SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Under Armour inked a partnership with the Chinese Basketball Association to serve as the sponsor and exclusive footwear provider of all national 3x3 basketball teams, including the new World Cup Champion women's team. Under Armour will work with the CBA to develop the game across the country and increase participation in 3x3 basketball.
MLB FoodFest is back. Presented by Budweiser, this fall’s event opens its doors September 21 on Fifth Avenue and offer up 30 different recipes from around North America. All 30 Major League Clubs designated one concession item to represent their team and community at this distinctive baseball-themed food festival. Most of the menu features concoctions brand new to the New York event, including the local ballpark representatives with the Mets Bases Loaded Dog and the Yankees Shrimp Po’Boy, while returning bites from the inaugural MLB FoodFest are: the Mariners Toasted Grasshoppers, Pittsburgh’s Pulled Pork Pierogie Hoagie, Hot Lobster Rolls from Boston and for dessert, the D-backs Churro Dogs. Attendees also have access to new interactive elements, such as Home Run Derby Virtual Reality and an MLB FoodFest merchandise shop.
Pepsi announced Travis Kelce as the winner of its inaugural Paper Football Championship, after bringing together 21 NFL superstars for a day of tabletop competition. Pepsi will feature snippets and highlights of the Paper Football Championship on Twitter. Starting today, fans should also stay tuned to the competitors’ Twitter channels for a chance to win a signed paper football from the Championship.
Fighter Gennadiy Golovkin and Eddie Hearn announced that their respective companies, GGG Promotions and Matchroom Boxing USA, are partnering up to promote future GGG events starting with the Golovkin vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko fight on Oct. 5. Live on DAZN.
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
Swish Analytics agreed to a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball in a deal that designates the San Francisco-based technology company as an Authorized MLB Data Distributor to U.S. sports betting operators. The partnership enables Swish Analytics to serve as a supplier of the official MLB real-time betting data feed in the U.S. for regulated sports betting operators. Additionally, Swish Analytics will serve as an official service provider to MLB as the two parties will collaborate on building future digital fan-engagement experiences and powering free-to-play and other MLB interactive applications via the Swish Analytics real-time prediction platform.
WWE locked in a deal with Endeavor Audio to create a podcast network that will feature several series focused on its superstar wrestlers, according to THR. "Storytelling is at WWE's core, and we are eager to add the audio genre to our portfolio," WWE Advanced Media executive VP Jayar Donlan said in the report. "Partnering with Endeavor Audio, an expert in podcasting, will enable us to provide our fans with unique content and reach new audiences across the platform."
Fanatics and the University of Miami announced a 10-year, exclusive licensing partnership, which beginning in January 2020 will see Fanatics become the University’s primary apparel, headwear and hard goods partner. Fanatics Brands secured comprehensive rights to design, manufacture, and distribute a significantly expanded selection of UM men’s, women’s, and youth products to enhance the experience for students, alumni, and fans worldwide.
The third year of the Olympic Channel proved to be its best year yet, according to the platform. The Olympic Channel celebrates its three-year anniversary with more than 19,000 videos representing all Olympic sport disciplines and 206 countries, 65 original series, partnerships with 91 International sport Federations and multisport organizers with a 330% increase in organic traffic to the platform from the previous year. Average watch time on the platform is 8:14 minutes per video watched. On social media, the Olympic Channel community has grown to more than 9 million who have contributed to more than 2.45 billion videos views with 78% of those engaging with content on social media under the age of 35.
ESPORTS
ReKTGlobal, parent company of Rogue, is bringing leading streamer Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo deeper into the fold in a contract extension. DrLupo will remain with the team with appearances, live streams, and activations. In addition, he has also received equity in ReKTGlobal as part of the deal. “Rogue encompasses professionalism at its finest in the esports industry,” said DrLupo. “The relationships that I’ve developed within Rogue feel like no other – the only word I can use to truly describe the feeling is ‘family.’ They’re goal oriented without losing focus on what is most important in gaming: fun. I’m excited to continue to work with Rogue and ReKTGlobal on a ton of exciting upcoming adventures, and I cannot wait to get more people involved.”
(PS Hear from DrLupo in a special session at Esports Business Summit. Get your tickets here!)
ESL announced plans to bring the 77th edition of IEM to Beijing-Haidian to celebrate the company’s 10th-year anniversary in China on November 7-10, 2019. The event will host eight teams at Beijing University Students’ Gymnasium of Capital University of Physical Education and Sports to compete for the total prize pool of US$250,000 and a victory towards the Intel Grand Slam. The competition marks the first time that IEM is hosted in a standalone location in China.
INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES
Stadium Blitz, Rob Gronkowski, and Gronk Nation unveiled a new style of gamified obstacle course race designed to “make the fun and empowering experience of obstacle course racing available to every fitness level and children as young as seven-years-old.” Launching in October in Buffalo at New Era Field, and Tampa at Raymond James Stadium, with additional cities to be announced soon. Course design will be combined with innovative scoring technology, creates the perfect environment for fitness enthusiasts of every level.
THE MAIN EVENT
Yankees/Dodgers on FS1 on Saturday at 1p.
