Monthly Archives: March 2022

Milwaukee Tops Minnesota For Championship As Strat-O-Matic Simulates 2022 Baseball Season, Playoffs

As fans eagerly await the delayed start of the 2022 baseball season, Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, just can’t wait to deliver its preseason simulation on what was supposed to be Opening Day today across North America. Fans in Milwaukee and Minnesota will be particularly excited to learn that Strat-O-Matic sees the two squaring off in the championship, with Milwaukee taking a seven-game classic for its first title.

Los Angeles stars Mike Trout (45 home runs, .315/.424/.617) and Trea Turner (113 runs scored, .325/.386/.513) won the A.L. and N.L. MVP awards, respectively, while New York’s hurlers Gerrit Cole (15-9, 2.66 ERA, 245 strikeouts) and Jacob deGrom (17-4, 2.14 ERA, 269 Ks) were the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young winners. 

In addition to today’s look at the full 2022 season, Strat-O-Matic will conduct a daily “Strat-O-Matic Game of the Day” simulation featuring an interesting matchup, beginning with the rival Boston vs. New York contest on April 7. Fans can follow on the Strat-O-Matic website (https://www.strat-o-matic.com) as well as its social media outlets.

In 2021, Strat-O-Matic’s Opening Day simulation correctly tabbed Atlanta as the champion, with seven of the 10 playoff teams correct. Three of the playoff seeds were pegged exactly right, with St. Louis losing the Wild Card game, the home run leader clubbing 48, Julio Urias as the major league wins leader, and Atlanta beating Milwaukee in the NLDS on the way to the title.

In this year’s simulation, Milwaukee won the N.L. Central at 96-66, earning the No. 3 seed. Under the new playoff format, Milwaukee topped third wild card and No. 6 seed San Francisco, two games to none, then upended No. 2 New York, 3-1, and defending champion and No 5 Atlanta in seven games before the dramatic seven game win over Minnesota, the A.L. No. 1 seed that had swept second Wild Card Toronto in three games and No. 2 New York in four to get to the championship.

“Strat-O-Matic has a long tradition of getting our season simulation to fans on Opening Day, and we didn’t want to let the delay keep us from that,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder. “We are particularly excited about the added wrinkle of the ‘Strat-O-Matic Game of the Day to keep fans of every team engaged in the biggest matchups on the schedule.”

cover image: Corbin Burnes (Flickr/Ian D’Andrea)

SGPN To Award $1,000 Cash To Winner Of Final Four 10-Question Contest

The Sports Gambling Podcast Network (SGPN), the leading independent and free content platform for the wagering public, is celebrating the Final Four with another free contest, guaranteeing $1,000 to the winner of a 10-questions competition. Competition link: www.sportsgamblingpodcast.com/finalfour.

The participant who answers the most questions correctly will get the money and the contest is available on the SGPN App. The contest is underway and the SGPN App is downloadable at Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, and from www.SportsGamblingPodcast.com. Participants are asked subscribe to the Sports Gambling Podcast YouTube channel, follow the Sports Gambling Podcast on Twitter and follow the Sports Gambling Podcast on Spotify.

Devised by the SGPN team of college basketball experts, here are the questions:

  1. Villanova vs. Kansas ATS – Pick One Team
  2. Villanova vs. Kansas Total – Pick One Number
  3. UNC vs Duke ATS – Pick One Team
  4. UNC vs Duke Total – Pick One Number
  5. Who will have the most total points in the Final Four? – Pick One Team
  6. Will there be a lead change in the final 10 seconds? – Yes or No
  7. Team with highest 3-point percentage – Pick One Team
  8. Most Outstanding Player – Pick One Player
  9. Championship Winner – Pick One Team

10.Total Points in Championship Game (TieBreaker) – Pick One Number

Ones Basketball Association Unveils Schedule and Venues for First Season of One-on-One Basketball

Seven-time NBA All-Star, Basketball Hall-of-Famer, and entrepreneur Tracy McGrady today unveiled the regional schedule and venues for the launch of the Ones Basketball Association, a first-ever elite competition that will celebrate the most skilled one-on-one players on the planet.

The first year of regional competition will take place in seven cities across the United States, beginning the weekend of April 30th in Houston and concluding in June. The 2022 Finals for the Ones Basketball Association will take place in July.

McGrady has also announced that media and sports industry veteran Jeffrey Pollack has signed on as a strategic advisor to help lead business planning and operations and create best-in-class events and experiences.

“Our goal this year is to test and preview how we should best spotlight and celebrate the competition, raw athletic talent, and extraordinary skills of these young rising stars,” McGrady said. “We are proud to partner with Jeffrey Pollack, who will help us develop our game plan on and off the court. His input is already invaluable to me, as we take our first steps as a startup league and set the foundation for a global basketball property that will create more opportunities for athletes and fans and tell new basketball stories.”

“In many ways this is the first-ever pop-up sports league,” said Pollack. “We are moving fast, tipping off quickly, and excited to publicly share our proof-of-concept with the basketball community and sports industry. Early feedback will be vital to our planning efforts, and we are ready to test, listen, and learn throughout this first season. Players, fans, and partners will have a rare opportunity to co-create the Ones Basketball Association with Tracy and our team, and it’s exciting to help launch a new celebration of basketball excellence.”

Elissa Grabow, McGrady’s long-time business manager, has also joined the leadership team to help turn McGrady’s vision into reality. “Working for Tracy McGrady for the past 25 years has been the ride of a lifetime and this journey is a true labor of love,” said Grabow. “Tracy is inspired and focused and it all comes from the purest place: his heart. It is an honor to be on this team and help develop the Ones Basketball Association into something special that we believe will build community, provide hope and opportunity, and create a new way to fall in love with the game of basketball.”

Beginning in April, seven cities across the United States will host a two-day, regional, 32-player round-robin knockout tournament with athletes aged 18 and up who are currently not under an NBA contract and have not been on an active NBA roster for more than 164 games (equivalent to two NBA regular seasons). The participants will come from a combination of open-sourced video submissions and the advice of basketball insiders. The aim is to welcome both best-in-class talent and players who may still be under the radar of most basketball fans. The inaugural events this year will feature only men, and women will be welcomed as equal participants as soon as 2023.

The regional tournament schedule for the first season of the Ones Basketball Association season is:
· Houston, April 30-May 1 (The Dub Sports Zone, Richmond, TX)
· Atlanta, May 7-8 (CORE4 Atlanta, Chamblee, GA)
· Chicago, May 21-22 (Chicago Hope Academy Athletic Center, Chicago, IL)
· New York City, May 28-29 (Major R. Owens Community Center hosted by New Heights, Brooklyn, NY)
· The DMV, June 4-5 (The St. James, Springfield, VA)
· The Bay Area, June 11-12 (The Ultimate Fieldhouse, Walnut Creek, CA)
· Los Angeles, TBD (TBD)

The winner of each regional tournament will take home a $10,000 cash prize along with an invitation to the Finals, which will see 21 players (the top three from each region) compete for a chance to win a $250,000 grand prize and be crowned “Ruler of the Court.”

Venues this first year will have very limited public seating, in order to keep the current focus on the athletes, their stories, and the competitive format.
Jeffrey Pollack is a sports business executive and Emmy-Award winner with more than 25 years of leadership experience driving catalytic change, growth, and innovation for family-owned, private-equity-backed, and corporate-based ventures. He was most recently President and CEO of the XFL.

Pollack has been lauded for helping businesses and brands rethink, recalibrate, and evolve, and he has held both executive and advisory roles with the NBA, NASCAR, World Series of Poker, Professional Bull Riders, and Los Angeles Chargers. Pollack is founder of The Sports Business Daily, the original daily trade publication for the sports industry.

The field for each regional tournament, along with content and media partners, elite player ambassadors, and details about the 2022 Finals, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Follow Ones Basketball Association at https://www.obahoops.com/.

National Lacrosse League Championship Sets Whirlwind Seven-Week Playoff Schedule Outline

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced the outline of the 2022 Playoff schedule, which runs up to seven weeks from May 5 through June 20. Under the new expanded playoff format instituted for this season, the top four teams in the East, top three teams in the West and one wild card team with the next best record qualify. With 34 games on the schedule to determine playoff spots and seeds, the Chase to the Championship begins tomorrow, March 31 when the Philadelphia Wings host the East Conference leading, Buffalo Bandits, the first and only team to qualify thus far.

Media partners ESPN and TSN will provide live broadcasts of every game (beginning with the single-elimination quarterfinal matchups held May 5-9. The first game of the best-of-three Conference Finals is set for the following week (May 12-16), with Game 2 (May 19-23) and Game 3 (if necessary, May 26-30) set to close out the month (dates subject to change).

The best-of-three NLL Finals will take place June 2-6, June 9-13 and June 16-20 (if necessary). Exact dates and the TSN and ESPN broadcast schedules for all rounds will be announced once the teams have clinched playoff home games in each series.

“With a month left in the season, every team is still in the playoff hunt and all but one slot is still up for grabs,” said Jessica Berman, NLL Deputy Commissioner. “The Chase to the Championship gives every one of those games playoff implications, and fans are excited to watch their favorite teams vie for the title.”

For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit: NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For Soccer Ventures and American Outlaws Announce Strategic Partnership

For Soccer Ventures (FSV), the largest independent soccer media and experiences company in the United States, has established a first-of-its-kind Preferred Partnership with The American Outlaws (AO), a 20,000-member organization dedicated to supporting U.S. Soccer women’s, men’s, youth, and extended national teams. This partnership provides AO access to the incomparable soccer-focused creative, content and commercial resources of FSV as both organizations look to partner with brands, platforms, and publishers to grow the sport of soccer in the United States.

“Our North Star is to grow the sport of soccer in the United States, and no one has done more to establish fandom in the grassroots than the American Outlaws. It has been our goal since our founding to find ways to work with and support AO, and we couldn’t be more excited with this opportunity,” said John Parker, FSV Chief Operating Officer and former American Outlaw chapter president. “With this Preferred Partnership, AO and FSV will work together to develop opportunities for brands, platforms, and partners who wish to invest in the growth of soccer in America in such a way that we can provide further value for AO membership as well as its philanthropic arm, AO Impact, much like we did in our previous partnership.”

For Soccer Ventures will immediately begin work with AO leadership to innovate and develop opportunities that prioritize the fan experience and growth of chapter-based support of the US national soccer teams. FSV will then represent these opportunities on behalf of AO with brand, platform and publishing partners.

“In recent months, our relationship with FSV not only has benefited our members by providing easier access to viewing our away World Cup qualifiers, but also helped us create opportunities for our greater community to enjoy the game we love by funding AO Impact-funded programs,” said Justin Brunken, AO President and co-founder. “We’re excited to work with FSV to identify more opportunities with partners that provide value to our members – and who provide our 200-plus chapters with programs that will grow local support for all U.S. National Teams.”

FSV is coming off a record year of growth in 2021. This growth includes the acquisitions of Alianza de Futbol (the largest Hispanic soccer program in America), Footycon and The Association (first of its kind soccer-meets-lifestyle festivals and events series), and the launch of the Black Star Initiative. FSV also partnered with some of the biggest brands in the world: adidas, Pepsi, Lays, Verizon, CBS Sports/Paramount+, Allstate, EA Sports, Ford, Topps, Umbro, Chevron and Gatorade.

Founded in 2007, the American Outlaws is the largest unofficial supporters group of the U.S. women’s, men’s, youth, and extended national teams. A nonprofit organization, its members work to build a community around soccer in the 200+ communities its chapters call home. You can find AO supporting the national teams behind the goal of every U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team game.

Celsius Sponsors Live Fast Motorsports for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Live Fast Motorsports (LFM) and CELSIUS announced on Feb. 16, 2022, their second-year partnership for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series racing season. Today the two companies announced that CELSIUS will be the primary sponsor for LFM at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sun. Mar. 20, for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 race.

Celsius is a better-for-you alternative to traditional energy drinks with clinically proven function which provides essential energy. Celsius is a global top-selling lifestyle fitness drink featuring zero sugar, no preservatives, no aspartame, no high fructose corn syrup, and is non-GMO, with no artificial flavors or colors. Consumed by athletes all over the world, CELSIUS contains seven essential vitamins providing a sustained energy source for everyone’s fitness goal.

“Celsius is honored to enter their second year of partnership with Live Fast Motorsports,” said John Fieldly, President and Chairman of Celsius. “CELSIUS is a fitness drink that drives performance and provides that essential energy to fuel Live Fast Motorsports. Celsius was created to help people LIVE FIT, exceed their goals, and elevate their everyday lives. We are proud that LFM co-owner, Matt Tifft, co-owner and NASCAR Cup series driver, B.J. McLeod, and their team trust our products to bring out their best energy to perform all-season long.”

LFM and Celsius are excited to release the new co-branded paint scheme featuring Celsius’ popular sparkling orange flavor beverage on the lower rear quarter panel. This new electrifying design has both teams hyped up for the competitive Atlanta race.

“Our Live Fast Motorsport’s team couldn’t be more enthused about this second-year partnership and Celsius themed paint scheme for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.” said co-owner of Live Fast Motorsports, Matt Tifft. “On hot long race weekends, Celsius always provides the refreshing taste and stable energy that our team needs to stay hydrated and succeed on the track. That’s why our team’s cooler is always stacked with various flavors on race weekends. It’s the perfect pick-me up and even friendly to my low-carb lifestyle.”

“There’s not a time you’ll see me walking around the track on race day without a Celsius,” said co-owner and driver, B.J. McLeod. “Many energy drinks are high in sugar or often give the shakes, but Celsius helps keeps me energized and focused during both my workouts and races.”

LFM and Celsius are excited to hit the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway and promote a high energy sustainable lifestyle to our fans through the race. Tune-in on Sun. Mar. 20, 2022 at 3 PM EST to watch the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on FOX.

For more information about Celsius, please visit http://www.celsiusholdingsinc.com

ESPN, Genius Sports Announce Immersive Experience For The 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship

Genius Sports Limited (“Genius Sports”) (NYSE:GENI), the official data and technology partner that powers the ecosystem connecting sports, betting and media, today announced a collaboration with ESPN for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship using AI-powered tracking data and live video augmentations.

Through its Second Spectrum division, Genius Sports will provide ESPN and consumers with the first live augmented video feeds for women’s basketball, delivering new levels of interactivity and insight to a rapidly growing audience. ESPN will be able to select from a suite of data-driven visualizations, including split-second shot probabilities and distances to 3-point special effects, captured through optical tracking technology that identifies and delivers the precise coordinates of every player and the ball, 25 times a second.

Genius Sports’ technology and augmentation solutions will be utilized during the Women’s Final Four and National Championship games, when this year’s champion is crowned Sunday, April 3 (8 p.m. ET) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fans will be able to experience the Second Spectrum enhancements as an alternate viewing option in addition to ESPN’s traditional telecasts of each game.

“Expanding our relationship with Second Spectrum to support of the Women’s Tournament and their fans is another exciting first for us,” said Kevin Lopes, ESPN Vice President, Sports Business Development & Innovation. “The augmented feeds for the NCAA Women’s Final Four and National Championship game will provide fans with an exciting viewing option that leans into innovative stats and visuals.”

ESPN will also have access to Genius Sports’ unique Insight tool, generating advanced statistical insights on individual teams and players. As the Official Optical Tracking Provider of the NBA, Second Spectrum has worked closely with ESPN for the last six years, capturing rich tracking data and delivering augmentations as well as helping to power the first-of-its-kind ‘Marvel’s Arena of Heroes’ alternate broadcast on ESPN in 2021.

“It’s appropriate that during this Women’s History Month we make this announcement with ESPN to bring immersive, player tracking technology to ‘March Madness’ on the Women’s Basketball side. The days of women’s sports being considered second class are behind us,” said Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports. “We are proud to work with ESPN, through the best-in-class work Second Spectrum does, to give the millions of fans young and old, an immersive experience for March Madness that will set a new course not just for the NCAA Championships, but for all of sport that is played by women the world over. It is a new high bar that we will push, and there is no better place to raise that bar than the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament with ESPN.”

Genius Sports is the exclusive supplier of official NCAA data, having worked alongside the governing body since 2018 to develop NCAA LiveStats, the NCAA’s official tool for the collection, management and distribution of game statistics. Genius Sports is the Exclusive Supplier of Official NCAA Data having worked alongside the governing body since 2018 to develop NCAA LiveStats, college sports’ official tool for the collection, management and distribution of game statistics. NCAA LiveStats will be courtside at every game of the NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Championship, capturing every shot, dunk, rebound, assist and more.

New York Mobile Handle Could Reach $400 Million For First NCAA Tournament

ew York already has hit the heights since launching mobile sports wagering in mid-January. Now the Empire State will make its first descent into madness.
March Madness, that is.

When the New York State Gaming Commission releases its full February figures, the state’s two monthly handles of 2022 will rank first (January) and second (February) in the all-time national post-PASPA era that began in 2018. Not everyone anticipated such a fast start, with many expecting New York to need time to mature before reaching the top of the list and becoming, in the words of Frank Sinatra, “A-number one.”

The Super Bowl, which is the largest single sports betting event in the U.S., has come and gone, and conventional wisdom suggests New York generated the highest handle of any state — but nobody knows for sure, since the NYSGC did not provide official handle and revenue figures from the game. March brings the NCAA Tournament, joining the Super Bowl in the top two of annual betting events and unmatched in terms of drama coming from all angles at a frenetic pace over the course of three-plus weeks.
The largest unofficial betting event in the form of office pools now takes center stage in legal fashion in New York. Eight mobile operators, entrenched to varying degrees, will offer Final Four futures wagers and more, plus various betting lines on up to 66 of the tournament’s 67 games.

After bettors showed a monstrous appetite for the Super Bowl, wagering will again be robust throughout the final two weekends of March and the first one in April. After examining weekly mobile handle figures in New York since launch, basketball-specific wagering across multiple states from 2019 through 2021, and other assorted factors as points of comparison, NY Online Gambling projects mobile betting handle in the Empire State on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament will be between $375 million and $400 million.

That’s wagers to be placed at legal online sportsbooks in New York after the NCAA announced the seeds and brackets on Sunday. Using the industry standard win rate of 7%, mobile operator revenue from that handle would range from $26.3 million to $28 million. With New York’s 51% tax rate on mobile revenue, the state would receive between $13.4 million and $14.3 million.

The NCAA Tournament vs. The Super Bowl
Projecting the Empire State’s NCAA Tournament handle can be challenging. New York has generated weekly handle that would rank in the top 10 nationally for monthly handle every full week since launch. The nearly $360 million in handle for the week ending March 6 was the fourth week in five that New York has posted handle between $350 million and $360 million.

The outlier in that stretch was Super Bowl week, in which handle totaled $472.1 million. The NYSGC does not break out handle by sport or divulge any specific wagering information about the game, but the Super Bowl handle may have been at least $200 million. That is a reasonable, conservative estimate, given Nevada set an all-time high with nearly $180 million wagered on the game and New Jersey went from $117.4 million in 2021 to $143.7 million this year despite all those Manhattanites no longer needing to cross the Hudson River to place legal bets.

Is the Super Bowl relevant for March Madness comparisons? Yes and no. One can view the NCAA Tournament as a singular event, but it also consists of 67 single-game events. A more like-for-like comparison could be the NCAA Tournament and the NFL playoffs, in which 13 games are played.

The NYSGC launched on the weekend of Week 18 of the NFL regular season, producing an initial handle report of $171.3 million that covered only those two days. The six wild card round games the next week contributed to handle skyrocketing to $431.8 million in the first full week of wagering. The four divisional round games sparked another bump to $572.6 million.  Notably, the Buffalo Bills played in both rounds.

Weekly handle ebbed the week of the two conference title games, falling to $449 million without the Bills, but that was still 28.3% higher than the recent low-end baseline of $350 million per week.

Assumptions of a similar percentage spike for March Madness could prove faulty for a few reasons, most notably advertising. The NFL has inherent advantages over the NCAA, with nearly all of its postseason games airing on network television. The league is also a marketing leviathan capable of making any superstar a national hero, recognized from the city where he plays to the casual fan hundreds of miles away who simply enjoys football.

This past NFL season, sportsbooks spent gobs of money to advertise their product, with the ability to promote themselves as “official league partners” or “approved sportsbook operators.” Of the eight mobile operators in New York, three (Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel) are official league partners and three others (BetMGM, PointsBet, and WynnBET) are approved sportsbook operators.

That advertising spend will not take place during the college basketball games broadcast on CBS and other stations. For starters, the NCAA does not have partnerships with gaming operators, and very few schools do.

cover image: credit Flickr/Steve Cheng, Bruin Report

The American Cornhole League Announces Manufacturing Partnership with ZÜCA

The American Cornhole League (ACL) is pleased to announce that they have partnered with ZÜCA as the official manufacturing supplier of ACL cornhole rolling bags and backpacks. ZÜCA is the clear leader in the category, and their design, quality, and commitment to serving the cornhole community are a perfect fit with the ACL. Moving forward the ACL and ZÜCA are deep in product development to further expand their overall offerings to specifically meet the needs of all cornhole players, from novice to pros and everyone in between.

The American Cornhole League is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with broadcast deals with ESPN and CBS / CBS Sports, as well as a television deal with NBC Sports through USA Cornhole. The league has over 120,000 players worldwide and counting. The ACL’s strong sponsor support includes Johnsonville, DraftKings, Bush’s Beans, Bacardi, and AllCornhole.com, amongst others.

“We’re thrilled to be working with ZÜCA, the clear leader in the category – their design, quality, and commitment to serving the cornhole community are unparalleled and the perfect fit with the ACL,” said Stacey Moore, Founder of American Cornhole League. “As the league’s popularity continues to grow the products that we’re developing with ZÜCA will meet the needs of all players, from amateurs to pros.”

“Cornhole is growing in popularity every day, and we’ve loved working with both players and tournament directors to find exciting ways to support the sport,” says Bruce Kinnee, President and CEO of ZÜCA. “When we first started doing market research on cornhole, we quickly identified the ACL as a leader in the industry. Working with the ACL is an excellent opportunity for us to continue to share our enthusiasm for cornhole. We are proud to be a sponsor of the ACL in 2022 and beyond.”

The American Cornhole League hosts competition and tournaments across the amateur, collegiate, and pro ranks with thousands of players taking part every year. For additional information on how to participate visit iplaycornhole.com.

No Baseball? Strat-O-Matic Has Fans Covered With Regular Season Simulation Beginning Opening Day

While there may be no baseball on the field this spring until owners and players settle their differences, fans don’t have to go without their favorite sport come Opening Day. Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, today announced it will provide daily simulations of scheduled games beginning on Thursday, March 31, which was to be the date of the first contests across the league. Those following @StratOMatic on Twitter will help determine the team assignments for notable remaining free agents during the week of March 21-25.

Strat-O-Matic, which performed a simulation of games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, will publish the results daily on its Website at http://www.strat-o-matic.com as well as through its various social media channels. These simulations have proven to be extremely accurate, with Atlanta’s 2021 baseball championship predicted in the preseason simulation and Los Angeles’s football title nearly matching the exact score and closely approximating statistics for top stars Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp as the most recent examples.

“We are hopeful that the season will get underway soon, but in the meantime, we have fans covered,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder. “Fans absolutely loved how we kept their baseball juices flowing with the simulation when play was suspended in 2020, and we hope that this keeps them ready for when the players are back on the field.”


Strat-O-Matic, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, had its own annual “Opening Day” in February, and although it again couldn’t be held in person, thousands of fans celebrated the arrival of the new cards based on the 2021 season statistics as well as various newly formulated sets depicting the 1986 and 1947 seasons, the latter just in time to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut.

PHF Announces Sale Of Toronto Six To BIPOC Canadian Hockey Leaders

The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) today announced that the Toronto Six has been sold by BTM Partners to new owners who represent the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous And People of Color) and Canadian investors in PHF history. The group is led by retired National Hockey League forward Anthony Stewart, joined by Hockey Hall of Famer Angela James, Carnegie Initiative co-chair Bernice Carnegie, and former NHL Coach of the Year Ted Nolan. The full list of participants in the new ownership group will be announced at closing. Together they provide invaluable hockey experience, community leadership, and diversity to the PHF’s first team north of the border.

“Local ownership who believe in our vision to grow women’s hockey and are committed to supporting these phenomenal professional athletes represents another significant step forward in the overall growth and sustainability of the PHF,” said Johanna Boynton, founding Chair and Principal Owner of the Toronto Six. “We are beyond excited for the PHF family to evolve by welcoming diverse leaders who will be difference makers and take the organization to the next level by enhancing the experience for our athletes, community partners, and passionate fans.”

Stewart isChairman of Hockey Equality which is working to create sustainable change in the hockey community and creating diversity and inclusion at all levels across the sport. He also created Stewart Hockey, an organization that provides a space where players of all ages and backgrounds can grow their hockey skills, to give back to the hockey community that went above and beyond to help him and his brother Chris reach the NHL. On the ice, the Scarborough, Ontario native grew up playing in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League before enjoying 10 years professionally including six NHL seasons. The 37-year-old is also an on-air hockey analyst with Sportsnet.

“This is a really amazing time to be part of professional women’s hockey and I am thrilled to lead a new ownership group to support elite athletes in my hometown,” said Stewart. “Together with my partners, we know how much representation matters and how important role models are for young hockey players. It brings me great joy to be part of something special and help strengthen a platform that will make the game better for the next generation and grow the game in the community that I love. We believe the PHF is well-positioned to become a leader in professional sports and look forward to continuing to build the Toronto Six into a winner on and off the ice.”

James is widely considered the first superstar in women’s hockey and remains the only Black player to captain Canada’s National Women’s Team. On the national stage she was a four-time gold medal winner at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, including the very first event in 1990 where she set a tournament record with 11 goals. The Torontonian became the first Canadian woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 and is also a member of the Black Ice Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the Order of Hockey in Canada. This season she’s been serving as an assistant coach for the Six.

Carnegie is the daughter of the late Herbert H. Carnegie, who was part of the only “All Black Line” in 1940’s semi-pro hockey. She co-founded the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation with her father and mother in 1987, helping countless individuals develop the confidence to become better citizens. As President of Bernice Carnegie and Associates, she works to address social injustice by bringing awareness to and affecting behavioral changes related to equity, fairness, and inclusiveness. The Carnegie Initiative works to ensure that hockey is inclusive, supportive and welcoming to all.

Nolan co-founded the program 3NOLANS, with sons Brandon and Jordan, to specifically work with First Nation youth to further develop their hockey skills and knowledge. Hailing from Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the 63-year-old played eight seasons of professional hockey including three in the NHL before transitioning his career into coaching. He has enjoyed success at every level behind the bench for more than 30 years, including seven NHL seasons, notably winning the 1997 Jack Adams Trophy with the Buffalo Sabres.

New and diverse ownership groups are part of the evolution of the PHF that will see substantial growth in years to come, driven by the Board of Governors’ commitment to investing $25 million over the next three years to directly enhance the player experience. Expansion to eight teams for the 2022-23 season along with a salary cap of $750,000 per team, full healthcare benefits and equity in the teams, facility upgrades, new equipment, and increased ice time is all part of the pledge to support professional PHF athletes.

The Six joined the PHF in 2020 and immediately captured a regular season title during the shortened 2021 campaign. They are currently in first place in the overall PHF standings with a 13-2-1 record and are a perfect 8-0 on home ice during this historic first season in Canada. The club, led by reigning MVP and current PHF top scorer Mikyla Grant-Mentis, will pursue their first Isobel Cup crown in playoff action March 25-28 in Tampa Bay, Florida.

NWSL Rookie of the Year Trinity Rodman Partners with Youth Athletes United

Youth Athletes United, one of America’s fastest-growing multi-sport programs, with 291 territories nationwide and more than 200,000 children instructed each year, continues to catch on in communities throughout the U.S. The multi-brand franchisor includes Soccer Stars, Amazing Athletes, TGA Premier Sports, Little Rookies Baseball and JumpBunch. Now, the 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, Trinity Rodman, a former Amazing Athlete’s program participant, will be a Brand Ambassador for all of the Youth Athletes United programs.

“Trinity has an authentic tie to our brand, as Amazing Athletes was one of the multi-sport programs she took as a child, and knows first hand how sports impact childrens’ lives and development,” said Adam Geisler, CEO of Youth Athletes. “We are thrilled to have her as an ambassador as we continue to grow our brands.”

Rodman, now 19 years old, plays forward for the NWSL’s Washington Spirit and is the youngest player ever drafted in league history. The 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year, Rodman was named to the NWSL’s Best XI First Team and recently made her USWNT debut during the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. The professional soccer player says she paved her way to success through consistent training, proper nutrition and knowing the value of teamwork — all values that Youth Athletes United teaches its young athletes in its multi-sport programs.

“Sports have always been a part of me and my family’s life,” said Rodman. “Experiencing different sports at an early age is what allowed me to find my passion for soccer. To be able to take my experiences and partner with Amazing Athletes and Soccer Stars to impact kids all across the country is very exciting. I hope I can inspire more youth athletes to continue to be active and follow their own path in sports.”

Since 2006, Amazing Athletes — the nation’s premier multi-sport education provider — has offered year-round programming that introduces kids to the fundamentals of 10 sports and helps them master six key areas of motor development and physical literacy. With expert coaches operating in top schools and facilities across more than 32 states, Amazing Athletes is on a mission to keep kids active with engaging content that teaches them about life skills, teamwork and nutrition.

For over 20 years, Soccer Stars has been one of the nation’s most popular youth soccer programs for children ages 1–16. The youth soccer program is set in a fun, non-competitive environment, with additional development and travel programs. Soccer Stars’ crib-to-college programming introduces young athletes to the fundamentals of soccer with a unique, age-specific curriculum designed to improve soccer skills, build self-confidence and develop socialization skills.

Youth Athletes United will utilize Rodman as a Brand Ambassador through live and dedicated social media, video content, local franchise clinics, and personal appearances. Matt Stefan, Director of National Marketing, noted that Amazing Athletes and Soccer Stars will hold Rodman-co-branded clinics and classes for franchisees to encourage more young players to participate in youth sports offered by the brands.

Rodman and Youth Athletes United will also work alongside franchisees in a concerted effort to help drive more free Soccer for All programs to communities that do not have access or exposure to soccer or multi-sport programs.

“We believe that every kid is an athlete,” said Stefan. “With 20-plus-years of experience creating fun, engaging content, our goal is to impact more than one million kids a year through our programs. Ultimately, we want to encourage children not only to participate in sports, but to help them find their passion that keeps them playing and staying active. With Trinity joining us as a Brand Ambassador, sharing her success and showing the impact youth sports can have, we’re on the right path.”

RealResponse Announces Landmark Deals with Broncos, Chiefs for Real-Time and Confidential Reporting

RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced a pair of landmark partnerships with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, becoming the first two NFL teams to offer the platform to its employees. Both will use the system to proactively stay in communication with employees regarding feedback on areas impacting their wellbeing – both positives that are benefiting experiences as well as to gain additional insight into the issues that may need to be addressed. The partnership will launch in the coming weeks.

“RealResponse is a critical tool that our organization will utilize at all levels to enhance our communication with employees,” said Nancy Svoboda, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for the Denver Broncos. “We are proud of our workplace culture and we want to continue to be proactive in supporting our staff by making sure that their voices continue to be heard. We are excited to be a part of this groundbreaking platform.”

“We are excited to partner with RealResponse to design and implement a valuable tool to enhance internal and external communication at all levels of our organization,” said Kirsten Krug, Executive Vice President of Administration for the Kansas City Chiefs. “Creating an efficient, confidential and anonymous way to proactively identify and address issues and opportunities will make us better. We are proud to be a part of this emerging trend within professional sports.”

“We are very proud to have both the Broncos and the Chiefs join us in this expansion of our business into the NFL,” said David Chadwick, RealResponse founder and former NCAA Division I basketball player. “The platform we have built is all about empowering athletes and employees’ voices and keeping those in leadership informed not just on issues, but on opportunities to better communicate and work together. Whether it is a junior staff member receiving acknowledgement for going above and beyond the call or a senior administrator alerting leadership of potential issues regarding employee health and well-being. It is clear that the leadership in the NFL, with Denver and Kansas City being first in, are engaged and ready to listen to resolve issues before they become problems.”

The two teams will begin implementing and onboarding staff into the system in the coming weeks. RealResponse already works with the NFLPA for player-related reporting, but having teams engaged will make the system more holistic and impactful across all areas of the organizations.

Jeff Nelson, Mookie Wilson, Katie Ledecky, Margaret Purce to be Honored at 42nd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner on Monday, March 7

The honorees for the 42nd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City on Monday night, March 7, 2022 benefiting AHRC New York City Foundation, have been announced today. These are this year’s award recipients: World Series champions, pitcher Jeff Nelson (1996, ’98, ’99, 2000) of the New York Yankees and outfielder Mookie Wilson (1986) of the New York Mets, seven-time Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming Katie Ledecky, and soccer standout NY-NJ Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce.

Julia Yager Spillman-Gover, CEO of The Eklund|Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, will receive the M. Anthony Fisher Humanitarian Award. 

The gala remembers the late great Yankees captain and catcher Thurman Munson and has raised more than $18 million for the AHRC NYC Foundation which supports programs that enable children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives. 

Joining in the celebration is a stellar lineup of sports dignitaries that includes baseball notables Bobby Valentine, John Flaherty and Nelson Figueroa, ever-popular Knicks guard John Starks, and a trio of New York Football Giants Super Bowl champs who are previous ‘Thurman” recipients: Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Chris Canty and Karl Nelson. 

Tina Cervasio, lead sports anchor for FOX 5 in New York, will be the Master of Ceremonies. New York Islanders co-owner and Katie Ledecky’s proud uncle, Jon Ledecky, will accept on her behalf. Katie Ledecky will also send a video message since she is unable to attend due to the date change from the originally-scheduled February 1

The Thurman Munson Awards are presented annually for success and inspiration on the fields of play, and community spirit off the field. Thurman’s widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for four decades. 

Entain Foundation U.S. Launches 2nd Edition Of Responsible Gambling App

Entain Foundation U.S., the non-profit dedicated to responsible gambling and funded by Entain, the global sports betting, gaming, and interactive entertainment group, announces the second edition launch of Gamble Responsibly America.

This first-of-its-kind mobile app provides practical tools, assistance and advice to anyone facing potential issues with problem gambling. It has been comprehensively updated with new and improved features in English, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. Available in the App Store and Google Play Store, the free app is unbranded and brings no commercial benefit to Entain or BetMGM, the U.S. business it jointly owns with MGM Resorts International.

Gamble Responsibly America’s improvements center around two areas: greater educational information about problem gambling, and more tools for users to access help and support. The app’s educational categories include discussions about disordered gambling, behavioral markers of concern, establishing limits, frequently asked questions, and informative videos about responsible gambling.

The app also provides self-assessment tools, including a daily gambling diary, and shows how users can access help, including a live chat feature and links to an extensive array of support services and organizations.

One such organization is Kindbridge, accessible through app. As the world’s first teletherapy company which supports gamblers and gamers struggling with their mental health, Kindbridge provides access to online professional mental health counselors and specialized support services. Kindbridge and the Entain Foundation U.S. also partnered with Game Quitters to launch the Mind Your Game campaign last year – a series of educational videos to reduce gaming and gambling-related harm in esports.

The app also links to My Wager Score, a platform designed to protect sports bettors’ financial health and minimize the risk of harmful play using real-time affordability data.

“The first version of Gamble Responsibly America was well-received and widely welcomed,” recalls Martin Lycka, Entain Senior Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling, and Trustee of the Entain Foundation U.S. “We’ve since been working hard on enhancements to provide an even more comprehensive tool for maintaining responsible gambling, as well as for preventing and mitigating problems, should they occur.”

Lycka acknowledged partner organizations who contribute their expertise and availability to the Gamble Responsibly America app, including Kindbridge, the National Council on Problem Gambling, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, My Wager Score, and others.

“This second edition of Gamble Responsibly America underscores the helpful resources of the first edition, with more tools, more educational information, additional languages and more resources that are available anytime and anywhere,” Lycka added. “Our goal with the app is simple – to educate users on safe gambling habits, and provide the necessary tools and resources to allow users to access help and support instantly.”

Draft Show Boosts SGPN Commitment To USFL Gambling Content

Sports Gambling Podcast Network (SGPN) has successfully seized the narrative as the top wagering authority on the United States Football League (USFL) with a major commitment of resources to the newly-minted pro football league, which launched its upcoming season last week with the 2022 draft.

SGPN produced a two-part, 10-hour, live USFL Draft Show and delivered interviews with five soon-to-be star players as the league’s eight teams began to stockpile talent.  That in-depth coverage, unmatched by any other platform on the media landscape, generated over 10,000 views last week alone, demonstrating a level of consumer interest that SGPN is serving with its free podcasts and website postings and app (www.sportsgamblingpodcast.com).

NBC Sports’ prominent pro football news/information platform  Pro Football Talk linked to Sports Gambling Podcast Network’s report in a post-Super Bowl offering and other mainstream outlets referenced ahead-of-the-curve SGPN content in late February. 

Led by co-founders and Sports Gambling Podcast hosts Sean Green and Ryan Kramer, SGPN experts immersed themselves in the new spring football league’s resources and established relationships with league executives in January.  The two-day live draft show followed and SGPN landed exclusive first interviews with USFL players Peyton Ramzy (WR, Tuskeegee University), Ben Holmes (QB, Tarleton State), Adewale Adeoye (DL, Utah State), Josh Taylor (OL Mississippi Valley State) and Michael Rodriguez (OL, Louisiana Tech).  The SGPN USFL homepage is here.

“It’s pretty much indisputable that we’ve got a greater depth of knowledge on the USFL than any media platform out there and our competitors will never catch up,” stated Green, who assigned multiple contributors to the unprecedented initiative.  “Our football guys are rabid, they know what our audiences want and we’re getting the answers on quarterback and skill position talent, coaching and what teams will be tops in the trenches so we can make winning, educated picks.”

Before the end of February, SGPN posted more than 20 separate podcasts and 15-plus articles laying out the top talent competing for jobs in the league.  SGPN experts produced detailed rundowns of prospective players at each position. Analysts are breaking out each position group with special notice for former NFL players and college stars whose names are familiar to gridiron fans.

Accurate advance predictions on which players would be selected early in the USFL Draft in late February reflected SGPN’s inside sources and scope of research and the result has been return visits from information-hungry football fans looking forward to the USFL’s April 16 season openers.  League competition will be airing on multiple major networks.

“We experienced tremendous growth during the NFL Playoffs window and our college basketball content with Colby Dant is more popular than ever,” added Kramer.  “For USFL, we’re doing Fantasy, team-by-team breakdowns and more.  The sportsbooks are going to list these USFL games and our picks and analysis will reflect a level of sophistication exclusive to SGPN.”

SGPN’s eye-opening growth was highlighted this week in an article in the Los Angeles Business Journal, which explored the entrepreneurial platform’s success as an independent entity in the midst of the sports wagering legalization environment of recent years.

SGPN experts will also assert their knowledge as part of SGPN’s new alliance with Colorcast, the innovative Social Sportstalk App that allows commentators to provide audio analysis to audiences in and around games being simultaneously viewed on television. Colorcast also provides users with stats, scores, betting odds, and other real-time information about the game. The platform and is fully interactive and is expected to provide a user experience that will attract additional followers to SGPN’s no-cost platforms.

cover image:

Sean Green (left) and Ryan Kramer at the SGPN studios in Los Angeles. (SGPN photo).

Former NFL Star QB Alex Smith Joins UCAN Team

The UCAN Company is proud to announce that they are welcoming former NFL Star QB Alex Smith to the brand as an investor in the company. As a longtime fan of UCAN products, Alex incorporated them into his gameday performance and off-the-field training regimen during his career and continues to use the full assortment of products in his everyday life. He brings not only an enthusiasm for UCAN’s products but a wealth of knowledge and connections to help continue to grow the brand.

Alex is a former number one overall draft pick who enjoyed 16 seasons overall in the NFL. His return from a devastating injury ahead of the 2020 season is considered one of the greatest in NFL history and earned him the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Since retiring in 2021 Alex joined ESPN as an NFL analyst. In addition to his role as an investor, he will serve as a brand ambassador and a member of UCAN’s Fitness Advisory Board.

“As you get older, you learn how to optimize your nutrition to perform at the highest level and truly reach your potential. UCAN was a part of my routine in the NFL, during my recovery from injury, and I use it now more than ever. Any time I’m doing any type of physical activity, if I have a busy day, or I’m on the go, UCAN is a must for me,” said Alex Smith. “The opportunity to invest in a company that I truly believe in and incorporate their products into my everyday life was a no brainer – I’m a big believer and know that the sky is the limit for UCAN.”

With a strong passion for health and fitness, Smith believes UCAN’s unique ability to deliver energy without sugar carries benefits far beyond elite sports.  “Sugar is in so many things and it’s all around us. To be able to cut it out is something that I would advocate for everybody, it doesn’t matter who you are. In my opinion, this is what sugary sports drinks have been advertising falsely for decades. Instead of drinking sugar water, you should be taking UCAN every day. The possibilities are endless. You name the sport, it has an application.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Alex to the UCAN family, where he will be involved in a multitude of roles,” added Shoba Murali, CEO & Founder of The UCAN Company. “He lends the brand cache from his achievements during his playing days and will expand the reach of the brand through his nutrition experience, connections on and off the field and passion for an active lifestyle.”

cover image: credit Mike Morbeck