Highlight Reel: For EA, MLS is Now In The Game 📺
Plus, Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack to feature on the FC Barcelona kit and US Polo Association ranks 13th in Two Circles' Sports Revenue League...
Good morning!
We’re heading into a packed few weeks. First up is our fully booked negotiation masterclass with one of Sports Pundit’s own, Lucien Okill. I can’t wait to see how that goes.
Then it’s off to Amsterdam for Soccerex, where I’ll be hosting an SP social with a few local SPers, including Frederique de Laat (a former guest on the podcast). If you’re in town please do come by, I would love to see loads of you there.
And some exciting news: I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome WSC Sports as a partner for the Highlight Reel. When it comes to synergy, it really doesn’t get much better. Make sure if you’re thinking about using their services (it seems like pretty much everyone already is!) to drop my name in and get me in their good books.
Now, on to this week’s stories:
EA Sports Mobile to broadcast four MLS matches
Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack to feature on the FC Barcelona kit
US Polo Association ranks 13th in Two Circles' Sports Revenue League
Let’s get into it:
MAJOR MOVES
For EA Sports Mobile, MLS is Now In The Game 📺
In a notable blend of sport, gaming, and media, EA SPORTS FC Mobile will stream four live MLS matches this season via a new in-game portal, FCM TV. It’s the first time EA SPORTS has hosted live match broadcasts within one of its games.
Starting May 10 with LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls, the initiative is powered by a simulcast of Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass and available to FC Mobile players (Account Level 4 and above).
Fans who tune in will be rewarded with in-game currency and a free 1-month MLS Season Pass trial.
Each match has a corresponding in-game challenge, allowing players to unlock themed content before kickoff.
Two additional games will be shown in September, with fixtures to be announced later.
Why It Matters:
For Apple and MLS, this feels like a thoughtful recalibration. The original bet on exclusivity via MLS Season Pass hasn’t yet delivered the scale some had hoped for. By bringing select matches into EA SPORTS FC Mobile, a platform with enormous global reach, they’re exploring smarter ways to meet fans where they already are. The recent OneFootball deal points in a similar direction.
For EA, it’s a smart way to deepen engagement, increase dwell time, and position FC Mobile as a more dynamic, football-first environment. Combined with their acquisition of TRACAB (MLS’s player-tracking data provider), this could even be a step toward more interactive or data-rich live experiences.
As Roger Mitchell, founder of Albachiara, recently put it: for 30 years, sport sold exclusivity at a premium. But that model is shifting. The future lies in ubiquity and this collaboration reflects that changing reality.
OPINION: SICKO MODE
🗣️ Alec Wolff Reed: Travis Scott’s FC Barcelona Shirt has Opportunity to Become Iconic 🌵⚽️
“The jersey remixes the 2024/25 home kit, switching the usual Spotify logo for a special edition 'Cactus Jack' sponsor. It arrives as part of the Catalan club's ongoing partnership with the streaming service, which has previously seen artists like Drake, Coldplay, Rosalía and more as shirt sponsors in recent years.
Travis has been widening his footprint on the football-culture space lately, from small-sided tournaments with Nike at both Coachella and ComplexCon to talks of an Air Zoom Mercurial release later this year. Taking centre-stage at one of the game's biggest fixtures feels like a natural progression, entering the pitch for the very first time.
With the possibility of Barça winning La Liga against their closest rivals, the release could be even more iconic than it already is. And while the men's team will debut the shirt, the women's side will also don it in their final Liga F match of the season — another opportunity for silverware.
It wouldn't be a complete release without some music, with both games featuring an exclusive playlist curated by the rapper, set to be played in the build-up to kick-off.”
HIGHLIGHTS
Media
FanDuel Sports Network doubled its paid subscribers to nearly 650,000 in eight weeks and expects to hit one million DTC customers by year-end 📺
Apple TV+ dropped the trailer for Stick, a new sports comedy starring Owen Wilson, debuting June 4, 2025 ⛳️
Warner Bros. Discovery, now holding U.S. rights to the French Open, promises a fresh approach and a better experience for tennis fans 🎾
Marketing
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell named his squad in front of 2,000 fans at the O2 Arena in London, following in the footsteps of F175 🏉
Saudi Arabia’s PIF has become the new title sponsor of the Ladies European Tour series, taking over from Aramco 🏌️♀️
The Atlanta Dream and Cash App have launched a wide-ranging partnership focused on growing women’s sports and inclusive financial literacy 🏀
🎥 SPONSORED HIGHLIGHT | Brought to you by WSC Sports
Are You Late to the Game?
The shift to short-form, vertical sports content isn’t coming. It’s already here.
WSC Sports analysed data from over 550 top right-holders and the numbers are impossible to ignore:
Average video length has dropped by 24% year over year 📉
Shorts now account for 20% of all YouTube content 🎬
Vertical videos (9:16) are now the majority of all content created 📱
Today, the average sports video is just 1 minute and 20 seconds long and the demand for personalised, mobile-first content continues to surge.
Fans don’t wait. Platforms don’t pause. This report breaks down what’s happening and what you need to do next to catch up. Don’t save it for later (that’s the whole problem).
Finance
3G Capital will acquire Skechers for $9.4 billion in the largest footwear buyout to date, taking the company private by Q3 2025 amid ongoing U.S. tariff pressures 👟
DICK’S Sporting Goods has made a strategic investment in Unrivaled Sports to support its mission of delivering best-in-class youth sports experiences across the U.S 🛒
David Beckham and Gary Neville have joined a new ownership group at Salford City alongside Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies ⚽️
Innovation
Chelsea FC and DAMAC have launched Chelsea Residences, a football-inspired real estate project featuring wellness zones and rooftop pitches 🏢
Ahead of the 2028 Olympics, five U.S. sports NGBs have formed the United Sports Collective, uniting their commercial and media rights under one platform 🇺🇸
The UK government is backing a proposed amendment to the Football Governance Bill that would ban Premier League matches from being played abroad ❌
CLOTHES HORSE
U.S. Polo Assn. Cracks Top 20 Sports Revenue List Without Millions from Media 💸🐎
U.S. Polo Assn. has officially been named one of the Top 20 sports IP owners globally, according to Two Circles’ 2025 Sports Revenue League.
The brand generated a record $2.5B in global retail sales in 2024, with the majority coming from licensing and direct-to-consumer channels.
U.S. Polo Assn. is expanding rapidly in key global markets including India (where it’s the fastest growing menswear brand), as well as upcoming launches in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Poland, and Thailand.
Its 135th anniversary campaign will feature global in-store activations, influencer collabs, and sport-linked fashion drops.
Broadcast deals with ESPN in the U.S. and Star Sports in India have helped elevate the sport itself, with events like the U.S. Open Polo Championship positioned alongside premium rights such as The Masters and IPL.
Why It Matters:
This is a textbook example of a rightsholder building brand equity through product, not just performance. In a media-dominated industry, U.S. Polo Assn. has carved out a lucrative niche by making its sport-inspired fashion the hero and in doing so has earned a place at the top table of sports business, without playing by its traditional rules.
It also signals a broader shift. As rights fragmentation grows and media rights plateaus, IP owners in sports like tennis, golf, or even motorsport may explore more retail-led strategies. Polo may be an outlier, but it’s showing what happens when sport, style, and storytelling are stitched together properly (pun intended).
GROUP CHAT
That’s a wrap for this week - huge thanks to everyone who’s part of our growing community.
A special shoutout to Ash Al Haag for his contributions this week, notably identifying and sharing the story around the ‘Chelsea Residencies’. This earns him the title of Contributor of the Week 👑🙏
Welcome to all of our new members, too:
Denis Sonoga (Veo Technologies)
Hasan Arkadas (Dead Ball Analytics)
Jonny Dubner (Middlesex Schools Football Association)
James Scrivener (PwC)
Benjamin Blanco
Sharan Godya (Adobe)
Not part of the group yet? What are you waiting for? Apply to join us by filling out a simple form on the website. Feel free to share this link with (your favourite) colleagues.
P.S. You can see a full list of all the current members, here.
ON THE PODCAST
#52 Michael Israel: Applying AI Across The Kraft Group
On today’s episode, I’m joined by Michael Israel, Chief Information Officer at The Kraft Group, where he oversees a complex digital ecosystem spanning everything from the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, to global manufacturing plants and commodities firms.
Since joining in 2019, Michael has led a sweeping transformation: from deploying WiFi 6 and 5G across Gillette Stadium, to installing IPTV screens and menu boards that unlocked new sponsorship revenue. He’s introduced AI-driven safety systems, automated raw material detection in manufacturing, and is now overseeing a 5-year strategic tech partnership with NWN designed to re-architect their digital backbone, all ahead of hosting seven FIFA World Cup games in 2026.
In this conversation, we dig into how he’s planning for the AI era, what it takes to futureproof a stadium like Gillette, and why the guest experience - from concession speed to TikTok-ready connectivity - is becoming a performance metric in its own right.
SPORTS BUSINESS CONFERENCES
What’s Coming up This Month? 🤔 And How to Get a Discount 🎟️
This month has plenty of major conferences, from Soccerex in Amsterdam, Middle East Sports Investment Forum in London, 4se in New York, and SportsPro Live in London, and The Spot in Lausanne.
We’ve created a calendar featuring over 125+ industry events across the year that you can access for free here 📆
Even better, we’ve agreed discounts with many of these leading conference organisers if you book via the Sports Pundit website. For example, we’re offering 15% off Soccerex! Use the link below to view and book.
JOBS BOARD
We're not a recruitment agent, but we have created a custom search on LinkedIn to help to you to find some the most exciting job opportunities within the sports industry a little bit more easily…`