*By Britt Terrell*
Golfers gotta eat and drink, right?
That's why Topgolf is expanding its so-called eater-tainment model with sports enthusiasts looking to enjoy the games they love while eating, drinking, and listening to live music.
The company has 41 locations around the world that feature driving ranges with restaurants serving food and drink.
"We've introduced millions of people to the game," said Erik Anderson, the executive chairman of Topgolf.
Celebrities including Justin Timberlake and the golfer Jordan Speith have been spotted at Topgolf locations recently, and the company is launching initiatives to reach new customers.
The company set up a "Topgolf Crush" [pop-up at Heinz field in Pittsburgh](https://topgolf.com/us/crush/pittsburgh/), where visitors hit golf balls in hitting bays using Topgolf's range technology that tracks the speed of your ball. General admission tickets cost $55 for all-day access to the event during non-peak hours, and $65 during peak.
The company will use customer feedback from Topgolf Crush events to decide where to open new Topgolf driving/eating/drinking ranges.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/topgolf-exec-chairman-talks-the-rise-of-eater-tainment).
The Drone Racing League kicked off its 2021-2022 world championship season this week. Spanning across 14 different locations over the course of the year, 12 of the world's best drone pilots will be racing against each other to bring home the title. Drone racing has grown in popularity over the past year, with the Drone Racing League seeing an uptick of nearly 200 percent average viewership, 90 percent in virtual drone racing participation and 60 percent fanbase growth over social media. Rachel Jacobson, President of the Drone Racing League, discusses the future of the sport and why she thinks drone racing will soon be on par with traditional sports.
Bill Enright, Editorial Lead for Gambling and Fantasy Content at Sports Illustrated, shares his insight into the strategy behind betting on NFL futures, such as who will win the Super Bowl or MVP award.
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Jeff Stoneback, Director of Trading at BetMGM, discusses his betting insights for Super Bowl LVI futures, and says a pair of NFC East teams could make some noise come playoff time.
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The final Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2021 will be lacking some of its biggest stars including Venus and Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. However, with legendary names missing from the court, it could provide an opportunity for future superstars to shine. Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, joined Cheddar to discuss the fallout from the cancellations. "This is tennis' version of the NBA after [Michael] Jordan," he said. "Some Kobe [Bryant] or some LeBron [James] will come along, and we'll have new champions to cheer for."
Cheddar Bets, sponsored by BetMGM, is a first-of-its-kind look at the intersection of sports betting and financial markets with insider intel from BetMGM's oddsmakers.
In stories sure to move markets next week, investors will be served another full plate of earnings, the July jobs report comes out, and the Summer Olympics continue in Tokyo.
