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

Chicago

Not lovin' it: McDonald's ends NASCAR's Chicago race sponsorship early When McDonald’s signed up to sponsor NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race, the agreement was for three years. NASCAR had signed a three-year deal with the city to host their first venture into a street race. But for unspecified reasons, McDonald’s is ending its sponsorship a year early. It’s a disappointing announcement from a corporation of its size with local roots. But then again, it isn’t the only time they have disappointed people. It’s similar to the disappointment felt if you’ve ever tried to get a milkshake from a McDonald’s at night. How is the milkshake machine only broken at night?? So far, McDonald’s hasn’t answered this question or why it’s pulling out of the sponsorship early, especially when it included perks like special promotional rights around the circuit of the race and digitally through NBC and NASCAR’s digital platforms. Read more on how much McDonald’s paid NASCAR annually as a funding partner and which corporations are still sponsoring this year’s race.

Chicago's pro pickleball team is attracting famous investors, exponential growth of the sport locally It’s amazing what boredom and a pile of cash can lead to. Ron Saslow, owner of Chicago’s pro pickleball team Chicago Slice, got into pickleball during COVID when he was stuck at home like everyone else. Once he became a fan, he looked to capitalize on its popularity and growth potential. Saslow is the founder and managing partner of Thirty-5 Capital, a private equity firm in the Fulton Market District. What started as pure recreation grew into the Chicago Slice. The team has 28 owners, including Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and supermodel Heidi Klum. Even though the team doesn’t have a home court (yet), they hosted a game in September at Wrigley Field’s Gallagher Way before a Cubs game. Saslow got caught in a pickleball wave that’s swept across Chicago. Demonstrating this, the Park District vows to have 50 pickleball courts built by the end of this year. Block Club Chicago details other expansion plans for pickleball in the city and how the Chicago Slice is doing so far.

Digital4Startups Inc. is a new Associate Partner of the Chicago Fire The Fire has been short on love lately, locally and nationally. They’re often overshadowed by the more historic franchises in the city, although their years-long stretch of woes is similar to our other franchises that seem to specialize in disappointment. Digital4Startups Inc. looks to shine a positive light on the Fire with a new partnership. The local digital marketing consulting firm announced it is now an associate partner of the Fire. As an associate partner, local small businesses earn more visibility through social media and digital branding with their association with the Fire. The partnership is a natural fit since Digital4Startups Inc. helps other companies with their digital marketing efforts. Learn more from this press release on how long Digital4Startups Inc. has been in business and how many companies they have worked with.

Near West Side a step closer to a remodel after new 1901 Project details reveal The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, co-owners of United Center, are peeling yet another layer back of their grand plans for the Near West Side. The 1901 Project has an estimated price tag of $7 billion to transform 14 million sqft surrounding the home of the Bulls and Hawks. The reveal includes a timeline for the first time and expects the first phase to be complete by 2028 if approved. It’s far from a done deal since concerns about property tax hikes and the lack of a community benefits agreement are fueling opposition to it. But hey, at least the Bulls and Hawks know how to do something right: hire great architects. To see the elegant renderings of the 1901 Project, check out Crain’s summary.

National

Carson Beck Has Scored Nearly $10M in NIL Deals in 12 Months: Agent The NIL era continues to operate largely unregulated and seems to produce new firsts weekly. Carson Beck, a former two-year starting quarterback at Georgia, is transferring to Miami and not entering the NFL draft. It was widely assumed all season he would enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the top quarterbacks picked. Instead, he’s transferring (and not for a small fee) to play out his last year of eligibility. He’s far from the first case of this sort, where a big-name player who’s on the NFL draft board forgoes an immediate chance to play in the NFL to stay in school. But he’s one of the top draft prospects to do so since NIL took over college. It’s the new norm now. And can you blame him? He’s already made close to $10 million in NIL money (according to his agent), drives a Lamborghini around campus, and dates a social media celebrity who also makes millions. Would you want to hurry up and get to the real world either? Front Office Sports breaks down the sources of his wealth and how the value of college quarterbacks has shifted in the NIL era.

LA wildfires wreak havoc on the city and its 2028 Olympics hopes The rough estimates to rebuild LA after the wildfires exceed $135 billion. Debates on whether the city can and should still host the 2028 Olympics are now as rampant as the destruction of the fires. The Palisades fire is only 18 miles away from planned host venues like SoFI Stadium. Governor Gavin Newsom says LA will pull it together in time. Surprisingly, he has the balls to say anything considering the historically damaging fires haven’t even been contained yet. Experts feel it would be too tall a task to pull off and would be a financial nightmare. Opponents of the Olympics say it would’ve cost too much to host anyway, resulting in too little actual economic benefit, not the perceived benefit that’s marketed. Read more on the debate of whether LA can still manage to host the 2028 Olympics.

$7 million for 30 seconds: Fox scoring big on Super Bowl ads, now has a waitlist Demand for ad time during the Super Bowl has never been higher. Fox has a waitlist of between 10-15 interested brands eager to shell out $7 million for a 30-second spot. Some are even wanting to pay more for a longer spot of 60 or 90 seconds. Fox sold out of ad time back in November, at the midpoint of the current NFL season. As expectations rise from consumers on the entertainment value of Super Bowl commercials, so does the demand and price. Another reason for the high demand: buyers think America’s craving some soothing, fun content after a rough start to the year (the New Orleans attack and the LA wildfires). Take a look at a few of the companies that will be featured and just how eager buyers are for ad time.

Want an Amazon bestseller? Hire an NFL player AJ Brown adds a book to the endless list of products you can get people to buy if they see an athlete using them. The Eagles wide receiver was spotted on the sideline reading Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life during the Eagles’ playoff win against the Packers. Before Brown was caught on camera with the book, author Jim Murphy had only sold a few thousand copies of it. Now, it’s an Amazon bestseller, jumping over 500,000 spots. The always obnoxious Eagles fans were quick to leave supporting reviews (whether or not they’ve actually read it), claiming it’s a sign they’ll win the Super Bowl. At least it seems to have an uplifting message for if and when a Super Bowl win doesn’t happen this season. The boost caught Murphy by surprise and he found out through a flood of messages coming into his phone. The New York Post details some of the best fan reviews from their new favorite self-help book.