Moves and Mergers Roundup for Nov. 21, 2025

Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

Eric Butorac Named U.S. Open Tournament Director

The USTA announced that Eric Butorac, USTA senior director, player relations and business development, and former top-20 doubles pro and ATP Player Council president, has been named the next tournament director of the U.S. Open, beginning in 2026. Butorac succeeds Stacey Allaster, who will continue serving as USTA chief executive, professional tennis, before transitioning to a strategic advisor role in May of 2026. Butorac joined the USTA in 2016 after a 14-year career on tour.

U.S. Soccer Announces New COO

U.S. Soccer has appointed Dan Helfrich, former Deloitte Consulting LLP chair and CEO, as chief operating officer overseeing the organization’s operations. He will join U.S. Soccer on Jan. 1, following his retirement from Deloitte in December.  Helfrich has more than 27 years of experience driving growth for Fortune 500 companies and led the Deloitte Consulting business with 85,000 employees and $20 billion in revenue. Helfrich will be based in Atlanta and will report to JT Batson, CEO & general secretary of U.S. Soccer.

Davis Polk Welcomes Sports Partner Jon Oram

Davis Polk announced that prominent sports lawyer Jon Oram has joined the firm as head of the Sports practice and a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice. Oram will be resident in the firm’s New York office. He advises clients at the intersection of sports, finance and global investment and represents a diverse range of stakeholders—from leagues, teams, ownership groups and media companies to private equity sponsors, credit funds, financial institutions and family offices.

Professional Fighters League Tabs Lenny Daniels as COO

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced Lenny Daniels has been named the organization’s new chief operating officer. As COO, Daniels will oversee all day-to-day operations across the PFL, leading the league’s global business operations, brand and content strategy, and commercial expansion. He will also play a central leadership role in the PFL’s upcoming U.S. media rights negotiations. In this role, Daniels will report directly to PFL CEO John Martin.

Athletes Unlimited Softball Hires Senior Director of Public Affairs

As the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) expands to six teams and evolves into a city-based league in 2026, the league has hired Sarah Padove as senior director of public affairs. Reporting to AUSL chief growth officer Allie Kleva, Padove will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships in AUSL markets that directly impact business development, including sponsor relationships, ticket sales partnerships, marketing collaborations, civic engagement, government relations and community connections. Padove most recently served as senior manager, baseball and softball development at MLB.

Cadillac Formula 1 Team Finalizes C-Suite

The Cadillac Formula 1 Team announced two key additions to its senior leadership team. Willem Dinger has been named chief partnerships officer (CPO), with Lauren Teixeira joining as chief commercial officer (CCO). Reporting to Tyler Epp, global head of commercial strategy, Teixeira and Dinger will work alongside recently announced chief marketing officer Ahmed Iqbal to execute Cadillac F1’s commercial vision and establish the team as a premium platform for partners, fans and stakeholders worldwide.

BSE Executive Leaves for Consultancy

BSE Global veteran Nicole Pincus has exited her role as VP, partnership strategy—overseeing the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and Barclays Center—to launch her own consultancy, Theory & Practice. Pincus will advise clients on both the rights-holder and brand sides, developing commercial strategies that create sustainable business outcomes. She’ll also counsel senior leaders and investors on organizational optimization. Theory & Practice will be based in Jersey City, N.J., where the initial client work is expected to be focused in the women’s sports space.

Fastbreak AI Promotes Brantly to CTO, Kuhr to COO

Fastbreak AI, the provider of AI-powered sports operations software, announced the promotion of two senior executives to key leadership roles. Ben Brantly has been named chief technology officer and will now lead the product management, engineering, QA, security and DevOps teams at Fastbreak AI. Tom Kuhr has been promoted to chief operating officer and will oversee marketing, customer success, operations and talent functions across all Fastbreak business units, including Pro Sports, Amateur Sports and Participant Activation teams.

PARTNERSHIPS

Fanatics, OBB Media Announce 10-Year Fanatics Fest Partnership

Next-gen entertainment studio OBB and Fanatics announced an expanded, long-term partnership that will see the companies continue to work together across all aspects of Fanatics Fest, the sports fan festival that welcomed more than 125,000 fans to the Javits Center in NYC last summer. Fanatics Fest is expanding next year and adding a fourth day to the sports, collecting and culture showcase when it returns next July 16-19. In addition to co-producing the event alongside Fanatics Events, OBB acts as the official content partner of Fanatics Fest.

OVG and Lyft Announce National Partnership

Oak View Group (OVG) and Lyft announced a multiyear national corporate partnership. Lyft will partner with OVG as the Official Rideshare Partner for more than 75 OVG-managed venues, including members of the Arena Alliance, Theater Alliance and OVG venue portfolio. Through the partnership, OVG and Lyft will deliver fans with transportation, while partnering on initiatives that drive community engagement and sustainability. Lyft will receive prominent branding across existing rideshare zones at all participating venues, ensuring clear pick-up and drop-off locations.

Bush’s Beans Joins CFB Bowl Season With ‘Bowl of Beans’

Bush’s Beans is taking the field for its first college football bowl sponsorship on Dec. 23—renaming the postseason Boca Raton Bowl as the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans. The Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans will feature a 360-degree sponsorship spanning exclusive naming rights, digital and social media content, in-stadium branding, bean-powered activations and product sampling.

T-Mobile Extends and Expands Its F1 Partnership

T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced a multiyear extension as the Exclusive 5G Partner of the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix and an expansion to become the Regional 5G Innovation Partner of Formula 1. Under the new agreement, T-Mobile will bring 5G-connected technologies supporting broadcast innovations and fan activations to the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, starting in 2026.

CarMax Renews NWSL Partnership, Gears Up for Skills Challenge 

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and CarMax announced a multiyear renewal of their partnership, extending CarMax’s role as the league’s Official Auto Retailer. The announcement comes as the league kicks off championship weekend, including its Skills Challenge.

YES Network, CAMB.AI Agree to Explore Strategic AI Initiatives

The YES Network, exclusive regional home of the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Nets, and CAMB.AI, a global company that enables multilingual communication, have agreed to explore strategic initiatives to use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the fan experience. This marks the first time that CAMB.AI is teaming up with a U.S. sports television network to explore business opportunities.

AC Milan and Bud Sign New Partnership

AC Milan and AB InBev have announced a new partnership that will see Bud become the Official Beer Partner and Regional Partner of the Rossoneri club. Fans’ matchday experience will see the exclusive presence of Bud available in public bars and all hospitality areas. Bud will focus on creating additional activations for fans throughout the year.

Major League Table Tennis Announces 3 New Corporate Partners

Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) announced new team sponsorships with First Advantage, LifeSign and Princeton BioMeditech (PBM) as the league continues its growth during the 2025-26 season. First Advantage will serve as the Official Sponsor of the Atlanta Blazers, while LifeSign and PBM will jointly serve as Official Sponsors of the Princeton Revolution. First Advantage branding will appear on Blazers uniforms, while LifeSign and PBM will appear together as a combined jersey lockup on Revolution uniforms. All three partners will also receive digital integration and in-venue visibility throughout the season.

Shift4 Makes Canadian Sports Debut for Ottawa Senators

Shift4 (NYSE:FOUR) has been selected by the Ottawa Senators to power food and beverage concessions payments for the team’s home games at Canadian Tire Centre. Shift4 provides sports and entertainment venues with an end-to-end commerce ecosystem, including a wide range of payments technologies and integrations to deliver a seamless ordering and payment experience while simplifying operations for venue operators.

KPMG Joins SailGP as Official Digital Transformation Partner

SailGP has announced a new global partnership with KPMG, the firm joining as the league’s first Official Digital Transformation Partner. The expanded global relationship with the professional services firm will power SailGP’s fan acquisition and engagement strategy. KPMG will play a pivotal role in accelerating SailGP’s momentum on digital channels, leading on the development and delivery of new products to strengthen SailGP’s connection with fans around the world.

Champion and Nash Expands Sports Sponsorship Portfolio

Champion and Nash, part of the HVAC industry in the Houston region for more than four decades, will sponsor the first Houston Hoops Showdown. The Dec. 6 matchup, pitting national NCAA men’s basketball runner-up Houston against Florida State, will take place at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston. The agreement marks Champion and Nash’s first collegiate sports partnership.

Bank of America Partners With Great Ethiopian Run

Great Ethiopian Run announced a multiyear partnership with Bank of America to serve as the Presenting Partner for Great Ethiopian Run beginning in 2026. Together, Bank of America and Great Ethiopian Run will promote the growth of three major running events—the Great Ethiopian Run International 10km, its associated Children’s Races and, beginning in 2027, the Women First 5km—all presented by Bank of America.

PRODUCTS

‘EA Sports Madden NFL Cast’ Goes Primetime for Thanksgiving Matchup

NBC Sports and Peacock will collaborate for a second consecutive year with the National Football League, EA Sports and Genius Sports to present the EA Sports Madden NFL Cast. This season’s edition moves to prime time on Thanksgiving, exclusively streaming on Peacock, as the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium at 8 p.m. ET. Blending video game elements and live action, the stream will inject Madden NFL’s brand elements as animated overlays.

The World Fencing League Launches

The World Fencing League (WFL) will make its global debut in Los Angeles in April 2026. At the helm is founder Miles Chamley-Watson—a three-time Olympian, two-time World Champion and first ever African American World Champion. RWS Global, the creative team behind the Paris 2024 Olympic sport presentation, will lead the live event production. The WFL debut will be a one-day event featuring a condensed, fan-first format: 12 elite fencers from regions across the world. The event will be produced for a global streaming broadcast with expansion plans into the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Overtime, Omaha Productions Create National Prep Football Championship

Overtime and Omaha Productions announced the creation of the inaugural Overtime Nationals High School Football Championship, which will air on ESPN2 on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. ET. The contest will feature Corner Canyon and St. Frances Academy at Under Armour Stadium in Baltimore. Overtime Nationals will be held annually to crown a national high school football champion. This year’s game includes standout recruits Helaman Casuga, Diesel Dart, Zion Elee and Jireh Edwards.

North Carolina Awards $3.17M Grant, Helps Land Asheville PGA Event

North Carolina has approved up to $3.17 million for a grant from the state’s Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund to support the “Biltmore Championship in Asheville.” The new PGA Tour event set for September 2026 will be part of the FedExCup Fall series. The Asheville event will be played at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course framed by the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Ritz Brand Confirms Ad for Super Bowl 2026

Ritz will return to the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, with a 30-second advertisement airing during the third quarter. This will mark the third consecutive year that a Mondelēz International snack brand will make an ad-break appearance. Ahead of the game, the Ritz Brand will release the brand’s new football-shaped cracker. Created by The Martin Agency, the brand’s new spot is directed by Dan Opsal, and produced by Hungry Man and Publicis Production.

Airbnb Unveils Olympian and Paralympian Experiences for Milano Cortina 2026

Launched by Worldwide Olympic Partner Airbnb, the experiences bring together 26 athletes from seven countries and more than 15 sports, offering activities that connect fans directly with Olympian and Paralympians. The experiences include cooking classes, ski adventures, spa days and skating with Olympic legends. Guests can also attend ticketed Olympic events with athletes; for example, joining Nathan Chen in Milan at the figure skating pairs and women’s free skate finals. Experiences will take place from February through March 2026, before, during and after the Games.

PURCHASES

AI-Powered Stats Search Engine Screwball Raises Pre-Seed Funding

AI-powered sports stats search engine Screwball recently raised pre-seed funding from Underscore VC and Character Capital. Available for free at Screwball.com, the site offers the ability to search for real-time statistical information using natural language queries, such as the last time a team had two players with a triple-double in the same game. Screwball currently supports NBA and MLB searches, using data from Sportradar as well as other sources. Initially launched in April, Screwball handled more than 10,000 searches per month by the end of the MLB season, according to founder Dan Birken. 

CAA Brand Management to Acquire Beanstalk

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) announced that CAA Brand Management has reached an agreement to acquire Beanstalk, a licensing agency with expertise across multiple industry sectors, including food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, home improvement, entertainment and gaming. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.