Savannah Banana Inspired Team Starting in Chicago | WTA Lands Record Deal

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

🍌 New Savannah Bananas-inspired baseball team to launch in Chicago The Savannah Bananas played close to 50 games this year. According to Forbes’ estimate, it did over $100 million in revenue in 2025. As a hotbed of sports and entertainment talent, Chicago wants a piece of that action, but with our own unique twist. Coming next Spring, the Chicago Snowballs will make their debut at Kerry Wood Field on N Rockwell St. The team will be the first pro baseball sportstainment team to feature a co-ed roster, and everyone will earn a salary and profit share. 2025 showed that there’s a massive market for people who enjoy baseball but want to be entertained by more than just the play on the diamond. The Savannah Bananas are headed to Wrigley Field next Spring after selling out Rate Field for two nights during their stop in mid-August, which is more than the Sox could manage all season. If they can emulate even some of the ‘banana ball’ excitement that’s swept across the nation, the Snowballs could establish a nice niche for themselves here in the Midwest. NBC Chicago profiles some of the people involved with the team and what they are looking for in potential players.

⚾️ White Sox win MLB draft lottery and have top pick for first time since taking Harold Baines in 1977 Despite no major free agent signings during the winter meetings, South Siders have a reason to have some hope. The team’s last top pick in Baines ended up being a six-time All-Star and Hall of Famer. If the team gets a transformational star like the Pirates got in Paul Skenes, it could reignite the fanbase. More jersey sales, better home attendance, and, most importantly, getting more buzz than the Cubs would be huge potential benefits. Every South Sider would say it’s much needed and well deserved for the amount of patience the fanbase has shown. This year wasn’t kind to the Sox. Another dismal season was the headline, but there was also no movement on a possible new stadium. Winning the top pick in next year’s draft could be the bit of luck the franchise needs to speed up its rebuild. Fox Chicago details who the top prospects are in the upcoming draft.

🏎️ Jordan’s 23XI, Front Row Settle Antitrust Fight With NASCAR Jordan is one of the very few people with both the clout and cajones to take on a behemoth like NASCAR. A long court battle for Jordan’s 23XI and Front Row Motorsports finally ended in what could be chalked up as a win for Jordan. The antitrust case accused NASCAR of monopolistic practices. All of NASCAR’s 36 charters are forced to sign a charter agreement that guarantees entry into Cup Series races and a baseline share of race purses. But the charters are not permanent, unlike in other major pro sports. NASCAR controls who gets in, how long they stay, and any updated nuances to the agreement that may be added every few years. Jordan’s side opposes this aspect, as well as the extent of NASCAR's control over which racetracks and suppliers teams use. It took 16 months for a settlement to be reached, but at least the two sides didn’t end 2025 with unfinished business on the heels of another season. Front Office Sports estimates how much NASCAR could owe the two teams in combined damages.

🏟️ After making no progress on Arlington Heights, Bears widen stadium search to Indiana This one won’t end well for the Bears’ PR team. They’ve already pissed off the City of Chicago for looking to leave the city borders. Now, add the governor and Arlington Heights to those who have the Bears on their naughty list. Don’t blame Indiana on this one, though. They made it abundantly clear months ago (which we covered) that they want to lure more sports teams to the state. Whether you want to heap the blame on the General Assembly or the Bears doesn’t matter that much. No one in Illinois will be happy to cheer for the Indiana Bears if the team does leave. The Bears have been asking for a megaproject bill that would allow them to negotiate their property taxes with local taxing districts for a while. The General Assembly has cast aside the proposal as a non-priority for them. Stuck in limbo, Bears CEO Kevin Warren did what he’s becoming known for: he relayed another signature open letter before a big game (the first was the opening home game of the season against the Vikings; this time, before a matchup against the Packers with divisional and playoff implications). In turn, he’s managed to earn a lump of coal from multiple groups that he would’ve considered allies months ago. Plenty of hurt feelings are the only guarantees this holiday season, regardless of how this one ends up in the long run. Crain’s details the Bears’ stadium saga in light of the recent developments.

⛳️ Cadillac named sponsor of the Cadillac Championship, the PGA TOUR’s new Signature Event No new friends required here. Cadillac and PGA are rekindling an old partnership for 2026. Cadillac was a title sponsor for the PGA’s WGC-Cadillac Championship for six years during the 2010’s. After a nine-year hiatus, Cadillac will be the newest, old familiar brand on the championship schedule. Next year is shaping up to be a big one for the global car brand. Formula 1 will welcome Cadillac Racing as its 11th team for the start of the season in March. It becomes only the second added team to the circuit in ten years. Cadillac’s return will welcome another longstanding partner for the PGA: Trump National Doral. The venue is one of just nine that have hosted a PGA Tour event for half a century, but it last hosted in 2016. The Blue Monster’s narrow fairways are unforgiving to even the most minor miscalculations for golf’s best pros, which could make for an intriguing broadcast for viewers at home. PGA discusses the latest addition to its 2026 PGA Tour schedule.

🏃 Grand Slam Track Files for Bankruptcy, Lays Off More Staff Turbulent doesn’t begin to describe the situation Grand Slam Track finds itself in. We detailed the struggles the startup has had to stay afloat amid numerous creditors and dwindling funds. Michael Johnson, former Olympian and CEO of GST, has become the public battering ram for the company. Recent news covered by Front Office Sports reveals that GST possibly has 10x in liabilities as it has in its assets. GST’s strategy to stay alive has been to cater to its athletes first by paying them half of what they owed them. Some have responded positively, but its attempts to settle with vendors have failed spectacularly. To his credit, Johnson remains resilient in the face of rough times. He refuses to give up on GST's mission. But to say it’ll be an uphill battle from here is more than just an understatement. How will he be able to convince athletes, vendors, and potential venues (a scheduled meet in LA was cancelled due to financing issues) that the business is viable enough to invest further time and money in? That will be a fascinating question that may be answered over the first few months of the new year.

🏈 Big 12 nearing private capital deal that could raise up to $500 million for league members Move over, Big Ten. While the Big Ten has debated whether to proceed with a private equity deal for its members, the Big 12 is at the 11th hour on its own deal. In discussion is up to $500 million for its 16 conference members and a 15%-20% stake. The conference follows the lead of one of its most high-profile schools. Shortly before college football’s bowl season began, Utah became the first school in college athletics to sign a PE deal. Many schools have entered into discussions, but Utah’s estimated $500 million cash infusion, thanks to its partnership with a New York-based firm, is the first of its kind. It will be interesting to see whether college’s biggest conferences follow suit, given the potential drawbacks of a PE deal. The Big Ten and SEC have approached any deals with extreme caution. For the Big 12, which has undergone rapid reconfiguration over the past few years after losing some of its most prominent members, like Texas and Oklahoma, the deal could provide it with long-term security. Read more on who the PE deal is with and when to expect a final decision.

TNT Sports officially getting a CFP semifinal starting next year No longer the home of the NBA, TNT Sports has shifted into college football primetime. The addition of a CFP semifinal will significantly boost its profile and increase viewership substantially. Before the ESPN deal was announced, TNT was relegated to hosting less favorable first-round matchups that competed with NFL games for viewership. This year, it hosted Tulane-Ole Miss, a blowout in Ole Miss’ favor, and James Madison-Oregon, a closer game than expected but still overshadowed by the thrilling win the Bears had over the Packers that Saturday night. ESPN holds the rights to the CFP and has had the option to sublicense a semifinal game. The change would allow TNT to broadcast a New Year's Eve primetime game, a New Year’s Day game, and a standalone semifinal game. With the moves, TNT has positioned itself as a serious network for heavy-hitting CFP games, not just overlooked first-round games. SportsMediaWatch has the full scoop on TNT’s new CFP slate.

🎾 WTA lands record Mercedes-Benz deal worth up to $500M The Women’s Tennis Association was founded in 1973 with a key goal: equal prize money. It's now one huge step closer to this after the Mercedes-Benz deal, which is the biggest in women’s sport. The deal dwarfs what Nike and the National Women’s Soccer League have done in soccer by a few hundred million. Overall, women’s sports generated over a billion dollars for the first time last year and are projected to almost triple that by 2030. WTA announced its goal of equal prize money for men and women at combined events by 2027. At the forefront of WTA’s progress is tennis great Billie Jean King, who was the organization's first president. King famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match, which helped kickstart momentum for women’s sports. Tennis and women’s sports look vastly different from how they did back then. Women’s sports continue to promise significant upside for investors. As long as that is the case, equal pay and more respect will follow. BBC reports on the landmark deal WTA signed with Mercedes-Benz.