Chris Smith

1 week ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Chris Smith

LOS ANGELES -- Former MLBer and current T’Wolves and Lynx co-owner ALEX RODRIGUEZ said on Monday that the Lynx are attracting quintuple the interest from prospective investors as their NBA brethren. “We get five calls, to every one for the Timberwolves, for the Lynx; more people want to invest in the Lynx than the Timberwolves,” Rodriguez disclosed. “My daughters at dinner the other night were asking me what’s the difference.

2 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Chris Smith

WME Sports will divest its basketball representation business to address a potential conflict of interest following Endeavor’s take-private by Silver Lake, according to sources familiar with WME’s plans. The new agency will retain the WME Basketball name but be owned and operated independently from WME Sports. It will be led by longtime basketball agent Bill Duffy, whose BDA Sports was acquired by WME in 2023.

2 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Chris Smith

Sports nutrition brand Don’t Quit is launching a new line of protein sodas. The sugar-free drinks will be available nationwide in retailers including 7-Eleven, Albertsons, Safeway and Walmart starting in July. Don’t Quit is also in the process of closing a new $15M funding round led by private equity firm Solyco Capital.

2 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Chris Smith

Markets wavering. Consumer confidence plunging. Anxiety rising over tariffs and inflation. Fears of an oncoming recession growing stronger by the day. With those economic storm clouds overhead, a record crowd of 1,300-plus arrived in Nashville this week for Sports Business Journal’s CAA World Congress of Sports with questions and concerns about how widespread and growing uncertainty could affect their businesses and the sports industry at large. And yet unbridled confidence carried the week.

3 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Chris Smith

Legendary sports executive Harvey Schiller is backing a newly launched sports marketing agency, Whittingham Sports. The agency is founded and led by Kyle Whittingham, who most recently served as VP/Marketing & Content for SailGP’s U.S. team. He previously worked for SailGP at the league level, the NBA’s team marketing and business operations group and the Drone Racing League. Whittingham said he met and got to know Schiller through the latter’s role advising SailGP.