Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (December 4-10)

(0:30) - Feel good stories Dick’s Sporting Goods $150M in donations, Manny Pacquiao donated 100% of fight proceeds to charity, and the Boston Celtics gifting $155,000. (1:50) - Business of Athletes Nike is cutting ties with Kyrie Irving, he reportedly earned $8-12 million/year with the contract. Ray Lewis, Emmanuel Acho, Baron Davis, and other athletes have invested in the $15M Series B round of MOON ULTRA, a consumer electronics company. MLB teams have spent over $1 billion in player contracts so far this offseason. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe revealed “A Touch More”, the company will create scripted and unscripted programming. Derek Jeter’s online card trading company, Arena Club, has raised $10M in Series A funding. Serena Williams has launched Will Perform, a topical wellness company for athletes. (6:10) - Name, Image, and Likeness Opendorse, announced that it closed a $20 million fundraising round, including an investment from former NFL player Will Compton. Texas A&M’s esports team recently revealed the school is negotiating with College Station to lease a new facility at Post Oak Mall. On3, a college sports media company, announced the launch of the On3 Athlete Network where athletes can now sign into their profiles. Prospex, an NFT trading platform for athletes and fans in NIL is now live in the market. (10:00) - Future of Sports Fanatics announced that it raised $700 million at a $31 billion valuation. GameOn Technology, a conversational chat platform, closed a $35 million Series B funding round. Zenkai Sports, a natural and sustainable performance apparel brand, closed a $1M funding round to fuel growth and product development. KissCam, LLC received a U.S. patent for its “KissCam® Contest,” revolutionizing the traditional kiss cam live segment at sports games.