Men in Blazers Media Network Announces $15 Million Series A Fundraise Led by Avenue Sports Fund, to Expand Coverage Ahead of 2026 World Cup

ben@srkstategies.com

Men in Blazers Media Network, the most respected voice in U.S. soccer media, today announced the closing of a $15 million Series A fundraising round. The round is led by Avenue Sports Fund, which is headed by Marc Lasry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm.

Additional investors include Bolt Ventures, led by David Blitzer; RR McReynolds, the venture co-founded by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney; The Chernin Group founded by Peter Chernin; Ryan Sports Ventures, the sports investment arm of the Chicago-based Ryan family and Wheelhouse, the global entertainment business founded by Brent Montgomery.

With the 2026 Men’s World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, set to be the biggest sporting event in history, Men in Blazers Media Network aims to provide unparalleled coverage that caters to the rabid and rapidly growing U.S. soccer fanbase. This new funding will allow the network to expand, create ever more ambitious programming, both short-form and long form, and scale its coverage to meet the insatiable appetite for soccer content in America across all demographics.

"With the Men’s World Cup coming to our shores, the time is now to super-serve the most passionate and fastest growing soccer community in the world," said Men in Blazers Media Network Founder and CEO Roger Bennett. "Our mission is to ensure that we create as much premium content around the game as possible, continuing to tell the best stories about men’s and women’s football, globally and domestically, reaching the expansive and diverse American soccer fanbase wherever they are.”

“Men in Blazers has built an incredible passionate community and deep relationships with brand partners over the last 14 years, becoming the most trusted messengers in soccer in the United States,” said Marc Lasry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avenue Capital Group. "Avenue Sports is excited to support the growth of the unique, community-driven voice that Men in Blazers represents as their team keeps building and innovating to meet the demand of millions of rabid soccer fans across the country."

Avenue Capital Group’s Sports Fund includes notable athletes Stephen Curry, Lauren Holiday, Harry Kane, Candace Parker, Michael Strahan, and Lindsey Vonn.

The new capital will be strategically invested to grow Men in Blazers existing live events platforms and expand bigger and bolder programming in the run up to the World Cup, bringing the soccer community together in its greatest moments. The network’s women’s soccer vertical, "The Women's Game," led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn and Lynn Williams, which recently partnered with the NWSL, will continue to grow and become an ever more dominant voice in covering the rise of women's soccer. Men in Blazers will expand the talent and programming by launching a new Hispanic content platform Vamos, spearheaded by former USMNT player Herculez Gomez, to broaden its reach and inclusivity across the diverse American soccer landscape.

Founded in 2010, Men in Blazers has evolved from a single podcast-turned-television show, into a media network that covers the game from every corner of the world, both on the men's, women's, domestic leagues and International tournaments. Known for its passion, fan connection, and deep love of the game, the Men in Blazers Media Network produces original content across podcasting, digital, television, and live events, bringing the beautiful game to fans across the U.S. Its talent roster includes top soccer voices like USWNT legends Sam Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn, Lynn Williams; global soccer newsbreaker with a following of over 55 million followers on X and Meta, Fabrizio Romano; USMNT Captain Tyler Adams; Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard on the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso; and former soccer player and commentator Herculez Gomez, offering unique and insightful perspectives on the sport. Through brand, team, league and federation partnerships, including the likes of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Danone, NWSL and AFC Wrexham, Men in Blazers has solidified itself as a central hub for soccer storytelling and fan engagement.

With these initiatives, Men in Blazers Media Network is poised to deliver deeper insights, more compelling stories, and broader content that celebrates the beautiful game. This investment represents a major step forward in the network’s mission to cover the sport from every corner of the United States and beyond.

Inner Circle Sports LLC, a boutique investment bank focused on the global sports and media industry, served as financial advisor to Men in Blazers.

About Avenue Sports Fund

Launched in 2023, Avenue Sports Fund’s core areas of investment focus include debt and preferred equity, minority stakes in established leagues, women’s sports, emerging leagues to capitalize on areas of exponential growth, and other sports businesses and properties. Avenue Sports Fund is one of many funds of Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm focused on specialty lending, opportunistic credit and other special situation investments with longstanding global reach in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Avenue, founded in 1995 by Marc Lasry and Sonia Gardner, draws on the skills and experience of over 65 investment professionals and more than 180 employees operating from its headquarters in New York and 10 offices worldwide. Avenue has over $12 billion in assets under management.

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