The Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2024 revenue outlook remains unsettled: The club describes itself as a “free agent” with regard to its local media rights, and the team is still searching for a long-term facility solution while playing in 26-year-old Chase Field.

But that isn’t stopping the Diamondbacks from planning on record payroll spending.

The defending National League champions are projected to dish out at least $162 million in total 2024 payroll, up 13% from 2023’s $143 million and 66% from 2022’s $97.8 million.

The forecast also shows an unusual level of optimism compared to some other smaller-market MLB franchises. While clubs such as the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers are grappling with their own revenue impacts, particularly those related to local media, the Diamondbacks are looking to expand on their unexpected 2023 success, recently acquiring third baseman Eugenio Suarez and pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez.

“We’d like to think we can have greater revenue streams going into next season, when more people want to come out and watch our team play,” Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick said. “And we’re going to reinvest. The Diamondbacks are going to go on the field [in 2024] with the highest payroll in the history of the team.”

The Diamondbacks were the second MLB club to turn to the league to produce and distribute its games locally as the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy continues. That situation could extend into 2024, but the club is also considering an over-the-air model not unlike its pro sports neighbors, the Arizona Coyotes and Phoenix Suns.

No Shade In Dodger Blue

The Diamondbacks continue to compete in the NL West against the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of 10 of the last 11 division titles and now buttressed by two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani. But Kendrick said the rival club is not doing anything improper with its unprecedented $680 million in contract deferrals.

“They’re playing by the rules,” Kendrick said. “They got a great player who is going to be an addition that makes them more competitive. But the economics are not so titled in a way that puts them at an incredible advantage over us.”

France could soon turn to tactics often seen in American stadium financing and in pro team expansion derbies in order to lure some of the world’s biggest sports organizations.

At the behest of president Emmanuel Macron, the French government is considering an amendment to its 2024 budget that would not only exempt sports organizations that relocate to the country from a series of corporate, property, and income taxes, but also extend many of the same benefits to employees of those entities.

The tax benefits would apply to a wide series of sports organizations, including more than 30 international federations recognized by the IOC. But there is a particular prize on the minds of French legislators: FIFA.

The politicians would like to see the global soccer governing body shift its headquarters from Zurich to France, where FIFA was based from its 1904 formation until 1932.

A relocation from Zurich has been openly considered for several years as the organization has struggled with regaining public trust globally while situated in a locale known for corporate secrecy. Most recently, FIFA opened a permanent office in Miami, designed in part to administer the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, as well as to take advantage of the burgeoning American soccer market.

Local Debate

Similar to other instances of public stadium financing that have roiled U.S. locales, the developing French legislative effort comes with its own heavy dose of criticism. Opponents argue the measure is misplaced given the numerous social needs in the country. France in particular has faced widespread protests recently over a lift in the country’s retirement age.

Prominent French newspaper Le Monde devoted an editorial earlier this fall toward blasting the proposal, which it called “a political blunder” that would see the country “enter a race to the bottom.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs have overtaken the top spot for individual NHL franchise values, at least by one important metric. A new list from Forbes estimates the Maple Leafs to be worth $2.8 billion, surpassing the $2.65 billion New York Rangers. 

Toronto’s value increase (Forbes says it went up 40% year-over-year) comes thanks, in large part, to a stake sale completed last month by the team’s parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. The entity also owns the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, MLS’s Toronto FC, the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, and Scotiabank Arena. 

The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) paid $400 million for an indirect 5% stake in MLSE. (That stake sale had to be approved by the NHL, NBA, MLS, and CFL. It was said to be related to estate planning for the 78-year-old Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of MLSE.)

The Maple Leafs are one of the NHL’s Original Six franchises but haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967. In recent years, the team has made seven consecutive trips to the postseason. Forbes pegged annual revenue around $110 million.

Best Of The Rest

Five of Forbes’s six most valuable teams are members of the Original Six. After Toronto and New York, the Montreal Canadiens ($2.3 billion), Los Angeles Kings ($2 billion) — the non-member here — and Boston Bruins ($1.9 billion) round out the top five. The Chicago Blackhawks ($1.8 billion) are sixth, while the Detroit Red Wings ($1.2 billion) are 15th.

The most recent NHL club to be sold outright, the Ottawa Senators (for a record $950 million), are No. 24 on the Forbes list.

The University of Kansas has big plans for the future of its football facilities, but its ambitious goals might bring some unwelcome issues next season.

A multiphase $448 million renovation of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium may cause more disruption than originally anticipated and potentially force the Jayhawks to play home games next fall at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. KU chancellor Douglas Girod confirmed to the Lawrence Journal-World that the school has had some preliminary discussions with Arrowhead officials about using the stadium. 

Coming off an 8-4 season that earned them a berth in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against UNLV on Dec. 26, the Jayhawks were already planning to reduce capacity at the 47,000-seat stadium in 2024. But now they’re concerned that playing games there next season would delay construction enough to miss the school’s goal to finish before the 2025 season.

More Like Road Games

Girod believes that playing at Arrowhead is KU’s best alternative, if necessary, despite the potential negative impact it would have on local vendors and overall game attendance due to its inconvenient location, approximately an hour’s drive from campus. But for that to happen, they still need the Chiefs on board, and that’s not a given. 

The Jayhawks’ full schedule isn’t out yet, but they do have home games scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 14, 2024, which could create a conflict. The NFL schedule won’t be released until May. In any case, adding six more football contests would put a noticeable strain on Arrowhead’s natural grass surface.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Acrisure Stadium, which is also home to the Pitt Panthers football team, is often criticized for its field conditions. Elsewhere the University of South Florida is building a $340 million stadium on campus so it can stop playing games at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium.