⚽️ Does Baller League Have a Viable Long-Term Future?

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Tomorrow I will be releasing a YouTube video where I break down the money behind many of the new disruptive sports leagues sprouting up across the world.

In the video I detail the journeys of The Hundred, Grand Slam Track and TGL as they all vie for our attention in a very congested sporting calendar.

As newsletter subscribers you get the breakdown for another prominent disruptor that has ballooned in popularity in the UK in 2025… The Baller League.

I have been fascinated by it’s creation from the day it was announced so today I break it down for you all.

Before we begin, its important for you to understand the gap they’re trying to fill…

Many of the newer global sporting leagues are recognising the shifting tides in the consumption of sport. The macro trends are pretty clear:

• 96 million people in the US watched live sports via digital platforms in 2023, the first time digital overtook TV. These numbers are slightly behind in the UK but are directionally similar

• Only 19% of Gen Z fans want to watch full matches

• 34% prefer highlights over full games

• Short-form sports content is expected to grow 100% in value over the next year, which represents significantly faster growth than live rights

The Baller League is the latest in a wave of sports IP built for the next generation of fans.

It is short-form in nature, personality-led, and the matches are streamed directly to the platforms the fans actually use.

The CEO is Felix Starck, a 34yo German media executive turned sporting entrepreneur. He managed to tap Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski to help launch the league in Germany. After the German approach, he set his sights firmly on launching in the UK.

To date, Baller League has raised $33m. They raised $8m in a Seed Round and $25m in a Series A a year later. The investors are very strategic:

• EQT Ventures led the $25M Series A

• Apex are a PE House with stakes in the Alpine F1 team and Rory McIlroy’s TGL

• Premier League players also invested via Apex:

  • Diogo Jota

  • Mason Mount

  • Diogo Dalot

  • Plus: José Fonte, Vincent Janssen and others

The most interesting part to me however are the “Managers”. Each of the contending teams are managed or in some cases owned by a very famous individual. They then act as the promotional engine for the entire league.

John Terry, Luis Figo, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Robert Pires, Jens Lehmann, Freddie Ljungberg are all team managers. Many of these ex-players have massive followings. However the creators involved take things to another level. Sharky, AngryGinge, Clint419, Chunkz, Dave and Maya Jama are superstars online, and here in lies the key difference.

Felix’s cost to acquire customers are heavily reduced as the Managers listed above will do the majority of the marketing work for him.

Most of the aforementioned names create weekly content about their teams across all social platforms acting as a perfect marketing function for the league. Every creator there has over 1,000,000 followers across YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.

This model echoes the one created by Gerard Pique in the Kings League where some of the biggest Twitch Streamers are equity owners in the League.

This approach led to success in Season 1 of the UK Edition. At its peak 115,868 watched concurrently on SkySports. A strong cume for a midweek show broadcasted on Monday nights.

The Final Four weekend drew 2.5M+ live viewers across platforms too placing Baller League comfortably ahead of many traditional sports broadcasts and on par with mid-tier esports events.

Initially I did not think there is long-term viability in a 7-aside venture backed football league but the results from Season 1 are encouraging and the expansion of the Kings League across Europe has equally been remarkable to see.

I am trying to put together an interview series to expand the platform. Felix Starck is firmly in my sights as a guest on the show!

I leave you this week with a great post from the Wimbledon Instagram page celebrating Iga Swiatek’s remarkable win this weekend on Centre Court.

Sabalenka and Coco get all the plaudits in the Women’s Game currently, but its important to remember that Swiatek is only 24 years old and has amassed

• 4 x French Open Titles

• 1 x US Open

• 1 x Wimbledon

What a fantastic player and what a coup for On Running.

At the time of writing, On Running’s share price is up 39.51% in the last twelve months. By comparison Nike is down 36.33% 🥴

Work to do for the Swoosh.

See you next week.