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☆ Lionel Messi: What next for arguably the greatest player in history?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —After helping Paris Saint-Germain win its 11th Ligue 1 title at the weekend, Lionel Messi has some thinking to do. While Messi struggled with injury during his first season in Paris, he still managed to show flashes of his brilliance. Earlier this year, Messi’s long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi club Al Nassr for an eye-watering sum of money, perhaps paving the way for other superstars to follow suit. “I think money is always a factor in human decision making,” Mora y Araujo said, amid reports Saudi club Al Hilal was targeting Messi’s signature. Despite an array of world class talent, PSG has failed to win the Champions League with Messi.

☆ MLS awards expansion team to San Diego
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Major League Soccer (MLS) awarded its 30th team to San Diego on Thursday, with the club set to make their debut in 2025 under the ownership of entrepreneur and investor Mohamed Mansour. The team will share the new, 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium with an existing women's team, San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League. "Sycuan has deep roots to the San Diego community," said Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez. "Our MLS team will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community." Adding some star power to the ownership ranks is the San Diego Padres six-time All-Star Manny Machado.

☆ A real-estate agent explains how regular homebuyers can compete with all-cash buyers using 'pre-underwriting' — and 3 other ways to get your offer accepted in a competitive market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The housing market is competitive right now and homes are selling quickly. Realtor Dana Bull shares the strategies that her clients are using to win bids in a competitive market. Real-estate agent, consultant, and investor Dana Bull says that her market, Boston, is more competitive than ever. The main advantage is that the everyday buyer can close quickly, which used to only be a luxury for all-cash buyers who didn't have to worry about securing financing. Big picture, you win the bid and you get the house because you're able to close quickly; but you may not be getting the best rate."

☆ A real estate investor with a $36,000 salary scaled to 2,400 rental units after buying 2 run-down, single-family homes with a partner. He shares his top 5 tips for getting started with little cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

They used this process multiple times until they scaled into multi-family properties. Over the years, he took a light interest in real estate after reading Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad." In May 2003, he came across a newspaper ad for two local single-family houses in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Of those units, 20 were single-family homes and 2,403 were within multi-family complexes, according to property records viewed by Insider. He has since sold most of his properties for profit but still owns three multi-family units that hold 471 rental units.

☆ Pro sports unions unite to discuss importance of mental health
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The NFL Players Association, National Basketball Players Association, National Hockey League Players' Association, MLB Players Association, MLS Players Association and Women's National Basketball Players Association will work together to raise awareness about the cause and invest resources to improve mental health for the pro athlete community. This is the first time the sports organizations have come together to promote mental health. The high stakes, busy lifestyles and pressures of professional sports have caused many athletes to reveal their own mental health struggles in recent years. As athletes from all levels have expressed their struggles, many of the leagues realized that mental health needs to be as much of a priority as physical health is. The sports leagues will also highlight inspirational stories from athletes and the various mental health efforts they are leading.

☆ The business case for green sports stadiums and arenas is growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A general exterior view of Climate Pledge Arena before the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 17, 2022. Much like the broader world of commercial real estate, arenas, and stadiums have been slowly adopting sustainable practices over the last few decades, from recycling programs to energy efficiency efforts. That led to what has become the Climate Pledge Arena. AMBSE has even created a "playbook" for other stadium operators to follow if they also want to get to zero waste. It's reached a level of critical mass where people have moved past greenwashing, and they're making substantive changes to their business practices," Cannon said.

☆ Real Madrid concedes four goals in heavy defeat to Girona as La Liga title hopes fade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Real Madrid’s hopes of catching Barcelona at the top of La Liga were all but extinguished on Tuesday as Los Blancos suffered a shock 4-2 defeat to Girona. Valentín Castellanos had the match of his life, scoring all four goals in the victory to become the first player in more than 75 years to score four times in a single La Liga match against Real Madrid. Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty ImagesReal Madrid remains 11 points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga, but Xavi’s side can extend its lead to 14 points with victory over Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday. Real Madrid could concede more ground to Barça in the title race. Vinícius replied to a description of the incident on Twitter with “La Liga” accompanied by two sweating emojis.

☆ Top pro leagues, media outlets team up to combat problematic sports-betting ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The nation's top professional leagues are teaming up with some TV broadcasters to tackle irresponsible sports-betting advertising. The NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, NASCAR, and MLS have joined media companies NBCUniversal and Fox to form The Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising. The coalition, led by NFL vice president of public policy and government affairs, Jonathan Nabavi, aims to regulate sports-betting advertising as it floods television, internet and print media. The move comes as sports betting becomes legal in more states and opponents worry its advertising targets minors. The National Council on Problem Gambling has commended the coalition and promised to work in collaboration with it to "better mitigate problem gambling related harm."

☆ The Haslam family sold its gas station business to Warren Buffett this year. Now it's set to buy a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( George Glover | Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Haslam family will finalize buying a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, according to Bloomberg. They're swapping fuel pumps for courtside seats after selling their gas station business to Warren Buffett. They're poised to own 25% of the Bucks in a deal that values the NBA franchise at around $3.5 billion. The Haslams agreed to buy billionaire investor Marc Lasry's 25% stake in the Bucks in a deal that values the NBA franchise at $3.5 billion back in February, per a previous Bloomberg report. The Haslam family retains control of Pilot's day-to-day operations.

☆ MLS suspends Vanzeir for six games for using racist language
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 13 (Reuters) - Major League Soccer (MLS) suspended Belgian Dante Vanzeir of the New York Red Bulls for six games and handed him an undisclosed fine for using racist language during a game, the league said on Thursday. MLS also said Vanzeir will be required to participate in league-mandated training and education sessions, as well as a restorative practices program. The incident occurred in the second half when Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse alleged a Red Bulls player used a racial slur. Vanzeir, Red Bulls coach Gerhard Struber and the team all issued apologies on Monday. Vanzeir addressed his team mates on Tuesday and, to avoid further distractions, decided to step away from the club until further notice.

☆ US sports giant Fanatics acquires top Italian football club merchandiser
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fanatics has acquired Italian sports merchandise company Epi for an undisclosed amount and will rebrand the Milan-based company as Fanatics Italy. The company operates the ecommerce, in-venue, physical retail store and third-party logistics for several of the top football clubs in Italy including AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, as well as the Italian Football Federation, which oversees the Italian national team. The deal builds upon Fanatics' existing presence in Europe and across the globe, which totals more than 60 offices, and manufacturing and distribution facilities. Roughly a "low double-digit" percentage of Fanatics' revenue comes from outside North America, Mack said, declining to comment further as Fanatics is a private company. Revenue for Fanatics will be approximately $8 billion in 2023, according to previous company estimates seen by CNBC.

☆ Home prices are in their longest slump since 2012. Here's what experts think happens next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US home prices just fell for the seventh consecutive month, Case-Shiller data showed Tuesday. Here's what economists are saying about the housing market outlook. Over the last year, the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hiking campaign has helped lift mortgage rates sharply, weighing on affordability and demand. Here's what experts have said could come next for the housing market. "Long-term [the housing shortage] puts a floor under demand in this country for newly built homes," he told CNBC on Thursday.

☆ This LA mansion is staring down an April 1 deadline before the seller loses millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

EstateLuxShootTrying to unload an expensive mansion in the midst of a banking crisis with the LA real estate market softening and uncertainty looming large isn't exactly great timing. Feinberg, like all luxury mansion sellers in LA, is also contending with the new mansion tax approved by voters in November. Yann IppolitoFor homes priced between $5 million and $10 million, sellers will have to pay the city 4% of the total sale price. According to his calculations, all of those sellers combined would have racked up a mansion tax bill of almost $131 million. "When New York implemented the mansion tax in 2019, there was a surge in closings just short of the July 1 start date and a void of sales in the following months," he said.

☆ KB Home expects Q2 net orders to fall amid tough year-ago comparisons
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 22 (Reuters) - U.S. homebuilder KB Home (KBH.N) said on Wednesday net orders in the first two-and-a-half weeks of the ongoing second quarter fell 24% from last year, issuing a rare mid-quarter update due to the ongoing market volatility fueled by a banking crisis. The California-based company expects net orders for the second quarter, which began in March, between 3,000 and 3,700, a 14% decline when compared with the midpoint of the range from a year earlier, when steady employment and wage growth were fueling housing demand. "The banking crisis could lead to a little bit of injection of life into the housing market by lowering mortgage rates," said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. KB Home reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue, sending its shares up by 3% after the bell. Reporting by Priyamvada C and Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Check out Taylor Swift's multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio, with houses from Nashville to Beverly Hills
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Swift bought the Beverly Hills mansion known as the Goldwyn Estate in 2015 for $25 million. MLS/Courtesy of TruliaThe property is now estimated to be worth $30 million, according to Zillow. Swift reportedly bought the estate through an LLC from the Goldwyn family. The mansion has six bedrooms, a tennis court, a whole apartment for guests, and a swimming pool. Sources: Property records, Insider, Zillow

☆ Inflation gauge increased 0.4% in February, as expected and up 6% from a year ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core CPI increased 0.5% in February and 5.5% on a 12-month basis. The consumer price index increased 0.4% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 6%, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Inflation rose in February but was in line with expectations, likely keeping the Federal Reserve on track for another interest rate hike next week despite recent banking industry turmoil. Food prices rose 0.4% and 9.5% respectively. That entails core services inflation minus housing, cohort that increased 0.2% in February and 3.7% from a year ago, according to CNBC calculations.

☆ Apple's advertising business is expanding into new areas this year such as TV. Here are 14 behind-the-scenes Apple executives building its advertising empire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A former Yahoo and Quantcast staffer, Crawford first joined Apple in 2011 to work on global operations for iAd. Lauren Fry - Apple TV+ ad salesApple hired Fry, a TV and video ad sales veteran, in February this year, The Information reported.

☆ Home price gains weakened sharply to end 2022, according to S&P Case-Shiller
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Higher mortgage rates weighed on home price gains at the end of 2022. While prices were still higher than they were a year earlier, the rate of increase slowed quickly, according to data released Tuesday. Home prices in December were 5.8% higher than the previous December, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index. For all of 2022, the 5.8% price gain was the 15th best performance in the index's 35-year history, but was well below 2021's record-setting 18.9% gain. Weekly data on buyer activity indicates that homebuyers may be watching mortgage rates closely.

☆ Five storylines to watch in the 2023 MLS season
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Five storylines to follow during the 2023 Major League Soccer (MLS) season which kicks off on Saturday:LAFC'S REPEAT BIDLos Angeles FC return this season looking to retain their crown after a wildly successful 2022 during which they won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup, becoming the first team to win the double since Toronto FC in 2017. With experience and some added depth, Union are well-placed to take the next step to landing a maiden MLS Cup. The Leagues Cup will not have any draws. - -REVAMPED PLAYOFFSEighteen clubs, or 62% of MLS's teams, will qualify for the 2023 postseason compared to 14 teams last year. The conference semi-finals, finals and MLS Cup remain single-elimination matches hosted by the higher seed.

LAFC prevailed in the most thrilling final in league history against Philadelphia last season when Gareth Bale's stunning extra time goal tied the rollercoaster affair 3-3. The home side then broke the hearts of the Union in a one-sided penalty shootout to claim their first MLS Cup and cap a season where they also won the Supporters' Shield for having the best regular-season record. Earlier this month Forbes announced that LAFC was the first MLS club to reach $1 billion in value. "Leading into the World Cup in 2026, you want to build momentum and gain more exposure, and I think this partnership is going to truly be beautiful." While Fox and FS1 will still carry some games on traditional cable, the bulk of the matches will be streamed on Apple TV through its MLS Season Pass at a price of $79 a year for Apple TV+ subscribers and $99 for those without.

☆ Adidas renews deal with Major League Soccer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Matthew Ashton - AMA | Getty ImagesMajor League Soccer and sportwear giant Adidas agreed to a multiyear extension of their partnership. It represents Adidas' largest-ever investment in North American soccer. At the time, it marked a record-breaking deal for North American soccer for Adidas. Adidas renews its longtime partnership with Major League Soccer until 2030. The league's future is bright and we are proud to be part of it," Rupert Campbell, president of Adidas North America, told CNBC.

☆ Adidas and Major League Soccer renew partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAdidas and Major League Soccer renew partnershipDon Garber, MLS commissioner, and Rupert Campbell, Adidas North America president, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the partnership between the two, the upcoming strategy for Adidas and where each see the World Cup ranking in most-viewed performances.

☆ A writer of 5,000 real-estate listings critiqued ChatGPT's attempts. Certain lines made her 'cringe,' but she expects brokers to choose the free AI chatbot over her anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Insider asked Hyrapett to analyze ChatGPT write-ups of homes for sale in New York and California. The Zillow listing for a Yonkers, New York, home that Insider asked ChatGPT to write a description for. Dan Latu/InsiderWhen Hyrapett reviewed the listing, she called some of the words the chatbot used — including "boasting," "spacious," and "well-appointed" — cliché. Instead, Hyrapett said, she prefers to use "offers" or "provides" instead of "boasts," "generously sized" for "spacious," and "thoughtfully designed" over "well-appointed." Dan Latu/InsiderThe best real-estate listings lure buyers with call-to-action phrases like, "Come start your new beginning, " Hyrapett said.

☆ Cincinnati sign Colombia defender Arias
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - FC Cincinnati have signed Colombia defender Santiago Arias through the 2023 season, with an option to extend for an extra year, the MLS club said on Thursday. The 31-year-old, who recently played for Spanish second-tier side Granada on loan from Atletico Madrid, has joined Cincinnati on a free transfer, MLS said. "Santi brings an enormous amount of experience and ability to FC Cincinnati," Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said. Arias joined Atletico in 2018 after five years at PSV Eindhoven, where he won three league titles and two Dutch Super Cups. Arias has more than 50 caps and was part of the Colombia squad that finished third at the Copa America Centenario and also went to the 2014 and 2018 World Cup tournaments.

One of the really interesting questions here – this will be fascinating – the core of linear TV is sports rights. When you look at the size and scope of the linear TV business, it's huge. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesByron Allen, Entertainment Studios founder and CEO: I think linear TV will exist for a very, very long time. Simmons: I believe Apple, out of nowhere, will start making their own awesome televisions that have Apple TV embedded in them. We are witnessing early stages of this dynamic with deals like "NFL Sunday Ticket" on YouTube and the MLS deal with Apple TV.

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