Sports Business Journal

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ new training facility is taking shape—right over a city street 🚧 Cleveland officials have sold air rights above Eagle Avenue to Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock for $120K, allowing the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center to be built over the road with an open passage for traffic. Via Plain Dealer Publishing Co. https://ow.ly/yc3G50VuQIc

The NY LIBERTY are redefining the locker room with their planned $80M training facility 🏀 Instead of traditional lockers, players will have private suites with daybeds, workspaces, and vanity areas—designed for recovery, privacy, and comfort. With Populous leading the design, the Liberty are joining teams like the Portland Thorns, the WNBA’s Portland expansion team, and the Indiana Fever in shaping the future of women’s sports facilities. Via Bret McCormick https://ow.ly/Xbaq50VuL6e

Major investment in the future of U.S. Soccer 💰⚽️ Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang is committing an additional $25M to support U.S. Soccer, following her $30M donation in 2024. This marks the largest investment in the Soccer Forward Foundation since its launch last year. Via U.S. Soccer Federation https://ow.ly/6iZS50VuVmi

The Golden State Valkyries have a new broadcast home: KPIX | CBS San Francisco/Bay Area. The networks will broadcast 35 local games and expect to reach 4M homes and 11M people across Northern California. “As we went to market, there were a lot of things in mind for us," said team President Jess Smith. "First, reach. As fans are tuning into what’s potentially their first WNBA game, we want to really think through what that experience is like.” https://ow.ly/CUrX50VuW4I

Sports stocks are feeling the burn 📊 Though Donald Trump's tariff plan doesn't go into effect until next week, the stock market has already begun reacting to the news. For many public sports companies, the past day only continues a downtrend since Trump took office in January. In fact, sportswear stocks -- including Nike, Lululemon and Under Armour -- have fallen by an average 28.5% since Trump’s inauguration. These five sports stocks rank among the worst performers since Inauguration Day, per SBJ Research. See the full list — https://lnkd.in/g3gxNp_d

You've heard of the coaching tree, but what about the athletic director tree? Here's a look at how 6 of the 8 athletic directors in the #FinalFour are connected 🔻

The current state of mid- and low-major men's college basketball is shifting as players transfer and NIL deals grow 💸 Norfolk State University head coach Robert Jones called his program a "glorified JUCO" due to the lack of financial resources compared to high-major programs. With collectives offering substantial NIL cash, players from mid-majors testing the open market is becoming the norm. The question remains: how can teams retain their stars in this new world of player movement and revenue sharing? Read more from Ben Portnoy ⬇️ https://ow.ly/49tT50VuBBX

Fanatics is harnessing the power of AI to boost merch sales. With so many different products to offer, helping users find exactly what they're looking for has been a challenge. That's where AI comes in — it pairs Google insights with Fanatics’ knowledge on users’ preferences to pinpoint searches with the right apparel. Ethan Joyce with more on how Fanatics brings the tech to life: https://ow.ly/wpe450VuJXi

At the NFL's annual meeting, Commissioner Roger Goodell and owners reaffirmed the league's commitment to diversity, despite external pressures, including the Trump administration's stance on workforce diversity 🏈 ✅ New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft emphasized the importance of merit-based diversity: “Most of ownership is committed to that — I know we are committed to this diversity.” ✅ Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank spoke on the ongoing progress: “There’s real progress that’s been made, but there’s always work that has to be done… the league is absolutely committed to the work.” ✅ Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt reiterated the league's dedication: “The league remains very committed to growing diversity… whether it’s in coaching staffs, the front office, just across the league.” ✅ Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones maintained consistency: “We’re right where we’ve always been… and right now it is the same for me as it was a year ago, two years ago.” https://ow.ly/IHAb50VuF4l

PUMA Group is making a leadership change 💼 The company announced that CEO Arne Freundt will step down on April 11 due to “differing views” with the supervisory board on strategy execution. Freundt, who has been with Puma for 14 years and CEO since November 2022, will be succeeded by former Adidas executive Arthur Hoeld on July 1. Via The Wall Street Journal https://ow.ly/OHV450VuB3U