Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

NHLPA Executive Board Appoints John Gerba as General Counsel

The executive board of the National Hockey League Players’ Association has voted unanimously to promote John Gerba as the union’s general counsel. Don Zavelo was promoted to senior advisor and counsel to the executive director. Gerba joined the NHLPA staff in 2017 as an associate counsel, after working for over 10 years at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and was promoted to the NHLPA’s deputy general counsel in 2021. During his time with the NHLPA, he has worked on the negotiation of both the 2020 and 2026 collective bargaining agreements.

PWHL Names Business Directors for Four Expansion Teams, Sirens

After announcing Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) expansion to four new cities for the 2026-27 season, the league has named four business directors to oversee club business operations in each of the new markets, as well a new hire for the same role at the New York Sirens. The names are: Alicia Mullin (PWHL Detroit), Marian Agyei-Gyamera (PWHL Hamilton), Sheri Hudspeth (PWHL Las Vegas), Chris Jensen (PWHL San Jose) and Amanda Archer (Sirens).

Eddie Pope Joins MLS’ Player Development Leadership

Major League Soccer announced former MLS and U.S. Men’s National Team star Eddie Pope as senior vice president of sporting development for Major League Soccer and senior vice president of competition & operations for MLS Next Pro. In his role, the league said Pope will support the strategic alignment of development pathways across MLS Next, MLS Next Pro and MLS. He will oversee development and execution of the long-term sporting vision for MLS Next Pro, as well as leading sporting areas for the league.

Tmrw Sports Names Brendan Donohue President of Flag Football 

Tmrw Sports has named Brendan Donohue president, flag football, where he will lead the company’s professional flag football business in partnership with the NFL. Donohue joins Tmrw Sports following nearly three decades of leadership across professional sports, primarily with the NBA, and most recently serving as a managing partner at Elevate’s talent practice. In this newly created role, Donohue will report directly to founder and CEO Mike McCarley and will be relocating to the company’s headquarters in Orlando.

Owl Names Hilary Brown VP of Partnership Sales

Owl, a sports intelligence company, announced Hilary Brown has joined as vice president of partnership sales. Brown will lead Owl’s commercial partnerships across leagues, federations, broadcasters and sponsors as the company “scales its AI platform from marquee events into an operating layer for sport.” In the role, Brown will be in charge of partner-facing go-to-market and report to CEO Jay Prasad. Brown joins Owl from MarketCast, where she worked in media and audience measurement.

Lift Management Taps Kailey Edwards to Help Lead Women’s Sports 

Lift Management announced the appointment of Kailey Edwards as vice president of women’s sports and business development. In her new role, Edwards will lead the agency’s women’s sports initiatives while also seeking new business opportunities for the entirety of Lift’s talent verticals, spanning professional and collegiate athletics. She’ll be working in tandem with Gina Paradiso. The duo will continue to shape Lift’s agency roster, identifying athlete representation and brand partnerships opportunities. A former Division I basketball player at Boston College, Edwards has also represented WNBA and collegiate talent.

Robinson+Cole Unites Multidisciplinary Sports Capabilities Under New Team

Robinson+Cole announced the formalization of its Professional + Collegiate Sports industry team, bringing together attorneys and professionals from the firm’s Immigration, Labor + Employment, Litigation, Education, Real Estate, Construction Law, Intellectual Property, Data Privacy and Artificial Intelligence practices. The team draws on the firm’s experience in these areas to provide coordinated counsel to sports leagues and teams, institutions, talent—athletes and coaches, investors, and sports-related businesses as they navigate issues involving name, image and likeness (NIL), Title IX compliance, global mobility and sports tourism, media rights, private investment, emerging technologies, venue development and the continued growth of women’s sports.

PARTNERSHIPS

Cleveland WNBA Names Progressive as Partner, Jersey Patch Sponsor 

Cleveland WNBA announced Progressive Insurance as its second Founding Partner and the first multiyear partner in WNBA history to claim both the chest and abdomen placements on a team’s jersey. The Ohio-based insurance firm becomes the team’s official and exclusive home and automotive insurance partner and will focus on extending its presence from the court to the community as the franchise prepares for its inaugural season at Rocket Arena in 2028. As the signature element of the partnership, Progressive becomes the team’s official and only jersey patch partner.

San Jose Earthquakes, Apollo Announce Official Sleeve Partnership

Apollo, the AI go-to-market system, announced a multiyear Official Sleeve Partnership with Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes that entails becoming both the club’s Official Go-to-Market Partner and the first go-to-market (GTM) company to combine a professional sports sponsorship with a full-scale partnership for revenue operations transformation. Apollo will serve as both a brand sponsor with its logo featured prominently on the right sleeve of the Earthquakes’ jersey, and as a technology partner.

Just Women’s Sports Takes Over Chicago for WNBA All-Star Weekend

Just Women’s Sports announced a slate of fan experiences and brand activations surrounding WNBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, anchored by the JWS Spot on Saturday at the Bottom Lounge. Across three days of programming, Just Women’s Sports will collaborate with Coach, Chase Freedom and DoorDash to create multiple touchpoints for fans throughout the city. The weekend also marks Just Women’s Sports’ first marquee activation as an official Emerging Media Partner of the WNBA. 

Stripe Becomes a Worldwide Partner of the Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America announced that Stripe has signed a new agreement to become a Worldwide Partner and the Official Payment Solutions Partner to the Ryder Cup. The partnership agreement will see Stripe become a top-tier Worldwide Partner to both the 2027 match at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland, and the 2029 match at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. The Ryder Cup is building on its existing online payments partnership with Stripe for tickets, food and beverage, merchandise and retail.

Vanderbilt, SRM Concrete Expand Partnership With Jersey Patch

SRM Concrete will become the first all-sports jersey patch partner in Vanderbilt athletics history beginning with the 2026–27 athletic year. Expanding the partnership creates new opportunities for SRM Concrete, a ready-mix concrete producer, to engage directly with Commodore athletes through name, image and likeness initiatives across the university’s 17 varsity teams. SRM Concrete has been an official partner of Vanderbilt athletics since 2025, when the family-owned-and-operated company secured naming rights to the SRM South End Zone Suites at FirstBank Stadium.

Panini, NWSL’s Gotham FC Launch Multiyear Partnership

Panini America, a subsidiary of the Panini Group, announced a new partnership with Gotham FC, the reigning National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) champions. This is the first team partnership for Panini since becoming the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the NWSL and NWSLPA earlier this year. The two organizations will collaborate on select marketing initiatives and activations, including last week’s landmark Queens Classic, and Panini will have a presence across multiple Gotham FC touchpoints designed to engage fans.

GSE Worldwide Partners With Extraordinary AI

GSE Worldwide (GSE) announced a strategic partnership with Extraordinary AI (EAI), an AI advisory firm specializing in enterprise AI adoption, to launch a firmwide initiative designed to embed artificial intelligence across the agency’s operations. Through the initiative, employees from across GSE’s business will participate in a structured engagement that combines AI education, hands-on workshops and collaborative development sessions to aid the agency’s day-to-day operations.

Jets Partner With Coyote Promotions 

The New York Jets have partnered with Coyote Promotions, a promotional merchandise agency, in a multiyear agreement focused on delivering “premium branded merchandise, gifting solutions and activation support” across the organization’s fan initiatives, business operations and partner network. The partnership will also provide opportunities for co-branded merchandise and engagement initiatives for both fan-facing and business-to-business experiences.

PRODUCTS

American Eagle Sets Lamine Yamal’s First Exclusive Product Collaboration

American Eagle is announcing the next chapter of its partnership with global brand ambassador Lamine Yamal: his first exclusive product collaboration with the brand officially launching Sept. 3. The soccer star contributed to Spain’s victory in this summer’s 2026 World Cup. Inspired by the player’s style, the collection brings together baggy denim, oversized silhouettes, cargo pants, hooded denim jackets and oversized denim shirts.

PURCHASES

OnDeck Partners Acquires MiLB’s Wilmington Blue Rocks

OnDeck Partners, the Minor League Baseball operating company backed by Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund, announced its acquisition of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The sale has received final approval from the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC), which oversees Frawley Stadium.

Free Agent Launches Athlete-Only Career Network Backed by $1.7M

Free Agent, a Vancouver-based startup serving athletes across Canada and the United States, announced the official launch of its private networking and career platform built exclusively for verified collegiate, professional and Olympic athletes. The company has raised $1.7 million (about $2.4 million CAD) in non-traditional angel funding, with 97% of its cap table comprised of former college, professional and Olympic athletes now in business leadership roles, including more than 14 national team athletes and Olympians, as well as doctors, surgeons, lawyers, C-suite executives, board members and founders.