August 29, 2024

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Shohei Ohtani is redefining MLB business and rewriting record books. The Dodgers star signed an expanded deal with Topps, and he and his dog, Decoy, stole the show at Dodger Stadium’s bobblehead night. We take a look at how Ohtani’s on-field feats and off-field moves are shaping the sport.

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

Shohei Ohtani Continues to Rewrite MLB Business and Record Books [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The on-field prowess, off-field business power, and cultural impact of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani seemingly knows no bounds.

As Ohtani, owner of the largest player contract in U.S. team sports [[link removed]], continued his bid to become MLB’s first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season, the phenom signed an exclusive, long-term deal with Topps. The Fanatics-owned company will have rights to Ohtani for autographs and game-used memorabilia cards, as well as cards focused on specific moments and achievements.

Ohtani had already been aligned with Topps since early 2018, but the latest pact expands that relationship to include cards and exclusive rights to have on-card autographs and game-used memorabilia within cards.

“With this new, exclusive deal, Topps will continue to be innovative in our offerings with him, giving collectors product that’s never before seen in the hobby, all the while bringing them closer to this once-in-a-lifetime player,” said David Leiner, Fanatics Collectibles president of trading cards.

Ohtani is the heavy odds-on favorite [[link removed]] to win the National League Most Valuable Player award. MLB’s other megastar, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, holds an even larger edge in the American League. That presents something of a good news–bad news situation for the league. The sport’s two biggest stars are both in the midst of potentially historic seasons, but in the eyes of some executives, the face of baseball doesn’t go much deeper than that.

Most recently, Mets president of business operations M. Scott Havens said at the FOS Huddle in the Hamptons event that MLB has not sufficiently marketed its player talent [[link removed]], particularly those beyond Judge and Ohtani.

Next year, Ohtani is slated to resume his status as a two-way player. This season, he has been a designated hitter only and pitching has been on hold while he recovers from an elbow injury.

Even as nearly all of Ohtani’s $70 million annual salary is deferred [[link removed]], his overall earnings are unrivaled in MLB [[link removed]] thanks to a large collection of endorsements and marketing deals, now supplemented by the Topps pact.

Bobblehead Mania

Ohtani and his dog, Decoy (above), meanwhile were featured Wednesday night in a bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, with the two presented in a special gold motif [[link removed]]. The massive popularity of Ohtani, and bobbleheads generally, prompted fans to begin lining up about 14 hours before first pitch to be among the first 40,000 in attendance and get the giveaway. Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch of the game to Ohtani.

As is often the case with MLB players on game days when they featured on a bobblehead giveaway, Ohtani was again a star for Los Angeles during the team’s 6–4 win over the Orioles, homering and stealing two bases. The game drew an attendance of 53,290 as the team extended its league-leading status in that category. Bidding for the Ohtani-Decoy bobblehead, meanwhile, approached $2,000 each in many instances on eBay early Thursday, with some listing prices running well into five figures.

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Tom Brady’s Raiders Stake Bid Keeps Getting More Complicated [[link removed]]

Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been more than 15 months since news broke that Tom Brady (above, right) had reached a deal to acquire a minority stake in the Raiders from team owner Mark Davis (above, left). But fellow NFL owners have been slow to approve the purchase, which keeps hitting speed bumps.

This week, at the special owners meeting in Minnesota that saw the league approve private equity investment [[link removed]] in franchises, the 32 clubs also received an update on Brady’s bid for a piece of Las Vegas.

With Brady’s pending deal to become a Raiders limited partner, he will face severe restrictions in his new role [[link removed]] as the lead NFL game analyst at Fox Sports, as first reported by ESPN. Even before a potential deal is approved, he will be prohibited from taking part in basic analyst duties like attending broadcast production meetings with coaches and players as well as watching practices, among other non-media-related limitations.

Fox signed Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract [[link removed]]. Now he’ll have an extra challenge to make that payday worthwhile.

What Happens in Vegas …

This week’s news is just the latest in the complicated saga surrounding Brady’s attempt to become part of the Raiders ownership group.

Initially, NFL owners balked at the discounted price [[link removed]] Davis was willing to give Brady—potentially up to 70%—in exchange for between a 5% and 10% stake in the franchise. At the time, Las Vegas was valued at $6.2 billion. In July, Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Seymour was said to be partnering with Brady to purchase a stake in the Raiders, per ProFootballTalk [[link removed]].

NFL owners have fall meetings scheduled in Atlanta in October. They could potentially take a vote on approving Brady’s bid then. Or, it could continue to remain in limbo as it has been for more than a year.

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Front Office Sports and Upper Deck have joined forces to celebrate the nostalgia of sports, shining a spotlight on the childhood inspirations, career influences, and life milestones of the world’s most notable athletes.

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ESPN to Broadcast US Open Tennis Through 2037 [[link removed]]

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN announced Wednesday it has signed a new 12-year deal with the United States Tennis Association to be the exclusive American broadcaster of the US Open through 2037. It’s the network’s longest tennis-rights agreement.

The agreement is estimated by The Athletic to be worth $2.04 billion throughout the entire term [[link removed]], averaging $170 million annually. The pact also includes a notable production shift in which the USTA will take over host production duties and oversee the feed for international rights holders, allowing ESPN to shift resources more toward the primary U.S. coverage. ESPN also gains some rights to sublicense content from the tournament’s first week to other broadcasters.

Throughout the past nine years, the US Open has become a fixture of ESPN’s late-summer programming, drawing record-level ratings and even rising to a fulcrum of carriage negotiations between the network and major distributors.

The deal, which came together just after this year’s tournament began, starts in 2026 and includes expanded streaming coverage to start that year, which gives ESPN “flexibility to roll out additional ways for fans in the U.S. to consume US Open content.” The deal will also include “availability of all play across all courts daily.”

That sounds quite similar to what NBC’s Peacock offered [[link removed]] during the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it likely could involve ESPN’s planned flagship app, which will offer all ESPN channels as well as ESPN+ [[link removed]], in one new bundle.

Rosalyn Durant, ESPN EVP of programming and acquisition, revealed the deal to the reporters present at ESPN media day, as the latest sign of the network’s commitment to women’s sports. “I talked earlier about our continued commitment to women’s sports,” she said. “Tennis is one of those categories—one of those sports that lends itself to that naturally, and we are proud of what they’ve accomplished. We’re proud to be part of their story, and very excited for this to be our longest-term tennis agreement.”

This year’s US Open has a $75 million prize pool [[link removed]], up 15% from last year, and the largest pot for any individual event in tennis history. The men’s and women’s champions will each earn $3.6 million, a 20% spike over the prior year.

The final Grand Slam of the year has also set attendance records with 216,029 fans attending Fan Week last week, while 74,641 attended Monday’s official opening day—the most for a single day in tournament history.

And as for sipping on the sidelines, the cost of the iconic Honey Deuce drink is up to $23 [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys ⬆ The franchise became the first professional sports franchise to breach a $10 billion valuation [[link removed]], according to Forbes. Despite not winning a Super Bowl since 1996, Dallas has topped the list for the last 18 years, and it is worth $2.5 billion more than the second-place Rams.

New York City ⬇ Foot Locker announced it’s moving its company headquarters [[link removed]] out of the Big Apple and down to Florida due to rising costs. The sneaker retailer is expected to make the complete move by the end of 2025, and its CEO notes employees won’t be required to relocate.

Dick’s Sporting Goods ⬇ The retailer said in an SEC filing [[link removed]] Wednesday it faced a cyberattack Aug. 21 when an unauthorized third party gained access to its systems, including some confidential information. The retailer said it does not expect the attack to have a material impact on its business. The company’s Q2 earnings call is scheduled for Sept. 4.

Steph Curry ⬆ The Warriors and their superstar agreed to a one-year extension worth $62.6 million, which will take effect in the 2026–2027 season. Curry, 36, has three years on his deal now worth a total of $178 million. Golden State could not extend Curry any longer than this deal because of the collective bargaining agreement’s over-38 rule, which prohibits a player who is at least 38 years old from signing a contract worth four years or more.

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