October 6, 2024

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Good morning. Shohei Ohtani made his playoff debut Saturday and left an immediate impression in a win. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge and the Yankees won their first game. Nothing is assured in baseball, and the Padres took Game 2 against the Dodgers to even the series at a game apiece. But MLB’s dream scenario of a highly rated postseason featuring the game’s brightest stars is firmly in focus.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

MLB Poised for Huge Viewership Gains With Ohtani, Judge in Spotlight [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani played a huge role in a Game 1 victory for the Dodgers during his much-awaited playoff debut Saturday. MLB and its broadcast partners are poised to be big winners as well.

The viewership numbers for Ohtani’s playoff debut are expected to be announced Tuesday, sources tell Front Office Sports, but there are already indications why MLB, following a wild-card round that saw a 25% increase in viewership versus last year [[link removed]], should be celebrating.

For instance, the video of Ohtani’s first playoff home run [[link removed]] passed one million views in less than 24 hours on MLB’s YouTube channel, putting it in the top 20 most-viewed videos on the account over the last 12 months. On X, t he clip has nearly five million views [[link removed]], while no other post has more than 1.6 million views since the beginning of the playoffs.

The league is not shy about putting the spotlight on Ohtani, who went through his first six MLB seasons without sniffing the playoffs. MLB deputy commissioner Noah Garden admits to FOS that it’s “good and important” [[link removed]] for fans to see the two-time AL MVP on the postseason stage.

“Certainly having Ohtani on this stage is great for the game, great for the fans, and he’s having such a historic season,” Garden says.

The Padres won Game 2 of the best-of-five series against Ohtani and the Dodgers Sunday night.

MLB’s Recipe for Success

MLB is optimistic about the prospect of improved playoff viewership results following an 8% decline during last year’s postseason, capped off by the least-watched World Series in history [[link removed]].

But the Dodgers’ $700 million man isn’t the league’s only ingredient to a bounceback postseason.

Several big-market franchises are in contention to make deep playoff runs—including the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers. The Padres aren’t one of the league’s biggest markets, but the team has stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado—as well as a loyal fanbase, finishing fourth in attendance [[link removed]].

Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, the two players behind Ohtani on MLB’s list of highest-jersey sales, are also viewership attractions. Garden specified the presence of the former, who was also absent from last year’s playoffs.

“Judge is having as good a monster season as well, and we’ve got a lot of our amazing, young players in there, too,” Garden says. “We’re going to be showcasing our best players, that’s for sure.”

Several permutations could keep the league’s top stars and markets out of Fall Classic—baseball is an unpredictable sport and last year’s Diamondbacks-Rangers World Series was certainly unexpected—but there’s no denying what MLB’s best-case scenario is: a Dodgers–Yankees, Ohtani–Judge final.

Vanderbilt, Arkansas Face Six-Figure Fines After Huge Upsets [[link removed]]

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Vanderbilt and Arkansas came away with magical victories Saturday, but the schools will pay a hefty sum for their fans’ post-game celebrations.

On Saturday, the Commodores won 40–35 over top-ranked Alabama and the Razorbacks rallied to win 19–14 over No. 4 Tennessee—leading to both teams’ fans storming the field [[link removed]] and taking down goalposts in the process [[link removed]].

The SEC policy on storming the field [[link removed]], which was updated in June 2023, indicates Vanderbilt will be fined $100,000 for the incident at FirstBank Stadium, while Arkansas will face a $250,000 fine as a repeat offender.

A third offense would result in a $500,000 penalty under the new rules.

Under the old rules, the Commodores would have actually been fined $250,000—which was the price for a third offense—as its fans violated the rule in 2022 and early 2023. However, when the SEC unveiled its new rules, it instituted a clean slate for every school.

Worth the Fine

A $100,000 penalty doesn’t hit the same across SEC schools. If Alabama were fined, it would just be a drop in a bucket since the school spent over $80 million on its football program last season [[link removed]]. But it may sting for Vanderbilt, which had the conference’s lowest revenue figure last year [[link removed]].

Then again, a win like this doesn’t come often.

The Commodores were 23.5-point underdogs entering Saturday’s game. The win marked the school’s first victory over a top-five team.

At Arkansas, the top brass have already expressed the school’s openness to paying the fine for their students’ celebration.

“I think the AD’s gonna be mad. Maybe he won’t be. But right now I don’t care,” Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman told ESPN after the game.

When asked by CBS Sports [[link removed]] whether his team would be happy to pay the fine, AD Hunter Yuracheck responded, “Hell yeah!”

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NFL Eyes 18-Game Season, but Many Players Don’t Want It [[link removed]]

Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

The NFL may be years away from expanding its schedule yet again, but growing the regular season from 17 games to 18 appears to be only a matter of time.

As the 2024 season enters its second quarter, the physical tolls of playing football start piling up for stars, veteran journeymen, and rookies across the league. Injuries—from concussions and torn ACLs to ruptured Achilles’ heels—serve as a sobering reminder about the cost of competing in the NFL.

Viewership is soaring [[link removed]], though, and the NFL continues to find its way onto more non-traditional spots of the calendar [[link removed]]—potentially all the more reason for the league to make its season even bigger.

How We Got Here

Last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell once again alluded to an 18-game season—a common theme for him this year—saying it could be tied to playing as many as 16 international games [[link removed]] per season. Around the NFL draft back in May, Goodell made several public comments about wanting to turn one of the league’s three annual preseason games into a regular-season contest [[link removed]].

Achieving that goal won’t be easy, though. Many players, like Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, have suggested growing the season to 18 games, but only if teams get a second bye week [[link removed]].

That bargaining sentiment was echoed by anonymous players [[link removed]] in a recent poll conducted by The Athletic. When asked whether they were in favor of the NFL adding an 18th regular-season game, 59.3% of the 106 players who responded said no, 26.9% said yes, and 13.9% were undecided. Many respondents pointed to adding a second bye week as a nice exchange for a theoretical 18th game.

The NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2029 season. Any changes now or in the future would require high-level negotiations.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY FIFA Business Model Threatened

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A ruling by the EU Court of Justice declared FIFA bylaws related to player transfers illegal in the European Union. The decision could reshape global soccer. Ben Jacobs of GiveMeSport joins the show to explain the potentially massive implications.

Plus, Ironman Group CEO Scott DeRue joins to discuss how the company is working to grow one of the most intense competitions in existence as a participation and spectator sport.

Also, college football upsets ruled the weekend, Davante Adams creatively stoked trade intrigue, and Formula One and the Savannah Bananas are anticipating a spike in ticket sales.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

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ONE BIG FIG Major League Spectators

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

11 million

The total attendance figure MLS has eclipsed for the first time in history following Saturday’s 12-game slate. MLS still has another weekend of games to tack onto the final number. The previous record, set last season, was just over 10.9 million.

The league’s attendance has seen a boost over the last two years following the arrival of superstar Lionel Messi. However, Inter Miami sits just 17th in attendance, largely because its home, Chase Stadium, has a capacity of just 21,550. Inter Miami is expected to play in a new stadium in 2026—though its capacity will still be limited to only 25,000 seats. It’s also unclear whether Messi will still be around as his current contract expires after the 2025 season, with a player option to extend to 2026.

The four teams who averaged at least 30,000 fans this season—Atlanta, Charlotte, New England, and Seattle—can host a lot more fans, as they share home arenas with their city’s NFL teams.

Conversation Starters Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was a two-star recruit coming out of high school. On Saturday, he led the Commodores [[link removed]] to a 40–35 upset of Alabama. A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter recorded the view from above Kyle Field before Saturday’s game between Texas A&M and Mizzou. Check it out [[link removed]]. The Miami Heat officially revealed their new “fireball” scoreboard display, which comes with over 2,500 sq. feet of LED screens. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks MLB Gets the Shohei Ohtani Postseason Treatment. The Value Is Immense [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The Japanese superstar finally makes his playoff debut Saturday. ‘Sour Grapes’: Lawyers Battle Over Landmark Settlement to Pay College Athletes [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The House settlement, arguably already on the rocks, faces another objection. Where Is the Dang Game? Fragmentation Is Worse Than Ever [[link removed]]by Daniel Roberts [[link removed]]A correction is coming in the increasingly confusing landscape of live sports. Question of the Day

Would you rush the field after a huge win for your favorite school, knowing it would cost the program money?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Friday’s result: 30% of respondents find it difficult to watch the NHL (or hockey in general) on TV.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

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