Inside Vegas’s New Sphere, NASCAR’s Urban Expansion and an All-Star 3-on-3 League
The MSG Sphere changes the live entertainment landscape
Credit:
Sphere Entertainment / FEVO

Inside Vegas’s New Sphere, NASCAR’s Urban Expansion and an All-Star 3-on-3 League

July 10, 2023

Each week, we sift through a ton of content and then debate it ad nauseam at FEVO HQ. And since good content, like the mind, is a terrible thing to waste, we are also sharing it here with you, our fans, in the form of this weekly blog post on e-commerce, media and life on the internet.


USA Today: Las Vegas unveiled its record-breaking MSG Sphere. Here's what to know.

The Madison Square Garden-backed Sphere at the Venetian (or MSG Sphere, colloquially) will soon play host to sporting events, concerts, live entertainment and more. The 18,000-person venue boasts world-class audio and visual capabilities to create a groundbreaking fan experience, and it will be exciting to see the unique ways that performers utilize the space — starting with U2, who will open the space with a 25-night residency celebrating the 25th anniversary of Achtung Baby.

Sports Illustrated: Chiefs-Dolphins in Germany sells out with 1M+ fans in queue

The second ever regular-season game played in Germany has some mind-blowing sales stats, including a queue of 1.4 million people (1.7% of the German population) and a 15-minute sellout of nearly 50K tickets. The appetite for the NFL is growing globally, and it seems the league the league is taking better advantage of it with each passing season.

The Athletic: After NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race success, what city will they go to next?

The first street race from NASCAR showed their plans to evolve to attract a younger, more diverse audience. While the race wasn't without its troubles, it turned out to be the second-most watched race of the season, after only the Daytona 500. Much like the NFL, it would appear that NASCAR is looking to target international cities next, most likely to try to commandeer a bit of F1’s global audience.

Forbes: Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports Acquires Brazilian Soccer Agency TFM

As Jay-Z says, “I’m not a businessman; I’m a business, man.” With this deal, his sports agency gets access to two of Brazil’s brightest young stars in Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid and Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal. The agency will increase the number of soccer players on its roster from 40 to over 120 with the acquisition, adding to America’s ever-growing financial interest in the World’s Game.  

ESPN: Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier to start U.S.-based league in WNBA offseason

Thirty of the best players in the WNBA plan to start a new offseason league with a 3-on-3 format. The league, named Unrivaled, will take place at a soundstage in Miami from January to March. The goal is to raise awareness for the sport among advertisers and fans while allowing players to abstain from going abroad to make extra money — an offseason pursuit that has traditionally attracted more than half of the league’s players.

And a few more nuggets of assorted internet wisdom …

This airline will rent out clothes so you can travel baggage-free (Bloomberg)

Wimbledon’s AI announcer was inevitable (The Atlantic)

‘El Tráfico’ soccer match between LA Galaxy and LAFC smashes MLS attendance record (CNN)

The fastest ever lap at Isle of Man is terrifying to watch (TT Races)

Women's hockey players ratify CBA to launch league (ESPN)

Do you need an Instagram Threads Strategy? (Later)

Inside Vegas’s New Sphere, NASCAR’s Urban Expansion and an All-Star 3-on-3 League