Moves and Mergers Roundup for Feb. 28, 2025

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

PERSONNEL

Scott Aronsky Named Chief Financial Officer of Professional Fighters League

The Professional Fighters League appointed Scott Aronsky as its new chief financial officer. Aronsky has worked in sports, entertainment, finance and professional services, with a focus on implementing financial strategies. As CFO at Legends, he oversaw global financial operations, built finance and accounting organizations, oversaw a minority sale of the business in 2017 to New Mountain Capital and majority sale to Sixth Street Partners in 2021, and directed financial due diligence for the acquisition of ASM Global.

DAZN Launches DAZN Basketball, Appoints Chus Bueno as Managing Director

DAZN announced the launch of DAZN Basketball, marked by the appointment of Chus Bueno as managing director, basketball. Before joining DAZN, Bueno oversaw strategic direction for Legends in the Iberian market. His past roles include vice president of NBA Europe, Middle East and Africa, as well as managing director for NBA Spain. Bueno has also held positions such as executive director and secretary general of the Federación Española Baloncesto, Secretary General of Asociación Baloncestistas Profesionales, and vice president of Union du Basketeurs d’Europe.

California Dreamin’ Presents Appoints Duo to Leadership Team

California Dreamin’ Presents (CDP) has added Brad Florian and Valerie Ryan, two longtime ESPN and X Games veterans, to its executive leadership team. At California Dreamin’ Presents, the executive duo will lead the strategy behind the company’s action sports portfolio, which kicks off with the inaugural X Games Sacramento in August. In addition, the duo will introduce a variety of new concepts in the action sports and live event space designed to engage year-round fan engagement opportunities at Sacramento’s Cal Expo. Florian is former head of X Games Global Business Operations at ESPN and will serve as CDP’s chief operating officer managing director of X Games Sacramento. Ryan, former vice president of fan experience, has been named chief marketing officer and executive director of X Games Sacramento.

Daniel Kelly Appointed Associate Dean at NYU Tisch Institute for Global Sport

The NYU School of Professional Studies announced the appointment of Daniel G. Kelly II as associate dean of the school’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport, effective this month. Since 2019, Kelly has served as the NYU SPS Tisch Institute’s academic director of graduate programs and clinical professor. Before NYU SPS, he was the faculty director and associate professor of the practice for the Sports Industry Management Program at Georgetown University. In addition to his academic pursuits, Kelly has consulted on strategic leadership and global business initiatives with FC Barcelona’s Barca Innovation Hub, River Plate University Institute and Superliga. In preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Kelly was the academic lead for the Josoor Institute’s Football and Sport Management diploma program in Qatar.

PARTNERSHIPS

TD Bank Extends Partnership of Boston Celtics Through 2044-2045 Season

The Boston Celtics announced an extension of their relationship with TD Bank, solidifying the bank’s role as the exclusive retail and online banking provider for both the Boston Celtics and the Maine Celtics through the 2044-2045 season. As part of this extension, TD Bank will sponsor fan night events, invest in greater Boston community centers and support local nonprofits by providing tickets and special game-day access. TD will also launch a presenting sponsorship of the Celtics season ticket wait list community.

GolfNow, Trackman Team on Golf Simulation and Range Technology

GolfNow announced a collaboration to expand its online tee-time marketplace to also offer the ability to book reservations with Trackman, which offers technology across simulators, driving ranges and mobile outdoor practice. Through the partnership, GolfNow and Trackman are integrating their reservation technologies, allowing golfers who visit GolfNow’s tee time marketplace to reserve a simulated round of golf or training session at any of the 1,000-plus indoor and outdoor locations across North America using Trackman technology. Facilities using Trackman simulator technology will be identified on the website by a badge.

Syracuse, MLBPA to Offer Academic Programs to Current and Former Players

A new partnership between Syracuse University and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) will create academic pathways for current and former players. Under this agreement, Syracuse will offer market-relevant and industry-specific online degrees, certificates and credentials, as well as a range of non-credit professional development and executive education training programs, courses and workshops. Responsive to the MLBPA’s desire to expand opportunities for career growth to its thousands of players, the new cross-campus collaboration taps into the expertise of several of the university’s schools and colleges, including the new David B. Falk College of Sport, the Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Whitman School of Management and the College of Professional Studies. The MLBPA represents the 1,200 players on Major League 40-man rosters, as well as approximately 5,500 minor league players.

Penn Relays Chooses Jambar as Official Energy Bar Partner

Jambar has been named the official energy bar of the Penn Relays for the third consecutive year and a new partner of Penn Athletics. The 129th Running of the Penn Relays, presented by Toyota, will take place April 24-26 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Jambar will be on-site throughout the three-day event with a dedicated booth offering product sampling and special appearances from professional runners Sage Hurta-Klecker and Joe Klecker. Jambar, founded by Jenny Maxwell, the original co-founder of PowerBar and former collegiate and competitive runner, partners with over 300 sporting events annually, spanning running, biking, basketball, football, soccer, golf, surfing, skiing and snowboarding.

Circa Resort Joins College Basketball Crown as Founding Partner

The College Basketball Crown announced Circa Resort & Casino (Circa) as a Founding Partner and the Official Host Hotel of the College Basketball Crown referees. The partnership was brokered by AEG Global Partnerships. Launched by Fox Sports and AEG, the College Basketball Crown is taking place from March 31 to April 6 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena, airing on Fox and FS1. The tournament will feature teams from conferences including the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East, along with additional at-large participants. 

Elevate Enlisted as Advisor on Browns Stadium Project

Elevate has been retained to advise Haslam Sports Group and the Cleveland Browns regarding the economics of the Browns’ proposed $2.4 billion enclosed stadium project and surrounding mixed-use development in Brook Park, Ohio. Elevate and its employees have been supporting HSG and the Browns for over a year on the project, which calls for a public-private partnership and would move the team from Cleveland’s downtown.

Unrivaled, WNBPA, OneTeam Partner on Commercial Deal

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 pro women’s basketball league, has teamed up with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and OneTeam Partners to expand commercial opportunities through group licensing and sponsorships. The WNBPA will grant group player rights to Unrivaled in support of the league’s long-term sponsorship and licensing business, and Unrivaled will compensate the WNBPA. OneTeam will serve as Unrivaled’s exclusive licensing agency in the trading card and memorabilia categories, and its non-exclusive agency across other categories. The partnership launches with a major licensing deal with The Realest—an authentication service for sports and entertainment memorabilia—specifically for game-used items.

PRODUCTS

Texas Rangers, Cordish Companies Open Residential Community

The Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies officially opened One Rangers Way in the heart of the Arlington Entertainment District and begun welcoming renters to the first residential component of the project. The building is within walking distance to Globe Life Field, Choctaw Stadium and AT&T Stadium.

Stephen Curry’s Underrated European Tour Returns With United Airlines

The second annual Underrated Golf European Tour announced its 2025 schedule. With United Airlines returning as the presenting sponsor, the tour, founded by Stephen Curry, will begin at Foxhills Golf Club in England from May 28-30, before heading to Fairmont St. Andrews in August. The Underrated tour offers a platform for up-and-coming junior golfers from across Europe. As the returning presenting sponsor, United Airlines will continue to support the competitors as they fly to London, Edinburgh and beyond.

PURCHASES

Excel Rebrands Nolan Partners as Excel Search & Advisory

Excel Sports Management announced Excel Search & Advisory, the executive search and leadership consulting practice that formerly operated as Nolan Partners. Excel Search & Advisory combines Excel’s industry relationships with the sports and entertainment executive search legacy of Nolan Partners. Acquired by Excel in 2022, Nolan Partners has advised owners, investors and boards in finding leadership talent and building leadership teams.

Fastbreak AI Acquires Barcelogic

Fastbreak AI, the AI-powered sports operations engine, has acquired Barcelogic, a European sports schedule optimization provider. The purchase is meant to accelerate Fastbreak AI’s growth across Europe and strengthens relationships with top professional leagues, as Barcelogic is a scheduling partner for FIFA, Spain’s La Liga, Portugal’s Primeira Liga and Mexico’s Liga MX.

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