Blast Motion, the baseball analytics company based out of California, is no new face in the sports analytics sector. With 73 documents in the sector and 37 granted patents, it goes without the need to say that they have developed an extensive patent portfolio over the past years. This development has seemed to pay off as they continue to sign countless exclusivity deals with sports teams and leagues alike. This continual growth raises the question of "what's next" for this analytics powerhouse. Developments in the sports business world might hold some foresight to this question.
Recently, Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics executive well-known for his analytics-driven management style as displayed in the film and book "Moneyball", teamed up with Red Bird Capital Capital Partners to form the first-ever sports-focused special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), RedBall Acquisitions Corp. According to their recent SEC filing, the company intends to raise $500 million in its upcoming IPO for acquisitions 'focus[ing] on businesses in the sports, media, and data analytics sectors’. While no specific targets were disclosed and some speculate predominant targets to be privately own sports franchises, Billy Beane's history with analytics and the field's inclusion in the disclosure filed with the SEC raises the possibility of upcoming acquisitions in the sector.
Not surprisingly, privately-owned companies with extensive patent portfolios and numerous exclusivity deals, like Blast Motion, might be some of the top potential targets for RedBall if they decide to go in the direction of analytics.
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