The Pulse: Nov. 5, 2021

Edmonton-based The Nation Network (TNN), a once-struggling Oilers fan website that now boasts a roster of popular sports media products, has been sold in a deal that could reach $15 million to a company that has its eyes on the billions of dollars Canadians bet each year on their favourite teams.

The buyer, Toronto-based Playmaker Capital, bills itself as a "digital sports media company that lives at the intersection of sports, betting, media, and technology" that can "deliver highly engaged audiences of sports fans to sports betting companies, leagues, teams, and advertisers."

"We will be the independent source for sports fans in Canada to read up on their favourite teams and what the best bet of the night may be," Playmaker CEO Jordan Gnat said in a video following the Nov. 3 announcement of the purchase.

The deal breaks down into $6 million cash, another $6 million in shares, and up to $3 million for hitting financial targets over the next 12 months.

TNN properties have scored more than one billion page views since 2007 when co-founders Jay Downton and Clark Murray started it in protest over the Oilers trade of fan favourite Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders.

• The City of Edmonton's new anti-racism grant program is awarding nearly $215,000 to 16 non-profits combatting racism. The City is also amending the Public Places Bylaw to explicitly prohibit non-verbal forms of harassment.
• Over the past two weeks, Edmonton-area drivers have seriously injured four children, resulting in hospitalization: A driver hit a 15-year-old pedestrian in North Edmonton on Nov. 4; another driver hit two children in Sherwood Park on Nov. 3; and a school bus hit a 14-year-old in a west Edmonton crosswalk on Oct. 25.
• Edmonton-raised soccer star Alphonso Davies spoke to the Canadian Press about returning to his hometown with the Canadian men's soccer team to play in the World Cup Qualifiers at Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 12 and 16.
• After almost two years, Verte Homesteader neighbourhood park in northeast Edmonton has been fully reopened. The park and playground were fenced off in 2019 as a precaution against potentially contaminated soil from the former Domtar wood preserving plant.
• An Aurora Borealis display predicted for this week finally appeared on Thursday morning, and many spectacular pictures ensued.

NAIT's Mawji Centre for New Venture and Student Entrepreneurship strives to inspire entrepreneurial mindsets in students through mentorships, guest speakers, workshops, networking, and its business podcast Let's Do Coffee — which is officially back from its summer hiatus.

With three new episodes available so far, host Dale Schaub has interviewed local entrepreneurs and NAIT alumni Kyle Kulyk of Itzy Interactive Inc., Darryl Short of Karma Machine Manufacturing and Karma Medical Devices, and Bean Gill of ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre.

While business-oriented, the Mawji Centre and its programming is open to all NAIT students, regardless of their specialization.

New episodes of Let's Do Coffee come out every two weeks. You can enjoy a bi-weekly deep dive into Edmonton's entrepreneurial scene on the show's website, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

You can listen to podcast picks from Taproot on Listen Notes or Spotify.