Highlight Reel: The World Cup 'injury crisis' may arrive after Christmas 🚑
This week's top stories feature ATP and WTA's United Cup, Miami Heat, Mercedes AMG F1 Team, FTX, Anheuser-Busch and Major League Pickleball (again)
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Happy Friday!
The weekend is approaching, and it’s not just any weekend, it’s the final regular weekend of Premier League fixtures this year. Here’s a few of the articles that caught my attention, as well as one debunking a few headlines surrounding the upcoming World Cup… 👇
ATP and WTA introduce mixed $15m United Cup event ahead of Australian Open
The World Cup ‘injury crisis’ may arrive after Christmas
Miami’s FTX Arena sponsorship on shaky ground
Esports organisation Fnatic has launched its own music label
Anheuser-Busch becomes first brand to buy into Major League Pickleball
ATP and WTA introduce mixed $15m United Cup event ahead of Australian Open 🎾
Iga Swiatek, Ash Barty’s successor as world No.1, will join men’s grand slam record holder Rafael Nadal in headlining the new United Cup event, an ATP-WTA event will showcase “equality at the highest level of the sport.”
With mixed teams from 18 countries competing across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney over 11 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open. There will be national pride, $15 (USD) million in prize money, and - in a word first for a mixed team event - 500 Pepperstone ATP Rankings and WTA rankings points on the line.
The World Cup ‘injury crisis’ may arrive after Christmas 🚑
With the World Cup fast approaching, injuries have become an unavoidable theme. However, according to Dr Robin Thorpe, "the transition from the World Cup back into the club leagues will be that key position. That’s where pundits and the narrative should be focusing on, rather than the lead-up to the tournament.”
Interestingly, a study recently conducted by Zone7 looking at injury incidence of players returning from mid-season international tournaments such as Copa America, found this to be true: Players returning were 3x more likely to sustain an injury in the first 7 days back at their clubs.
Miami’s FTX Arena sponsorship on shaky ground 🏟
In October 2021, FTX finalized a 19-year, $135 million deal with Miami-Dade County for naming rights of Miami Heat's arena. However, the sudden collapse of FTX’s international business has sent billion-dollar ripples throughout the global economy and could mean the end for a number of lucrative sponsorship deals spun up by the company.
Mercedes AMG Formula 1 Team have been among the fastest affected to act, today suspending their sponsorship with the crypto company and removing their logos from its cars.
P.S. It’s not just crypto brands…
Esports organisation Fnatic has launched its own music label 🕹
Esports organisation Fnatic has just launched its own music label, called Fnatic Music. The organisation's debut album, Fnatic Island Vol. 1, features 31 lofi hip hop tracks in collaboration with 40 artists. According to a press release, the album is designed to be an accompaniment to casual gaming.
The announcement is yet another attempt by Fnatic to expand its opperations as a gaming lifestyle brand. Fnatic’s music venture joins its pre-existing lineup of gaming peripherals, merchandise and college partnership scheme.
Anheuser-Busch becomes first brand to buy into Major League Pickleball 🎾
Major League Pickleball has done it again. The professional pickleball league (which this week merged with PPA’s competitor league, VIBE) that has seen the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Tom Brady has just added another big player to its ownership roster; Anheuser-Busch.
In doing so, Anheuser-Busch becomes the first Fortune 250 company to make a big investment into Major League Pickleball. To me, this sets up a really interesting conversation around an alternative team ownership paradigm or even a new model of sponsorship that involves ownership.
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