🔊 Why This Emerging League Is Attracting High-Profile Celebrities & Athletes

📰 TOP STORY
Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman Join Australia SailGP Team As Co-Owners

SailGP, an international high-powered sailing competition co-founded by billionaire owner of Oracle Larry Ellison, has made several headlines recently. Last week, it was announced that Red Bull Italy SailGP Team became the first team in the league to be led by a female ownership group headed by Assia Grazioli Venier, founding partner of Muse Capital and Muse Sport.

This investor group also included:

• Luxury brand entrepreneur Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo

• SailGP veteran Jimmy Spithill

• Actress Anne Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman

• Italian actress Miriam Leone

• Co-founder of Paddle8, Alexander Gilkes

In addition to several others.

This week?

Actors Ryan Reynolds, who already owns several sports properties, and Hugh Jackman joined Australia SailGP as co-owners.

The list of celebrities and athletes who have invested in SailGP over the past couple of years is extensive:

• Actress Issa Rae

• Boxer Deontay Wilder

• Soccer star Kylian Mbappé

• NFL Players DeAndre Hopkins, Malik Jackson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Roquan Smith

• Chairman of Avenue Capital Group, Marc Lasry

• VaynerX Founder, Gary Vaynerchuk

• US men’s national soccer team player, Jozy Altidore

• Global DJ and producer Gryffin

• University of Michigan basketball legend Katelynn Flaherty Yates

• Greenwich Advisory & Company Founder, Richard Perna

But why?

Ofcourse, every investor wants to make a return on their capital, but it’s a little deeper than that.

Let’s get into it 👇

While the full scope of why SailGP has taken off could be a newsletter on its own, I’ll focus on 3 key reasons why it’s become so in-demand by celebrities and athletes recently.

1. Entry-Points & Access:

   • As one of the fastest-growing sporting leagues in the world, valuations are steadily rising. Nonetheless, the entry points are much lower than those of other major leagues, which allows more individuals to gain access and participate. As a result, we’ve seen a lot of activity to invest in these privately owned teams, which have massive growth potential.

2. Commercial Appeal & Global Distribution:

   • SailGP is broadcast across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. This gives the league international flair and appeal. Furthermore, major brands such as Rolex, Mudabala, Land Rover, DP World, Oracle, Emirates, and Accor are considered sponsors or partners of SailGP, which promotes exclusivity and high-end value. Not to mention, they’ve built a massive social media following (which celebrities can help expand) and, because of the nature of the sport, it equally appeals to men, women, and kids of all ages.

3. Technology & Innovation:

   • Last but not least, they have an amazing product that ultimately sells itself. As a result of being founded by one of the most successful tech entrepreneurs in history, SailGP implements advanced technology to drive engagement, such as augmented and virtual reality, 4K cameras, chase drones, AI-enabled and autonomous buoys, and high-level broadcast-grade infrastructure. It’s fast-paced. It’s exhilarating. It’s simply enjoyable to watch. They’ve invested in the experience, and that has paid dividends in driving awareness and traction.

There are many emerging leagues out there that are alluring to high-level investors, but SailGP seems to be in another echelon. If the F1 model is any indication of future success, expect this sailing league to continue dominating globally.

💰 MERGERS & MONEY MOVES 
Hudl Announces Another Sports Tech Acquisition

• Hudl Acquires Titan GPS. Hudl, the world’s leading provider of technology connecting video and data for the sports industry, has completed the acquisition of Titan Sports, a GPS player tracking company. Titan’s GPS tracking system is built to make performance technology accessible for all levels. Its lightweight wearables capture over 150 metrics, while the companion software turns performance data into coach-friendly visuals. Financial terms were not disclosed (more here).

• Catapult Acquires Perch. Catapult, a global sports performance analytics company, announced the acquisition of Perch, a next-generation leader in athlete monitoring in the gym for elite teams. The $18M deal, which could be worth up to $28M depending on milestones, will accelerate Catapult’s AI capabilities and provide new growth opportunities. Perch was founded in 2016 by MIT engineers Jacob Rothman and Jordan Lucier (more here).

• Footballco Acquires 442oons. Footballco, a mega soccer media company, has bought YouTube soccer funnies animation brand and studio 442oons. 442oons will continue as a standalone brand and channel, though Footballco will integrate its content across its other brands, including its two leading football websites, Goal and women’s site, Indivisa. 442oons has over 8M followers across its social channels, and has racked up more than 4B views on YouTube alone (more here).

• Broadsword Acquires Powerleague. Powerleague, the UK’s original and premier provider of commercial small-sided football, has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by Broadsword Investment Management Ltd, a UK-based private equity firm focused on real estate-backed growth opportunities. Powerleague currently operates 43 clubs across the UK, with around 9M customers annually. In addition to its core football offering, the business also manages over 250 third-party venues that provide both football and netball (more here).

• Teamworks Acquires Telemetry Sports. Teamworks, a technology platform and operating system designed for sports organizations, has acquired data technology firm Telemetry Sports for an undisclosed sum. Telemetry will be rebranded as “Teamworks Coaching.” This is Teamworks’ 11th acquisition since 2022, bringing its total number of products to 15. Telemetry works with 25 NFL teams and 30 college football programs to help clubs evaluate and enhance performance through player tracking analytics and video delivery technology (more here).

• FPRO Raises $2M From Tesonet. FPRO, a revolutionary football (soccer) training mat, has raised a $2M funding round from Tesonet, a Baltic-based venture builder and investor. This is FPRO's first round of outside investment, marking a new phase in its development. The funds will help the startup to leverage smart tech solutions to expand professional training opportunities in youth football worldwide (more here).

 🤝 PARTNERSHIPS
SailGP Brings Betting To Fans With New Collaboration

• SailGP, Bet365 & DraftKings Form Partnership. SailGP is partnering with DraftKings in the US and Bet365 internationally to introduce sports betting on its races, starting with the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7th–8th. SailGP plans to collaborate with sportsbooks globally, providing an opportunity to grow the league’s fan base and increase fan engagement. The global racing championship is working with several data providers and global bookmakers to take its data feed and publish odds to the market (more here).

• Cosm & PBR Form Partnership. Cosm and PBR (Professional Bull Riders) announced a partnership to present four PBR Teams league events this summer in Shared Reality at Cosm’s experiential venues, located in Dallas (Grandscape) and Los Angeles (Hollywood Park). Cosm also has partnerships with ESPN to produce and air NBA, NHL, U.S. Open tennis, college football, men’s/women’s college basketball, college baseball/softball, and select UFC fights (more here).

• Tropion Sports & Blue Owl Capital Form Partnership. Tropion Sports Partners has launched a partnership to invest in the NBA alongside Blue Owl Capital, a leading alternative asset manager, and the Blue Owl Home Court Fund. Tropion is planning multiple investment tranches, having recently completed a $25M investment. Tropion, a global sports investment platform, is led by Philadelphia-based entrepreneur Joseph Greco. Greco is also a minority owner of the MLS Philadelphia Union (more here).

• NHL & Sony Form Global Partnership. Sony and the NHL announced a new multi-year global technology partnership, naming Sony an Official NHL Technology Partner. The pair will work together to elevate the NHL experience for fans, coaches, officials, players, and broadcasters by increasing Sony’s Beyond Sports’ production of NHL animated data visualizations, broadening usage of Sony’s Hawk-Eye measuring and tracking technologies, and investing in various Sony products and technologies (more here).

• USA Baseball & AWRE Sports Form Partnership. USA Baseball announced a new partnership with AWRE Sports, naming the streaming and video technology company an Official Player Development Partner of the organization. This collaboration will bring a six-camera streaming solution to all four fields at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Games and events held at the National Training Complex, including identification events, development program games, and national team games, will be streamed live on USABaseball.TV using AWRE Sports’ platform (more here).

• Cisco & Monumental Sports & Entertainment Form Partnership. Monumental Sports & Entertainment, holding company for the Washington Wizards, Mystics and Capitals, and Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking and security, unveiled a new partnership between the two companies, through which Cisco’s technology solutions will help to create a connected, next-generation experience for fans at MSE’s new arena in downtown Washington, DC. The multi-year collaboration will involve the entire Monumental enterprise, including the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena, and Monumental Sports Network (more here).

🔊 ATHLETES & OTHER NEWS
Hall Of Fame NFL QB Joins Denver NWSL Team Ownership Group

• Peyton Manning Joins Denver NWSL Ownership Group. Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning has joined the ownership group of the Denver NWSL expansion franchise that will begin play next year. Denver NWSL also recently announced two-time Olympic champion Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin as part of its ownership group. The majority owner is Rob Cohen, a Colorado-based insurance executive. Other notable investors include Ariel Investments' Project Level, led by president and co-CEO Mellody Hobson, and Molly Coors of the Coors family, Jon-Erik Borgen, Kaia Borgen Moritz, Neelima Joshi, and Dhiren Jhaver (more here).

• Women’s Sports Investor Kara Nortman On Outlook, Experiences & Opportunities. Kara Nortman has gained an interesting perspective on the women’s sports landscape in recent years. She is known, most prominently, as one of the original owners of Angel City FC when the NWSL franchise launched in 2020. After a long career in venture capital, she and investor Jasmine Robinson co-founded Monarch Collective, a private equity fund and investment firm. The company’s thesis is unique: It only wants to invest in women’s sports (more here).

• The Richest Female Sports Team Owners 2025. Among the more than 3,000 billionaires on Forbes’ real-time billionaire ranking, roughly 400 are women. But only 11 are the control owners of a franchise in a major professional sports league. Meet the wealthiest women changing the game, 11 women billionaires control major professional sports franchises and are collectively worth $85B, led by the Mavericks’ Miriam Adelson (Minority owners were excluded from this ranking) (more here).

• Inside Michele Kang’s Plan To Revolutionize Women’s Soccer. Michelle Kang is building a women’s soccer empire. After selling her health care company, Cognosante, the billionaire is out to prove her three teams can compete with the men’s game as a real business, and she’s willing to spend whatever it takes. Forbes sits down with her to discuss (more here).

• Forbes Releases NWSL’s Most Valuable Teams. Coming off a landmark year, America’s 14 pro women’s soccer clubs are collectively worth nearly $2B, and smart money says the price tags will keep rising. Forbes now estimates that all 14 clubs are worth at least $70M, with an average of $134M. Angel City leads the way at $280M, up $30M from the sale that closed in September, as the LA-based team continues to project growth for its sponsorships, merchandise, and ticket sales, and the Kansas City Current are right behind at $275M (more here).

• Forbes Releases WNBA’s Most Valuable Teams. Optimism around the league’s future has sent franchise values to an average of $272M. Over the last two years, the WNBA’s business has skyrocketed, with league-wide attendance reaching 2.4M during the 2024 regular season and more than 54M unique viewers tuning in to national telecasts. Collectively, the top ten teams are worth close to $3B, and the New York Liberty leads the way at a $450M valuation (more here).

• MOGL Launches 'NIL Feed' For First NIL-Centered Social Media Feed. MOGL, which describes itself as the leading athlete influencer marketing and platform, has released "NIL Feed," a community-driven social media feed that is dedicated directly to NIL-related updates. Completed deals will be showcased for athletes and fans interested in getting the news (more here).

• SailGP Launches Real-Time 3D Tabletop Racing. SailGP recently announced the launch of its most immersive fan experience yet, the Tabletop iOS Viewer at Home. Now live in the SailGP app, the immersive viewer allows fans to transform any flat surface into a live, interactive SailGP racecourse powered by augmented reality. The new viewer projects a detailed, real-time 3D model of the race directly onto the viewer’s tabletop, turning any surface into a SailGP stadium (more here).

• How Twin Sister Triathletes Doubled Down On Sports Success To Raise Health-Startup Millions From Investors. Michal and Merav Mor founded Lumen, a health tech startup focused on metabolism, through their search for elite performance as triathletes. The twin sisters, who both hold PhDs in physiology, have raised close to $80M from investors since turning that personal fitness quest into a company. Lumen’s hand-held device measures metabolism through a single breath and has generated tens of millions of data points related to diet, sleep, exercise, and stress (more here).

🎙️ PODCAST INTERVIEWS
How To Build A Global Soccer Empire With 3-Team Owner Brett Johnson

This week’s guest on the Vetted Sports podcast is Brett Johnson.

Brett Johnson is the founder and CEO of Benevolent Capital, a family office that invests in professional sports teams, real estate, private equity, and venture capital.

His current portfolio includes Ipswich Town FC, Phoenix Rising FC, and Rhode Island FC, and investments in TerraCycle, Athletic Brewing Corporation, Oura Ring, and Seekr Technologies.

Mr. Johnson is also Founder and Partner of Fortuitous Partners, a diversified opportunity fund platform investing in professional sports-anchored multi-asset real estate developments in opportunity zones, including the iconic Tidewater Landing stadium and development in Rhode Island.

In this episode, we discuss:

‣ How he got started buying soccer teams
‣ The operational challenges of managing multiple teams
‣ Advice for other investors looking to get into this space

Check out the full episode here: Apple | Spotify | YouTube