$50 Million Indoor Golf Course | Tony Pritzker Invests in New Racket Sport

Get up to speed with latest news impacting the sports business landscape in Chicago and beyond. 🗞️

🏟️ Sports Funding & Acquistions

💰 Funding

• The Realest raises $12M to scale sports + entertainment authentication tech

• Swerve TV raises $2.5M to expand FAST channels (combat + women’s sports focus)

🤝 M&A / Acquisitions

• WSC Sports acquires Partnerbrite to add sponsorship campaign execution tools

• Investor group acquires MotoGP’s Tech3 Team (IKON Capital + Bolt Ventures + Main Street Advisors)

🎟 Upcoming Local Events 

Join us on February 12th, as we host a panel discussion on "The Future of Investing in Sports” at the Sports & Entertainment Innovation Summit brought to you by 1871. Featured investors will be: Marquee Ventures, KB Partners and Ryan Sports Ventures.

Event Highlights:

Keynote Conversations: Fireside Chat with Jaime Faulkner, President of the Chicago Blackhawks. Gain direct, high-level insight into leadership and the future of professional sports.

Industry Expert Led Breakout Sessions:

• Investing in the Future of Sports Technology with Chicago Sports Tech

• Stadium and Arena Innovations with Levy

• and more.

Startup Pitch Showcases: Hear directly from our exclusive portfolio founders as they demonstrate how their solutions are transforming the Sports & Entertainment landscape.

Startup Alley & Happy Hour: Discover the latest innovations from our portfolio companies while connecting with summit attendees.

Get your ticket at https://luma.com/d9s8dmly

Email [email protected] for more information

⛳️ Megalodome Golf plans $50 million indoor golf course No sunscreen will be need for this round of golf. Megalodome Golf plans a $50 million indoor golf course in Chicago suburbs in 2027. You will be able to play golf year round in the Chicago Suburbs in the four temperature controlled domes. No word yet on if a penalty will be imposed if (when) your ball hits the ceiling of the dome. Stay tuned for more updates…

🏟 Daktronics’ Gies Memorial Stadium installation to set new college benchmark Move over, Soldier Field. If you want to catch football on the largest main video display in the state, you’ll have to trek over to Champagn. Bolstered by the $100 million donation from megadonor Larry Gies last Fall, the Fighting Illini have made a significant investment in Gies Memorial Stadium. They decided to work with Daktronics, a global leader in the manufacture of electronic scoreboards, to take the crown as the largest main video display in college football. Once completed, it will overtake the former leader by more than 7,000 sqft. In the ever-competitive college recruiting landscape, it’s the first of what could be other projects by the athletic department. It’s one way to try to get a leg up on other schools battling for recruits. To see a rendering of the main video display and how much bigger it is than the one at Soldier Field, check out this article from The Stadium Business.

🏸 Tony Pritzker, Chris Pine among backers of new racket sport It takes a standout venture to secure a personal investment from someone within Chicago’s wealthiest circles. Pritzker rarely invests his own money outside of private equity firm Pritzker Private Capital unless it really has some bite to it. Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy’s Typti Inc. is banking on that. Bellamy hopes Typti will capture some of the general enthusiasm for racket sports, particularly pickleball, which has swept the nation over the last several years. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. for the 4th straight year. Some may dislike the choppy play near the net, or neighbors may complain about the loud, repetitive thumping of the ball. Typti offers an alternative that uses a foam ball instead of a hard one. It naturally leads to the ball travelling slower but encourages longer rallies. Bellamy’s vision has earned the backing of at least 80 investors, which include Pritzker, Tony Robbins, and Star Trek’s Chris Pine. Plans commence late February for a professional circuit, kicking off in LA with prize money starting at $100,000. Crain’s unveils some of the other celebrity backers of Typti and details on where the first pro circuit will be held.

🎤 Longtime Fox 32 Chicago sportscaster Lou Canellis close to deal with NBC 5 Once the lights went off at Soldier Field after the tough loss to the Rams, an era ended on the media side. Canellis spent almost 20 years as the frontman for Bears Game Day Live, Bears Game Night Live, and 1st & North, among other Bears-focused programming for Fox 32. He’ll reunite with a familiar face at NBC 5 in executive producer John Schippman, with whom he worked previously at Fox. It’s to be seen how the transition will work out for Canellis. NBC 5 doesn’t hold rights to anywhere near as much sports programming as Fox 32. But he’s a seasoned vet of Chicago sports since the 90s Bulls. Canellis will be a welcome presence to whatever NBC 5 conjures up for him. The Sun Times gives its take on Canellis’ transition.

🏟 Gary dangles three development sites in bid to woo the Bears The possibility of the Indiana Bears isn’t a joke or bad dream. When a representative from Gary’s Common Council says “…we are ready to break ground while others are still breaking promises”, it’s not just a shot at Chicago and Illinois lawmakers. Indiana lawmakers have been on the offensive since last summer. They are eager to lure another sports franchise to the state by just about any means possible. Emboldened by Illinois lawmakers who seemed disinterested in making a deal with the Bears, Gary has unveiled three potential landing spots for the Bears that they consider ‘plug and play’. Even though it’s only 30 miles away, Gary is a completely different world from Chicago. Chicagoans watching the drama unfold from the sidelines must keep pinching themselves to wake up before it’s too late. If Springfield needed a wakeup call to prevent the unthinkable, this was it. Crain’s provides renderings of the sites and details on Gary’s pitch to the Bears organization.

👟 Nike signs phenom Anna Leigh Waters in its first pickleball deal As mentioned before, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. Participation hit 22.7 million midway through 2025, and there are now over 68,000 courts in the U.S. That’s a sizeable market for Nike to drive marketing efforts towards. It might be a little late to the party, but it’s about picking the right person to tag along with. Anna Leigh Waters is the one. She’s been a pro since she was 12 and won a record number of gold medals in 2025 as an 18-year-old. Waters has already been courted by other brands, such as Delta Air Lines and DoorDash, while her apparel and footwear deal with Fila expired in 2025. Nike’s fall from grace has been long and prolonged. The investment in Waters represents a strategy shift to help them regain their mojo. Find out how much Waters is already making annually and how many gold medals she won last year here.

📉 Unrivaled Faces Stiff Challenges As Ratings Plunge to Start Year 2 Like every parent knows too well, the second time a kid plays with a toy is never the same as the first time. It’s the tough reality Unrivaled faces as it tries to build on momentum from its first season. Besides the ratings drop, there are more empty seats in the arena, and stars like Angel Reese have opted out. But according to a league spokesperson, the league is still making headway despite lackluster ratings. Merch sales are reportedly up 50% from last year. Despite empty seats, ticket sales are up 40% due to the addition of seats at Miami’s Sephora Arena (seating capacity went from 850 in the first year to 1,000). So there’s hope. There’s also more competition. For example, the budding 5-on-5 league Project B will debut this November and feature WNBA players like Sky star Kamilla Cardoso. TV ratings will play a significant role in determining the sustainability of the upstart league. It could be in trouble if viewership doesn’t rebound to at least Year 1 levels. Front Office Sports reports on Unrivaled's specific ratings numbers during the opening day of Year 2.

👮‍♂️ Federal prosecutors charge 26 men with alleged conspiracy to manipulate college basketball games The ugly side of legalized sports gambling returns to center stage. The biggest busted gambling ring of college sports so far involved as many as 39 players in manipulating games. The gambling ring surrounded players at mid-major and lower schools, including four DePaul players who were caught shaving points. It all started in 2022. Two men with ties to the NBA’s big gambling bust recruited a former NBA player to rig games in the Chinese basketball league. After success there, they brought the scheme home and took it to college in 2023. Ringleaders Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley lured players with promises of payments of $10,000 to $30,000 per game. The offer was too enticing for players at smaller schools with less spotlight. It’s been a game of whack-a-mole over the past few years. One revelation of insider trading or manipulation often leads to far bigger schemes coming to light. NCAA athletes at smaller schools with losing records are especially vulnerable without the scrutiny that comes at bigger schools, and NIL deals to dissuade them from stepping over the lines. The Athletic pores over the damaging reports of the alleged conspiracy.

🚩 Tom Brady lands star NFL quarterback Jayden Daniels to play in his controversial Saudi Arabia flag football game When Tom Brady hits your line, few will ignore. Especially if you’re a young, budding superstar-potential quarterback like Jayden Daniels. It does seem a little suspect that Daniels and others like Tyreek Hill are scheduled to participate in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. Both missed extended time during the NFL season with gruesome injuries. But that’s the power of the allure of a triple threat of influences: Tom Brady, Fanatics, and Saudi Arabia. The event will promote flag football's inclusion in the Olympics for LA2028. The choice of location leaves some scratching their heads. For Saudi Arabia, the event aligns with Riyadh Season 2026, which aims to establish the city and country as a global hub for sports and entertainment. It brings football to the Middle East for the first time, opening the door to future NFL games in the region. Great for PR, but a bit surprising that NFL owners are open to allowing their star players play in a promotional exhibition game overseas. The Daily Mail highlights who else is expected to play and when the games will take place.