Moves and Mergers Roundup for Nov. 8, 2024

Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

World Lacrosse Announces Multiyear Extension for CEO Jim Scherr

World Lacrosse has extended CEO Jim Scherr through the end of 2028, which will be announced on Monday. Scherr was appointed as CEO of the organization in 2017, and his latest and longest extension will include the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where lacrosse will return to the Olympic stage for the first time in decades. Since Scherr’s appointment to the then-Federation of International Lacrosse, Scherr has overseen the introduction of a new brand identity as World Lacrosse in 2019, the appointment of a full-time professional staff and an increase of more than 60% in membership to the current body of 92 organizations.

Chess.com Names Albert Chang as First Chief Growth Officer

Albert Chang has been named the first chief growth officer at Chess.com. Chang was previously the head of growth at both Duolingo and Grammarly. He will support the company’s efforts to drive user acquisition, retention and monetization by continuing to innovate how people learn and play chess. Chang will draw on a career that includes expanding Duolingo’s user base from 8 million to 20 million daily active users at the time of its IPO, as well as building many of YouTube’s live-streaming and monetization tools.

Jessica Lee Joins Fortress U.S. as Senior Director of Client Strategy

Jessica Lee has joined Fortress U.S. as senior director of client strategy. She will work with existing Fortress clients to expand or improve programs, work with account managers to identify issues or opportunities with existing clients, build relationships with key partners like the NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL and FIFA, and help drive client strategy in conjunction with the Fortress U.S. president and the VP of business development. Lee previously spent seven years with the Miami Marlins and most recently as the director of consumer strategy & insights.

PARTNERSHIPS

Arlington Sports Commission Partners With Rally Department

The Arlington (Texas) Sports Commission and Rally Department have entered into a strategic partnership to support the Arlington sports storytelling efforts through marketing communications, including social media strategy, media relations and more. Responsible for numerous marquee sporting events every year, the Arlington Sports Commission generates an estimated economic impact of more than $125 million and sees almost 420,000 attendees annually. Rally Department, a boutique sports marketing agency based in Fort Worth, will serve as the marketing and communications arm for the organization.

Purdue Partners With Teamworks Wallet to Help Manage NIL

In an attempt to better handle NIL, Purdue University, a Teamworks Elite partner, has partnered with Teamworks Wallet, a digital banking service designed for student-athletes. Within the first two weeks of its launch, in partnership with the Boilermaker Alliance—a Power Four NIL collective—95% of Purdue student-athletes added their Teamworks Wallet Visa debit card to Apple Wallet. Standard NIL transactions can incur up to 30% in fees, but Teamworks Wallet eliminates these costs. Teamworks Wallet also offers high-yield savings accounts and automatic tax reporting. The integration between influencer and Wallet is designed to optimize payment processes, enhance transparency and improve overall efficiency.

LFP Reaches Long-Term Agreement With WSC Sports

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), has entered a five-year agreement with WSC Sports to create AI-tailored content experiences that showcase the strength and style of Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Ligue 2 BKT2 and the Trophée des Champions with worldwide audiences. The governing body that runs the major professional football leagues in France will leverage WSC Sports’ AI-powered sports content technology to overhaul its content creation and distribution processes. The scope of the agreement will see WSC Sports analyze every Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Ligue 2 BKT and Trophée des Champions match in real-time through its AI-driven platform, automating the creation, management and distribution of video content.

PickleRage Teams Up With GreenPeak Ventures Partners

PickleRage, an indoor pickleball club franchise, has signed a deal with the private equity group GreenPeak Venture Partners. This partnership will help the brand open 200 new PickleRage locations throughout the country over the course of the next two years. GreenPeak Venture Partners, which has more than $2 billion in assets under management, is a private equity firm focusing on the expansion and development of small and middle-market companies in various sectors. The partnership will allow for PickleRage franchisees to leverage GreenPeak’s institutional real estate knowledge of site selection, lease negotiation and construction management. PickleRage is targeting cities throughout the U.S. with a particular focus on Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Abelson Partners With SailGP to Bring Global Racing to Sportsbooks Worldwide

Abelson Info, a supplier of data, odds and technical services to bookmakers globally, is entering into partnership with SailGP to enable sportsbooks to access betting markets for the global racing championship ahead of the launch of its 2025 season. SailGP will produce proprietary algorithms, built off its live race data, to provide market opportunities throughout each race across the annual championship. This leverages the 270,000 data points SailGP captures every second to deliver instant probabilities to fans based upon what is happening live on the water. The league’s offering, used by several bookmakers in the final two events of Season 4, will now extend further via Abelson’s partnership with a wide network of global operators.

PRODUCTS

Atlanta Braves Lead MLB’s Voice of the Consumer Program Feedback

The Atlanta Braves received high marks in Major League Baseball’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer (VOC) Program. The organization ranked No. 1 in MLB in overall guest experience, concessions and non-game entertainment. The VOC rankings are based on league-wide surveys that ask fans to rate a variety of touch points, including in-game entertainment, parking, food and beverage, as well as their interactions with gameday staff. The Braves ranked in the top half of the league or higher in all remaining categories, including parking ingress, parking egress and seat view.

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