Axios

Sports is no longer a diversion for billionaires and private equity. It's a defensive strategy.

The big picture: Investors have come to view sports as the last bulwark against AI disruption.

World Cup fans can still score tickets to matches in U.S. host cities ahead of next month's kickoff — but many are balking at the prices.

The big picture: FIFA is officially in its "last-minute sales" phase, with some matches showing limited availability and some prices reaching beyond $11,000, per an Axios review.

The Iran war threatens to disrupt summer travel as it sends oil prices surging — and flight and hotel bookings are already dipping, industry experts warn.

The big picture: Rising oil prices and dwindling supplies are hitting travel as drivers face higher gas prices and airlines in the U.S. and elsewhere cut flights and raise ticket costs and baggage fees.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund on Thursday confirmed it's withdrawing support for LIV Golf after the 2026 season.

Why it matters: The move places the tour's future in jeopardy four years after it was launched as a splashy, well-capitalized competitor to the PGA Tour.

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund is ending funding for LIV Golf after this season, according to multiple reports.

Why it matters: The Public Investment Fund's decision places the lucrative golf tour in serious jeopardy of dissolving four years after it launched as a well-capitalized competitor to the PGA Tour.

Joshua Kushner's Thrive is now investing in pro sports, agreeing to buy a small stake in the San Francisco Giants.

• It's being done via a new holding company called Thrive Eternal, which will focus on assets with "qualities that cannot be replicated by technology."

Why it matters: This feels like an asset-gathering gambit by Thrive, which now joins the same IPO watchlist as General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz.

You can learn a lot about the indomitable nature of the human spirit by training for and tackling a marathon.

Why it matters: It's a tremendous physical feat. But standing at the finish line — watching thousands of people arrive after 26.2 miles of pain, doubt and persistence — may be even more gratifying.

• I witnessed it this week at the atmospheric end of the Boston Marathon.

Several major sportsbooks have contributed tens of millions of dollars to a new super PAC to support sports betting throughout the country, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Traditional sportsbooks have been advocating for broader legalization amid rising competition with prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.

Jigsaw puzzling isn't just a solitary bad-weather activity anymore — it's snapping into place as a social sport.

Why it matters: Puzzling's shift from solo to social mirrors a bigger trend: People are turning analog or "grandma" hobbies into in-person communities.

The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it is banning transgender women from competing in the female category, while also instituting DNA-based sex testing for all female athletes.

Why it matters: The move revives sex testing, which was previously dropped in part due to the emotional distress inflicted upon female athletes who discovered their biological makeup was actually more complicated than they were aware of.