Welcome back to MoneyCall, The Athletic\u2019s weekly sports business cheat sheet.<\/p>\n
Name-dropped today: Victor Wembanyama, Louis Vuitton, Josh D\u2019Amaro, Carlos Alcaraz, Aaron Rai, Jenny Nguyen, Katherine Legge, Caitlin Clark and more. Let\u2019s go:<\/p>\n
Driving the Conversation<\/p>\n
Welcome to Wemby\u2019s world<\/p>\n
With his Game 1 performance in the NBA\u2019s West finals, Victor Wembanyama just solidified himself as the premier must-see spectacle in sports. That\u2019s amid a jam-packed sports year including the Winter Olympics and World Cup, no less.<\/p>\n
His 40-point, 20-rebound conference finals debut Monday \u2014 putting him in the \u201clegendary playoff performance\u201d S-tier on his first try<\/a> \u2014 was riveting.<\/p>\n Here is a 7-foot-4 \u201calien\u201d dominating the defending champs (and reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), complete with an effortless, Steph Curry-style, logo-adjacent 3-pointer in crunch time.<\/p>\n The Wemby appeal transcends:<\/p>\n He ranked fourth among all NBA players in jersey sales this season \u2014 behind Curry, Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Jalen Brunson, but ahead of LeBron, Anthony Edwards and SGA \u2014 a rarity among basketball big men.<\/p>\n Fans usually see themselves in guards; they can also appreciate 7-4 unicorns. Fans typically gravitate toward U.S.-native players; Wemby is quickly becoming the most exciting French export since champagne.<\/p>\n That is good news for NBC over the next two weeks, for ESPN if the Spurs advance to the NBA Finals and for the NBA as it finishes up the first year of its eight-year, $70-some billion TV rights deals. The 22-year-old will anchor the lineup for the next decade.<\/p>\n It is great news for Nike, which sponsors him (if no signature shoe just yet); for the holding company LVMH, which signed the hometown hero to its Louis Vuitton brand back in 2024; and for Fanatics, which has an exclusive memorabilia deal with him. (Fascinating data point from The Athletic contributor Ben Burrows, who noted<\/a> that Wemby is already the athlete with the sixth-most graded cards ever.)<\/p>\n Last week, the Spurs announced nine developers selected to oversee a new $1.3 billion stadium and sports district project, which they might as well call La Maison Que Wemby Construite (\u201cThe House That Wemby Built\u201d). Earlier this week, the team announced<\/a> it will play regular-season NBA games in Paris in January, which follows a successful Spurs Week Paris tour last February.<\/p>\n From growing the game globally to growing the number of fans who (begrudgingly) will tune in to streaming platforms, the wider sports-industry economic impact of Wemby \u2014 let\u2019s call it \u201cWembanyamics\u201d \u2014 is almost as fascinating as the player himself.<\/p>\n When the Spurs and Thunder play Game 2 tonight on NBC (8:30 p.m. ET), die-hard NBA fans might be tuning in for the next iteration of what has immediately become the best rivalry in the league, featuring its two best young players. But Monday night felt like a tipping point. Curious casuals will now be tuning in, too, to see the latest Greatest Show in Sports.<\/p>\n Get Caught Up<\/p>\n Big talkers from the sports business industry:<\/p>\n Tottenham relegation cri$i$ reaches endgame: As a reminder, the other Spurs\u2019 financial picture is a bit grim<\/a>, and that is before any estimated opportunity cost of their possible relegation from the Premier League to the Championship. (Meanwhile: Spare a thought for West Ham, who go down if Spurs stay up.)<\/p>\n (On the furthest other end: Arsenal. Here\u2019s the inside story<\/a> on how the club built itself into championship form.)<\/p>\n World Cup countdown: 22 days. So what\u2019s it like to be a ticket broker? Mixed bag!<\/a><\/p>\n NFL schedule release winners:<\/p>\n \u2022 NBC and its sports honcho, Rick Cordella, for securing what should be<\/a> the most-watched game of this (and perhaps any) NFL regular season (Bills-Chiefs on Thanksgiving night).<\/p>\n \u2022 New Disney CEO Josh D\u2019Amaro and ESPN for getting arguably the network\u2019s best \u201cMonday Night\u201d slate ever (perhaps not coincidentally, in a year the company is airing the Super Bowl for the first time).<\/p>\n \u2022 Netflix and its sports impresario Gabe Spitzer for expanding its reach to include that Week 1 Thursday night game in Australia.<\/p>\n \u2022 Owner Stan Kroenke and his L.A. Rams, who are not just the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl, but are appearing on national TV more than any other team.<\/p>\n College football\u2019s 24-team playoff expansion: Pro-expansion Big Ten commish Tony Petitti has a quote that is going to drive the bus<\/a> on this issue: \u201cWe feel strongly about it.\u201d But Stewart Mandel has a provocative perspective out this morning, showing it\u2019s really about the college football rivalry between ESPN and Fox<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Related: Take our survey \u2014 how big *should* the college football playoff be?<\/a>)<\/p>\n NFL owners\u2019 meeting key takeaways:<\/p>\n \u2022 Nashville to host 2030 Super Bowl. (Just checked in at No. 15 in Sports Business Journal\u2019s 2026 Best Sports Business Cities list<\/a>.)<\/p>\n \u2022 Minneapolis to host 2028 NFL Draft<\/a>. After record-breaking crowds in Green Bay and Pittsburgh \u2014 and 2027 in D.C. expected to top both \u2014 a bit of pressure on the Twin Cities.<\/p>\n \u2022 International expansion: Could get to 10 games in 2027<\/a>. And just keep in mind the league\u2019s dream is 18 international games per season, one per week.<\/p>\n \u2022 More flag football momentum: The new NFL-backed pro leagues (men and women) will launch in 2027<\/a>, powered by the folks who created golf\u2019s innovative, sim-powered TGL.<\/p>\n It\u2019s being matched by an incredible groundswell at the high school level, with state after state approving girls\u2019 flag football as a varsity sport, usually backed by the nearest NFL franchise. Just this month: New Jersey, Kentucky and North Carolina. (Meanwhile: The NCAA just yesterday<\/a> set the table for women\u2019s flag national championships as early as spring 2028.)<\/p>\n PWHL expansion, continued: San Jose, Calif.<\/a>, added, which makes 12 teams in the league \u2014 and a total of four added during this most recent spree, along with Vegas, Detroit and Hamilton, Ont.<\/p>\n Other current obsessions: Carlos Alcaraz in Vanity Fair<\/a> (but missing Wimbledon<\/a> \ud83d\ude16) \u2026 the backstory of the groundbreaking<\/a> Jason Collins SI essay \u2026 the 10-foot inflatable Messi on sale at Lowe\u2019s<\/a> \u2026 Arkansas restoring its canceled tennis program \u2026 Aaron Rai\u2019s whole vibe<\/a> \u2026 that Knicks comeback last night (whew<\/a>) \u2026<\/p>\n What I\u2019m Wondering<\/p>\n Should we buy a women\u2019s sports bar?<\/p>\n OK, not quite. But the Sports Bra \u2014 the O.G. women\u2019s sports bar launched in Portland, Ore., now expanding to five additional franchised locations with an eye on dozens more in the next few years \u2014 is opening up its new $1.2 million investment round to anyone who wants to buy a piece. (Not investment advice!)<\/p>\n That\u2019s the topic of Asli Pelit\u2019s \u201cDown to Business\u201d column this week<\/a>, and having paid close attention to the Sports Bra when it first opened (and, later, as it announced its franchise plans in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Boston and the other Portland, in Maine), I\u2019m so intrigued.<\/p>\n After getting prior early investment from Alexis Ohanian\u2019s 776, former WNBA star Renee Montgomery and others, why crowd-fund this round? Let\u2019s hear from founder Jenny Nguyen:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cThis is what the raise is about, it really is the future of the Sports Bra, and it\u2019s in the hands of the community. We want people to become longtime fans and supporters of the Bra to finally have that opportunity to get in the game and own a piece of the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep reading for another 45 seconds, then take this week\u2019s MoneyPoll and let\u2019s consider together if I should buy a stake. I was thinking of it as a gift to my daughter to commemorate her first year in organized sports.<\/p>\n Grab Bag<\/p>\n Name to Know: Katherine Legge Data Point: $300 million Power Ranking: NFL sched videos Related: Behind the scenes with the Rams as they put together their video<\/a> (which finished No. 6 in our rankings \u2026 solid!).<\/p>\n \u2018And\/Both\u2019 of the Week MoneyPoll Last week\u2019s MoneyPoll results: 49 percent of respondents predicted LeBron James will return to the Lakers next season, while the others were split between him retiring and playing elsewhere.<\/p>\n Beat Dan in Connections: Sports Edition Worth Your Time<\/p>\n Great business-adjacent reads for your downtime or commute:<\/p>\n How WAG jackets took over the NHL playoffs: \u201cWhen Flyers goalie Dan Vlada\u0159 made the final shootout stop against the Hurricanes to send his team to the playoffs, Alex Sanheim knew she needed to get to work.<\/a> After celebrating at the arena with fellow wives and girlfriends, she huddled with a few of them to mock up ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Two more:<\/p>\n The inside story on Cadillac\u2019s F1 U.S. debut<\/a>, from TA\u2019s Madeline Coleman.<\/p>\n Another inside story, on the Southampton \u201cSpygate\u201d scandal<\/a> that cost them a spot in the EFL Championship\u2019s \u201c$300 million game\u201d that determines a winner that gets the lucrative promotion to the Premier League, from a crackerjack side of five TA reporters in the U.K.<\/p>\n Back next Wednesday! Text your colleagues this link<\/a> so they can get MoneyCall every week for free. And check out The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to MoneyCall, The Athletic\u2019s weekly sports business cheat sheet. Name-dropped today: Victor Wembanyama, Louis Vuitton, Josh…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":655049,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99,1794],"class_list":["post-655048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
She will attempt to become the first woman<\/a> to complete the famous Indianapolis auto-racing \u201cDouble\u201d \u2014 driving the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 on the same day. (Related: Caitlin Clark is the Indy 500 grand marshal<\/a>, an obvious choice.)<\/p>\n
That\u2019s roughly what Southampton lost the chance of earning if they won the Championship\u2019s play-off final, after the club was expelled<\/a> from the game due to a spying scandal. They were replaced by Middlesbrough, who will play Hull City on Saturday for the right to be promoted to the Premier League and the vast lucre that comes with it. (Keep reading til the end for another great read on this one.)<\/p>\n
After last Wednesday\u2019s convo<\/a> \u2026
1) Chargers (as ever)
2) Titans (ditto)
3) Seahawks
4) Colts
5) Giants
See the full 32-team ranking here<\/a>. (Cardinals \u2026 yeesh.)<\/p>\n
The Boston Celtics\u2019 TD Garden earned the plurality of votes from NBA players as the home of the \u201cmost passionate fans\u201d and \u201cmost obnoxious fans.\u201d Full player survey results here.<\/a><\/p>\n
Should I put $250 into buying me and my daughter a sliver of ownership in the Sports Bra? (Answering the poll is exclusive to readers who get MoneyCall via email \u2013 if you\u2019re not a subscriber, it\u2019s easy and free to sign up<\/a>, and it conveniently shows up in your inbox on Wednesday morning, hours ahead of the web version.)<\/p>\n
Puzzle No. 604
Dan\u2019s time: 00:49
Try the game here!<\/a><\/p>\n