Sports Business Journal

Excel Sports Management and The Team led the way on the PGA Tour in 2026 ⛳ Both agencies finished the season with eight wins, two more than Sportfive’s six. The Team matched its eight victories from 2025, while Excel made a significant jump, increasing from three wins last season to eight this year. MORE: https://ow.ly/AxjY50ZHqq0

Fanatics Sportsbook will pay a $20,000 fine after continuing to contact a gambler who had placed himself on Colorado’s self-exclusion list. As part of an agreement with Colorado regulators, Fanatics will also audit its self-exclusion list to determine whether others received marketing promotions and train its VIP staff on the state’s self-exclusion rules. Via The Denver Post | https://ow.ly/7nXq50ZHp2U

MLB's latest product hire didn't come through a traditional recruiting process. Jason W. built Mosaic, a fan-created baseball app featuring multi-view streaming, customizable interfaces and new ways to follow games. The project gained traction among users and eventually caught the attention of MLB leadership. Four months later, MLB hired him to help develop the next generation of digital fan experiences. MORE via Joe Lemire: https://ow.ly/e6jQ50ZHmbL

As capital floods into professional sports, family-owned teams face a growing challenge: how do you keep pace without losing what made your franchise special? That's the question facing Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon. After spending nearly two decades learning every corner of the organization, she now finds herself helping shape the future of both the Colts and the NFL. Her approach centers on preserving the franchise's core values while embracing the change required to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry. MORE from Ben Fischer: https://ow.ly/VGHM50ZHlXV

Looking for your next opportunity in the sports industry? Here are a few of this week's featured openings: 🏈 National Football League (NFL): Dir/Professional & Adult Competitive Flag Football, supporting the growth of domestic and international flag football across professional, national team, club, tournament and recreational environments. 🏀 Dallas Mavericks: Senior Coordinator/People & Culture, supporting employee engagement initiatives and experiences that strengthen organizational culture and connection. 🎥 Versant Media: Manager/Brand Marketing-Sports, supporting the planning, development and execution of marketing campaigns across sports and entertainment properties. ⚾ Major League Baseball (MLB): Manager/Culture Marketing, supporting integrated culture marketing initiatives across food, fashion, music and film. 🏈 Arizona Cardinals Football Club: Analyst/Partnership Solutions, turning partnership, financial, sales, market and category data into insights that support business strategy and revenue growth. MORE INFO: https://ow.ly/SXVg50ZHilB

The NFL season is almost here and there’s plenty to watch beyond what happens on the field 🏈 From the league’s international expansion into Paris and Melbourne to media rights, prediction markets, the Bears’ stadium future and more, SBJ’s Ben Fischer breaks down some of the biggest storylines to follow throughout the 2026 season. MORE: https://ow.ly/rnIt50ZHl1O

In this week’s issue: 🏈 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲: Ben Fischer details Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon’s approach as she looks to maintain her family’s legacy and shape the franchise and NFL for years to come. 🎥 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁: Austin Karp reports on how sports documentary creators are leaning into live production and branded content as the market changes. 🏎️ 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘆𝗖𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗗.𝗖. 𝗯𝗲𝘁: Adam Stern looks at how the event delivered major exposure, hefty viewership numbers and a boost to the IndyCar/Fox Sports relationship. ⚽ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗼 𝟭𝟵𝟬𝟳’𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆: Alex Silverman examines the club’s goal of leveraging its commercial capabilities to serve other clubs around the world. ⚾ 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗟𝗕: Joe Lemire details how Jason Weingardt built an alternate MLB app that caught the league’s attention and ultimately landed him a job. Full issue: https://ow.ly/vJSh50ZHiLp

Capital One Arena is bringing new AI-powered security technology to the NBA and NHL 🏀🏒 As part of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s $1B+ transformation of the venue, MSE has signed a multiyear deal with Xonar to deploy its security screening systems ahead of the 2026-27 seasons. Capital One Arena will become the first NBA and NHL venue to adopt Xonar’s technology. MORE: https://ow.ly/PVNc50ZHi0i

Lou Williams says Steve Ballmer renovated nearly 500 public basketball courts across Los Angeles with one goal: He knew he couldn’t turn Lakers fans into Clippers fans. So, he went after the next generation. Put Clippers courts in neighborhoods. Build the connection early. Create fans from the ground up. “All they know is Clippers.” (via@undergrndlounge)

Chase Sapphire Reserve x Coco Gauff 🎾 One of tennis' brightest stars joins one of the most premium card brands ahead of the U.S. Open. The collab was celebrated in NYC with a star-studded guest list and a custom Jennifer Fisher "C" necklace designed just for Coco. (via @Boardroom)