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Bloomberg’s David Hellier, Jennah Haque and Randall Williams report the Premier League’s record £3B summer spending is powered by a quiet, approved network of lenders—banks such as HSBC, Barclays, Santander, Macquarie, Citi, Close Brothers, Aldermore, IBB and Banca Sistema—granted access to clubs’ future broadcast and central revenues. However, Hellier, et al. note the old guard is now challenged by private credit giants like Apollo, PGIM, Ares and Blackstone who are moving aggressively into football finance as traditional banks shy away from reputational risk. The Bloomberg trio reports EPL revenues have exploded since 1995-96, when total TV income was £43M (~£2M per club); today the worst-performing club earns ~£120M from broadcast alone, yet costs routinely outpace income as owners chase players and stadium projects. “Since those early days, the market for lending to football clubs has transformed, with a growing number of lenders setting up specialized departments to lend to teams. The consumer brand banks largely stayed away from the game because of the bad press that could be generated if they had to put a team into bankruptcy.” Lots more. (link)

Washington Spirit CEO Kim Stone tells SBJ’s Rachel Axon the club is projecting up to 60% YOY revenue growth, driven by a corporate-style model built around 17 monthly KPIs she reviews with owner Michele Kang. Attendance hit a record 198K at Audi Field with season tickets up 71% YOY after Stone rebuilt the ticketing staff (up 400%) and leaned into community outreach, including free and $10 tickets during the federal shutdown that brought in 1,000 fans. Sponsorship revenue is up 50% YOY after bringing sales in-house. Stone: “We run this like a company. We spent the last two years pivoting to a revenue mindset, getting the infrastructure and organization set. The future is all about those things. It’s all about understanding them, continuing this to build this community, and the way we’re responding and showing up for the community is really important.” (link)

Marketing Brew’s Alyssa Meyers reports Hennessy and LeBron James sparked heavy buzz—and backlash—with “The Second Decision,” an ad spoofing James’ 2010 announcement that he would be joining the Miami Heat. In the ad, James quips: “I’m going to be taking my talents to Hennessy VSOP.” The bait-and-switch frustrated some fans, but Hennessy CMO Vincent Montalescot said the campaign pushed engagement on brand channels to an “all-time high,” adding: “Our focus was on deepening Hennessy’s cultural relevance. Success is measured on our ability to resonate through the massive pool of LeBron James’ fans.” Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Comms Planning Director Amar Babbar adds: “Sometimes, greatness is divisive. It’s about creating the conversation.” The agency fully expected charged reactions—one fan even sued after overpaying for resale tickets during retirement speculation. Creative Director Zeynep Orbay said the team wanted to “make a splash within basketball culture” by subverting trade-rumor tropes: “How do we take that iconic moment and use that, subvert it, [and] allow LeBron and Hennessy to play with that moment to revitalize it for a new generation?” James was “very open” to the cheeky tone, and Montalescot says the campaign continues to see “unprecedented traction,” noting: “Cultural risk often leads to cultural reward.” (link)

Margins of Victory: Episode 4
Playfly Aspire President Gil Beverly joined host Craig Pintens to discuss his diverse career background, from ESPN and the Tennessee Titans to his current role driving new revenue through premium hospitality. The wide-ranging, insightful conversation includes:

➤ Premium as an Annuity: Beverly emphasizes that creating new premium inventory (clubs, smaller boxes) is crucial because it widens revenue margins and creates what is effectively an annuity due to significantly stronger renewal rates compared to standard season tickets.

➤ Combating the Secondary Market: While at the Titans, he developed the 22nd Element loyalty program in a strategic effort to disincentivize fans from reselling their tickets, to reward season ticket members for their attendance with exclusive gear like a satin bomber jacket.

➤ Leaning into Local Culture: Beverly's philosophy at the Titans was to find the intersections between football and Nashville culture, leading to partnerships with local streetwear brands to create subversive merch that resonated with fans and fostered local pride.

CLICK HERE for the episode or listen anywhere you get your podcasts.

AdAge’s Adrianne Pasquarelli observes companies overwhelmingly hire CMOs from the outside: 82% of 2025 CMO appointments through October were external hires, similar to 2024’s 84%, per Taligence, whose founder, Michael Wright, calls the CMO “the hottest seat in the C-suite, but also the most exposed—think of it like a shock absorber. When things go south, even when they are out of the CMO’s control, it may trigger a reflex to go outside.” Internal promotion rates drop sharply at smaller firms—just 12% at companies with 201–500 employees versus 27.3% at those with 10,000+ staff. Executives say aspiring CMOs need cross-disciplinary experience, visibility with other C-suite leaders, and broader organizational leadership. Audacy CMO Jenny Nelson notes there is “often a perception if you bring in someone with a fresh voice from another industry or company, they’ll have a new perspective that will help raise up the brand profile. While that can be true, there’s also something to be said for looking within the organization for people who may understand the business challenges and opportunities because they live it every day.” Wright adds that CMOs pursuing president/CEO tracks could open more internal succession paths. “It might reduce that job hugging and fear that this is the only job I can do at this company.” More. (link)

AI is tightening—and straining—the CFO/CIO relationship, with both executives believing they own enterprise-wide tech strategy (71% of CFOs vs. 77% of CIOs, per Gartner). West Monroe Director of Finance Transformation Connor Augustyn tells CFO Brew’s Jesse Klein: “AI is going to force both the CFO and the CIO into a tighter, more strategic, and probably sometimes more tense partnership.” CFOs see themselves leading AI because of risk concerns, with MorganFranklin Cyber CISO Michael Welch asking: “Can we make sure that we’re [implementing AI] without introducing new risk into our environment, for our customers, for our partners, and for our shareholders?” AI also blurs responsibilities, and Augustyn notes: “CIOs aren’t used to being held accountable to ROI. CFOs aren’t normally used to being responsible for the data across the organization. You’re getting a little bit of an overlap in the Venn diagram, and that’s why the two of them have to start collaborating together.” Bayer says CFOs must “speak digital and AI native” to build credibility: “The more AI aware you are, the more credibility you have…because they’ll say, ‘Oh, he gets it.’” (link)

CFO Brew’s Alex Zank reports middle-market CFOs see data integration as the top barrier to finance modernization, per a new Cherry Bekaert survey of 200 finance leaders. 55% cite data accuracy/consistency as a major challenge and 48% say integration complexity is their No. 1 issue, with 84% prioritizing data quality and integration in the coming year. The report notes that “fragmented systems and manual workarounds slow decision making and erode confidence.” Zank adds that clean data underpins AI adoption, and Pie Insurance Deputy CFO Alexander Davis warns: “If your organization is all-in on AI and you’re not all-in on data, you might have a problem one day.” (link)

The Minnesota Timberwolves have launched an in-game seat-upgrade marketplace through Jump, the ticketing platform co-founded by team owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. Bloomberg’s Ira Boudway explains fans can now move into available seats in the first 20 rows during games, with 159 upgrades sold at an average of $34 per seat over the team’s first three home dates. To free up inventory, the Wolves are also selling “first-half passes”—premium seats valid only through halftime—after which fans move to a lounge while others can purchase those seats for the second half. Jump CEO Jordy Leiser calls the concept “Shopify for sports teams,” since fans buy directly through the team app rather than via Ticketmaster-style fees. The platform charges teams a software-licensing fee instead of taking a cut of sales, and future plans include auctions and incentives for fans who leave early to release their seats. Lore says the long-term goal is to let fans “move to any open seat in the arena at any time during the game.” Leiser adds that hybrid ticketing is a “natural fit” for modern venues and that “it’s not crazy at all to think that you could move a thousand people during a game.” (link)

SBJ’s Bret McCormick notes the city of Charlotte and the Charlotte Hornets were able to complete a $245M renovation of the Spectrum Center in two years “by closing from April to October during the 2024 and 2025 offseasons. First-phase elements included new event-level premium spaces, updates to the arena’s upper concourse, and a remodeled Novant Health Suite Level, moving from one premium product (54 suites) to five products (mini suites, standard suites, party suites, a super suite and the First Horizon Bank Theater Box). Full rundown of updates. (link)

The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reports the Rays will return to a renovated Tropicana Field in 2026 with $10 tickets for all home games, 6:40 p.m. weeknight starts and an average 15% price cut on more than two-thirds of seats, plus new premium options like “Fieldside Box” near home plate and the all-inclusive “Chalk Box” near first base. Upgrades include a new sound system, expanded main video board, additional video displays and refreshed suites, with a preview center and virtual tour at the Rays pop-up store. (link)

The Philadelphia Flyers will host what is believed to be professional sports’ first theme night focused on the band Phish. SBJ’s Alex Silverman notes that fans who purchase tickets through a special link will receive a co-branded Phish-Flyers T-shirt, with the band’s logo reimagined in the image of Gritty, the team’s mascot. Silverman adds: “The evening will also include a pregame concert by local tribute band RiftPhilly. The Flyers have previously hosted theme nights celebrating the Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam.” (link)