Sportico transactions: moves and mergers roundup for nov. 6. November 6, 2026 2:00pm Welcome to Sportico's transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry. Personnel. The Familie Signs Michael Phelps Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, has joined The Familie for representation as he enters the next chapter of his career focused on expanding his business portfolio, strategic partnerships, media opportunities, investments, philanthropy and long-term global impact. The Familie is a Los Angeles- and Nashville-based talent representation and management company serving clients across sports, music, entertainment and culture. Victory Live Names Tony DiCamillo Senior Vice President of Business Development Victory Live, a ticketing technology and analytics company, has appointed Tony DiCamillo as senior vice president of business development. DiCamillo will report to chief revenue officer Kate Howard. DiCamillo will focus on developing partnerships and expanding Victory Live's business with teams, venues, promoters and other live event rights holders. He joins Victory Live from Eventim USA, where he served as senior vice president of business development following his tenure in the same role at See Tickets. SeatGeek Names Sara Providence Chief Business Officer SeatGeek announced Sara Providence has been named chief business officer, a newly created executive role. Providence will lead company strategy, business development and corporate communications, and will be responsible for identifying where SeatGeek grows next, both within ticketing and in new businesses adjacent to live entertainment. The appointment comes as SeatGeek expands its investment in AI across the fan and rights-holder experience. The new role will focus on building new partnerships and revenue streams. Novig Announces New Chief Product Officer Sports prediction market Novig has promoted Ari Hirsch to the company's first chief product officer. Reporting to co-founder and chief technology officer Kelechi Ukah, Hirsch will oversee product design and engineering, with a focus on elevating the end-to-end member experience, from onboarding and market discovery to trading and withdrawals. Hirsch joined Novig in February 2023 as a founding engineer and was among the company's first 10 employees, most recently serving as Head of Engineering. DAZN Makes North American Advertising Leadership Hires DAZN announced the appointment of Eric Welles as executive vice president, North American ad sales. The company also announced six additional commercial leadership hires as it continues to expand its regional sports business and advertising capabilities. Based in New York, Welles will lead DAZN's North American advertising sales organization. DAZN's other appointments include Mike Mobley as senior vice president, national sales; Alex Gleitman as vice president, national sales; Mandy Medsker vice president, local media and regional sales; David Coletti as head of global research and measurement; Adam Anshell as vice president, partner management; and Molly Marts as vice president, integrated marketing. Johnnie-O Taps Connor Crail as SVP of Wholesale Johnnie-O, a lifestyle apparel brand, announced the appointment of Connor Crail as senior vice president of wholesale. Over nearly two decades, Crail moved into sales and commercial leadership roles at Puma, Callaway Golf and most recently Stanley 1913, where he led the North American sport and custom business. Johnnie-O has a robust licensed business across the NFL, NHL and MLB, plus a collegiate collection spanning more than 250 colleges and universities. Joe Giordano Jr. Named SVP of Entertainment Booking for HBSE Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) has hired Joe Giordano Jr. as senior vice president of entertainment booking. In this role, Giordano will oversee entertainment booking for HBSE's premier properties, including Prudential Center in Newark and Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, and assist with the programming of other HBSE venues. Before becoming Oak View Group's vice president of stadium, arena and theater alliances, Giordano spent nearly a decade working for ASM Global (Legends). WCP Appoints NBA Veteran Jared Jeffries as EVP, Head of Basketball Working Capital Partners, a private credit facility for the sports and entertainment industries, named 11-year NBA veteran Jared Jeffries as executive vice president, head of basketball. He will lead WCP's basketball division, helping players leverage their guaranteed contracts. After retiring from the court in 2013, he joined the Denver Nuggets front office as a pro personnel scout and rose to director of player personnel. Partnerships. USA Cycling Selects Snowflake as AI Partner Ahead of LA28 Games USA Cycling has selected Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), an AI data cloud company, as its Official AI Data Cloud & Collaboration partner. As USA Cycling prepares athletes across track, road, mountain bike and BMX disciplines for international competition ahead of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Snowflake will help the team unite its training and race data on a secure, governed platform. Newmark Named Official Commercial Real Estate Partner of Rangers, Knicks MSG Rangers Corp., MSG Knickerbockers Corp. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. announced a partnership with Newmark Group Inc., naming the global commercial real estate advisory and services firm the Official Commercial Real Estate Partner of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers and an Official Partner of the Arena at Madison Square Garden. Newmark will be showcased at Knicks and Rangers home games through in-arena dasherboards and in-arena LED ribbon signage. Additionally, Newmark will be the Presenting Partner of content on a Rangers social media platform before each regular-season game. Arkansas, SMU Bring Jersey Patches to EA SPORTS College Football The University of Arkansas and SMU have become the first universities to integrate their real-world football jersey patch and on-field sponsors into EA Sports College Football. The new sponsorship activation delivers real-life branding that fans see on game day into the gaming experience. SMU's in-game jersey patch features Texas Capital. Arkansas uniforms now feature Tyson Foods, the Razorbacks' real-world jersey patch sponsor across 19 sports. In addition, the Tyson logo and Walmart logo appear on the 25-yard lines of the virtual Frank Broyles Field, as they do in Razorback Stadium. GoFan to Offer Cash App Pay for High School Ticketing PlayOn Sports, a technology company focused on high school athletics, announced Cash App Pay will be available with GoFan, the largest digital ticketing provider for high school sports. The integration marks Cash App Pay's first integration with a national high school sports ticketing platform. Beyond payments, the partnership includes marketing across the broader PlayOn portfolio, including MaxPreps, to build awareness of Cash App Pay among high school sports audiences. Transmit and Fandango Launch Streaming Monetization Partnership Transmit and Fandango announced a partnership launched during soccer coverage of Germany's Bundesliga. As opposed to relying on traditional sponsor opportunities scheduled within live programming, such as breaks in play or the end of a half, Transmit incorporates its technology during Fandango's livestreaming of Bundesliga matches to create sponsorship opportunities around high-attention moments as they occur. This creates incremental revenue opportunities without requiring additional commercial breaks. Sports Illustrated Tickets Partners With Bengals in Spain Sports Illustrated Tickets will join the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid this weekend as part of the third year of its Official Fan Experience Partnership with the club, marking the first time the collaboration will extend beyond the U.S. Cincinnati fans in Spain can enter for a chance to win tickets to the game in Madrid. Sports Illustrated Tickets will also serve as presenting sponsor of the Bengals' fan party in the Spanish capital. Products. Bolt Ventures, Arnold Palmer Enterprises Form Arnold Palmer Junior Golf Tour Bolt Ventures, the family office of David Blitzer, Arnold Palmer Enterprises and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation announced a strategic partnership to launch the Arnold Palmer Junior Golf Tour. Launching in 2027, the rebranded platform brings together the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) and Texas Junior Golf Tour (TJGT), acquired by Bolt Ventures earlier this year, to create a national, year-round competitive experience for boys and girls ages 8-18. Purchases. 4sports Hockey Joins Sportfive Via Acquisition Sportfive has reached an agreement to acquire 4sports Hockey, an international athlete management agency specializing in ice hockey. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, 4sports Hockey has offices in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Finland and the United States. The acquisition complements Sportfive's existing athlete management activities across golf, football coaches and tennis.

T-Birds honored with multiple awards at AHL Team Business Meetings. SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Thunderbirds were honored among their peers with multiple award recognitions at the 2026 AHL Team Business Meetings presented by Victory Live in Grand Rapids, Mich. Both the T-Birds' ticket sales and corporate sales departments received awards for reaching milestone benchmarks for the 2025-26 regular season. The ticket sales department hit the threshold of 600 new full-season equivalents, the industry standard for measuring full- and partial-season ticket sales. That excellence in acquiring new ticket holders played a pivotal role in the T-Birds achieving 18 sellout crowds inside the MassMutual Center and an average capacity of 92.1%, or 6,258 fans. "This recognition is a testament to the incredible support we continue to receive from our fans, partners, and the Western Massachusetts community," Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa said. "Reaching 600 new full-season equivalents once again reflects the dedication of our staff and the strength of the relationships we've built throughout the region. We're especially grateful to everyone who continues to make Thunderbirds hockey such a special part of this community." On the corporate arm of the business, the T-Birds were recognized for achieving a renewal rate exceeding 90% in corporate cash accounts. In addition, for a third consecutive season, Matthew McRobbie earned top-three marks in the AHL's Eastern Conference for corporate sales revenue. "The relationships we build with our corporate partners are the foundation of so much of what we're able to accomplish as an organization, both at the rink and throughout the community," Costa said. "Maintaining a stellar renewal rate speaks volumes about the value our partners see in the Thunderbirds brand and the commitment our staff makes to helping them achieve their goals. We're especially proud of Matthew McRobbie for once again ranking among the top corporate sales performers in the Eastern Conference, a reflection of his professionalism, work ethic, and dedication to serving our partners every day."