Pepsi revealed their latest Pepsi Generations spot, bringing back Uncle Drew, played by NBA star Kyrie Irving. The new spot features Uncle Drew across different decades and celebrates the feature film Uncle Drew, which will hit the big screen for the first time on June 29. “Creating the Uncle Drew character with Pepsi and being a part of the creative process has been an incredible experience,” said Kyrie Irving. “It is very humbling to see what this character has turned into and I’m excited to share what is next.”
Under Armour is releasing its first-ever UA Pride collection, offering footwear and apparel driven by Under Armour teammates in the UA Unified Culture Club – an internal group whose mission is to promote, cultivate and empower the workplace for LGBTQ teammates and make a positive impact on the business. The merchandise will serve as the first drop of a larger UNITED WE WIN collection, devoted to our ongoing commitment to equality, justice, and opportunity for all athletes. Under Armour is also partnering with nonprofit organization Athlete Ally, with all proceeds from the UA Pride collection going to the org.
FloSports locked in a multiyear rights partnership with the Professional Bowlers Association that will see the company launch FloBowling.com, a new site where fans can access PBA’s Xtra Frame for live and on-demand PBA coverage and more. The site will offer fans access to professional competition, breaking news, highlights, original documentaries, and more. The deal hands FloSports with live and on-demand coverage for more than 40 professional events each year starting June 30. Meanwhile, Xtra Frame subscribers will have their monthly or yearly subscriptions automatically transferred to a FloSports PRO subscription at no cost. FloBowling will also serve as title sponsor of the FloBowling PBA Fall Swing Oct. 14-20 at The Lanes at Coffee Creek in suburban Tulsa, Okla.
Twitter released a blog post featuring new data ahead of the start of the World Cup in addition to offering new data ahead about the most mentioned teams around the globe over the past month: 1) Argentina, 2) Japan, 3) France, 4) England and 5) Spain.
Valve is giving its competitive format for Dota 2 an overhaul. The company announced in a blog post changes to the Dota Pro Circuit for the 2018-2019 season with an eye to introduce a bit more structure to the year, increase team roster flexibility, and improve the spacing and importance of each event.”. Modifications to the scene will include no longer disqualifying a team for changing players mid-season although removing a team member will slash point totals by 20% and of a team plays in a Pro Circuit event without their official five-man roster they’ve designated, their points are reduced by 40%. If an organisation owns multiple teams, only one of those can compete in the International 2019, regardless of points, but all teams can participate in Majors and Minors. Valve also provided the full schedule for next season, with play beginning Sept. 17.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft detailed changes to the competitive scene for Rainbow Six: Siege that includes a new format for the Pro League, splitting each year into two six-month seasons with a “Major” in between each season along with more LAN events with confirmation for the next two years of Pro League until May 2020. In addition, the league is bringing in a revenue share-based Pilot Program, with teams that will PENTA Sports, Vitality, Evil Geniuses, Rogue, SK Gaming, Mousesports, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Immortals and FNATIC.
Tencent Games is hitting E3 for the first time, partnering with ESL to bring an Arena of Valor competition to the show. ESL will now host the Valor Series’ North American and European playoffs at the E3 ESL Arena in LA on June 12 and 13.
Global esports organization Gen.G announced the appointment of Jordan Sherman as Head of Sponsorships and Revenue. Sherman got his start in the sports business with Major League Baseball Advanced Media and the Los Angeles Clippers, where he served as Director of New Business, generating annual revenue for the team via digital, social, point of sale and in-arena activations.
The XFL named former NFL and NCAA executive Oliver Luck as the league’s Commissioner & CEO. The new XFL kicks off in early 2020. Earlier in his career, Luck served as President of NFL Europe and General Manager of the league’s Frankfurt Galaxy and Rhein Fire. Most recently Luck was the NCAA’s Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Partnerships where he oversaw all NCAA regulatory functions including enforcement, academic and membership affairs, and the Eligibility Center. Prior to the NCAA, Luck spent four years as the Director of Athletics at his alma mater, West Virginia University.
Warriors/Cavaliers on ABC at 9p.
