*By Carlo Versano and Conor White*
Alex Rodriguez had one of baseball's most storied and complicated careers, but his investment strategy is quite simple.
That strategy, made famous on "Shark Tank," is about focusing on business segments the former Yankee both understands and is passionate about. He told Cheddar he prefers the "narrow and deep" over the "wide and shallow."
To pursue the narrow and deep, Rodriguez ー the beneficiary of two of the most lucrative contracts in sports history ー is now the CEO of his own investment firm, A-ROD Corp.
His business acumen was first observed during his famous baseball career, when he grew a real-estate portfolio from a single duplex to now more than 10,000 units across 11 states. Real estate was something he understood implicitly after growing up poor in Florida. "I dreamt as a young man that one day I could trade places with the landlord," he said.
He has used that same gut strategy to invest in new ventures in health and fitness, media and entertainment, and even a beauty brand (with the help of his girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez).
Among those investments: a partnership with esports powerhouse NRG. The esports industry is one that Rodriguez called a "phenomenon."
"The numbers and the business keep growing," he said. "Other than the Super Bowl, esports will take a backseat to nothing."
When A-Rod came on the scene as a rookie slugger for the Seattle Mariners in 1994, the idea of a player signing a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars was almost unheard of. But in 2000, he signed a $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers ー the biggest by far at that point.
Now, nine-figure contracts for baseball's best players are more common, and Rodriguez thinks they have room to grow even larger. The league grew from $1 billion to $10 billion in revenues during his time on the field, though he said contracts have not grown apace.
With two of the league's best talents, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, now in free agency, his record for most career earnings ($480 million) could finally be broken ー and he hopes it is. "I am cheering them hard," he said. "I hope they both break it."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/mlb-legend-alex-rodriguez-esports-is-quite-a-phenomenon).
Millions of people around the world are getting ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And while the day is all fun and games, there's still a serious discussion happening about player safety. Now, two leading sports brands have teamed up to design new, state-of-the-art equipment using 3D printing. Joe DeSimone, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, stopped by Cheddar with more on how technology is making football more safe, head to toe.
Luke Wilson is taking a short break from Hollywood. A commercial break. The "Rushmore" and "Old School" actor is starring in his first Super Bowl commercial, and he says the 30-second Colgate spot will probably get more views than any of his movies. "I think more people will see this than any movie I've ever been in for sure," Wilson told Cheddar on Friday.
Draftkings CEO Jason Robins told Cheddar that New Jersey residents alone could wager as much as $100 million on the Super Bowl, the first time sports betting will be legal there for the big game.
Although it has 3 million customers, home security company SimpliSafe isn’t a household name yet. It’s hoping that will change on Sunday after its first Super Bowl ad airs.“In a market where people are trying to lock you in a contract or harvest your data, we’re trying to keep you safe,” brand creative director Wade Devers told Cheddar. “There aren’t really a lot of places you can reach the number of people you can reach like the Super Bowl.”
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Hallmark Channel will be home to the sixth annual Kitten Bowl, the annual matchup of cat-letes held to benefit the North Shore Animal League. Beth Stern, host of the Kitten Bowl and spokesperson for North Shore (and wife to Howard), brought a pair of 12-week Siamese kittens to Cheddar Thursday to help promote a new event this year: the first-ever Cat Bowl.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Super Bowl Sunday is the ー well ー Super Bowl of building brand awareness, particularly for food and beverage companies. This year, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, both units of PepsiCO ($PEP), are once again among the snack giants planning to use the 100 million-plus members of the expected television audience to launch new products and elevate brands in their respective portfolios. Frito-Lay CMO Jen Saenz spoke to Cheddar Tuesday alongside Greg Lyons, the CMO for Pepsi, which is known for its Super Bowl ads and social media engagement tied to the Big Game.
Apple is planning a subscription service that would function like Netflix for games, according to people familiar with the matter. The iPhone maker has also discussed partnering with developers as a publisher, which could signal ambitions to assume distribution and marketing costs for games.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019.
