- Nike (NKE +1.2%) is closing in on a deal for the on-field apparel rights for Major League Baseball, according to Sports Business Daily.
- The deal would start in 2020, the approximate time that Under Armour's (UA, UAA) contract was supposed to begin before it was pushed away.
- Fanatics is expected to land the right to sell the retail versions of the on-field jerseys and other apparel.
- The inclusion of Fanatics in the MLB arrangement is yet another reason to think that the company could have an IPO in the near future. The latest funding round on Fanatics included SoftBank, the NFL and MLB.