rEvolution Named AOR for Wheels Up | Venture Funding Slowing in Chicago

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

Venture funding tide recedes in Chicago amid AI swell Tariff concerns have affected most industries, as we’ve seen with the stock market swings. Venture-capital funding is no different. The number of deals and money invested has gone backward to pre-pandemic levels as investors react in fear. Chicago saw a dip of 25% in invested money from a year ago, but one Chicago-based company is a positive outlier. Raise, which is a gift card exchange and loyalty-program tech business, got a $63 million funding boost in February. Other than that, it’s looked bleak as pessimism spreads among VC firms. Everyone is still on the edge of their seats to see if and when the widespread tariffs hit, and what the true impact will be. AI might be the safest bet after seeing OpenAI raise billions on the last day of Q1, but higher costs and supply chain disruptions would hit them as well. Crain’s gives you just how much money was invested in venture-capital funding in Q1 and how much OpenAI got.

Chicago Sky and Magellan Form Strategic Partnership to Support Chicago Youth The Sky’s charitable arm is putting in work off the court by helping kids around the city. Partnering with Magellan Corporation, the two will support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC) as their primary charitable partner. Magellan is based in Deerfield and specializes in the steel supply chain. They have an annual tradition of picking a key charity to support that impacts kids through sports and character building. The Sky will provide the BGCC with a lot of visibility in the form of in-arena branding and digital campaigns. It’s a solid local collaboration that not only gives both sides a PR boost but also provides timeless experiences for the kids selected. Anyone who’s ever dealt with teenagers for more than 5 minutes knows the value an organization like the BGCC provides to the community. See what kids will get to experience with the Magellan’s Corporation Player of the Day here.

rEvolution named Agency of Record for Wheels Up If you or someone you know was lucky enough to witness Rory McIlroy’s nailbiter win live in Augusta, you may have passed by the Wheels Down Clubhouse. Wheels Up is a world leader in private aviation and the exclusive Clubhouse provider at the Masters since 2014. Local marketing agency rEvolution was most likely responsible for delivering a premium experience for guests there. rEvolution has dominated the creative marketing space for years, winning multiple awards for excellence in experiential marketing. When two businesses at the top of their games work together, good things usually happen. The Masters was the first major event that the two companies joined forces for, but it definitely won’t be the last. This press release details what else to expect from the partnership.

Wilson 2025 Autism Awareness Baseball Gloves Wilson’s good Samaritan initiative with Autism Speaks has grown significantly since it began working with them in 2019. It’s evolved from just one branded glove to several gloves and now softball, too. Autism Speaks supports inclusion for people on the autism spectrum. Wilson donates 10% of the proceeds from sales of the gloves to Autism Speaks to help them spread the word. Thousands have caught on over the years, including major leaguers Colin Holderman and Steven Kwan. Wilson announced “Love The Moment” gloves for this season to up the ante. It will include several ball gloves, two Fastpitch softball gloves, and feature three storytelling gloves that follow pro athletes committed to the autism community. The initiative has been well-received and received nominations for two Halo Awards, which recognize outstanding nonprofit partnerships. Read more about what Wilson is nominated for and which MLB players are on the gloves.

Paige Bueckers reportedly signs 3-year deal with Unrivaled with big annual salary When the side hustle pays more than the main job, you’re supposed to leave the main job, right? Unrivaled is Paige Bueckers’ side hustle that pays her better than the main job she hasn’t even started yet. We don’t know exact numbers, but it’s certain she’ll make more than her entire rookie contract in one season with Unrivaled. No surprises here if you know how low WNBA contracts are. Unrivaled is the experimental women’s league that’s giving women hoopers a bigger platform and better-paying opportunities. Only time will tell if the league will sustain, but this announcement is a bigger move for the organization than it is for Bueckers. She’s benefiting from NIL, where she has endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, and most recently, Ally Financial. These will carry over to her WNBA career. She’ll be fine financially. Unrivaled scores a win in getting a star in the making. It’s another name to lure fans into arenas or watch at home when it returns next January. Yahoo Sports covers how much she makes on her WNBA rookie contract vs Unrivaled.

Luka Dončić Jerseys Jump From 8th to 1st After Lakers Trade Ever since he was traded in secret by the Mavericks, Luka Dončić became the poster child for the ruthless, dark side of the business in the NBA. Fans in Dallas, LA, and everywhere else took sympathy for one of the worst-handled trades in NBA history (and maybe sports history; only time will tell). He jumped players like Steph Curry and Lebron James on his way to top jersey sales in just one half of the season. Dallas’ front office should be kicking themselves for years to come for this trade. Unless they can find another unicorn, generational talent in the next few years, I don’t see how you escape the bad PR. Dallas was already considered a small market compared to the Lakers, who topped the league in merch sales this year thanks to Luka. They just helped the rich get richer. Here are more details on Luka’s viewership ratings since he became a Laker and where he finished in jersey sales last year.

Cowboys Deny Charlotte Jones Backing NFL Flag Football Bid Whether it’s true or not that the daughter of Jerry Jones wants in on an NFL-supported flag football league, the buzz will likely attract investors by itself. Front Office Sports originally ran the story, saying a source confirmed her involvement in a bid. It was later edited to include a denial by the Cowboys. The American Flag Football League (AFFL) is gaining interest as a professional flag football league backed by the NFL but not operated by it. The league wants to launch next year and get plenty of practice before the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA, which will feature flag football for the first time. Investors are lining up to get in early, including some famous ones. Details on the structure of the league are still vague. If Jerry Jones wants in on any part of the flag league, there’s no doubt he’s going to want to be the loudest voice in the room.

Federal bill introduced to replace NCAA, limitless transfers, shake up conferences, cap coach salaries The House of Representatives wants to blow up the NCAA and start over, with little resemblance to its former self. Introduced as a bill by Rep. Michael Baumgartner, it proposes a new organization to take over the governance of college sports. The American College Sports Association (ASCA) would form as an ambitious attempt to rein in the lawless nature of NIL so far. Some of the proposals in the bill are more radical than others — like abolishing the NCAA for starters and capping head coach pay to 10x students’ tuition at a school — while others are sensible — like conference realignment by time zone and equal distribution of NIL funds to all athletes. Personally, two things make the bill DOA. One, no chance the NCAA will lie down and just let a bill pass that will wipe it out of existence. With all its power built up over decades, expect some heavy lobbying. And two, I highly doubt many head coaches who may be making $5 million or more now will be excited to accept a massive pay cut. We’re closer than ever to seeing NIL fully regulated, as this bill was introduced on the same day as the House vs. NCAA case. But it’s hard to see a bill like this getting an easy pass when it will impact so many salaries and egos. On3 reports the full details of what would change under this “Restore College Sports” bill.