Chicago Sky sign deal with Bet365 | Wisconsin vs Miami Lawsuit heating up

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WNBA's Chicago Sky announce multi-year partnership with bet365 as official sports betting partner Bet365’s deal with the Sky helps them catch some ground on sports betting giants DraftKings and FanDuel. The Sky represents the 3rd high-profile partnership the sports betting platform has added within the last 7 months. As part of the agreement with the Sky, Bet365 will have its branding on full display throughout Wintrust Arena and digitally wherever you can find Sky promotions. With the WNBA soaring in popularity and interested sponsors, the only minor surprise with this announcement is that it is with British-based Bet365 instead of with one of the U.S.-based sports betting giants. A dreadful regular season so far doesn't help the Sky’s cause with attracting bigger sponsors, given their battle for attention among the crowded Chicago sports landscape. Here is the full scope of how Bet365’s partnership with the Sky will work.

Chicago’s Esports Charge: From Grassroots to Major League Tired of losing money betting on the Sox and Hawks? Try your luck with a Chicago Esports team. That’s not a joke either. A thriving ecosystem is developing in Chicago, where schools like Robert Morris and DePaul have built facilities to nurture their Esports players. We’re not talking about glorified student lounges with plenty of Doritos and Starbucks; these facilities feature professional-grade PCs and dedicated space for both study and play. With earnings of Esports players starting around $50,000-$60,000 a year, it’s not a bad investment on the schools’ part. Chicago has consistently shown it’s a serious Esports hub. Chicago hosted a major Esports gaming championship in 2022 at the United Center and features Esports bars around the city. And back to betting, non-gamers can place bets on Esports teams similar to betting on real Chicago sports teams. You probably have the best chance to make some money betting on Chicago Esports compared to any other team right now, other than the Cubs. Chi City Sports discusses how Esports odds work and where to find Esports bars around the city.

Former Jefferson Park church to get funky '60s makeover as club and pickleball court Motown meets pickleball in this latest church-to-residential building conversion. The former Catholic church, St. Cornelius, will be reimagined as a different category of social gathering space compared to its current state. Christopher Petrick, CEO of Dink Enterprises, in charge of the forthcoming Church Club, hopes the pickleball and club infusion will have a similar type of staying power. St. Cornelius was built in 1964 and enjoyed its height during the 80s, but by 2021, it was put up for sale. The former Catholic church follows the wave of church conversions that have happened around Chicago since 2022. After its renovations are complete, the Church Club will feature a billiards room, a spa, a vinyl records room, and a stage for performances. Now that pickleball has cemented itself as a new national pastime, vacant churches like St. Cornelius can see new life in a way that still serves the community. Learn more about the design concept here.

The Lakers could be sold at a record $10 billion valuation The Lakers and Celtics have had a fierce rivalry on-court for decades, spanning back to the 60s. Now, the Lakers can claim a front office win that will be hard for another NBA team to top anytime soon. Just in March, the Celtics ended their year-long search for a buyer with the announcement of a $6.1 billion price tag that Bill Chisholm’s investment group will execute on. Bolstered by Hollywood, Lebron, and a legacy of championships, the Lakers have nearly doubled that price. It will be interesting to watch how Mark Walter handles the franchise from here. As CEO of Guggenheim Partners, who own the Dodgers, he’s already shown a willingness to spend as much as it takes to build a championship contender. For the Lakers hierarchy, it marks the end of the 45-year Buss era. It produced 11 titles and the biggest names in the NBA from Wilt to Kareem and Magic, then Shaq and Kobe, and now LeBron and Luka. This won’t be the last time the record for highest team valuation is broken, but it’s hard to imagine another NBA team other than maybe the Knicks fetching 11 figures in the near future. Here’s the list of the top 10 most expensive sports franchises.

White: Multiple partners likely for UFC media deal It’s not quite a melee, but competition for UFC’s media rights is heating up. After ESPN failed to lock down sole possession of the rights during its exclusive negotiation window in April, CEO Dana White is opening the doors to all possibilities. White hopes to almost quadruple UFC’s media deal from the $300 million a year deal it signed with ESPN back in 2018 to at least $1 billion a year and potentially with multiple partners. Netflix is a strong contender, as it owns the rights to WWE. Both WWE and UFC are under the TKO Group Holdings umbrella. White is playing it cool, not revealing too much, but as Sports Business Journal guesses, UFC’s best outcome could involve keeping some media rights with ESPN and selling others. The UFC has gone from a valuation of around $5 billion when it signed with ESPN to an estimated valuation of between $11 billion and $12 billion, thanks in part to the sports giant’s worldwide distribution. It would take a signature knockout from a major player offering the billion a year the UFC is looking for to prevent it from splitting its media rights.

‘More Is More’: The Elite Luxury Jewelers Decking Out Athletes In this age of social media and branding, athletes are using every avenue they have to establish themselves outside of their playing field. The NBA and NFL drafts are no longer just about the culmination of years of hard work, with the potential to earn enough to set themselves up for life. It’s about showcasing a custom, bedazzled piece of jewelry that leaves a far greater impact than their pre-draft highlights. Now that the NIL era has blurred the lines between professionals and amateurs, younger athletes are working with all-star jewelers to make a statement. Depending on execution, that statement could help them secure endorsements and a thriving personal brand. NFL players are particularly grasping the opportunity to present themselves in a different light. Jewelry gives them a billboard to show people who they are without their helmets hiding them away. Read more on how elite luxury jewelers earned their stripes and see some of the prolific designs they’ve created.

Wisconsin Sues Miami Over Transfer as College Sports Turns Pro Some would argue the presence of NIL has ripped apart the seams of the fabric that held college sports together and created a wild, disorganized semi-pro outfit. One thing is certain: pro teams don’t usually have the ability to sue each other over disputes. New rules lead to new precedents, and this is another first. Former Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas bypassed the transfer portal by unenrolling from Wisconsin and enrolling in classes at Miami. He had signed a two-year binding NIL deal with Wisconsin in December, but after Wisconsin denied his request to enter into the portal, he took matters into his own hands. Miami allegedly offered him a larger NIL contract, which Wisconsin claims was tampering since they were aware of his contractual obligations. As said before, these types of first cases are bound to open the door for others as colleges, players, and NIL collectives navigate the murky waters of a muddy NIL landscape. Even after the landmark House vs NCAA settlement, there’s still plenty to sort through for years to come. Sportico details how Wisconsin wants to settle the case in state court and why Miami objects.