PLL Lands Record $100M Round with Glen Powell, Rob Mac
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- The Premier Lacrosse League closed a $100 million Series E round led by Ares and Joe Tsai, which the league calls the largest capital raise in pro lacrosse history
- Glen Powell and Rob Mac (who filed to legally change his surname from McElhenney) are among the celebrity investors; Powell will serve as a creative advisor on storytelling, brand strategy, and creative development, and will help expand the PLL and WLL to Texas
- ESPN made a new minority equity investment after first taking a stake in 2025, while Jim Miller, Co-Head of Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment, will join the PLL's board of directors
- The proceeds will fund media distribution and original storytelling, sponsorship and commercial partnerships, deeper investment in the Women Lacrosse League, and broader access to youth lacrosse, arriving ahead of lacrosse's inclusion in the 2028 LA Olympics
- PLL co-founder Paul Rabil pointed to Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac's Welcome to Wrexham/Wrexham AFC story as the pop-culture crossover model lacrosse is pursuing, saying the sport wants its own 'Mighty Ducks moment'
- Additional investors include country artist Warren Zeiders, actor Tony Cavalero, Creator Sports Capital, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett's Next 3, FirstTracks Sports Ventures, Bolt Ventures (David Blitzer's), Jed Hart, West End Investment Management, James Young, and Chris Shumway, with the Raine Group serving as financial advisor
Why it matters: With Ares and Joe Tsai anchoring the round, the PLL has secured its largest institutional backing yet, pairing it with celebrity storytelling power — Powell as creative advisor and Mac importing his Wrexham playbook — to convert 2028 Olympics buzz into a durable mainstream fan base. Powell's Texas expansion mandate also signals a geographic bet beyond traditional lacrosse hotbeds.
