Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (Nov 27 - Dec 3)

Audio Timeline: 1:55 - Feel good stories Alabama and Auburn team up for a good cause and a $100,000 donation for scholarships. 4:08 - Business of Athletes Alex Morgan invested in Soccer Post, a large soccer retailer and online site. Mario Gotze participated in the $5.5M seed round of Secjur, a German compliance and information security company. Rumors are swirling that Cristiano Ronaldo is considering a $207 million per year contract with the Saudi Arabian squad Al Nassr FC. 7:30 - Name, Image, and Likeness Pack of Wolves NIL collective announced $25,000/year NIL deals for every scholarship football player at NC State. Ohio State fans questioning NIL after CJ Stroud’s comments about the loss to Michigan not “defining” him. Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang Entertainment has signed 25 college athletes to NIL deals. Deion Sanders is expected to accept the coaching job at Colorado leaving HBCU Jackson State University. Penn State NIL collective Success With Honor has launched a $2 million fundraising campaign backed by a $1 million matching donation. 10:30 - Future of Sports CROSSNET, the world’s first four-square-volleyball-like net game, has announced an investment from JB Capital. Fnatic, an esports team and performance brand, announced a strategic partnership and investment with Hivemind Capital, a crypto asset manager. The Rossignol Group, a sustainable mountain sports equipment and apparel company, has announced a $50M plan through 2026. NBA is now allowing sovereign and endowment funds to purchase stakes in teams. Korean eSports company DRX has received an investment from Wemade. NBC Sports Next has acquired Albatros Datenservice, a German company, and Digital Golf Solutions, a French company. Both are leading golf technology companies in Europe. BeONE Sports, an athlete training technology company, has raised a pre-seed round of over $500,000.