Welcome to Sportico’stransactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Jane Ewing Joins Nike as EVP & Chief Commercial Officer
Jane Ewing will join Nike as executive vice president & chief commercial officer, effective Sept. 7. She will report directly to CEO Elliot Hill and join Nike’s senior leadership team. Ewing joins Nike after almost 14 years at Walmart, where she most recently served as interim CEO for Sam’s Club China. She also held senior leadership roles spanning merchandising, digital acceleration and international operations.
USA Volleyball Names Garbato as GM, USA Beach Volleyball
USA Volleyball announced the appointment of Carolina “Gabi” Garbato as its new general manager, USA Beach Volleyball, effective immediately. In this role, Garbato will lead the overall management and performance of USA Volleyball’s Beach program, spanning the senior national teams and the Beach National Team Development Program (NTDP) to build “an athlete-centered program.” Garbato was most recently director of the NTDP, where she led the national scouting network and athlete pathway strategy connecting emerging youth talent directly into the senior national team pipeline.
Joe Flannery Joins Good Good Golf as President
Good Good Golf, the golf brand, announced the appointment of Joe Flannery as its new president. Flannery’s career highlights include leading Topgolf Callaway’s Active Lifestyle division including TravisMathew, serving as CMO of The North Face, running Adidas Originals globally and most recently serving as CEO of Score Sports. At Good Good, Flannery will oversee the full commercial, product and creative/content engine of the company, with all major functions of the core business reporting to him.
Tmrw Sports Taps Geraci as Flag Football Ambassador
Tmrw Sports announced Isabella “Izzy” Geraci as a professional flag football ambassador for the new pro league being developed by Tmrw Sports in partnership with the NFL. Earlier this month, Geraci helped Team USA Football capture a silver medal at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany. She joins fellow TMRW Sports pro flag football ambassadors Ashlea Klam and Vanita Krouch, who is also serving as the league’s lead for player relations.
PARTNERSHIPS
NFL Announces Official Partnerships with Three Sports Betting Operators
The NFL has reached commercial agreements with three sports betting operators ahead of the 2026 season. DraftKings and FanDuel, partners in the category since 2021, each signed a multiyear deal. Fanatics Betting and Gaming also signed a multiyear agreement, expanding a relationship with the NFL. All three partners will have the ability to use NFL marks within the sports betting category and promote online and retail sports betting. They will also have presence at NFL tentpole events such, unique hospitality and VIP experiences and integrations across NFL-owned digital media properties. Finally, they will have access to real-time, official play-by-play statistics, proprietary Next Gen Stats and BetVision through Genius Sports, the league’s exclusive data distribution partner.
Arthur Fery Partners With Giffgaff
Giffgaff has announced that it is the exclusive connectivity partner of rising British tennis star Arthur Fery. The signing builds on the mobile and broadband provider’s sponsorship of Fery during his career-changing performance at Wimbledon this summer, which saw its logo appear on the British wildcard’s sleeve as he defied expectations to reach the semifinals. Fery will continue to wear the Giffgaff logo on his kit across the next four Grand Slams, Davis Cup and other ATP events, while also featuring in a range of Giffgaff marketing activity over the next 12 months.
Champion and Nash Re-Signs Partnership With NBA’s Rockets for 2026-27
Following their first season as an official partner of a professional sports team, Champion and Nash has announced it will once again serve as a partner for the Houston Rockets for the upcoming regular season. Champion and Nash branding will be showcased throughout Toyota Center for locally televised Rockets home games, as well as at a number of community initiatives in the surrounding Houston region. In addition to serving as presenting partner for one home game during the regular season, Champion and Nash will prominently be showcased as part of the Champion Play of the Week social feature on the Rockets’ Instagram, Facebook and X channels.
Elevate Named Agency Operating Partner of Venezia FC
Elevate announced it has been named Agency Operating Partner of Venezia Football Club, a strategic partnership meant to accelerate the club’s commercial growth as it returns to Serie A and expands its global profile. Elevate will provide support across business strategy, hospitality, corporate partnerships and creative. Elevate will also lead partner discovery and commercial growth, focused on identifying brands that align with Venezia FC’s identity and expanding the club’s roster of commercial sponsors.
Aramark Expands NCAA Presence With FSU, Texas State Partnerships
As the 2026 NCAA season opens, Aramark has widened its collegiate footprint through new partnerships with Florida State University and Texas State University. Through an expanded partnership with FSU, a member of the ACC, Aramark will be the foodservice provider for Florida State athletics, providing game-day hospitality services across 13 competition venues and overseeing culinary operations in student-athlete dining facilities. At Texas State University, which recently joined the Pac-12, Aramark is supporting enhancements designed to broaden both the Bobcat fan experience and student-athlete performance.
Ticketmaster Becomes Partner of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027
FIBA and Ticketmaster have announced a new partnership naming Ticketmaster the official ticketing partner of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027. Through the partnership, Ticketmaster will deliver a fully digital ticketing experience for FIBA’s flagship men’s event. Powered by Ticketmaster’s SafeTix technology, tickets will be securely embedded within the tournament’s official mobile app. Ticketmaster will also service venue access across all four competition venues using TM Entry and provide on-site support throughout the tournament.
PRODUCTS
AEG and Archer to Develop Vertiport at L.A. LIVE
AEG and Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) announced a collaboration to develop downtown Los Angeles’ first vertiport—a vertical takeoff and landing site for electric air taxis—at L.A. LIVE, AEG’s four-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district in downtown LA. The agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, names Archer as the exclusive air taxi partner of L.A. LIVE. Designed for local, point-to-point urban air taxi travel, the goal of Archer’s planned LA network is to enable people to move across the city in just 10 to 20 minutes aboard Archer’s Midnight aircraft.
Alpharetta City Council Approves North Point Rezoning
The Alpharetta City Council voted to approve the vision to transform North Point Mall into a sports-adjacent, mixed-use entertainment district. The proposal, led by real estate and placemaking firm Jamestown on behalf of site owner New York Life and in partnership with Machete Group, includes a 20,000-seat NHL-ready arena, 4,000-seat music hall and performing arts center, 2,000-seat community hockey rink, 1,100-seat movie theater, 35,000-square-foot hotel conference center, and up to 650 rooms across two hotel buildings. The project also includes approximately 565,000 square feet of retail and dining, 750,000 square feet of office, 1,385 for-rent multifamily units, and more than 20 acres of publicly accessible parks, plazas and multi-use trails.
Josh Allen Launches Limited-Edition Wonderful Pistachios Bag
Wonderful Pistachios is launching its limited-edition Josh Allen packaging, bringing the NFL star quarterback and pistachio company into homes on its flagship 16-ounce roasted & salted in-shell pistachios. The new packaging builds on Allen’s partnership with Wonderful Pistachios, which also includes new national TV ads airing this fall, social content and the renewal of the Josh Allen Scholarship, a program that supports first-generation college students in California’s Central Valley, where Allen was born and raised.
PURCHASES
DAZN to Acquire EverPass Media
DAZN announced its agreement to acquire EverPass Media, marking the full global launch of DAZN for Business, a dedicated media platform serving bars, restaurants, hotels and other commercial venues across the world. Founded in 2023 by 32 Equity and RedBird Capital Partners, EverPass is a “purpose-built media and technology platform that partners with rightsholders, distribution partners and business owners to unlock access to premium live events and drive business growth.” Alex Kaplan, CEO of EverPass, will continue to lead the business as well as take on a larger role within DAZN. RedBird Capital Partners, 32 Equity and TKO Group Holdings will become minority shareholders in DAZN.
Caddix Adds Baltimore Ravens WR Ja’Kobi Lane as New Investor
Caddix, the cleat company that advertises “injury-reducing footwear” with its SmartStuds technology, announced that Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane has joined the company as an investor. The company said Lane turned down a payment to be a brand ambassador for top shoe and NFL-affiliated cleat companies to instead invest “a significant portion of his rookie salary” into Caddix.
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