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Constant Sports Report #132
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.
Conner Schenk
January 27, 2026
The Lead Story
Private Capital Is Rebuilding the Sports Industry From the Inside Out
This week revealed a clear pattern across leagues, colleges, and startups:
Sports isn’t being reshaped on the field; it’s being reshaped on the balance sheet.
The shift signals a new competitive reality:
Teams and leagues are becoming investment platforms.
College athletics is merging with private equity frameworks.
Recovery tech and performance startups are drawing athlete-led capital.
Alternative financing (private debt, fan investing, structured NIL dollars) is becoming standard.
Constant Sports is a media-driven platform and private community connecting founders, investors, operators, and emerging talent building and working in the next era of sports and entertainment.
Investment, M&A & Capital Flows
885 Capital increases investment in PFL; founder Donn Davis steps down
PFL raised strategic capital to retire debt and strengthen global expansion. Immediately after, founder Donn Davis resigned as chairman. (link)
Vestible launches fan-investing marketplace, starting with Kapfenberger SV
Vestible is enabling fans to invest in future sales outcomes of European clubs.
Retail investing becomes a new sports capital channel, potentially massive.(link)
Utah x Otro Capital $500M deal raises questions about trust in college athletics
The first deal where a university co-owns a commercial operating entity with private equity. College sports are commercializing faster than their governance can adapt. (Link)
Whistle Performance (formerly GPS DataViz) raises $2M seed round
Sports performance intelligence platform rebrands and raises funding from angel investors. Lightweight, software-first performance analytics are now outpacing hardware-heavy models. (Link)
Ammortal raises athlete-led investment from Trout, Freeman, Bregman, Kittle & others
The recovery-tech wave continues with elite athletes leading the round.
Athletes are becoming signal-setters in early-stage tech. (Link)
Athlete marketing platform Faves launches with $3M seed
Funded by CMT Digital and Collider Ventures, focused on athlete-led merchandise and creator workflows. The NIL and sports creator economy are merging very fast. (Link)
CVC Capital Partners seeks $3.2B in private debt to recapitalize Global Sports Group
CVC is tapping institutional lenders to raise $3.2B, structured in five one-year maturities. Sports investment groups are moving from pure equity raises to financial engineering — freeing liquidity without selling equity. (Link)
Sports Tech & Performance
NBA Launchpad adds five new startups
New cohort includes brain-sensing wearables, spatial intelligence systems, and e-commerce personalization tools. (Link)
Whistle Performance emerges as an intelligence-first platform
Cross-listed above but important here: data intelligence is replacing hardware as the core performance product. (Link)
NCAA approves jersey patch sponsorships — a tech + workflow shift too
Starting Aug. 1, D-I programs can sell ads on uniforms and equipment.
Compliance software, NIL marketplaces, and licensing tech must adapt for real-time monitoring. (Link)
Callaway sponsors a commercial-free PGA Tour hour
A broadcast-format experiment with the Golf Channel to promote new drivers.
Expect more “premium attention” sponsorship formats that blend storytelling + uninterrupted viewing. (Link)
Constant Sports is a media-driven platform and private community connecting founders, investors, operators, and emerging talent building and working in the next era of sports and entertainment.
Sports Media & Current Events
CFP National Championship sets merchandise sales record
Indiana–Miami drove an 18% increase vs. last year, the highest ever at a CFP venue.
First-time champions deliver outsized commercial upside → donors, merch, ticketing, digital growth. (Link)
Netflix records $45.2B revenue; ad business doubling by 2026
With the WBD deal, Netflix is now positioned as a major sports-adjacent powerhouse. (Link)
Real Madrid & Barça top Deloitte Money League; EPL out of top four
First time in 29 years no English club appears in the top 4. La Liga’s revenue system, global brand strength, and digital strategy are reasserting themselves. (Link)
NBA & Abu Dhabi extend partnership, add new academy
UAE continues to embed itself into global sports. The Middle East remains a major growth market for U.S. leagues seeking global audience expansion. (Link)
Texas logs $23.3M loss; Missouri a $9M deficit
Both attribute losses to conference realignment and rising expenses. College athletics’ financial pressures are intensifying, prompting new revenue innovation models. (Link)
South Africa vs New Zealand to play in Baltimore
Rugby’s top rivalry lands at M&T Bank Stadium. Global sports see the U.S. as the ultimate growth market ahead of the 2026 World Cup, 2028 Olympics, and rising rugby interest. (Link)
Sponsorship, Marketing & Brand Strategy
Australian Open expands creator program (200+ creators)
Creator Lounge established inside media headquarters. Creators are now official media partners. Tennis is turning into a culture-first product. (Link)
Fanatics becomes e-commerce partner of Zuffa Boxing
Expands Fanatics’ combat sports footprint after UFC, PFL, WWE integrations. (Link)
New Balance grows challenger-brand identity
Ohtani, Flagg, Josh Allen → premium talent with an anti-mainstream positioning. Category disruption through selective exclusivity. (Link)
SPORTS CAPITAL IS CHANGING
On today’s episode of the Constant Sports Podcast, Conner Schenk sits down with sports investment strategist Pete Stubbs to break down where capital is flowing across the sports industry and what the next 5 years are going to look like.
✔️ Why fan capital is going to reshape emerging leagues
✔️ The shift from “buying teams” to buying ecosystems
✔️ How media, sponsorship, and distribution will transform by 2030
✔️ Why athlete-led companies matter more than ever
✔️ Where valuations are heading across teams, tech, and new leagues
✔️ The biggest opportunities for founders, investors, and operators
That wraps up this week’s Constant Sports Report.
If you want to be in the rooms where these conversations are happening,
around capital, strategy, valuation, and the future of sports……
That’s exactly what the Constant Sports Community is built for.