The Future of NIL | CHSN Brings Live Mobile Gaming

Upcoming Local Events 😀 

June 26th: Navigating the Future of NIL in College Sports

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion exploring the evolving landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in college sports. This event brings together athletes, industry experts, and brand leaders to examine how NIL is reshaping opportunities for student-athletes, redefining the athlete-brand relationship, and creating new challenges and responsibilities for schools and sponsors alike. Whether you're a student-athlete, coach, entrepreneur, or sports fan, this conversation will offer valuable insight into the future of college athletics and the business of influence.

Panel Members:

Brad Bauer - Northwestern University's GM of NIL.
As on-campus General Manager of NIL, Brad leads overall strategy, education, and development of NIL opportunities for more than 500 Wildcats student-athletes

Peter Hassen- NILENT - NIL Enterprise Solutions - CEO
Pete is a distinguished senior executive in sports marketing, branding, corporate sponsorships, and fan development, with a dynamic career spanning over two decades. Prior to starting NILENT, Hassen steered the marketing vision that helped transform the brand and image of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

Noah Henderson - Director of Sport Management at Loyola Chicago and NIL Journalist
Noah is the Director of Sport Management at Loyola University Chicago and a nationally recognized advocate for athlete rights and NIL reform. He was involved in amending the Illinois NIL law and helped shape early NIL collective models. He regularly presents at accredited legal and professional seminars, helping stakeholders navigate the ongoing transformation of college sports. His insights have been featured in ESPN, NPR, PBS, FOX, Sports Illustrated, and the Chicago Tribune

Schedule:
5:30pm: Check in and Networking
6:00pm-7pm- Panel Discussion
7pm-7:30pm - Q&A
7:30pm-8pm - Networking

Location: 20 N. Wacker Dr. 12th Floor

Food & Beverage will be provided.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the movement driving equity, education, and innovation in sports. RSVP Here

Chicago Sports Network & Aquimo Bring Mobile Gaming to Live Baseball in RSN First CHSN is having a great start to its summer. First, it reunited fans who had lost coverage of their favorite local teams through the deal signed at the beginning of the month with Xfinity. Now, it’s setting new benchmarks for RSNs (regional sports networks). Acquimo, Inc. has been specializing in transforming passive fan viewing into interactive experiences since 2013. It boasts of being the leader of marketing gamefication with over 233 million impressions across 185+ events and teams. Fans can activate the experience through a QR code displayed on-screen during broadcasts. CHSN begins its new era with innovation on its mind and new tricks up its sleeve to reignite a beleaguered fanbase. To learn about the technology's premiere and its functionality, refer to this press release from Sports Video Group.

Chicago Bears exploring sale of minority stake in franchise | Report The Bears have been resistant to change in a number of areas over the years. Their current stadium drama is a result of being behind the 8-ball. While several other NFL teams pushed to build new stadiums to attract more corporate sponsorships and premium seating options, which increases revenue, the Bears resisted for years. They also waited to abruptly fire head coach Matt Eberfluss for their first-ever midseason ousting, despite many in the organization expressing concerns long before the season started. The Bears aren’t last out of the gate in exploring the sale of a minority stake in the franchise, but considering their long desperation to get out of Soldier Field, you would think they would’ve jumped when the NFL approved private equity investments for the first time. Any infusion of funds from the sale of minority stakes will most likely be used to bolster their stadium construction financing plans, which have been hanging on by a thread for a while. Bears fans will hope the franchise can get out of neutral in both its stadium plans and its performance after two playoff appearances in 15 years. Here’s more insight into who will handle the transaction and who owns another minority stake in the team.

Chicago's 2024 marathon generated a record $683 million To anyone who hates running, it can be a bit shocking to learn how many people itch to put their bodies in unbelievable pain. There were over 600 marathons held in the U.S. last year, and somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 people ran in them. Chicago’s 2024 marathon is one of the most popular in the world thanks to the flat course that can inspire fast times. Out of the 52,150 participants in the race last year, 37% came from outside the U.S. In addition to the record revenue generated by the race, 4,589 full-time jobs were created as a result of the marathon. The numbers detailed in a report by Bank of America, the sponsor of the Chicago Marathon, paint an optimistic picture for the city, which is still struggling to rebound after COVID’s disastrous impact on tourism. Crain’s details the critical numbers behind the report.

Chicago Fire, Related Midwest reveal details of South Loop stadium plan The Fire continues to flex on the other Chicago teams looking for new stadiums by revealing more insight into what their confirmed stadium plans will be. After Fire owner Joe Mansueto announced the club’s purchase of 10 acres of the 78 at the beginning of the month, renderings of a completed stadium and additional plans for the surrounding area have been unveiled. The $650 million stadium would anchor an $8 billion mixed-use campus including residential units and publicly accessible open space. Pending approval from City Council, the Fire hopes to break ground by early 2026 and have the club playing by the opener of the 2028 season. One significant note from the renderings provided by developer Related Midwest is the omission of space for hopeful neighbors, the Sox. It’s well known that the Sox have been planning a new stadium for a while and would prefer to be at the 78. All the Fire know is that they are closer than ever to getting what they want, and can’t wait for the Sox to get their stuff together to be able to move forward. See what the new stadium that hopes to transform the South Loop looks like here.

Take-Two Interactive, NBA Ink Expansive Deal On Entertainment, Gaming, Live Events and More The official video game of the NBA will take on a new approach through a new deal signed by the NBA and Take-Two, the company behind NBA2K. Since its debut 20 years ago, over 150 million copies of the popular NBA 2K franchise have been sold. The expansive deal aims to attract a much wider audience by blending culture and playful storytelling under the new company, NBA Take-Two Media. The company will produce original content, in both long and short form, while leaving the door open to collaborate with content creators. Additionally, the deal will reboot the NBA 2K League (professional esports league) in a reimagined format, following its pause last year. After lukewarm viewership ratings for this year’s NBA Finals, the NBA hopes to reignite its fan base through reupping one of its most successful partnerships. Hollywood Reporter discusses what else to expect from the new media company and the expansive deal.

DAZN’s Club World Cup Rights Cost $1B. Its Streams Are Free. DAZN’s shareholders will call for heads to roll if this strategy doesn’t work out. It’s unique in this age of streaming to offer a premium product like FIFA’s first-ever Club World Cup outside of a subscription-based or paywall format. Held in the U.S., where soccer isn’t nearly as popular as it is worldwide, DAZN is hoping to substantially grow its North American audience, as well as audiences in Latin America and Japan. Part of its plans to offset the billion it paid to acquire the rights include new sponsorship deals and two-box advertising that shows commercials during stoppages in play. The two-box strategy is a first in FIFA competitions, giving DAZN the chance to insert ads where it wasn’t previously possible. DAZN’s calculated risk comes at a critical time for the U.S. in terms of soccer, as the FIFA Club World Cup can serve as a litmus test for next year’s FIFA World Cup. Check out more details on how DAZN plans to capitalize on its FIFA Club World Cup rights.

NFL Adds $94M in Genius Stock, Becomes Largest Shareholder The NFL is leaning into sports data company Genius Sports through its recent investment. It’s a result of granting the company exclusive rights to present play-by-play and gambling data to sportsbooks. As part of the arrangement, Genius Sports will now be able to sell ad inventory on NFL BetVision. The investment is just another power move by a league intent on staying at the forefront of any trends. Sports betting isn’t new, but its impact will only grow from $17.9 billion last year to a projected $33.2 billion by 2030. And if your Genius Sports, whose shares went up 5% upon the announcement, it’s one of the safest bets it can make, aligning itself with the most powerful sports league in the country. Yahoo Sports shares exactly how many shares the NFL now owns in Genius Sports.

FIFA spent more than $50 million on Club World Cup marketing to boost ticket sales Similar to DAZN in the earlier post about its gamble on the Club World Cup rights, FIFA gambled in its strategy for the new competition, but in a different way. First, the tournament is taking place in a mixture of MLS and NFL stadiums, which can produce a mixed bag of results in ticket sales. FIFA’s leadership team was split between using primarily MLS stadiums since they are smaller and can be sold out more easily. This would create the ideal atmosphere and look good to fans watching at home. European clubs also threatened to walk away from the competition based on concerns of yet another tournament for their players, who play nearly year-round already, and a lack of clarity on prize money. Clubs like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are heavily favored to lift the trophy over clubs from other parts of the world, so without their participation, FIFA’s gamble would surely have fallen flat. So far, FIFA’s marketing spend is just as much of a hodgepodge of results as is its explanations of the whole purpose of the competition. The Athletic describes just how much FIFA put into boosting ticket sales and whether the efforts seem to be working.