The Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday that Fanatics Sportsbook has reached a non-exclusive naming rights deal through players’ licensing company OneTeam to become the official sportsbook of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
The agreement allows Fanatics to use licensed players on its app, website, and social media platforms to promote sports betting products.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, and neither side has officially announced the partnership.
The lawsuit
The news comes just weeks after the MLBPA filed a lawsuit against FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, and Underdog Fantasy for name, image, and likeness usage after images of MLB players were used on legal sports betting platforms without the PA's permission.
"Indeed, nearly every active MLB player's image is displayed on defendants' websites and mobile apps," the lawsuit stated. "MLB player names, images, and likenesses are also featured prominently in advertising on both DraftKings Sportsbook and bet365's social media, including in posts encouraging customers to place bets on the featured player.”
The MLBPA alleged that the violations began earlier this year.
“For professional athletes, the ability to control the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses is a crucial return on their substantial career investment,” the players union said.
Open to others
Fanatics, a merchandise and memorabilia company that has had licensing agreements with leagues like MLB for years, launched a retail sportsbook in 2023.
It evolved into the online market, buying out PointsBet’s U.S. operations in June 2023. Fanatics Sportsbook currently operates in 22 states, including 10 with an MLB team.
Since the agreement with Fanatics is non-exclusive, the MLBPA and OneTeam could make similar deals with other sports betting operators.
