Arctos, an upstart private equity firm founded to buy into pro sports teams, has secured over $3 billion in investor commitments, Axios has learned. The firm originally planned to raise between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.
Why it matters: Private equity has become obsessed with pro sports, from American basketball to European soccer to New Zealand rugby. And Arctos leveraged this fervor on the fundraising circuit.
Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker headline the star-studded 2021 WNBA Finals, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better story than that of Mercury guard Shey Peddy.
Catch up quick: Peddy's journey began in 2012, when she was drafted by the Sky out of Temple.
Why it matters: Cain, 25, had a promising career, becoming in 2013 the youngest American athlete to make a World Championships team at age 17. She alleges in the suit that she faced sustained emotional abuse by Salazar after joining the Nike Oregon Project in 2012, AP noted Tuesday.
Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving will not be allowed to play or practice until he is "eligible to be a full participant" under local COVID-19 vaccine rules, Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement Tuesday.
Driving the news: New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate requires individuals to have proof of at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine to enter indoor arenas or gyms.
Youth sports in America have been put through the wringer amid the pandemic, and while accessibility and participation are starting to rebound, there's still work to be done.
State of play: 47% of kids have returned to their pre-pandemic level of play and 17% are more active than they were pre-pandemic, per the Aspen Institute's State of Play report, which surveys youth sports parents.
ESPN on Tuesday will finally bring the NHL back to the network after a 16-year hiatus.
Why it matters: "It's the first time one of the major North American sports leagues will have a major rights package focused mostly on streaming," Russell Wolff, general manager of ESPN+, told Axios.
Jon Gruden announced Monday that he had resigned as Las Vegas Raiders head coach.
Why it matters: The New York Times reported earlier Monday that Gruden used homophobic and misogynistic language in emails over a roughly seven-year period that ended in 2018 before he joined the Raiders, in addition to racist remarks that emerged last week.
