Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo has joined a group of investors who have pledged more than $40 million toward the development of UFL, an upcoming free-to-play football game by Strikerz Inc.  According to the Tuesday release, Ronaldo will also consult on the game’s development. He will also help the brand captivate football fans across the globe. An official release date for UFL has not been announced, but the company said the testing phase will start in the fall. The game will be available for free and available on Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles.

A new Fanatics campaign is asking sports fans to imagine an alternative reality where Tom Brady played pro baseball for the Montreal Expos. On Brady Day — 12/12, in honor of Brady’s jersey number — Fanatics Collectibles is launching a Topps 2023 Bowman Draft trading card set featuring the NFL great’s first-ever baseball card. The collectible takes us back to the 1995 draft, where Brady was selected in the 18th round as a catcher. The card features handwritten notes from the 7-time Super Bowl champion, including “If baseball doesn’t work out, there’s always football.” Retro sports brand Mitchell & Ness also produced a limited run of Brady Expos jerseys.

Boardroom’s Bernadette Doykos has more details on Tom Brady’s trading card.

Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark has inked an NIL deal with Gatorade. With the deal, she became the fourth collegiate athlete and second women’s basketball player to join the sports drink’s roster, along with UConn’s Paige Bueckers, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Penn State’s Nick Singleton. To announce the partnership, Clark appears in a new video titled “You Can Too,” aiming to inspire the next generation of hoopers. Plus, to kick off their partnership, Gatorade will donate $22,000 (a nod to her jersey number) to the Caitlin Clark Foundation. Clark’s other NIL partnerships include State Farm, Hy-Vee, and Nike.

Boardroom’s Griffin Adams has more details on Caitlin Clark’s new deal and her market value.

The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament proved to be a ratings success. According to a Tuesday memo from ESPN’s Press Room, Saturday’s Los Angeles Lakers win over the Indiana Pacers averaged 4,580,000 viewers on ABC and ESPN2. It marked the most-watched non-Christmas NBA game during the regular season on any network since February 2018. Additionally, the audience for the final contest was also up 64% from last season’s NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC average. Finally, it was the most-watched program in primetime and among all key demographics on Saturday.

Nicki Minaj is hitting the road supporting her newest project, “Pink Friday 2.” The Grammy-nominated emcee begins her global jaunt on March 1 in Oakland, Calif. The tour will stop at major arenas in cities like Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, and New York City. After 28 dates in North America, including the final show on May 12 in Austin, Texas, Minaj will head to the UK and across Europe through late spring. Tickets begin with a presale exclusive on Dec. 12 at 9 a.m. EST. The general sale kicks off on Dec. 15 at 9 a.m. on NickiMinajOfficial.com.

Athletes Unlimited‘s third season is scheduled to tip off on Feb. 29, 2024, in Dallas. On Tuesday, the league revealed that 25 players have already signed contracts for the four-week competition. Among the initial roster of Athletes Unlimited athletes competing for the first time are two-time Olympic gold medalist Angel McCoughtry, Minnesota Lynx player Tiffany Mitchell, Zia Cooke from the Los Angeles Sparks, and Laetecia Amihere from the Atlanta Dream. Making their return are members of the 2023 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces Sydney Colson and Kierstan Bell, Lexie Brown from Los Angeles Sparks, Atlanta Dreams’ Allisha Gray, and Odyssey Sims from the Dallas Wings.