Latest news with #RobCohen
Reuters
22-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Colorado's NWSL club unveils name: Denver Summit FC
July 22 - Colorado's NWSL expansion franchise was officially introduced as Denver Summit FC on Tuesday. The league's 16th team unveiled its name, crest, colors and branding ahead of its 2026 debut. Denver Summit received the most first-place votes from fans, beating out Denver Peak FC, Colorado 14ers FC, Denver Elevate FC, Denver FC and Denver Gold FC. The club had been known simply as Denver NWSL since it was first announced in January. "We are pleased to unveil Denver Summit FC as our name and to share our crest and colors with Colorado and the world," said Denver Summit FC president Jen Millet. "It was vital for us to name our club in collaboration with our community. Our crest, colors, and brand are representative of Denver and all of Colorado. It embraces our aspirational goals and pioneering spirit to build the best soccer club in the world." Designed by Matthew Wolff, the Denver Summit crest includes a green and white silhouette of the Rocky Mountains with an orange and yellow sunset background. "Coloradans are passionate about the outdoors, so it was always our vision that the crest should depict our natural surroundings," controlling owner Rob Cohen said. " Our elevation offers us a distinct home field advantage, and our goal is to build a club that is always pursuing excellence on and off the field. Much like the picturesque Rocky Mountains, our charge is to stand apart while always reaching for new heights." The team also announced plans to construct a 14,500-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards in the heart of Denver, which is expected to open in the spring of 2028. The Summit are hosting a free "Brand Launch Block Party" at Denver's McGregor Square on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. --Field Level Media
Reuters
22-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Denver to join NWSL as 16th franchise in 2026
July 22 - The National Women's Soccer League officially announced on Thursday that Denver will join the league as its 16th team in 2026. "As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base -- and Denver is the perfect match," NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said. "The club's plans for a purpose-built stadium and state-of-the-art training facility demonstrate a commitment to providing world-class environments for our players and fans alike." Denver's ownership group, led by IMA Financial chairman and CEO Rob Cohen, reportedly paid a league-record $110 million franchise fee. Other investors include Project Level, a group led by Mellody Hobson and former Washington Commanders president Jason Wright, and FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC. Cohen will be the team's controlling owner and Hobson will serve as alternate governor. "Being around the sports world, I heard about the grassroots effort around bringing a soccer team to Denver," Cohen told ESPN. "I met with that group and the more I started to learn about what they were thinking, what their vision was, set me on a journey to start learning about the league, what they were doing, to the point where ultimately wanted to lead the bid and hopefully bring a team to Denver, which we're now doing." Denver emerged from a finalists group that also included bids from Cleveland and Cincinnati. The NWSL's 15th franchise was awarded in 2023 to Boston, which also will begin play in 2026. Boston paid a $53 million expansion fee, matching the amount paid by Bay FC, which completed its inaugural season in 2024. The NWSL kicked off with eight teams in 2013, following the collapse of the Women's United Soccer Association (2001-03) and Women's Professional Soccer (2009-11). The circuit currently features teams in (or near) New York; Chicago; Seattle; Washington; Houston; Orlando; Louisville; Los Angeles; San Diego; San Jose; Salt Lake City; Kansas City, Mo.; Portland, Ore.; and Cary, N.C. --Field Level Media
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
NWSL's 16th expansion club in Denver unveils team name, crest and branding
It's been 173 days since the NWSL awarded its 16th expansion club to Denver. Now that team has its name: Denver Summit FC. The club's ownership group, led by controlling owner Rob Cohen, on Tuesday unveiled the side's name, crest and colors, revealing the team's brand identity with just eight months to go before its inaugural season kicks off in 2026. Advertisement The team's name was selected by a fan vote, which yielded more than 15,000 responses over the last five months, and their crest represents the picturesque landscapes of Colorado, anchored by a mountain with the backdrop of a sunset sky. 'The big thing for us in this project is keeping people at the center of it, keeping fans at the center of it, and wanting to celebrate these milestones with them,' club president Jen Millet told The Athletic last week. They hope to 'take those moments to recognize (while) we've got a long way to go, we have some accomplishments under our belt so far, and it gives us this confidence to keep going.' The brand unveil will likely be the first of several major announcements out of Denver in coming months as Summit FC inches closer to its first game with a to-do list that's not getting any shorter. The team hired Curt Johnson as its first general manager in May, the club's second front-office hire after Millet, but has yet to announce an inaugural head coach or any player signings, even with free agency ongoing. When asked about those decisions, Millet said the club will have plenty to announce in coming weeks. 'The one missing piece, you could say, to our brand or how we're going to show up, is players,' Millet told The Athletic, acknowledging the team wanted to unveil their brand before announcing any players. 'They will be coming soon, and probably fast and furious.' The club's origins trace back to 2023, when the grassroots movement 'For Denver FC' formed with the singular goal of bringing a professional women's soccer team to the city. Fast-forward to January of this year, when the NWSL awarded its 16th expansion team to an ownership group in the city that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the very founders of that movement. 'The ownership group was very aware of the crowdsourcing it took, really, to get the club to Denver,' Millet said. 'In recognition of that, there's a very intentional mindset from ownership, and now from us at the club, to make sure fans have a voice in things that we're doing.' Advertisement In February, the team launched its 'name the club' campaign, with a sampling of names to start, eventually zeroing in on Denver Summit FC. Fans were invited to share their ideas and vote, with more than 15,000 responses received. 'Denver Summit was at the top of the list for them, which was great because it was also at the top of the list for the ownership group,' Millet said. 'It just shows this clear connection that this ownership group has with the Denver market, and just Colorado at large.' The club's crest was created by renowned soccer designer Matthew Wolff, who has had a hand in the identities of several professional soccer clubs around the country. The crest features a traditional shield shape encompassing imagery of the Rocky Mountains, a fitting reference to the landscapes that anchor the brand and city. The mountains in the crest feature peaks that are angled at 26 degrees, a nod to the team's inaugural season next year. 'Coloradans are passionate about the outdoors, so it was always our vision that the crest should depict our natural surroundings,' Cohen said in a statement. 'Our elevation offers us a distinct home-field advantage, and our goal is to build a club that is always pursuing excellence on and off the field.' While the team's green-and-white color scheme has been teased since January, the crest also includes the backdrop of a red sky and a golden sun. The sun represents the state's '300 days of sunshine,' with the red sky representing Colorado's 'dramatic sunsets.' The green and white reflect 'the iconic colors' found on Colorado's traditional license plate. The latter, Millet said, was a running suggestion by respondents during fan voting. While it seems obvious for a club to lean on its fan base for inspiration, this was a valuable lesson fellow expansion side Boston Legacy learned the hard way last year. Boston's initial brand launch was met with swift backlash, forcing the club to redo its vision entirely. Its second unveiling was better received. That's not to say Denver's brand unveiling will be without its own potential hiccups. While the club marks the first professional women's soccer team in Denver, it's far from the first team in Colorado to use the word 'summit' in its team name. There are at least two other teams with similar or nearly identical names. The NWSL club said it collaborated with Colorado Summit, an ultimate frisbee franchise in Denver, throughout the naming process. The frisbee team will rebrand ahead of its 2026 season and is asking fans for suggestions. Advertisement There's also another Denver Summit FC, an LGBTQ+ flag football club founded in 2007. When asked about any confusion between these two teams, the NWSL club said it had been in touch with the flag football team as part of its outreach, too. The teams expect to 'coexist,' with there even being potential for crossover between them. (Photo courtesy of Denver Summit FC)
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gex Trilogy (PS5) Review: Throwback Platformers Find New Life
While some are more cynical about it, I've been loving the sea of remasters, ports, and remakes of classic games that are now playable on current systems. The latest retro collection is Limited Run Games' Gex Trilogy, which brings Dana Gould's media-obsessed gecko to modern systems. With quite a few quality-of-life upgrades and plenty of special features, this is more than a simple port and gives Crystal Dynamics' forgotten mascot the respect he deserves. While it's possible to get the full nostalgia effect and play the original games with purely digital controls and in a 4:3 aspect ratio, there are also a lot of additions. The most exciting is the ability to play the Gex 2 and 3, which are both 3D platformers, in native widescreen. Rather than just stretching the screen to achieve this effect, you can see more of the world at once in the widescreen version. This makes it the ideal way to play these platformers as they look sharp and give you a wider view than previously available. There are also several other quality-of-life upgrades, such as the ability to rewind gameplay, make saves at any point, and play with a CRT television filter. The original Gex is what I'm most nostalgic for, and I had a great time going through the game again. The 2D platformer is still quite fun, as you've really got to explore the levels in order to find TV remotes to unlock other stages, as simply going from left to right won't keep the game going. The game was a visual feat back in 1995, and while the sequels are clearly inspired by Super Mario 64 being a phenomenon, it's hard not to wonder what the games would've been like if it had doubled down on 2D and evolved that way. The 3D sequels, Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, retain the good sense of humor and feature former The Simpsons writer Rob Cohen doubling down on gags. The pop culture references and parodies help the game feel like a real time capsule, although the gameplay hasn't aged incredibly well. Gex 2 and 3 weren't Super Mario 64 upon release, and they certainly aren't as fun to go back to 25 years later. However, there is a charm to platformers of the era, and these collectathons are faithfully put together in the Gex Trilogy. There's value beyond nostalgia here, even if these aren't platforming classics (although it's fun to see some of the huge names that worked on these titles, such as Glen Schofield, Evan Wells, and Bruce Straley). I do want to give a special shoutout to the game's nice collection of bonus features. There's a great interview with Dana Gould, prototype footage of the never-released Gex Jr. game, plus ads, manuals, and art for all three titles. This extra effort, along with a complete music player for all three titles, really helps make Gex Trilogy feel like a celebration of the series. We love to see it. The Gex Trilogy lives up to its name and brings all three Gex games to modern consoles. With solid quality-of-life updates and a nice array of bonus features, there's a lot here for fans to sink their teeth into. While the 3D sequels haven't aged like wine, they're still interesting to revisit, and the original side-scroller is still quite a lot of fun. The original Gex is still quite fun Nice quality-of-life upgrades Good array of bonus eatures The 3D sequels aren't quite as beloved 8 Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Gex Trilogy PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.000.000. The post Gex Trilogy (PS5) Review: Throwback Platformers Find New Life appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Denver NWSL breaks ground on women's sports facility in Centennial
Denver NWSL broke ground on its official training center on Monday. The 43-acre site will be built in partnership with the City of Centennial and the Cherry Creek School District. Renditions of Denver NWSL's official training center. C. Morgan Engel/Denver NWSL The site will feature a proposed 12,000-seat temporary stadium and an approximately 20,000-square-foot training facility that is described as "purpose-built for professional women's sports. "We're just getting started, but breaking ground today on the performance center is a huge step," said Rob Cohen, controlling owner of Denver NWSL, in a statement. "We're building something our athletes can be proud of, and we couldn't do it without the incredible support of the City of Centennial and Cherry Creek Schools." The facility will be located near where the Denver Broncos train. It will include "soccer fields, recovery facilities like hot and cold plunge and red-light therapy, a video analysis theater, family lounge, and elite strength and conditioning spaces." C. Morgan Engel/Denver NWSL According to Denver NWSL, "The collaboration also includes a robust benefits package for CCSD students, including internships, classroom presentations from club staff, and a $100,000 donation to the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, among others." Earlier this year, Denver NWSL announced plans for a new 14,500-seat stadium near I-25 and Broadway that is expected to open in 2028.
