Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ Today:
- Sabres eye ‘top half’ NHL revenue rank following playoff return
- Minnesota favored to win 2028 draft, insiders say
- Apollo Sports Capital leads $225M investment into pickleball roll-up
- Plus: Tampa Sports Authority netted $875K from NHL Stadium Series game; Aston Villa, Sports Illustrated Tickets ink 12-year sponsorship deal; Marshall announces jersey patch deal; and more.
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THE BIG STORY
Opens in new windowSabres eye ‘top half’ NHL revenue rank following playoff return
After 14 years of futility, it took just four months of winning hockey for the Buffalo Sabres to re-engage their long-suffering fan base and jump-start their business, SBJ’s Alex Silverman writes.
When the Sabres fired general manager Kevyn Adams in December, the team was tied for last place in the Eastern Conference, and the longest playoff drought in North American sports seemed poised to continue. The organization hadn’t averaged 16,000 fans per game at KeyBank Center since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it consistently ranked among the NHL’s lowest-revenue franchises.
Now, with the Sabres back in the playoffs for the first time since 2011, that outlook has shifted.
5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING
1. Minnesota favored to win 2028 draft, insiders say: Numerous sources familiar with the NFL’s thinking consider Minneapolis-St. Paul a clear favorite to win hosting rights to the 2028 NFL Draft.
2. Apollo Sports Capital leads $225M investment into pickleball roll-up: Apollo Sports Capital, Apollo Global Management’s sports-focused fund, is leading a $225M investment into Pickleball Inc.
3. Tampa Sports Authority netted $875K from NHL Stadium Series game: Tampa Sports Authority’s gross profit from hosting an NHL Stadium Series game between the Lightning and Bruins at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 1 was an estimated $875,000.
4. Aston Villa, Sports Illustrated Tickets ink 12-year sponsorship deal: Premier League club Aston Villa reached a sponsorship deal with Sports Illustrated Tickets. The 12-year agreement makes the company the club’s “official fan experience partner” starting with the 2026-27 season.
5. Marshall announces jersey patch deal: Marshall became the first school in the Sun Belt Conference to agree to add a corporate jersey patch. The school unveiled a five-year deal with Marshall Health Network.
ON THE MOVE
- Attorney Alex Nguyen, recently certified as an NFLPA agent in October, has joined Clermont, Fla.-based NIL and NFL agency McRae Sports Group as an agent and director of legal affairs. In addition to his new role, he continues to run Chavez & Nguyen, P.C., the Dallas firm he co-founded in 2015 with partner Antonio Chavez. He’ll be based out of Dallas and report to McRae Sports Group founder and CEO Bobby McRae (Irving Mejia-Hilario, SBJ).
- Longtime MLB exec Jim Small wrote in an email that Friday is his “last day at MLB,” noting next up for him is to start a “small sports advisory business focused on mostly on Japan” (SBJ).
- ESPN EVP & Executive Editor/Sports News and Entertainment David Roberts will retire from his position at the end of August. Roberts joined ESPN in 2004 as a coordinating producer (ESPN).
NAMES IN THE NEWS
- Point72 Asset Management founder and Mets owner Steve Cohen is “creating an executive committee to help him lead the firm’s strategy and direction,” becoming the latest hedge fund billionaire to broaden leadership ranks. While retaining the roles of chair and CEO, Cohen will cede the president title to his co-CIO Harry Schwefel (Bloomberg News).
- The International Women’s Sports Film Festival is coming to downtown Portland from Friday to Sunday and will feature “movies, panel discussions and a social media star.” Friday night, which will feature Billie Jean King’s former doubles partner Rosie Casals and TikTok star Coach Jackie, is “already sold out,” but tickets are still available for other events starting at around $30. Full-day and half-day passes are also available (Portland Oregonian).
- The Braves celebrated retired VP/Field Operations Ed Mangan during a pregame ceremony Thursday at Truist Park. Mangan has worked with the franchise for over 35 years.
HOT READS
CNBC.com went with the header, “Pricey NFL, NBA ownership stakes are pushing investors to smaller leagues and driving valuations higher.” Last week, the NWSL awarded a Columbus franchise to an ownership group led by Haslam Sports Group for a fee of $205M. According to investors and bankers, one of the things “affecting the NWSL’s valuations” has “absolutely nothing to do with soccer.” It “has to do with a trickle-down investment thesis driven by the outsized businesses of the NFL and NBA.”
Also:
- Inside the mind of John Henry, Liverpool’s ‘semi-detached’ owner.