The most popular video game franchise of late, Call of Duty, will release its newest addition, entitled Black Ops III, later this year. For those who don’t know about Call of Duty, I pity you. It is one of only 15 video game franchises that has sold 100+ million copies. This places Call of Duty among the ranks of the Mario, Super Mario, and Pokémon video game franchises.
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LSU Chooses Amenities Over Education
One of the South’s most popular universities, and a flagship public college, Louisiana State University, is currently facing a $55.5 million state funding cut; not only will LSU need to restructure its annual budget, but the regents will also need to prepare for a devastating alternative: bankruptcy. That’s right, LSU is now mulling the possibility of entering into bankruptcy proceedings.
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Investors Interested In "Breastaurants"
In 1983, six businessmen incorporated a new type of restaurant under the brand name “Hooters.” Since first opening in 1983, the Hooters franchise has experienced rapid growth, amassing peak revenues of $960 million in 2007. Now, while I won’t call the founders of Hooters “revolutionary” geniuses, they did nonetheless introduce a new form of dining experience to the restaurant industry, one based on greasy bar food and beautiful young women in crop tops.
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$100 Billion Is Nothing
When it comes to athletic retailers, Nike (NKE) is a man among boys. With a market capitalization of more than $77 billion, it is nearly twice the size of its largest competitor, Adidas (ADDDF), and almost 5x bigger than Under Armour (UA). Because of this advantage, Nike’s annual revenues exceed almost $29 billion and its stock is currently trading at all-time highs of roughly $90.
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The Price Of Success
Football is finally back, which marks the return of a number of our favorite things: beer, barbecues, tailgating, fantasy football, cheerleaders, and… tremendous cash injections for the U.S. economy. Although it is not considered “America’s Pastime,” the National Football League (NFL), not a public company, is easily the most profitable professional sports institution in America.
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World Cup Fever
In what has been one of the most exciting sporting events in recent memory, the 2014 FIFA World Cup has captivated audiences around the world. Even in the United States, where soccer is vastly overshadowed by most other professional sports, the World Cup has become the second most-watched televised sporting event, behind only the Super Bowl.
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Filthy Rich
Yesterday, the former CEO of Microsoft (MSFT), Steve Ballmer, announced his intention to buy the Los Angeles Clippers from the embattled Sterlings for $2 billion. While the deal is by no means final, according to the LA Times, it appears likely to go through. Furthermore, although this is big news, the funding behind Ballmer’s acquisition of the Clippers is even more intriguing (and raises serious questions about Microsoft’s executive pay plan).
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