Campus Ink Secures $3 Million Investment | Fanatics Launching Entertainment Studio

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

🚀 Chicago Startup Spotlight

💰Campus Ink Announces $3 Million Investment. One of Chicago’s fastest growing companies just secured new funding as they continue to grow their NIL Store. Since their inception in July 2021, here are some of their stats per Campus Ink:

• $50M+ in lifetime revenue since the NIL Store launch

• $Millions paid out directly to college athletes

• 150+ school partnerships nationwide

• 30,000+ athletes currently on our roster

Check out the rest of the new here: https://nil.store/blogs/news/campus-ink-3-million-investment-zach-edey-nil-store

🎟 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

🏟️ Sports Business Funding & M&A — This Week

Funding

1) Whistle Performance raised a $2M seed round
Performance intelligence software used by 150+ teams raised fresh capital to scale adoption across pro + college sports.

2) StepOut raised $1.5M in pre-Series A funding
The Bengaluru-based sports-tech company will use the round (led by Rainmatter) to expand and accelerate growth.

3) AO Ventures invested in Padel Haus
Tennis Australia’s venture arm is backing Padel Haus as padel continues to surge in the US market.

4) NOBULL raised $50M at a reported $1B valuation
The raise signals continued investor interest in performance lifestyle brands expanding beyond apparel into adjacent categories like nutrition.

Acquisitions

5) Teamworks acquired Sportlogiq
Teamworks added Sportlogiq to strengthen its AI-driven analytics offering and deepen its hockey footprint.

6) PlayersTV acquired Expectant Media
The athlete-focused streaming platform acquired Expectant Media as part of its next phase of growth and content expansion.

💨 Chicago among 5 Athletes Unlimited Softball League franchise locations announced for 2026 season Softball has found a comfy home in Rosemont. Rosemont hosted the first-ever game for the league last June in front of a sellout crowd at The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex. The AUSL’s first season set a high bar, achieving 20 sold-out games and saw an 88% increase in TV viewership on ESPN. AUSL is switching from its touring format to a permanent city-based model. Chicago was one of five cities selected based on “strong softball traditions, proven fan engagement, and the infrastructure to support a world-class professional experience”, according to commissioner Kim Ng. It’s a good time to experiment and expand within the world of baseball and softball. MLB is as popular as it’s been in years. The Savannah Bananas have swept through the country and inspired a local version. And college softball has exploded recently. The 2025 Women’s College World Series between Texas and Texas Tech set an all-time record with 2.4 million viewers. AUSL will look to build on the momentum from these other platforms. CT Post explores the other franchise locations and discusses when to catch the Chicago Bandits in action.

🏟 Madison Street Athletic And Cultural Complex Planned For East Garfield Park DPD’s proposal for Madison Street aims to transform vacant lots into the Swiss Army knife of community centers. An indoor baseball diamond, a teaching kitchen, and an arts and culture hall are among the amenities featured in the $42 million project. The project could earn up to $10 million in city grants, pending City Council approval. It’s the type of project meant to complement the massive $7 billion 1901 Project, but focuses on the 3-mile stretch from Hoyne Ave. to Kenton Ave. In an area with over 10% of the city’s vacant lots, it’s a welcome start to the continued reinvigoration in East Garfield Park, but one that puts the community first. Block Club Chicago reports on the full scope of the proposal.

🐻 Playoff fever pushes Bears ticket prices to historic levels For the Bears, it’s ‘Good, Better, Best’ — and ticket prices are no exception. Ticket prices were already historic during the Wild Card game against the Packers. Nosebleeds were going for $400. Average ticket prices were at $813, according to Ticketmaster and TickPick. But against the Rams in the divisional round? The average ticket price paid by fans was $975. Not a problem for the fans who filled out both games. It was the chance to see two home playoff games in one postseason for the first time since 2010. Nosebleeds were almost $200 more expensive than the game against the Packers, but missing the live cheese-grating in the stands. Local fans weren’t the only ones willing to pay steep prices for tickets. New York and California fans accounted for 12% of ticket purchases, underscoring the fervor the Bears have stirred up this season. Axios Chicago points out other key metrics that categorize the historic ticket prices in both home playoff games.

❌ All nine MLB teams cancel their contracts with FanDuel Sports Network Rebranding can only go so far to save a broken business model. FanDuel SN is a subsidiary of Main Street Group, the former Diamond Sports Group company. Main Street was formed in 2025 after DSG filed for bankruptcy and lost broadcasting rights for several MLB teams. Despite a reduced debt load for Main Street, the weight of cord-cutting from fans was too heavy to overcome. The next step is to sell the company again. It provides MLB teams with the opportunity to renegotiate terms with a new entity. All are canceling their current contracts, which shields them from collateral damage of a Main Street bankruptcy. The regional sports network drama continues as streaming’s impact on traditional broadcasting has gutted a once-powerful model. MLB Media is offering broadcasting support to all nine teams, while a couple of major contenders have entered the running to buy Main Street. Find out which company is favored to buy Main Street and the nine teams affected.

💲The Sports Franchises That Have Gained The Most Value Since 2000 It’s hard to imagine that no sports franchise was valued at over $750 million just 25 years ago. Today, no sports franchise in the big four North American leagues is worth less than $1.05 billion. NFL teams lead the way in valuation, averaging $7.1 billion. But NBA teams have gained the most value through percentage increases, averaging an astronomical 2,264% among those that made the list. If you’re curious whether any Chicago franchises made the list, the Bears were the only one. The Bears ranked among the highest gainers on an absolute dollar basis (tenth, with a $7.9 billion increase in value since 2000) and on a percentage basis (sixteenth, with a 2,471% increase in value since 2000). The explosion in national media rights fees has driven part of the valuation increases. Overall, investors value sports franchises at ever-higher multiples, which explains most of the growth. In 2000, the average multiple of a sports franchise was 2.9x. Now, it stands at 10x. Forbes provides detailed insights into the trends while highlighting the most valuable franchises.

🐬 Troy Aikman to advise Dolphins in their general manager search Troy Aikman becomes the latest former quarterback to blur the lines of two worlds. Tom Brady started it, becoming an analyst for FOX and a minority owner of the Raiders. Aikman, a more seasoned analyst, will now help the team he’s criticized find a new GM. In his case, there’s less of a conflict of interest than with Brady. But it still presents an interesting dynamic. Aikman has unique access to all 32 teams. He attends practices and meetings with both the home and away teams two days before he covers them. He won’t be making the final decision on which GM the Dolphins select, but he’ll sit in on the interviews. You can’t fault the Dolphins for trying something different. They haven’t won a playoff game since Dan Marino was the starting quarterback. Here are some of Aikman’s pro football and executive credentials for the GM search.

👮‍♂️ Feds Say They’re Investigating College Sports Agents The FTC is leading the charge to end amateur hour in college sports. The NIL era kicked off a gold rush in college sports. Athletes once denied the ability to earn money on their name, image, and likeness can now potentially earn millions. That has also led to more agents, who are held to a different standard than the pros. There have been at least a few high-profile cases in which a family member or former coach, who is not a registered agent, has advised a student athlete on decisions with massive implications. Look no further than Nico Iamaleava, current UCLA QB. He left Tennessee last year in the first case of its kind, only to make half of what he earned while QB at Tennessee. Reports stated that his representation was demanding a higher NIL deal. The FTC is using the 2004 Sports Agent and Responsibility and Trust Act (SPARTA) to attempt to root out bad actors. It sent letters to 20 DI schools to help with the initiative. College football coaches have been shouting from the bleachers to enact some form of protection for student-athletes. Many athletes are getting caught between loyalty to family and friends and making sound decisions that could impact their chances of getting drafted to the pros and their financial future. Front Office Sports dives into everything the FTC is trying to accomplish with its initiative.

📺 Fanatics to launch sports media and entertainment studio It’s the one vertical in sports culture that Fanatics hasn’t expanded into until now. CEO Michael Rubin has taken Fanatics from its $250 million valuation when he bought it in 2011 to an estimated $30 billion today. It went from small licensed apparel and collectibles to several verticals, including sports betting and live events. With Rubin’s connections, the company already has big-name partners lined up for its first projects. There’s so much confidence in its new studio that it's projecting nine-figure revenue in its first year of operations. Fanatics Studios could rival Hollywood’s biggest companies from the get-go in impactful projects if it gets the formula right. CNBC describes the partnership Fanatics has entered into with the media and entertainment studio.