Tom Brady, Robert Kraft And Formula 1: This Week’s Most Interesting Sports Business Stories

In this week’s SportsMoney Playbook: Tom Brady’s new yacht, Robert Kraft’s new mansion and Formula 1’s new sponsor. Plus: the race-car driver moonlighting as a mortgage broker.

Pro Football

Tom Brady showed off his $2 million yacht during a Super Bowl celebration in Tampa. Now, he’s upgrading to a new 77-footer.

Armed with a new $160 million contract, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has made his biggest investment to date with a stake in four restaurants in Texas—and plans to invest in as many as 15 more in the Dallas area.

Auto Racing

Formula 1 has a new sponsor, but rather than plastering its name on a car or on signage around the track, it’s counting on getting airtime in victory lane.

Formula E races this weekend in Monaco, coming closer than ever to using the exact same layout as Formula 1. It’s a sign of just how far electric-vehicle technology has come—and sponsors are taking notice.

Nick Sanchez, a 19-year-old graduate of Nascar‘s Drive for Diversity program, is racing in the ARCA Menards Series. As he works toward the motorsports major leagues, however, he’s paying the bills as a licensed mortgage broker.

College Sports

Six standalone college campuses in Pennsylvania are being integrated into two. One huge question remains: What does that mean for the thousands of athletes on those campuses?

Hockey

Anya Packer, a member of the 2021 Forbes Under 30 class for sports, steadily increased NWHL salaries as executive director of the players’ union. But as a 100% salary-cap increase kicks in, she is starting a new role as the Riveters‘ general manager, focusing on the business side of the team.

Soccer

Six in ten American soccer fans believe the USMNT should boycott the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a survey has found.

Sports Business

Sports media startup Overtime raised an $80 million Series C round from investors including Jeff Bezos, Alexis Ohanian and Klay Thompson. “We believed that there was that big missing hole in the sports ecosystem,” cofounder Zack Weiner tells us.

Women In Sports Tech, a nonprofit organization aimed at expanding career opportunities for women throughout the industry, has welcomed 15 new partners.

Featured Story

Another Eight-Figure Pocket Deal: Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Snags $43 Million Hamptons Mansion

Billionaire Patriots owner Robert Kraft is reportedly the buyer of a $43 million mansion in Southampton, New York, closing on what appears to be his most expensive home through a private, off-market transaction. Such closely held deals, called pocket listings, have been on the rise of late, with use of the strategy often associated with rich, high-profile individuals who prefer to shield their identities. Read more on pocket listings, “part of the real estate industry’s dark, smoke-filled room.”

Hot Reads:

Upon Further Review

BT is considering a partial sale of its sports broadcasting division, paving the way for a streaming giant to gain a foothold in the U.K. market. DAZN might be the most obvious candidate. The company has been snapping up media rights across the sports world, as we detailed in a 2019 Daily Cover Story. Read the full story here.

The Last Word

“They’re not immune from mental and emotional struggles.” – Paddy Steinfort

Paddy Steinfort, a mental performance coach who has worked with athletes at the pro and collegiate levels, has had sports stars like Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno and Raheem Mostert on his podcast, Toughness, to talk about their mental health issues. Read more about Steinfort’s mission to “end the old-school ‘keep quiet, keep it to yourself’ approach to mental health.”

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