Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.

RAJ Sports Announces Mike Whitehead as CEO

RAJ Sports announced Mike Whitehead as its first chief executive officer alongside the establishment of an expanded and formalized executive leadership structure. In the new role, Whitehead, who joined RAJ Sports in 2023 as managing director, will continue to oversee business operations, the executive leadership team and ongoing growth of the RAJ Sports platform. He will continue to report to co-founders Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage.

Mary Shepro Named Columbus NWSL’s President of Business Ops

Haslam Sports Group managing partner Whitney Haslam Johnson formally announced that Mary Shepro has been named president of business operations for Columbus NWSL 2028. After initially joining the Columbus Crew and HSG in November 2022 as VP & general counsel and assistant counsel, respectively, Shepro now oversees business operations for both the Crew and Columbus NWSL 2028. Her responsibilities encompass fan engagement and marketing; community impact; matchday experience and facility management; ticket sales and services; corporate partnerships and revenue generation; and organizational administration. Shepro will continue to report to HSG president David Jenkins.

Josephine Vaccarello Named President of MSG Entertainment

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: MSGE) announced Josephine Vaccarello has been named president of MSG Entertainment. Vaccarello, who most recently served as the company’s executive vice president, Live, will oversee the strategy and operations of MSG Entertainment’s portfolio of live experiences. Her purview now includes oversight of the company’s entertainment and sports bookings across concerts, family shows, comedy, performing arts, special events, and all non-New York Knicks and Rangers sports bookings, as well as the productions business.

World Surf League Appoints Hal Oreif as Chief Technology Officer

The World Surf League announced the appointment of Hal Oreif as chief technology officer. In this role, Oreif will lead the league’s global technology strategy, software engineering, applied science and AI, data architecture and digital products to enhance fan engagement, athlete performance technology, partner integrations and live event delivery. Most recently, Oreif led engineering, data, and machine learning teams across Amazon Ads and Prime Video.

Deltatre Makes Senior Appointments

Deltatre, a sports and entertainment technology provider, has announced a series of senior leadership moves. The executive committee members with new and expanded roles include Gonçalo Luiz, who becomes chief technology officer and now leads Deltatre’s product engineering; Gilles Mas, who becomes chief operating officer; Alex Gruber, whose role as chief product officer expands to having responsibility for the design organization within Deltatre; Neda Scrini, who becomes chief people and transformation officer; and James Van Kralingen, promoted to SVP group strategy and joining the executive committee, leading global strategy, corporate development and M&A.

iHeartMedia, USA Lacrosse Sign Deal Ahead of LA28

USA Lacrosse has entered into a partnership to make iHeartMedia the Official Audio Media Partner of USA Lacrosse, supporting promotional campaigns for the organization’s events and membership initiatives across its network of live radio stations, digital stations and podcasts. The partnership also establishes an audio media category for USA Lacrosse and includes exclusive content surrounding the sport’s events and properties. iHeartMedia will produce live and on-demand audio content, including programming tied to lacrosse’s return to the Olympic stage at LA28. iHeartMedia will also serve as a presenting sponsor of several USA Lacrosse events.

Learfield, Visible Team Up in College Sports Pact

Learfield and Visible, Verizon’s all-digital wireless service, announced a new college athletics partnership involving USC, Oregon, Minnesota and Rutgers designed to “connect Visible with students, alumni and fans through branding, digital content and game day experiences.” The agreement includes a collection of centerpiece branding placements at athletic venues, including one of the first corporate helmet bumper sponsorships with University of Minnesota football, an on-court logo placement at Oregon men’s basketball and back-of-end-zone branding at both USC and Rutgers football.

Jets, Giants and MetLife Stadium Partner With Sun Cruiser

MetLife Stadium announced a new multiyear partnership with Sun Cruiser that categorizes the beverage brand as A Proud Partner of MetLife Stadium, the New York Jets and the New York Giants. The ready-to-drink brand will showcase its brand presence through a formalized relationship with year-round marketing across NFL games, concerts and events. Sun Cruiser branding will now be featured throughout MetLife Stadium, with sponsor signage including gate pylons, video board integrations and daily exposure on highway marquee.

Blitz Analytics Adds UC Davis and TNT Sports as Partners

Blitz Analytics, an AI-powered sports intelligence platform, announced a partnership with UC Davis athletics. Blitz will support research and content workflows across the Aggies’ football and basketball programs. In other recent deals, TNT Sports will use Blitz across its coverage of Major League Baseball, the NHL, college football and college basketball. Its researchers, producers and on-air talent get the same capabilities UC Davis is receiving. Blitz also closed a friends-and-family pre-seed round, which will fund the hiring of additional engineers to expand and scale the platform.

Tixr Named Ticketing Partner of Pelicans’ G League Affiliate

Tixr has been named the official ticket services partner of the Laketown Squadron, the NBA G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans, ahead of the team’s inaugural season. Tixr will run ticketing for all Squadron home games at the Pontchartrain Center, including ticket purchasing, management, resale and transfers. The Squadron will tip off their inaugural home season on Nov. 14 against the Mexico City Capitanes.

Washington Capitals, CACI Launch Good Dogs for Great Americans

The Washington Capitals and CACI International Inc. (NYSE: CACI) announced the launch of Good Dogs for Great Americans, CACI’s signature philanthropy program dedicated to helping veterans regain independence through specially trained service dogs. Starting with the upcoming 2026-27 NHL regular season, CACI will donate $250 to the national nonprofit America’s VetDogs for every Capitals blocked shot. Based on the team’s average of approximately 1,300 blocked shots each season, the partnership is expected to fund training for up to eight service dogs annually.