Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome to the Spotlight!  Whether you’re a returning visitor or the planets have aligned in the sky to bring you here for the very first time, it’s clear that the Universe is telling you you’re doing something right and maybe it’s time to subscribe and/or tell your friends, family, clients and colleagues to do the same.  Indeed, those looking skyward towards the stars tonight will be able to see each of the other seven planets (many of which by the naked eye) in our Solar System—an event not supposed to happen again until Saturday Night Live approaches eligibility for Social Security (I wonder how well this statement will age…).  Of course, a few weeks ago, was opportunity to see the stellar, star-studded 50^th Anniversary Concert and Special r for Saturday Night Live, which garnered record ratings of 15 million viewers – a testament to the show’s music and comedy that has permeated pop culture since its debut.  Not to be outdone, this weekend you’ll also have a chance to catch a glimpse of your favorite stars in tuxedos, evening gowns and anything in between at the 97^th Academy Awards (your eye might not be the only thing naked if the Grammys fashion were any indication).  For now, let’s get into this week’s Spotlight:

• • As Amazon MGM Studios acquired full creative control over the James Bond franchise for a cool $1 billion, Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos solicited public feedback over who should be cast as the next 007.  That should be a much more difficult task than finding a Bond villain particularly one of the bald, megayacht-owning, billionaire archetype.
     
  • Speaking of yachts, rapper Lil Yachty wades into the alcohol business with a spiked sparkling beverage brand called “Yacht Water”—a name I have a hard time not saying in an obnoxious Long Island (“Longuyland”) accent.  
     
  • Not content to have his own line of suits, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan (LET’S GO G-MEN) seeks horizontal integration opening his own tailoring business. A notable choice for someone used to putting people in sacks.
     
  • A proposal by newly sworn-in Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. would put television advertisements for pharmaceutical companies – a cash cow for professional sports – on the chopping block. Potential side effects could include fewer celebrity endorsements, increased beer advertisements, dry mouth, fatigue and decreased hypochondriasis.

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!

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! Love is in the air around here for Valentine’s Day, which is more than can be said for last weekend’s Super Bowl. For one thing, the Philadelphia Eagles, a team for whom I hold no love, handily defeated the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. In so doing, the Eagles may have at least temporarily blunted Cupid’s arrowhead and forestalled a marriage proposal from Travis Kelce to Taylor Swift. Meanwhile, in Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show notable on its own for its storytelling and use of hidden and overt symbolism, the artist proved in front of 133.5 million viewers—the most ever for a Super Bowl halftime show—that there is no love lost between him and “Not Like Us” subject Drake. Lastly, and by far most disgraceful was the airing of a bizarre commercial featuring a washed-up rapper/producer (who spent the week leading up to the commercial spewing antisemitism and championing Nazism) filming himself in a dentist’s chair, inviting viewers to his brand’s e-commerce shop that was offering one item: a white T-shirt emblazoned with a black swastika across the chest. How such a hateful commercial was able to air is beyond disturbing, and made an anti-hate commercial featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady that aired during the first half of the game a distant memory. Serious questions need to be answered—and there ought to be a clear rejection by the entertainment industry of this person’s ideas, but for now I suppose I can take a modicum of comfort in the fact there are still some people with moral clarity—the aforementioned rapper/producer had his e-commerce shop shut down and received a divorce petition from his would-be Valentine. Without further ado, allow me to change the crocodile tears to tears of laughter (or at least that’s the goal).

• • National Women’s Soccer League’s Gotham FC strikes a sponsorship deal with Unilever’s Dove brand to appear on the back of players’ jerseys. A much more attractive partnership than a similar deal with “Kick Me.”
     
  • Donald Trump, Jr. is investing in a startup seeking to launch an Olympics-style competition in which the competitors can use performance-enhancing drugs. Or as Russia calls it, “The Olympics.”
     
  • A production studio called Promise is offering content development deals for AI “talent.” Long term, such a move is likely to raise its own set of questions as it could have broad implications for intellectual property law, as well as for human entertainers. In the short term, one question I have is how the “talent” celebrates the news.

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! If you missed the GRAMMY Awards last week—as nearly 10% fewer did TV-ratings-wise, as compared to the last year’s show—allow me to start off with a little primer.  Females largely owned the night, with Beyoncé winning both Best Country Album and Album of the Year, Chappell Roan winning Best New Artist, Doechii winning Best Rap Album and Sabrina Carpenter winning Best Pop Vocal Album.  That’s to say nothing of Bianca Censori’s very un-censor-y award for least dressed. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, nominated for six awards, walked away without any trophies, though she may cross paths with the Lombardi Trophy and at least one ring this Sunday at Super Bowl LIX. Speaking of which, bucking the female trend, Super Bowl halftime performer Kendrick Lamar kicked off a memorable week for himself, bringing home five GRAMMYs, including for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his diss track of fellow rapper Drake, “Not Like Us.” As sure as I favor drums and blue cheese over flats and ranch, that song is likely to be performed in the halftime spotlighta.

• Curiously, the price of Super Bowl tickets has actually been trending downward this year. Clearly, no eggs are being served in the stadium.
   
• NBA Executive and Hall of Famer Pat Riley is poised to make some money off of a Kansas City Chiefs victory on Sunday, having agreed to license the use of his trademark ‘THREEPEAT’ for use on merchandise celebrating a prospective third straight Super Bowl title. There go my plans to license “Number Threesy in the Big Easy.”
   
• The Los Angeles Rams are scheduled to play the NFL’s first game in Melbourne, Australia – which is great news for bringing in an even larger global audience and for those curious to see a football spiral the opposite way.

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! The stage for Super Bowl LIX is set, with the Philadelphia Eagles due to square off against the 2-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.  More history repeating itself (a la Groundhog Day) as this will be a high stakes rematch of Super Bowl from two years ago between two cities known for steaks.  As a fan of the New York Giants (a division rival from whom the Eagles’ star running back Saquon Barkley left after last season) and parity (but also parody), as far as the game is concerned, I will again be much more invested in Puppy Bowl licks. By contrast, Taylor Swift cares more about the outcome of the Super Bowl (and not just because she’s a cat person).  One thing’s for sure, no one will be quite as invested as advertisers shelling out $8 million per thirty seconds of Super Bowl commercial airtime, bidding to go down in pop culture history while the Chiefs pursue history of their own as the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. That said, we have a little over week to prepare for the game, but don’t despair-trust your training in patiently waiting a week for the next Spotlight.

• • Originally slated to take place this year, the International Olympics Committee is having difficulties starting-up its inaugural Esports Olympic Games. And before you ask…yes it tried unplugging the router, waiting 5 seconds and plugging it back in.
     
  • WNBA All-Star Angel Reese makes more women’s sports history, becoming the first female professional athlete to have a signature menu item at McDonald’s—a meal comprised of a BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, fries, and a soft drink.  Between this deal and her endorsement deal with Hershey’s brand Reese’s, her endorsement portfolio is an agent’s dream and cardiologist’s nightmare.
     
  • The highly coveted University of Texas Longhorns Quarterback Arch Manning signs an NIL endorsement deal with Red Bull, and I would love nothing more than to see him use his wings to follow his uncle Eli’s lead and fly to the Giants.

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! If you tuned in last week and you came here expecting clarity on the TikTok saga now that a week has gone by, I’ve got a bridge (and social media platform) to sell you. I bet you’d even believe that it snowed in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida last week Texas! Or even that two New York Knicks players were named starters in the NBA All-Star Game! (Wait…those last two are true!?). Anyway, as I was saying, after the statute banning ongoing US operations took effect, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance blocked US users’ access to the social media platform.  But not long after that, newly-inaugurated President Trump (having tried to ban TikTok during his first term as President, only to have it fall back in his good favor during the latest election cycle) issued an Executive Order aimed at keeping TikTok up and running for US users for more time so as to enable a last(?) last-ditch effort for ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok. So queue up the Chubby Checker, because we’re back in limbo. Incidentally, the Spotlight would be a great limbo player, as it always seems to come up short of the bar. Without further ado or self-deprecation, your Spotlight for this week is below.  

• • The National Hockey League’s Utah Hockey Team may have to go back to the drawing board declaring an official name for itself, as the trademark application for the preferred “Utah Yetis” name was issued a refusal by the US Patent and Trademark Office. That may be a blessing in disguise as the team would be better suited with a name that is even more evocative of Utah—you know—like “Jazz.”
     
  • Rapper/Singer Post Malone announces a new collaboration with Oreo featuring a limited-edition salted caramel and shortbread crème swirl sandwiched between chocolate Oreo cookies that are embossed with prints related to his music.  With the product due to hit shelves ahead of the Super Bowl, they can be enjoyed with friends or malone.
     
  • Netflix is opening “Netflix Bites” – neither a subscriber complaint nor a warning not to approach, but rather an experiential pop-up eatery in Las Vegas at which patrons can enjoy food inspired by their favorite Netflix television shows.  A fun and novel concept, though I prefer to experience Netflix over wine and takeout.     

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! This may (or may not) be the last weekend that TikTok is operational in the United States, with legislation due to come into effect on January 19, 2025 that would ban TikTok failing Chinese parent company ByteDance’s divestment of the short form content-laden social media platform. That may (or may not) be welcome news depending on whether you’re a content creator, a national security hawk, a Chinese intelligence officer or someone with “mad skibidi rizz” who just spent the last few weeks choreographing the next big dance trend (none of these necessarily being mutually exclusive, by the way). There may (or may not) be efforts afoot for a last-ditch purchase of the platform and the incoming Trump administration may (or may not) have an Executive Order at the ready to suspend the enforcement of the legislation (something that may (or may not) be legally possible) when President Trump is sworn into office the next day on January 20, 2025. The point is, the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain.  For brands and influencers/endorsement partners in active agreements that call for posts on TikTok, conventional wisdom dictates a wait-and-see approach as we watch the clock (tick-tock, TikTok).  

Welcome back to the Spotlight! This may (or may not) be the last weekend that TikTok is operational in the United States, with legislation due to come into effect on January 19, 2025 that would ban TikTok failing Chinese parent company ByteDance’s divestment of the short form content-laden social media platform. That may (or may not) be welcome news depending on whether you’re a content creator, a national security hawk, a Chinese intelligence officer or someone with “mad skibidi rizz” who just spent the last few weeks choreographing the next big dance trend (none of these necessarily being mutually exclusive, by the way). There may (or may not) be efforts afoot for a last-ditch purchase of the platform and the incoming Trump administration may (or may not) have an Executive Order at the ready to suspend the enforcement of the legislation (something that may (or may not) be legally possible) when President Trump is sworn into office the next day on January 20, 2025. The point is, the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain.  For brands and influencers/endorsement partners in active agreements that call for posts on TikTok, conventional wisdom dictates a wait-and-see approach as we watch the clock (tick-tock, TikTok).  

• • Basketballer brothers LaMelo, Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball seem to have made good on their father Lavar’s aspirations for them, with LaMelo and Lonzo enjoying $203 million and $85 million NBA contracts, respectively, and LiAngelo (G3 Gelo) scoring off the court with a $13 million record deal from Def Jam.  Of course that’s nothing compared to Power Ball, whose current jackpot is $330 million.
     
  • In hopes of moving product off the shelf by aligning with the fastest growing high school sport, Cosmetics brand e.l.f. becomes the first beauty sponsor of the largest high school girls wrestling competition (Wonder Women of Wrestling Tournament). If successful, this will mark the first ever wrestling victory by an elf.  
     
  • University of Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is forgoing the NFL Draft for one more year and transferring to the University of Miami for the cool sum of $4.4 million – positioning him to make more NIL money in college than a handful of starting NFL quarterbacks. But more importantly, he also gets an on-campus meal plan and an opportunity to enroll in that Art History seminar he’s been hearing so much about.

Welcome back to the Spotlight! I would have loved nothing more than to kick off the first Spotlight of 2025 on a high note. In my own little bubble, winning another fantasy football championship seemed like a promising start.  In the broader world, NFL teams are preparing to begin the postseason, the College Football season is reaching its climax and exciting professional and collegiate basketball seasons nearing their halfway point.  In the entertainment industry, awards season kicked off nicely, with the Golden Globes being at its most critically acclaimed in some time. Sadly, we find ourselves having to confront yet another devastating and sobering situation in the wake of the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.  Suddenly, awards shows, sporting events and business as usual in the sports and entertainment industries have been put on hold or relocated as, more significantly, hundreds of thousands face evacuation orders, losses of homes, businesses and loved ones. Not a great start to the year, and it does not feel like the time to (try to) be funny—I can regroup and do that next week. Instead, it is a time to check-in on those who may be impacted, offer helpful resources and, if feasible, to donate funds towards relief efforts and services.  

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! Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, for my last post this year, I thought it would be fun to try something different and do a holiday-themed recap the year that was. After all, it is the most wonderful time of the year—and given my Jewish heritage, writing Christmas songs is practically in my blood. So here goes…
 
In the first month of ’24, the Spotlight gave to me, Wrexham winning four Emmys and the year’s first act of dad jokes that were all too cheesy!
In the second month of ’24, the Spotlight gave to me, a Super Bowl for the Swift-ies and a Universal Music boycott of TikTok over AI music and some paltry royalties!
In the third month of ’24, the Spotlight gave to me, one Caitlin Clark-ing, Madness a-Marching and Beyonce chart-topping Country!
In the fourth month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, more Caitlin a-Clarking, Rashee Rice a-speeding, Jontay Porter a-gambling and a solar eclipse for us all to see!
In the fifth month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, a playoff loss by the Knicks and some brand new Cristiano Ronaldo NFTs!
In the sixth month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, a Joey Chestnut hot dog ban and a DUI for JT!
In the seventh month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, FIVE OLYMPIC RINGS!!!!!!!!!
In the eighth month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, a haul of US Olympic Medals—including for Simone Biles, who was all smiles, Steph Curry a-napping and swimming dominance from Katie Ledecky!
In the ninth month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, two Levys Emmy hosting, two Mannings-casting and the 50-50 club for Shohei Ohtani!
In the tenth month of ’24 the Spotlight gave to me, more music catalogues a-selling, broadcast booth and owner’s suite for Tom Brady and a world championship for the New York Liberty!
In the eleventh month of ’24, the Spotlight gave to me. Americans a-voting, Wrexham a-brewing, Shaq NFT lawsuit settling and a crushing defeat for my Yankees ☹
In the twelfth month of ’24, the Spotlight gave to me, Juan Soto in Flushing, trying to finish quick I’m rushing, Travis Hunter in adidas, did you truly read this? Thank you for a-coming, for-singing along or humming! Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a New Year that is Happyyyyy!
 
See you in 2025!

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! Just one more installment on the way next week before this dog and pony show packs it in for the rest of the year (pause for groaning, protests and/or sighs of relief). Unlike Juan Soto, I promise to be back next year—it won’t even take $765 million to make it happen. Though, for the record, I certainly would not turn down $765 million. While I’m on the subject, I’m not going to talk about the dynamics between the New York Yankees or Mets, I’ll save that for another time. Instead, if Soto is to receive $765 million (or more) over the next 15 years—the most lucrative professional sports contract—how much higher can players’ salaries go before we’re talking about equity compensation (in the form of options to purchase a piece of a team after retirement—so as to avoid apparent conflicts of interest) rather than cash? Such a shift might level the playing field so to (Soto?) speak for owners that are not worth $21 billion dollars (like the Mets’ Steve Cohen).  We’ve seen it most recently with Lionel Messi’s Major League Soccer deal with Inter Miami CF, so maybe it is just a matter of time before we see it in one of the Big Four professional sports leagues. 

• • Authentic Brands Group strikes a stadium naming rights deal to rebrand the home of MLS’ New York Redbulls, Sports Illustrated Stadium.  Perhaps that means we can expect the team to play in swimsuits one match per year.
     
  • The Writers’ Guild of America wrote (obviously) a scathing letter to Hollywood studios criticizing their allowing their intellectual property from being used for training generative AI models. In fairness to the studios, they didn’t have anything to say because the WGA didn’t write anything for them.
     
  • University of Colorado star Wide Receiver/Cornerback and Heisman Trophy frontrunner, Travis Hunter signs an endorsement deal with Adidas ahead of the draft. As part of their pitch, Adidas gave him two hats.

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