On a typical sunny morning in late April, the UCLA Bruins began their last week of spring practice. Almost every other football program in the country had already wrapped up spring ball. But the Bruins, a team trying to replace 42 seniors after a 5-7 season, were still at it. Quarterbacks who had never thrown
FIFA president Gianni Infantino declared Al Hilal’s victory against Manchester City in the Club World Cup’s last 16 to be the dawn of a new era. Simone Inzaghi’s side may have been knocked out in the next round by Fluminense of Brazil but beating the club who had won six of the previous eight Premier
Wayne Kretz always knew what to expect. For nearly a decade, Niagara Sports Trips took buses full of Canadian fans over the U.S. border for Buffalo Bills and Sabres games. The excursions became so popular that Kretz could sell out as many as four 56-passenger motor coaches, thanks in large part to patrons of his
Brentford are in advanced talks with UK-based South African businessman Gary Lubner and English filmmaker Matthew Vaughn about a minority investment in the Premier League club. Lubner is the former chief executive of Belron, the parent company of windscreen repair firm Autoglass, and founder of children’s charity This Day. The 66-year-old came to London to
Ares Management has taken a minority stake in the France SailGP team, becoming the latest Wall Street player to invest in an up-and-coming global sports league. While financial terms were not disclosed, the deal places Ares alongside a diverse ownership group that includes Kylian Mbappé’s Coalition Capital and is led by French Olympian Quentin Delapierre.
Leading British tennis players, including the men’s world No. 5 Jack Draper and women’s world No. 38 Katie Boulter, have written to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking for greater investment in the country’s tennis and sporting facilities. In a letter signed by Draper, Boulter, Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, and Lucy Shuker (the country’s top-ranked players in
When you cover the sports business beat, you hear a lot of jargon — discounted cash flows, enterprise values, revenue multiple — usually from people trying to convince you that the amount they paid for a team is the result of a mathematical equation. An alternative translation: stop asking stupid questions, the number is the
The Athletic has appointed Chris Weatherspoon as its first dedicated football finance writer. Chris is a chartered accountant who will be using his professional acumen as The BookKeeper to explore the money behind the game. He is starting with a series this week analysing the financial health of some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — With a matter-of-fact tone, Juan Soto sounded confident. In his decision to pick the New York Mets. In his ability to perform at an elite level, starting with Thursday’s season opener. In anything, really. Especially his contract. The pressure doesn’t cloud his view of it. He sees the realization of