🔊 Why An Eli Manning-Backed PE Firm Acquired RCX Sports

This week, Brand Velocity Group (BVG), an investment firm focused on accelerating growth across consumer and sports businesses, announced it has acquired RCX Sports from Raine Partners, a private equity growth and expansion fund managed by The Raine Group.

RCX Sports is the leading professional league-backed youth sports platform. It delivers high-quality experiences and manages the official licenses on behalf of the National Football League ("NFL Flag"), Major League Soccer ("MLS GO"), the National Basketball Association ("Jr. NBA & Jr. WNBA Leagues"), Major League Baseball ("MLB Pitch, Hit & Run"), and the National Hockey League ("NHL Street"), among others. Financial details were not disclosed.

Why This Matters

The interest in youth sports has exploded over the past few years.

This $70 billion market (give or take) is one of the most underleveraged and undervalued sectors in all of sports, and institutional capital is starting to treat it that way.

RCX Sports sits at a unique intersection in this sector.

They don't just run youth leagues. They own the official licenses for the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, and MLB at the grassroots level.

This essentially means they're the layer between the world's most powerful sports leagues and the next generation of athletes and even fans.

That's what makes this acquisition intriguing.

Every kid who plays NFL Flag, Jr. NBA, or MLS GO is being introduced to those leagues through RCX. That's fan and athlete development at the earliest stage possible.

The leagues realize this, which is why they've trusted RCX with their grassroots infrastructure.

The investor group behind this deal is also a strong indicator.

Aside from BVG, the transaction is supported by a broad strategic investor group, including Hamilton Lane's Impact platform, St. Cloud Capital, Darco Capital, and Three Ocean Partners, as well as athlete partners such as Eli Manning, Emmitt Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, and Jameis Winston.

These are all people who understand both the financial and cultural upside.

The growth of flag football alone tells you where this is all headed.

NFL Flag has become one of the most influential grassroots sports programs in the country, with participation numbers surging in recent years.

RCX runs that program.

As flag football continues its push toward the Olympics and mainstream acceptance, RCX is positioned right in the middle of it.

It's also worth noting that lawmakers in several states have begun scrutinizing private equity's role in youth sports, raising concerns about rising fees, access, and the commercialization of programs built around kids.

BVG is moving in while the regulatory environment is still unsettled. It’s a calculated bet that the window is open now and may not stay that way later.

That said, youth sports remain the most valuable pipeline in all of sports.

Whoever controls the pipeline controls the future of fandom, participation, and community connection to the biggest sports leagues globally.

And BVG just put its stake in that pipeline.

• Milwaukee Brewers & Ryan Sanders Baseball Invest In AUSL. Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) announced a new group of strategic investors, which includes Milwaukee Brewers Chairman and Principal Owner Mark Attanasio. The group also includes baseball legends and executives Nolan Ryan, Reid Ryan, and Don Sanders of Ryan Sanders Baseball, one of the premier ownership and operating groups in Minor League Baseball. The Brewers become the first MLB club to invest directly in the AUSL, building on the broader strategic investment and partnership announced between MLB and the AUSL in 2025. Previous investors in Athletes Unlimited include co-founder Jonathan Soros, Kevin Durant, and Rich Kleiman’s 35V, David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, Schusterman Family Investments, and others (more here).

• Shamrock Capital & EnOne Ventures Invest In CardsHQ. Shamrock Capital and EnOne Ventures have invested in CardsHQ and Sports Card Investor, which are merging into a single company, CardsHQ. The investment is intended to accelerate retail expansion, enhance collector-facing technology, grow digital media operations, and deepen engagement among collectors, athletes, and fans. CardsHQ will operate as a hobby retail platform that combines large-format card shops, live breaking, events, and e-commerce for sports card and TCG collectors. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• ORY Investment Holding Limited Acquires South Shields FC. South Shields FC, a National League North club in England, has been taken over by a consortium led by ORY Investment Holding. ORY Investment is a group of international investors led by Jason Ye, a lawyer and partner at US firm Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP. The new investor group will focus on improving on-field performance, the supporter experience, and financial sustainability. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• 885 Capital Acquires CD Leganés. 885 Capital, a UAE-based global investment firm, has assumed full control of Spanish second-division football club CD Leganés in a deal valuing the club at around €100 million ($116.5 million). 885 has bought the 84.2% in Leganés owned by Blue Crow Sports, a US-based multi-club ownership group, taking its total stake to 99.1%. 885 intends to “strengthen the sporting performance of the entity, deepening the link with members and fans, continuing to promote the improvement of infrastructures and preserving the identity, history and values of a club that is approaching its centenary” (more here).

• SpeedLabs Raises $6.5M. SpeedLabs, a NYC-based real-time market engine for sports, raised $6.5 million in Seed funding. SpeedLabs develops Momentum Markets, which include live, in-game markets that let fans take a side on whether the game's momentum continues. The round was led by Parlay Capital, with participation from Bullpen Capital, TA Ventures, EdgeEquity, and others. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts (more here).

• Vivilo Raises €628K. Vivilo, an Italian startup that uses AI to automate the creation and distribution of personalized event content, has raised €628,000 in a pre-seed funding round. The funding round was supported by a group of Italian investors, including entrepreneurs, executives, engineers, lawyers, and technology professionals. Vivilo plans to use the capital to support commercial growth, brand awareness initiatives, further platform development, and team expansion. The company will also advance its proprietary recognition technology for applications in sectors like motorsport (more here).

• Agilitas Raises ₹225 Cr. Agilitas, an Indian-based sportswear startup, has raised ₹225 Crore (about $23.5 million) in a new funding round from Rainmatter and existing investor Nexus Venture Partners. The capital will be utilized to fuel Agilitas’ long-term growth across manufacturing, brand building, retail expansion, and technology, the startup said in a statement. Founded in 2023 by former Puma India MD Abhishek Ganguly and ex-Puma executives Atul Bajaj and Amit Prabhu, Agilitas is a vertically integrated sportswear startup covering product design, manufacturing, distribution, and retail (more here).

• Daniel Levy Sells Stake In Tottenham. Former Tottenham Hotspur executive chairman Daniel Levy has sold a 24.99% stake in the club's parent company ENIC to Eight Sports Capital, which leaves Levy with a 4.89% stake in ENIC. Levy stepped down in September 2025 after 24 years, following a restructuring triggered by the club's ultimate owners, the Lewis Family Trust. Eight Sports Capital Ltd is a sports investment company owned by Triller, an American entertainment and technology company that is owned by Wing-Fai Ng and Richard Tsai (more here).

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• PGA Tour & The Athletic Announce Partnership. The PGA Tour and The Athletic have announced a new content partnership that will bring video highlights from every round of PGA Tour events directly to The Athletic's platform. This collaboration, kicking off this week at The Memorial tournament, will give golf fans more dynamic and engaging coverage. Fans will be able to see highlights seamlessly integrated into The Athletic's existing written content, as well as their video and social media offerings (more here).

• Gotham FC & SI Tickets Announce Partnership. Gotham FC announced a partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets, which will make SI Tickets the club’s Official Fan Experience and Ticketing Partner. The agreement will introduce new in-venue activations, content integrations, and supporter-focused programming while enhancing Gotham FC’s ticketing operations at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Both will work together on interactive experiences that blend live-event innovation, storytelling, and fan interaction across physical and digital platforms (more here).

• Fastbreak AI & Lega Serie A Announce Partnership. Fastbreak.AI, the leading AI-powered sports operations company, and Lega Serie A, Italy's top football league, announced a multi-year partnership in which the scheduling software platform will manage fixture demands, meet club needs, and optimize competitive balance. Fastbreak’s technology currently powers the schedules for more than 65 of the world’s top professional sports leagues, including the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NRL (more here).

• Steph Curry Announces Deal With Li-Ning. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has signed a 10-year, $400 million endorsement contract with Chinese sports apparel company Li-Ning. Curry announced the end of his sneaker free agency Monday with a landmark deal at Li-Ning that expands his Curry Brand venture globally. The agreement will include basketball products, athleisure lifestyle wear, the ability for Curry to sign athletes under his brand, and a full golf line (more here).

• Diana Taurasi & Aryna Sabalenka Invest In WTGL. Trybe Ventures, the WTGL’s lead investor, announced seven new investors who are backing the league through the fund, including World No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, basketball icon Diana Taurasi, and two-time Olympic hockey gold medalist Hilary Knight, along with four other WNBA stars: Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike, Napheesa Collier, and Gabriela Jaquez. They all joined three women's soccer legends, Alex Morgan, Mia Hamm, and Abby Wambach, who were already involved in the investment group, which was co-founded by Morgan. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Anthony Edwards, Tracy McGrady, & Other Star Athletes Invest In Karma Automotive. Karma Automotive, a US-based full-line ultra-luxury vehicle manufacturer, announced its exclusive client engagement and ownership program, Karma Nexus. Among the initial roster of Karma Nexus members are elite athletes, including Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and his business manager, Justin Holland, Kyler Murray of the Minnesota Vikings, Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers, Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs, Ron Harper Jr. of the Boston Celtics, former 7x NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady, and former NBA player and CEO of private equity firm LandSpire Group, Josh Childress, all of whom are also investors (more here).

• Paolo Banchero Invests In Triad Training Systems. Triad Training Systems, creator of the R3BAR and R3BANDS portable neuromuscular training platform, announced that NBA All-Star and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has joined the company as both an investor and brand ambassador. Banchero will play a central role in the company's next phase of growth by accelerating product innovation, expanding global brand visibility, and introducing the R3BAR and R3BANDS methodology to a broader audience of athletes, coaches, and high-performance training communities. The partnership marks a major milestone in a relationship that predates Banchero's NBA career, as he first began using the R3BAR system at age 14 (more here).

• Thibaut Courtois Invests In KRC Genk. Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has invested in his childhood club, KRC Genk, through NXTPLAY, his sports, media, and technology investment platform he co-founded. KRC Genk is the club where he launched his professional football career about 17 years ago. This also comes a few weeks after he joined the ownership group of CD Extremadura. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Elina Svitolina Invests In Tiva. Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has joined French startup Tiva, a performance cosmetics brand, as an ambassador and investor. Svitolina participated in a pre-seed funding round that raised over $600,000 (€525,000) at a post-money valuation of approximately $4 million (€3.5 million), led by Portugal-based investment firm Apex. Tiva's main product is a performance-enhancing hand grip gel and wax for athletes (more here).

• Tim Cahill Invests In Nardo. Australian football legend Tim Cahill has joined Nardo as an investor and strategic partner. He participated in the company's $1 million pre-seed funding round. Nardo, an Australian-based sports participation platform, focuses on simplifying player registrations, club management systems, competition administration, and grassroots sporting operations through digital infrastructure. The company has positioned itself as a technology solution for community-level sports organizations that continue to face operational and administrative challenges (more here).

• Melinda French Gates Joins Seattle Kraken As Minority Investor. Billionaire Melinda French Gates is joining the ownership group of the Seattle Kraken as the hockey team’s investors prepare a bid to diversify into basketball. French Gates will become the newest minority investor, pending NHL approval, according to a recent statement from One Roof Sports and Entertainment, the parent of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena. The owners are led by Samantha Holloway, who worked with her father, the late financier David Bonderman, to bring a National Hockey League expansion team to Seattle in 2018 (more here).

• Family Offices Bet On Sports. Last month, investment firms of the ultra-wealthy went all-in on sports and played on multiple fronts, including Tom Dundon of Dundon Capital Partners, David Adelman of Darco Capital, Michael Dell of DFO Management, and the Werthein family of the Werthein Group. Family offices made 51 direct investments in companies in May, holding steady from April’s deal tally, according to data provided exclusively to CNBC by Fintrx, a private wealth intelligence platform (more here).