Cubs at Risk of No Carriage Deal | Everyone Watches Women's Sports

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

Billionaire Justin Ishbia drops bid for Twins to boost stake in White Sox Justin Ishbia made his billions in Chicago and now he’s looking to invest more of his cash locally. Ishbia co-founded Chicago-based private equity firm Shore Capital Partners, which manages $9.1 billion in assets. He’s buying more shares in the White Sox from other limited partners, increasing his minority stake. This move shocked the Minnesota Twins, who considered him a frontrunner in buying their franchise since last October. Insiders believe it’s the start of his quest to eventually wrest control of the Sox from the vice grip of Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf, who turned 89 on February 25th, has been the controlling partner of the Sox since 1981. He seems determined to bury the franchise six feet under until he croaks it. With another season beginning later this month, Sox fans can only hope for positive changes on the field compared to last season while minor changes happen in the front office. Check out more on Ishbia’s involvement with the Sox and his previous bid to buy the Twins.

The price of loyalty: Bears increase ticket prices for a second straight year despite on-field woes The Bears front office has a unique way of making its loyal fans feel special. Season ticket packages will see a price increase for the second straight year. This is after a year highlighted by an embarrassing 10-game losing streak and even more embarrassing Thanksgiving Day meltdown that led to a coaching change midseason. Bears’ president and CEO Kevin Warren expressed the need for the increase in a letter to season ticket holders, citing market dynamics and industry trends among the reasons. A bit of optimism has swept over Halas Hall again after naming Ben Johnson as the new head coach. This may help soften the blow of another hike in ticket prices for fans already dealing with inflation’s widespread impact. Fans may also wonder how high ticket prices will go if Johnson does turn around the franchise. The announcement comes amid the Bears’ struggle to get public funding for a new stadium. Crain’s discusses how much prices have hiked in two seasons and who the Bears will be playing at home next season.

1901 Project on schedule for construction as United Center owners snatch up more lots The last few pieces of the 1901 Project’s puzzle are in place after the United Center added more lots near the arena. This latest addition cost $11 million for the United Center owners, led by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families. The planned redevelopment of land in the Near West Side was approved two weeks ago by the City Council. Phase 1 of the 1901 Project is set for this Spring and will develop a 6,000-seat music venue, two parking garages, a public park, and a 233-room hotel costing about $400 million. Overall, the 1901 Project will aim to reimagine the area surrounding the United Center over the next 15 years. For disgruntled residents in the Near West Side, the good news is the plan is to use mostly private funds to complete the project instead of their tax dollars. Here are the numbers behind the 1901 Project and how much United Center has spent just in the last 19 months.

Cubs at risk of no carriage deal ahead of opening day The showdown between Comcast and regional sports networks continues to result in casualties to loyal fans. In Chicago, Comcast covers about 55% of Cubs’ market territory. Marquee Sports Network has been airing Cubs games since 2020. Thousands of Cubs fans could be left in the dark if no carriage deal is made within the next few weeks. To step back a little, the issue isn’t isolated to the Cubs. We’ve mentioned before the stalemate ongoing between Comcast and Chicago Sports Network, home of the Sox, Hawks, and Bulls games. The main issue is Comcast wants to add their channel to a premium or ultimate tier package. CHSN and Marquee Sports don’t want fans forced to pay more money to watch games. Meanwhile, Comcast maintains its stance and seems fine with strong-arming our regional networks until it gets what it wants. Al Capone would approve of the tactics. See details of what could happen if no deal is agreed upon by opening day.

DePaul delays athletic facility construction by a year, keeping student housing open The City of Chicago has put the brakes on DePaul University’s plans for a new athletic facility. The $60 million project failed to secure a spot on the city’s zoning approval list. DePaul still expects to begin construction next year. Based on the plans, Lincoln Park will lose four century-old homes and a student apartment building about the same age. DePaul is taking the delay as an opportunity to revise their zoning approvals and secure an additional $11 million in funding for the facility. Loyal fans may wonder where the extra funds are to revamp the struggling basketball program. In the NIL era, it only takes some wealthy alumni writing checks to secure a transformative player. Construction of the new athletic facility is set for June 2026. This allows students living in apartments set for demolition one last chance to enjoy the aroma of old wood and carpet before it’s gone for good. Block Club Chicago details where the athletic facility will go and reactions to the proposed construction.

Jersey Victor Wembanyama Gave to Child Sells for $73K The saying, ‘No good deed gets left unpunished’ rings true in this news. In soccer, players exchange jerseys all the time after games. It happens in the NBA too, just less often. San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama went viral in late December after swapping jerseys with a young fan, who was holding a sign requesting the jersey swap. The image of a 7’4 giant holding a child’s jersey and the child holding his massive jersey warmed the hearts of fans worldwide. This wholesome action by Wembanyama ended in vain. His jersey was put on auction weeks later, with bids starting at $10,000 until it eventually sold for $73,200. It even prompted a crying emoji from Wembanyama when he heard the news. It feels wrong since kids are usually given first preference from star athletes when swamped by eager fans. The get-rich-quick scheme by the parents may cause more hesitation from stars in the future. See how much Wembanyama’s rookie card sold for after his jersey, setting a record.

Sky Sports outbids Netflix for TV rights to pro darts In its new sport-centric push, it’s not often you hear about Netflix getting outbid on anything. The streaming platform brings in $39 billion in annual revenue. It has used that money to snatch up NFL and WWE broadcast rights among other sports. It’s more than a little shocking to hear Netflix wasn’t even close to matching a bid by Sky Sports for a sport I’d bet most people didn’t think was broadcast, let alone considered a sport. Sky Sports has been the home network of the PDC or Professional Darts Corporation for over 30 years. London-based Sky Sports doubled Netflix’s bid for darts, which it says is second only to soccer in popularity on its network. 3.71 million people watched the 2024 World Championship final. Champion Luke Littler pocketed £500,000 in GBP ($629,700) in prize money. Sky Sports wasn’t about to let Netflix step in and reap the benefits after all the groundwork it laid. Darts has been spiking in popularity in recent years and plans to expand coverage of future events are already underway. TalkSport describes how much Sky Sports paid for the TV rights deal and how much future winners could earn.

‘Everyone Watches Women’s Sports’ Apparel Hits $6M in Revenue When a slogan can transform from wishful thinking into tangible reality, that’s powerful. Togethxr is the lifestyle brand behind “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” apparel, which has popped up everywhere from Hollywood to the White House. It has doubled its revenue in just 6 months, reaching $6 million. The brand was founded by top star athletes in their sports: Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, Alex Morgan, and Sue Bird. In addition to its clothing line’s success, its newsletter has an incredible 39%-42% open rate and social media platforms have over 3.5 million followers. The gains echo similar trends across the exploding women’s sports sector, with investors and businesses flocking to take advantage of the momentum. Read more on which celebrities are rocking EWWS and how many units were sold during last year’s March Madness.

The new NFL salary cap is here, and it’s MASSIVE The NFL's owners have the deepest pockets in U.S. sports, allowing them to construct rosters worth hundreds of millions. A larger-than-expected increase in the salary cap for 2025 will be a win-win for players and teams. The NFL salary cap increased by $20 million, a 7% increase. It’s much higher than the expected $5-$9 million estimates before the announcement. And 2026 expects to yield yet another salary cap increase. The NFL is set to continue its dominance thanks to new broadcast rights partners, strong viewership numbers, and record ad revenue. Under the new salary cap, a team like the Bears now have $78.9 million in cap space, fourth-most in the NFL. This opens the door for big name free agent signings to add more leadership to a young team. Teams like the Bucs, Texans, and Chiefs, who faced a penalty for overspending, are now under the new salary cap. If only bank accounts and job salaries increased as frequently and as much as the NFL’s salary cap…See what the actual numbers are for 2025’s NFL salary cap.