Axios

Josh Kushner isn't letting his FIFA folly keep him on the sports sidelines.

• Yesterday he stunned the NBA by announcing an agreement to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion from Mark Walter, who only gained club control last October.
• There's a lot more to this situation than just rich boys and their toys, so let's dig in:

Venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger on Wednesday announced an agreement to buy the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation.

Why it matters: This is a dizzying ownership turnaround for the Lakers, one of pro sports' most iconic franchises.

Private equity just met its match: International soccer.

Driving the news: FIFA has dropped plans to form a commercial subsidiary backed by up to $4.2 billion in private investment, led by Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal, less than a week after they became publicly known.

Chess isn't the only game capturing young people's attention.

State of play: Compared to their elders, those under 45 are much more likely to have tried newer games like Bananagrams, Catan and Wingspan, according to YouGov data.

FIFA, global soccer's governing body and World Cup organizer, is seeking to raise up to $4.2 billion for a new commercial subsidiary at a $20 billion valuation led by Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal.

Why it matters: This would be the first time FIFA has ever sought outside investment.

Break out those crowns: The LeJawn era has officially begun.

Why it matters: After weeks of making fans sweat — and dropping plenty of hints about where he might land — basketball superstar LeBron James has chosen to finish his career with the Philadelphia Sixers.

Most golf fans learned this week they didn't win the Masters ticket lottery.

Why it matters: The annual rejection has become almost as much a Masters tradition as the tournament itself.

Sunday's FIFA World Cup final drew more than 62.8 million viewers in the U.S., making it the most-watched World Cup final and soccer telecast in American history.

Why it matters: The record audience underscores soccer's growing popularity in the U.S. and is likely to boost the value of future media rights.

Even the "cheap seats" at most World Cup games were expensive, with last-minute prices reaching thousands of dollars for some matches.

The big picture: Get-in prices ranged from just over $300 for a group-stage match in Atlanta to nearly $7,500 for Sunday's final in East Rutherford, N.J.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is delivering a masterclass in global monoculture, stacking blockbuster ratings, on-field theatrics and a superstar race for soccer immortality.

Why it matters: Skeptics spent months bracing for the World Cup to collide with a polarized, parochial and priced-out American public. The tournament has answered back with the largest U.S. viewing audiences in soccer history.