The Ladies Professional Golf Association is tapping CSM Sport & Entertainment as its sponsorship sales agency of record. The global integrated marketing firm will help the LPGA “identify, develop and secure commercial partnerships across entitlement and official marketing partnership opportunities aligned with the longest-running women’s sport organization in the world.” “We offer an ‘always on’ platform for leveraging and making an impact through women’s golf at all levels,” said Kelly Hyne, LPGA Chief Sales Officer. “Our organization is uniquely rooted in diversity, equity and inclusion, and our corporate partners have the opportunity to play a critical role in advancing opportunities for women both on and off the course. Having effectively managed the return to play in COVID times, we’re excited to now welcome CSM to the team to help us find likeminded partners that can connect with the LPGA’s ecosystem of fans and members to deliver them value.”

Altius Sports Partners, a name, image and likeness advisory and education firm, announced two new partnerships with the Louisiana State University and The University of Texas that will see ASP build customized NIL programs for each athletic department. ASP is also finalizing a deal with Arizona State University Athletics. The programs will include management of NIL rule changes and maximization of new opportunities.

The NWHL and NWHLPA locked in multi-year partnership with K1 Sportswear that will see the brand serve as “the exclusive jersey supplier” of the NWHL, manufacturing jerseys for the players to wear during the regular season and for all special events (including the annual All-Star festivities). “K1 Sportswear is honored to be the exclusive uniform supplier for the NWHL and to be a major contributor in the advancement of girls’ and women’s hockey,” says K1 Sportswear’s owner and president, Tony Fisher, in the published release, and added that, as part of their commitment to empowering women in sports, will “prioritize an all-female team” to manage the partnership on K1 Sportswear’s end.

Pendleton Whisky inked an international deal with PBR to become the official and exclusive whisky of Canada’s cross-country, nationally-televised Monster Energy Tour. The new partnership with PBR Canada includes in-arena signage and ads, branded event activations, in-market retail and fan promotions for all Monster Energy Tour events, and digital and social media support on PBR Canada channels. Pendleton Whisky will also have a presence at select Touring Pro Division events via in-arena signage, public address announcements, award presentations, and more.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

FOX Sports announced that multimedia personality Ryan Satin joined the network as a digital contributor, where he’ll provide the company with regular updates and commentary on the WWE across FOX Sports digital and social platforms, including the new FOX Sports app and FOXSports.com.

Upper Deck is celebrating Alexis Lafrenière’s entry into the NHL via the company’s #CollectAlexis campaign. Upper Deck announced an exclusive trading card and memorabilia deal with Lafrenière in March of last year. “The excitement and anticipation of watching Alexis get called up at the 2020 Draft has been building for years,” said Jodi Wasserman, Director of Marketing at Upper Deck. “To celebrate this momentous event, we’ve created Draft day posters that fans can print at home, a free hockey card set featuring top picks, a Draft day card frame and a #CollectAlexis caption contest where fans can win a signed piece of Alexis memorabilia – all from the comfort of home.”

SAP is putting the power of SAP Sailing Analytics into the hands of the global sailing community via a new mobile app called Sail Insight powered by SAP, which allows users to create, track and manage their own races and access live data and analytics to improve training and performance.

ESPORTS

Sunday saw the ESL Pro League Grand Final become the most-watched online CS:GO match of all-time as it reached a new peak concurrent users record with over 558k viewers.

The NBA 2K League revealed a new tryout process for the league’s fourth season, set to take place in 2021. The new format will include more than 35 Pro-Am tournaments hosted by NBA 2K League teams as part of the “NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series,” a League?hosted event featuring winning teams from these tournaments, and a first?of?its?kind NBA 2K League Combine. Beginning this month through early December, every NBA 2K League team is eligible to host up to two NBA 2K21 Pro-Am tournaments as part of the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series, one on Sony PlayStation 4 and one on Microsoft Xbox One, and the winning teams from each tournament will advance to a winners’ event in December. In an effort to continue developing and showcasing female 2K players, the NBA 2K League is collaborating with several elite, all-woman 2K teams as they participate in non-NBA 2K League?sponsored Pro-Am tournaments taking place this fall.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

WWE announced that Erika Nardini, CEO of Barstool Sports, has been elected to its Board of Directors. “Erika is a seasoned executive with a tremendous track record of building businesses, developing experiences, and engaging different audiences across the media ecosystem,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “Her entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and understanding of today’s consumers will serve as a perfect addition to our Board of Directors.”

WME Sports hired NFL agent Ben Renzin to co-lead its football business. Over the course of his career, Renzin has represented many of the NFL’s leading players, including 12 first-round NFL draft picks. “Ben is a dynamic agent for a new era of athletes who uniquely understands what it takes to build businesses for his clients,” said Jordan Bazant, Co-Head of WME Sports. “Ben and Brian Ayrault are a powerful combination with an impeccable track record, and we look forward to all they’ll accomplish as part of WME Sports.”