October 27, 2023

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When former U.S. president George W. Bush throws out the first pitch at tonight’s World Series Game 1, it will be not just a ceremonial act by a former politician, but a reminder of Bush’s unique position in baseball history. Bush was the Texas Rangers’ managing partner before venturing into politics, helping build the club’s former home, Choctaw Stadium, and he even sought to become MLB commissioner during the league’s tumultuous early 1990s era.

“Sometimes people who didn’t like George’s politics would say it was my fault he became president. History is funny like that sometimes,” former commissioner Bud Selig wrote in his 2019 memoir.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Silver Concerned About Young Fans Finding NBA Games [[link removed]]

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The collapse [[link removed]] of regional sports networks and accelerating cord-cutting [[link removed]] is impacting every major sports league, but the NBA believes its younger fan base has made the league’s situation even worse.

“We recognize that, in some ways, the decline of cable has disproportionately impacted the NBA,” [[link removed]]commissioner Adam Silver told [[link removed]] Yahoo Sports. “Our young audience isn’t subscribing to cable, and those fans aren’t finding our games.”

Silver’s comments arrive at a particularly delicate time for the league, which is now in the market [[link removed]] for a new set of domestic media rights deals at a reported goal [[link removed]] of $75 billion.

On a local level, teams such as the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns have already moved [[link removed]] to broadcast-based models due to the rapid changes in the RSN market. Many of the same issues the NBA is grappling with are also significantly coloring Disney’s ongoing search [[link removed]] for potential equity partners for ESPN, a key league partner.

To address the shifts, Silver said the next set of national rights deals will involve a mix of broadcast, cable, and streaming partners — reconfirming growing expectations in the market.

“There are still roughly 65 million homes in America that are consuming sports in a very traditional way, and even more people on network TV. Is that declining? Yes. Is that going away anytime soon? I don’t believe so. So we want to be on all those platforms,” Silver said.

Among the particularly notable streaming contenders for NBA rights is Amazon, which wants [[link removed]] to create a NBA version of its successful [[link removed]] “Thursday Night Football” offering — which draws an average viewer eight years younger [[link removed]] than the NFL’s linear average.

Rays Pressing For Quick Approval Of Stadium Deal [[link removed]]

Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

With a long-awaited stadium deal [[link removed]] now in place, the Tampa Bay Rays are pushing to start construction as soon as possible.

Appearing before the St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday, Rays co-president Brian Auld said the club aims to obtain all needed government approvals by March 2024 in order to preserve the planned spring 2028 opening of the new $1.3 billion ballpark.

“If we miss that opening date, this entire endeavor becomes impossible,” Auld said. “We cannot put these dates at risk along the way.”

The ballpark will be the centerpiece of a planned $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development in St. Petersburg’s Gas Plant District. The Rays will pay $700 million toward the stadium, as well as any cost overruns, while the public sector will contribute $600 million.

The stadium project presents a key test of the Rays’ ability to draw fans, particularly following historically low attendance totals [[link removed]] during the club’s brief playoff run this season.

Royals Angst

Another lower-revenue MLB club seeks to transform its situation with a new ballpark [[link removed]] — but the Kansas City Royals are again in the crosshairs of local angst surrounding planned public-sector contribution toward their proposed $2 billion new stadium.

After Jackson County, Missouri, executive Frank White was given a 48-hour deadline to respond to the Royals’ latest term-sheet offer, a memo obtained [[link removed]] by the Kansas City Star suggested the stadium will actually cost between $4.4 billion and $6.4 billion — much of it shouldered by taxpayers when including interest and insurance costs.

That report quickly generated a public rebuke from Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas.

“Nothing I have ever seen about a new Royals stadium even remotely suggests the cost will be between $4 billion and $6 billion,” Lucas posted [[link removed]] on X. “That would place it as one of the most expensive stadiums ever built in the history of the U.S. There are many reasons not to like a deal, but good-faith negotiations should be expected on the community’s behalf. I’m seeing anything but.”

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Real Madrid’s Borrowing Extends Financial Issues In Spanish Soccer [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

La Liga giants Real Madrid are looking to borrow $390 million from institutional investors, exacerbating some thorny financial issues at the top levels of Spanish soccer.

Just days after a new financial report from rival FC Barcelona revealed [[link removed]] mounting debt issues, Real Madrid is turning [[link removed]] to private debt markets to help finance a nearly complete renovation of its Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

The 75-year-old venue is in the midst of a series of upgrades, including an expansion of its seating capacity, a new facade, and an installation of a removable pitch to accommodate non-soccer events.

The club’s turn to private lenders is seen as a move to create more privacy and stability around the transaction, something other top European clubs have done, including Barcelona. Funds are set to be repaid from future ticket revenue.

Unlike Barcelona, Real Madrid has been able to stay profitable through the pandemic and since, reporting a $13.25 million after-tax profit in July for the 2022-23 financial year. The club, however, has also been at odds [[link removed]] with La Liga on behind-the-scenes media access that would have garnered the team an additional $14.2 million.

Real Madrid’s additional debt will require approval by club partners, and the matter has been put on the agenda [[link removed]] for a Nov. 11 meeting.

Conversation Starters Have you watched any NBA games yet? Vote in our poll [[link removed]]. Nearly every streaming service has hiked [[link removed]] its subscription costs over the past year. Andre Iguodala is retiring [[link removed]] from the NBA to focus on start-up investment — with the hopes of owning a team one day. Editor's Picks Wembanyama’s Debut Lands ESPN Major Opening-Night Audience [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]ESPN landed nearly 3 million viewers for Victor Wembanyama’s first game. Jason Kidd Joins Oakland Roots and Soul SC Ownership [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]The Dallas Mavericks head coach grew up playing soccer in Oakland. Senators’ Pinto First Modern NHL Player Suspended for Gambling [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Shane Pinto’s suspension is an NHL first since PASPA’s repeal in 2018. Join the NBA Action

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