Good Ol’ Saint Nick, when I was seven, came through with a purple stingray with a banana seat that I wished for, my first bicycle that was not a hand-me-down from my two older brothers. As magical as that morning was, however, my favorite Christmas is a tie between the last 25 or so thanks to you generous readers making “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive” an annual success.

“Life is hard enough,” noted Lauren Siegel, who donated 15 smiles this year, “without a kid having to worry if he or she has a ball to play sports with.” Others making life easier for local kids include…

Steve Askay donated five balls “in memory of my granddaughter Mabel” who tragically died in an accident at age 6, and Rebecca Fox gave three balls “in memory of our dear friend Doris Cowart who lived an amazing 101 years!”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — With Christmas Day finally here, it’s important for parents and gift-givers to double-check children’s toys and products on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) recall list.

These recent recalls, since December, cover a range of hazards, including choking, drowning, battery ingestion, lacerations, and exposure to toxic chemicals.

Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately and follow the specific instructions for refunds or repairs.

Toys and Children’s Products Recalls

1) Meaicezli Play Purse Sets

Hazard: Button cell and lithium coin batteries can be swallowed, causing serious injury or death.

Units: About 3,090

Remedy: Contact Angeer-US for a full refund; email a photo confirming disposal of the toy cell phone and writing tablet to meaicezli-services@outlook.com

2) KTEBO Writing Tablet Toys

Hazard: Button cell batteries are accessible, posing ingestion risk.

Units: About 10,380

Remedy: Stop use immediately and contact KTEBO for a free replacement; mark toys as “RECALLED” and submit photos to writing-tablet-recall@ktebo.com

3) Cubimana Building Toy Sets

Hazard: Accessible LED light batteries can cause serious injury or death.

Units: About 40

Remedy: Remove batteries and contact Vatos Toys for a full refund.

4) CreateOn Pip-Cubes

Hazard: Magnets can detach and cause serious intestinal injuries or death if swallowed.

Units: About 9,400

Remedy: Stop use and contact CreateOn for a replacement set; return the recalled cubes with pre-paid label.

5) SKCAIHT Children’s Costumes

Hazard: Contain prohibited phthalates, toxic if ingested.

Units: About 1,300

Remedy: Stop use and contact SKCAIHT Direct for a full refund.

6) Primark Little Bear 2-Pack Soother Clips

Hazard: Wooden button can detach, causing choking and lacerations.

Units: About 1,330

Remedy: Return to a Primark store for a full refund.

7) YCXXKJ Baby Bath Seats

Hazard: Unstable seats can tip, posing drowning risk.

Units: About 8,960

Remedy: Stop use and contact BenTalk for a refund; email photos of bath seats to bentalkhere@outlook.com

8) Uuoeebb Infant Walkers

Hazard: Can fall down steps or entrap child’s head.

Units: About 2,650

Remedy: Stop use, disassemble walker, and email photos to Uuoeebbrecalls@outlook.com

9) Little Pea Shop Crib Bumpers

Hazard: Obstruct infant breathing, risk of suffocation.

Units: About 300

Remedy: Remove bumpers and email photo of destroyed product to support@littlepeashop.com

Bicycles, ATVs, and Helmets Recalls

1) Pedego Fat Tire Trikes

Hazard: Frame can fracture, causing falls.

Units: About 400

Remedy: Contact Pedego to schedule a free frame repair.

2) Schwinn Ovation Bicycle Child Carriers

Hazard: Restraint buckles can release, posing a fall hazard.

Units: About 650

Remedy: Contact Pacific Cycle for a full refund.

3) Luyuan Youth ATVs (X-Pro Eagle & FRP Sahara 40cc)

Hazard: Suspension failure and laceration risk; risk of crash injury.

Units: About 2,290

Remedy: Stop use and contact Luyuan for free repair.

4) TREK Electric Bicycles

Hazard: Chainring bolts can loosen, causing crashes.

Units: About 700

Remedy: Stop use and schedule a free repair; $20 in-store credit offered.

5) Outdoor Master Children’s and Youth Helmets

Hazard: Do not meet safety standards; risk of head injury.

Units: About 24,300

Remedy: Stop use and contact Outdoor Master for full refund instructions.

Other Youth Products

1) HydroJug 14-Ounce Children’s Sport Tumblers

Hazard: Handles can detach, posing choking risk.

Units: About 17,000

Remedy: Contact HydroJug for replacement lid.

2) Primark Water Balloon Pumps

Hazard: Excessive pressure can cause rupture, risking injury.

Remedy: Stop use and return to Primark for refund.

For the full and up-to-date list of CPSC recalls, visit their website.

The D12 Youth Cheer team traveled to Kissimmee, Fla. from December 3 to 7 to compete in the American Youth Cheer (AYC) National Championship, representing their community on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Competing in the highly competitive D12 Large Level 3 category, the team delivered a strong and memorable performance against top programs from across the country.

Newtown’s squad took the mat on day one and the routine earned Newtown a coveted spot in the top five, advancing the team to Super Saturday, the final round of competition. After an exciting weekend of high-energy performances, the D12 Youth Cheer team finished fifth in their division nationally with a score of 90.18, an impressive achievement at the national level.

Members of the D12 Level 3 team are: Lillie Dougherty, Emmy Bell, Eve Ramsdell, Brielle Keil, Camryn Potter, Grace McCambley, Maggie Guman, Cecily Auresto, Teagan Conant, Brynn Clark, Natalie Patty, Ellie Veneziano, Hayden Salinger, Teagan Hufnagel, Eleanor Driscoll, Hannah Bowen, Avianna Leonardi, Brooke Duncan, Adina Fung, Sawyer Gottschalk, Victoria Maklyan, Sofia Reyes, and Trishelle Aubin.

In addition to the success of the D12 Youth team, there is immense pride in the 13 Newtown athletes who also competed at Nationals as members of the Shoreline D12 and D14 Elite teams. The Shoreline D12 Elite team placed third in their division and the D14 Level 3 Elite team placed fifth, further highlighting the strength, talent, and dedication of Newtown’s cheer athletes.

Members of the Shoreline Elite teams are: D14: Sawyer Gottschalk, Ellie Veneziano, and Hannah Bowen; and D12: Maddison Vaccaro, Hayden Salinger, Brielle Keil, Brynn Clark, Camryn Potter, Cecily Auresto, Eleanor Driscoll, Eve Ramsdell, Lillie Dougherty, and Victoria Maklyan.

Additionally, members of our D14 and D12 cheer teams will be extending their season into the winter months, competing in YCADA Global Cheer competitions from January through March.

Coaches, families, and supporters alike celebrated the athletes’ hard work, teamwork, and commitment that carried them from months of preparation to the national stage. Their performances in Kissimmee not only showcased athletic excellence but also represented their community with pride, sportsmanship, and heart.

Newtown’s youth cheerleaders had quite a showing at the National Championship. Pictured are, from left, front: Lillie Dougherty, Brielle Keil, Cecily Auresto, Aviana Leonardi, Brynn Clark, Teagan Hufnagel, and Maggie Guman; middle: Sofia Reyes, Hannah Bowen, Eleanor Driscoll, Ellie Veneziano, Sawyer Gottschalk, Victoria Maklyan, Evie Ramsdell, and Camryn Potter; and back: Teagan Conant, Grace McCambley, Adina Fung, Brook Duncan, Trishelle Aubin, Natalie Patty, Emmy Bell, and Hayden Salinger. —photo courtesy Amber Deamico

Flyer Brynn Clark, supported by bases Evie Ramsdell and Camryn Potter, along with Brielle Keil. —photos courtesy Kristen Keil

Flyers Teagan Hufnagel, Brynn Clark, and Lillie Dougherty.

Ellie Veneziano competes for Newtown.

Flyer Lillian Dougherty being supported by secondary flyer Hannah Bowen and bases Teagan Conant, Eleanor Driscoll, and Camryn Potter.

Newtown’s Shoreline Elite cheerleaders are, from left, front: Lillie Dougherty, Brielle Keil, Cecily Auresto, Brynn Clark, and Camryn Potter; and back: Hayden Salinger, Eleanor Driscoll, Ellie Veneziano, Sawyer Gottschalk, Hannah Bowen, Maddison Vaccaro, Evie Ramsdell, and Victoria Maklyan.

Sports team investments have received outsized attention in recent years, with dozens of new funds chasing market-beating returns in a category that is not correlated with most other assets.

But not all leagues are created equal and returns varied wildly in 2025. In the WNBA, the average franchise value rose 180% year-over-year, according to Sportico’s May WNBA valuations. On the other end, MLS team values ticked up only 6%, as the league grapples with generating more media revenue.

Here is a look at the eight sports entities Sportico valued in 2025 and what is fueling those changes. Leagues are ranked in order of the average team value. Sportico’s NWSL team valuations, which were delayed by a few months, will return in early 2026.

NFL ($7.13 billion)

Owners debated for several years about opening their league to institutional investors, and if they did, what it might mean for franchise values. The pro-PE crowd got its way in 2024, and a flurry of LP deals were inked over the next 12 months.

A half-dozen teams sold stakes at valuations of at least $8 billion, led by the Koch family’s purchase of 10% of the New York Giants at a valuation just over $10.5 billion. Almost no one thinks these LP deal values are at premiums to control ones, as can happen in startup leagues or with tiny stakes.

Sportico’s NFL valuations were led by the Dallas Cowboys at $12.8 billion, with the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 32 ($5.5 billion). The one-year average jumped 20%.

“Private equity represents a sea change for the NFL, and you have almost every team talking to the approved PE firms,” Jeffrey Kaplan, Andalusian Sports Advisors co-founder, told Sportico in August. “It makes a lot of sense for NFL teams to consider the role of minority private equity capital.”

NBA ($5.51 billion)

The average NBA franchise value is up 113% from 2022, as a half-dozen teams were sold since then at ever-escalating prices. The latest was Mark Walter’s $10 billion buy of the Los Angeles Lakers that blew past the previous record sale for any sports team. William Chisholm’s group bought the Boston Celtics months earlier in a deal that valued the first tranche at $6.1 billion.

The Golden State Warriors led Sportico’s NBA valuations for the fifth straight year at $11.33 billion—only the Cowboys rank higher among global sports franchises. The league’s “get-in” price is $4 billion, with the Memphis Grizzles at No. 30, and the average rose 20%, matching the NFL’s gain.

League revenue is projected to hit $14.3 billion during the 2025-26 season, up 12% from last season. It marks Year 1 of the new media contracts with Amazon, ESPN/ABC and NBC that will bump each team’s TV revenue from $103 million to $143 million. The payouts rise roughly 7% per year on average, resulting in each team on track for $281 million for the 2034-35 season, based on a 30-team league. Forty years ago, each NBA team received roughly $1.5 million from national TV.

Formula 1 ($3.42 billion)

The 10 teams on the grid in 2025 rose 48% in value and are now more than double Sportico’s 2023 F1 team valuations, when the average was $1.61 billion. Ferrari was on top for the third straight year at $6.4 billion, but Mercedes ($5.88 billion) and McLaren ($4.73 billion) closed the gap at the top with their values up 49% and 78%, versus 34% for Ferrari.

“It’s a great time to be in Formula 1, as I think the pie is growing for everyone,” Jefferson Slack, Aston Martin’s head of commercial operations, said in a November interview. “The sport is moving towards a very healthy ecosystem. I think it is already there.”

Control sales are rare in F1, with only 10 teams ahead of Cadillac’s entry in 2026, but teams have sold LP stakes in recent years that reflect investor appetite for the race series that has thrived under Liberty Media’s ownership and the introduction of cost caps. The biggest deal was CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz buying 5% of Mercedes from its CEO and principal Toto Wolff at a $6 billion valuation.

MLB ($2.82 billion)

The New York Yankees lead the way at $8.39 billion, but the Los Angeles Dodgers ($7.73 billion) have closed the gap between the sport’s two financial titans. The valuation gap was $2.1 billion in 2022, but was $660 million in Sportico’s 2025 MLB valuations.

In 2024, the Dodgers became the first MLB team to reach $1 billion in gross revenue, thanks to the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, a World Series run and the biggest TV deal in the sport. The only other sports teams in the world to hit that mark are the Cowboys and LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The Dodgers’ 23% increase and double-digit bumps for the Philadelphia Phillies ($3.39 billion) and San Diego Padres ($2.31 billion) drove the average value up 7%, but the gains aren’t consistent all the way down as the league grapples with a series of challenges that are intertwined with revenue disparity, media distribution and looming labor negotiations.

Global Soccer ($2.33 billion)

Sportico’s 50 most valuable soccer teams include 19 MLS franchises and 14 EPL clubs. Europe dominates the top of the financial table with six Premier League clubs in the top 15 and three each from LaLiga and Serie A. But MLS heavily populates the bottom 70% of the list, led by Los Angeles FC at No. 16.

The top 30 non-MLS teams were valued in May at $2.33 billion on average, with Real Madrid first at $6.53 billion, up 8% and ahead of Manchester United ($6.09 billion). Real Madrid is the first soccer club to generate €1 billion in operating revenue, and its fortunes soared with the five-year, $1.2 billion renovation of its Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Revenue multiples remain the standard by which most bankers value sports franchises. In MLS, teams are valued at an average of 9.4 times revenue, versus 4.9 times for the non-MLS teams in the top-50 list. Relegation risk and lack of restraints on player spending drive the discount.

Five of the top 15 clubs had an operating loss greater than $60 million combined during their past two seasons. PSG lost $60 million during the 2023-24 season, but it was better than the $117 million and $400 million shortfalls the previous two years.

NHL ($2.1 billion)

The good vibes between the NHL and its players union are in sharp contrast to the four work stoppages over the past two decades, including the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season. In June, the two sides ratified a new four-year labor deal, more than a year ahead of the expiration of the current CBA. The newfound harmony and hard salary cap are both notches in the league’s growth story.

The average NHL franchise was up 17% from 2024 by Sportico’s calculations. The total is more than double the $1.01 billion average in 2022. By comparison, the three-year change for the NBA is 83%, followed by the NFL at 72% and MLB lagging at 22%. The Toronto Maple Leafs rank first at $4.25 billion, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are No. 32 at $1.3 billion.

Among the five biggest North American sports leagues, a pair of NHL teams had the biggest valuation gains, as the Carolina Hurricanes ($1.92 billion, up 49%) and Florida Panthers  ($1.89 billion, up 51%) converted dominant on-ice results into thriving businesses.

MLS ($721 million)

MLS is facing an inflection point in several ways, with a critical 24 months ahead covering a trio of major areas. The 2026 World Cup offers an opportunity to convert more casual sports fans—and more serious American soccer fans—into MLS fans. The league will pursue this objective as it changes its playing schedule to match the FIFA soccer calendar. And top of mind for many teams is how to unlock more value from media, after the league cut its 10-year Apple deal short three-and-a-half years to end in 2029.

The average team value rose 6% in Sportico’s January MLS valuations, with LAFC at No. 1 and worth $1.28 billion. Yet, the gains are not shared equally. Six teams rose in value at least 10%, fueled by new stadium projects or thriving local businesses, while a dozen teams inched up 3% or fewer.

The average club rose 31% from Sportico’s first MLS valuations in 2021, while the least-valuable club rose 22% during that time. For comparison, the NBA get-in price is up 127%, versus 122% in the NFL and just 10% for MLB, the latter of which has been hampered by the melting regional sports network model. The NHL had the greatest growth for its club ranked last, up 159%.

Real Salt Lake is the only MLS team sold during the past four years, but three teams are currently on the market in the Vancouver Whitecaps, San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders.

WNBA ($269 million)

WNBA values rose 180% compared to 2024, which is more than double the previous biggest year-over-year gain for a major sports league—that happened when Steve Ballmer bought the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014 and drove NBA prices higher across the board.

The Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever had the biggest one-year value gain at 273%, ranking third overall with a $335 million valuation. The 2024 champion New York Liberty were second at $420 million, with the second-largest gain of 222%.

Meanwhile, the WNBA’s most valuable team didn’t play its first game until 2025. The Golden State Valkyries led our May WNBA team valuations at $500 million, a 10x return from the expansion fee Golden State Warriors ownership, led by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, agreed to pay in October 2023.

Lacob and Guber bought the Warriors in 2010 for $450 million, and it took nine years for the franchise value to rise 1,000%. For the Valkyries, it was less than two years.

WOBURN – During their last meetings of 2025, both the City Council and School Committee observed moments of silence to reflect on the loss of beloved youth sports advocate, educator and family man Joseph Crowley, who served for nearly four decades on the city’s School Committee between 1970 and 2011.

Crowley, a lifelong city resident who ran a flourishing real-estate business until his retirement, passed away peacefully earlier this month at age 86. He leaves behind his wife, Audrey, his two daughters, and five grandchildren who his closest relatives say were showered with the family patriarch’s “unfettered adoration.”

In a particularly moving moment, current School Committee Chair Ellen Crowley, who has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a staunch advocate for the city’s children, led the brief remembrance for her dad at the outset of last week’s meeting in the Joyce Middle School.

“Joe was a teacher at the Kennedy Junior High in the 1960s and served on the Woburn School Committee for 38 years from 1970 to 2011. And through this experience, he became a backbone to the committee in this very room that we’re standing here now,” said the School Committee chair, whose voice crackled with sorrow after getting through all but the last sentence of her statement with a calm poise.

“Good job, Ellen,” School Committee veterans Michael Mulrenan and Patricia Chisholm – both of whom served with her father – would later say encouragingly.

A father-of-two who was married for 51-years to lifelong resident Audrey (Devlin) Crowley at the time of his passing, Crowley became active in youth sports in his 20s, when he coached local Little League and Pop Warner teams. The former middle school educator, who also taught in neighboring Winchester, is also the founder of the city’s flourishing Woburn Youth Hockey program.

Earlier this month, during the City Council’s most recent meeting in City Hall, Ward 7 Councilor Charles Viola noted that many local citizens can attest to the impacts the middle school math teacher had on their early lives while playing sports.

“Today, we pause to remember a community pillar and lifelong resident of Woburn, Joe Crowley,” said Viola. “People often say that Joe was a positive impact in their lives from playing sports for him. Joe was instrumental in organizing Woburn Youth Hockey when the hockey program was just getting started.”

“Joe went on to become an educator and finally ran for School Committee in 1969 and sat on the School Committee for 38 years. One could say that Joe was the backbone of the School Committee,” the West Side official added.

Notably, the veteran School Committee member before stepping down from the education board in 2011 was a major proponent of establishing “school parity” across the district by ensuring that all of the city’s children were learning in modern-day facilities and supported the first wave of school construction projects in the city that resulted in most elementary facilities and a new high school being built.

Named chairman of the local education board on 10 separate occasions during his tenure, the former Woburn Recreation Commission member always treated the business before the School Committee with the utmost seriousness. However, he was never beyond having a good laugh with colleagues.

In one such humorous exchange during his final official meeting on the School Committee back in December of 2011, his peers – known for ribbing the “elder” statesman about his age – carefully positioned a box of tissues in front of Crowley’s microphone in case he got too “choked up.”

“Looking back, it occurred to me that I may never have publicly thanked my family, especially my wife Audrey, for putting up with all the missed dinners and events, phone calls, late meetings, and interrupted vacations and for all the support and encouragement she and my daughters gave me over the years,” the Boston College alumnus would later say before that final meeting adjourned. “Of all the boards that I’ve served on, I consider this present group to be one of the best. We have our debates and different opinions, and sometimes even a snit or two, but we usually reach a consensus and come together as one voice to do what’s best for those 4,000-plus students who depend on us.”

Crowley’s funeral was held at St. Charles Church on Dec. 15 and he was later laid to rest at Woodbrook Cemetery. Those who wish to make a remembrance in his honor are asked to make donations to the Woburn Community Education Foundation or Woburn Historical Society.

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