Every writer has their Dwayne Johnson moment
Plus: Saudi Arabia's $38B video game takeover, a Messi mystery, Ryder Cup madness, and LOLMets
Back by popular demand, here are six sports business items that caught our eyes to start your week.
Sportico Story of the Week š®: Back in 2021, Saudi Arabia announced that it would invest $38 billion (not a typo) across esports and video games. This is the same country whose religion leaders once issued a fatwa against PokĆ©mon playing cards, but since that declaration, the kingdom has invested in numerous major publishers and stood up the Esports World Cup, an annual six-week (not a typo) event in Riyadh.
It appears Saudi Arabia is on the verge of yet another major gaming move. PIF, the kingdomās sovereign wealth fund, is taking Electronic Arts private in a $55 billion deal. Itās the largest leveraged buyout in history, according to our Sportico colleague Dan Bernstein.
Non-Sportico Story of the Week š: Iām not typically a huge fan of long-form profiles, but I loved Sam Andersonās piece about The Rock in this weekās New York Times magazine. Profiles of Dwayne Johnson are basically their own genre, recognizable because at some point in every pieceāincluding this GQ story from the great Caity Weaverāthe writer inevitably gets overwhelmed by Johnsonās charisma.
Hereās a side-by-side of that moment from Anderson and Weaver š
Social Post I Didnāt Believe Was Real šŗ: On Saturday afternoon, Rory McIlroyās wife was hit with a beer on the 17th tee at the Ryder Cup on Long Island. In response, former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones gave his unsolicited perspective on New York fans.
Semi-related: Jones, who hit .309 with 49 career home runs against the Mets, named one of his sons Shea as a nod to the old Metsā stadium. What a troll.
What I Loved ā³: Speaking of the Ryder Cup, I love this event. It perfectly satisfies the Novy-Williams Ruleā¢ļøāIf the athletes are having fun, the fans will have fun too.
Just look at this absurd celebration from Irish golfer Shane Lowry, whose putt clinched the European victory š
For comparison, this is Lowry winning the British Open in 2019, his only major victory š. Quite a different vibe!1
What Confused Me ā½: Whenever Leo Messi and Inter Miami play on the road, the game is a huge commercial boost for the home team. Hosts raise ticket prices, create more seats, and sometime move to much bigger venues. Itās a much-welcome windfall.
So we were surprised to see that last weekās game between Inter Miami and NYCFC wasnāt played at Yankee Stadium, the teamās default home (the Yankees are an investor). Instead, Messi and company played at Citi Field, home of the crosstown rival New York Mets. The official explanation, which Jacob and I wrote about here, is that MLS schedule-makers had limited options. I still have a hard time understanding thatā¦
What Shocked Me ā¾: They say money canāt by happiness. Apparently it canāt buy an MLB playoff berth either. The New York Mets and billionaire owner Steve Cohen completed their epic collapse over the weekend, falling out of the playoff race on the seasonās final day. The team had a payroll of $342 million, second highest in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. And to make matters worse, shortly after the teamās final loss, star first baseman Pete Alonso announced he was opting out of his contractā¦
Club Sportico is a community organized by Sportico, a digital media company launched in 2020 to cover the business side of sports. You can read breaking news, smart analysis, and in-depth features from Eben, Jacob and their colleagues at Sportico.com, and listen to the Sporticast podcast wherever you get your audio. Contact us at club@sportico.com.
But here he is celebrating afterwards. Thatās more like it, Shane!