FC Barcelona to List Media Unit in NY in $1 Billion SPAC Deal
Spanish football’s FC Barcelona will list its content creation unit Barca Media in the US via a merger
2023-08-11 19:46
Bayern Munich sign two huge names amid Kane transfer saga
Bayern Munich might be on the verge of buying England captain Harry Kane in a sensational €100m deal – but it has just made two very different signings. The German football club has just announced that Prime, the energy drink created by YouTube personality KSI and Logan Paul, is its “hydration sponsor”. The multi-year deal will see Prime Hydration sold at the Allianz Arena on match days, and the brand plans to expand retail operations in the German market later in the year and launch FC Bayern X Prime limited edition bottles. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “FC Bayern is delighted to partner with Prime and bring the company to the German market.” said executive board member Andreas Jung. “This partnership with a young, dynamic brand confirms our global growth and aims to reach a new audience for FC Bayern.” “It has been truly special to watch Prime grow so exponentially over the last year, but growth doesn’t happen without partners like FC Bayern Munich,” said Prime co-founders, Logan Paul and KSI, in a statement. “We are so excited to work with such an established and successful group of individuals and we look forward to hydrating all parts of this star club.” Prime has drawn criticism in recent months after doctors said it contained too much caffeine for children under the age of 16 – one of its major markets – to drink in large quantities. The Prime website and Prime Energy label both warn that the drink is not recommended for children under age 18, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women or women who are nursing. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer even called on regulators to investigate the company. The drink brand has become so popular, particularly with children and teenagers, that they are often being sold for 10 times their retail price on eBay. There is now even a tracker app that allows customers to verify stock before visiting stores. On Twitter last year, KSI – real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji – added that the beverage was being sold on the “black market”. The YouTuber shared screenshots of bottles being sold for £15 on eBay and said: “This annoys me so much. We’re trying so hard to increase the supply as much as possible to try and combat the black-market selling. “Me and Logan ain’t made any money from Prime. It’s all going back into the business to increase the supply. We’re trying people.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-10 23:22
‘They abuse us’: Female workers making Fifa World Cup merchandise face systemic harm, says report
Female workers who produce Fifa merchandise for events such as the Women’s World Cup have endured pay below minimum wage, verbal abuse, unpaid overtime and threats of job loss if they fall pregnant, according to a new report by human rights researcher Equidem. Equidem has criticised Fifa for not taking action on a situation that seems to go against the advances the tournament has been responsible for, and president Gianni Infantino has been urged to extend “that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience”. Equidem has put its report into the context of the litany of migrant labour abuses that occurred due to the men’s World Cup in Qatar and asked why there has been no update from a human rights subcommittee that was supposed to be set up to assess the legacy of that event, raising questions about Fifa’s expressed commitment to improving working conditions. The report features interviews with women workers in factories in Bangladesh that make official merchandise for Fifa events, and involves distressing testimonies including verbal abuse and the illegal denial of worksite childcare and maternity leave. Equidem heard several stories of women denied freedom of association. “We have a daily target to reach,” one worker said. “The supervisor fixes our daily target. I make 60-80 pieces per hour. I can only go to the restroom after finishing my hourly target. When a lot of work piles up, they don’t let us go anywhere. They verbally abuse us. I work for 10-12 hours a day at my sewing machine. Today, my supervisor told me to give 80 pieces per hour, but it was quite difficult to make 80 pieces. I made 60 pieces per hour. He shouted at me several times. “I can’t keep my son with me. I work between eight and 12 hours every day. Who will look after him? I searched for someone to leave my son with when I went to work, but I did not get anyone. We don’t have a childcare room in our factory. My son lives in Dhaka with my mother-in law and father-in-law.” Workers described a common practice of being told they would lose their jobs if they became pregnant during the first two years of employment. One woman employed as a sewing machine operator explained: “When I started working here, the factory doctor told me not to have babies for the first two years. I was told that after completing two years, I can have children. If I get pregnant before that, I will have to resign. They will not give me any leave.” Some workers spoken to by Equidem reported that they did not get paid any maternity leave at all, even though they are supposed to be legally entitled to four months, making it a clear violation of Bangladeshi law. Equidem’s CEO Mustafa Qadri states: “After the Men’s World Cup this past year in Qatar, FIFA pledged to set up a human rights subcommittee that would assess the legacy of the 2022 tournament, although there has been no further update as to the status of that assessment, nor its learnings. Equidem urges FIFA to extend its expressed commitment to improving working conditions to women workers in their apparel supply chains. "Yet, the world has seen significant advances in pay parity for women players, including making the Women’s World Cup more professional, ensuring equal regulations and conditions, and fair distribution of prize money to players. The United States team, after years of negotiations, public battles, and court filing won an equal pay deal that makes them one of the best-paid national teams in the world. "The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 brings with it many positive improvements for its players, and it is crucial that FIFA extends that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience. FIFA has the power, money, and resource to address this at the systemic level, and we will keep monitoring their global supply chains until it does. “This movement toward gender parity within FIFA, signals a heightened commitment within the organisation to fair conditions for women players—on par with their male counterparts. This should extend to all women, not just those under the stadium lights.” A Fifa spokesperson said: “FIFA has stringent labour rights requirements for companies producing FIFA-licensed goods and takes any allegation of labour rights abuse in its supply chain very seriously. FIFA is in contact with both Equidem and the respective companies to further investigate the matter.” Read More Fifa urged to make human rights key consideration for World Cup 2030 host ‘Matter of when not whether’ UK hosts Women’s World Cup – sports minister Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ How much added time? Football’s new guidelines and the impact they will have Raphael Varane says players’ opinions ignored over ‘damaging’ new guidelines
2023-08-10 17:18
The $1.4 Billion Corporate Sponsorship Hole in the Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women’s World Cup faces a huge shortfall in sponsorship compared to the men’s tournament just eight
2023-08-10 14:23
Texas A&M fund shutters program that allowed donors to support athlete endorsements, citing IRS memo
The foundation that supports Texas A&M athletics says it is closing a branch set up for donors to support endorsement deals for Aggies athletes
2023-08-10 07:22
Buffalo Bills new stadium cost over-runs approaching $300M over budget, AP sources say
Four people with direct knowledge or who have been briefed on the financial details tell The Associated Press the Buffalo Bills are already facing a potential cash crunch on building their new stadium, with latest projections having the team on the hook for as much as $300 million in cost over-runs
2023-08-10 03:48
The US Open is adding video review for double bounces. It's a first for Grand Slam tennis
Video review for double bounces and certain other rulings will be making its Grand Slam tennis debut when main-draw competition begins at the U.S. Open later this month
2023-08-09 21:18
Flutter’s US Unit FanDuel Turns Profit Ahead of New York Listing
Flutter Entertainment Plc turned a profit in its US business FanDuel in the first half of the year,
2023-08-09 14:52
Casino owner Penn Entertainment is ditching Barstool for a $2 billion deal with ESPN
Casino owner PENN Entertainment has dropped Barstool, the sports website, agreeing to a $2 billion dollar deal with ESPN to create ESPN Bet.
2023-08-09 06:19
Slick Salesperson Gets Jacksonville Jaguars to Purchase Very Expensive Urinals
Jaguars urinals let you know if you're hydrated.
2023-08-08 02:50
WWE's SummerSlam pulls in $7M in sponsorship revenue, up 23% from a year ago
WWE’s sponsorship revenue for SummerSlam rose 23% from a year ago to $7 million, the most for any event outside of WrestleMania
2023-08-07 21:52
Saudi Wealth Fund Takes $15.6 Billion Hit From SoftBank and Tech
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund reported a $15.6 billion comprehensive loss for 2022 after the value of its
2023-08-06 23:18