WWE Taps in 15 Athletes for Next in Line Program
The WWE announced last week that it was joining the NIL race, and on Wednesday they revealed its first class of 15 student-athletes. Included in the list are Fresno State basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder, Oklahoma State wrestler AJ Ferrari – aka “Mr. Fast Twitch” – and Alabama pole vaulter Riley White. As part of the partnership, athletes will have access to WWE’s state-of-the-art facility in addition to extensive training, including communication, media management, and brand building.
Baron Davis Invests in Delivery Service FastAF
The NBA All-Star is building his investment portfolio – announcing earlier this week that he was joining Paul George in the pre-seed round for the “Discord for sports betting’ app Chalkboard. And on Wednesday, it was revealed that he is investing in Fast AF, a delivery service specializing in high-end drinks, food, and workout equipment, which seeks to compete with the Whole Foods demographic.
Isiah Thomas Appointed Chairman of the Board at One World Products
The NBA great was announced as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at One World Products, at Black-controlled, fully-licensed cannabis and hemp producer. Earlier this year, Thomas invested $3 million in the Colombia-based company.
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Ralph Lauren Brings Winter to the Metaverse with Roblox
Ralph Lauren is skating into the metaverse. The iconic American fashion brand announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Roblox to create an all-digital winter collection. The outfits can be used to customize avatars in the game’s Winter Escape, available through Jan 3. Ralph Lauren previously staked a plot in the metaverse earlier this year, with its installation on Zepeto, which has drawn 1.5 million visitors.
USA Basketball Introduces Cheryl Reeve as Women’s Coach
Cheryl Reeve got the promotion of a lifetime on Wednesday as the Minnesota Lynx coach and GM was officially introduced by USA Women’s Basketball as its newest head coach. Reeve has previously served as an assistant to Dawn Staley, who had served as the coach since 2017 and led the team to a 52-2 record culminating in a gold medal at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Tiger Woods Comeback Set for PNC Championship
It’s been a year since his terrifying accident, but Tiger Woods is ready to return to golf. On Wednesday, the 15-time major champion announced that he will play his first public match next week at the PNC Championship, where he will play alongside his 12-year-old son Charlie. Woods told the press last week that he will never play full-time on the PGA Tour again, but anticipates playing in select events. All eyes will be on Orlando to tune into his triumphant return.
BlueChip Teams Up with Julian Champagnie and Jacob Barry as First NIL Athletes
Brand-building platform BlueChip has revealed its first NIL athletes. BlueChip, a platform that helps athletes across the world of sports build and monetize their personal brands, announced its first two college NIL athletes Wednesday. The distinction belongs to St. John’s Red Storm basketball player Julian Champagnie and LSU Tigers baseball player Jacob Berry, who will now have access to a broad range of resources as they develop their brand footprints through apparel and products with a personal, fan-first touch. They join Victor Cruz, Mike Moustakas, and Ashley Cole as part of the BlueChip family.
Tracy McGrady Nets Multiyear Partnership with Playmaker
The seven-time All-Star announced on Wednesday that he will partner with the sports media and management brand. As part of their collaboration, McGrady will serve as a strategic consultant and investor and will host various sports and sports betting programs on Playmakers’ various social media streams.
University of Maryland Enters Official Partnership with PointsBet
The Terps became the first Big Ten athletic program to establish a sports betting partnership, announcing Wednesday that it has reached a multiyear agreement with PointsBet USA. As part of the collaboration, PointsBet will offer in-game and campus activations, as well as educational programming about gambling. There will also be a philanthropic element to the partnership, which will be revealed at a later date.
Paradigm Sports Empowers Clients with NFT Ecosystem
Paradigm Sports announced the launch of MintPS, an NFT ecosystem that enables collaboration between creators, athletes, and entertainers, spanning the digital, physical, and metaversal worlds. The move makes them the first sports management group to launch something like this, thus creating opportunities for its clients to monetize their crafts and creativity in new ways.
Rafal Nadal and Richard Mille Celebrate 10 years of Collaboration with New Timepiece
The 20-time grand slam champion is no stranger to beautiful wristwear, having debuted a million-dollar Richard Mille on the court earlier this year. The two have teamed up for the launch of the fourth edition in their collaboration, the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, which includes the custom movement winding capability.
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