Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
NBPA Taps David Kelly as Managing Director and General Counsel
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced that David Kelly has been named managing director and general counsel at the NBPA. In this role, Kelly will bring more than a decade of experience with the Golden State Warriors, where he served as chief legal officer, business and basketball and chief business officer of Golden State Entertainment. Kelly will lead all legal matters for the NBPA, uniting the Union, THINK450 and NBPA Foundation, while overseeing the strategic direction of the NBPA.
CAA Adds Lucy Englander and Jonathan Davis to Senior Executive Ranks
Senior sports sponsorship executive Lucy Englander and veteran media and entertainment executive Jonathan Davis have joined CAA Sports, a division of entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency. Englander joins CAA sports property sales from Saracens Group, where for the past eight years she served as commercial director, spearheading the club’s efforts to maximize revenues through partnerships, hospitality, ticketing and events. Englander will focus on creating sponsorship opportunities for the agency’s long-standing clients such as Formula 1, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Riot Games, as well as global football rights holders. Davies joins CAA executive search as partner, bringing more than 25 years of experience in media and entertainment across multiple territories.
Scott Tilton Joins Two Circles as Senior Vice President
Two Circles has appointed Scott Tilton as senior vice president for its North American operations. As co-founder and former CEO of Hookit, he launched an AI-driven analytics platform for sponsorship measurement to help brands understand the impact their sponsorships generated in social and digital media. Under Tilton’s leadership, Hookit grew revenue from $2 million in 2016 to a $10 million run rate by 2021, and became a partner to Nike, Red Bull, Audi, Rolex, Ford, EA Sports, Visa, Mastercard and over 100 others. When Hookit was acquired by Kore in 2022, Tilton took on the role of executive vice president and board observer. Founded in 2011, Two Circles is an international sports and entertainment marketing business that leverages data to help organizations grow audiences and revenues.
Playfly Sports Names Paul Asencio as Executive VP of Global Partnerships
Playfly Sports has hired sales executive Paul Asencio as executive vice president of global partnerships. Asencio will execute the market strategy for key Playfly commercial opportunities, and his responsibilities include spearheading sales initiatives and presenting the company’s sports strategy to top-tier brands. Asencio joins Playfly with over 25 years of experience in revenue generation and client relationship management.
Legends Announces Expanded Roles for Chad Estis & Bill Rhoda
Legends announced that longtime executive Chad Estis has taken on a new and expanded role as executive vice president & chief revenue officer. Estis, who will continue his key responsibilities as an executive with the Dallas Cowboys, will now lead Legends’ sales, partnerships and college divisions, its research arm, CSL International and business development. In addition, longtime Legends leader Bill Rhoda has been named executive vice president of business development for the combined company—Legends and ASM Global. Rhoda will focus on growing Legends’ partner portfolio across the company’s end-to-end service solution, which includes all areas of venue operation and revenue generation for brands and venues in sports, entertainment, attractions, conventions and leisure industries.
Weil Adds Lawyer Steve Argeris as Partner in U.S. Private Equity Group
Sports, media and entertainment lawyer Steve Argeris has joined the international law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as a partner in its U.S. private equity group. Argeris joins Weil from Hogan Lovells LLP where he was a partner in the corporate & finance practice, representing leagues, teams, universities, brands and investors across the sports, media and entertainment sectors. He has advised multiple high-profile sports teams and owners, including M&A transactions in the NFL, MLS and the NWSL, and helped grow emerging leagues such as Major League Cricket and Major League Pickleball. Argeris has also led private company investments, handled naming rights and enterprise sponsorship agreements, defended league-facing investigations, and advised on key sporting operations employment matters, helping teams hire dozens of coaches and front office personnel across multiple professional sports leagues.
Dr. Damond Blueitt Names Medical Director of United Football League
The United Football League has named Dr. Damond Blueitt, M.D. as the league’s medical director. Blueitt will coordinate all aspects of sports medicine care for the more than 600 players, coaches and staff members across the league and its eight teams. He will oversee and direct the athletic training staffs, team physicians and emergency medical staffs for all games, training camps and practices throughout the UFL’s 10-week regular season and two-week postseason. In addition, he will head the league’s medical advisory board, which creates policy and best practices for the health and safety of the players. Blueitt has been a member of the staff for the Texas Orthopedics Associates in Fort Worth, Texas, for four years.
League One Volleyball Makes Three Executive Hires
League One Volleyball has named three female executives to its leadership body. Stephanie Alger is joining the organization as chief growth officer. Christina Donelson, LOVB’s head of people success, is being promoted to chief administrative officer, and Stephanie Martin, LOVB’s SVP of marketing and communications, is being elevated to chief marketing and communications officer. Alger has led teams at financial institutions like Bank of America, where she was a managing director and global head of equity derivatives, prime brokerage and swaps platforms. Donelson’s career spans leadership roles at brands that include Caesars Entertainment, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Delta Airlines. Martin brings more than 25 years of executive and C-suite experience in communications, brand, marketing and event production at Fortune 500 companies.
PARTNERSHIPS
Grand Slam Track Partners With CW Network and NBC Sports
The CW Network, NBC Sports and Grand Slam Track, the professional track competition launched in 2024 by four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, have entered into a three-way partnership that confirms The CW Network will be the exclusive U.S. broadcast home and Peacock will be the exclusive streaming home of Grand Slam Track, presenting all four Slams of the inaugural 2025 season live. Grand Slam Track features a roster of 48 racers, comprising the top track athletes from around the world, competing against 48 challengers in four Slams in Kingston, Jamaica; Miami; Philadelphia; and Los Angeles. Range Sports, led by David Sternberg, advised Johnson and Steve Gera, president of Grand Slam Track, in landing the partnership.
Global Fight League Partners With Box to Box for Inaugural 2025 MMA Season
The Global Fight League has entered into an exclusive partnership with Box to Box, the Emmy-winning production company behind sports storytelling hits such as Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Faceoff: Inside the NHL and Sprint. Box to Box will collaborate with the GFL on content creation and ideation, from a docuseries to digital features, live event broadcasts and athlete profiles into and through the first season, which will begin in April. Fans will gain a behind-the-scenes look at the league’s journey, its co-ed team-based format and 50-50 economic partnership with fighters.
Audi F1 Project and Legends Team Up to Drive Commercial Partnerships
Sauber Motorsport has appointed Legends to lead global commercial partnerships for Audi’s Formula 1 project ahead of the four rings’ debut on the grid in 2026. Legends will support sales strategy and execution, utilizing its global network to secure partnerships. Legends’ portfolio includes sports brands such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees, along with events like the LA 2028 Olympic Games, the Ryder Cup and the Super Bowl.
TV Azteca Partners With WSC Sports to Enhance Content
WSC Sports has entered into a two-year partnership with TV Azteca, a broadcast network in Mexico and Latin America. WSC Sports will help maximize the reach and engagement of Azteca’s sports portfolio by enhancing the network’s content capabilities. Azteca will leverage WSC Sports’ exclusive content solutions to enhance content automation, vertical video and video push notifications for multiple sports properties, including Liga MX, México Selección Nacional games, Saudi Pro League, Liga Mexicana de Béisbol and Box Azteca. WSC Sports will enable TV Azteca to cut and publish content from these sports properties in real-time across all available digital channels.
PURCHASES
Weidner Apartment Homes Acquires Ownership of USL Team
Weidner Apartment Homes is taking full ownership of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, ushering in a new era of leadership for the reigning 2024 USL championship winners. Switchbacks FC entered a partnership with Weidner Apartment Homes, owned by Colorado Springs native Dean Weidner, in 2016. This partnership led to the construction of the $50 million, 8,000-seat Weidner Field, which opened in 2020. The stadium has drawn record crowds, including a sell-out during November’s USL Championship final.
Ramp Adds NFL’s Saquon Barkley to Roster as Investor
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has joined Ramp as an investor and star of the company’s first Super Bowl ad. Ramp, a financial operations platform designed to save companies time and money, is Barkley’s largest private technology investment.
