On Wednesday, the company announced a number of new investors from the sports, entertainment and technology industries.
TMRW Sports is the new sports entertainment company founded by golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and sports media executive Mike McCarley. The company officially launched in August, with former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol as its initial investor.
Institutional investors include Connect Ventures, a joint venture between talent agency CAA and VC firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA), and 25madison, a VC firm backed by Apollo Global Management.
But investors include many well-known names, including actor and musician Justin Timberlake, tennis superstar Serena Williams, Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton, former NFL quarterback and current CBS analyst Tony Romo, gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, baseball star Shohei Ohtani and hockey star Sidney Crosby.
Other investors include Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
TMRW Sports’ first project is TGL, a “tech-infused” golf league (in partnership with the PGA Tour) that will air live Monday night competitions starting in January 2024. Woods and McIlroy have committed to competing in 15 matches during the first season.
“Over the past year, we’ve assembled a team of investors who will help us fulfill TMRW Sports’ mission to positively impact the way sports will be experienced in the future. And we have been intentional in assembling this strategic group, led by Connect Ventures and 25madison Ventures, to include a diversity of expertise, thinking and backgrounds,” McCarley said in a statement. “Tiger, Rory and I appreciate the support of this unparalleled team of investors, advisors and ambassadors who believe in our vision to use technology to create progressive approaches to sport. Their combined broad reach and cultural relevance will expand the potential opportunities and fan bases for TMRW projects. In addition, many of them share a passion for golf, which only adds fuel to TGL, our first project in partnership with the PGA TOUR.”