🏟️ Basketball and Chess Go Viral

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Happy New Year!

Welcome to the first 2025 edition of Sports Industry Weekly as we share insights from the top business headlines from across the sports industry.

Before we begin, I want to know:

2024 Recap

In case you missed it, here’s every link to our 2024 recap content:

• Most Impactful Sports Industry Moments

• The Athletes Evolving The Sports Industry

• The Game Changers Redefining Sports

♟️ Victor Wembanyama made a surprise visit to Washington Square Park in New York City, where his appearance went viral as he played chess with fans and then proposed starting an NBA players-only chess tournament.

🏈 Heisman Award winner and projected top NFL draft pick Travis Hunter has signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Sports Agency for all of his on-field representation, while he will continue with SMAC Entertainment for his off-field representation.

🏆 Caitlin Clark celebrated another career accomplishment as she was named Associated Press (AP) Female Athlete of The Year.

🍔 DoorDash continued its NBA partnership initiative by providing DashPass members with free app credits after Jalen Brunson scored 55 points against the Washington Wizards.

❄️ This year’s NHL Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks drew 1.1 million viewers on TNT and packed Wrigley Field with 40,933 fans.

💰 The Golden State Warriors ($9.14B), New York Knicks ($8.3B) and Los Angeles Lakers ($8.07B) lead the NBA as most valuable franchises, according to Sportico’s latest data.

⚡️ The Oklahoma City Thunder was voted as having the best front office in sports, as The Athletic polled votes from over 40 executives and coaches in sports.

🏟️ Boise State Athletics has confirmed a $300 million plan to upgrade its football stadium, basketball complex, soccer stadium, beach volleyball courts, weight room, performance suite, and state-of-the-art tennis center.

🚫 Professional sports leagues, media companies, internet regulators, and law enforcement have taken two of the biggest sports streaming piracy sites offline—Methstreams and Crackstreams.

🏒 Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is constructing a $40 million ice skating facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, featuring two NHL rinks, a restaurant and sports bar, and a training academy, set for completion in 2026.

🧢 Cam Newton was quoted as saying, "I think baseball will be surpassed by the WNBA in 20 years." — I want to know:

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