Latest news with #professionalSports
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Friedkin Group Launches Pursuit Sports
Pursuit Sports amplifies The Friedkin Group's ambitions in professional sports Dave Beeston, experienced sports industry executive, named CEO of Pursuit Sports HOUSTON, July 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Friedkin Group, a privately held and diverse family of brands and investments in the automotive, luxury hospitality, and entertainment industries, today announced the introduction of Pursuit Sports, a company dedicated to overseeing and supporting The Friedkin Group's professional sports properties. Seasoned sports industry operator Dave Beeston now leads Pursuit Sports as Chief Executive Officer, having officially begun his tenure on February 3, 2025. Each of The Friedkin Group's owned sports properties, including A.S. Roma (Italian Serie A), A.S. Cannes (French Championnat National 2), and Everton F.C. (English Premier League) will become part of Pursuit Sports portfolio of properties. Beeston, who will also serve on the Board of Pursuit Sports and report to Dan Friedkin, Chairman of Pursuit Sports and Chairman and CEO of The Friedkin Group, will be responsible for facilitating operational excellence across the existing teams and evaluating opportunities to expand through the acquisition of other sports properties. "The launch of Pursuit Sports marks an exciting new chapter in The Friedkin Group's vision to elevate and empower world-class sports organizations. Through this platform, we can do more than support our teams at a high level—we are investing in their long-term success by bringing together the full strength of our global expertise, resources, and pursuit of excellence," said Dan Friedkin. "Dave Beeston is a proven, trusted leader who is steeped in wisdom and experience around how to build high-performance sports enterprises. Under his dynamic leadership, each of our clubs will be empowered to compete at the highest level while preserving the identity and passion that makes each of them unique." Prior to joining Pursuit Sports, Beeston was a managing director at Clearlake Capital Group. Before this, he served in several roles during 11 years with Fenway Sports Group, including Co-Head of Fenway Sports Management; EVP & Chief Strategy Officer of the Boston Red Sox; and Alternate Governor of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Across these positions, Beeston was responsible for setting and executing on the overall growth strategy of Fenway Sports Group, including the acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Strategic Sports Group's $1.5 billion investment into PGA Tour Enterprises. "I am delighted to join Pursuit Sports and am grateful to Dan and the entire Friedkin family for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity. Their vision, determination, and passion for building exceptional operations across their brands is inspiring." added Dave Beeston. "Our first responsibility at Pursuit Sports is to build an organization and culture that meets The Friedkin Group's standards. With a focus on people and data driven decision making, we will use our scale, insights, and expertise to unlock and empower the leadership at each of our clubs, which will allow them to realize their full potential and pursue championship success. We will utilize that same rigorous decision-making process to evaluate additional opportunities to expand our family of teams moving forward." About The Friedkin Group The Friedkin Group is a privately held family of global brands spanning automotive, entertainment, hospitality, investments, and sports. Founded in 1969, headquartered in Houston, Texas, and led by Chief Executive Dan Friedkin, The Friedkin Group is united by a mission to build breakthrough brands that redefine the status quo. The Friedkin Group portfolio includes Gulf States Toyota, 30West, Accelerated Solutions Group, AS Roma, Ascent Automotive Group, Auberge Resorts Collection, Congaree, Copilot Capital, Diamond Creek, Everton Football Club, GSFSGroup, Imperative Entertainment, Legendary Expeditions, NEON, Northside Lexus, The Friedkin Group International, USAL, and Westside Lexus. For more information, please visit View source version on Contacts Business InformationWebsite: Email: info@ Media media@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Think you understand Scottie Scheffler? Think again.
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — This here was going to be about Scottie Scheffler trying to find his way. His way around the fifth Open Championship appearance of his career. His way around the links at Royal Portrush. His way, perhaps, to the three-quarter mile marker in golf's career Grand Slam. A golf story. Advertisement Except then Scheffler started talking, and the room started shifting, and his management started squirming. Who cares about pot bunkers when this happens? Out of nowhere, the honest-to-goodness best golfer, perhaps the most unexplored mega-star in all professional sports, decided to let everyone inside. 'Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf?' Scheffler responded Tuesday morning, answering the final question of his pre-tournament press conference. 'Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it, because I've literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport.' All well and good. But Scheffler kept pulling on the thread. 'To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,' he continued, raising eyes away from notebooks and iPhones. 'I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.' Maybe it's the Irish air. Maybe it's getting one year closer to 30. Whatever it is, Scheffler, an athlete often capable of saying a lot and revealing little, poured forth an answer that is likely to stay with him for a long time. Now pens were moving. 'There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life, and you get there, you get to No. 1 in the world, and they're like, what's the point?' Scheffler said. 'I really do believe that. Because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis.' This version of Scheffler — Nihilist Scottie — has shown face before. Last summer, prior to the Paris Olympics, he was asked about the possible significance of winning a gold medal and carving a place in the pantheon of sports. He responded by shrugging and giving the least-Olympic answer imaginable: 'I don't focus much on legacy. I don't look too far into the future. Ultimately, we'll be forgotten.' The moment made for some easy quips. — Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) August 1, 2024 Tuesday, though, went further. And wit wasn't necessary. This Scheffler is worth understanding. He kept going … 'We work so hard for such little moments,' he continued. 'I'm kind of sicko; I love putting in the work. I love getting to practice. I love getting to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don't understand the point.' Advertisement The room laughed. Both in agreement and amazement. 'I don't know if I'm making any sense or not,' Scheffler said to longtime Associated Press golf reporter Doug Ferguson, the one who uncorked all this. 'Am I not?' He was. But the faces looking back at Scheffler couldn't quite believe what they were hearing. '(Golf) is one of the greatest joys of my life, but does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart?' Scheffler said, before answering a question that wasn't asked. 'Absolutely not.' Scheffler's stream of consciousness was worth hearing because it was free of intention. This wasn't planned. His team didn't craft this. Nor was it a self-serious, esoteric illumination. No. This was real and honest and open — as if Scheffler was trying to figure it out as he went along. At 29, he has now sat atop the world rankings for 148 of the last 173 weeks, won two Masters and emerged as one of the faces of the PGA Tour. Winning more than $130 million on the golf course doesn't mean he doesn't question his day-to-day existence just like the rest of us. He kept going … 'Every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard,' Scheffler said. 'When I get home, I try and thank her every day for taking care of our son. I'm blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living. 'This is not the be all, end all. This is not the most important thing in my life. That's why I wrestle with, why is this so important to me?' The questions Scheffler is asking himself are likely different than many would assume. A certain staid version of Scottie Scheffler was fairly cemented long ago. The guy who aw-shucks his way to win after win. The wholesome family man. The devout Christian. Not exactly Nietzsche. But Scheffler's ability to avoid tying his identity to being the world's best golfer is actually a helluva explanation for why he's the world's best golfer. Advertisement Raymond Prior, a performance psychologist who's worked with several major champions, explained in a conversation with The Athletic this past spring the difference between those who care about the big picture versus those who question what that picture reveals. 'What the research tells us is the more you're trying to smother your inner experience, the more f—ed you are, pardon my language,' Prior said. 'I can have whatever thoughts and feelings without necessarily needing to do anything with them. I can shift my focus to, what if I just did the thing in front of me, which is technically the only thing that I actually have to do. I don't need to manage other people's opinions. I don't need to insure my legacy. I don't need to save myself from my past. The only thing I need to do is get this golf ball started and see how it plays out.' Going further, the emptiness Scheffler feels between who he is and the game he plays does, in fact, have a place in his faith. Take a look at Ecclesiastes. Or just leave it to an Irish poet to sum things up. As W.B. Yeats put it: 'Where there is nothing, there is God.' Scheffler wrapped up his Tuesday press conference by making it clear he maintains 'a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation' for his accomplishments and his place in the game. At the same time, one more time, he wanted you to understand — life is larger than a golf ball. 'I love being able to come out here and compete,' he said, 'but at the end of the day, it's not what satisfies me, if that makes sense.' It does.
National Post
02-07-2025
- Sport
- National Post
CFL makes full negotiation lists public for the first time
The Canadian Football League has announced full negotiation lists will now be public for the first time ever. Article content On Wednesday, the league unveiled the 45-player lists from all nine CFL clubs, which will be updated every 24 hours. Previously, teams would disclose 10 of the negotiation list players twice per year. Article content Article content Negotiation list players are made up of 45 players who are currently playing in other professional leagues like the NFL, players who are still in college, or players who are currently free agents. When a player is on a team's negotiation list, that team holds exclusive negotiation rights if the player wants to come to the CFL. Article content Players' negotiation list rights can be traded to other CFL clubs as well. Teams can add or remove players from their list at any time. Article content Many current Roughriders were on negotiation lists prior to coming to the CFL, including the league's 2024 most outstanding defensive player Rolan Milligan Jr. Article content Currently, the Roughriders list of 45 players including 13 quarterbacks and other players with NFL experience including veteran receiver Chase Claypool. Article content Here is Saskatchewan's current negotiation list as of Wednesday morning: Article content Article content tshire@ Article content Article content
CBC
02-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
How 2 Halifax pro athletes balance parenthood with sport
Competing in professional sports is difficult, but it's especially hard when you're a parent and have to figure out child care, travel and expenses associated with the job. Giuliana Grillo spoke to two athletes who are making it work, but say more support should be available.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
MLB invests in Athletes Unlimited Softball League ahead of June debut
Major League Baseball is investing in Athletes Unlimited to support its softball league that will debut next month, marking the first time MLB will have a comprehensive partnership with a professional women's sports league. MLB said Thursday it was making a strategic investment in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League of an undisclosed amount for operational costs and a commitment to help it gain visibility in various ways, including assistance with content, marketing and sales, events, distribution, editorial, and digital and social platforms. That includes marketing the AUSL and its athletes during MLB's All-Star Game and throughout the postseason. 'This is something we're really excited about,' MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told The Associated Press. 'We studied the space hard. We think it's a real opportunity and we're excited to be involved.' Athletes Unlimited has featured softball since 2020, when it unveiled a unique format that crowned an individual champion. The company will launch a league with a traditional, team-based format starting June 7 and will keep its individual format for the AUSL All-Star Cup that follows. Manfred noted that interest in women's sports had 'escalated significantly' in recent years and his league had been looking for ways to get more involved, including the possible launch of its own softball league. He said Athletes Unlimited's overall success and its strong infrastructure helped make the decision to collaborate easier. 'We thought rather than starting on our own and competing, that finding a place where we could invest and grow a business was a better opportunity for us,' Manfred said. Kim Ng, a former Major League Baseball executive, signed on as an adviser with the AUSL and was promoted to commissioner in April. Ng is the former general manager of the Miami Marlins, the first female GM in any of the major U.S. pro sports leagues, and has three World Series rings from a combined 21 years in the front offices of the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. 'As the process moved forward and it looked like we were going to make an investment, they hired Kim, and we had a long relationship with Kim, and it just added additional comfort to the idea of making the investment,' Manfred said. Athletes Unlimited co-founder Jon Patricof said MLB's commitment to increasing the AUSL's visibility is as important as the financial investment. 'They're committed to really elevating the AUSL,' he said. 'It's probably about one of the most difficult things for any sports league to do which is to get visibility and break through to new audiences, and I think MLB is already doing that for the AUSL, and there's going to be a lot more to come.' Women's pro softball leagues and independent teams have come and gone over the years, but none have offered a consistent option for women to have a stable future in the sport. It appears that might change, with the help of softball greats Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley as AUSL advisors. On June 7, the Bandits and Talons will open with a three-game series in Rosemont, Illinois, and the Blaze and Volts will start off with a three-game series in Wichita, Kansas. The four teams will play 24 games this season as touring properties that will play games in 12 cities. The top two teams will compete in the AUSL Championship, a best-of-three series July 26-28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Patricof said the league plans to expand to six teams next season and be city based. MLB already supports several women's softball and baseball initiatives, including a partnership with USA Softball and operation of the MLB Develops girls baseball pipeline. It is not involved with the upstart Women's Professional Baseball League, which plans to launch in 2026 as the first pro baseball league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — of "A League of Their Own" fame — folded in 1954. Manfred said he sees a bright future ahead for AUSL. 'I fully expect that they will expand, and we hope that we will end up with a league that is sustainable on its own, a good investment for us, and a partner in growing diamond sports internationally,' he said. Patricof said the partnership with MLB and the already existing relationship between the Athletes Unlimited and USA Softball combine to help give the AUSL stability. 'As we announce MLB coming into the fold formally into what we're doing with the AUSL, you really see a full alignment of this sport behind this league, and that I think is exciting for everyone,' Patricof said. ' People who have sat on the sidelines or maybe have watched pro softball from a little bit of distance — everybody's now jumped in, and I think that is an exciting moment for people who've been around this sport.' ___
