Major Rugby Match Coming to Chicago | Louis Vuitton Coming for Sports

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

Soldier Field to host major international rugby match in November One of the world’s most popular sports will send two of its best nations in the sport to Chicago. Ireland will take on New Zealand in rugby at Soldier Field, marking the second time the teams will meet here. It’s part of efforts to foster the growth of rugby in the U.S. which has been gaining fans in recent years. The men’s pro rugby league, Major League Rugby, reported a 13% growth in annual attendance and a 117% increase in sponsorship revenue. If you were wondering if Chicago already has a rugby team, the Chicago Hounds are the local MLR rugby team and play at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Chicago will be a testing ground for international rugby in the U.S. The U.S. will host the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Wondering how you can catch the game between Ireland and New Zealand while enjoying a Goose Island? Crain’s includes details on where to find tickets and other numbers behind rugby’s growth nationwide. 

Wilson Sporting Goods releases First Women's-Only Tennis Shoe: The Intrigue Wilson is making a splash in women’s footwear with its newest offering. The Chicago-based sports manufacturer announced the release of the Intrigue, their first high-performance tennis shoes made exclusively for women. It was developed in partnership with Wilson Tennis athlete Marta Kostyuk. The goal was to create a tennis shoe that balances the grit and grace that separates women from men’s tennis players. Wilson has been better known for its sports equipment like tennis racquets and balls, but they have been making footwear since the early 1900s. Kostyuk became its first athlete to wear the brand from head-to-toe instead of just using Wilson equipment. The release comes at the beginning of tennis season and is the result of a detailed analysis of women’s feet and preferences. Read more on what went into making the tennis shoes and the type of technology used.

Chicago-based KB Partners Leads NIL FanBox To Secure $2.25M In Seed Funding The market for delivering personalized college sports memorabilia just got bigger. NIL FanBox specializes in delivering autographed collectible items directly to fans, signed by popular college sports stars. KB Partners led the $2.25 million Seed Funding round. Based in Highland Park, KB Partners invests in early-stage startups that are involved in sports and technology. Its portfolio includes 33 companies and 117 investments to date. NIL FanBox was founded in 2021. It secured an early partnership with the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and now works with three other D-1 schools. It has found success in a niche of providing super fans exclusive content from their favorite current and legendary collegiate athletes while generating recurring revenue for those athletes. See how NIL FanBox started and more info on how their services work.

Priority Sports hires industry leader, eyes more women's sports Priority Sports and Entertainment is used to dominating the sports its clients represent. Why not one more? The sports agency announced its hire of Jenna McLaughlin, who will lead the Women’s Sports division and join the Coaches, Broadcasters, & Front Office division. Since it was established in the Reid Murdoch building downtown in 1986, the firm has become the largest independent sports agency in the world. Priority, like many other businesses, is looking to capitalize on the momentum and opportunity women’s sports present. The agency has recently signed four women’s college basketball players. Jenna McLaughlin brings several years of experience to the new Women’s Sports division, having worked in various areas of sports. She began her journey coaching the Army’s women’s college basketball team before serving in leadership roles in consulting. This press release from Priority talks about their vision for women’s sports and all of McLaughlin’s credentials.

Out of pole position: ESPN ends F1 media rights deal, opens door for Netflix and NBC ESPN will not be renewing its media rights deal with Formula One. They have been paying $90 million annually as the exclusive network provider since 2018. As a provider of NFL, NBA, and MLB games, which all average many more viewers than F1 does in the U.S., the sports behemoth decided it would focus on those other leagues. Meanwhile, F1 has been steadily increasing its popularity nationwide and is looking for a big payday in its next media rights deal. F1 execs were on the prowl during Super Bowl week, meeting with NBC and Netflix. Both companies are looking to increase their foothold in sports broadcasting. NBC and Netflix also have prior ties with F1, making it a more natural fit than with ESPN. Sports Business Journal reports on the potential new deal and how many races are in the U.S. this year.

Super Bowl LIX on FOX and Tubi Generates More Than $800 Million in Gross Advertising Revenue Fox made the equivalent of a giant pat on its own back with its post-Super Bowl revenue announcement. It was slick in slighting its network competitors, using phrases like “up by a decisive margin from prior Super Bowls” to hype itself up. Fox does have plenty of reason to be proud: Super Bowl LIX generated over $800 million in gross ad revenue, in addition to being the most-watched Super Bowl ever. Despite the blowout already well in motion, viewership peaked during the second quarter with up to 137.7 million viewers. Fox even made sure we knew how many people watched their five-hour pregame coverage, without distinguishing those actively watching from those with it on in the background while they actually pregamed. To see the full rundown of the numbers behind Fox’s successful Super Bowl broadcast, check out their press release.

LVMH’s New Push: World’s Most Powerful Luxury Group Is Coming for Sports Prepare to see Louis Vuitton’s famous imprint in places you wouldn’t normally expect to see them. LVMH, the parent company of LV and 74 other luxury brands, is plunging into sports investments like never before - and like no other luxury brand has done. Since last October, LVMH has signed a long-term sponsorship deal with F1 worth about $100 million a year and bought a majority stake in second-tier soccer club Paris FC. Sports sponsorship deals are nothing new from luxury brands so nothing to see there. But the move to buy a soccer club is unique among luxury brands. Both investments represent small chess moves in their larger sports strategy. When a powerhouse brand like LVMH group wants to dive into something new, with $89 billion in annual revenue, it can push aside anyone standing in its way. Maybe LVMH has been studying how Saudi Arabia has reshaped the sports landscape within a few years. Or maybe they gained some pride and ambition from the 2024 Paris Olympics happening in their backyard (they were the major sponsors at those Olympics, by the way). Either way, this in-depth look by Front Office Sports shows how LVMH is forging its path into bigger investments in sports.

Put 'Roids in Sports Again: Donald Trump Jr. backs alternative to the Olympic games with no ban on steroids Any Cubs fans on a nostalgic trip can recall the excitement of the city during Sammy Sosa’s majestic 1998 season. If the Enhanced Games become a thing, we would all get treated to sports again without any anti-doping measures. Donald Trump Jr. headlines backers of this alternative to the Olympics. He’s investing money into it through venture capital firm, 1789 Capital. Described as a “celebration of humanity at large, and a celebration of science”, Enhanced Games would hold events like track and swimming but offer contestants significant prize money for breaking world records. The IOC or International Olympic Committee is not impressed (no surprise there) and refused to comment on the idea. Others like Trump Jr. see an opportunity to disrupt the status quo of an established event like the Olympics that’s been around for almost 200 years. I wonder where he got the inspiration from…? Details on when the event could take place and potential prize money can be found here.