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This edition presented by SEAT 2026 in Charlotte, June 28-30 2026.

Key Reads

The World Cup Contracts FIFA Doesn't Want You To Read – Huddle Up *

How 2026 World Cup deals shift risk to cities.

US, FIFA, World Cup, Venues, Commercial-strategy

FIFA's hated water breaks are a big payday for Fox – Morning Brew *

Hydration breaks unlock hundreds of millions in ad revenue.

Global, Football, MediaRights, Sponsorship, FanExperience

Ross-Arctos Sports Franchise Index – Michigan Ross

Data on long-run returns from owning US sports teams.

US, Investment, Team Valuation, Finance, Strategy

New 49ers CEO Al Guido on running ‘the globe's team' and hosting more Super Bowls – The Athletic *

49ers' CEO on global brand, stadium and Super Bowls.

US, NFL, Leadership, GlobalStrategy, Venues

Why does the PGA Tour still need Tiger Woods? – The Athletic

Examines dependence on an ageing superstar for value.

US, Golf, MediaRights, Sponsorship, Strategy

Professional Sports

NHL expansion coming, new-era player empowerment, Babcock reaction, more: Board of Governors wrap – The Athletic *

Expansion economics and rising player power in the NHL.

US, NHL, Expansion, Governance, PlayerEmpowerment

PWHL Takes Its First Outside Investment – The Athletic

New capital reshapes growth path for women's hockey.

US, IceHockey, Investment, WomensSport, LeagueStrategy

Rugby Australia Secures Four Year Coca Cola Sponsorship and World Cup Pouring Rights – Ministry of Sport

Coca-Cola doubles down on rugby with major pouring deal.

AU, Sponsorship, Rugby, Coca-Cola, Marketing

Golden Knights Owner Joins Race for Vegas NBA Expansion Team – Front Office Sports

Vegas emerges as epicentre of next NBA expansion.

NBA, Expansion, Investment, Las Vegas, Sports Business

Digital & Social

Brazil's Viral Meme of the Tournament – The Athletic

Dissects how a World Cup meme exploded globally.

Global, SocialMedia, FanCulture, Marketing, Digital

TikTok adds new AI creation tools for marketers – Social Media Today

AI assistants to scale creative around games and sponsors.

Global, AI, Social Media, Content Production, Fan Engagement

Why 100K Views Still Doesn't Make Most TikTok Creators Money – Medium

View counts rarely translate directly into real revenue.

Global, Social, Digital, Commercial, Content

Media & Entertainment

Fox Likely Making Upwards of $250M From World Cup Hydration Break Ads – Yahoo Sports *

How tiny stoppages became quarter-billion dollar inventory.

US, World Cup, Media Rights, Advertising, Commercial Strategy

Fox and Roku Investor Presentation – Fox Corporation

Inside a $22B bet on connected-TV sports discovery.

US, Media Rights, Streaming, Advertising, Technology

Rating Fox's World Cup Coverage – The Athletic

Fans and critics grade Fox's World Cup broadcasts.

US, MediaRights, Broadcast, FanExperience, Sponsorship

Geek Out

The World Cup Ball's Embedded Technology and Design – The Athletic

Inside the sensor-packed ‘BB-8' World Cup match ball.

Global, Technology, Data, Product Innovation, World Cup

Patch the Planet: Helping secure open source – OpenAI

AI-written security patches for the software sports rely on.

Global, AI, Cybersecurity, Technology, Data

AI

Samsung Electronics adopts ChatGPT and Codex – OpenAI

Blueprint for taking a whole organisation ‘AI native'.

Global, AI, Digital Transformation, Operations, Data

Getty Images accused AI of ‘wholesale theft.' It's now an official ChatGPT image partner – Digital Trends *

From lawsuits to licensing: a roadmap for sports archives.

Global, AI, Media Rights, Commercial Strategy, Sponsorship

Make You Think

The fascinating case of Caitlin Clark vs. The WNBA: Who controls the spirit of the sport? – The Athletic

When a breakout star's brand outruns the league's.

US, WNBA, AthleteBrand, Media, Strategy

Promotion, Activation, Conversation – Seth's Blog

Seth Godin on designing marketing that sparks dialogue.

Global, Marketing, Sponsorship, Strategy, Fan-Engagement

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Join us at SEAT 2026 in Charlotte

Join us at SEAT 2026 in Charlotte - June 28-30 2026