July 18, 2024

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MLB approaches the second half of the season with gains recorded in attendance and television viewership, building on increases seen last year. … The College Football Playoff is holding the line on making any more immediate changes. … Another teen phenom joins the ranks of MLS, and the latest one is the youngest yet. … Plus: More on the WNBA, 777 Partners, pickleball, and the Las Vegas Aces.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

MLB Attendance and Ratings on the Rise at Midway Point [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

MLB is entering the second half of its season with a solid dose of business momentum that not only has retained the historic gains of a year ago but also in many respects adds to them.

The league and national media partner Fox Sports registered [[link removed]] an average audience of 7.6 million viewers for Tuesday’s All-Star Game across the network’s platforms, a 6% gain from a year ago and retaining the game’s status as the most-watched All-Star event in all of U.S. pro sports. Perhaps even more notably, Pittsburgh was the game’s top individual market for the first time in nearly five decades, said [[link removed]] network executive Michael Mulvihill.

That turnout in the Steel City was no doubt burnished by the frenzy [[link removed]] around heralded Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes, who started the game for the National League and has rapidly become one of the game’s top stories.

The All-Star Game viewership, however, is just one metric in a series of gains thus far this season for the league. Among the others:

Attendance: The league is averaging 28,805 tickets sold per game, up nearly 1% from a year ago. But critically for the league, the slight increase retains all of the 9.6% boost [[link removed]] from 2023 that was fueled heavily by the successful introduction of MLB’s pitch clock. The league is also doing so despite the soon-relocating A’s averaging a paltry 7,731 per game, a figure just 60% of MLB’s second-worst home draw, the Marlins. National TV ratings: ESPN and Fox are posting [[link removed]] gains for their MLB coverage, with ESPN up by 6% to an average of 1.59 million per game, and Fox is enjoying a similar 7% bump to an average of 1.98 million per game. The draft: MLB’s efforts [[link removed]] to put more attention on its draft, and its young talent more broadly, are paying off as the first-round coverage on ESPN and the MLB Network drew a combined average audience of 863,000. While still a fraction of the comparable numbers for the NFL and NBA, the figure was still up by 16% from a year ago and the event’s second-best figure on record. Remaining Hurdles

Even with those results, MLB still has a series of pressing issues, as it did at the start of the season [[link removed]], including the near- and long-term future [[link removed]] of the A’s, the rebuked Nike-designed uniforms now being corrected [[link removed]], the status [[link removed]] of the bankrupt Diamond Sports Group, and growing economic imbalance within the game.

Monday’s Home Run Derby, meanwhile, posted an average audience of 5.45 million, an 11% drop and that competition’s worst mark since 2014. The viewership decrease arrived as an adjusted competitive format [[link removed]] did not deliver the excitement this event has seen in prior years.

Regular-season MLB play will resume Friday with 14 games.

College Football Playoff’s Next Era: Why Further Expansion Is on Hold [[link removed]]

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

As the fall approaches, the first season with an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is just around the corner. But earlier this year, before this new era began, talk of the playoff growing to 14 or even 16 schools consumed [[link removed]] the sport.

The format’s evolution is accompanied by another changing of the guard, too. Last month, Rich Clark officially took over as the executive director of the CFP, as Bill Hancock stepped down. Clark, most recently a superintendent for the Air Force, has been revealing his outlook for the CFP while making the rounds at various conference football media days, last week with the Big 12 [[link removed]] and this week with the SEC.

Clark said despite the speculation, CFP leaders want to see how the inaugural 12-team field plays out before making more changes. “I would not make that assumption,” he said [[link removed]] Wednesday when asked about eventually growing to at least 14 teams.

For now, fans shouldn’t expect any significant developments until next year. “After the playoff is concluded, we’re going to look back and see what worked, what didn’t, and how can we make it better,” Clark said. “Especially in the early days, I think it’s important for us to be open-minded and not take things off the table … and not lock ourselves into anything.”

ESPN is paying [[link removed]] $7.8 billion for CFP media rights through 2032, but it is sublicensing [[link removed]] some games to TNT Sports for an undisclosed sum. Further expansion could give even more broadcasters an opportunity to hop on the playoff bandwagon.

Coastal Conflict

The ACC’s media days don’t start until next week, but the conference has been making headlines this week. There are more developments surrounding legal action associated with Florida State’s and Clemson’s attempts to potentially find new homes without paying exorbitant exit fees of hundreds of millions of dollars.

In an effort to squash a lawsuit [[link removed]] from Florida attorney general Ashley Moody, the ACC has agreed [[link removed]] to share a redacted version of its ESPN media-rights contract with Moody’s office. The documents will still not be available to the public, though.

A ‘Political Win’

So, is this a win for FSU, the ACC, or a moot point?

“The ACC’s decision to provide the Florida attorney general with its media contracts may seem like a big win for FSU,” says Front Office Sports college expert Amanda Christovich. “But in reality, it won’t change much—the actual media contract has always been available to FSU to view and is part of the lawsuit for the school to leave the conference. Mostly, it’s a political win for AG Ashley Moody, who clearly wants to appear to be supporting her local schools in their conference realignment endeavors.”

The legal rift will no doubt be a major talking point next week in Charlotte at the ACC’s first media days as a 17-team conference, with the addition of Cal, Stanford, and SMU.

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ONE BIG FIG Teen Prodigy’s Debut

Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports

14 years, 293 days

Age of Cavan Sullivan (above), the youngest player in MLS history, breaking a 20-year record held by Freddy Adu, who was 14 years and 306 days old in his 2004 debut with D.C. United. The American wunderkind entered in the 85th minute of the Union’s 5–1 win over the Revolution on Wednesday, and he recorded a shot on goal in the 93rd minute that was saved by goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič.

Sullivan signed with Philadelphia in May, though he joined the organization’s youth academy in 2020 when he was just 10. His Union contract includes a stipulation that the team would transfer him to Manchester City after he turns 18, which will be Sept. 28, 2027.

STATUS REPORT One Up, Two Down, One Push

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

WNBA ⬇ Sabrina Ionescu (above) and Caitlin Clark are not in the three-point contest at this weekend’s All-Star festivities despite being obvious viewership draws. Clark has continued to drive ratings records [[link removed]]; Ionescu, last year’s champion, is coming off her showcase with Steph Curry [[link removed]] during the NBA’s All-Star weekend in February. Ionescu and Clark rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in three-pointers made per game. It’s another example of how the WNBA has struggled to manage its All-Star events, as in 2022, the three-point contest and skills competition were not open to the public [[link removed]] in Chicago.

777 Partners ⬇ The London Lions, a basketball club that the U.S. investment firm purchased in 2020, is in jeopardy of closing down due to a winding-up petition raised by one of the team’s clothing suppliers, according to Bloomberg [[link removed]]. Several other unpaid suppliers were also reportedly present in the hearing Wednesday. It’s another knock on 777, which is already facing a fraud suit over its failed acquisition [[link removed]] of Everton.

Pickleball ⬆ The United Pickleball Association announced [[link removed]] that the recently merged [[link removed]] PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball will hold its first tournaments outside the U.S. The UPA International Championship Series will take place in Australia, India, Canada, Asia, and Europe in 2025.

Las Vegas Aces ⬆⬇ The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority paid over 240 influencers more than $2.2 million to promote the city since 2022, according to a report by 8NewsNow.com [[link removed]]. Those payments predate the $100,000 promise the LVCVA announced it would give Aces players in May, a deal that is under investigation [[link removed]] by the WNBA. It’s still unclear whether the Aces organization was involved in the deal between the LVCVA and its players.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS EVENTS

The Art of Investing

Front Office Sports is headed to the Hamptons on Aug. 2 for Huddle in the Hamptons [[link removed]]—bringing together business leaders in sports, entertainment, technology, and media for an afternoon of panels, networking, and racket sports.

Kicking off a series of intimate and engaging conversations, the day starts by diving into the Art of Investing with Wale Ogunleye, Midge Purce, and Jay Williams.

From start-ups to Fortune 500 board seats, opportunities exist for athletes at all company life-cycle stages. We assess these opportunities through the lens of the athlete entrepreneur as well as the businesses and advisers who make it happen.

To become a partner or learn more about the event, visit our website [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters There are 592 Team USA athletes set to be fitted for their Paris Olympics gear. Check out [[link removed]] how the items are stored. Speaking of Team USA’s threads: They range from polo shirts to sneakers, all sponsored by Nike. Take a look [[link removed]] at the apparel the athletes will receive. Randall Cobb, who said [[link removed]] he is “not officially retired,” is leaving the NFL and going straight to the SEC Network studio [[link removed]]. He played 13 years in the NFL, including 10 with the Packers. Editors’ Picks Loyal WNBA Fans Hit With Enormous Season-Ticket Price Hikes [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Some season-ticket holders are seeing their prices doubled. Caleb Williams’s Contract Requests Could Have Changed the NFL [[link removed]]by Dennis Young [[link removed]]Williams asked for several unusual clauses and tax dodges. NBA’s New Money Has Josh Hart Ready to ‘Play Until My Knees Fall Off’ [[link removed]]by Dennis Young [[link removed]]Hart and Jalen Brunson recently appeared on ‘Front Office Sports Today.’ Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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