Happy Wednesday, and welcome back to the 26th weekly edition of Broken Marketing by Anvara, where we discuss marketing that breaks.

For those of you who are new here, we’re Nick and Andrei, the co-founders of Anvara. We’ve included you here because one way or another, we’re connected. We’re happy to have you as a part of the Anvara family.

Electronic Arts (EA), the maker of Madden, FIFA, and The Sims, just agreed to the largest private equity buyout in history. A $55 billion all-cash deal that takes EA private and hands the keys to a new group of investors: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake Partners, with $20 billion in financing from JP Morgan.

On the surface, this looks like just another massive Wall Street play. But the real story is about power, politics, and who controls the future of global sports culture.

The Saudi PIF already owns stakes in Nintendo, Scopely, ESL, and FACEIT. Now they are taking their biggest swing yet, a full takeover of one of America’s most iconic gaming publishers. This is not just about unlocking “shareholder value.” It is about power.

When a government with a complicated human rights record spends billions to insert itself into golf, soccer, and now video games, it is fair to ask: is this global investment strategy… or sports washing? That term, “sports washing,” gets thrown around because high-profile sports and gaming properties offer a distraction, or even a rebranding, from controversies back home. By associating with beloved cultural assets like FIFA or Madden, nations can shift the global conversation.

Add in Jared Kushner, whose $3B fund is heavily backed by the Saudis, and the political angle sharpens. His father-in-law, Donald Trump, has already hosted LIV Golf events at his courses. Now that same Saudi capital is flowing directly into the digital sports universe. Coincidence? We don't think so.

So what’s the play?

By going private, EA can ditch Wall Street’s quarterly pressures and lean into riskier bets: live-service games, esports, new licensing models. With Saudi money behind them, they have the freedom to fail and the firepower to scale.

And here’s where it really gets interesting for gamers: does this unlock bold changes to EA’s sports titles? Do we finally see FIFA Ultimate Team go free-to-play as a global funnel? Does EA double down on mobile, a space where they have lagged compared to rivals? Going private gives them the cover to test these moves without public-market backlash.

The bigger question: when the future of FIFA, Madden, and The Sims sits in the hands of a sovereign wealth fund, what does that mean for fans and for brands? Is this the next frontier of gaming growth… or a geopolitical branding exercise disguised as entertainment?

The New England Patriots just became the latest NFL franchise to dip into private equity. Robert Kraft sold an 8% slice of the team, splitting it between Sixth Street (3%) and Greek-American billionaire Dean Metropoulos (5%), at a valuation north of $9 billion.

On the surface, this looks like a simple liquidity move. Kraft keeps control, pockets $720 million, and calls it a day. But the real story is how private equity is quietly reshaping NFL ownership.

This is only the fourth PE-backed deal since the league changed its rules in 2024 to allow institutional investors. Sixth Street joins a short list of firms already in the club (Arctos Partners with the Bills and Chargers, Ares Management with the Dolphins). For the NFL, a league once allergic to outside capital, the floodgates are just beginning to open.

The valuations tell you why. The Patriots are pegged at $9B, the Giants just hit $10B+, and the Bears cleared $8.8B in their most recent deal. Compare that to the Celtics, who sold for $9B earlier this year. If the NBA’s most valuable franchise is at $9B, how is one of the NFL’s blue-blood teams worth only a tick higher? The math says NFL valuations are still lagging behind where they’ll ultimately land.

For Sixth Street, this is another puzzle piece in a growing empire that already includes the Celtics, Spurs, Giants, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bay FC in the NWSL. For Metropoulos, it is a legacy play, adding the Patriots to a portfolio that once included Hostess and Pabst.’

Private equity firms see the NFL as the safest long-term sports bet in the world. Revenues are locked in by billion-dollar media rights, franchise scarcity keeps values climbing, and playoff expansion ensures more markets stay engaged. In other words: boring is beautiful when you are writing billion-dollar checks. And while sports growth is predictable and “boring”, sports aren’t. Private Equity guys love sports.

So are we undervaluing or overvaluing NFL franchises right now? On one hand, $9–10B feels light compared to NBA comps, especially when you consider the NFL’s dominance in U.S. media rights. On the other, how much higher can these numbers realistically go before the bubble bursts?

📱 Apple bets baseball can sell iPhones: MLB’s Friday Night Baseball is now an Apple play, bundled with the iPhone 17 launch. It’s not just about streaming — it’s about Apple training you to see live sports as a product feature. Forget Super Bowl ads, Apple wants own the screen you watch the game on.

🛒 Walmart storms into El Clásico: The world’s biggest retailer is sponsoring the world’s most-watched soccer match. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid draws 650M+ viewers globally — and now Walmart gets the halo. If you thought La Liga wasn’t relevant in Bentonville, think again. Retail giants are learning that football is culture, not geography.

🌍 Visit Rwanda doubles down in America: After plastering jerseys in the Premier League, Rwanda is now sponsoring both the LA Clippers and LA Rams. Call it nation branding 2.0: swap static tourism ads for team integration in the U.S. sports capital. The move proves that even small countries can buy global relevance one patch at a time.