Zenni Optical Partnering With 'Iconic' Chicago Bulls
*By Michael Teich*
The legendary Michael Jordan and his six NBA championship rings turned the Chicago Bulls into an iconic brand in the 1990s, but dynamic content paired with exciting new talent will power the brand in a post-Jordan era, said the team's VP of business strategy and analytics Matt Kobe.
"Jordan and the 90s Bulls did a lot for our brand globally," Kobe said Friday in an interview on Cheddar. But "two years ago we won social media team of the year with the SportsBusiness Journal Awards. We won that not because of our content from the court, it was the content with our sponsors."
Warby Parker rival Zenni Optical is betting that an affiliation with the Chicago Bulls brand will help the eyewear company achieve international growth.
While Chicago is a vital demographic for Zenni, the opportunity transcends state lines, Kobe said.
"Chicago is obviously the #3 media market in the country, we have over 1 million customers in that market already," Kobe said. "But the Bulls brand is iconic and global. And it's an opportunity to introduce the Zenni offering not only domestically, but internationally."
The Chicago Bulls are the 26th NBA team to ink a deal with a sponsor for jersey patch space. The league is in its second season of a three-year jersey patch pilot program. The only remaining teams without a deal are the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Washington Wizards.
Kobe declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal.
With a $2.6 billion valuation, according to Forbes, the Chicago Bulls are the fourth most valuable franchise in the NBA. The team trails only the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/chicago-bulls-ink-jersey-patch-deal-with-zenni-optical).
New York quickly became the sports betting capital in the United States following an electric debut earlier this month. Cheddar News was joined by Chad Kornett, VP of Government Relations for Gaming at Geocomply to dive into the numbers.
Exercise equipment maker Peloton is attempting to run away from a recent bout of controversy. CEO John Foley published an open letter to employees on Thursday after reports that said Peloton was pausing production of its Bike and Tread products, delaying the opening of a new U.S. factory, and considering job cuts. In the letter, Foley wrote that the information in the reports was 'incomplete,' 'out of context,' and not reflective of Peloton's strategy. Peloton's stock responded on Friday, with shares bouncing back after falling nearly 24% in the regular session on Thursday. CFRA Research's Director of Research Ken Leon joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The NCAA has updated its policy on transgender athletes, allowing each sport’s national governing body to make its own decisions for transgender participation. The new rule is in line with recent changes from the U.S. and International Olympic and Paralympic Committees. Joanna Hoffman, communications director of Athlete Ally, joined Cheddar News to discuss the potential impact of the new rule on the transgender community.
The NCAA voted to streamline their constitution at their annual convention on Thursday. Each of the three college divisions can decide how student-athletes can make money from outside sources but still restricts schools from directly paying its players.
With New York recently announcing the legalization of sports betting, even a greater number of bettors are looking forward to the NFL's divisional round. Derek Carty, a fantasy sports and sports betting analyst, talked to Cheddar about betting strategies for the four upcoming playoff games. "I feel like the Chiefs are a little bit overrated by the markets, and so the Bills here really look good to me," Carty said for the Kansas City and Buffalo matchup. He also pointed to the Green Bay Packers to be the likeliest team to win the Super Bowl this year.
Olivia Harlan Dekker and Sean Green break down and provide their top picks for the NFL Divisional Round this weekend, while Frank Schwab dissects NBA futures and gives his take on the ongoing Nets drama.
Sean Green, co-founder of The Sports Gambling Podcast Network, joins Cheddar Bets to break down the best plays across the AFC Divisional Round matchups.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Frank Schwab, sports betting writer for Yahoo! Sports, joins Cheddar Bets to find the best value down the MVP contender list and make sense of how to bet the Nets at home and on the road.
Sponsored by BetMGM
The drama surrounding tennis star Novak Djokovic continues after he was deported from Australia over the weekend due to the nation's COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Djokovic was forced to leave the country on the eve of what was to be his first match in defense of his Australian Open title after three judges ruled in favor of his removal and revealed their reasoning for doing so. Adding to his woes, a law recently passed in France is putting his chances of defending his French Open title in jeopardy. The director of Marist's Center for Sports Communication, Jane McManus, joined Cheddar to discuss the ongoing fallout.
