Christian Bruey

The cutthroat power struggle within US Soccer is plunging the sport into a downward spiral, with MLS at the forefront of the controversy. Accusations of MLS deliberately sabotaging the USL in a bid to cling onto its dominance are rife, exposing a desperate grasp for power. This calculated move by MLS comes as no surprise, considering its ongoing assault on the USL's modest strides in lower league soccer. The recent demise of USL San Diego serves as a grim reminder of the ruthless tactics employed by MLS to crush any potential competition. Such ruthless maneuvers not only stifle the growth of the sport but also erode the very essence of healthy competition that soccer thrives on. Instead of nurturing an environment of fair play and rivalry, MLS's actions reek of a monopolistic agenda aimed at controlling markets, ultimately tarnishing the integrity of the beautiful game. https://lnkd.in/eEmjB5db

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More and more momentum for TMRW Sports as we prepare for the launch of TGL presented by SoFi in January and start preparing for what might be next. https://lnkd.in/dh7Qjyes

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"We want to be a leader in the game and we want to be on the front foot." - Ali Curtis, MLS SVP of Sporting Development. MLS and MLS NEXT Pro are doing just that, as evidenced by the rules we have implemented to increase focus on player health and safety and to decrease time wasting. Today's article gives a great look at the rules and their impact. Take a look: https://lnkd.in/eJwPhtTq

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Huge developments in the landscape of recruiting and junior sport funding in the US. The NCAA implementing a revenue sharing model as well as a $22M commit-cap, helps even out an already unlevel playing field as far as recruitment offerings & benefits go. Creates more of an opportunity for smaller schools with less revenue to build rosters and compete. #NCAA #SportBusiness #Sports https://lnkd.in/gtnKpdSB

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This partnership between #MajorLeagueBaseball and #Mastercard highlights the connection food has with baseball and sports overall, from traditional items like hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream, and peanuts to unique choices such as fried chicken donuts at #CitiField and the Mac Bat at #TropicanaField, a cone filled with Mac n Cheese. Utilizing the connection with culinary in your market can also bring the rewards of engaging both inside and outside your venue. Minor League Baseball and "Home Run Foods" Minor League Baseball (MiLB) partnered with local eateries to offer "Home Run Foods," delivering stadium favorites to fans' doorsteps. This initiative boosted fan engagement during the pandemic, achieving a 20% increase in merchandise sales tied to food orders. ECHL Inc. and "Fan Feast" The ECHL's "Fan Feast" program, launched in collaboration with regional food vendors, provided fans with team-branded meal kits. This initiative saw a 15% increase in online fan engagement and helped sustain local businesses. Local Quick Service Restaurant (#QSR) partnerships are crucial for community connections. They provide unique, regional flavors that resonate with local fans, enhancing the authenticity of the at-home experience. These collaborations also support local businesses, fostering community goodwill and creating a mutually beneficial relationship. ❇ Tips for Finding Local QSR Partners 1. Identify Popular Local Eateries: Look for restaurants with a strong local following or reflect the community. 2. Evaluate Brand Alignment: Ensure the QSR’s brand connects with your team’s values and fanbase preferences. 3. Leverage Existing Relationships: Utilize existing sponsorships or vendor relationships for potential partnerships. 4. Consider Logistics: Choose partners capable of handling high volumes and maintaining food quality during delivery. Building Community and Revenue Implementing these food delivery programs creates a strong community connection, and loyalty and generates new revenue streams. A simple, easy-to-activate idea is to collaborate with a popular local food provider to offer team-branded meals for delivery during home and away matches. This enhances the fan experience and supports local businesses, driving engagement and sales. Consider what your local culinary providers might offer your fans. #Sportsbiz #FanEngagment #Partnerships #Community #Baseball #Food #Concessions

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Working in sports isn't hanging with the players Working in sports isn't being on ESPN Working in sports isn't working for your favorite team Working in sports isn't getting to watch all the games Working in sports isn't about getting tickets ___________________________________________________________ Working in sports is hanging out with your teammates after the game Working in sports is ESPN playing in the background while you’re hustling Working in sports is a team making you their favorite Working in sports is getting to work all the games Working in sports is doing everything you can to sell tickets #LinkedInSports #Sports #SportsBiz

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This article sheds light on the stark reality of adults exploiting players and their parents to capitalize on their amateur success. The focus is to offer the opportunity to play in college or professional baseball while perpetuating a culture of fear of missing out if you don't participate. The revenues will continue to be funded by the mass herd of youth players participating in multiple events, all for a ranking and profile to platform you to the next event. What a cycle. Now, players can or have signed away their NIL rights for this organization to continue to scale while offering more tournaments and showcases all year round to a younger and younger player demographic. Renowned MLB agent Scott Boras said in the article, "There are many other facets of illustrating your skills where you don't need Perfect Game, and to give away rights that potentially could be of substantial value to you going forward," he said. "That is not the original intent of what this was, which was a fee-for-service. Now it's a fee-for-service, plus a loss of monumental rights for no remuneration to the player."  With the prevalent use of social media, the NCAA's move to pay players and NIL usage, the industry will continue to pressure parents and players to do anything possible to secure their players' opportunities to play at the next level. The best players rarely have to pay to participate, with their expenses often compensated for playing in large-scale or marquee tournaments. They frequently move from team to team and showcase to showcase, seldom competing within their local communities. The focus has shifted from team success to building their brand. Injuries will continue to rise, and Major League Baseball (MLB) will continue to inherit a generation of players who have spent most of their time focusing on what they need to do to boost themselves and less on the teams that can help them succeed. I really hope and would love to see MLB Playball, USA Baseball, and MLB Pipeline's platforms efficiently marketed and integrated inside more communities to help offset what is currently happening to amateur players on their journey. After all, many of these players who are paying for these tournaments, are all dreaming of playing MLB. Starting off playing in your community league with a pathway of opportunity for more players to play at higher levels shouldn't come with such a high price tag.

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Here's 4 benefits of using more urgency in your sales process: 👇 -Increased desire for your product -Better pipeline management -Quicker decisions -More sales What's the most effective ways you've used urgency in your sales process? #LinkedinSports #SportsBiz #Sales

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Opendorse 𝐍𝐈𝐋 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬/𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 1️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: The report indicates that the total NIL market is expected to reach $𝟏.𝟔𝟕 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 in 2024-25, up from $1.17 billion in 2023-24. This represents a substantial 43.1% year-over-year growth. 2️⃣𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁: The report notes that 81.6% of NIL compensation comes from collectives, while less than 20% comes from commercial deals. 3️⃣𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: The report projects average annual collective budgets of $13.9M for Power 4 schools, $3.4M for Group of 5 schools, and $1.2M for other D1 schools. Moreover, the report's findings on the commercial NIL segment suggest there's 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿3 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡. Developing strong relationships with local and regional businesses could be a key differentiator for D3 collectives moving forward. As the NIL landscape continues to mature, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 across all levels of collegiate athletics. The next few years promise to be an exciting and transformative time in our industry. Follow along for more sports-related thoughts. [Knights Table Collective & Constant Sports] #sports #sportsbiz #sportsmanagement #sportsmoney #nil #athletes #sportsbusiness #sportsindustry #sportstech #linkedinsports

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In any profession, consistently showing up, year after year, and delivering quality work is not just admirable—it's invaluable. That's the essence of reliability, which adds immeasurable value to any business. This sentiment perfectly encapsulates what a select group of starting pitchers accomplished in Major League Baseball (MLB) for over a decade. Each pitcher featured in our graphic managed to start at least 25 games for 10 consecutive seasons, marking one of the most remarkable feats in sports history. Consider this: A Major League Baseball season spans 162 games, with a standard five-man rotation expecting each starter to take the mound 32 times. Starting 25 games annually over a decade means performing at a professional level nearly 80% of the time. That's earning your paycheck and being invaluable to your team. Take Cy Young, for instance, who holds the MLB record with 815 starts and maintained an astonishing average of 40 starts per season over 19 years. Since his era, the role and expectations of starting pitchers have dramatically shifted. Today, the standards for starting pitchers are constantly evolving. Persistent arm injuries, an intense focus on detailed pitch metrics, and reduced workloads have all diminished their chances of meeting annual contract expectations. As a result, the starting rotation often resembles a revolving door with few steadfast anchors. Yet, this group of 25 pitchers didn't obsess over each pitch's velocity or spin rate as a measure of success. Instead, they focused on the fundamental goal of pitching: getting outs consistently and reliably over a long period. The current overemphasis on pitch metrics for profiling and advancing pitchers has significantly influenced training methods and objectives among today's pitchers. But there's a pivotal shift when pitchers prioritize longevity and effectiveness in getting outs over micro-analyzing their performance metrics. For a resurgence of dependable starting pitching, MLB and team organizations must incentivize this broader, results-focused approach. We need more pitchers like Mark Buehrle in today's game. Buehrle wasn't known for overpowering with pitch metrics but for his remarkable consistency and reliability. Averaging over 30 starts per season for 15 consecutive years, Buehrle delivered starts with a modest fastball, defying today's stringent velocity standards. In today's metrics-driven selection environment, a pitcher like Buehrle might struggle to find opportunities. This underscores a critical gap between past and present valuation of pitcher contributions, emphasizing the need for a reassessment of how we define and reward pitching excellence in MLB. #startingpitcher #mlb

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https://lnkd.in/gAesT7E4 Article #1000 for College Football Dawgs, written by yours truly. College athletics is going through a period of major changes. What allows a school’s athletic department to stick out above the rest? What could allow for a school like Kansas to join the SEC or Big Ten should it be warranted? Read more here at CFD!

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$200 million per year… 6x growth compared to the last WNBA Deal…. More details included in this article…. Reexamine after 3 years into the 11 year deal for the WNBA… all positive signs as Toronto WNBA Team enters the league in 2 years. Check out the full details

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