Four ETF providers—Roundhill Investments, Volatility Shares, REX Financial, and LeagueSports—filed proposals with the SEC to launch 402 exchange-traded funds tied to the statistical performance of individual NHL, MLB, and NBA franchises, according to the Financial Times' Steve Johnson. Here’s what you need to know…

➤ Investment arms connected to the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers are backing the financial products, which will track exclusive data indices created by FutureSports Xchange.

➤ To separate the funds from traditional sports betting, the ETFs will bypass binary win/loss prediction markets to instead track continuous futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, with index valuations rising and falling based on cumulative game-level metrics like goals, saves, and takeaways throughout the season. The proposals emerge as Americans wagered a record $167B on sports in 2025.

➤ FutureSports Co-Founder Rhett Dinsdale intends to market the indices as financial hedging tools for team owners and broadcasters, while simultaneously targeting expansion into the NCAA: "We are interested in all leagues and sports as well as collegiate sports. We are in talks with a lot of the sponsors, locally and internationally. It has generated a lot of interest. I would expect we would see more announcements coming soon." (link)

Small private institutions are slashing published tuition rates to boost enrollment and counteract rising skepticism over higher education costs, Bloomberg's Amanda Albright observes. Emory & Henry reduced tuition from near $40K to $19,990, while Tulsa plans to lower tuition to $25K from $54K starting in 2027 to target a 10% to 12% enrollment increase. Additional institutions pursuing resets include Concordia University-St. Paul, which saw undergraduate enrollment climb over 70% after a 33% cut in 2013 and announced a further $5,500 reduction. Albright notes a NACUBO survey of over 250 private colleges revealed an average tuition discount rate of 57% for first-time students, and Emory & Henry President Lou Fincher says: "We just knew that we couldn’t be a school with a price tag of $40K and attract students, particularly those in the socioeconomic groups that are in our region. We couldn’t continue on that same path." (link)

Multiple universities announced higher education workforce reductions in September driven by declining enrollment, rising expenses, and budget shortfalls, according to Inside Higher Ed's Josh Moody. Utah plans to eliminate between 285 and 855 positions by June as it addresses declining federal research funding and state cost-cutting pressures. Additional workforce reductions include those at  USC (65 engineering IT roles following 900 cuts last year to address a $230M budget hole), Bowie State (20 faculty positions to address an $18M deficit after eliminating 79 jobs in May) and Gardner-Webb (14 positions eliminated for a $2M deficit and $6.7M in future financial needs). Utah President Taylor Randall: "The University of Utah has never become stronger by standing still. One of the most important responsibilities of being a leader is stewardship. We inherited a remarkable university that was shaped by those who came before, and we have an obligation to leave it stronger for those who follow." (link)

More than 60% of CFOs report their responsibilities have expanded into enterprise technology and AI over the past few years, according to an IBM study of 1,500 finance leaders. A separate Deloitte report found 54% of finance leaders now oversee cross-enterprise AI capital allocation and 48% manage AI cost controls, with 66% utilizing an internal measurement-focused process for major technology investments. While IBM noted that only 6% of finance organizations are fully transformation-ready with AI embedded across enterprise workflows, companies with AI-first finance leaders achieved revenue growth rates 23% higher than peer organizations from 2022 to 2024. IBM Consulting SVP Neil Dhar on why finance chiefs are taking a central role in technology planning: "AI is expensive, and it’s a capital allocation issue: where and how do you allocate, when do you turn it off, and when do you add more money? As you get into capital allocation and return on investment, the CFO is obviously going to play a critical role." (link)

American businesses are struggling to accurately project artificial intelligence costs as variable token consumption complicates technology budgeting, according to The Wall Street Journal's Jillian Vordick and Stephanie Stamm, who note a recent survey of 396 organizations revealed that only 11% successfully forecast AI spending within a 10% margin. Researchers from Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Cal and Microsoft Research analyzed more than 6,800 tasks and discovered that lower-priced models incur higher operating costs in 32% of cases. One test demonstrated Google's premium Gemini 3.1 Pro model successfully executing a prompt in 85 steps for $1, while the cheaper Gemini 3 Flash failed after 952 steps and accrued $14 in fees. Vordick and Stamm consequently conclude that “as more companies add AI to their daily workflows, they will also need strategies to manage their use, such as training employees on which model to use for a particular task. Otherwise, they could end up with IT bills that come out of a black box.” (link)

Nike CEO Elliott Hill slashed sales and profit forecasts following a 53% stock decline over the past year and an S&P credit rating downgrade to A. Hill says the company is projecting high single-digit revenue drops through FY27 and is launching Pace, cost-reduction initiative aimed at saving $2.5B through 2031. Although Nike generated double-digit growth across core athletic performance categories including running, basketball, and tennis, overall performance was dragged down by an almost 50% decline in Dunk sales alongside broader weakness in its Jordan brand and athleisure lines, which together represent 60% of the company's $45B annual revenue. Hill cites style shifts and product fatigue across lifestyle categories as key drivers of the decline, remarking that “there is a lack of energy in athleisure” and a “sea of sameness." (link)

Crystal Palace has hired Raine Group to seek new investment in the club at a $1.19B valuation. Raine Group previously managed the transaction last July in which former co-owner John Textor sold the 43% stake held by Eagle Football to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. The club, currently owned by Steve Parish, Johnson, Josh Harris, and David Blitzer, earned nearly $264M during the 2024-25 season. (link)

Global merger and acquisition activity dropped below $1T in the third quarter of 2026 to $986B, marking a 13% year-over-year decline and a sharp fall from the $1.7T recorded in the previous quarter, according to the Financial Times' Oliver Barnes and Ivan Levingston, who note that megadeals valued over $10B slipped from 26 in the second quarter to just 10, though the window still featured high-profile transactions including former Disney CEO Bob Iger and investor Josh Kushner agreeing to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5B. High interest rates and cautious corporate boards contributed to the slowdown, bringing the year-to-date global dealmaking total to $3.9T, which lags behind the $4.2T pace set in 2021. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz partner Andrew Nussbaum: "M&A activity was going up and to the right, so even if it slowed a bit over summer we are still going full throttle. Despite the execution risks and regulatory complexity, companies want to do deals." (link)

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser filed legislation authorizing up to $410M in bonds to yield $380M in net proceeds for renovations at Nationals Park. According to the Washington Business Journal, the project will feature concourse widenings, modernized concession areas, and redone player facilities, while remaining less substantial than the ongoing $1B overhaul of Capital One Arena. Although the team's precise financial contribution remains unspecified, the city prioritized the venue over a proposed $300M public contribution toward a $620M project at Audi Field. (link)

Municipal bond issuers are delaying roughly $6B in refunding deals as 30-year benchmark yields reached 5.26%—the highest level since at least 2011—according to Bloomberg's Michelle Kaske and Shruti Singh. High interest rates have paused major transactions, including a planned $1.7B bond sale by New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund Authority, a $450M refunding for the Philadelphia School District, and a potential $1B refinancing by New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. FHN Financial Head of Public Finance Ajay Thomas: "By the nature of where rates have gone in the past 10 days to two weeks, you are probably going to see a lot of refunding deals that made economic sense fall out of the money. Some issuers will say we can afford to wait or we are going to have to wait." (link)

More on the topic as global long-term bond yields are reaching historic highs, with the US 10-year Treasury hitting 5.34%—its highest mark since 2002—while the UK 10-year Gilt and Japan 10-year government bond reached 5.38% and 3.1%, respectively, CFO Brew's Luisa Beltran reports. Citigroup attributes the 60- to 100-basis-point surge to inflation pressures stemming from the Middle East, rising government debt that recently pushed the US national total to $40T, and corporate borrowing to fund AI investments that averaged $466B in the first half of the year. Morningstar Wealth Chief Multi-Asset Strategist Dominic Pappalardo: "All the AI debt pushes all interest rates higher. It’s a relatively simple supply and demand equation. There’s more supply of debt coming into the market, whether that’s from governments or tech companies funding AI investments… The next incremental buyer very naturally will require a higher income stream or higher yield from their investment to continue to make those investments." (link)

U.S. household spending increased 6.1% YoY through August—up from 4.3% at the end of last year—driven by a 2.6% rise in inflation-adjusted spending alongside a 3.4% consumer price increase, according to the Commerce Department. The expansion continues despite near-record-low consumer sentiment readings from the University of Michigan and the Conference Board and the national saving rate dropping to 4.1%. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee: "For all the talk about AI data centers, the main engine of growth for GDP in the United States has been broad-based consumer-spending growth, which I think is tied to a broad-based, stable labor market." (link)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days).

(NEW!) Data Analyst – Athletic Financial Reporting (Texas A&M University / College Station, TX): Provide data support for departmental projects and business processes and perform assigned administrative and financial business functions for Athletics business operations. More details HERE.

Financial Analyst I (2 Positions) (University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ): Help drive Arizona Athletics forward through financial insight, analysis, and strategy. Join our team as a Financial Analyst I and help turn data into informed decisions. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director, Revenue Marketing & Business Intelligence (University of Maryland / College Park, MD): Leads data-driven marketing and analytics to grow revenue, attendance, donor engagement, retention, and databases through targeted campaigns, pricing, audience insights, and sales partnerships. More details HERE.

Athletics Business Coordinator (Rice University / Houston, TX): The Business Coordinator will help in the generation of budget reports, purchasing, and deposits for the Athletic Department. More details HERE.

Athletics Business Associate (University of Illinois Springfield / Springfield, IL): Lead the business and HR operations for athletics, including providing insight into budgets, policies and staff hiring. Serves on senior staff. Has opportunity for athletics administration duties. (DII) More details HERE.

Coordinator - Business & Finance (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): Manage key financial processes including accounts receivable and bank statement reconciliations. Support balance sheet reconciliation reviews. Ensure timely/accurate recording of incoming payments. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations, Department of Athletics (R0009158) (Wake Forest University / Winston-Salem, NC): The Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations, is responsible for a broad range of accounting and business operations functions within the Department of Athletics’ Business Office. More details HERE.

Assistant Business Manager (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): To provide support assigned Sport Programs and Departments within Intercollegiate Athletics, in the areas of budget management, travel, procure to pay, and related business functions. More details HERE.

Data Analyst I (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): The Data Analyst I gathers, audits, analyzes, and reports low- to moderate-complexity data under general supervision. More details HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director (University of Washington / Seattle, WA): Washington Athletics has an outstanding opportunity for a Deputy Athletic Director to join their team. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Seattle? Click HERE.

Assistant Director for Business Services (University of Connecticut / Storrs Mansfield, CT): The University of Connecticut is seeking applications for the full-time position of Assistant Director for Business Services More details HERE.

Assistant or Associate Athletic Director, Business Operations/SWA (Sacred Heart University / Fairfield, CT): Provides operational leadership for Athletics' business functions. Oversees financial management, budgeting, purchasing, contracts, revenue and expense tracking to ensure fiscal responsibility More details HERE.

Associate VP & Chief Commercial Officer/Chief Revenue Officer (Ohio State University / Columbus, OH): Responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive revenue growth strategy for the Department of Athletics and Buckeye Enterprises at The Ohio State University. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Columbus? Click HERE.

Director, Business Office (Spartan Ventures / East Lansing, MI): This role, in conjunction with the Spartan Ventures CFO, will manage all financial activity related to the organization and contribute directly to the success of Michigan State University Athletics. More details HERE.

Manager, Financial Planning and Analytics (University of Texas – Austin / Austin, TX): This position will serve as a point-of-contact for financial planning and internal control functions within the Department of Athletics. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics Budget and Finance (Syracuse University / Syracuse, NY): The Director of Athletics Budget and Finance oversees the comprehensive stewardship, fiscal integrity, and business operations of the athletic department More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Business Operations (FINANCIAL ANL SUPV 1) Job 88459. (University of California – Davis / Davis, CA): This position is responsible for overseeing all Business Office operations, including account management and oversight of an approximately $50M budget as well as all purchasing and travel activities. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director (California State University – Fullerton / Fullerton, CA): Assist the AD with overall organization and management of the Athletic Department, operational and strategic planning, sport supervision, policies and procedures, assist with budgetary decisions. More details HERE.