Weekly Newsletter 7/19
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INNOVATION IN ACTION
INVESTING IN SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
The Formula 1 team Mercedes-AMG Petronas has announced that they will be investing in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as part of their commitment to reach Net Zero by 2030. Mercedes is the first global sports team to invest in SAF. The use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, which employ either renewable or waste-derived materials, will help Mercedes achieve a near 50% reduction in the team’s air travel carbon footprint. With flights currently accounting for over a quarter of the team’s projected carbon footprint, this will be a huge step forward environmentally. In one of our recent reports, which we produced in collaboration with Dow, we found data stating that air travel by the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL (the four largest North American sports leagues) created an estimated 122,000 tons of CO2 emissions in 2018. Overwhelmingly negative environmental impacts like these point to how crucial it is that the sports industry invests in a more sustainable future.
Sports Innovation Lab Events
A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE OF SPORT
As we continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, our CEO and 4x Olympian Angela Ruggiero took a look into what the next 50 years might look like for the sports industry. In a piece for Rolling Stone, Angela looks at the data we've collected around the women's sports market and what it means moving forward. The status of professional and collegiate athletics will shift, and the power of women's sports and female athletes will be exponentially higher than what it already is today. With the power of NIL in collegiate athletics and the growing prowess of athlete-driven media, female athletes are set to lead the fan engagement and content world over the next 50 years.
The Fan Project Spotlight
EXPANDING A BRAND AND CAPITALIZING ON MOMENTUM
The Premier Hockey Federation announced the addition of a seventh team, which will be located in Montreal. The expansion franchise will be competing in the PHF next season, but has yet to settle on a name. The introduction of this new team will mark the return of women's hockey to Montreal for the first time since the Les Canadiennes, a team that was formerly a part of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (which has since collapsed), played in the city for 12 years. The franchise will be the league's third team to be owned by BTM Partners and is expected to have an immense local influence. French cable TV broadcaster Kevin Raphael will serve as team president and Emmanuel Anderson will serve as vice president. The league is open to an eighth, USA-based team that could potentially be ready to compete in the 2023-2024 season.