Release the Kraken! On Thursday, Seattle's new NHL franchise unveiled its team name and a line of merchandising on their team site.
The Kraken, who will be the NHL's 32nd franchise, will take the ice beginning in the 2021-2022 season. Kraken co-owner Jay Deutsch explained to Cheddar how the franchise came up with its name.
"The fans came out with over 1,000 names suggested. We did a poll locally a year-and-a-half ago." Deutsch said. "Throughout this entire process, the Kraken kept going to the front. That's what we're so excited about. We listened, we heard what the community wanted, we then developed a logo that we felt would be incredible."
Although the team won't be taking the ice for more than a year, they are already pushing merchandising online at releasethekrakenstore.com. Deutsch said that not only is merchandise "hot off the presses," but proceeds are also going to a great cause.
"All net proceeds are going to charity in the local area for youth care and for other community charities that are embedded in taking care of the youth through these COVID times and dealing with bringing the community together around our new mark."
Deutsch also said making the merchandising exclusive to the club for the first month was important for their charitable mission.
"Instead of letting everybody sell it, we said for 30 days, let's take the profits and put it right back into our community, and that's what we did."
The Kraken will be playing at the currently-under-construction Climate Pledge Arena, named by Amazon, which will be the first zero-carbon arena in the world powered exclusively by renewable energy. In addition to playing in such an environmentally-friendly stadium, Deutsch, a Seattle native, says the arena will present an intimidating presence to opponents due to being partially underground.
"It's like a pit. It's almost like a lair. The Kraken's lair you're going to come into." Deutsch added, "It's going to be like fans are on top of the ice. This is going to be, whether you are a fan saying 'I want to go experience this,' or you are the Krakens that are going to come, we are going to release fury on our opponents."
Speaking of fury, Deutsch mentioned he has already been hearing trash talk from nearby regional opponents. But the Kraken co-owner isn't backing down.
"The Kraken's not afraid of a Canuck or a Shark, let's just say that."
Michael Jenkins gives his picks for the final week of the NFL regular season while Joe Osborne dishes out his insight for how to approach a week where some teams choose to sit out their star players. Meanwhile, Austin Mock explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
Sponsored by BetMGM
It's no secret tech giant Amazon has a mission of becoming a major player in sports media, and the company is poised to make progress on that goal in 2022. Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football for the 2022-23 NFL season. In December, the New York Post reported that Amazon is in the beginning stages of developing studio sports programs, and hopes to soon have a full daily lineup of sports shows. Front Office Sports senior reporter A.J. Perez joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The seven-time Pro Bowler Antonio Brown thrust himself into the spotlight again after an on-field meltdown against the New York jets that ended with him pulling off his jersey and exiting the field at MetLife Stadium, leading his Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians to say that Brown was "no longer a buc." Sports commentator and former quarterback Lester Ricard Jr. joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to discuss the troubled star's latest actions as well as his checkered past few years in and around the league. "About three or four years ago, Antonio Brown, his career was trending towards a Hall of Famer, one of the best wide receivers of all time," said Ricard Jr. "I don't know if he's self-imploding or whatever's going on with him." Ricard went on to speculate about a specific hit Brown may have taken years back he felt could have led to the current behavior.
Sports betting is going mainstream in the United States. Dozens of states have legalized it, California is set to do the same this year. Arizona, which legalized sports betting in September, set new national records for gambling in its first months. Daniel Graetzer, CEO of Maximbet, joins Cheddar News to discuss what's next for the booming industry.
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
Back in July of 2021, the NCAA announced a new policy in favor of allowing student-athletes to be given the chance to gain income through endorsement deals as well as public appearances. The Name, Image, and Likeness policy have found great appreciation among athletes who now can grow their businesses without having to sacrifice their playing eligibility. However, some critics believe this new policy could cause some chaos in the locker room. Sports Reporter at the Wall Street Journal Laine Higgins, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Chris Vannini, National College Football Reporter for The Athletic, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down the complications COVID-19 is having on college bowl season, with five games cancelled as of Thursday.
Eric Mitchell, sports analyst and co-founder & head of media relations at Lifeflip Media joins Cheddar News to discuss how covid-19 is impacting pro sports.