Jones, Morris among the principals
A new organization called The Curling Group has agreed to assume ownership and operations of the Grand Slam of Curling event series after the conclusion of the current 2023-24 season.
The joint announcement came today in conjunction with Sportsnet, which has owned and operated the series since 2012.
The sports broadcaster will continue as the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of the series.
The Curling Group is a new sports business venture led by sports, media, and entertainment industry veterans Nic Sulsky and Mike Cotton, along with former NFL star Jared Allen and two-time Olympic champion competitor John Morris.
A number of elite international curlers, including legend Jennifer Jones, are also working alongside the group as strategic advisors.
“The iconic Grand Slam of Curling is the world’s only international curling event series, and we are excited to build on its legacy as we write curling’s next rockin’ chapter,” said Nic Sulsky, CEO, The Curling Group in a news release. “Our mandate is to take professional curling to the next level, delivering a reimagined, premium experience that will enhance curling’s engagement opportunities for the athletes, sponsors, and most importantly the sport’s global fanbase.”
“This partnership will help grow the sport while allowing Sportsnet to do what we do best—provide fans a world class broadcast and the most in-depth curling coverage,” said Rob Corte, VP of Production, Sportsnet. “The Curling Group is fully invested in taking the Grand Slam of Curling to the next level and we look forward to growing curling together for years to come.”
The Grand Slam of Curling is an elite series of curling events that feature the top men’s and women’s teams from across Canada and around the world, with at least $2 million in total prize money up for grabs each season.
The inaugural seasons of the Grand Slam series (2001-11) were owned by Insight Sports under license to IMG Canada. Sportsnet was the founding broadcaster, with play-by-play man Rob Faulds anchoring coverage for 25 years.
"The Grand Slams have been an integral part of the curling season for us athletes ever since I started competing on tour over 20 years ago, providing a platform for the world’s best curlers to improve their game under high-stakes pressure,” said Morris, who retired from high performance competition after losing the final of the Slam’s 2022 Champions Cup to Brad Gushue.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be part of the next stage of the Slams, as we look to expand the sport globally and provide a unique curling experience that fans will not soon forget."
The 2024-25 Grand Slam of Curling season will continue with four events already announced—Charlottetown, PEI, Nisku, Alta., St. John’s, NL and Guelph, Ont.—and with at least one more event announcement expected in the coming weeks. The Curling Group will oversee operations while Sportsnet will air the tournaments at a predicted five locations.
The final event of the 2023-24 Grand Slam of Curling series, the Princess Auto Players’ Championship, is now underway at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, with a repeat of the recent world men’s championship final—Niklas Edin versus Brad Gushue—taking place on Tuesday night. Sportsnet’s exclusive TV coverage and streaming begins Thursday, Apr. 11 on Sportsnet, Sportsnet ONE, and via live stream on Sportsnet+.
Strategic advisor to The Curling Group, Jennifer Jones, is competing in the Princess Auto Players’ Championship this week, her last competition before retirement. Jones lost her first match to Sweden’s Isabella Wraana by a 9-2 count on Tuesday.