Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen TitletownTech, the venture capital firm formed by the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, has secured $70 million in new funds to bring its total capital to $95 million. The fund’s priority is investing in startups that benefit Wisconsin and Midwest industries.The NFL team and Microsoft invested in TitetownTech’s new $70 million Fund II alongside 27 other investors. When TitletownTech launched its first fund in 2019, notable investors included former New York Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and Boston Bruins alternative governor Jeremy Jacobs Jr. Both are returning investors for this second fund. Among the over 30 startups backed by TitletownTech include Overtime, the sports media company whose basketball league is churning out top NBA Draft picks,

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher Disney’s search for potential equity partners in ESPN has reportedly involved three of the biggest entities in all of sports.A CNBC report says that Disney officials, including CEO Bob Iger and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, have held initial talks with the NFL, NBA, and MLB as part of a larger concept: bringing pro sports leagues in as minority partners in the iconic sports network.The move closely follows Iger’s disclosure that Disney is open to selling part of ESPN to a strategic partner, as the company is, in his words, “dealing head-on with some of our biggest challenges.” Among those challenges is the ongoing cord-cutting that has slashed ESPN’s linear reach from more than 100 million homes

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher The New York Times’ shuttering of its sports desk has now led — as expected — to a formal labor grievance.The NewsGuild of New York has accused the newspaper of violating its recently completed union contract, specifically by replacing sports coverage from union-member sports department staffers with personnel from The Athletic, which isn’t unionized (and has had its own struggles).“The company is claiming it has the right to subcontract to itself and have non-union workers do union work without the same job protections, wages, and other benefits we have fought so hard to preserve,” the union said. “These claims are preposterous on their face and a brazen attempt at union-busting.”The Times has 20 days to respond

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen After being selected 13th overall by the Toronto Raptors in last month’s NBA Draft, former Kansas sharp-shooter Gradey Dick got a DM reading “welcome home” from Drake, the rap icon and world’s most famous Raptors fan.“He’s on tour right now, so I haven’t got to place a face, but when [Drake’s] back, we might meet up and just talk for the first time,” Dick, who was recently in Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League, told Front Office Sports. “I’m excited to meet him and pick [his] brain. He has a background with all this financial stuff.” Drake — who, per Forbes, earned an estimated $49 million in 2020 alone — became a global ambassador for the

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher Atlanta Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller admits to regularly checking the team’s stock price, now that it’s a standalone public company.But beyond those peeks at the market, the longtime team executive is attempting to make the team’s split from Liberty Media as insignificant an internal shift as possible.The Braves completed their long-planned split from Liberty this week and began trading on Wednesday. As MLB’s best team on — and perhaps off — the field, the Braves’ organizational plan is to continue that run of success unimpeded.“We’re going to operate the same way today that we did yesterday,” Schiller told Front Office Sports. “The way we’ve enjoyed success is still the recipe moving forward. The main

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey The head of the organization that runs the Open Championship wouldn’t rule out accepting financial investment from Saudi Arabia on the eve of the 151st edition of the tournament at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.“If I’m very open, we are and do and continue to talk to various potential sponsors,” R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said on Wednesday when asked about potentially working with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.The Open Championship tees off Thursday at 1:30 a.m. ET with the lowest purse of the four golf majors — $16.5 million. Coverage begins on Peacock and continues on USA Network at 4 a.m. ET. “We had expected prize money to rise over a five-year period,

Go to Source Author: Owen Poindexter Slamball is returning after a seven-year hiatus, and its creator and CEO, Mason Gordon, has sky-high ambitions for the novel sport. “Young audiences are reaching out for sports to call their own,” Gordon said on Front Office Sports Today. “In legacy sports, you’ve got unbelievable topline success, and yet there’s a real issue with younger demographics not watching their core product.” Slamball is a contact version of basketball with jumping pads (think rectangular trampolines) inside the three-point arc, allowing for flying slam dunks and alley-oops. In addition to the highlight-friendly action, the format is designed for a younger audience, with the entire game taking around half an hour. While the sport most resembles basketball, Gordon found that football players

Go to Source Author: Michael McCarthy The New York Jets were dragged kicking and screaming into HBO and NFL Films’ production of “Hard Knocks.” Based on comments from Jets players and media observers, this summer’s training camp show could come off like a hostage video or throw off more dramatic sparks than any edition in years.New Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers said his team is not happy about being strong-armed by the league into the training camp spotlight.“I understand the appeal with us. There’s a lot of eyes on me, a lot of eyes on our team. A lot of expectations for our squad. They forced it down our throat and we have to deal with it,” Rodgers said at the American Century Championship.During

Go to Source Author: Doug Greenberg Parity continues to reign supreme in women’s tennis.With a straight sets win over Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova won her first Wimbledon and first career Grand Slam title, becoming the 16th different woman to win a major since 2017.The Czech national is the first unseeded woman and third unseeded player overall to win Wimbledon in the tournament’s history. She was a 150-1 underdog to win it all before the tournament.“After everything I’ve been through — I was in a cast last year — it’s just amazing that I can stand here and hold this,” Vondrousova said, referring to wrist surgery that kept her out of last year’s tournament. “Tennis is crazy.”Vondrousova takes home $3 million in

Go to Source Author: Doug Greenberg Poker’s marquee event is underway, with a record number of entrants competing for “the richest trophy in all of sports” and a piece of live poker’s largest-ever prize pool.The World Series of Poker announced that 10,043 players entered the WSOP Main Event, leading to a $93.4 million prize pool. The previous records of 8,773 players and an $82.5 million prize pool were set in 2006.The 2023 edition of the prestigious tournament — taking place at the Horseshoe Las Vegas — will see the winner take home $12.1 million, with the first player eliminated from the nine-person Final Table winning $900,000. The tournament will pay out 1,507 players — 15 percent of the total entrants (only 10