Monthly Archives: February 2026

Ojeda, Pergolini, Zandee-Hart To Receive Thurman Munson Awards March 12

“Champions” is the watchword for the 2026 Thurman Munson Awards which will be presented by AHRC NYC Foundation at the 46th Annual Dinner on Thursday night, March 12, at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City. The three outstanding honorees are: New York Mets 1986 World Series Champion Bobby Ojeda; two-time Paralympic Gold medalist and world record-holding swimmer Gia Pergolini; and captain of the New York Sirens and women’s hockey Olympic Gold Medalist Micah Zandee-Hart.

The Thurman Munson Awards honor the best in sports for excellence on the fields of play, and the ice rinks and swimming pools of competition, for community service and the betterment of sports.

Marc Deieso, Partner, Gardiner & Theobald, is the recipient of the inaugural Isaacson Family Corporate Hero Award.

The Master of Ceremonies will be FOX 5 lead sports anchor and Sports Extra host Tina Cervasio.

Special guests expected to attend include Football Giants Super Bowl champions Chris Canty and Karl Nelson; Yankees WS Champion Jeff Nelson; former Yankee catcher and baseball television analyst John Flaherty and former Mets pitcher and PIX11 sportscaster Nelson Figueroa.

The Munson Awards dinner, named after the Yankees catcher and captain Thurman Munson, has raised more than $26 million for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thurman’s widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC FOUNDATION and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for more than four decades.

For media inquiries contact John Cirillo/Cirillo World by email at johnnycigarpr@aol.com or text 914-260-7436.

For tickets call 212-249-6188 or email jennifer@gala-office.com.Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/events/thurman-munson-awards-2026/.

For more information about the history of the dinner and past honorees, visit https://www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/what-is-the-thurman-munson-awards-dinner/.

photo credit: Bobby Ojeda (Barry Colla Photography); Gia Pergolini (Rowin Hernandez Continue Photography)

Horizon Sports & Experiences and TOGETHXR Launch Landmark Joint Venture “IX to Five” Powering the Future of Women’s Sports

Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E), a global sports marketing, media and live experiences agency, and TOGETHXR, the fastest growing and most popular women’s sports media company of its kind, today announced IX to Five – a game-changing joint venture built to supercharge the business of women’s sports. IX to Five will focus on creating, developing, and commercializing  women’s sports content through premium storytelling, unique intellectual properties, signature live experiences, and high-value brand partnerships.

The new joint venture launches with an initial content slate of programming featuring fan-favorite talent: the StudBudz, professional basketball players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, and Lily Shimbashi, founder of Sportsish, known for her fresh perspectives on sports and pop culture.

The collaboration harnesses TOGETHXR’s powerful storytelling engine, deep athlete relationships, and built‑in multi‑platform audience, combined with HS&E’s expertise in IP development, sponsorship and media rights consulting, and experiential marketing to unlock long‑term value for brands, athletes, creators and fans alike.

IX to Five launches at a key inflection point as the industry experiences unprecedented growth across viewership, valuations, and fan and brand engagement. Created in response to a clear and growing demand for authentic and engaging women’s sports content, IX to Five signals a commitment to build an always-on ecosystem that extends beyond content or one-off-activations into scalable platforms and enduring cultural properties.

“Women’s sports is a high-growth, big ROI business. We’re excited to team up with TOGETHXR, the leader in women’s sports media, to deepen our commitment and redefine the commercial and consumer opportunities in the category,” said David Levy, co‑CEO and Founder of Horizon Sports & Experiences. “IX to Five was born out of the industry’s need for infrastructure and a year-round strategy to turn unprecedented momentum into sustained media and commercial impact. We are creating a scalable platform, which complements HS&E’s premium programming, for brands to invest in a more meaningful, authentic way and for fans to have more opportunities to engage with the athletes and content shaping culture.

“Women’s sports doesn’t need more moments — it needs infrastructure that turns momentum into careers, culture, and commerce,” said Nancy Dubuc, Executive Chair of TOGETHXR. “TOGETHXR has helped move the space from ‘after hours’ attention to always-on storytelling, and this partnership with David and Horizon Sports & Experiences accelerates that shift — building a platform where athletes, creators, and brands grow together year-round.”

In December, TOGETHER and HS&E first collaborated at the Women’s Champions Classic, a signature, annual early season basketball showcase co-produced by HS&E, anchored by the University of Connecticut and featuring Top 25 basketball teams. There, TOGETHXR recorded podcasts and additional content at Barclays Center in front of a packed house. Building upon that success, the companies now join forces to build and expand opportunities across the category.

IX to Five will announce additional content offerings later this year.

ShotTracker Adds University of Central Florida Women’s Basketball To Its 2026 Roster of Partner Schools

ShotTracker, the revolutionary AI-powered sports analytics platform transforming how teams capture and visualize performance data, today announced that it has expanded its relationship with the University of Central Florida, along with its growing number of women’s programs on the platform. UCF added Pulse, Scout, and MyVA to ShotTracker’s Helix system to significantly increase the utilization of technology in the player development process, their scouting, and their game planning.  

“Women’s basketball continues to be an underserved market for the technology we can provide to give schools a much-needed opportunity on and off the court,” said Davyeon Ross, Co-Founder and President of ShotTracker. “UCF under Sytia Messer is the latest, but in no way the last, school to convert to our program as we head towards March Madness.”  

ShotTracker partnerships added earlier this season include: the LSU, Indiana University, Murray State University, UNC Charlotte men’s programs and Brigham Young University, UNC Charlotte, Murray State University, University of Colorado, St. Bonaventure University and UCLA women’s programs. All of these added various elements of the ShotTracker offerings with Helix, Hype, Scout or Pulse systems, or upgrading their initial partnerships. 

This news follows ShotTracker’s continued growth in 2026. That includes enhanced work with the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships and one of the largest expansions in recent company history as well as the July addition of FanThreeSixty as a new strategic partner. That expansion brings the number of ShotTracker partner schools to nearly 60.

2026 Final X/Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit returns to Prudential Center on June 19

USA Wrestling’s flagship Senior-level event, 2026 Final X, presented Kerberos Capital Management, will be held on Friday, June 19, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, alongside the 2026 Beat the Streets New York Annual Benefit.

Final X will determine the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team in two-of-three international disciplines—men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. In total, 20 weight classes will be contested, 10 in each discipline. The top two U.S. athletes in each weight class will wrestle a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the U.S. representative for the 2026 Senior World Championships in Manama, Bahrain.

This event will serve as the 2026 BTSNY Annual Benefit, its 16th to date. These unique electrifying events help BTSNY raise critical funds each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. The BTSNY Annual Benefit after-party takes place at the conclusion of Final X.

BTSNY provides a safe, positive environment for student-athletes to learn essential life lessons of discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic through the sport of wrestling.

Session times for Final X will be 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time. An exclusive presale for Final X event-only tickets will start at noon on Thursday, February 12. The general public sale begins at noon on Tuesday, February 17, on Ticketmaster. Fans can also make a generous donation to BTSNY while purchasing wrestling-only tickets on Ticketmaster.

 BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages, which include access to premier seating at Final X, plus the exclusive after-party, are currently available at btsny.org. For more information on ticket packages, email BTSNY Executive Director Bob Seidel at bseidel@btsny.org. Donations and BTSNY Annual Benefit tickets and sponsorship packages directly help BTSNY make a lifelong impact on New York City youth in need.

Eight U.S. wrestlers won a medal at the 2025 Senior World Championships and are eligible to advance directly to the Final X best-of-three series. These athletes must accept their Final X berth and compete in the same weight class in which they won a World medal last summer. The deadline to accept the automatic berth to Final X is Monday, April 13, 2026.
Athletes eligible to advance directly to Final X include Real Woods (65 kg), Levi Haines (79 kg), Zahid Valencia (86 kg), Trent Hidlay (92 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) in men’s freestyle, plus Helen Maroulis (57 kg), Kennedy Blades (68 kg) and Kylie Welker (76 kg) in women’s freestyle.

Outside of the 2025 Senior World medalist pool, the remaining Final X field will be decided at the U.S. Open on April 23-25 at The Expo at World Market Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on May 14-15 at Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

In weight classes where an athlete has advanced directly to Final X, the U.S. Open champion will earn the opposing Final X spot. In weight classes where no athlete earned an automatic Final X berth, the champions of the U.S. Open and World Team Trials Challenge Tournament will wrestle at Final X.

The U.S. Open does not require any prior qualification to enter the field, outside of being an eligible U.S. citizen and a current member of USA Wrestling. Conversely, athletes must qualify for the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in accordance with the approved World Team Trials procedures for each Olympic discipline, which are available here.

“USA Wrestling, in partnership with Beat the Streets New York, is excited to bring Final X back to Prudential Center to showcase wrestling’s top stars in a world-class venue,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. “The Final X property continues to elevate in large part due to our event partners and this unique platform provided to our athletes. Come out to Newark and cheer for America’s best, while supporting the foundational work being done by Beat the Streets to build up youth wrestling in New York City.”

“We are honored to partner with USA Wrestling to bring Final X once again to the world-class Prudential Center,” said Bob Seidel, Beat the Streets Executive Director. “As our Annual Benefit, the funds raised through this event help ensure that thousands of New York City boys and girls continue to have access to free wrestling, mentorship and life-skills programming that empower them both on and off the wrestling mat.”

“Prudential Center is proud to host Final X for the third time in four years, establishing Newark as the home of the USA Wrestling World Team Trials,” said Dylan Wanagiel, Vice President, Sports Properties and Special Events, HBSE/Prudential Center. “Final X showcases our nation’s top wrestlers as they compete to represent Team USA on the world stage. We are excited to continue our partnership with USA Wrestling and Beat the Streets to deliver this high-profile event to Newark, and we look forward to welcoming fans from across the country for another historic Final X.”

For more information about Final X, please visit TheMat.com.

‘Fantasy Football Counselor’ Khamou Talks Rankings, Analytics and More

Fantasy football has evolved from a niche hobby into a cultural staple across North America and the world. Millions of fans now engage with the NFL not just on Sundays, but year-round—through drafts, trades, weekly lineups, and debates that extend far beyond the final whistle.

Few people have seen that evolution up close like Joseph Robert Khamou, widely known as The Fantasy Football Counselor. Since launching his analysis in 2016, Khamou has built a reputation for independent thinking, long-term roster strategy, and a coaching-based approach that prioritizes sustainability over hype.

We sat down with Khamou to talk about how fantasy football has changed, why it resonates with so many people, and what separates meaningful analysis from the noise.

Q: You began publishing fantasy football analysis in 2016. How much has the game evolved since then—and why do you think it’s become so popular?

Joseph Khamou:
Fantasy football has grown dramatically—not just in size, but in meaning. When I started, it was still mostly about home leagues, draft boards, and weekly trash talk. Today, it’s a full ecosystem. You’ve got season-long leagues, dynasty formats, daily contests, props, and constant content around player performance.

What hasn’t changed is why people love it. Fantasy football brings people together. Friends, families, coworkers—you’re all connected through the same game, even if you’re rooting for different teams. It gives fans a sense of ownership and involvement that goes beyond simply watching.

That sense of connection is powerful, and that’s why millions of people keep playing year after year.

Q: You’ve built a following by avoiding mainstream, consensus rankings. Why was that important to you?

Joseph Khamou:
Consensus rankings are easy—but they’re not always helpful. Too often, analysts copy and paste the same lists, and fantasy managers end up drafting based on hype from the prior season instead of logic.

I approach fantasy football the way a coach would approach building a roster. I evaluate players using a system I created called the CUDDY system:

  • Consistency
  • Upside
  • Durability
  • Depth chart opportunity
  • Youth

That framework forces you to think critically. It’s not about who’s trending on social media—it’s about who can actually help you win over the course of a season.

Q: Fantasy football has become more analytical and data-driven over time. How have you adapted to those changes?

Joseph Khamou:
The data is valuable—but only if you know how to interpret it. Numbers without context can be misleading.

What I’ve focused on is combining research with real-world football understanding. Injuries, usage patterns, coaching tendencies, and roster construction all matter. My goal has always been to help people make better decisions, not just react to last week’s box score.

As the game has evolved, I’ve evolved with it—but I’ve never lost sight of fundamentals.

Q: Many fans see fantasy football as more than just a game. How do you view its role in today’s sports culture?

Joseph Khamou:
Fantasy football is an escape—but it’s also a community. It gives people something to look forward to, something to debate, something to bond over.

In a lot of ways, fantasy football has helped keep fans engaged with the NFL during times when attention is constantly being pulled in other directions. It makes every game matter. It makes every snap meaningful.

That’s why I take my role seriously. People trust the information they’re getting, and I don’t take that lightly.

Q: For someone looking to improve—or even start playing fantasy football—what’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give?

Joseph Khamou:
Think long-term. Don’t chase headlines. Build a plan and stick to it. I teach my fans to adopt that Lion Mentailty when you are playing fantasy football! 

Fantasy football rewards patience, preparation, and independent thinking. If you’re willing to do the work—and avoid the noise—you give yourself a real edge. My 16 Rounds Draft Solution helps fantasy managers get the edge and create that optimal roster that strays away from consensus rankings. 

For those looking for structured guidance, tools, and coaching resources, everything I offer can be found at thefantasyfootballcounselor.com

Alianza de Futbol Unveils New Brand Identity for 2026, Introducing ‘More Than Futbol’

In 2026, Alianza de Futbol, the leading Hispanic soccer organization in the United States, proudly introduces a refreshed brand identity that reflects its evolution, growth, and long-standing commitment to the community. Anchored by the new brand message “More Than Futbol,” this rebrand signals an exciting new chapter while staying true to the values that have defined Alianza for over two decades.

Alianza has always been about more than the results on the field. With an annual attendance of 250,000 spectators and over 30,000 players competing nationwide each year, Alianza is a massive cultural movement. It is a platform where families connect, talent is discovered, and opportunities are opened both on and off the field.

“Our new identity captures who we are today,” said Daina Lecuona, General Manager of Alianza. “Futbol is still at the heart of everything we do, but the impact goes far beyond the pitch. Alianza is about community, culture, growth, and the families that make this movement possible.”

A Modern Look with Meaning

The refreshed brand introduces a contemporary visual system while preserving the spirit and energy that define Alianza. The updated mark is built from circular forms that symbolize:

●      Movement – reflecting the dynamic nature of the game and the communities it serves

●      Unity – representing connection across cities, generations, and families

●      Continuity – honoring Alianza’s history while embracing its future

At the center of the identity, the soccer ball remains a core symbol — not just of sport, but of everything it creates beyond the game: visibility for players, pathways to higher levels, and moments that bring communities together.

The Alianza Ecosystem: A Platform for Everyone

The “More Than Futbol” philosophy will be immediately visible across Alianza’s five core properties, which have evolved to offer more accessible and high-intensity experiences for 2026:

●      Allstate Sueño Alianza: The nation’s premier scouting program continues to provide free, top-tier opportunities for undiscovered talent to be seen by professional scouts.

●      ViX Alianza Femenil: A dedicated platform empowering female athletes, now featuring a dynamic 5v5 format to showcase technical skill and fast-paced competition.

●      Copa Alianza: The most prestigious adult amateur Hispanic tournament in the country evolves into a high-intensity 5v5 competition, bringing new energy to the community’s favorite rivalry.

●      Copita Alianza: The foundation of the future, offering youth teams the largest competitive stage to develop and compete.

●      5v5 Alianza: A fast-paced, open tournament format that brings energy and excitement to players of all ages.

Experience the Evolution

This evolution will roll out across all Alianza platforms in 2026, including events, digital experiences, social channels, and on-site branding at tour stops nationwide.

The message remains clear: Alianza is where futbol meets opportunity, culture, and community.

For more information about the new brand and upcoming 2026 initiatives, visit: https://alianzadefutbol.com/

Manny Pacquiao Joins TBL Team Boxing League as League Ambassador, Future Owner, and Team Captain

TBL Team Boxing League (“TBL”) proudly announced today that boxing Hall of Famer, Legend, and the only 8-Division World Champion in history Manny Pacquiao will join the league as an ambassador, owner, and team captain. His initial involvement will be as League Ambassador in 2026 for Season 4 before he officially joins the TBL ownership group starting in 2027, marking a historic moment in the evolution of team-based professional boxing. As League Ambassador, Pacquiao will appear at select TBL Team Boxing League events throughout the 2026 calendar year, lending his global star power and championship legacy to the league’s rapidly growing platform.

Beginning in 2027 and continuing through 2029 (seasons 5, 6, and 7), Pacquiao’s role will expand as he officially joins the TBL ownership group, signaling a long-term commitment to the league’s growth and global reach. In addition to his ownership role, Pacquiao will serve as Team Captain and compete as an active fighter for the San Diego TJ’s, one of TBL’s highly anticipated expansion franchises. Pacquiao’s unparalleled resume, global fan base, and leadership bring unprecedented credibility and momentum to TBL as the league continues its expansion.

“I believe in the vision of TBL and what this league is building for the future of boxing,” said Manny Pacquiao. “Team boxing brings a new level of excitement, strategy, and opportunity for fighters and fans. I’m proud to be part of TBL and look forward to contributing both inside and outside the ring.”

“Manny Pacquiao is one of the most respected champions in the history of boxing, and his decision to join TBL is a defining moment for our league,” added Kevin Cassidy, CEO of TBL Team Boxing League. “From ambassador to owner to active competitor, Manny embodies everything TBL stands for — elite competition, innovation, and a team-first mindset. His involvement accelerates our mission to reshape the future of professional boxing.”

“Manny’s involvement with TBL goes far beyond his initialambassador role,” remarked Jas Mathur, CEO of Pacquiao Promotions. “This league aligns with Manny’s passion for innovation, competition, and elevating the sport of boxing. Joining TBL as an owner, team captain, and active fighter reflects his belief in the league’s model and its potential to change boxing.”

Additional details regarding Pacquiao’s 2026 appearances and his competitive debut with the San Diego TJ’s will be announced in the coming months. To learn more about TBL Team Boxing League, visit www.teamboxingleague.com for schedules, tickets, and team info.

image: Wikimedia Commmons/inboundpass