Amy Calistri

Amy Calistri

Business and Investment Correspondent  |  AUSTIN, TX

Muck Rack profile

Amy Calistri got her high school letter in golf and hasn't golfed since. She has a collegiate letter in wrestling, but never wrestled. She was arguably the worst catcher in IBM's coed softball league. But she is a hardcore sports fan, having spent her formative years yelling from Boston Garden's second balcony and Fenway's cheap seats. She loves when she can combine her love of sports with her business acumen. Amy is published in the areas of economics, investing, statistics, poker, and the sports and gaming industries.

Can New Jersey's fledgling sports betting industry overtake Nevada? (Image: OnlineGaming.com)

Record Online Betting Helps New Jersey Sports Handle Keep Pace with Nevada

New Jersey’s sports betting industry turned in a solid performance in August, posting a sports handle of $293,594,862. The Garden State is starting to give Nevada a run for its money — with help from its strong online sector. Since April, New Jersey’s sportsbook handle has been keeping pace with […]

CEO Ira Pazner's upbeat comments can't overcome 888 Holdings dismal results. (Image: 888 Holdings)

888 Holdings Profits Plummet as Brexit Worries Loom

The Gibraltar-based gaming company, 888 Holdings PLC, reported its pre-tax profit dropped 63% in the first six months of the year, and cut its dividend by 29%. And that may have been the good news. Reading 888 Holdings’ CEO’s Sept 10 comments, one might think the company hit one out […]

Ed O'Bannon, seen cutting the net after UCLA's 1995 Championship, paved the way for California's battle with the NCAA. (Image: Getty)

California Dunks on the NCAA with Passage of Fair Pay to Play Act

In an all-out challenge to the NCAA, the California State Assembly passed the Fair Pay to Play Act on Monday, 72-0. The bill, now one step closer to becoming law, would allow college athletes to receive payment for endorsements and profit off the use of their name, likeness and image […]

Alex Peroni's Formula 3 car is airborne after hitting a sausage curb at Monza (Image: FoxSports)

How Many Wrecks Before Formula Racing Bans Sausage Curbs? (VIDEO)

Australian driver Alex Peroni hit a raised “sausage” curb in the closing stages of a race at Monza track in Italy on Saturday, sending his Formula 3 car skyward. Amazingly, he walked away from the wreck with only minor injuries. But, calls to remove the controversial barriers have intensified. Race […]

The NBA once tried to limit small ownership stakes like Jay-Z had in the Brooklyn Nets. Now they might allow them. (Image: James Devaney/Getty)

Goodbye Jay-Z Rule: NBA May Allow Smaller Ownership Stakes Again

The NBA notified owners that it is considering loosening team ownership rules. The proposed change could basically nullify the current “Jay Z Rule,” which sets the minimum team ownership stake at one percent. According to Bloomberg, the NBA notified owners of a potential change to team ownership rules last month. […]

Caty McNally and Coco Gauff -- McCoco -- celebrate in their signiture bump after second round US Open win (Image: Kevin Hagen/Associated Press)

Women’s US Open Update: Upsets, Coco, Tears and McCoco (VIDEO)

Teen phenom Coco Gauff met her match in top seed Naomi Osaka in the third round of the US Open. But Coco and partner Caty McNally — collectively known as “McCoco”– remain undefeated in women’s doubles. It’s been a week of upsets in the US Open Women’s Singles. US qualifier […]

The Royals new owner is on the Board of Trustees of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Kauffman was the founder and first owner of the Royals. (Image: Amy Calistri)

Kansas City Cheers Pending $1 Billion Royals Sale

The Kansas City Royals are about to be sold and no one could be happier than Kansas City. The estimated $1 billion sale to Kansas City native John Sherman should close sometime in November. Earlier this week, The Athletic broke the rumor that owner David Glass was in talks to […]

Late in the third set, Coco Gauff finally realizes the second round match against Timea Babos is hers. (Photo: AP?Charles Krupa)

US Open Coco-Mania: Gauff Beats Babos, Next Up McCoco Doubles

Cori “Coco” Gauff had fans on the edges of their Louis Armstrong Stadium seats on Thursday for her 6-2, 6-4,6-4 win over Timea Babos. But before her third-round singles match against No. 1 ranked Naomi Osaka, Gauff will team up with Caty McNally for her first round of US Open […]

Call Me Coco: ESPN, New Balance Rooting For Coco Gauff in US Open

Call Me Coco: ESPN, New Balance Rooting For Coco Gauff in US Open

Among her growing fan base, Coco Gauff has both ESPN and New Balance rooting for her. But that won’t necessarily lessen the pressure for the 15-year-old as she heads into the US Open. Cori (aka Coco) Gauff is a long shot in the US Open. Ranked 141 in women’s tennis […]

Matthew McConaughey proudly wears his Austin FC colors, surrounded by Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman, LA Rams QB Jared Goff and LAFC part-owner Will Farell (Image: LAFC)

Matthew McConaughey Joins MLS Austin FC Ownership Group

Matthew McConaughey and three other Austin notables have signed on as owners of Austin FC. Austin’s MLS expansion team will start competing in 2021, becoming the first major league sports team in Texas’s fourth largest city. Actor Matthew McConaughey is among four Austinites who joined Austin FC’s ownership group. The […]

MLB Sleeve Patches Could be the Envy of the NBA

MLB Sleeve Patches Could be the Envy of the NBA

According to a recent study, an MLB sleeve patch would be seen almost three times more than the current ads sewn on NBA jerseys. That exposure time could be worth as much as $11 million per MLB team annually. The NBA started a three-year jersey ad pilot program in 2017. […]

RC Enerson's NTT IndyCar Series open test run for Carlin marks first IndyCar CBD sponsorship. (Image: Courtesy of IndyCar)

CBD Companies Score Sports Endorsement and Sponsorship Deals

Flush with venture capital, CBD companies are hunting for new sports-related endorsements and sponsorships. After the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, the US market for marijuana’s non-psychoactive cousin — Cannabidiol, or CBD more colloquially — is exploding. On a temperate February morning, driver RC Enerson made advertising history when he […]

After leading Manchester United to their worst start in 28 years, Jose Mourinho was sacked mid-season, and it would take a few weeks for the betting odds to catch up with TK. (Image: Press Association)

STUDY: Premier League Odds Often Wrong After Coaching Change

The English Premier League’s season begins on Friday. Sports gamblers may want to pace themselves, however, to take advantage of midseason odds discrepancies that researchers predict are more likely to occur after a team sacks their coach. A recent study in The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance found that […]

Zion Williamson's sneaker deal establishes path forward for Nike's Jordan Brand (Image: Courtesy of Nike)

Zion Williamson’s $75M Sneaker Deal Breaks NBA Rookie Record

Zion Williamson just signed a 5-year $75 million sneaker deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand, setting an annual NBA rookie shoe contract record. According to ESPN, the $15 million-a-year deal tops LeBron James’ rookie shoe deal, which was roughly $12 million per year. Kevin Durant scored a $9 million-a-year sneaker contract […]

MLB hitter Bryce Harper argues a strike call with non-robot umpire

MLB Umps Blew 34,294 Calls Last Year. Would Robot Umpires Do Any Worse?

Major League umpires miscalled 34,294 balls and strikes in 2018, according to a recent academic study. Maybe that’s why the Atlantic League, an independent minor league, recently introduced robot umpires — or more accurately, technology-assisted umpires — which are being met with both cheers and jeers around the batter’s box. […]

NFL QB Marcus Mariotta knocked unconscious in 2018 regular season game. (Image: AP/James Kenney)

NFL Owners Continue Push for More Regular Season Games

Adding games to the regular season schedule has been an NFL priority for nearly a decade. So no one was surprised when New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pushed the idea of an 18-game season at a recent collective bargaining session, according to The Wall Street Journal. Two more games […]

Blue Suede Air Jordan 11 released to commemorate Yankee Derek Jeter's retirement. One of only five pairs produced. (Image: Courtesy of Sothebys)

The Most Valuable Sneakers in History Are For Sale

Sotheby’s is hosting its first-ever rare sneaker auction. The collection, offered up by Stadium Goods, features the only known, unworn, pair of Nike “Moon Shoes,” a pair of navy suede Air Jordan 11s commemorating New York Yankee Derek Jeter’s retirement, and more. Some of the shoes going up for auction […]

Call of Duty Esports Franchise Picked Up by Minnesota Vikings Owners (Image: Activision)

Minnesota Vikings Owners Jump on Esports Franchise Bandwagon

Owners of the Minnesota Vikings recently announced their acquisition of an esports franchise. The Wilf family is among a growing number of major league team owners looking to apply their sports franchise expertise to esports. The Wilfs signed an agreement with Activision Blizzard to launch a Minnesota-based Call of Duty […]