An Orchard of Highlights: Fall’s Freshest Sports & Entertainment Picks

Welcome back to the Spotlight! One thing I love about this season is the memorable fall pastime of apple picking, with another installment of that chapter coming for me this weekend. Something about the experience makes paying above retail prices for the opportunity to pick your own fruit off trees just gets my juices flowing. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. As you know, the core of the Spotlight is to plant seeds of sports and entertainment industry with a dash of humor (or at least that’s what I call it). I guess you could say my writing style stems from my desire to make the reading more a-peeling so that you may pick from a tree in my orchard of knowledge—by the bushel, and always free (or at least until I figure out how to monetize this). For those who are feeling rotten from all this wordplay, apple-y for you, I have other fruits to bear.

Netflix’s viral sensation film “K-Pop Demon Hunters” is rolling out sing-along screenings of the film around Halloween. It’s perhaps the scariest house of horrors for introverts around.
New Balance ink UCLA Basketball’s shooting guards on the men’s and women’s side to NIL endorsement deals, giving their bank accounts new balances.
With sights set on a “Rat Pack” themed venue in Las Vegas, Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group acquires the rights to Frank Sinatra’s name, image and likeness. No word on what the venue would be named but the pizzeria there will almost assuredly be named “Amore.”

Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments

From Snake Oil to Wellness Influencers: The Rise and Rise of Health Misinformation
October 16, 2025 via CNET News

Ryan Reynolds Co-Stars With a Real Tilly Norwood in New Mint Mobile Ad
October 15, 2025 via Hollywood Reporter

Fanttik Teams Up With Houston Rockets as an Official Partner
October 14, 2025 via GlobeNewswire

‘Buyers Bragging Rights’: Homes Previously Owned by Celebrities Sell Faster – and Better – than Other Properties
October 14, 2025 via Spear’s Magazine

‘Inflated Egos,’ Airtight NDAs and $1M Paydays for ‘Real Housewives’: Inside the Wild World of Celeb Brand Deals
October 13, 2025 via New York Post

Few UMaine Athletes Seize ‘Name, Image, Likeness’ Opportunities
October 12, 2025 via Lewiston Sun Journal

College Football Legend Nick Saban Claims NIL has ‘Hurt’ the SEC While Helping Northern Schools
October 11, 2025 via Fox News

Sports

NHL Expansion Fee Soars to $2B As League’s Value Surges
October 16, 2025 via Front Office Sports

NBA, Topps, and Fanatics Turn On-Court Moments Into Collectible Classics
October 16, 2025 via Boardroom

Champions League to Feature Opening Game for Titleholder and Streaming Deal from 2027
October 13, 2025 via ABC News