Where the Smart Money’s Going in Sports Right Now

Intro Summary
Welcome to this week’s Constant Sports Briefing. A weekly look inside the business of sports. We dive into what’s moving markets, shifting strategies, and opening real opportunities for founders, executives, athletes, and investors. This week: new NIL money mechanics, where brands are really investing, and how you should be thinking differently. Let’s get into it.

📊 This Week’s Pulse Check: Where Would You Invest $100K in a Sports Brand?

We asked: If you had $100K to grow a sports brand, where would you invest first?

Here’s how nearly 100 industry pros voted:

• 41% — Athlete partnerships

• 32% — Social content & video

• 18% — Paid ads / influencer marketing

• 9% — Experiential activations

🔎 Breakdown:
The results speak volumes. Athlete partnerships topped the poll, reflecting how much credibility and reach athletes continue to carry, especially in niche, community-led sports brands.

But social content is right behind. Why? Because distribution is still king. Whether you're selling merch, tickets, or trust, video moves culture and buyers.

💡 Takeaway for Founders & Marketers:
If you’re launching or scaling, build a flywheel:
→ Pair athlete credibility with consistent content
→ Drive awareness → fuel conversions → reinvest
→ Repeat.

If you're not integrating talent into your content and your product into stories, you're leaving reach and revenue on the table.

💰 College Sports is Now a Business. Period.
As of July 1, schools can now directly pay athletes up to $20.5M/year — the biggest shift in the industry since NIL became legal.

What’s Changed:

• Athletic departments now operate like pro teams

• An independent commission oversees compliance, Title IX, and FMV

• Collectives may get folded in, restructured, or vanish

• Foreign athlete visa challenges are still unresolved

🚨 What to Watch:

• How donor money shifts from collectives to official salary lines

• Whether coaches lose leverage in contract talks

• Whether smaller programs even survive this new market

We’re entering the College Sports 2.0 era, expect consolidation, M&A, and a new generation of NIL-focused agents and sports executives.

📌 Quick Hits Around the Industry:

1. YouTube > ESPN?
More Gen Z fans are getting sports highlights, athlete updates, and interviews on YouTube and TikTok than cable TV. If you're building media — be native, be visual, be fast.

2. MLS Expansion Coming?
Rumors flying about an additional West Coast team announcement this fall. The soccer investment window in North America still has legs.

3. WNBA Ratings Up Again.
Commercial partners are seeing stronger ROI on jersey patch deals than some NBA markets. Inventory might be underpriced for now.

🧠 Thought of the Week:

📣 Call to Action 
If you’re building something in sports, I want to hear from you. Whether it’s NIL, a media brand, a new league, or a startup — we work with founders, collectives, and athletes every week.
Let’s connect → Book a call