Trade Rumors Have Begun đź‘€

Plus New Jobs, Internships, Potential Investment Opportunity and Deion Is OK 🙏

June 12, 2025

Welcome to Office Chair Sports! Your home for everything Sports & Biz! Today, we’re covering top news about:

  • Big Names on The Move

  • Bengals Defense is in Trouble

  • Bench Mob is the Difference

  • Deion Is Ok

  • USMNT Can’t Find Wins

Together with

Big Names on the Move? 

The latest NBA trade rumors suggest the Knicks are shaking things up, even after their best playoff run in 25 years. They're on the hunt for a new coach, having reportedly been denied a request to speak with Jason Kidd, but are reportedly no longer eyeing Kevin Durant. While there's no trade buzz around Giannis Antetokounmpo, it looks like this offseason might move at warp speed, with action expected around the NBA Draft on June 25.

Bengals Defense In Trouble

Cincinnati Bengals' first-round draft pick, Shemar Stewart, has left the team's mandatory minicamp due to an ongoing contract dispute. The conflict centers on a clause the Bengals reportedly want to include in his rookie deal that would allow the team to void future guarantees, a condition Stewart argues was not present in previous first-round contracts. While Stewart has attended meetings, he has not participated in on-field activities and has expressed frustration with the team's stance.

Together with StartEngine

StartEngine has unlocked access to a $4.83 trillion asset class that was previously exclusive to billionaires and institutions for almost a century. Now 2.1M users can invest in breakthrough companies before they go public, including coveted pre-IPO companies like OpenAI and Perplexity.

  • 🏆 StartEngine just had their biggest quarter, with 30M revenue in Q1 2025, more than tripling YoY revenue (Q1 2024 was 9M)

  • 🔓 The platform features initial investments starting at just $1,000 (versus 7-figure VC minimums)

  • đź‘‘ Led by CEO, Howard Marks, co-founder of Activision, and Kevin O’Leary as a strategic advisor

$84M+ has already been invested in StartEngine, but the window is closing soon. Until June 26, you can still secure your hares at this price.

Bench Mob Makes the Difference

In a thrilling Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers rallied to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107, giving them a crucial 2-1 series lead! While the starting five set the tone, it was the Pacers' bench, especially T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin, who truly led the way. Their energy and production were key to securing this vital victory. The series is heating up, and Indiana is looking as deep as ever. 

Deion Says He’s OK

Great news for the Colorado Buffaloes faithful! Head Coach Deion Sanders took to social media on June 11th to share a positive health update, assuring everyone he's "OKAY" and truly blessed by the outpouring of support. Coach Prime, who has been dealing with an unspecified illness and was notably absent from recent summer camps, expressed excitement about returning to Boulder to rejoin his staff and team. 

USMNT Can’t Seem to Win a Game

June 11, 2025, marks exactly one year until the biggest FIFA World Cup in history kicks off right here in North America! With 48 teams set to compete across Canada, Mexico, and the USA, this expanded tournament promises to be a global spectacle like no other.

For the USMNT, the clock is ticking loud and clear. While excitement is building for playing on home soil, there are plenty of questions surrounding the team's readiness. Recent results have sparked debates about what "success" truly looks like for this squad, and whether they're on track to make a deep run. Stadium preparations, fan engagement, and the challenges of a massive, multi-country event are all in focus as we hurtle towards June 11, 2026! It's going to be a wild ride!

Internships 🙋

1. F&M Bank Arena Social Media and Digital Content Internship – Fall 2025 (Nashville Predators) - Social Media and Digital Content Internship Responsibilities: Assist with drafting content and analytics for F&M Bank Arena's social networks and email marketing. Assist with management and maintenance on myfmbankarena.com. Update Arena’s website content, including page revisions and adding of photo galleries

2. Nashville Predators Sales & Service Internship – Fall 2025 - The Nashville Predators Sales & Service Department is seeking interns for the Fall 2025 semester. These interns will benefit from hands-on experience and real-time feedback related to aspects of the Nashville Predators season including, but not limited to, Predators home games, concerts & other events at Bridgestone Arena, in-office selling and servicing of ticket plans, premium spaces, group tickets and theme nights, as well as other projects related the Sales & Service Team.

3. NCAA Internship - Internships at USA Triathlon present unique opportunities to explore new experiences with technology, people, and specific projects that will help guide the trajectory of your chosen career. Our internships are unpaid but specifically designed to provide a rich educational environment for students studying and/or those seeking a career in recreation, athletics, sports management, communication, event planning, or relationship management.

4. REVELxp - Sales Intern, Colorado State - The internship program will support full-time staff in maximizing revenue and creating fan experiences for ticketed sporting events such as Football, Men’s & Women’s Basketball, etc.

5. Intern Athletic Trainer (UCF) - Under the oversight of the Director of Sports Medicine, the Intern Athletic Trainer will assist the Sports Medicine staff in the coordination of day-to-day sports medicine operations for Division I athletic teams, primarily with UCF’s spirit and cheer program.

Job Board đź’°

1. Coordinator - Ballpark Presentation (Pittsburgh Pirates) - The Coordinator, Ballpark Presentation plays a key role in bringing the ballpark experience to life. This position supports the planning and execution of all game day and select non-game day special events, with a strong emphasis on staffing and entertainment.

2. Customer Service Specialist (LA Lakers) - The Customer Service Specialist is responsible for creating one-to-one, long-lasting relationships with season ticket members (STM) through emails, phone calls and personal contact, while tracking touch points in CRM.

3. Membership Sales Executive (Miami Marlins) - The Membership Sales Executive position is responsible for driving new business revenue by selling full season memberships, partial season memberships, group tickets, and luxury seating for Miami Marlins home games.

4. Enrollment Coordinator - The Enrollment Coordinator will be responsible for processing all aspects of student enrollment at IMG Academy and assist in guiding over 1,500 returning students, new students, and their families through the enrollment journey by primarily focusing on working with families to support them in the onboarding and arrival process.

5. Membership Development Specialist (Sales) (Cleveland Cavaliers) - The Membership Development Specialist (MDS Rep) is dedicated to exceeding the expectations of Cavs United Members (Season Ticket Holders). This role focuses on providing proactive service, anticipating client needs, and delivering personalized benefits and experiences.

Thanks for reading - see you soon!

DISCLAIMER:

1. Count determined as number of unique email addresses in StartEngine’s database as of 03-07-2025. One individual may have more than one email address. Note that in In May 2023, StartEngine acquired assets of SeedInvest, including email lists for SeedInvest’s users, investors, and founders.

2. The underlying companies held by StartEngine Private Funds LLC, and StartEngine Private LLC (together, “StartEngine Private”) are not participating or involved in the offering. The availability of company information does not indicate that the company has endorsed, supports or otherwise participates with StartEngine Private or any of its affiliates. StartEngine Crowdfunding LLC purchases shares from current and former employees, early investors, and advisors of the companies and sells the shares to StartEngine Private for each offering. When you make an investment in a company on StartEngine Private, you are purchasing an interest in a series of StartEngine Private Funds LLC or StartEngine Private LLC, each a Delaware limited liability company (together the “Series LLCs”), which were created to hold shares of privately held companies. An investor will not directly own or hold shares of the private company but instead will own member interests in a series of the Series LLCs, which either directly or indirectly, will hold shares in the company. There may not be a one-to-one economic parity on the value of the Series LLCs interests and the underlying shares.

3. Based on our 2024 Form 10-K. This revenue growth has been driven by StartEngine Private, a new product line that offers funds in late stage companies. This product line has driven over $28 million of the $48 million in revenue from 2024. Net loss also increased to $16.5 million. To understand the impact on margins, see financials.