Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome back to the Spotlight! Even though the NBA season ended over a week ago, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize the building excitement for the New York Knicks’ prospects—on and off the court—for next season. If someone were to tell you that you could go to work with three of your best friends from college (and make tens of millions of dollars in the process), you’d sign up for that every day of the week and twice on Tuesday. That’s exactly the situation Knicks’ all-star point guard Jalen Brunson finds himself in as he is now set up to play next season with his fellow Villanova University teammates (and NCAA Champions) Mikal Bridges joins Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. Hopefully they can leverage their chemistry to relive their championship glory, but for now, through media appearances including Brunson and Hart’s podcast “The Roommates Show” and countless other opportunities that await them, they can leverage their chemistry for entertainment and marketing value as well. Speaking of chemistry, honorable mention to the Los Angeles Lakers who now also have biology going for them as Bronny James was drafted to play on the same team as his father LeBron. All interesting dynamics to behold and something sure to provide fireworks for audiences and sponsors in the days ahead. That reminds me, for the immediate days ahead, brief note that in preparation for America’s 248th birthday (roughly the age of our next President, it seems) the Spotlight will take a breather and return the week of July 8. 

• • This Christmas, the Kansas City Chiefs will have a doubleheader, playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the afternoon, and then taking center stage in a schmaltzy Hallmark Channel movie, “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.” I can’t imagine where they might have gotten the inspiration for that film from…
     
  • The torch for the Summer Olympics is being lit next month in Paris, France. NBC has lined up an impressive list of celebrities for its broadcasts of the Games—lest they be torched in the ratings.
    
    
  • Major record labels—themselves wading into the artificial intelligence space of late—filed a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement by a pair of A.I.-based tech companies that allegedly train their software on the labels’ music. Incidentally the labels are represented by venerable trial lawyer Chad G. Petey. 
    
    
  • Cash hungry media company Buzzfeed has put up its popular celebrity and chicken wing-centric show “Hot Ones” up for sale at the price of a cool $70 million. To sweeten the deal, they’re reportedly willing to throw in free carrots and celery. 

Welcome back to the Spotlight! As we cross the Summer solstice and melt under the Sun’s searing rays of light, we at the Spotlight would like to remind you that too much light can be a bad thing (don’t forget your sunscreen!). Indeed much is to be said about the virtues of moderation. For instance, flashing and beaming stage lights shining upon you during your world tour are great – but adding flashing lights on top of a police cruiser and beams of light from a window-mounted searchlight. Pop icon Justin Timberlake is undoubtedly “in sync” with those sentiments, having just been arrested in the Hamptons this week for driving while intoxicated. Takeaways from this incident? Even the biggest, most seemingly polished stars falter – at the end of the day, they are human (and thankfully no one was injured).  For just about the entire entertainment ecosystem – brands, sponsors, talent and promoters--the immediate ripple effect is that there will be that much more attention paid to so-called “morals clauses” allowing for early termination in deals involving celebrity talent. For opposing counsel who might be reading this, I look forward to the dance. That all being said, the one light that you can never have too much of is the Spotlight (…right?) so I will just have to give the people what they want (I think…).

• • Women’s shapewear brand SPANX teams up with newcomer (not to be confused with Newcomber) League One Volleyball (or LOVB) in an apparel sponsorship deal that marks SPANX’s first sports marketing  endeavor. The brand is sure to be tested as its shapewear may be no match for volleyball’s bumps.
    
    
  • New Jersey became the first state to legalize wagering on “Car-Jitsu,” a sport in which people fight each other in a sedan.  Little did I know, growing up the youngest of three brothers, on long car trips, I was training to be a prize fighter and/or punching bag.
    
    
  • Battle rap competition series Verzuz, gets exclusive distribution through X (formerly known as “Twitter”) – which is great news for those hoping that the social media platform’s insults be by way of poetry rather than prose.  

Welcome back to the Spotlight! In recognition of Father’s Day this upcoming weekend, I would be remiss not to impart some learned wisdom while also dialing the dad jokes up to 11. If you decide to read on, then you probably have the same last name as me. For those playing ketchup (though surely by now many of you musta-heard), the hottest news off the grill this week is that the 16 time winner of the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating competition (and presumptive 4 time recipient of a new heart valve) Joey Chestnut received some news that was just the wurst. Indeed Chestnut was rolled off this year’s competition. Namely, since Nathan’s relishes its annual brand spotlight (no relation), it has a real beef with Chestnut endorsing Impossible Foods, a purveyor of fake beef—including plant-based hot dogs. To put things in perspective, Chestnut’s deal with Impossible Foods is akin to Michael Jordan moving his buns from Nike to Adidas. To be frank, Chestnut’s representatives would have done well to consider not only whether his deal violated exclusivity or non-competition obligations owed to Nathan’s, but also whether they could cause heartburn. If this is some carefully orchestrated publicity stunt that ends with Nathan’s offering Impossible hot dogs in its restaurants, then that would sure be grate to make everyone may feel less sauer. As it stands, Chestnut is setup for a Labor Day one on one hot dog eating competition opposite his rival Takeru Kobayashi, which is to be streamed on Netflix. For now, let’s walk one footlong in front of the other into the next segment…

• • ​The Cricket World Cup is in full swing here in New York, with much fanfare surrounding an American team outperforming the expectations of many (including by beating heavy favorite Pakistan). While I’m still brushing up on the rules and terminology of the sport of British origin, I would expect swarms of capital to be infused into the sport here in the states. An infinitely better proposition than swarms of joro spiders (see last week’s Spotlight). 
     
  • Meanwhile, the cross-cultural exchange was in full effect with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies taking Major League Baseball across the pond to London for what was by all accounts a successful endeavor. Smart move by the MLB not scheduling the Kansas City Royals—that could have been confusing. 
     
  • Speaking of Kansas City, the Chiefs organization must be relieved that a player made news this offseason for other than for committing a crime or making misogynistic comments, as Travis Kelce and his recently retired brother Jason acquire a significant stake in craft brewing company, Garage Beer. For my part, I’m relieved I did not have to mention T.S. (Taylor Swift for search engine optimization purposes). 

Welcome back to the Spotlight! You may recall from a few weeks ago that I bemoaned the playoff exit of the New York Knicks. This week, I am doing the same after the Knicks’ roommates, the New York Rangers met a similar fate. You might think that the silver lining is that less time in front of the TV watching 2 of my favorite teams will get me to spend more time outside to enjoy the weather. And ordinarily you’d be right. However, my time in the Sun will be short-lived (and my medicine cabinet full of vitamin D supplements), as I just recently read that an invasive species of hand-sized “flying” spiders known as “Joro Spiders” will be descending on New York this Summer. You truly can’t make this stuff up anymore.  Not a great stretch for the Empire State. The good news for those (like me) whose skin crawls at the very thought of these critters, a nice and sheltered air-conditioned room provides the perfect ambience for reading the Spotlight without threat of interruption of parachuting arachnids. If you do happen to see me out, it will be at Yankee Stadium with one of those umbrella hats, wearing a firm pair of steel-toe boots. For now, you can find me on the Web (lest I be found in a web).

• • Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving will be, as he has all season, wearing Anta brand sneakers on the court during the NBA Finals. The Chinese athletic apparel brand will seemingly be well-represented in the stands as well, with Irving offering an endorsement deal for his father. My boys have to step up their game for Father’s Day.  
    
    
  • Country Music star Morgan Wallen’s branded restaurant “Morgan Wallen’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen” in Nashville just ahead of the CMA Fest. With a fully stocked bar, three stages for live performances and down-home menu options, the restaurant seems likely to be a hit – just as long as the wait staff doesn’t take cues from his last album and serve “One Thing at a Time.”
    
    
  • Former members of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Earth, Wind & Fire will need to pony up $750,000 for infringing the band’s trademark rights. The judge ordered payment by no later than the 21st night of September.