Healthy Investments, Ownership Lawsuits and Emmy Honors

07.10.26 07.10.26

Smiling person with long hair, wearing a blue top and gold necklace, standing in front of a colorful background.

Welcome back to the Spotlight! The World Cup is entering its final two weeks of the tournament, and while it has continued to yield memorable on-field performances by some of the sport’s best athletes, the “beautiful game” that is soccer or football/futbol (maybe we just compromise and call it “shootykicks?”) has been marred by recent events that are anything but. First, leading up to this week’s match between the US and Belgium, in which the Americans put forth a performance that was, shall I say, less-than-beautiful (or brilliantly messy at a time when they needed the brilliance of Messi), President Trump raised the ire of the international community (shocking as that may be) by successfully lobbying FIFA head Gianni Infantino to allow US striker Folarin Balogun to play notwithstanding the questionable red card he received in the US’ prior match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then, there was news – on the heels of Argentina’s controversial (but nonetheless impressive) 3-2 victory over Egypt after scoring 3 straight goals in the match’s final 15 minutes – that the Argentine Football Association was under FBI investigation for possible fraud and money laundering arising from its injecting about $300 million into Miami over the past 4 years. Whether or not related, it is worth noting that Miami is of course where Argentine star Lionel Messi has been playing club soccer for nearly 3 years.

It gets worse – following France’s victory over Paraguay, Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla chose to direct some of the more racist, vile insults that you will ever hear from anyone (let alone an elected official) against French striker Kylian Mbappé. And lastly, not to be outdone by Ms. Amarilla, both Egypt and Morocco’s supporters after their country’s losses to Argentina and France, respectively decided the best way to cope was to blame the Jews. How original! How quaint! Even through all of that, I am still hopeful that the game’s beauty outshines the background ugliness in these final two weeks. If all else fails – we have Madonna, Shakira, Coldplay, BTS, Burna Boy and Bieber in the World Cup Final’s halftime show.

New York Knicks guard and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson invests in fast casual chain Just Salad. Lettuce hope that the partnership helps fuel another championship run.
Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban takes current owner Patrick Dumont to court, alleging that Dumont has shut Cuban and his companies out of business opportunities surrounding the team’s potential arena relocation – not quite the court either of them envisioned.
“Law and Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay is slated to become the first woman in 15 years to host the Emmy Awards. The show is expected to be the quickest in history, as she’ll be Mirandizing every award recipient before their acceptance speeches.

Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments

NIL Clearinghouse Has Rejected $90M in Deals
July 8, 2026 via ESPN

Versant Buys Golf Simulator Brand Full Swing in Effort to Diversify Business
July 6, 2026 via Awful Announcing

Knicks Superstar Brunson Invests in Just Salad as Equity Partner
July 6, 2026 via New Jersey Biz Daily

Sports

Seahawks Ownership Bid Down to Two Groups, Ex-Player Involved in One Group
July 10, 2026 via Yahoo! News

NBA Expansion Heats Up in Vegas, Slows in Seattle
July 9, 2026 via Yahoo! News

LIV Golf Signals Looming Layoffs After PIF Funding Cuts
July 8, 2026 via Sportico

The Blind Spot in America’s World Cup Viewership
July 8, 2026 via Awful Announcing

Messi Isn’t Enough for MLS to Be Massive League That America Deserves After USMNT’s World Cup Summer
July 7, 2026 via Talk Sport Football

NCAA Eligibility Lawsuits Continue Even With New Rules
July 7, 2026 via Sportico

World Cup Nationalism Drives Media as U.S. Seeks ‘Soccer Nation’ Status
July 5, 2026 via Sportico

Music Biz

BTS Label Big Hit Music Rejects ‘SWIM’ Copyright Claim, Says Track Was Independently Created
July 10, 2026 via Music Business Worldwide

Bonnie Tyler, Legendary ‘80s Pop Singer, Dies at 75
July 9, 2026 via NBC News

Poet Files Appeal 48 Hours After Taylor Swift Copyright Suit Dismissed With Prejudice
July 9, 2026 via Music Business Worldwide

Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Sues Sony Music for $18M Over Alleged Unpaid Royalties on Kris Kross, Xscape, Mariah Carey and Usher Records
July 8, 2026 via Music Business Worldwide

Your Voice Can Be Cloned in Minutes Using AI, and Taylor Swift Is Trying to Protect Hers — But What Rights Do the Rest of Us Have?
July 7, 2026 via Techradar

AI Music Start-Up Suno Hires Atlantic Records, YouTube Alums to Lead Marketing and Music Business Development
July 7, 2026 via Variety

Taylor Swift’s ‘Signature Revenge Songwriting’ May Have Been Tackled in Pre-Nup Clause Before Travis Kelce Wedding
July 4, 2026 via Perth Now