The Baltimore Orioles’ deal with the Maryland Stadium Authority on a 30-year lease extension for Oriole Park at Camden Yards was designed to provide stability to a franchise surrounded for years by relocation rumors, ownership questions, and revenue concerns. Instead, the ongoing uncertainty surrounding those lease talks and the club’s future leadership has amplified the chaos. 

The MLB club and the state agency are hurtling toward a Dec. 31 deadline to turn a September memorandum of understanding into a finalized deal. The past weeks, however, have only reexposed the core debate that led to several years of negotiations.

In a move to meet that year-end deadline, the MSA began a push late last month to separate the lease for the publicly owned ballpark from a broader redevelopment plan for the Camden Yards area. The Orioles objected, preferring one larger deal, though it appeared last week there was agreement on a final pact in accordance with the prior MOU. 

But pushback from Bill Ferguson, the president of Maryland’s state senate, helped derail a planned announcement last week from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, sending negotiators back to the table. 

“Fundamentally, I believe that the long-term lease for use of the ballpark should not be conditioned on whether or not a private owner receives a 99-year ground lease to develop land owned by Maryland taxpayers,” Ferguson said.

Ownership Questions

The lease debate has also been joined by new questions as to who will own the Orioles during the next lease term. 

A recent Bloomberg report indicated that the family of current majority owner Peter Angelos had entered sale discussions with businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein. The Baltimore Banner reported that team chair and CEO John Angelos has since denied that story privately to Moore, but there has not been any public statement on the matter.

Lionel Messi’s first match with Inter Miami outside the U.S. could take place in Saudi Arabia when the club embarks on its debut international tour before the next MLS season.

Inter Miami will play matches against Saudi Pro League sides Al-Hilal SFC on Jan. 29 and Al Nassr FC on Feb. 1, the latter pitting Messi against longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The stars faced off in a similar fashion earlier this year in Saudi Arabia when Paris Saint- Germain beat a conglomeration of the best players from Hilal and Nassr 5-4 in a match that saw goals from Messi, Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappe.

Both of Inter Miami’s games will take place at the 26,000-seat Kingdom Arena, meaning revenue generated from ticket sales could easily surpass $10 million, taking estimated ticket prices into account. However, specific financial terms of the deal weren’t released.

After the matches in Saudi Arabia, Inter Miami will continue on to Hong Kong, where the team will play a game against a collection of the best players from Hong Kong’s second-tier soccer league. The 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium will host the match on Feb. 4.

An Inter Miami announcement said more matches may be announced soon. Prior to the international tour, the club will travel to El Salvador to play that country’s national team on Jan.19, but it’s unclear whether Messi will suit up.

Take Two

Inter Miami’s international schedule is filling up fast after initial plans to take Messi abroad were foiled.

A two-game tour in China was canceled last month, just four days before it was set to begin. That tour’s promoter cited the recent death of former Chinese premier Li Keqiang in explaining the cancellation, but there were also unconfirmed reports of venue issues for the matches.

Two of the NBA’s longest losing streaks ever are prompting rather different responses from fans.

Despite landing French phenom Victor Wembanyama with the top overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Spurs have dropped 17 straight games, putting them firmly at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Detroit Pistons, meanwhile, have lost 20 straight, the latest on Monday night against NBA In-Season Tournament runner-up Indiana.

Detroit’s losing streak is now tied for the sixth-longest in league history. It’s also the longest since a 20-game Houston slide three seasons ago, and it’s tied for the longest for a team that started the streak with a winning record. San Antonio’s skid has also cracked the top 20 for a single season. 

Both slumps are also franchise records within a single season. But that’s where the similarities largely end.

Wemby Still Drawing Fans

Spurs supporters continue to flock to see Wembanyama, furthering the fan frenzy seen during the offseason. The team is averaging 18,289 attendees per game at the 18,418-seat Frost Bank Center, good for 13th in the league. Even with the losses, Wembanyama has starred personally, leading the team in points per game (18.8), rebounds (10.6), steals (1.2), and blocks (2.8).

The Pistons, conversely, rank 19th with an average of 17,795, filling 87.5% of seats at Little Caesars Arena, the third-worst percentage in the NBA. 

Resale ticket pricing further shows the divergence, with low-end, get-in pricing for many upcoming Spurs games beginning at $30, while Pistons tickets can easily be obtained for less than half than that. No-shows at Little Caesars Arena have become more common as the losses have accumulated.

Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf, believed to be worth more than $500 million, is certainly lucrative for the two-time major champion from Spain. But it’s also turning out to be a meaningful financial opportunity for several lower-ranked PGA Tour players, potentially worth tens of millions of dollars.

With Rahm, the No. 3-ranked golfer in the world, no longer eligible for PGA Tour events in 2024, several players are receiving newfound eligibility for tournaments throughout the season — none more profitable than the eight signature events that will pay out $160 million next year.

Mackenzie Hughes, whose career earnings total $14.4 million on the PGA Tour since 2017, finished last season at No. 51 in the Fedex Cup Standings. But with Rahm’s exit, Hughes moved to 50th, putting him in the field for all eight signature events. (He was previously eligible for just two.) Winners’ checks at those events range from $3.6 million to $4 million, and five offer guaranteed money because there’s no cut.

Rahm’s defection also put Alex Smalley into the field at the Genesis Invitational and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, giving him a chance to cash in at those signature events. It also gave Carl Yuan, who was 126th in the FedExCup Standings, full-year status on the PGA Tour.