In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO, Founder, and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans writes about the privatization of play and how investors, leagues, and brands are rewriting the rules of sports and entertainment.
The current era is one that is a “Youth and YouTube moment”. The rise of talent representation and monetization in nontraditional sports and entertainment spaces, where investment and branding opportunities are rewriting the landscape.
You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).
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Last September this Column discussed the implications and practicalities of private investment in college sports. In many ways, the privatization of college sports is taking what was happening behind closed doors and placing into the light and public space. Over the years, well known universities, coaches, and programs have been reprimanded, disciplined, removed from positions, and the trophy case for violating NCAA pay-for-play policies.
In today’s market, name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals are American as apple pie. Each university that opts into the House settlement model are allowed to revenue share in 2025 up to $20.5 million for the year with their college athletes. Universities are working around the $20.5 million limitation by acting as agents or managers for college athletes either currently rostered on the team(s) or being recruited to join the university and a sports team to secure even more dollars.
Several investors recently met with FCS schools (e.g., institutions that participate in college football at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I) and is second tier to FBS institutions. FCS is, for example, Ivy League schools, while the FBS is for the big four conferences like the SEC, Big Ten, Big Twelve, and ACC. FCS has been presented an opportunity to privatize a postseason bowl game playoffs that will be similar to the FBS College Football Playoff. An FCS private equity playoff is a textbook example of private investors reshaping the competition structure in college athletics.
Similarly, with the 2026 World Cup in North America (and with most matches being played in the United States) and already expanded to 48 teams, there could be expansion to 64 teams in 2030. The potential agreement to expand the countries playing in the tournament demonstrates governance changes motivated by commercial and investor pressures, with expansion as a lever for greater revenue. There is also an argument to be made that more countries should have the opportunity to play assuming qualifying marks are met (e.g., winning qualifier matches against opponents) because it is a global tournament highlighting countries and their peoples.
While investors are looking to bring more investment dollars and profit to sports by creation and expansion of sports events, existing sporting events and companies are looking to experiment with new fan-experience revenue models—shifting costs in ways that reflect broader commercialization strategies. For example, the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage is selling high-priced tickets to get on the course as a spectator, but the concessions (food and non-alcoholic drinks) are included. The Ryder Cup’s creative selling and marketing strategy is apropos to the Netflix and AB InBev deal in that it is attempting to bring more people and viewers by connecting two things that normally would not be connected. Usually admission is just that (entrance past the gates), but providing “all you can eat” encourages more attendance and sales, while combining a beer brand with Netflix in an advertising campaign shows how brands and platforms entering large-scale partnerships, blending sports, entertainment, and advertising into new business models can raise interest (and dollars) in programming.
Lastly, the current era is one that is a “Youth and YouTube moment”. The rise of talent representation and monetization in nontraditional sports and entertainment spaces, where investment and branding opportunities are rewriting the landscape. Now, more than ever, it is influencers are that becoming the voices in sports. Moreover, the established voices in sports are using social media as well to broadcast their opinions and insights. The monetization of new talent is an entirely new wave of opportunity rewriting the rules of sports.
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About Jeremy M. Evans:
Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. Evans is an award-winning attorney and industry leader based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.
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