Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

Coaching Agent Jumps to WME

Clint Dowdle has joined WME Sports as partner to lead its football coaches and executives division. Dowdle comes to WME from CAA where he became one of the most influential agents in collegiate and professional sports. Dowdle has worked with coaches and executives including Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Duke’s Mike Elko, Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith, Philadelphia Eagles Nick Sirianni, Indianapolis Colts Shane Steichen and Minnesota Vikings General Manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Oak View Group Names New Chief Financial Officer

Oak View Group (OVG)—the global venue development, advisory and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries—has appointed Ade Patton as chief financial officer (CFO). In the role, he will direct and oversee the global financial and accounting activities of the firm. Based in Denver, Patton will report to OVG chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke. He assumes his new role effective immediately. Patton most recently served as chief financial officer of HBO Max/Global DTC at WarnerBros Discovery and previously in investment management roles at Millennium Management LLC and Citadel LLC.

G8RSkin PPE Appoints 49ers’ Jay Brunetti to Advisory Board

G8RSkin PPE—equipment designed to reduce concussion risk in contact sports—has appointed Jay Brunetti, the San Francisco 49ers’ director of equipment operations, to its advisory board. Brunetti is currently in his sixth season with the San Francisco 49ers and has been the director of equipment operations for the past three years. Previously, he spent three seasons as the team’s equipment manager. Invented by college football player Carter Hogg, G8RSkin is a specialized balaclava-like shell that is worn under football helmets and shoulder pads.

Infinite Athlete Adds General Manager of Europe

Technology company Infinite Athlete is adding a global business development role to its leadership team with veteran executive Teodora Ivanova-Limon. In her role as general manager of Europe, Ivanova-Limon will lead business development, strategic partnerships and investments that support long-term growth and new opportunities for Infinite Athlete. Ivanova-Limon brings over 15 years of experience in commercializing leading-edge technologies across sports, media and entertainment. Prior to joining the Infinite Athlete team, she served as the VP of global football at Dapper Labs—the creators of NBA Top Shot and pioneers of sports digital collectibles. Ivanova-Limon spent years at Google where she worked on scaling organizations and vertical strategies for Google Search and Play, as well as building commercial relationships with some of the world’s largest data and content providers.

Former WWE, UFC Executive James Kimball Establishes Management Agency

James Kimball, a former senior executive at WWE and UFC, has launched Novo Sports Group, a management agency operating at the intersection of emerging athletes, properties and brands. The full-service representation firm will guide professional, amateur and collegiate athletes in maximizing value in today’s sports landscape. Most recently serving as senior vice president, head of athlete operations and strategy at WWE, Kimball led the formation and expansion of WWE’s name, image and likeness (NIL) program called Next in Line, which was designed to recruit and develop future WWE stars. The program rosters nearly 50 college athletes, all of whom were signed during Kimball’s tenure, and includes talent representing 13 different sports and 15 different conferences, with 12 NCAA Championships and over 40 All-American honors.

Colt McCoy Named New Host of Underdog Fantasy Sports Show

Underdog Fantasy Sports announced Arizona Cardinals QB Colt McCoy as the new host of Scheme, the football-themed show featured on the Underdog Content Network. Scheme offers an exploration into the intricacies of today’s NFL, delivering insights into the preparation and nuances that shape the world of football. Colt McCoy will join Scheme co-host Josh Norris during the 2023 NFL season to break down game footage and discuss what’s going on in the league. All episodes are disseminated on YouTube to give fans across the world access to previously guarded football knowledge for free.

PARTNERSHIPS

LaLiga North America and Verizon Renew Pact 

LaLiga North America has executed a multiyear renewal of its partnership with Verizon, exclusive to the United States. The partnership will offer Verizon customers the chance to interact with the league through coast-to-coast watch parties, experiences at LaLiga matches in Spain, attendance at the LaLiga Summer Tour in the U.S. and other experiences with players and ambassadors. LaLiga and Verizon have been focused on opportunities around soccer in the U.S. and engaging with American soccer fans beyond the 90 minutes of the match. The partnership has allowed Verizon to leverage LaLiga’s fanbase and IP.

Fan Ink Scores Headwear License With MLS

Fan Ink Ltd. has reached an official licensing agreement with Major League Soccer to design, produce, market and distribute headwear and accessories adorning the crests and brand marks of its roster of 29 clubs (and counting). While Fan Ink has existing licensing agreements with individual clubs across the world’s top leagues, this MLS signing represents Fan Ink’s first league-wide licensing agreement in North America.

FITE Lives in WrestleQuest’s RPG Gaming World

FITE and MegaCat Studios have agreed to a partnership that puts FITE in WrestleQuest, a new turn-based role playing game with real-life wrestling legends. The game, released on Aug. 8, brings to life a world where toys, action figures and wrestling collide—and over 30 legendary wrestlers are part of their game, each with their own side quest, from Jeff Jarrett to Randy Savage to André the Giant to Jake the Snake. Players in WrestleQuest will encounter FITE’s presence throughout the RPG’s world. WrestleQuest hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Netflix (for all subscribers) on Aug. 22.

MLS Announces Multiyear Partnership With Celsius Energy Drink

Major League Soccer (MLS) has partnered with Celsius, making it the official energy drink of MLS in the U.S. through the 2026 season. Celsius will be the presenting partner of extra time in all league-controlled matches, which are the extra minutes that will be played following regulation at the end of both the first and second halves. Additionally, Celsius branding will be featured on field-level LED boards and the boards that denote the designated minutes of extra time for each half as well as player substitutions. In addition to in-game signage, Celsius will have integration within MLS matches on Apple TV, consumer experiences and brand activations at select matches and marquee MLS events.

Aperol Named an Official Partner of the U.S. Open

The USTA announced that Aperol, an Italian Aperitivo, has signed on as an official partner of the U.S. Open, beginning with the 2023 event. Aperol will be present at the U.S. Open grounds in 2023, with two on-site destinations. A branded, indoor-outdoor patio bar located off the grounds’ primary esplanade will offer fans an Aperol experience and light bites. Across the grounds near Court 5, Aperol will set up an authentic Italian Apé Truck. Tennis fans at the U.S. Open can enjoy Aperol at both destinations, as well as at two on-site mobile carts. Aperol will also be running digital, influencer, paid media and social media campaigns locally and nationally to help drive consumer awareness around Aperol’s newest partnership.

QuintEvents Announces Multiyear Partnership With Lusail International Circuit in Doha

QuintEvents (Quint)—a provider of official ticket, hospitality and travel experiences to sports and entertainment events—announced a multiyear partnership with Lusail International Circuit (LIC). As part of this partnership, Quint will serve as the Official Hospitality Provider for the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix in October as well as the MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar in November. Quint has now been retained as the exclusive sales, marketing and operational entity for all hospitality products that the Lusail circuit directly produces in-house. Quint recently extended its partnership with Formula 1, now offering exclusive packages such as F1 Garage and the ultimate fan experience.

World Long Drive Partners With ALT Sports Data to Introduce Regulated Sports Betting

World Long Drive (WLD) announced a multiyear partnership with ALT Sports Data Inc.—the San Diego-based company for trading and consumer data for action, alternative and emerging sports. The official data distribution partner for WLD, ALT Sports Data will introduce regulated sports betting for long drive events. The collaborative efforts between WLD and ALT Sports Data will allow sportsbook operators to create pre-event markets and manage in-game odds. Betting on WLD events begins with the first nationally televised competition of 2023: WLD Kingsport (Aug. 26-28). Bettors from Colorado, Tennessee and Wyoming will have the opportunity to wager on the men’s Open Division, the Women’s Division, and the Senior’s Division online via BetMGM. World Long Drive expects to expand into additional states in the near future.

World Athletics and Deloitte Announce New Global Partnership

World Athletics and Deloitte have partnered to support and accelerate the digital transformation and innovation needs of World Athletics over the next six years. Deloitte, the world’s largest management consulting firm, will provide a wide range of digital consulting services and sports operations and platforms to World Athletics and the World Athletics Series events from Jan. 1, 2024 until Dec. 31, 2029. Deloitte will apply its expertise in digital transformation, innovation and data-driven intelligence to enhance fan experience, as well as using data analytics to ensure that changes to the product reflect fans’ choices and behavior. Deloitte will also assist World Athletics in its strategy to create new products and competition formats and introduce sports operations platforms that will create efficiencies in event delivery.

Hyperice Partners With Pro Pickleball Association

Hyperice has partnered with the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour) as its Official Recovery Technology Partner. As pickleball has grown in popularity over the last several years, injuries have grown as well, with over 19,000 estimated injuries in one year, and the vast majority of those affected being over 50 years old, a group that makes up approximately half of the participant population at a recreational level. Through the partnership, athletes now have access to Hyperice’s suite of recovery technology products courtside, as well as in the training rooms, and player lounges at tournaments.

PRODUCTS

Sense Arena to Launch First NHL Interactive Virtual Reality Hockey Platform 

Sense Arena announced a multiyear agreement to launch the first interactive NHL VR platform, NHL Sense Arena. Available this fall, NHL Sense Arena will feature the uniforms and logos of all 32 NHL teams, giving hockey players and fans alike the opportunity to hone their skills and compete as a member of their favorite NHL franchise within the Sense Arena hockey experience. Launched in 2018, Sense Arena’s VR technology provides an off-ice platform for skaters and goalies of all ages, allowing them to play hockey in confined spaces and non-traditional environments such as basements, garages and hotel rooms. Sense Arena, which was recently designated the Official Virtual Reality Training Tool of USA Hockey, is currently used by five individual NHL teams and 14 men’s and women’s NCAA Division I hockey programs.

IBM and USTA Add AI Commentary and Analysis to the 2023 U.S. Open

IBM and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced digital fan features to appear on USOpen.org and the U.S. Open app, including artificial intelligence-generated spoken commentary. Throughout the entire tournament, which starts Aug. 28, AI technology will automate the production of detailed audio narration and captions to accompany U.S. Open highlight videos of every match in the singles draw, across all 17 courts.