Good morning, ! It’s Thursday and we’re looking at the CR7multi-million business empire, in person sports attendance is becoming too expensive, Italy keeps exporting Calcio (soccer) to the US with a new deal at Paramount+/CBS, and minority stakes are dominating global sports rights deal volume.

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Not Just Cannoli & Cars: Italy Exports Serie A to the US

Serie A is keeping its North American ambitions alive with a new deal at Paramount+/CBS Sports. The package includes 380 league games, plus Coppa Italia and SuperCup action, streamed across platforms like Roku, Pluto TV, and Amazon FreeVee. Since 2021, CBS has been the home of Italian football in the US, ramping up its visibility with splashy sponsorships—think Inter Milan’s Champions League final run and Atalanta’s Europa League win. 

With almost half the league’s clubs now US-owned, it’s a media match made in marketing heaven. No numbers disclosed yet, but Serie A’s global ambitions are clear: get closer to the Premier League’s $6.5B global rights jackpot.

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Minority Stakes Dominate Sports Rights Deals in 2024

In 2024, minority stakes claimed the largest share of global sports rights deal volume, making up 48% of all transactions. Majority deals followed at 40%, while franchise awards, essentially expansion or league-backed rights grants, accounted for the remaining 12%.

Why it matters: The preference for minority deals reflects a measured approach to risk and liquidity. Investors are still eager to get exposure to the cash flows and brand power of sports properties, but they’re opting for flexibility over control. Minority stakes allow for strategic alignment without the full operational burden.

This pattern is also a clear signal of maturing deal-making in the sports ecosystem. Control premiums remain high, and with valuations stretching, many buyers are prioritizing access to growth over outright ownership. Expect this to continue, especially as private equity and institutional capital keep flooding into the sector.

Bottom line: For sports investors, it’s all about a foot in the door without footing the whole bill.

The Billion-Euro Bootprint of CR7

At €239M/year, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t just kicking goals—he’s kicking off board meetings. Still the highest-paid athlete on Earth at 40, his Al-Nassr contract alone brings in €200M+ per season. Off the field, CR7 SA and CR7 Lifestyle power a portfolio that includes underwear, footwear, fragrances, watches, and even hair transplant clinics (Insparya). He's also flexing in crypto (Binance), sports tech (Whoop), and owns a media empire (Medialivre). And on Instagram, he charges €3.3M per post—making him more expensive than a Super Bowl ad.

Private Equity Set To Tevolutionize College Athletics

College sports are moving fast from tradition to transaction. As costs soar—think coach salaries, facilities arms races, and athlete compensation—private equity smells opportunity. With media rights like ESPN’s $1.3B/year CFP deal, college programs are a juicy target. 

Direct ownership’s tricky (thanks to nonprofit structures), but creative plays like private credit deals or entities like Clemson Ventures are opening doors. PE promises more than cash—it brings operational muscle to juice fan engagement and monetization. But with looming risks around Title IX, House v. NCAA, and athlete pay, this is no layup. For now, elite programs are leading the charge, and the rest? They’ll follow or get left on the sidelines.

Stadiums Are No Longer Just for Game Day

If you thought sports infrastructure was just about bigger scoreboards and better seats, think again. 2025 is shaping up to be the year stadiums become economic engines. Deloitte predicts that over 300 stadium projects worldwide will break ground or undergo major renovations, with nearly half concentrated in North America and Europe.

What's driving the boom? It’s a cocktail of private capital chasing diversified returns, governments eyeing urban regeneration, and fans demanding next-gen experiences. Projects like Birmingham City’s £2–3B Sports Quarter and the Tampa Bay Rays' new stadium are doubling down on mixed-use developments, community engagement, and job creation. In Kansas City, the new $117M CPKC Stadium, the first purpose-built venue for a women’s pro team, is already sparking a $650M mixed-use ripple effect.

From the Intuit Dome’s high-tech halo board to Real Madrid’s €1B revenue renaissance, stadiums are morphing into year-round entertainment districts. Expect smart tech, sustainability mandates, and premium hospitality to anchor future builds, as clubs and cities alike look to score big on social and financial returns.

Bottom line: Stadiums are no longer just sports venues, they're urban power plays.

Sticker Shock at the Stadium

Turns out, fans love live sports—but not the price tag. According to Ipsos, a hefty 81% of people (48% strongly, 33% somewhat) agree it’s simply too expensive for the average person to attend an in-person sports event. The data spells trouble for teams banking on packed arenas, as affordability becomes a major friction point in driving attendance.

With only 7% actively disagreeing, the consensus is loud and clear: wallets are feeling the pinch. While teams pour billions into flashy stadium upgrades and gamified fan experiences, this data is a sharp reminder that price sensitivity still rules the playbook.

For sports executives and investors, the message is simple: creating premium experiences is great, but without accessible pricing, those seats stay empty. Smart operators will need to balance luxury offerings with affordable access if they want to keep the roar of the crowd alive.

Bottom line: Experience inflation is real, and fans are noticing.

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Dota Dominance: Pro Players Are Banking Millions

Top eSports pros are no longer just chasing trophies—they’re chasing millions. The latest leaderboard of all-time player earnings shows a clean sweep by Dota 2 legends, with Johan "N0tail" Sundstein sitting comfortably at the top with $7.2M in winnings. Close behind, JerAx, ana, and Ceb are all clocking in between $6M–$6.5M, proving that Dota's lucrative prize pools are still the gold standard in competitive gaming.

What’s notable? Eight of the top ten players hail from just two games, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike, highlighting how concentrated earnings remain in a handful of elite titles.

The earnings gap between these titans and the broader player base underscores a familiar dynamic: in eSports, like in traditional sports, the podium is paved with gold, but the mid-field remains a grind.

Bottom line: The eSports economy is maturing, but for now, it’s still very much a winner-takes-most game.

"The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same."

Colin R. Davis