Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome back to the Spotlight! In the past 7 months, I have borne witness to monumental postseason collapses by two of my favorite professional sports teams: my beloved hometown New York Yankees and New York Knicks. Last October, in epic fashion, the former blew a five-run lead in the top of the fifth inning in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, en route to the Yankees’ eventual demise. And this past Wednesday night, the Knicks lost Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, despite having held a 14-point lead with about 2:30 left in the fourth quarter. There are a litany of other heartbreaks over the years. Begging the question of why I (and others) keep coming back for more? For one thing, it’s the drama of the game - each has a story to tell. Sometimes, that story is a reminder that those who rake in the big bucks through endorsements and salaries, often appearing larger than life, are still human. Or maybe I just like to be miserable. After all, it’s the losses - torturous as they can be - that teach the greatest lessons and make the wins that much sweeter.

• • Following fellow recording artist Post Malone’s limited edition run of signature Oreo cookies, Selena Gomez has partnered with the brand to roll out her own spin on the iconic sandwich cookies. Perhaps the cookies will become collector’s items. Though if the artists really wanted to stand the test of time, they’d launch their own Twinkies.
  • Jason Momoa and WWE wrestler Roman Reigns are among those signed on for a Street Fighter movie, rebooting a film based on the video game of the same name. Meanwhile, I am still waiting on a call from my agent on my Pong screenplay.
  • Hip hop duo Salt-N-Pepa are suing Universal Music Group in an effort to reclaim the rights to their catalog recordings including their late 80s and early 90s hits “Push It” and “Shoop.”  Fortunately for the duo, their legal team is said to be seasoned.

For inquiries and/or unabashed compliments, please feel free to contact me at josh.bloomgarden@foster.com or add me on LinkedIn. 

Welcome back to the Spotlight! While I appreciate your valiant efforts in coming back to this space, that comeback pales in comparison to the two comebacks the underdog New York Knicks have had against the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics – somehow clawing back from 20 point deficits in consecutive games to seize a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd round of the NBA Playoffs.  The games have been nothing short of captivating, yet immensely trying. What started out with questions in my mind about how the Knicks could possibly survive this series has been replaced by questions about whether I can survive the ups and downs of this series. Regardless, these NBA Playoffs have provided some of the most compelling moments in recent memory—the TV ratings have certainly backed up that assertion. So, for all the concerns about who will be the stewards of the league now that LeBron James is reaching the end of his career, it’s clear that the present and the future are bright as ever, with chances for athletes to build their own brands and author their own success stories. Speaking of comebacks, I’ll be out recharging next week but will return the week of 5/19—hopefully you will do the same.

• • Country music star Chris Stapleton’s Tennessee whiskey brand, “Traveller” becomes the first official whiskey of Major League Baseball. Given the name, it’s unlikely that the NBA will follow suit.
     
  • Nine-time NBA All-Star guard Russell Westbrook comes aboard as a founder of Eazewell, a startup company that uses artificial intelligence to ease grieving loved ones’ burdens with funeral planning. Humanity will have dodged a bullet if artificial intelligence sticks only to that sense of the words “funeral planning…”

• • Rihanna’s multibillion dollar beauty brand Fenty Beauty, becomes the latest such brand to secure sponsorship in the WNBA, partnering with the defending WNBA Champions New York Liberty. As part of the sponsorship, the brand’s logos will be included on the team’s pregame warm-up apparel, while other in-game activations are contemplated. No word on whether the team will be creating a co-branded umbrella…ella…ella

For inquiries and/or unabashed compliments, please feel free to contact me at josh.bloomgarden@foster.com or add me on LinkedIn.

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Based on the layers of pollen caked on my car and nary an unstuffed nose to be found, I would venture to guess that allergists are doing well for themselves this Spring.  After the past week in sports, another profession perhaps seeing a boon is family therapy. First, during last week’s NFL draft, University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders (who also happened to be Shedeur’s coach and vocal supporter), found himself amidst a precipitous fall from being an expected top 3 pick all the way down to the 144^th pick. If that was not enough for Sanders to en-deur, he also received a prank phone call from Atlanta Falcons Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son, purporting be an NFL general manager that was drafting him. As a result of the egregious error in judgment, Ulbrich received a $100,000 fine (in addition to a $250,000 fine levied on the Falcons organization. Suffice it to say, Ulbrich’s son will not be receiving an allowance for quite some time. Or, at the very least, the elder Ulbrich should never have to do dishes or take out the garbage in his home ever again. Then, this past week in the NBA playoffs, on the heels of an improbable collapse by the Milwaukee Bucks at the hands of the Indiana Pacers and their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Bucks’ All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was confronted on the court by Haliburton’s overzealous father. Rather than congratulating Giannis on a hard fought series, Haliburton’s father shamefully taunted Giannis, the result of which was to overshadow the Pacers’ (and his son’s) accomplishments and force the NBA to keep the elder Haliburton from attending future games. Both instances are examples of abhorrent behavior by family members trying to claw their way into relevance, and a reminder for those with actual jobs and reputations on the line to keep relatives away from the negative spotlight.  

• • NBA Hall of Famer, Broadcaster, Entrepreneur, DJ and Investor Shaquille O’Neal is adding another entry to his LinkedIn profile, becoming the General Manager of Sacramento State University’s Men’s Basketball program– a potential boon for the team’s prospects in its efforts to secure name, image and likeness (NIL) dollars for top talent. With Shaq’s son Shaqir already on the team’s, “Shaq State” may emulate the success that Deion Sanders brought to the University of Colorado’s football program—ideally, culminating without a prank call.
    
    
  • Influence Media Group and music producer DJ Khaled forge a partnership--anchored by Influence’s acquisition of Khaled’s music catalog—that will see Khaled and his affiliated company We The Best Music enter into two joint ventures for the development and production of film and television content, leveraging Khaled’s NIL.  They actually started with one joint venture, but Khaled insisted on “another one.”
    
    
  • 2-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Eli Manning is rumored to be preparing a bid to buy a minority ownership interest in his former team, the New York Giants. Perhaps someone up there misunderstood my and other Giants fans’ prayers for an elite quarterback.

For inquiries and/or unabashed compliments, please feel free to contact me at josh.bloomgarden@foster.com or add me on LinkedIn.