Sports & Entertainment Spotlight

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Spring is in the air (depending on what day you check the weather), so this past Wednesday marked the official start of the Major League Baseball season, with just two teams (the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants) leading off with a primetime game on Opening Night, as a prelude to the broader, more familiar Opening Day with twenty-two additional teams taking the field for the first time. The Opening Night game was notable for its featuring the ABS Challenge System, allowing catchers, pitchers and hitters the opportunity to elect to challenge an umpire’s ball/strike calls by using automated technology. The broadcast of the Opening Night game was also notable for its being exclusively offered by a streaming service (Netflix), signaling a similar embrace of technology by the MLB, while also leaving baseball fans wanting an opportunity to challenge that call. Indeed, whatever the broadcast was, it was not for true baseball fans—evidenced in part by a lack of execution in a difficult-to-read, vanishing scorebug and missed in-game action. At times, it seemed like the broadcast was trying to bring a Savannah Bananas-type (bananified?) experience to viewers. 

Perhaps that was the point, as Netflix’s stated intention was to bring in a new audience for MLB action. I guess that was the explanation for the over-the-top (I will stipulate to the American flag effect created by drones that emitted red, white and blue smoke being extremely cool), at times head-scratching show for pregame introductions that featured, amongst other things, dancing on New York City-style taxicabs while the Yankees took the field and the Giants emerging from San Francisco-style trolley cars. Notably that show ended up delaying the start of the baseball game, upsetting an audience that was already up in arms about needing to have a subscription to watch what would have ordinarily been a nationally-televised game. So all in all, it seemed misguided to bananify, because Savannah Bananas games are about everything other than the game and Major League games are about the game (the end result of the game, by the way, (a 7-0 Yankees victory) was much appreciated by this writer, even if the background noise was not.

• • New York Yankees First Baseman Ben Rice lands a tailor-made endorsement deal with Ben’s Original Rice. Hopefully those carbs are put to good use.
  • Composer Lebohang Morake sues comedian Learnmore Jonasi for over $27 million over a now viral clip in which Jonasi mistranslated the opening chant to Morake’s “The Circle of Life” from “The Lion King.” Jonasi has launched a GoFundMe campaign to finance his defense—presumably so he can hire the high-powered litigators at Timon & Pumba LLP.
  • OpenAI pulls the plug on its AI video app Sora as Disney steps away from its $1 billion deal with OpenAI that included the licensing of Disney characters in Sora. Not even true love’s kiss seems to be enough to salvage the deal.

Welcome back to the Spotlight! The first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament affectionately (and trademark-ly) known as “March Madness” officially tipped off yesterday at 12:15pm Eastern Time. Within about three hours’ time, madness turned to sadness as my alma mater University of Wisconsin Badgers were eliminated by a University seemingly named after a Snoop Dogg free throw (“High Point”). But maybe that is for the best. For one thing, the world offers more than enough madness the other 11 months of the year. For another thing, what I have lost in bracket pool entry fees, pride in watching my alma mater’s basketball program and yes, even joy, I have made up in spades with gained productivity and mental bandwidth. I need not concern myself with the outcome of any of the remaining games. So, for those out there considering hiring sports and entertainment attorneys who graduated from Duke, Michigan, Florida, Arizona or any of the other schools still participating in the tournament, might I humbly suggest a humbled Wisconsin alum?

• • At the Oscars, Michael B. Jordan took home the top award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in “Sinners.” This accomplishment is all the more impressive given that there was no Best Supporting Actor award for Scottie Pippen.
  • Jay-Z announces two back-to-back nights of performances at Yankee Stadium to celebrate the 30th and 25th anniversaries of his iconic albums “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Blueprint,” respectively. This makes me feel so old that I can’t figure out whether to try to get tickets or stay home and watch re-runs of “Matlock.”
  • Phenom starting pitcher Cam Schlittler, who calls Yankee Stadium “home,” was sent a humane insect removal tool by PETA after reports of his calling security to have a spider removed from his locker. Creative, but unless the spider starts weaving webs that say “Radiant Pitch,” I think the real play would be in an endorsement deal with Raid.

Welcome back to the Spotlight! If you’ve had bad luck up to this point on this Friday the 13th, then carefully set down your mirror, throw some salt over your shoulder, step over that crack and let this week’s edition be the rune that reverses the magical curse. This past week, a reversal of magic incidentally puts you in good company with the likes of the NBA. Indeed, after public outcry surrounding the Atlanta Hawks’ decision to pay homage to the southern city’s well-known (not to me, I promise) strip club, “Magic City” during an upcoming home game against the Orlando Magic, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has stepped in to put the kibosh on the idea. Although fans who purchased tickets for the game in hopes of celebrating the establishment may seek refunds (presumably in $1 bills), I must say it is refreshing for common sense to prevail in a world where so much is upside-down. Still, it’s fair to question why anyone thought the promotion would have been a good idea. Atlanta does have other, more wholesome things that it is known for. Even if peaches aren’t in season, you still have a vibrant musical scene, Coca-Cola, the Civil Rights Movement…the list goes on. Enjoying this so far? As luck would have it, there is a bunch more…

• • Years after famously cashing in on their Casamigos Tequila brand in a deal valued at about $1 billion, George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman are venturing into the growing non-alcoholic beer business with a new brand, “Crazy Mountain.” Evidently, they used the tequila money to buy a wagon.
  • An ongoing trial between independent hip hop artist Chancelor Bennett (professionally known as “Chance The Rapper”) and his former manager highlights the risks of working with a manager without a written agreement in place. After all, since friends may later become enemies, it’s best not to leave the financial terms up to chance.
  • TD Garden, the home arena to the Boston Celtics is in a trademark dispute with local cannabis shop, The Boston Garden Dispensary. Whatever the outcome, green is guaranteed to prevail.
  • Netflix is shelling out as much as $600 million to acquire Ben Affleck’s AI filmmaking company, InterPositive. Affleck’s only regret?: his company wasn’t around to salvage “Gigli.”

Welcome back to the Spotlight! And just like that, the Olympic torch for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games has been extinguished, but not before some of the world’s top athletes skied, skated, sledded, snowboarded and curled to glory and public consciousness. Undoubtedly, gold medal victories by both the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams will stand out for years to come, create new endorsement and marketing opportunities for the players and inspire future generations of hockey players—and dentists and orthopedic surgeons. As “luck” would have it, just as the Games closed, a massive blizzard blanketed much of the Northeastern U.S., leaving behind ideal conditions for future Olympians to get acquainted with the ice and snow. Indeed, today’s child sledding down a hill may be tomorrow’s bobsled pilot. Today’s snow fort defender may yet become tomorrow’s hockey goalkeeper. Unfortunately for me, my time has passed and there is no winter sport that involves shoveling snow and/or carefully walking to my climate-controlled car. That said, there’s always the appealing thought of hanging out in an Olympic Village ski lodge, sipping hot cocoa next to a wood burning fire. Anyway, let’s see what logs we have to throw onto the fire this week…

• • Reigning NBA MVP SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) is adding two more prestigious letters to his portfolio—AP—as he entered a “Friend of the Brand” Agreement with Swiss (swish?) luxury watch manufacturer, Audemars Piguet.
  • Socialite and media personality Kim Kardashian puts her star power behind a re-launched energy drink brand called “Update.” As a result, customers who consume the beverage will have an easier time keeping up with the Kardashians while those who consume it too close to their bedtime will be kept up by a Kardashian.
  • Two new award shows celebrating creators are due to debut – one of which by social media firm Snapchat (called the “Snappys”) and the other by podcast agency, Oxford Road (called the “Independent Podcast and Creator Awards). Fingers crossed I receive the award for best/worst dad jokes!

Welcome back to the Spotlight, my not-so-secret admirers. Even if this weekend were not Valentine’s Day, the city of Seattle would still undoubtedly be feeling the love and basking in the afterglow of the Seahawks’ dominant Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. For those unattached to either team, the game—which underwhelmed with many punts and field goals—seemed to be light on the roses and heavy on the thorns. Still, the game was one of the most watched Super Bowls in ever, undoubtedly aided by the historic, controversial (only because it was labeled as such) halftime performance by Bad Bunny. No matter, as Benito eloquently summed it up following a memorable, jubilant performance championing Puerto Rican (and yes, American) culture, “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Or, as I might say: “less stupid, more cupid.” In any event, a brief programming note here that I will be returning in 2 weeks with a full heart, but for now, please enjoy the box of chocolates that is the Spotlight.

• • The Chicago Bears are said to be considering a move to a brand new football stadium in Iowa. In other words, Daaaa Bears may move to a state whose capital is Deeees Moines.
  • The NFL taps Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports to run operations for a new flag football league. Hardly the first time either of them aimed for a flag.
  • Once Upon A Farm, the kids food brand co-founded by actress Jennifer Garner, garners a $724 million valuation in its IPO—or roughly the cost of feeding my two sons.
  • Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo stays busy off the court as he follows up an equity stake in prediction markets company Kalshi and with a partnership with e-commerce delivery company Gopuff. As for a prediction as to where he will play basketball next year? I happen to know of a city with great delivery options…

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Sports and entertainment junkies rejoice, for this weekend not only marks the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina Italy, but there is also a pretty big (dare I say, “super”?) football game on Sunday, as the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots square off in Santa Clara, CA in Super Bowl LX. Both events are likely to be star-studded and brimming with fanfare and intrigue. That’s all to say nothing of Sunday’s oxytocin and serotonin-inducing Puppy Bowl. Speaking of dogs, while I am cheering on Team USA in the Olympics, I can’t say I have one in the fight for the Super Bowl. On the one hand, there’s the New England Patriots, who have won championships all too often (except for when they play my New York Giants), on the other hand there are the Seattle Seahawks, who would otherwise be a more sympathetic team but for the fact that a victory will mean that my Washingtonian colleagues will have bragging rights for at least the next year. So, I guess I am just hoping for a good, entertaining game. Some pigs in a blanket wouldn’t be bad either. The wonderful thing about the Super Bowl is that it has something for pretty much everyone. And on one day, nearly the whole country sets aside their differences and gravitates to the game, Super Bowl parties, betting and the high-priced, high-profile commercials. In normal times in which everything is not politicized, you might also include the halftime show in that list, but for some reason, some folks are uncomfortable with a musical performance from a bilingual US Citizen. Perhaps they just don’t like bunnies or at least not the “bad” ones.

Regardless of your motivations for tuning in, both events will certainly be part of the discourse for the foreseeable future. I think we can all agree it would be really bad timing (hypothetically, of course) for a prominent newspaper to shut down its sports newsroom…

• • In light of recent geopolitical tensions, Canadian pop star Tate McRae is in hot water north of the border for appearing in an NBC Sports commercial in support of Team USA if she keeps this up, she might have to start paying for healthcare.
  • Leveraging a multiyear partnership and endorsement deal with farm equipment company Kubota, country music star Blake Shelton drove a tractor to Caesars Palace to announce additional dates for his Las Vegas residency. A creative, yet curious sight in a town less famous for tending, than for betting, the farm.
  • National Women’s Soccer League expansion team, Boston Legacy FC nets a sleeve sponsorship with Hyundai Motor Company, because nothing says “Boston Legacy” like a South Korean car company. After all, who could forget Paul Revere’s midnight ride on his Sonata?!

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Just one year ago, many wondered whether The Grammy Awards would go forward in light of the massive wildfires that devastated Southern California. Nevertheless, the show went on, with partnerships nobly geared towards relief efforts and showing appreciation for firefighters. This year, instead of fire, we have ice and frigid temperatures marring much of the country, though the world most assuredly is still burning (tip of the hat to Billy Joel). So what to expect this year on “music’s biggest night?” Look for the K-Pop revolution to take center stage, emerging talent who got their start on TikTok, Travis Kelce to have a role reversal with Taylor Swift by cheering on her (award) receptions and a whole slew of human expression and creativity on which to train AI models. Without further ado, let’s see the nominees for this week’s Spotlight (where the winner is always you).

• • Jordan Brand is discontinuing its signature sneaker partnership with New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, after his pro basketball career has fallen short of lofty expectations, leaving him on poor footing with the marketing team.

• • Recording Artist A$AP Rocky is entertaining a run for New York City Mayor. Aside from the fact that I appreciate the whimsy of Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, being referred to as “Mayor Mayers,” he and his potential First Lady Rihanna could certainly wield influence to work (work work work work) to address the City’s…”----in’ problems.”

• • TikTok creator Khaby Lame, who rose to prominence for his viral “life hack” videos made the ultimate life hack by selling an equity stake in his company Step Distinctive Limited at a nearly $975 million valuation. On a related note, I will henceforth take it as a compliment whenever someone calls my content “Lame.”

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! With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line in each of this weekend’s NFL Conference Championship matchups, and the NFL’s playoff television ratings reaching levels not seen since the ‘90s (oh, how I miss you) I’d be willing to bet that tens of millions will be tuned in After all, with the arctic temperatures and impending winter storm in the U.S., many will be staying indoors, so what *else* are you going to do? Talk to each other?!?!

I’d also be willing to bet that the number of dollars bet on the games will be at least equal to the number of viewers of said games. Some might even call that a “sure thing” particularly because of the proliferation and soaring popularity of legal sports gambling. In case you haven’t noticed from the ubiquity of sports betting advertisements before, during, after, throughout and [insert your favorite preposition here], a sporting event—including by current and former athletes. Interestingly, a recent YouGov poll observed that such advertisements don’t have a material impact on gamblers’ decisions to gamble, but instead make brands seem less authentic. Not only that, but I would surmise that athletes’ peddling gambling platforms call into question the integrity of their sports. In that regard, it’s not particularly helpful that there have been so many betting schemes that have been uncovered in just the past 24 months across all levels of competitive sports. Still, there seems to be little appetite for messing with the formula. Changes on the horizon? Don't bet on it.

• • The Sphere is Las Vegas has raked in $260 million for its “The Wizard of Oz” show, because well…there’s no place like dome.

• • Duke University sues its Quarterback Darian Mensah to enforce its revenue-sharing agreement and keep him from transferring to another school – just the latest instance of schools and athletes duking it out in the NIL era.

• • Ryan Coogler’s blues-y horror film Sinners may pull off a laugher at this year’s Academy Awards, having earned 16 award nominations – the most in history for a single film. In other news, the folks behind Saints are shedding tears as they were not nominated.

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! 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