{
  "id": 3095639,
  "title": "The Athletic in Serious Talks With Kalshi for Sponsorship Deal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/the-athletic-in-serious-talks-with-kalshi-for-sponsorship-deal",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-24T19:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Front Office Sports",
    "slug": "front-office-sports",
    "url": "https://frontofficesports.com/the-athletic-serious-talks-kalshi-sponsorship/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Athletic and Kalshi are engaged in serious discussions about a potential sponsorship deal, according to sources cited by Front Office Sports. Multiple sources indicate that this potential partnership is in advanced stages, though no deal has been finalized yet. The Athletic has been actively engaging in discussions with various betting and prediction-market companies since the expiration of its deal with BetMGM earlier this year, sources reveal. The identities of other companies in talks with The Athletic remain undisclosed. Spokespeople for both The Athletic and Kalshi have declined to comment on the matter. Kalshi has been pursuing significant media and sports business sponsorships and has successfully raised funds at rising valuations, despite facing numerous state lawsuits challenging its legitimacy. Regulators in states like New York, Washington, Nevada, Minnesota, and others have attempted to prevent Kalshi from offering sports-event contracts within their respective jurisdictions. The Trump administration's CFTC, which oversees prediction markets, maintains that platforms such as Kalshi are permitted to operate and has filed lawsuits against states like Kentucky, Arizona, and Illinois, accusing them of violating federal regulatory jurisdiction. FOS previously reported that Kalshi was in talks with Fox about a wide-ranging deal, which was subsequently announced just a month later. Kalshi also has content integrations with CNN and CNBC, as well as partnerships with the NHL, the Blackhawks, and the New York Rangers. Additionally, Kalshi appears to have partnerships with the Red Sox and Dodgers, though these have not been officially announced. The prediction-market exchange has also joined Polymarket in sponsoring content on TikTok during the World Cup. Sports leagues have been hesitant to fully embrace prediction markets due to concerns over sports-event contracts. However, there has been increased activity in this area recently. Polymarket has deals with MLB, MLS, and several international soccer leagues, including LaLiga and Serie A. They also have an agreement with the Yankees, while the Mets partnered with Novig, a smaller prediction-market platform that specializes in sports. As football season approaches, The Athletic has been actively seeking new partnerships.",
  "summary": "A deal has yet to be finalized.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}