Crypto.com continues to clock in sports sponsorships, this time locking in a deal to become an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The brand will now serve as the exclusive cryptocurrency trading platform sponsor of Qatar 2022. Crypto.com will activate its official sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 through multiple activations, including providing opportunities for new and existing users to attend matches during the tournament or win exclusive merchandise.

“Crypto.com has already demonstrated a commitment to supporting top-tier teams and leagues, major events and iconic venues across the world, and there is no platform bigger, or with a greater reach and cultural impact, than FIFA’s global platform of football,” said Kay Madati, FIFA’s Chief Commercial Officer.

PROGRAMMING

CBS and Turner reported Tuesday that the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament is landing more viewers so far this year than they did at the same point in 2021. The television audience for the first two rounds of the tournament has grown 12% from 2021 and with an average of more than 9 million viewers per slot with average viewership the highest in five years through two rounds. The most-watched game of the tournament so far has been Duke’s second-round win over Michigan State which drew an average of over 11 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Meanwhile, FOX Sports continues to see rises in NASCAR numbers, reporting that Sunday’s race in Atlanta averaged 4,003,000 viewers, up 3% over last year’s equivalent race. Overall, FOX NASCAR viewership is up 16% this year, averaging 5,221,000 viewers.

Sunday Night Football staple Al Michaels is reportedly departing the waters of NBC Sports and moving to Prime Video to join Amazon’s slate of Thursday Night Football games, according to the New York Post, as part of a three-year deal. Joining Michaels in the Prime Video booth will be Kirk Herbstreit. Meanwhile, Mike Tirico, who sat in for Michaels on a number of SNF games this past season, is expected to take Michaels’ seat on the SNF franchise.

The new MLB on TBS Tuesday Night franchise debuts on April 12 with a battle between the Padres and Giants as the season marks the start of the seven-year rights extension between Turner Sports and Major League Baseball. The MLB on TBS Tuesday Night schedule will feature multiple appearances by the defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Giants – the two teams with the highest regular season winning percentage from last season – along with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox.

Following the draw on March 18, CBS Sports announced its programming lineup for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals across the CBS Television Network and Paramount+ with programming kicking off with Manchester City/Atlético de Madrid on April 5 at 3p. UEFA Champions League Today, previewing the upcoming day’s action, will air every match day at 2p on Paramount+, as well as on CBS on those four match days.

NFL Network preps for the 2022 NFL Draft with the return of shows Path to the Draft. Coverage begins on April 4 at 6p on NFL Network, led by NFL Network analysts Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Charles Davis, and hosts Rhett Lewis and Patrick Claybon.

Eurosport announced a new deal to offer Combate Global, the Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts promotion, in Spain. Combate Global kicks off its 2022 season on Thursday. ‘’La Jaula,” the Combate Global competition cage, opens on Thursday, March 24 on the Eurosport App, which will offer a total of 30 Combate Global events this year.

SiriusXM added several new voices to its broadcast team for the 2022 Masters Tournament, April 7-10. Mike Tirico will serve as the lead play-by-play voice. Curtis Strange and Steve Melnyk will be the analysts. Suzy Whaley joins the SiriusXM team and will serve as an on-course reporter. Whaley will also be the analyst for SiriusXM’s live coverage of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on April 2.

ESPN New York and MSG Networks announced a multi-year radio broadcasting agreement, cementing 98.7 ESPN as the official radio flagship of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. ESPN New York, which was recently acquired by Good Karma Brands, will continue to broadcast live Knicks and Rangers games, including pregame and postgame coverage.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX inked a long-term partnership with the tennis player Naomi Osaka. She will serve as a global ambassador of the trading venue in addition to receiving an equity stake in FTX Trading Limited and compensation in digital assets. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion will focus on bringing women onto the platform and into the future of Web3.

Bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the Mexican National Football Team, is launching a search for the next voice of El Tri. Offering fans a chance to share their best version of the famous “GOOALL” broadcast celebration. The BudLightFannouncer sweepstakes kicks off ahead of the Mexican National Team’s upcoming round of World Cup Qualifying matches.

The United States Football League joined the American Gaming Association’s Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly. public service campaign. The USFL will promote responsible sports wagering through its broadcast, cable, streaming and social media outlets. “We’re proud to partner with the AGA to help drive the important message to bet responsibly,” said Edward Hartman, USFL Executive Vice President of Business Operations. “As sports wagering expands nationwide, the USFL is committed to help educate our fans so they can better enjoy the experience.”

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

For Soccer Ventures, the independent soccer media and experiences company, established a first-of-its-kind Preferred Partnership with The American Outlaws, a 20,000-member organization dedicated to supporting U.S. Soccer women’s, men’s, youth, and extended national teams. This partnership provides AO access to the incomparable soccer-focused creative, content and commercial resources of FSV as both organizations look to partner with brands, platforms, and publishers to grow the sport of soccer in the United States.

ESPORTS

FaZe Clan formally announced its anticipated Board of Directors to take effect upon consummation of FaZe Clan’s planned merger with B.Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. The merger is expected to close in the first half of 2022. Participants will include: Lee Trink, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, FaZe Clan and Chairman of the Board; Angela Dalton, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Signum Growth Capital; Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Cordozar Broadus Jr., American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, DJ, media personality and business entrepreneur; Daniel Shribman, Chief Investment Officer of B. Riley Financial; Mickie Rosen, Director of several US and Australian companies and Principal of Mickie Rosen Consulting; Nick Lewin, General Partner of Crown Predator Holdings; Paul Hamilton, Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Atlanta Esports Ventures, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Greenspun Corporation and Principal of Province Inc.; Ross Levinsohn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Arena Group; Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer, World Wrestling Entertainment; and Zach Katz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carte Blanche

Meanwhile, Fnatic announced the addition of four new members of staff to its senior leadership team. The new hires join as Fnatic looks to expand its Web3 business strategy and build upon the success of recent partnerships. Taking the role as Fnatic’s new Chief Commercial Officer is Craig Edmondson, who joins the senior leadership team following a recent stint at tech unicorn Zwift. Nicola Packer joins as General Counsel following her tenure of entertainment and sports media titan EXTREME and Laura Ashworth-Cape joins as Head of Legal following four years as Legal Counsel at Arsenal F.C. Joshua Brill, previously Head of Creative & Commercial at Viacom CBS joins as Head of Marketing.

In partnership with CCA and eFuse, Epic Games is launching the Fortnite Collegiate Cup. The Fortnite Collegiate Cup will consist of two regions across which eligible college students will have two opportunities to qualify for a spot in the Fortnite Collegiate Cup Semi-Finals. The top 300 players from the Semi-Finals will move on to the Fortnite Collegiate Cup Finals, where they will be split up across three Divisions based on their performance in the Semi-Finals. Each Division will have its own unique prizing and Divisional champion. Play begins April 7.

Allied Esports unveiled NFT plans with the sale of its first collection, EPICBEAST and offering a roadmap featuring access to Allied Esports-backed events and future metaverse experiences, royalties on collectible sales, customizable merchandise and monthly community live streams. Overall, EPICBEAST will feature 8,591 unique tokens that will be minted on the Ethereum Blockchain during a two-day presale starting on Friday.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

Norris Scott joined Endeavor Analytics to serve as SVP, Business Development. Prior to working with MLS, Norris was with Octagon where he served as SVP, Futures Sport & Entertainment, partnering with rights holders and brands. Previously, he held partnership marketing and analytics roles at the NFL, ESPN and NASCAR selling and managing brands like Toyota, Bank of America and Microsoft.

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ON THIS DAY in
1994: Wayne Gretzky sets an NHL record with 802 goals scored (not in one game unfortunately).

IN THE KNOW
Since we are on the subject, who does hold the record for most goals in a single NHL game, notching 7? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
How wide is a basketball hoop? Answer: 18 inches. Kudos: John Ferlazzo/London; Michael Ritz-Lenox Advisors/NY; Denis Barry-CBS/NY; Greg Moloznik-GLM Media/Sarasota; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Mark Lehman-Braves/Atlanta; Louis Lewow-FITE/Atlanta; Joe Lyons-ESPN/Dallas; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Cynopsis Team