Orlando, Fla.: TMRW Sports, which is focused on building progressive approaches to sports, media, and entertainment, has announced an expansion of its investment group with two more sports business leaders with extensive experience across media and technology: Michael Rubin, Founder and CEO, Fanatics; and Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media. The announcement was made today by Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports Founder & CEO, who created TMRW Sports alongside co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
“Strategic investors and advisors have helped us build a business fusing sports, media, and technology,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO, TMRW Sports. “Michael’s and Greg’s incredible track records and decades of experience building large-scale enterprises is more fuel for TMRW Sports and our preliminary endeavor with TGL, our primetime golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR.”
TMRW Sports’ initial investment round, announced in November 2022, was co-led by Connect Ventures and 25madison Ventures. The TMRW Sports investment group’s sports experience includes team ownership in every major league and ranges across F1, NFL, NBA, Premier League, MLB, NHL, MLS, tennis, esports, surfing, and golf with a combined social reach of nearly 1 billion followers across social media. TMRW Sports recently announced three additional NBA greats – Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant – as well as MLB superstar Mike Trout to its investor roster.
Michael Rubin – Founder and CEO, Fanatics – A noted internet entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social justice advocate, Rubin has built several multibillion-dollar, direct-to-consumer companies. As CEO of Fanatics, Rubin is reimaging the fan experience across many different businesses, including licensed merchandise, physical and digital trading cards and collectibles, and sports betting and gaming. Named annually as one of the most prominent people in sports business, Michael was named the Sports Business Journal “Executive of the Year” in 2022 and has also been named to the Bleacher Report “Power 50” list of most influential people in sports. Rubin is a board member of Rue Gilt Groupe. He also founded GSI Commerce, which was sold to eBay in 2011 for $2.4B and spent more than a decade as a partner of the Philadelphia 76ers before selling his ownership stake in the team in June 2022 to focus his efforts on Fanatics’ expansion across the broader sports ecosystem.
Greg Maffei – President and CEO of Liberty Media – Maffei serves as President and CEO of Liberty Media Corporation, which owns media and entertainment businesses, including subsidiaries Formula 1 and the Atlanta Braves, and interests in SiriusXM and Live Nation Entertainment. He is President and CEO of Liberty Broadband Corporation, which consists primarily of a 26% stake in Charter Communications and subsidiary GCI. Maffei also serves as Chairman and CEO of Liberty TripAdvisor, which holds a controlling interest in Tripadvisor, and Executive Chairman of Qurate Retail, Inc., which owns digital commerce businesses, including subsidiaries QVC, HSN, Zulily and the Cornerstone Brands. Maffei also serves as Chairman of the Liberty-related companies Live Nation Entertainment, SiriusXM and Tripadvisor, and as a Director of Charter Communications of Zillow. Prior to joining Liberty in 2005, Maffei served as Co-President of Oracle, Chairman and CEO of 360networks, and CFO of Microsoft.
TMRW SPORTS’ CULTURAL ICON INVESTORS:
The 12 committed golfers to compete in TGL, led by Woods and McIlroy, have combined to win 28 Major Championships, 188 PGA TOUR Victories, 882 Weeks at World No. 1, and the past two men’s golf Olympic gold medalists. Additionally, TMRW Sports’ investor group combines to add 113 Formula 1 wins, 73 NBA All-Star Games, 40 Emmy Awards, 26 Grand Slam singles titles, 27 Olympic medals, 17 NBA Championships, 16 NFL Pro Bowls, 22 MVP titles across four sports, 10 Grammy Awards, 7 F1 World Championships, 5 UEFA Champions League titles, 3 Stanley Cups, 14 MLB All-Star Games, 3 WNBA Championships, 2 FIFA Women’s World Cups, and a World Series champion. Original List of TMRW Sports Investors of Sports, Business and Cultural Icons: Press Release
mrAbout TMRW Sports Group: (pronounced “tomorrow sports”)
Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is focused on harnessing technology to build progressive approaches in sports, media, and entertainment to create new pathways for the next generation to enjoy sports. TMRW Sports’ first project, TGL, is an innovative league launched in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TMRW Sports is supported by an all-star roster of athletes, celebrities, and business leaders from the worlds of sports, media, technology, and finance who make up a powerful and diverse investor group. TMRW Sports joins Woods’ TGR Ventures and McIlroy’s Symphony Ventures, and is led by McCarley, founder and CEO. For more, visit TMRWSportsGroup.com.
TMRW Sports’ first project is TGL, an innovative, new golf league that fuses technology and live action with teams of PGA TOUR stars competing in a purpose-built arena in Palm Beach Gardens across a season of primetime matches starting early in 2024. Currently, 12 of the 18 players competing in TGL have been announced, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, and Rickie Fowler.
Teams: Six teams of three PGA TOUR players in head-to-head, match play.
- Tech-Infused Venue: A first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course combined with a tech-infused, short-game complex.
- Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: High-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live within a 2-hour, primetime televised match.
- Season: 15 regular season matches followed by semifinals and finals matches.
Media Contacts:
David Schaefer
SVP, Communications
David.Schaefer@TMRWSportsGroup.com
+46702877637 (mobile and WhatsApp)
407-429-8402 (U.S. mobile)
Adam Freifeld
Communications Consultant
Adam.Freifeld@TMRWSportsGroup.com
917-597-7762
PHOTO: Co-founders Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Founder, CEO Mike McCarley
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TMRW SPORTS LOGO:
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TGL VENUE RENDERINGS:
