Tiger Woods’ $500M Venture Strikes Major Deal With NFL Amid Arrest Row

Amidst new details emerging on Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest, he is making a big move into the world of professional football. His sports company, TMRW Sports, valued at nearly $500 million, has signed a major deal with the NFL to start new professional flag football leagues for both men and women. This is a huge step for Woods, showing that his business interests are growing far beyond the golf course.

The NFL picked TMRW Sports after a long and very competitive search to find the right partner. This was a unanimous decision by all 32 NFL teams, who each agreed to put up $1 million to get the project started. TMRW Sports was chosen because they are experts at mixing sports with new technology, similar to what they did with their high-tech golf league, TGL.

“As the flag football movement continues its explosive global growth, a professional flag league completes the pathway for elite athletes to compete at every level of the game, from youth to high school and college, to the Olympic stage, and now professionally,” said Troy Vincent Sr., NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

“This is especially meaningful for girls and young women who are helping drive the sport’s growth worldwide and who can now see their dreams in this game extend all the way to the professional level. Selecting TMRW Sports represents an important step in our long-term commitment to growing flag football and supporting the world-class athletes driving its momentum.”

Sport Bilder des Tages February 17, 2023, Pacific Palisades, California, USA: Tiger Woods watches his shot during Day 2 of the Genesis Invitational Golf Tournament on Friday February 17, 2023 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. ARIANA RUIZ/PI Pacific Palisades USA – ZUMAp124 20230217_zaa_p124_020 Copyright: xArianaxRuizx

The goal of this partnership is to build a professional path for the 20 million people who already play flag football around the world. In the United States alone, youth participation has jumped by over 50% since 2020. This project is also timed perfectly with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

Still, the NFL’s proposed rollout is in its early stages, despite having a strong group of investors and a key development and operations partner. The goal is to make its debut before the Summer Olympics in 2028, but no formal start date has been set. Although TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley hinted that the seasons would probably run through the summer, right before the NFL’s regular season starts, the schedule for both the men’s and women’s competitions has not yet been finalized.

As of now, USA Flag Football is anticipated to hold a two-week training camp ahead of the Olympic flag football competition, which is set for July 15–22. Since many of the best players are anticipated to be chosen for Olympic rosters, the professional leagues would probably need to end by late June.

Famous Investors Join the Flag Football Movement

The new league has some of the most famous names in sports history helping out. This includes a legendary group of NFL players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Young, Justin Tuck, Ryan Nece, Dhani Jones, Arik Armstead, Bobby Wagner, and Russell Wilson. These stars believe that flag football is the future of the game because it is fast, fun, and easy for fans to follow.

Other famous figures like Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Alex Morgan, and Serena Williams are also putting their money and time into the project to help it grow. After all, participation among girls has been growing very fast lately, with 39 states now offering the sport at the high school level. 

Ariel Investments/Project Level, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blue Pool Capital, Dynasty Equity, Silver Lake, and Sixth Street, 776/Alexis Ohanian, APEX Capital, Arctos Partners, Bolt Ventures, Next Legacy Partners, Trenches Capital, and Trybe Ventures are among the institutional investors who have committed to the venture.

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