Closing Bell

KPMG is making its entry into tennis with a sponsorship of American star Jessica Pegula. KPMG US National Sports Industry Leader Shawn Quill said the agreement is for multiple years but declined to comment on financials.

Though best known as a sports sponsor for its deals across PGA of America, LPGA and TGL events as well as PGA Tour and LPGA players, KPMG is breaking into tennis because of the sport’s appeal to C-Suite decision-makers, participatory nature and vibrant women’s landscape, which gels with the firm’s focus on women’s sports, according to Quill.

KPMG chose Pegula, who enters the 2025 Australian Open ranked sixth in the world, as an entry point for several reasons as well.

“We feel like she’s the perfect fit for our brand,” Quill said. “Jess is not just a tennis player, I’d argue. She’s got a brilliant mind. She started her own cosmetics line [Ready 24]. She’s got a charity [A Lending Paw] that she’s initiated and drives. She’s a renaissance woman -- and, of course, a top 10 tennis player in the world.”

Read More >>>

Comcast Spectacor and the 76ers are "planning to create an event complex" in South Philadelphia along with the new, planned arenathat is the "city's version of 'The Battery Atlanta,' a sprawling complex that includes retail and restaurants." Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said that his company and the 76ers ownership would "team up to construct a 'world-class' arena" in South Philadelphia that they would "use as a 'launch pad' to expand offerings in the stadium district." During Monday's press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker also said that the city "will need to renegotiate a deal"with the 76ers and Comcast Spectacor, with the city needing to "develop new terms with the developers, including a community-benefits agreement and plan for the development team to pay PILOTs, or payments in lieu of taxes" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/13).

The Reds "will be back on the same TV broadcast platform for 2025" after reaching an agreement with FanDuel Sports Network. After originally failing to reach an agreement with the network formerly known as Bally Sports, the team had "joined MLB Network's platform" in November. After further negotiations, the sides reached an agreement for 2025 that includes "both linear and digital streaming rights and replaces the Reds-MLB arrangement." The streaming rights had "not been included in the previous Bally contract." Reds officials said that the new agreement represents a "'slight' increase in revenue over what was anticipated going with the MLB broadcast plan and presumably over FanDuel's last offer in November" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 1/13).

The Daytona 500 has sold out its ticket allotment for the 2025 race, marking the 10th straight year the event has sold out. The "stadium" grandstands running from the exit of Turn 4 to the entrance of Turn 1 hold 100,500 seats, with many corporate suites between the lower and upper tiers of grandstand seating. The infield holds an "unknown number of people," with estimates ranging from 10,000-20,000. All of it -- "every grandstand seat and every RV/camping spot down below -- has been snapped up for 2025." This year’s week of NASCAR activity runs from qualifying on Feb. 12 through the 67th edition of the Great American Race on Feb. 16 (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 1/13).

Mike McCarthy’s tenure as Cowboys coach has "come to an end" after five seasons, as the two sides have "reached the decision to move on," according to a source. The team's 7-10 season came down to a "referendum on the job done by McCarthy and his staff and the approach Jerry Jones and his son, Stephen, took in building this team." The Cowboys compiled a 49-35 record in McCarthy’s five seasons, but he was "unable to lead the team past the divisional round" of the playoffs (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/13).

McCarthy's contract with the Cowboys expired last Wednesday but the team "held an exclusive negotiating window" with him until Tuesday at midnight. However, sources said that the sides have "not had any negotiations regarding a new deal" (ESPN.com, 1/13). It is "unknown if Dallas will conduct an expansive search or interview only a few candidates" to find their 10th head coach in franchise history. Jones is "likely to hire not only someone with NFL experience, but also NFL head-coaching experience" (THE ATHLETIC, 1/13).

Premier League club Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has "reduced the club’s debt" by converting a further $87.5M of loans "into share capital." The move comes 11 days after Marinakis had written off another $100M of Forest loans. It is a practice that the Forest owner "has habitually followed" in recent years, but the two latest tranches of cash are the "biggest sums of money he has written off as loans so far." The move "should help Forest ... remain untroubled by debt." The club was hit with a four-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability regulations last season (THE ATHLETIC, 1/13).

January 13, 1999  -- Michael Jordan announces his second retirement. The announcement came prior to the start of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season. Jordan had already retired once before in 1993 to pursue a baseball career, but returned to the NBA in 1995 and led the Bulls to three more NBA championships. However, by 1999, Jordan felt that he had “lost the drive and desire” necessary to continue and also expressed a desire to spend more time with his family. Jordan stated that he was “99.9 percent” sure he would not come back to play again. He would return to the NBA in 2001 with the Wizards.

Also happening this week:

• January 14, 1973 -- The Dolphins complete the first and only undefeated season in NFL history.

• January 14, 1976 -- Ted Turner becomes Braves CEO.

• January 16, 1988 -- The NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals announce a move to Phoenix.

• January 17, 1995 -- The Rams announce that they are moving to St. Louis.

Penn Entertainment has entered into a long-term partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment that will see Penn, subject to regulatory approvals, secure online market access for ESPN Bet in D.C.. ESPN Bet also becomes a sports betting partner of Monumental and its teams, including the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics (Penn Entertainment).

Austin FC has extended its partnership with St. David’s HealthCare for the naming rights to the club's training facility for another 10 years. St. David’s HealthCare has been a founding partner of Austin FC since 2019 (Austin FC).

SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio channel will offer live broadcasts of TGL matches. SiriusXM’s Taylor Zarzour and John Maginnes will call shots live from SoFi Center and listeners will also hear audio from the golfers themselves, who will be mic’d up throughout the competition (SiriusXM).

Paradigm Sports has signed live-streamer/content creator Nickmercs for representation, and he joins a stable of clients that includes UFC fighter Conor McGregor, ESPN commentator Megan Anderson and others (SBJ).

Read More >>>

The England Rugby Football Union has "agreed to hold a special general meeting after the Six Nations" tournament where chief executive Bill Sweeney is expected to "face calls for his removal." The plans for a meeting came one day after the RFU rejected "a letter from a grassroots revolt calling for a vote of no confidence in Sweeney on the grounds of bureaucratic technicalities" (London INDEPENDENT, 1/10).

The Premier League will "issue disciplinary charges" this week against clubs it "deems to have breached its profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for the 2021-24 accounting period." The Premier league gave its "financial and legal departments 14 days to study the books of those clubs in danger of a PSR breach, and is expected to issue any charges on Monday and Tuesday" (THE GUARDIAN, 1/12).

Tennis Auckland revealed plans for a $15M renovation of ASB Tennis Centre that include putting a roof on a "redeveloped, larger stadium." The proposal is "not new," with discussions about building a covered structure existing "for most of this century," but this proposal is "well under way, with a portion of the $15 million price tag already committed" (New Zealand HERALD, 1/11).

MORE

• BBC presenter Ugo Monye facing financial ruin

• FA will consider scrapping extra time in FA Cup ties

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by AT&T (@att)

Bounty has unveiled its third Bounty Wingman campaign tied to the Super Bowl, with former NFLer Rob Gronkowski returning -- this time with former NFLers Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. For the first time in the campaign’s history, the ad will air on TV during the AFC Championship Game. 

$8M  -- The combined donation pledged by Angel City FC, the Angels, Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Ducks, Galaxy, Kings, LAFC, Lakers, Rams and Sparks to support victims of the L.A. area wildfires, with beneficiaries including the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, Team Rubicon and various local animal rescue organizations (SBJ).