Frances Tiafoe has a crazy story:

• Parents immigrated to America
• Dad worked in construction
• Helped build a tennis facility
• Got Frances free lessons

And now Frances is a top 20 player trying to become the first American male to win a Grand Slam in 20 years.

THREAD 👇 1) First off, tennis is an expensive sport.

Between training, travel, and tournaments, a youth career could cost $400,000.

And even if you turn professional, only the world's top ~150 players end up turning a profit after expenses.

That's what makes Frances' story so special.

ALLCITY Network is changing sports media.

They just raised a $12 million Series B and are already doing eight figures in annual revenue.

Full disclosure: I own equity in ALLCITY (because I think it will be massive).

Here's why 👇 1) Everyone knows sports media is struggling.

The democratization of content (podcasts, social media, etc.) has hurt RSNs, newspapers, and radio stations, leading to smaller audiences and mass layoffs.

However, this is where ALLCITY sees an opportunity.

The 2024 Formula 1 calendar is insane:

• 24 races
• 21 countries
• 5 continents
• 180+ hours of flights

Teams will travel 75,000 miles & transport 1,500 tons of equipment.

This makes it a logistical nightmare, so here's a breakdown of how Formula 1 pulls it off.

THREAD 👇 1) The simplest way to explain Formula 1 logistics is by breaking the calendar into two parts:

• European Races
• Flyaway Races

Let's start with European Races.

Apple Music pays the NFL $50 million annually to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show.

But Usher won't get any of that money.

Instead, he'll perform for free, leveraging the exposure to gain followers, sell tickets, and increase streaming numbers.

Here's how it works 👇 1) Some of the world's most famous artists have performed at the Super Bowl:

• Prince
• Michael Jackson
• Bruce Springsteen
• Beyonce
• Justin Timberlake
• The Rolling Stones
• Rihanna

But NONE of these artists were paid.

My favorite sports business story involves two brothers turning $1 million into $800 million as basketball team owners without ever owning an NBA team.

It's a masterclass in leverage, long-term thinking, and the power of equity and ownership.

Here's the crazy story 👇 1) The story starts with Ozzie & Daniel Silna.

The two brothers were born in New Jersey after their parents immigrated from Latvia in the 1930s.

They worked at their dad's small textile business, but when he sold the company, they started manufacturing polyester in the 1960s.

I asked my audience: "What is the best sports book you've ever read?" — and received more than 1,000 responses.

Here are the Top 10 👇

1) Open, an autobiography by Andre Agassi.

Everyone needs to read this, seriously. 2) Moneyball by Michael Lewis

This book follows the Oakland A's historic 2002 season — 103 wins with one of the lowest budgets in MLB —and details how the Athletics pioneered the use of analytics and advanced statistics.

This is a must-read, plain & simple.

Conor McGregor in 2007:

• Working as a plumber
• Living with his parents
• Thousands of dollars in debt
• Cashing $235 welfare checks

But now, @TheNotoriousMMA has made over $600 million and is one of the world's highest-paid athletes.

This is his WILD story 👇 1) McGregor's story reads like a Hollywood script.

He was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Crumlin, Ireland, who started taking boxing classes after being bullied by kids at school.

"Things like this happened a few times, so I thought, f**k this. I am going to go and train."

The NFL Draft is a MASSIVE event:

• $3 million construction cost
• $100 million economic impact
• 10 million viewers and 300,000 fans

But it wasn't always this big.

ESPN *made* it this big.

Here's the fascinating story 👇 1) The NFL didn't have a draft for its first 14 years.

But Eagles owner Bert Bell got tired of losing — the best college players signed with the best teams — and pitched an idea to level the playing field.

And the NFL draft was born.

However, it looked different back then.

Deion Sanders signed a $30 million deal with Colorado & he's already made a HUGE impact:

• Sold out season tickets
• 700% increase in merch sales
• Added 800k social media followers

And now, 45,000 people will attend today's spring game on ESPN.

The Deion effect is real 📈 But Deion's biggest impact will come in the admissions office.

When Boston College QB Doug Flutie threw a Hail Mary to beat Miami in 1984, the school saw a 30% jump in applications.

This is known as the Flutie Effect.

And it has only gotten stronger with social media.

The Goodyear Blimp is fascinating:

• 250-ft long
• 20,000 pounds
• Travels at 70 mph
• Cost $100,000 to fly
• Has covered 2,500+ events

But there are only 14 full-time Blimp pilots left in the United States, and its future is uncertain.

Here's the wild story 👇 1) The first Blimp was invented in 1852. and many people thought it was the future of air travel.

But then 36 people died in 1937 when the world's biggest Blimp burst into flames trying to land.

This is known as the Hindenburg Disaster, and it killed public interest in Blimps.

The Oakland A's are moving to Las Vegas.

They have entered a binding agreement to purchase 49 acres of land off the las vegas strip and plan to build a $1 billion, 35,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof.

Construction will start next year, and it'll open in 2027.

Crazy. The land is across the street from T-Mobile Arena and down the street from Allegiant Stadium.

Las Vegas will now have 3 professional sports teams (NFL, MLB, and NHL) after having 0 just a few years ago.

Read more: reviewjournal.com/sports/athleti…

Athletes have the most complicated taxes.

NFL, NBA, and MLB players file 10 to 25 tax returns each year, and some athletes pay more than $1 million to states they don't even live in.

This is because of the Jock Tax.

And it all started with Michael Jordan.

Here's the story 👇 1) The "Jock Tax" became famous in 1991.

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had just beaten the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals.

But after the championship parade, MJ's accountant received a notice from California saying MJ owed $10,000 in taxes for the games he played in LA.

Stephen Curry felt disrespected by Nike in 2013.

So he left the iconic brand to sign with Under Armour.

This partnership will probably make him $1 billion or more — and it's one of Nike's biggest screw-ups ever.

Here's the crazy story: 1) The story starts in 2009.

Stephen Curry was drafted 7th overall to the Golden State Warriors after carrying a team of doctors, lawyers, and accountants to the Elite Eight.

He had worn Nike shoes his entire life, so he signed a small sponsorship deal with the company.

Toto Wolff has officially reached billionaire status.

He owns 33% of the Mercedes Formula 1 team and acquired the equity stake at a significant discount.

The team now has more than 1,000 employees and brings in $450 million in annual revenue.

Here's the fascinating story 👇 1) First, some context is important.

Mercedes-Benz has a long history in motorsports.

They competed in Grand Prix racing since the early 1900s and even won two Formula 1 World Drivers Championships in 1954 and 1955.

But then they suddenly shut down the division.

Some people want to cancel the World Baseball Classic.

They say it's full of meaningless exhibition games, and players shouldn't get hurt right before the MLB season.

But these people couldn't be more wrong — because the WBC is essential to baseball's future.

Let me explain 👇 1) Baseball is the oldest US professional sports league.

MLB was founded in 1876, and the sport has been synonymous with America for the past 150 years.

It's called "America's pastime" for a reason.

But baseball has lost its luster over the last few decades.

Red Bull has done it again.

Luke Czepiela landed a plane on top of the helipad at the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.

The helipad is 56 stories high & only 88 feet long, and Czepiela did 650 practice landings before the attempt.

He’s the first pilot to land on the helipad. Here are some pictures from the stunt:

Ted Lasso is one of the world's best TV shows.

The character was developed 20 years ago at a comedy club in Amsterdam.

Jason Sudeikis is now paid $1 million per episode, and the show has signed licensing deals with Nike, EA Sports, and the Premier League.

Here's the story 👇 1) The Ted Lasso story starts in 2001.

Brendan Hunt was living in Amsterdam while working for an improv comedy club called Boom Chicago.

He spent 5 years writing and performing at the club and fell in love with the culture and history of European football.

The NBA has announced that they will start using Hawk-Eye beginning with the 2023-24 season.

This is the same technology used in tennis & soccer, and the NBA says it will eventually automate calls on out-of-bounds plays & goaltending.

The tech was tested in the WNBA last year. WNBA players also wore KINEXON sensors during the Commissioner's Cup last year.

The sensors were located in the waistband of their shorts, and data was collected 25 times per second to record acceleration, change of direction & speed.

So maybe the NBA eventually adds that too.

Gatorade was founded more than 50 years ago at the University of Florida.

They now do over $6 billion in annual revenue (4x more than their biggest competitor).

And the scientists that invented the drink signed a royalty deal that made them billions.

Here's the story 👇 1) The Gatorade story starts in 1965.

The University of Florida football team is losing games left and right & players are constantly complaining about the hot Florida sun.

Why?

Because back in the day, football players weren't allowed to drink water during practice or games.

Aston Martin's stock is up 15% today after Fernando Alonso finished 3rd during this weekend's Bahrain GP.

That means the company has added $300 million to its market cap in just 24 hours🤯 Remember, this also impacts Toto Wolff.

The Mercedes Team Principal bought a 1% stake in Aston Martin from Lawrence Stoll in 2020.

Mercedes (the parent company) then bought a 20% stake in Aston Martin & the stock doubled.

Wolff was accused of insider trading but never charged.

I’m here to bring Messi back 🔥

Thanks for the hospitality @FCBarcelona! twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Here’s a few more pictures/videos:

We checked out the Presidents box, media area, dressing room (no pictures allowed), and the museum.

It was an awesome day; enjoyed every second of it. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…