Roman Abramovich speaks, for once | The sports card and NFT crazes collide | A big pandemic sponsorship deal

Plus: The abuse faced by women in esports

Sports Business

Michael Rubin saw his net worth surge $2.7 billion with Fanatics' $320 million funding round, which values the jersey seller at $12.8 billion, sources tell us.

Dibbs, an app that allows users to trade fractional shares of sports cards, has raised $2.8 million in funding, capitalizing on a boom in sports collectibles and a boom in non-fungible tokens.

After a period of uncertainty that ended with a sale to Minute Media in 2019, the Players' Tribune is pressing forward by expanding into Japan, the world's third-largest sports market.

Soccer

Manchester United is saying goodbye to Chevrolet as its primary jersey sponsor in favor of a new partner that is believed to be paying the club £47 million for each of the next five seasons, which just might make it the largest sports sponsorship deal struck during the pandemic.

Chelsea owner and billionaire Roman Abramovich had not spoken to the news media in about 15 years, but he opened up to us about his club's past, present and future in a recent interview.

College Sports

Federal tax filings show the NCAA spent roughly $160 million on third-party legal fees from 2015 to 2019, and that figure is poised to rise further as the organization continues to mount its defense against compensating college athletes.

Baseball

After more than a decade of spending March on the road, MLB Network is embracing remote broadcasting to deliver its annual "30 Clubs in 30 Days" season preview in a Covid-safe way.

Auto Racing

Even with his family-run team lacking sponsorship and operating on a budget a fraction the size of a top Nascar Xfinity Series organization's, Brandon Brown is on track for a second consecutive playoff appearance—and is even a threat to win races.

Cricket

In the race for the Cricket West Indies presidency, strengthening ties with the potentially lucrative American cricket scene has surprisingly emerged as a hot-button issue.

Featured Story

Female gamers face so much sexism and hate speech that many disguise their identities and don't dare to use their microphones. "I've been accused of cheating numerous times," Team Liquid streamer Slysssa says. Another problem, among many: "Any support you show another male streamer is because you're 'interested in them.' Any guy you play with is immediately your boyfriend." Now, esports teams are banding together for an event to fight back against the unfair treatment and emphasize the importance of female representation.

Hot Reads

Even As Her Career Winds Down, Candace Parker Is Redefining What A WNBA Player Can Be

Sky Sports Secures Rights To Women’s Super League In ‘Multimillion-Pound’ Deal

Where Is Title IX In The NCAA Weight Rooms?

Upon Further Review

The NFL unveiled a staggering set of renewal deals with its broadcast partners, worth $113 billion over 11 years, affirming the league's dominance despite slipping ratings. But even if it means more than $300 million for each team annually, don't expect franchise values to shoot up; expectations for new TV deals worth this much or even more were baked into our most recent valuations. See our ranking of the NFL's most valuable teams here.

The Last Word

“She’s somebody who continues to captivate the nation every time she’s in the news.”

Phil Sklar

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 101-year-old nun and chaplain of the Loyola Chicago men's basketball team, is back in the national spotlight after her Ramblers upset top-seeded Illinois, and Phil Sklar and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum are capitalizing with a limited-edition Sister Jean bobblehead. Read more on what Sister Jean is doing with the money—and why she objected to the original design.