Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Legends Appoints Matt O’Neil as Chief Marketing Officer
Matt O’Neil has been named chief marketing officer of the combined Legends and ASM Global business. O’Neil brings branding, content and marketing experience from leading professional sports teams and leagues, brands and university athletic departments. Having been with Legends since August 2022, O’Neil previously served as chief content & experience officer. In his new role, O’Neil will oversee marketing, creative, content, communications and events for the integrated Legends and ASM Global business, focusing on driving growth and revenue across all areas. He will closely collaborate with Legends’ clients to provide marketing and branding consulting.
Laura Lefton Named to USTA Managing Director Slot
The USTA announced that Laura Lefton has been hired as the USTA’s managing director, ticket sales and premium experience. The newly created position will oversee revenue generation across all ticketing, premium seating and experiences for the U.S. Open and is based out of the USTA’s New York City office in Times Square. Lefton will lead the development and implementation of the comprehensive short- and long-term sales and service strategies for all U.S. Open tickets, including new and existing club, suite, experience and hospitality products. Lefton will report to chief commercial officer Kirsten Corio. She joins the USTA from the NFL, where she spent more than 14 years and most recently served as VP, club business development.
Soccer United Marketing Hires Anne Wheat as SVP
Anne Wheat has joined Soccer United Marketing as senior vice president of properties & match business. In her new role with SUM, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, Wheat will lead the development, planning, promotion and overall operations of events operated and supported by SUM with the goal of growing revenue and increasing fan engagement. In addition, Wheat will manage the relationships across numerous SUM properties including CONCACAF, Liga MX, Federación Mexicana de Futbol (FMF) and FIFA. Wheat enters this role having previously served as the event programs lead for Google, where she oversaw global event and experience center programs, including the Pier 57 and St. John’s Terminal.
Real American Freestyle Signs Evan Wick, Others to Wrestling Roster
Real American Freestyle, the new, unscripted freestyle wrestling organization, announced the signing of champion wrestlers Evan Wick, Austin Gomez, Real Woods, Will Lewan and Parker Keckeisent. Seeking to provide an opportunity for the best athletes to compete and showcase their talent, Real American Freestyle will continue to develop its program ahead of its first event on Aug. 30 in Cleveland and will offer a modern approach to coverage of the sport, spearheaded by the storytelling of Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Israel Martinez.
WTA Launches Search for New Chair in Partnership With Elevate Talent
Following the announcement of chairman Steve Simon’s retirement, the WTA has launched a selection process for its next chair in partnership with Elevate Talent. Under Simon’s guidance, the women’s professional circuit modernized with a committed $400 million increase in player compensation over the next 10 years, and through a partnership with CVC Capital Partners established WTA Ventures to accelerate commercial growth and drive reinvestment in the sport. The next chair will be entrusted with building on this legacy and leading the organization into its next chapter. Elevate Talent will lead an international search process emphasizing inclusion, transparency and long-term vision. The firm will engage a broad and diverse candidate pool across industries and regions.
PARTNERSHIPS
ESPN Taps IMG Licensing to Expand Products and Experiences
IMG Licensing has been appointed as ESPN’s exclusive global licensing agency to help expand its consumer products and experiences portfolio. Through this collaboration, IMG Licensing will work closely with ESPN to develop strategic brand extensions and experiences across categories, including sporting goods, equipment, apparel collaborations, location-based entertainment, tailgating, consumer-packaged-goods integrations, publishing, memorabilia, toys, and games and novelty items. IMG Licensing will try to leverage ESPN’s brand equity to deliver products and experiences for sports fans.
Washington State Athletics, Playfly Sports Enter 10-Year Partnership
Washington State University Athletics and Playfly Sports announced a 10-year multimedia rights and outbound ticket sales and service agreement set to begin on July 1. The dual-rights structure is designed to unlock new levels of innovation, efficiency and long-term growth for Cougar Athletics. Through this integrated partnership, Playfly Sports will manage WSU’s multimedia rights as well as outbound ticket sales, through Playfly Aspire, across Cougar Athletics’ traditional and premium inventory. The unified strategy aims to elevate brand partnerships, community engagement and fan experiences while supporting the Cougar Athletic Fund. Playfly will lead the sales, cultivation and activation of corporate sponsorships at both local and national levels and secure naming rights for select athletic venues. Playfly will also oversee WSU’s 20-station Cougar Sports Radio Network.
Carvana and PPA Tour Extend Multiyear Title Sponsorship Agreement
Carvana and the Professional Pickleball Association have extended their multiyear title sponsorship agreement. The partnership, which began in 2022, will continue to feature events under the Carvana PPA Tour name while introducing enhanced fan experiences, expanded tournament coverage and increased prize opportunities for players. Since the beginning of the partnership, the Carvana PPA Tour has achieved record growth. More than 320,000 spectators attended events in 2024. With the support of Carvana’s sponsorship, the PPA Tour has increased player compensation, offering more than $30 million in prize money and payouts to more than 130 professional athletes.
E1 Names Bombay Sapphire as Official Global Partner
The UIM E1 World Championship, an all-electric raceboat series, has entered into a global partnership with Bombay Sapphire that sees Bombay Sapphire become E1’s Official Gin Partner. The Championship’s teams are backed by names in sports and entertainment that include Will Smith, Rafael Nadel and Tom Brady. The partnership, as Bombay Sapphire rolls out its new “Step Into the Blue” brand platform, will see it become the official cocktail of E1, served to guests of the Ocean Club, E1’s exclusive VIP invite-only hospitality offering. In addition, Bombay Sapphire will also become official partners of current reigning champions Team Brady, owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, and Team Drogba, led by Didier Drogba and Gabrielle Lemaire.
Tradable Bits Signs Deal With Canada’s Northern Super League
Tradable Bits has signed a league-wide deal aimed to build fan support and bolster sponsorship efforts with Northern Super League, the new Canadian professional women’s soccer league launched in April. All six NSL clubs have also signed with Tradable Bits for club-level support. Tradable Bits will provide data acquisition, analysis and activation solutions at league and team levels. Tradable Bits’ CRM will acquire, analyze and activate first party data to maximize NSL’s marketing efforts across platforms, including email, SMS, digital, social, in-venue and broadcast. It will also integrate with ticketing and marketing automation systems. The league’s founding partners include Canadian Tire, SportChek, Doordash, Intact Insurance, WestJet and Toyota along with BMO, Coca-Cola, Simons, Ticketmaster and Hummel.
PRODUCTS
PlayVs to Launch Hockey Gaming Initiative Pilot
PlayVs, an amateur esports platform, is launching a pilot program, Game On: An NHL/NHLPA Scholastic Game Initiative, in three NHL markets, home to the New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings as well as a national virtual EA Sports NHL 25 tournament. The initiative, funded by the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund, is designed to promote access, inclusion and connection through gaming, while giving young players the chance to engage with their local NHL teams. High schools will also take part in club-specific activations throughout the spring season, including in-person events and student engagement experiences.
PURCHASES
CAA Sports to Acquire Portas Consulting
CAA Sports has agreed to a deal to acquire Portas Consulting, a global management consulting firm, subject to customary regulatory approval. Executive chairman and founder David Portas and managing partner Donal McElwee, along with their team of 160 consultants and staff who have completed projects in more than 40 countries worldwide, will join the agency. Portas Consulting will be rebranded CAA Portas and will collaborate with governments, federations, Olympic committees, leagues, clubs, investors, ministers, boards, C-suite executives, senior sports leaders and private sector organizations to develop strategies that improve performance, enhance participation, optimize governance and drive commercial growth. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Europe’s Team Vitality Acquires Indonesia’s Bigetron Esport
Esports club Team Vitality announced the acquisition of Indonesian esports organization Bigetron Esports. The move will strengthen Team Vitality’s presence in the mobile gaming market as well as extend the brand’s reach further into Southeast Asia. With a population of over 270 million, more than 30% of whom are under 30, Indonesia has a highly engaged audience for esports. The country is home to over 100 million gamers, making it the fourth-largest gaming market in the world. As part of the move, Bigetron Esports’ brand identity will change to “Bigetron by Vitality.” Bigetron Esports CEO Edwin Chia, alongside Team Vitality’s co-founder CEO Nicolas Maurer and corporate director of global operations Danny Engels, will work together as the respective leads for Vitality’s mobile gaming entity.
