Welcome back to the Spotlight! Before jumping in this week, allow me to clear the decks and orient you: it’s cold as winter through many parts of the country, though allergy season is very clearly in full effect. TikTok is again living on borrowed time, channeling Fredo from “The Godfather” (just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!) having been given another few months to find a suitable purchaser for its US operations. The global retaliatory tariffs on foreign goods in the US have similarly been delayed on every country that isn’t China (and, as a result, negotiations with respect to TikTok are off). The graph line on my 401(k) needs an emesis bag. That’s where we are today -- or at least I think. To add to the uncertainty, the NCAA basketball tournaments have concluded (congratulations to the UConn Huskies on the women’s side and Florida Gators for the men’s side) and many of those players in this year’s tournament will vie to compete in next year’s tournament – albeit for different schools. Indeed, thousands of basketball players have entered the NCAA transfer portal (that for some reason opened in the middle of the aforementioned basketball tournaments), looking for greener pastures (emphasis on “green”) as they seek out more lucrative deals from brands and schools. The upshot?: Hard as it may be to plan in this volatile environment, adaptability, creativity and nasal decongestant will go a long way to ride out the choppy waters.
- University of Southern California-bound Alijah Arenas, son of former NBA all-star Gilbert Arenas follows in his dad’s footsteps, signing a endorsement deal with Adidas. If Alijah’s career takes off, he may make footsteps of his own in a signature shoe.
- In case you’re starting to sour on pickleball, another emerging racquet sport, padel is on the rise with the Professional Padel League raising $10 million for an expansion into the U.S. market. Approximately half of that will be spent to educate people on how padel is different from pickleball.
- Visual artist Daniel Arsham sues rapper Quavo and his record label Quality Control Music for copyright infringement after one of Arsham’s works appeared in a promotional music video. It is as much a reminder to make sure your lawyer reviews works for rights and clearances, as much as it is a breath of fresh air to have a copyright lawsuit against a recording artist that doesn’t argue a song is sort-of, kind-of, reminiscent of another song.
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
Tariff Shock Wipes $318 Billion From Sports Stocks in a Week
April 9, 2025 via Sportico
Boston Celtics guard details new sneaker deal amid breakout season
April 8, 2025 via MassLive
Texas' Arch Manning adds to growing NIL valuation, inks deal with clothing company
April 8, 2025 via Fox News
Global Gaming League raises $10M round for celebrity-endorsed gaming tournaments
April 8, 2025 via Venturebeat
Influencer Brands Are Making a Comeback
April 7, 2025 via The Business of Fashion
Gilbert Arenas’ son Alijah lands big endorsement deal
April 7, 2025 via Larry Brown Sports
Sports
Pro Padel Raises $10 Million, Pushing Sport To New Heights In U.S.
April 8, 2025 via Forbes
There’s no dispute about Paige Bueckers’ legacy: She put UConn back on top
April 7, 2025 via SB Nation
LSU’s Livvy Dunne objects to potential landmark settlement. Here's what she said.
April 7, 2025 via Advocate
NBA’s Deni Avdija Makes History as Highest-Paid Israeli Athlete
April 7, 2025 via Jewish Business News
Covid's legacy on sports world includes acceleration of NIL, paying college athletes
April 6, 2025 via LancasterOnline
Music Biz
YouTube launches new AI music tool… that makes instant copyright-free video soundtracks
April 11, 2025 via Music Business Worldwide
TICKET Act mandating ‘all-in’ pricing for events heads to full vote in US Congress
April 10, 2025 via Music Business Worldwide
RIAA Supports NO FAKES Act as Senators Blackburn, Coons, Tillis, Klobuchar and Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Balint & Bipartisan Colleagues Reintroduce Landmark Bill
April 9, 2025 via Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Artist Daniel Arsham Sues Rapper Quavo in Copyright Case
April 9, 2025 via ArtNews
NO FAKES Act aimed at cracking down on deepfakes reintroduced in US Congress – this time with support of Google and OpenAI
April 9, 2025 via Music Business Worldwide
Film & TV
Sports Emmys Nominations Revealed
April 8, 2025 via Deadline
Geno Auriemma, Dawn Staley believe women’s tournament needs separate TV deal
April 6, 2025 via Awful Announcing
