🏟️ Athletes Turning Pages Into Impact

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Happy Friday!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Sports Industry Weekly as we share insights from the top business headlines from across the sports industry.

Let’s jump right into it…

The bridge between sports and storytelling.

Books have long been a cornerstone of sports culture, connecting athletes and fans while amplifying impactful stories.

This week alone highlights the power of books in sports.

Caitlin Clark announced a partnership with Scholastic to donate 22,000 books to under-resourced schools, focusing on Iowa and Indiana.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown turned “Inner Excellence” into an Amazon bestseller overnight after being spotted reading it during the Fox Sports’ broadcast.

Brown is also collaborating with Jim Murphy, the book’s author, to use its principles in community initiatives, supporting kids in Philadelphia through his foundation’s work.

Vanessa Bryant plans to release a new book, "Mamba & Mambacita Forever," celebrating the legacy of her late husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter.

From memoirs to community-driven initiatives, athletes are using books to inspire, educate, and connect.

These moments remind us that the stories told through books are just as powerful as the ones written on the field.

📈 Coach Prime's impact has resulted in $31.2 million in football ticket sales and a record-breaking $146 million in revenue for the University of Colorado in 2024, marking the school's first profitable season in six years.

💰 The Ohio State Buckeyes were crowned National Champions, but Notre Dame ($20 million) and Texas ($10.25 million) were among the highest-earning teams for their College Football Playoff payouts.

💸 Dawn Staley became the highest-paid women's basketball coach in history, receiving an annual salary of $4 million with a $250,000 increase every season and a $500,000 signing bonus, making the total value approximately $25.25 million.

🏀 Unrivaled Basketball set a record-breaking viewership on opening night, becoming the most-watched women's basketball game ever on TNT Sports. They also attracted 4x more viewers than the previous record for women's basketball on Sports on Max.

📊 In 2024: Super Bowl LVIII, AFC Wild Card Game, Paris Olympics, Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, and NFL’s Brazil Game led sports events in driving record-breaking user sign-ups to streaming platforms like Paramount, Peacock and Netflix.

🎟️ UConn WBB is the first public women’s program to report more than $3 million in annual ticket sales, out-earning several top public men’s teams like Alabama and LSU.

🏟️ Angel City FC revealed their new multi-million dollar performance center in LA, formerly home to the LA Rams. The facility features a soccer field, film room, gym, hydrotherapy area, locker room with vanity space, and a children's playroom.

🇫🇷 The San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers are in Paris for two regular season games, and as part of Wemby's homecoming, he debuted a new basketball court for the community.

🏆 College Football Playoff Championship game host cities were announced: Miami (2026), Las Vegas (2027), New Orleans (2028), Tampa (2029), and Miami (2030).

🏐 Major League Volleyball, a new women’s professional volleyball league, was announced, featuring a minimum of 10 franchises and set to begin play in January 2026.

🥇 Netflix announced a new series premiering on February 18th that documents the men's basketball teams from the USA, France, Canada, and Serbia throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics.

🌭 The Baltimore Orioles announced a new "affordable food and beverage" menu for the 2025 season, including $4 hot dogs, as they join the short list of teams and stadiums offering cheaper concessions for fans.

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