The funding, carried out together with David Ott and Jane Ott, directly supports the work of the Institute for Women’s Health, Sports and Performance (WHSP), created by the Ott family alongside Dr. Kathryn Ackerman. The goal is to accelerate research, medical education and specialized clinical care for female athletes, opening up a scientific field that until now had progressed with incomplete data and approaches that did not fully consider women’s biological specificities.

A scientific debt to female athletes

“Medical research has always been based on male physiology,” Ackerman explained when announcing the project, highlighting a structural issue that goes beyond sport. For decades, protocols, treatments and performance recommendations were built primarily on studies conducted in men, leaving women athletes in a trial-and-error landscape.

The WHSP seeks to reverse this gap through research covering a wide range of disciplines and profiles: Olympic rowers, rugby players, teenage footballers, dancers and runners are already part of the initial work underway. The institute also plans to conduct studies with diverse demographic groups, from adolescents to professional athletes and postmenopausal women, broadening the focus beyond elite performance.

Investment, women’s sport and a new logic of value

The movement led by Wu Tsai is not an isolated gesture within the women’s sport ecosystem. A year earlier, Michele Kang, owner of Olympique de Lyon and the Washington Spirit, allocated another $50 million to similar initiatives focused on female athlete health, with particular attention to women’s football. The coincidence reveals a growing trend: owners and leaders in women’s sport are beginning to invest not only in infrastructure and talent, but also in applied science.

At the same time, Wu Tsai and her husband Joe Tsai opened the capital of the New York Liberty at a $450 million valuation, a record figure in global women’s sport. Part of those resources will be used to build a new $80 million training center. In this context, investment in medical research appears as a natural extension of a new way of understanding the value of women’s sport: not only as entertainment, but as a space that requires specific knowledge, dedicated resources and scientific standards aligned with its protagonists.

The post Clara Wu Tsai, owner of the New York Liberty (WNBA), drives a multimillion-dollar fund to research women’s health in sport appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The 2026 edition has been marked by the magnetism of its biggest figures, and especially by the so-called “Alcaraz effect.” The presence of the Spaniard has been a decisive driver behind record ticket sales and the consolidation of the tournament as a cultural phenomenon that blends elite sport, entertainment, and a powerful economic boost for the city and the state of Victoria.

The million spectators and a tournament that withstands even extreme heat

On Tuesday, the tournament reached a cumulative attendance of 1,097,036 people, with 879,037 corresponding to the main draw, unprecedented figures that consolidate the Australian Open as one of the major engines of global sport. On the tenth day alone, January 27, 43,750 fans entered the venue, divided between 21,226 in the day session and 22,524 at night.

All of this took place under extreme weather conditions. A heatwave with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius forced matches on outside courts to be suspended and the retractable roofs of the main stadiums to be closed. Far from emptying the stands, the public responded with a massive turnout that demonstrated the event’s drawing power, even in adverse scenarios.

The Alcaraz effect and the economic impact that goes beyond the court

Carlos Alcaraz, 22 years old and a six-time Grand Slam champion, dazzled in the quarterfinals with a victory over Alex de Miñaur, extinguishing local hopes of ending a five-decade drought without an Australian men’s champion. “It was the best match I’ve played in the tournament so far, in terms of level and intensity,” said the Spaniard, who is playing his first official tournament of the year and is chasing the milestone of becoming the youngest player to complete the four Grand Slams.

His presence has been key to the atmosphere at Melbourne Park, where the tournament has established itself as a sporting and cultural festival with live music, gastronomy, and multiple parallel activities. According to official data from the Government of Victoria, the previous edition generated AUD 565.8 million for the state’s economy, and this year the trend continues, with hotels, restaurants, and shops benefiting from a massive international influx, further supported by thousands of additional public transport services during the event.

The post The Australian Open breaks the million mark thanks to the pull of its stars appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The project is part of a broader structural shift within the sports industry, as more athletes such as Leo Messi, Tom Brady, Jimmy Butler and LeBron James choose to control their own commercial channels, reduce intermediaries and manage their relationship with fans directly. Compared with traditional licensing agreements, these platforms provide access to consumer data, enable limited-edition drops and diversify revenue streams beyond conventional sponsorship.

From sponsorship to owned channels: the rise of direct-to-fan

The 77X platform combines e-commerce, content and exclusive activations through a membership-based structure, following a model already established in other sports and entertainment sectors. The use of Shopify provides the technological infrastructure required to scale the business, manage international payments and operate with limited inventories, a common approach in direct-to-fan strategies focused on maximising brand value.

This model has underpinned initiatives such as Autograph, the collectibles platform co-founded by Tom Brady, which closed a Series B funding round of 170 million dollars and reached close to 195 million dollars in total investment. The company’s growth was largely measured through capital raised and strategic partnerships, with market estimates at the time placing its valuation at around 3.2 billion dollars during its peak expansion phase.

Licensing, profitability and cost structures

Not all approaches have delivered the same financial outcomes. The case of Leo Messi highlights the limitations of models based solely on licensing. The Messi Store, operated under licence by MGO Global, reported sales of 1.7 million dollars in a recent fiscal year, alongside losses of approximately 1.9 million dollars, despite an agreement that included a guaranteed minimum payment and royalties for the player.

Such results have prompted many athletes to reassess the balance between fixed licensing income and proprietary models that involve higher operational risk but offer greater medium-term growth potential. In this context, platforms like 77X allow athletes to align production, pricing and release schedules with real-time audience behaviour.

From digital platforms to physical retail

A different route has been explored by Jimmy Butler through BigFace Coffee, a brand that emerged within the NBA ecosystem and later expanded into physical retail with the opening of a flagship location in the Design District of Miami, spanning 2,500 square feet. The concept combines direct sales, brand experiences and selected collaborations, positioning itself at the premium end of the market while building community around the product.

Another example of how owned audiences can evolve into business platforms is The SpringHill Company, founded by LeBron James, which reached a valuation of 725 million dollars following the entry of strategic investors. Although its core activity lies in content and media production, the model illustrates how community-building and storytelling can precede direct monetisation through products and experiences.

In this landscape, the launch of 77X places Luka Dončić firmly within a movement that blends business and sport, where personal brands are managed as companies and fans move from passive consumers to central participants in the commercial ecosystem.

The post The athlete as a business: Luka Dončić follows the path of Brady and Messi appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The paradox becomes more complex when considering the broader context. While the WSL states that it is committed to progressively raising these standards and clubs face severe sanctions if they exceed the salary cap, many young players still earn incomes that, in legal comparative terms, fall below what is established by labor regulations in the United Kingdom. The new framework seeks to balance financial sustainability and professionalization, but it also exposes the frictions of a league trying to grow without overstretching its economic structure.

Historically high minimum salaries that still fall short of national labor standards

WSL2 clubs must pay a minimum of £22,200 to players aged 21 and 22, and £17,500 to those aged between 18 and 20. For players aged 23 or older, the minimum rises to £26,900. Regulations state that these footballers must complete at least 20 hours per week of physical contact time, excluding matchdays and meals. On paper, this represents a significant improvement compared to previous seasons, when some players reportedly earned as little as £9,000 per year and many relied on a second job to make ends meet.

But when these figures are compared with British labor legislation, the gap becomes evident. A worker over the age of 21 must be paid £12.21 per hour, which equals £23,810 annually for a standard 37.5-hour workweek. The real living wage stands at £26,227, and even higher in London. Although the WSL emphasizes that the calculation is based on 20 weekly hours and that the minimum exceeds the hourly wage for that workload, the annual result still leaves young players earning less than what any full-time worker in another sector would receive.

Strict financial control in a league still building its model

This debate is further shaped by the implementation of salary cap rules. Clubs cannot allocate more to player wages than 80% of their revenue plus £4 million, or an additional 25% of revenue, whichever is greater. In practice, this means that an owner with strong liquidity can spend up to £4 million on player salaries without breaching the rule — a figure that for most clubs far exceeds 25% of their actual income. Any breach can lead to fines and points deductions: in WSL2, one point can be deducted for every £50,000 overspent.

The league’s financial background helps explain this caution. The first accounts published after separating from the FA show an operating loss of £8.2 million, albeit with growing revenues that have reportedly tripled at a commercial level. The organization has a £20 million loan from the Premier League, to be repaid from the 2030-31 season, and maintains a cash balance of £10.7 million. In this scenario, the WSL maintains that minimum salaries are a foundation to build upon, while trying to avoid a push toward professionalization that could create financial imbalances clubs are unable to sustain.

The post WSL2 pays under-23 players below the national minimum wage appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The post Cortina d’Ampezzo revives its Olympic history to build the model for 2026 appeared first on sportsin.biz.

To move forward with this roadmap, the PTPA has gone to market in search of a banking advisor to help shape this ambitious corporate vehicle. The organization has already requested formal proposals from investment banks and financial advisory firms to define the model’s architecture, valuation, and potential capitalization, in a process whose deadline for expressions of interest ends on February 6 and has already attracted interest from several entities.

A holding company to reorganize the business of tennis

The proposal envisions the creation of a parent company that would coordinate the main economic assets of professional tennis: commercial rights, audiovisual rights, sponsorships, and even aspects linked to governance. The intention is for this new structure to centralize the economic exploitation of the circuit while, at the same time, giving players greater influence over how these resources are managed.

Although it has not yet been defined whether a capital increase will be necessary to complete the financing, the $1 billion figure serves as a reference for the scope the initiative seeks to achieve. The PTPA is looking not only for financial backing but also for a strategic partner capable of bringing order to an ecosystem that has historically been fragmented among multiple governing bodies, tournaments, and circuits that often operate under their own, and sometimes conflicting, logics.

The institutional context and Djokovic’s departure

Founded in 2020 by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, the PTPA currently represents around 600 players and has focused its efforts on improving working conditions, safety, scheduling, and financial compensation within the circuit. However, at the beginning of January, Djokovic himself announced his departure from the project, citing disagreements related to transparency and internal governance within the organization he helped create.

In parallel, the association is pursuing a lawsuit initiated in 2025 alongside twelve players against the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the ATP, the WTA, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency, over alleged practices that violate antitrust legislation. A recent agreement with the organizers of the Australian Open has served as momentum to advance the construction of a structural framework capable of addressing more comprehensively the issues raised in the lawsuit, which now translates into this search for funding and corporate reorganization of professional tennis.

The post The tennis players’ union seeks $1 billion to create a holding company that will transform the business of tennis appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The report examines how this relationship between city and sport affects both grassroots sport and the organisation of competitions and events. It analyses the role of parks, rivers, open facilities and active mobility networks as everyday sports infrastructure, as well as differences in access between neighbourhoods and the impact that major events can have as catalysts for investment and urban transformation.

Neighbourhoods competing on unequal terms

Access to open sports infrastructure emerges as one of the most influential factors in physical activity levels. The report notes that the presence of green spaces, urban circuits, cycle lanes and pedestrian areas significantly increases the likelihood of regular sports participation by reducing access barriers and dependence on indoor facilities.

However, the report warns that access to sports infrastructure is not evenly distributed within cities. There are clear differences in sports participation between neighbourhoods depending on the availability of suitable spaces, urban connectivity and environmental quality. These territorial inequalities condition participation and limit the ability of certain areas to integrate into the city’s sporting life. From an institutional perspective, this gap has direct implications for federations, clubs and local authorities.

Equipment as part of sports infrastructure

Beyond physical space, the report identifies access to equipment as another key component of sports infrastructure. The cost of sporting goods remains a barrier for large segments of the population, limiting participation even in urban environments that are otherwise well supplied with open facilities.

In this context, the document highlights circular economy models — such as resale, rental and the reuse of sports equipment — as tools to expand access. These practices lower the entry cost to sport and support continued participation, particularly among young people and new participants, reinforcing the effective use of existing infrastructure. The report stresses that public policies integrating urban planning with access to equipment can increase participation without requiring major additional investment in facilities.

The report also analyses the role of major sporting events as urban catalysts. Venue preparation, transport infrastructure improvements and the regeneration of public spaces linked to these events can leave a lasting legacy for everyday sports participation, provided there is planning focused on post-event use. However, the document cautions that this impact is not automatic. Sporting legacy depends on how newly created infrastructure is integrated into the existing urban network and remains accessible after the event, avoiding underused venues disconnected from local communities.

The city as a key actor in the sports system

At a global level, the World Economic Forum positions cities as strategic actors in the future of sport. The combination of open infrastructure, access to equipment and event planning shapes the capacity to increase physical activity and sustain more inclusive and efficient sports systems.

The report notes that the growth of sport will largely depend on how cities integrate sport into territorial planning and infrastructure management, consolidating the urban environment as a permanent sports venue that influences both participation levels and the development of the wider sports ecosystem.

The post When the city becomes a permanent sports venue appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The post Saudi Arabia indefinitely postpones the 2029 Asian Winter Games due to construction delays appeared first on sportsin.biz.

In this vibrant setting, FIFA officially unveiled the tournament’s brand: the emblem, the slogan GO EPIC, and a sonic identity inspired by Brazilian rhythms. The ceremony brought together legends of both women’s and men’s football, reinforcing the idea of one football family projected toward the future. Local culture took center stage and served as the connecting thread to present a World Cup that aims to be inclusive, joyful and deeply connected to the Brazilian spirit.

An emblem that unites symbols, movement and identity

At the heart of the presentation stood the official emblem, a visual piece rich in meaning. Inspired by the Brazilian flag and the geometry of a football field, the design emerges from the fusion of the letters “W” and “M”, initials of “Women” and “World” in English, and “Mulheres” and “Mundo” in Portuguese. The resulting figure conveys movement, mastery and a symbolic reading that connects women’s football with the global stage.

 

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

 

Una publicación compartida por FIFA Women’s World Cup (@fifawomensworldcup)

The emblem not only pays tribute to the colors and shapes of the Brazilian flag, but also reflects the intention to place women’s football at the center of the global sporting scene. The aesthetic choice seeks to engage with the country’s history as a host of major events while projecting a new narrative in which women take a leading role on football’s greatest stage.

Sound, streets and voices telling the story of Brazil 2027

The slogan GO EPIC was presented as a direct invitation for fans around the world to be part of an unforgettable journey. This was complemented by a sonic identity inspired by samba, percussion and Afro-Brazilian heritage, designed to accompany the tournament across all platforms and touchpoints. The sound, available on streaming services and on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, becomes an emotional vehicle that connects culture and sport.

Before the official broadcast from a hotel in Copacabana, Atlântica Avenue turned into a living canvas thanks to an urban art festival that revived a distinctly Brazilian tradition: painting the streets when the country hosts a World Cup. In a video message, Marta highlighted the nation’s deep emotional connection with football and the excitement surrounding the hosting of this tournament. Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino emphasized Brazil’s total commitment to making this event a turning point in the history of women’s football.

The post This is the official logo of the Women’s Football World Cup appeared first on sportsin.biz.

The report identifies this reality as one of the sector’s main economic challenges in the coming decades. It explains how exposure to extreme weather and environmental degradation is no longer an external variable, but a factor shaping contracts, calendars and strategic decisions. From this perspective, the environment functions as critical infrastructure for the sports business, comparable to stadiums, technology or regulatory frameworks.

Media rights and sponsorship under environmental pressure

The sports sector’s dependence on outdoor settings is clearly reflected in the media rights market. The report notes that more than 90% of professional sports media rights originate from outdoor competitions, closely linking broadcast continuity, audiences and contractual compliance to increasingly unpredictable environmental and climate-related factors.

This exposure also affects sponsorship, one of the sector’s key economic pillars. According to the report, 76% of sponsorship revenue is associated with outdoor events, where brand visibility and commercial activations depend on stable operating conditions. Cancellations, delays or format changes reduce expected returns and create uncertainty in medium- and long-term agreements, particularly in competitions with international calendars.

Tangible risks for leagues, federations and organisers

The document underlines that these risks are already translating into concrete economic impacts. Heatwaves, pollution episodes and heavy rainfall are leading to event cancellations and rescheduling, as well as capacity restrictions and reduced media visibility. These disruptions directly affect ticketing income, media rights and sponsorship, while forcing calendar adjustments that carry additional costs.

In the United Kingdom, for example, adverse weather conditions generate estimated annual losses of 320 million pounds in community sport, a figure that illustrates the financial impact of environmental factors beyond elite professional competitions.

The report also identifies deteriorating air quality as a growing risk for urban competitions and endurance sports, with direct implications for athlete and spectator health. As a result, events are increasingly being suspended or modified in certain cities, particularly during prolonged pollution episodes.

Operating costs, insurance and investment impact

Beyond direct revenues, environmental exposure is beginning to influence the structural costs of sport. The report highlights rising insurance premiums and reduced coverage availability for sporting events, especially those held outdoors and at certain times of the year. This increase in operating costs is leading organisers and promoters to adopt a more cautious approach when assuming financial risk.

From an investment perspective, climate exposure is increasingly incorporated into viability assessments. Leagues, clubs and events are evaluated not only on their revenue-generating capacity, but also on their operational resilience and ability to adapt to a more unstable environment. This trend affects valuations, long-term agreements and financing decisions, particularly in markets where sport depends heavily on outdoor infrastructure and tightly packed calendars.

The environment as an economic variable

The report argues that this new reality is influencing sports governance. Venue selection, calendar redesign and competition formats are increasingly incorporating environmental and operational risk criteria as economic variables. In this context, federations and leagues are taking on a growing role as managers of systemic risk, with direct responsibility for the stability of the model.

At a global level, the World Economic Forum identifies environmental dependence as one of the factors that will shape the future economic sustainability of sport. The sector’s ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions is emerging as a key element in preserving revenues, protecting investment and ensuring the continuity of a business that, to a large extent, continues to operate outdoors.

The post When the environment shapes the global sports business appeared first on sportsin.biz.