Apollo Sports Capital's $2.6B investment into Yankee Global Enterprises at a $10B valuation highlights a structural shift in sports finance, as soaring valuations now exceed the purchasing capacity of individual buyers. Because league rules cap the amount of traditional debt ownership groups can assume, organizations must increasingly turn to institutional funds to secure personal liquidity or create exit opportunities for minority partners. Katten Partner Daniel Render, who advised Apollo on league compliance, explains why private equity remains eager to deploy capital into the sports ecosystem as an insulated financial vehicle: "Sports has traditionally been a non-correlated asset with other public companies or private companies. So whether the market is up or down, sports has tended to go up. That’s not something you can predict for the future, but that’s just how it has worked out over the past 20 or 30 years in sports." (link)

The Chicago White Sox expanded a planned 2,500-item promotional giveaway to distribute nearly 41,000 team-branded papal hats to a capacity crowd at Rate Field honoring Pope Leo XIV. The theme night capitalized on the pontiff's childhood connection to the South Side franchise, generating robust local vendor merchandise sales and featuring a $14K philanthropic donation to the Midwest Augustinian Province. White Sox EVP/Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Brooks Boyer addressed whether the organization intends to establish the highly attended religious theme night as an ongoing promotional staple: "We’ll see. We wanna be super respectful to the pope, to the Vatican. Hopefully, this represents a tie to his childhood team, doing it the exact right way." Boyer also notes the Sox ditched an idea for Pope Leo bobbleheads: “We decided not to pursue something along that line. But the fact that the pope is certainly an identified White Sox fan, we’re certainly proud of it…it is certainly a point of pride for the Chicago White Sox and White Sox fans, and we’re not going to run from it.” (link, link)

Organizations limit the impact of agentic AI by applying the technology to existing workflows rather than fundamentally reimagining their business processes, according to EY Global Finance Transformation Leader Deirdre Ryan, who tells CFO Brew’s Luisa Beltran the current approach mirrors the haphazard adoption of Robotic Process Automation in the 2010s, yielding minor efficiencies instead of overarching improvements. A recent Gartner survey of over 200 finance leaders validates this trend, revealing that 45% of respondents prioritize productivity use cases compared to just 20% focusing on decision quality. Gartner Finance principal analyst Shankar Keshav indicated this efficiency-first mindset misaligns with corporate boards that expect AI investments to drive growth and competitive advantage, and Ryan explains how companies must shift their perspective to extract genuine value from the tools: "What we’re saying to clients is that you don’t want to do things differently. You want to do different things—and what do we mean by that? What we mean is, understand the capabilities of these disruptive technologies and build in AI." (link)

Minnesota Twins Head of Strategy Will Clayton and WMT Digital CEO Andy Zielman discussed the need to utilize data fluency to drive new revenue streams beyond traditional ticketing during an SBJ Live panel. Here’s what you need to know…

➤ Zielman on universities monetizing out-of-market fans amid NIL pressures: "College ... has a ton of pressure right now with NIL to monetize their fans. ... Notre Dame and some of these folks that are ready to expand globally. That's where you find new untapped streams of revenue is understanding, all right, how do I monetize through the digital channel effectively? How do I understand fans that can't be in the stadium?"

➤ Zielman on losing first-party data to tech giants: "Teams have used social media to activate and engage fans, get eyeballs, but they're losing the data. ... leveraging YouTube, Meta…all that data about your fans is going out to Meta. It's going out to Google. It's not coming back into the organization."

➤ Clayton on using synthetic data to test future campaigns: "AB testing will be done with synthetic proxies of our fans. We will have a good understanding of those fans and we won't need to test in the real world. We'll be able to test campaigns, we'll be able to test capital investment projects all within a closed simulated environment without spending any physical dollars upfront." (link)

Reddit Global Head of Creative Strategy Christina Kavalauskas outlined the flaws in modern audience intelligence and the danger of blindly following marketing playbooks ahead of her appearance at the Marketing Brew Summit. Key notes…

➤ "Too many marketers let the immediate executional needs of a brand drive the creative strategy, rather than the other way around. ... The strongest creative strategies do both: They respond to the moment while building toward something meaningful over time."

➤ "Conventional marketing logic says that if you’re putting consumer testimonials at the center of a campaign, you select the most polished and positive ones. Instead, Dove committed to publishing the first 50 Reddit reviews ... without editing them, whether they were flattering, critical or somewhere in between. ... The bet was that honesty would be more persuasive than perfection. That requires a brand to give up some control, which can feel uncomfortable, but it reflected a real insight about how people evaluate products today."

➤ "There are so many ideas circulating today—hyperpersonalize everything, be always on, react to culture in real time, use AI to produce more content. None of these practices is inherently right or wrong. The mistake is adopting them without first asking whether they serve your brand, create value for your consumers and can be executed in a way that is actually distinctive." (link)

Talking Tickets! publisher Dave Wakeman evaluated recent revisions to the D.C. RESALE Act, noting the legislation correctly abandoned a proposed 110% secondary-market price cap in favor of granting the mayor broader authority to regulate fees and dynamic pricing across the entire ticketing ecosystem. The revised framework arrives as the secondary market faces a class-action lawsuit and a congressional investigation into StubHub CEO Eric Baker regarding his ownership of Andro Capital, a hedge fund allegedly utilized to scalp tickets on his own platform with zero fees. Wakeman proposed a nine-point "Fan First Framework" to prevent corporate lobbyists from exploiting the regulatory vacuum, which includes mandates for instant data transfers to content producers alongside strict prohibitions against speculative ticket selling and vertical integration between venues and platforms. Wakeman emphasized that local lawmakers must implement these structural guardrails, adding: "The current market is not a regulated marketplace. It is a casino with competing PR budgets. The question isn’t whether regulation will create a black market. The question is whether we let the existing black market stay hidden or shed some light on how the industry really works." (link)

Ari Emanuel’s firm Mari agreed to acquire live theater operator ATG Entertainment from Providence Equity Partners in a transaction valued at roughly $6B. The acquisition grants the live events company control over 70 global venues, making it Broadway's third-largest landlord. The transaction expands a Mari portfolio that already features TodayTix, the Miami Open, the Madrid Open, and Frieze art fairs, operating alongside Ari Emanuel's leadership roles at TKO and WME Group. Emanuel: "I’ve spent my whole career in entertainment, and I started out in theater. I’ve seen the industry reinvent itself many times, but live has only grown more powerful. Nothing connects great talent with audiences more directly. ATG has built one of the world’s great theater businesses around that experience. This is a long-term bet on where live goes next." (link)

United Wholesale Mortgage CEO/Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia secured a $2.1B capital injection led by Oaktree Capital Management after his company absorbed a $603M derivatives loss, per Financial Times’ Akila Quinio, Sujeet Indap, Joshua Franklin and Antoine Gara. The mortgage lender originally assembled the hedge portfolio to protect a planned acquisition of servicer Two Harbors, but the financial maneuver backfired when UWM lost the bidding war to CrossCountry Mortgage, prompting a $500M breach of contract lawsuit against Two Harbors. The resulting $452M second-quarter net loss drove UWM shares down 30% last week and nearly 90% since its 2021 public listing. The sudden stock plunge triggered JPMorgan to request additional collateral from Ishbia, who previously pledged company shares to secure the $2.3B in loans utilized to purchase his NBA franchise. The rescue package required Oaktree and Ishbia to purchase $1.5B and $150M of preferred stock, respectively, and UWM ceded the two board seats to Oaktree. UWM board member Robert Verdun on the reality of surrendering corporate control to secure the necessary funding: "It’s market [rate] for where we’re at and the situation. It’s not inexpensive financing, I won’t sugarcoat it." (link)

Burger King reclaimed its position as America's second-largest burger chain from Wendy's, fueled by five consecutive quarters of domestic same-store sales growth that culminated in a recent 8.5% jump, per Adweek’s Mark Ritson, who asks: “Remember when Wendy’s had its sh*t together?” BK’s turnaround stems from the brand's 2022 "Reclaim the Flame" initiative, a $400M investment that allocated $150M to establish the long-running "You Rule" advertising platform and $250M to modernize restaurant locations by 2028. Under the direction of President Tom Curtis, the franchise reformulated its signature Whopper and implemented a unified value pricing structure to replace scattered promotional discounts. Ritson notes the stabilized performance contrasts with recent struggles at Wendy's, which posted a 7% quarterly decline, halved its dividend, and appointed its third CEO in three years while navigating public pushback regarding dynamic pricing. The multiyear recovery for Burger King ultimately validates the reset initiated after former CEO Jose Cil diagnosed the brand's previous marketing failures in 2021 by remarking: "For years, we’ve been spreading ourselves too thin across too many messages with mixed results." (link)

Interested in advertising a job opening in CRO.ticker on CollegeSports.jobs? Submit your position here.

(Posted from most recent over the last 15 days)

(NEW!) Associate Director of Bows Athletics Club and Stewardship, UHM (University of Hawaii at Manoa / Honolulu, HI): A key member of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation (UHF) Development Team, focused on developing, coordinating, and implementing the ‘Bows Athletics Club program, More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director, Athletic Communications (University of North Texas / Denton, TX): Develops and executes strategic communications, manages media relations, creates content, oversees social media, compiles statistics, and promotes UNT Athletics through storytelling. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director of Digital Marketing (Texas A&M University / College Station, TX): Develop and optimize email and SMS campaigns using segmentation, automation, and analytics to drive ticket sales, memberships, merchandise sales, attendance, and fan engagement. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Director for Athletics Technical Support (University of North Carolina at Charlotte / Charlotte, NC): The Assistant Director for Athletics Technical Support directs, operates, and maintains the audio-visual systems located in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center and other Athletic Facilities. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Director of Strategic Resources & Cap Management (Purdue University / West Lafayette, IN): Supports the planning, execution, & administration of financial, contractual, and compliance activities directly related to student-athlete compensation & Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) activities. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Director of Development, Athletics (Stony Brook University / Stony Brook, NY): Building and managing a portfolio of leadership and major gift prospects. Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward annual and multi-year commitments of $25,000 or more to support Stony Brook Athletics. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Executive Associate Athletics Director, Business & Finance (University of Nevada – Las Vegas / Las Vegas, NV): The University of Nevada, Las Vegas invites applications for Executive Associate Athletics Director, Business & Finance. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Las Vegas? Click HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Athletics Director, Media Relations (William & Mary / Williamsburg, VA): Leads W&M Athletics Communications team in developing and executing strategies to enhance the department brand through proactive storytelling, disciplined messaging, and high-impact media operations. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Major Gift Officer, Athletics Major Gifts (Boston University / Boston, MA): Serves as a frontline fundraising professional responsible for building, managing, & advancing a dynamic portfolio of major gift prospects in support of BU Athletics. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Sports Media Relations Manager (Loyola Marymount University / Los Angeles, CA): The Assistant Sports Media Relations Manager supports and provides key information resources that promote student-athletes, coaches, teams, and LMU Athletics. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Special Assistant to the Head Coach (United States Naval Academy / Annapolis, MD): The Special Assistant to the Head Coach serves as a member of the Navy Men's Basketball staff responsible for advancing the program's brand and producing compelling content. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Associate or Senior Associate Athletic Director for Finance and Business Operations (Oregon State University / Corvallis, OR): The Director of Finance & Business Operations provides strategic leadership for all financial and business operations within the Department of Athletics. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Annual Giving Manager - Eagles Club (Florida Gulf Coast University / Fort Myers, FL): The Annual Giving Manager - Eagles Club pursues and cultivates the annual giving development cycle for FGCU Athletics. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director, Revenue Marketing (PlayFly / Troy, AL): Playfly Sports is looking for a Director, Revenue Marketing to join our Troy University team in Troy AL. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Athletics Director, Marketing & Fan Engagement (Troy University / Troy, AL): The Assistant Athletics Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement position is responsible for planning marketing leadership strategies; and managing all areas of the marketing of all Athletic Events. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director, Marketing and Fan Experience, Athletics (Kennesaw State University / Kennesaw, GA): Assists with coaching, recruiting, scheduling, budgeting, fundraising, player development, academic support, & administrative duties while ensuring compliance with KSU, NCAA, & conference regulations. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Director of Marketing for Fan Engagement (Arkansas State University / Jonesboro, AR): This Assistant Director of Marketing for Fan Engagement is responsible for serving as the primary marketing contact. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Photography (University of Oklahoma / Norman, OK): The Assistant Director assists the Director of Photography in coverage/support for all photography-related requests. More details HERE.

Director of Annual Fund Operations (North Dakota State University / Fargo, ND): NDSU Team Makers is seeking a Director of Annual Fund Operations to support and execute annual fund operation efforts that advance membership growth, fundraising initiatives, and supporter engagement. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Annual Giving (North Carolina State University / Raleigh, NC): The Assistant Director of Annual Giving is responsible for fostering Wolfpack Club donors, alumni, and fans for the purpose of renewing and/or activating their annual membership and ticket purchases. More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Athletic Director of Athletics (Kansas State University / Manhattan, KS): K-State Athletics invites applications for an Asst/Assoc Athletic Director. This position supports the financial/business operations in budgets, financial reporting, business processes, & compliance. More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Director, Concerts & Special Events Ticketing (Auburn University / Auburn, AL): Power the ticketing experience for concerts and special events with Auburn Athletics! More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts (University of Tennessee / Knoxville, TN): The Assistant or Associate Director is responsible for building and developing credible/sustainable relationships to generate financial support for the Tennessee Athletics department. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Ticket Operations (University of Maryland / College Park, MD): The Assistant Director of Ticket Operations leads ticket operations and game management for Women's Basketball, Men's Soccer, and Women's Soccer while providing secondary support for Men's Lacrosse. More details HERE.

Signature Events Specialist (Western Michigan University / Kalamazoo, MI): Coordinates, plans, and executes high-quality hospitality and special events. Serves as a point of contact for University staff, athletic and other donors, alumni, and fans related to special events. More details HERE.

Athletic Creative Content Graduate Assistant (University of Tulsa / Tulsa, OK): The Creative Content GA will be responsible for producing high-end digital assets that elevate the TU brand, recruit top-tier student-athletes, and engage our loyal fan base. More details HERE.

Coordinator, Creative Video & Reporter (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Developing, producing, and executing original multimedia content that enhances the visibility and reputation of Army West Point Athletics. More details HERE.

Director of Development, Athletics (University of Cincinnati Foundation / Cincinnati, OH): The primary area of focus will be to manage a portfolio of major Athletic gift prospects & donors, while also actively working to increase donor retention & move donors to higher giving levels. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development (Fresno State / Fresno, CA): Leads athletics fundraising and development efforts, supervises Bulldog Foundation staff, and secures support for scholarships, recruiting, facilities, and student-athlete success. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Fresno? Click HERE.

Director of Strategic Communications (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference / Norfolk, VA): Responsible for supporting the conference's overall communications strategy. More details HERE.

Director, Social Media & Digital Content (University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ): Turn moments into movements. Lead Arizona Athletics' social media strategy and digital storytelling to connect, engage, and grow the Wildcat community. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletics Ticket Sales (Tulane University / New Orleans, LA): The Assistant Director of Athletics Ticket Sales generates ticket sales for Tulane Athletics events. This position reports to the Director of Ticket Sales. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director, Development (University of Idaho / Moscow, ID): This position is responsible for increasing major gift opportunities. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Financial Reporting & Analysis (University of Notre Dame / Notre Dame, IN): The Assistant Director, Financial Reporting & Analysis serves as a key financial contributor responsible for operational execution and analytical oversight of the department's financial activities. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director, Development (Long Beach State University / Long Beach, CA): Lead athletics fundraising strategy, cultivate major gift donors, manage development initiatives, and partner with university leadership to advance Long Beach State Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Marketing (California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo / San Luis Obispo, CA): Cal Poly Athletics is seeking an experienced athletics marketing professional to join our team. More details HERE.

Gameday Staff - 50/50 Sales (University of Central Florida / Orlando, FL): Assists in the generation of revenue through the sale of 50/50 raffle tickets at home football games (and select other games). More details HERE.

Associate Director, #Brand Design (University of Central Florida / Orlando, FL): The Associate Director, #Brand Design, is a key member of the UCF Athletics Design Team. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Marketing (Tulane University / New Orleans, LA): This position will work with the Associate Athletic Director for Marketing to implement comprehensive email marketing and digital advertising plans to drive revenue for Tulane Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director of Business and Finance (Florida International University / Miami, FL): Manages daily operations and financial impact of sport team activities in assigned area and oversees the coordination of travel for intercollegiate athletics Teams, etc... More details HERE.

Coordinator of Business Operations (University of Maryland / College Park, MD): The Coordinator of Business Operations will provide financial and accounting support to the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Performs accounting work; journal entries and allocating expenses. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Brand Experience (University of Central Florida / Orlando, FL): The Assistant Director of Brand Experience is focused on initiatives that lead directly to the successful execution. More details HERE.

Director of Ticket Operations & Analytics (William & Mary / Williamsburg, VA): Responsible for the development and execution of the annual ticket revenue plan, including new season ticket sales, renewals, premium seating sales, group sales, and single-game ticket packages. More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Director, Marketing, Licensing & Fan Engagement (Boston College / Boston, MA): Manage fan engagement, licensing, NIL initiatives, and game day marketing while driving revenue and managing marketing strategies for Boston College Athletics, the only Power 4 school in New England. More details HERE.

Development Assistant Internship (University of North Carolina at Charlotte / Charlotte, NC): Support donor relations, gameday operations, events, and fundraising initiatives while providing exceptional service and strengthening engagement with Charlotte Athletics supporters. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Annual Giving, Great Dane Athletic Club (SUNY University at Albany / Albany, NY): This individual's primary responsibility is to increase philanthropic support for UAlbany by securing annual fund gifts through the Great Dane Athletic Club. More details HERE.

Associate Vice President for Development, Athletics (Campbell University / Buies Creek, NC): Associate Vice President for Development, Athletics: Leads fundraising strategy for Campbell Athletics, manages major gifts, builds donor relationships, oversee staff, & drives philanthropic support. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director Ticket Operation & Sales (University of San Francisco / San Francisco, CA): The Assistant Athletics Director of Ticket Operations and Sales works under the direction of the Chief Revenue Officer. More details HERE.

Senior Director of Competitive Analytics & Decision Science (University of Georgia / Athens, GA): Serve as embedded analytics partner to assist coaching & performance staff. Own the roadmap for unified athletic information systems that integrates departmental data into a single decision engine. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director of Communications (University of Nebraska at Omaha / Omaha, NE): Serves as the strategic leader of communications operation, overseeing storytelling, media relations, digital communications, and brand messaging. More details HERE.

Assistant Director - Athletics Creative Content (Texas Christian University / Fort Worth, TX): Job Summary: Produces creative video content for TCU Athletics, supporting social media, recruiting, and in-venue productions while enhancing the Horned Frogs brand across digital platforms. More details HERE.

Associate Director, Athletic Communications (Auburn University / Auburn, AL): Elevate Auburn Athletics through strategic storytelling, media engagement, and impactful communications as a valued member of our Media Relations team. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Communications (California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo / San Luis Obispo, CA): Cal Poly is looking for an experienced Sports Information Professional to join our team. More details HERE.

Director/Senior Director – Technology and Video Services (Big 12 Conference / Irving, TX): The Big 12 Conference seeks qualified applicants to join its team as the Director – Technology and Video Services. This position will report to the Chief Operating Officer. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Fan Engagement/Marketing (Western Kentucky University / Bowling Green, KY): Development and implementation of fan engagement and marketing strategies to promote WKU athletic teams, student-athletes, coaches, and facilities. More details HERE.

Athletics Business Specialist (Murray State University / Murray, KY): Assisting the Assistant Athletic Director – Business & Financial Strategy with daily athletic department related business office items, inclusive of accounts management, files and documentation. More details HERE.

Director of Ticket Services and Revenue Generation (Ball State University / Muncie, IN): Join a department that is building momentum and making an impact. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Development (North Dakota State University / Fargo, ND): Work with the NDSU Athletic Development team, NDSU Foundation and Team Makers in directing and coordinating activities related to fundraising for Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Compliance (University of North Texas / Denton, TX): Assists with NCAA, conference, and UNT compliance monitoring, reporting, waiver and violation submissions, while supporting assigned sports. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Development - Cowboy Joe Club (University of Wyoming / Laramie, WY): Contributes to annual fund development operations while overseeing Cowboy Joe Club parking operations, ensuring efficient management and exceptional donor service. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Business Operations (University of Utah / Salt Lake City, UT): Utah Athletics is seeking a team contributor to provide operational support in the Business Office by assisting with daily travel review, payment processing, reconciliation, and budget monitoring. More details HERE.

Assistant Director Gamecock Club Operations (University of South Carolina / Columbia, SC): Help shape the Gamecock Club member experience through marketing, donor engagement, and special events while contributing to the momentum & growth of an established athletics fundraising organization. More details HERE.

Senior Director for Creative Services (University of Illinois Chicago / Chicago, IL): Senior leader overseeing creative storytelling, video production, digital content and social media for UIC Athletics, advancing recruiting, fan engagement, brand growth and student-athlete success. More details HERE.

Director of Athletic Live Events & Fan Experience (George Mason University / Fairfax, VA): The Director of Athletic Live Events & Fan Experience will lead the planning, creative development, and execution of the in-venue experience across GMU Athletics competitions and signature events. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Development (University of Rhode Island / South Kingston, RI): The University of Rhode Island Foundation (URIF) seeks an Assistant Athletics Director for Development to help shape and execute the fundraising strategy for Rhody Athletics. More details HERE.

Associate Director, Premium Sales (Auburn University / Auburn, AL): Fuel the growth of Auburn Athletics through strategic, high-value premium partnerships! More details HERE.