Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver DK Metcalf has signed with SMAC Entertainment as his management, according to Deadline. SMAC, which is led by the superteam of Constance Schwartz-Morini and Michael Strahan, will help Metcalf identify the best business opportunities for him off the field, including getting involved in entertainment productions as well as future endorsements and partnerships. Metcalf, 26, is coming off back-to-back 1,000-plus yard campaigns and has cracked the 900-yard mark in each of his five NFL seasons. SMAC’s roster of top talent also includes Deion Sanders, Erin Andrews, and many more.

Boardroom sat down with Strahan and Schwartz-Morini to learn how they’ve built SMAC into a sports and entertainment empire. 

After news that the private equity firm Apollo made a proposal to acquire Paramount Global‘s film and television studio, Paramount’s stock rose nearly 12% on Wednesday, closing at $12.51 per share. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apollo offered $11 billion in its offer for the studio, a higher mark than the company’s current market cap of $8.6 billion. The future of Paramount has been the topic of discussion in Hollywood for months now, with companies such as RedBird Capital and Skydance rumored to have held talks. Whether or not the Apollo bid goes through, it’ll likely turn up the pressure on anyone else who might be interested in Paramount.

Similar to the NBA, the WNBA is continuously looking for ways to upgrade its All-Star Weekend format, and it’s got something cooking for this upcoming season. The WNBA All-Stars who also represent Team USA will square off against the remaining All-Stars at the 2024 All-Star Weekend in Phoenix ahead of the Paris Olympics. This will be the second time the league has tried this format, with the first being in 2001, a 93-85 win for Team WNBA.

TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the UFC, has agreed to pay out $335 million to roughly 1,200 fighters after reaching a settlement in two antitrust lawsuits, it was revealed Wednesday. The settlement was reached on March 13. The first antitrust suit was filed in 2014, with fighters claiming that the UFC participated “in a scheme to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services.” Before reaching this settlement, a trial was scheduled to begin on April 15, and it was expected to last at least a month and cost over $1.5 billion in damages.

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie is joining USMNT teammates Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah by signing with Puma, the brand announced Wednesday. McKennie has previously been signed with Adidas but decided he wanted to be a part of Puma‘s “growing roster of talented soccer players as one of the new faces of the FUTURE silo.” McKennie joined Juventus in 2020-21 and immediately made an impact, becoming the first US international player to win the Coppa Italia that season. 

The NWSL and the Liga MX Femenil have announced a new partnership on Wednesday that will connect two of the top women’s leagues in the world. Part of the new deal will include a first-ever NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, a tournament that will boast 14 teams from the NWSL and six with the most points achieved in Liga MX Femenil Clausura and Apertura in 2023 — Tigres UANL, Club América, Chivas de Guadalajara, Rayadas de Monterrey, Pachuca, and Tijuana. The 33-match tourney will kick off on July 19 and consist of 30 group stage games. The semifinal round will take place the week of Aug. 4, while the championship is set for the weekend of Oct. 25-27.