Despite a strong showing with their grand event in Los Angeles, the future appears bleak for NFL legend Tom Brady and Fanatics Flag Football. Brady and Fanatics collaborated to create the Fanatics Football Classic flag football event, which was originally slated to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the event was moved to LA. However, now things have taken a turn for the worse.

“EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Arabia’s funding for Fanatics and Tom Brady’s flag football event is in peril, sources tell FOS,” Front Office Sports reported via X before revealing what’s next for the event. “Fanatics still plans to produce the annual event, regardless of Saudi funding. The sides disagreed over March’s event relocation amid the Middle East conflict.”

The Fanatics Flag Football Classic was originally part of Riyadh Season and was set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia as a promotional vehicle for the country’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA). The event was moved to Los Angeles after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, leading to heightened military action in the Middle East. Despite the conflict, FOS claims, the Saudi Arabian officials were hoping to postpone the event, which didn’t align with Fanatics.

“Fanatics and Saudi Arabia officials were at odds about moving the event, with the latter preferring to postpone it and host it in Riyadh once the geopolitical situation cools down, sources said,” the report by FOS’s Ryan Glasspiegel added.

However, the event was relocated to the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, and garnered about 650,000 viewers on Fox. On the field, it featured current and former NFL players like Rob Gronkowski, Joe Burrow, and Jayden Daniels alongside content creators like IShowSpeed and Logan Paul and the USA Men’s Flag Football team, who won the classic.

But regardless of this success, there’s uncertainty surrounding the Fanatics partnership as Saudi Arabia is “reevaluating its spending priorities,” amid the ongoing military conflict, which has also significantly affected another major sport.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF to stop financial backing behind LIV Golf: Report

LIV Golf could lose the financial backing from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, as the league’s future has come under serious doubt. According to the Financial Times, the PIF is working towards cutting ties with the PGA rival, and an announcement on the future of the kingdom’s involvement in LIV will be made sooner rather than later.

“Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is on the verge of cutting its support for LIV Golf, in a move that would jeopardise the future of a multibillion-dollar project that sparked a civil war across the sport,” the report by Financial Times said. “An announcement on the future of the kingdom’s involvement in LIV, which has racked up huge losses since being set up five years ago, could come as soon as Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter.”

As the West Asian conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran continues, it could trigger a paradigm shift in the global sporting landscape, particularly with the Saudi Public Investment Fund influencing multiple ventures, including Fanatics’ flag football, on a global scale.