SPIRE Academy Taps NBA, NFL, and UFC Alumni to Lead Its Next Chapter of Commercialization and Player Partnerships
New Hires Bring Emmy-Winning Talent, Major League Experience, and NIL Fluency to Drive SPIRE's Brand Forward
GENEVA, Ohio and HARPERSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio, May 14, 2025 /CNW/ - SPIRE Academy, a premier multisport boarding school and athletic training institution, has added three nationally recognized leaders to its executive team. These hires reflect SPIRE's focused strategy to strengthen brand partnerships, expand media operations, and deliver athlete development programs aligned with today's NIL-driven sports landscape.
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Coastal Carolina all in on keeping baseball program a national power in new era of college sports
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Though many athletic programs outside the power four conferences are expected to drop off competitively when scholarship limits are removed and revenue sharing begins July 1, College World Series finalist Coastal Carolina is committed to continue playing with the big boys in baseball. Rosters will be capped at 34 in Division I baseball going forward, and first-year athletic director Chance Miller told The Associated Press all 34 at Coastal Carolina would receive full scholarships and be in line for direct rev-share payments. Miller said he also believes the Chanticleers' opportunities for name, image and likeness earnings will compare favorably with those for power conference baseball teams within two years. Baseball is Coastal Carolina's flagship sport. The Chanticleers have played in 21 NCAA Tournaments since 1991, won the 2016 CWS for their first national championship in any sport, and they'll take a 26-game win streak into the best-of-three finals against LSU starting Saturday night. Coach Kevin Schnall said the athletic administration's support 'at the highest level' is a big reason the Chanticleers are back in Omaha. 'What I mean by that is they enabled us to hire an elite coaching staff that would rival any coaching staff in the entire country,' Schnall said. 'They give us the resources to put our players in the best position to become the best players that they can be. And it's an absolute team effort.' Miller said the budget has been restructured to allocate more money for scholarships without asking for additional institutional support. He said a significant portion of the revenue sharing for 2025-26 comes from donors, including a 'transformational gift' from one who wished to remain anonymous. A fundraising dinner in Omaha last week brought in $1 million, he said. Coastal Carolina's baseball players are earning about $200,000 combined in third-party NIL deals this year; retired coach Gary Gilmore noted, 'LSU has that much in just one guy.' Miller said NIL numbers for the next year will be inflated at a lot of power four schools. That's because many NIL deals were paid up front rather than having payments spread out. Athletes and their agents wanted to avoid having to get those valued at $600-plus vetted by the NIL clearinghouse, as required after June 6 when the House settlement was approved. 'We talked to one of the collectives from a power four school I know very well, and right now they're spending $2.5 million on the (baseball) team and next year they're going to spend $3 million because they frontloaded a lot of NIL money from their collective,' Miller said. 'The year after that, they're going to drop down to $500,000. So that's a drastic drop.' Miller's charge, like his predecessor's, is to keep Coastal Carolina in the top tier of college baseball. 'The mentality of our program — all the way back to Coach Gilmore's early days in the late 90s — was geared to reach Omaha,' said Matt Hogue, who retired as athletic director last year to become director of Coastal Carolina's Center for Sports Broadcasting. 'The way we financially invested, how we scheduled, infrastructure. We always viewed the CWS as the expectation, not a novelty.' LSU coach Jay Johnson said if there's one non-power conference baseball program able to keep competing for trips to Omaha in the new era of college athletics, it's Coastal Carolina. 'Gonzaga basketball, Boise State football. The ones sustainable for decades, that's who they are,' he said. 'This is no surprise to me we're playing them. As long as coach Schnall's there, they're not going anywhere for a long time.' ___ AP college sports:
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Globe and Mail
How Should Investors Approach Kroger Stock Before Q1 Earnings?
The Kroger Co. KR is set to report its first-quarter fiscal 2025 results on June 20, before the opening bell. KR is likely to have registered a marginal increase in the top line. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $45.38 billion, indicating a slight improvement of 0.3% from the prior-year reported figure. Kroger is expected to have witnessed a year-over-year increase in its bottom line. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings per share has remained steady at $1.45 over the past 30 days, which implies a year-over-year jump of 1.4%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research KR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.6%, on average. In the last reported quarter, this Cincinnati, OH-based company's bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a margin of 1.8%. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.) What the Zacks Model Predicts for KR As investors prepare for Kroger's first-quarter announcement, the question looms regarding earnings beat or miss. Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Kroger this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that's not the case here. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Kroger has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of 0.00% at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Key Factors Driving Kroger's Q1 Performance Kroger's top line is likely to have benefited from its continued focus on customer-centric strategies, particularly the private-label offerings under the 'Our Brands' portfolio. The company's ability to innovate and roll out a diverse range of value-focused products has helped deepen customer engagement and loyalty. Personalized promotions and fuel rewards have also played a key role in retaining price-sensitive customers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for identical sales without fuel is projected to grow 2.3%. The company's focus on digitization has strengthened its omnichannel capabilities and sharpened customer connection, driving sales through expanded services like Boost and Delivery Now. By enhancing its fulfillment infrastructure, Kroger has effectively kept pace with growing online demand. With digital sales surpassing $13 billion in fiscal 2024, this growth trend is likely to have continued into the first quarter. Kroger's alternative profit businesses add meaningful contributions to overall revenues. Growth in media income, led by Kroger Precision Marketing, reflects the company's ability to offer advertisers targeted reach and measurable results. These gains, combined with momentum in the health and wellness segment, have contributed to a more diversified revenue base. The renewal of its partnership with Express Scripts further expanded its pharmacy reach and service offerings. While the aforementioned factors raise optimism, we cannot ignore the challenging retail environment marked by inflation, high interest rates and shifting consumer behavior. Although Kroger has maintained solid engagement with its core customer base, overall sales momentum remains somewhat limited. KR's fuel operations, a key loyalty driver via fuel rewards, were a drag in the fourth quarter. The consensus mark indicates supermarket fuel sales are likely to fall 5.8% year over year to $4,670 million for the first quarter. Moreover, the termination of the Albertsons merger has also left Kroger with $5.8 billion in new debt, pushing up projected interest expenses for 2025, which could pressure margins. KR Stock's Performance vs. COST, WMT & DG Kroger has witnessed an impressive surge in its stock price over the past year. The stock has rallied 30.3% compared with the industry's rise of 38.2%. While Kroger has outperformed Costco Wholesale Corporation COST and Dollar General Corporation DG, it has underperformed Walmart Inc. WMT. Shares of Costco and Walmart have risen 13.1% and 39.8%, respectively, while Dollar General faced a decline of 11.9% over the past year. Does Kroger Tick the Boxes for Value Investing? From a valuation standpoint, Kroger currently trades at a discount relative to its industry peers. The company's forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 13.38, lower than the industry average of 31.95 and the S&P 500's 21.87. However, Kroger is trading above its median P/E level of 12.93, observed over the past year. Kroger is trading at a discount to Walmart (with a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 35.10), Costco (49.93) and Dollar General (18.82). Image Source: Zacks Investment Research How to Play Kroger Ahead of Q1 Earnings? As Kroger prepares to report its first-quarter results, investors should weigh the company's strategic strengths against a backdrop of broader market challenges. While initiatives in private-label innovation, digital expansion and alternative profit streams are likely to have supported the top line, external pressures such as inflation, shifting consumer behavior and rising interest expenses may continue to limit upside potential. With no clear indication of an earnings beat from the Zacks model, it may be prudent for investors to remain on the sidelines until greater clarity emerges from the upcoming earnings report. Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and Sells We're not kidding. Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent. Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services like Surprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators, and more, that closed 256 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2024 alone. See Stocks Now >> Click to get this free report Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report The Kroger Co. (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Global investment decline may worsen due to tariffs, UN trade agency warns
GENEVA -- Global foreign direct investment fell for the second consecutive year in 2024, with fears this year could be even worse as trade tensions rock investor confidence, the United Nations agency for trade and development said in a report published on Thursday. Foreign Direct Investment transactions, which do not include several European conduit economies, declined by 11%, indicating a significant reduction in actual productive investment activity, according to UNCTAD. Geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation contributed to lower investment last year as they created uncertainty, which UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan described as a 'poison' for investor confidence. 'We are even more worried about the picture in already feel that investment is are affecting growth,' Grynspan told Reuters, with short-term risk management being prioritized over long-term investment. UNCTAD said its outlook for international investment in 2025 was negative due to trade tensions. Early data for the first quarter of 2025 shows record low deal and project activity. When several European conduit economies - which act as intermediary hubs where investments temporarily pass through before reaching their final destinations - are included, the data showed that FDI increased by 4% to US$1.5 trillion. However, UNCTAD noted that this figure masks the reality that much of this investment is merely passing through these jurisdictions and was not productive. 'We see a very worrying that has a real impact on jobs and infrastructure is going down,' she said. Developed economies suffered a sharp drop in investment, with a 58% decrease in Europe. North America, however, observed a 23% increase in FDI, led by the U.S., while countries in Southeast Asia reached the second-highest level of FDI on record with a 10% rise, representing $225 billion. Though capital inflows in developing countries were broadly stable, UNCTAD observed that capital was not being injected into crucial job-creating sectors such as infrastructure, energy and technology. Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Ed Osmond, Reuters
