Sports & Entertainment Spotlight

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Many people ask me the same question: “how do you write the Spotlight week after week?” After feigning thinking about it for a moment, I reply: “one keystroke at a time.” In all seriousness it is hard to do, particularly nowadays when the world is, well…all seriousness. Often, I feel constrained in what I write (hard to believe, I know), so the finished product is merely a speck of what’s on my mind at any given time. That might be for the best. In any event, against the backdrop of all the depressing, really-not-so-great things we hear about on a daily basis I’d like to take cues from the very industries that are the backbone of the Spotlight (Sports and Entertainment, if you haven’t gotten that yet) and embrace some hope and indulge in a much-needed distraction. So, we can lean into this year’s awards season (just as long as the stars don’t presume to lecture you on a topic they know nothing about), and even what has so far been some rather captivating NFL playoff games. And if, on the heels of signing a future Hall of Fame head coach (John Harbaugh), my unbridled enthusiasm for the New York Giants’ prospects for next season (following a dismal showing this past year) is any indication, you need not even have a dog in the race. After all, everyone loves a good comeback story.

• • Legendary singer-songwriter Sir Elton John launches (like a rocket man) an alcohol-free sparkling wine. Great news for revelers who want to down an entire bottle of wine and proclaim, “I’m still standing!”

• • New York Yankees’ MVP slugger Aaron Judge prevails in a decade long battle to block an individual from registering trademarks for Judge’s nicknames “ALL RISE” and “HERE COMES THE JUDGE.” So, maybe a good omen for a World Series victory also…?

• • Teenage British Darts phenom Luke Littler signs a $27 million sponsorship deal with Target Darts. I’ll repeat: $27 million to sell darts. Those of us working away with our nose to the grindstone must think that is a big load of bulls…eye.

• • Former U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team star Alex Morgan invests in Women’s Indoor Golf League, WTGL, a joint venture between the LPGA and TMRW Sports. OMG that’s a lot of letters, LOL.

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 one of your New Year’s resolutions was to delve into the uber-interesting sports and entertainment business world with a witty bent, congratulations, you are on the right track! If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to be more active, then perhaps you need to find a track. That’s right, folks – the kid’s still got it. Though I was off for a few weeks, it seems writing in this space is akin to getting back on a bicycle. I understand the same can be said of skiing, but I haven’t attempted that since age five when I was pushed down a hill backwards by my skiing instructor (that explains a lot, doesn’t it?). Mercifully, my plans to try skiing again over the holidays got cancelled, so this Spotlight comes in the form of a reprise (or re-prize) rather than a requiem. Anyway, enough yammering on – there is already so much to cover in just the first week of 2026 that I can tell it will be a busy year. So let’s get to it…

• • Mere days after signing a $4M revenue-sharing deal committing to play football at the University of Washington for the 2026 Season, then apparently indicating his intent to transfer from Washington, Quarterback Demond Williams, Jr. is staying at UW. The change of heart might be due to his signing a contract that would have required him to forfeit the $4M – so it’s true what they say: the demond is in the details.

• • Hip Hop Artist Drake finds himself in hot water for allegedly scheming to artificially inflate his songs’  streaming numbers. Would it have killed him to artificially inflate my readership numbers, too?!

• • Social Media Influencers are increasingly finding success in obtaining “extraordinary artist” visas to immigrate to the United States, bringing life to Emma Lazarus’ words inscribed on a plaque at the The Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your skincare routines…”

• • Warner Bros. is encouraging its shareholders to reject Paramount’s takeover bid and stick with Warner’s Netflix deal. Ironically, the film “He’s Just Not That Into You” is available to stream on Netflix.

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