Constant Sports Report #131

Sports are moving quickly, and the people who understand why it’s moving will be the ones who lead it next. The Constant Sports Report exists to help founders, operators, and future executives see around corners, not just read headlines.

Author

Conner Schenk
January 20, 2026

The Lead Story

What happened in sports this week goes way deeper than deal headlines.

AI infrastructure is becoming the new competitive edge. From Teamworks’ latest acquisition to Otto Sport AI’s $16.5M funding round and Diamond Kinetics' scaling of youth development.

Sports organizations don’t have a fan problem. They have an operations problem.

And the companies winning right now are building systems that collapse complexity, automate manual work, and give operators real leverage.

Investment, M&A & Capital Flows

Teamworks acquires Sportlogiq to expand AI dominance

Teamworks continued its roll-up strategy, adding elite hockey analytics to its stack. With 13 acquisitions and nine in three years, they’re assembling the Salesforce-style operating platform for global sports.

Otto Sport AI launches with $16.5M + three acquisitions

Backed by Mamba Growth Equity and Rally Ventures, Otto is targeting the least glamorous but most painful problem in all of sports: operations.
With tools for recruiting, ticketing, and club management, they aim to unify the entire workflow layer with AI.
Already serving 1,000+ organizations, this is infrastructure — not a feature.

Diamond Kinetics raises $12M to lead youth baseball tech

Elysian Park Ventures led the round as Diamond Kinetics expands across youth baseball and softball. Youth sports is still inefficient and unstructured — making it fertile ground for tech consolidation.

Warriors valued at $11B in minority stake process

A 5% stake in Golden State Group is up for sale at an $11B valuation, reaffirming the Warriors as the NBA’s most valuable franchise and setting another benchmark for team valuations in 2026.

Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures becomes lead investor in WTGL

Morgan is now influencing the next generation of women’s sports infrastructure. WTGL, built with TMRW Sports + LPGA, represents the growing alignment of women athletes → capital → new league creation.

US Squash’s Club Locker app acquired

A national federation monetized its internal software — a rare but important move. Expect more governing bodies to explore tech asset spin-offs.

WEF warns sports industry could shrink by $1.6T by 2050

Climate risk + global inactivity = real long-term demand pressure. Participation is now a valuation factor.

Sports Tech & Performance

NBA invests in Evergent (D2C subscription infrastructure)

Leagues want direct commercial relationships with fans. Evergent helps them own subscription, billing, churn tools, and D2C pricing — the financial backbone of modern sports media.

AI will shape the 2026 World Cup, says Lenovo

The biggest global sporting event in history will feature AI-driven logistics, security, content translation, predictive modeling, and venue optimization.
This will be the template for all future mega-events.

N3XT Sports launches fan data feedback loop

This new system captures continuous fan signals and feeds them back into organizational decision-making.
The future: fan intelligence becomes part of the operations stack, not an afterthought.

Wings practice facility delayed to 2027

Women’s sports growth continues to outpace infrastructure. Demand is accelerating; buildings are not.

Sports Media & Current Events

MrBeast joins the Super Bowl ad ecosystem

Creators are now part of the “big game.” Nike sitting out while MrBeast enters shows how brands value creator trust over legacy presence.

FIFA receives 500M+ ticket requests for 2026 World Cup

Demand is off the charts. The North America World Cup is on track to be the most attended and commercially profitable sporting event ever.

NBA Berlin game sees record demand (250,000+)

European basketball appetite is exploding, especially in Germany with local stars and NBA visibility.

BBC set to retain Wimbledon rights — but must modernize

AELTC wants fresher storytelling, modern coverage, and digital-first treatment. Heritage no longer protects outdated production.

Australian Open hit by marketing backlash despite record attendance

Marketing matters more than ever — even when the product is thriving. Confusing “Opening Week” messaging frustrated fans.

NCAA integrity crisis escalates: 39 players charged in massive point-shaving scheme

The biggest modern betting scandal in college sports. Expect congressional involvement, new integrity frameworks, and stricter data access rules.

NCAA urges federal regulators to halt college prediction markets

Regulators are now active stakeholders in the sports-betting ecosystem.

Sponsorship, Marketing & Brand Strategy

Ergo Group partners with Inter Miami to anchor U.S. market entry

A German insurer chose MLS’s hottest global brand to launch its American business. A perfect example of sports as a market-entry accelerant.

Boston Legacy FC signs Voya Financial as back-of-kit sponsor

Financial services brands continue to be early adopters inside women’s sports — strong long-term indicator of confidence.

Zurich adds Lowry & Griffin as new ambassadors

Golf continues to be a stable, credibility-driven category for major insurers and financial brands.

College football postseason drives $249.4M in ad spend

1,481 brands, nearly 15,000 total ads — the strongest proof yet that premium live sports remains the most efficient reach product in media.

New Balance scales Australian Open activation

A move from "test the waters" to "full commitment" — experiential, digital, and athlete-led campaigns are expanding.

Catan publisher partners with Timberwolves

Strategy gaming meets NBA culture. Demographic alignment > category orthodoxy.

Blizzard’s World of Warcraft activation hits the NFL Playoffs

Gaming x sports integrations are becoming consistent cultural moments — driven by deeply overlapping audiences.

The Sport Born on Instagram!

With a trampoline, a phone, and a vision, Greg co-founded Freestyle Trampoline Association—a Gen Z-first, digitally native sport now generating 8-figure impressions and serious economic impact ($ 1.2 M+ in Barcelona alone).In our latest episode of the Constant Sports Podcast, Greg Roe breaks it down!

𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬

Constant Sports Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com/episode/7eixP9vMhibQ8AuuGjouYI?si=EtNVIdkPT0uM3h9J1h6w1g

That wraps up this week’s Constant Sports Report.

If you want to be in rooms with people thinking about sports this way, beyond headlines and into leverage, structure, and long-term value……. That’s what the Constant Sports Community is built for.