France Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club with minority shareholding.  Kevin Durant had invested a few millions via United States private equity group Arctos Sports Partners, which bought 12.5% of PSG in 2023 at $4.3 billion valuation.  Read - https://lnkd.in/g_ubwcrU follow Caproasia | Driving the future of Asia NBA basketball & Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has become a shareholder of France Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club with minority shareholding.  Kevin Durant had invested a few millions via United States private equity group Arctos Sports Partners, which bought 12.5% of PSG in 2023 at $4.3 billion valuation.  In 2023, United States private equity group Arctos Partners has bought a 12.5% minority stake in France Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain football club at $4.3 billion valuation (€4 billion), with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) retaining full control since the acquisition in 2011.  

NBA basketball & Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has become a shareholder of France Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club with minority shareholding.  Kevin Durant had invested a few millions via United States private equity group Arctos Sports Partners, which bought 12.5% of PSG in 2023 at $4.3 billion valuation.  Read - https://lnkd.in/gF5MccH6 follow Caproasia | Driving the future of Asia NBA basketball & Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has become a shareholder of France Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club with minority shareholding.  Kevin Durant had invested a few millions via United States private equity group Arctos Sports Partners, which bought 12.5% of PSG in 2023 at $4.3 billion valuation.  In 2023, United States private equity group Arctos Partners has bought a 12.5% minority stake in France Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain football club at $4.3 billion valuation (€4 billion), with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) retaining full control since the acquisition in 2011.