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☆ How the boom in sports documentaries on streaming is opening up a new path for athletes as content creators
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A boom in sports documentaries has offered athletes more ways to be on screen and build their brands. Players and their agents are looking for hits like Netflix Formula 1 doc series "Drive to Survive." Being featured in a sports doc can dramatically raise an athlete's profile, giving them more fans and more branding power. Netflix's "Drive to Survive" was credited with doing wonders for F1 fandom, particularly stateside, where American interest has historically been scarce. "These people can go on the air and broadcast their own content and they can capture and keep their own content," said Octagon VP of content and development Jason Weichelt.

☆ How Kobe Bryant became one of the NBA's all-time greatest players and an almost mythical figure in the process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Scott Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Kobe Bryant died three years ago today, on January 26, 2020, leaving behind a legacy as an all-time great NBA player and sports icon. From the moment he entered the NBA, Bryant had a platform to become a transcendent star. An impressive resumeOver 20 years in the NBA, Bryant built one of the more impressive resumés. Like many legendary athletes, Bryant's career didn't end in grand fashion. The Lakers won 21 and 17 games in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Bryant's last season in the league.

☆ Nike's messy dispute over who gets credit for signing Michael Jordan is hitting the big screen in film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That debate will get renewed attention in April when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon release "Air," a movie that recounts how Nike signed Jordan. "A lot of people want to take credit for signing Michael Jordan, most obviously Sonny Vaccaro." It's unclear if Vaccaro spoke with Knight, Vaccaro, or Jordan or if he relied on existing sources, including "Sole Man," an ESPN documentary about Vaccaro. Several books and news stories also have recounted how the Jordan deal came about, including parts of "Just do it," "Swoosh," and a sweeping 1992 story in the Washington Post. Regardless of the movie's spin on events, the Jordan deal was a pivotal moment for Nike.

☆ LeBron James NBA Finals jersey expected to fetch up to $5 million at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LeBron James game-worn jersey from the athletes NBA finals game 7 victory over the Miami Heat in 2013, is on display during a press preview at Sotheby's auction House on January 20, 2023, in New York City. Sotheby's is listing an iconic jersey worn by LeBron James during his NBA Finals Game 7 victory with the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. The jersey commemorates James' first NBA Finals Game 7 appearance, which was one of the most significant performances of his career. The company added that the jersey also commemorates James' back-to-back championships and NBA Finals MVP awards with the Miami Heat. James is one of only six players in NBA history to be awarded back-to-back NBA Finals MVP trophies.

☆ Iconic Kobe Bryant jersey up for auction, expected to fetch up to $7 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Images of Bryant in the jersey have garnered worldwide recognition since the basketball star's sudden death three years ago. Sotheby's is listing a Kobe Bryant jersey, worn in 25 games during his 2007-2008 MVP season. The company said it expects the jersey to sell for between $5 million and $7 million in the online auction. An iconic piece of Kobe Bryant memorabilia is hitting the auction block, and it's expected to be his most valuable item ever to go up for sale. Sotheby's made headlines in September for selling Michael Jordan's 1998 "Last Dance" jersey for $10.1 million, a record-breaking auction.

☆ A pair of Michael Jordan's Nikes just sold for more than $92,000, setting a record that solidifies sneakers as an asset class
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rally last week sold a pair of Jordan 11 "Concords" that Michael Jordan wore in 1996 for more than $92,000. While the market for sneakers has weakened, there's still strong demand for the most coveted kicks. Petrozzo said the price is a record for "Concords," although other game-worn Jordan sneakers have gone for more, including a pair that sold for $560,000 in 2020. Rally also sold a pair of game-worn Jordan 3s for $61,500 in December, generating a nearly 180% profit for investors who purchased shares in January 2020. Rally's other listings include a game-worn pair of Jordan 1s that are down 48% since first listing in November 2020.

☆ Kids are pranking their parents on TikTok by telling them celebrities have died. Angela Bassett's son may have killed the trend by bluffing about her colleague, Michael B. Jordan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Slater Vance joined in on a TikTok trend where users lie about celebrity deaths to their parents. Many social media users have called the trend distasteful. That's what 16-year-old Slater Vance learned last week, after joining in on it using his own famous parents: actors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance. The trend involves users pranking their families on camera, pretending that celebrities — usually ones beloved to their parents — have died. "Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance just put an end to that TikTok trend and we owe them a debt of gratitude," one user said.

☆ How athletes are cashing in on 'the Netflix effect' as sports documentaries boom at Apple TV+, Amazon, and more streamers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A boom in sports documentaries has offered athletes more ways to be on screen and build their brands. Players and their agents are looking for hits like Netflix Formula 1 doc series "Drive to Survive." Apple TV+, HBO, and Amazon are all competing for sports docs that bring viewers into athletes' lives. Being featured in a sports doc can dramatically raise an athlete's profile, giving them more fans and more branding power. Netflix's "Drive to Survive" was credited with doing wonders for F1 fandom, particularly stateside, where American interest has historically been scarce.

☆ The Fed may wreck one of the greatest booms in history of Main Street America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

As interest rates rise, inflation lingers and home equity that many business founders use to get started shrinks, small business formations are doing something unexpected – they're rising. If the data persists, the resilience in small business formation points to a "new plateau" of activity that may add millions of jobs to the economy, Haltiwanger says. But the risks include the Fed itself choking off financial conditions so much that the small business boom is smothered. Danny Sweis opened his in the summer of 2022. If that lasts, that means 4 million per year, offset by 2.5 million lost as other small businesses close.

☆ An activewear startup backed by Michael Jordan's son hit its first fundraising goal. Here's how Äktiiv plans to take on Lululemon and Nike.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Äktiiv products are biodegradable and made from plants. The Portland, Oregon, startup Äktiiv, which rhymes with black sleeve, launched its first products on Kickstarter in November and recently hit its fundraising goal. Cash from the campaign will be used to scale the company, including its marketing. But there's a twist: Äktiiv products are biodegradable and made from plants, not materials derived from oil or plastics. Similarly, Äktiiv products are designed to be worn in the gym, not while running errands.

☆ A sports VC explains why he thinks the sports-memorabilia market is set to surge, even as NFTs struggle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Colin Salao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He's bullish heading into 2023 on physical collectibles because supply is limited but constantly created. He thinks digital collectibles will have a place in the industry when the market is less volatile. A July report by Market Decipher estimated the size of the sports-memorabilia market at $26.1 billion as of 2022 and predicted it to rise to $227 billion by 2032. Vasu KulkarniCourtside VC invests in all facets of the sports space, but Kulkarni leads the collectibles portfolio. Kulkarni thinks the NFT market will become less of a "money-making mechanism" and more tied to real-world utilities, which could make it less volatile.

☆ How Nike's Air Jordan 1 became — and remained — the most prized lifestyle sneaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Nike on Saturday will release the Air Jordan 1 Chicago "Lost and Found"Some collectors consider it the "most iconic sneaker of all time." "The Air Jordan 1 is the most iconic sneaker of all time," said Jordan Geller, a sneaker collector and former owner of the ShoeZeum who in 2020 sold a pair worn by Jordan for a record $560,000. Michael Jordan wearing the Air Jordan 1 in 1985. AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezScarcity, storytelling, collaborations and the "Last Dance"After 1985, The Air Jordan 1 didn't re-release in original specs until 1994. "All of those releases are coveted by sneaker collectors and the 'Lost and Found' Air Jordan 1 will be as well," Geller said.

☆ France's Digital Virgo to list in U.S. in $513 mln SPAC deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Joyce Lee | Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Digital Virgo said on Thursday it would list in the United States in a blank-check deal that values the French mobile payments platform at $513 million, including debt. Digital Virgo is among a few companies that have opted to list in the United States at a time of severe market turbulence. read moreGoal Acquisitions Corp (PUCK.O) will acquire Digital Virgo shares at $10 apiece, with the deal providing the latter at least $100 million. A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is a listed company lacking an inherent business model, formed solely to take other firms public via mergers. Goal is led by sports executives including Harvey Schiller, Bill Duffy and basketball star Michael Jordan's former agent, David Falk.

☆ How this activewear startup funded by NBA legend Michael Jordan's son plans to take on Lululemon and Nike
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Äktiiv products are biodegradable and made from plants. Two Nike veterans, including the basketball legend Michael Jordan's son Jeffrey Jordan, are launching a brand for sustainable workout apparel that hopes to compete with the likes of Lululemon. If it's successful, cash from the campaign will be used to scale the company, including its marketing. But there's a twist: Äktiiv products are biodegradable and made from plants, not materials derived from oil or plastics. Similarly, Äktiiv products are designed to be worn in the gym, not while running errands.

☆ Christie's launches 'Department X' as collectible sneakers and street-wear boom
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Christie's is launching a new department to capitalize on the booming market for collectible sneakers, streetwear and sports history. The auction house on Monday announced its Department X, giving Air Jordans and Supreme skate decks their own category, alongside Impressionist & Modern Art and Old Masters. "When looking at the auction world and the way collectors are evolving and the new collectors coming into the marketplace, we felt this is a strong a robust marketplace," said Caitlin Donovan, Christie's head of Handbags, Streetwear and Sneakers, who will head Department X. Department X will sell rare collectibles across music, fashion, art and sports history, but sneakers and streetwear will be among its biggest categories. In June, Christie's held a "Six Rings − Legacy of the GOAT" sale dedicated to basketball legend Michael Jordan's career, with sales nearing $1.5 million.

☆ Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' jersey sells for record-breaking $10.1 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Jack Stebbins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Michael Jordan’s game-worn 1998 NBA Finals ‘The Last Dance’ jersey from game 1 is on display during a press preview at Sotheby's on September 06, 2022 in New York City. A jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan in the first game of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $10.1 million, breaking the record for game-worn sports memorabilia. The jersey is also the most expensive Jordan item ever sold, surpassing an autographed card that sold for $2.7 million. The Bulls lost the game that featured this $10.1 million jersey, falling to the Utah Jazz despite Jordan's 33-point performance. Sotheby's reported "a new generation of collectors" in announcing the sale of Jordan's jersey on Thursday.

☆ Jordan's 'Last Dance' jersey sells for record $10.1 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The previous record was established earlier this year at Sotheby's, with Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" jersey fetching a staggering $9.3 million. REUTERS/Nathan Frandino Read More"Yet again, today's record-breaking result... solidifies Michael Jordan as the undisputed G.O.A.T, proving his name and incomparable legacy is just as relevant as it was nearly 25 years ago." Jordan's jersey was expected to fetch $3 to $5 million at Sotheby's "INVICTUS" auction and eclipsed the $3.7 million spent in May on Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn in his rookie year -- the previous record for a basketball jersey at auction. It also broke the record for any item of Jordan sports memorabilia after his autographed relic card from 1997-1998 sold for $2.7 million. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Photos show the rise and fall of Nike's iconic Air Jordan sneakers — and how the shoes are making a comeback 16 years after Michael Jordan's retirement
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-14 | by ( Rachel Askinasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

"I was skipping school to go to the local sneaker store where I grew up at seven in the morning. At that point it was great — you only had to get there three hours early, waiting for that shoe to release," he said. "It was about buying them, putting them on your feet, and walking into school and everyone saying 'How do you have that shoe?' I was two hours late, but that's neither here nor there, don't tell my teachers." picture alliance/Contributor/Getty Images

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