America’s Next Soccer Star

The average 14 year old’s biggest worry is finishing their math homework on a nightly basis, but Philadelphia Union Academy product, Cavan Sullivan, is from the average 14 year old. On Thursday, Cavan Sullivan became the most expensive homegrown MLS product in the history of the league. The current agreement has Cavan Sullivan joining his older brother Quinn Sullivan with the Philadelphia Union until he turns 18 and then ultimately shipping off to England to join current Premier League Champions, Manchester City.

Manchester City have agreed to pay upwards of $5 million paying Sullivan a reported $500k per season in order to get the contract rights for Cavan. He has said that part of his choice to pick Manchester City is his opportunity to stay with his hometown club, Philadelphia Union, and to play with his older brother Quinn. “One time, I remember watching TV and it was the Belgian national team,” Sullivan said upon signing. “I saw the Hazard brothers playing together and Quinn and I looked at each other like, ‘That could be us one day.’ It really is dreams turning into reality. When it does finally happen, I know it’s going to make the entirety of my family proud. Not just my immediate family, but all the generations before and after us.”

The big question remains for two things, is Cavan going to see the field anytime soon, and is he going to live up the hype? Philadelphia Union head coach, Jim Curtin, said that his first team debut is “a lot closer than people realize.” If Cavan makes his debut comes before July 30, he will become the youngest player to make his debut in any of the major North American sports leagues. The hype around Cavan is real, but I have the confidence he will be just fine because he has an older brother who can be a mentor to him and he is going to develop in the best MLS academy in the league. The future is bright for Cavan Sullivan.

WNBA’s Next Star Set to Make Debut

At this point in time, everyone knows who Caitlin Clark is and her WNBA debut is something we have never seen before in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark is making her WNBA debut Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun. The game is completely sold out — the Sun's first sell-out in 20+ years. The game will also be on ESPN2 and the cheapest ticket is 6x more expensive than the Sun's next home game — $110 vs. $17. The hype around her and her debut is similar to what we saw last summer with the introduction of soccer star Lionel Messi into the MLS.

More advertisers have entered the women’s basketball space since Clark and her peers raised its profile, and existing ones are paying more. Disney, for example, sold spots to 42 new advertisers for the Women’s March Madness tournament, including Google, Adidas, Home Depot, and Honda. And Salesforce, the name of which appears on Clark’s Indiana Fever jersey, renegotiated its existing partnership with the team after it became clear the superstar was headed in that direction. This increase is also something we will see reflected in the new media rights deal set to be put into place in 2026. This deal is being negotiated currently, and experts expect a huge jump from the $60 million per season that the WNBA currently receives.

Chicago Bears New Stadium Development

The Chicago Bears have played their football in the historic Soldier Field since 1971 and the stadium has been home to many other professional teams and events since it was built in 1924. The Bears have officially proposed to move from Solider Field and to build a completely new stadium in downtown Chicago on Lake Michigan. Should the downtown stadium development fizzle out, officials in suburban Arlington Heights said they remain ready to restart talks with the Bears. The Bears do prefer to have their stadium be situated downtown.

The Bears proposal would include a pledge of $2.3 billion from the owners to the project, and estimates that it will create 4,200 new annual jobs and have an annual economic impact of $456 million once completed. The total cost is expected to be $4.7 billion—$3.2 billion for the stadium and $1.5 billion for infrastructure improvements. The club is seeking $900 million in public funding through the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, and will also apply for a $300 million NFL loan. Taxpayers would be on the hook for the infrastructure improvements to the Museum Campus, but Mayor Brandon Johnson said the project would not raise taxes for residents. The new stadium would be publicly owned and include 14 acres of athletic fields and recreational park space. The team aims to break ground in the summer of 2025, with a planned grand opening in the summer of 2028.

Quick Reads

• The WNBA’s newest team will be the Golden State Valkyries. The expansion franchise is set to begin play in 2025.

• Jason Kelce has officially joined ESPN as an analyst in a multi-year deal.

• Tom Brady will make his NFL broadcasting debut for Fox Sports during Cowboys-Browns Week 1

• MLB Star prospect Paul Skenes was called up to make his big league debut on Saturday.

• Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is facing up to 33 years in federal prison after admitting to stealing $17 million from the star player.

Job Openings in Sports

• Sports Minded Account Manager - Highline Company (Denver, CO)

• Marketing Manager: Motorsports - GoPro (Open to Remote)

• Corporate Partnership Sales Coordinator - Arizona Rattlers (Glendale, AZ)

• Student Internship - Philadelphia Union (Chester, PA)

• Manager, Digital Marketing - USA Football (Open to Remote)

Games of the Week

• PGA Championship - (Thursday-Sunday)

• Premier League Final Match Day - Sunday @ 11 AM EST

• Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Wednesday @ 9:30 PM EST

• New York Rangers vs Carolina Hurricanes - Thursday @ 7 PM EST

• Bayer Leverkusen vs FC Augsburg - Saturday @ 9:30 AM EST

Feel free to reply to any of our emails and tell us what you like AND don’t like about these so we can continue to improve!