October 17, 2024

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MLB has set a record for Japanese viewership of a postseason game, as the country overcomes a 16-hour time difference to follow Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. While the record was expected, the sheer scale of Japanese viewership for Dodgers games has been awe-inspiring.

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

MLB Playoffs: Japan Outpaces U.S. in Viewership As Ohtani Mania Reigns [[link removed]]

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The 2024 Major League Baseball postseason has been a viewership hit domestically. Now, it’s becoming clear how big a deal it is internationally, too.

The league said Thursday that the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Padres played Oct. 11 drew an average audience in Japan of 12.9 million viewers. The figure—easily surpassing a comparable U.S. average of 7.5 million for the elimination contest [[link removed]]—set a new high as the most-watched MLB postseason game in Japan. The Japanese figure also surpassed television ratings from the last three times the league has played in Tokyo.

Game 1 of the Dodgers-Padres NLDS series, marking the MLB postseason debut of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, drew an average audience of 9.1 million, a figure roughly tripling the comparable U.S. figure of 3.1 million [[link removed]].

Those totals are happening despite a 16-hour time difference between Tokyo and the U.S. West Coast that results in many games being shown in Japan’s morning hours. In addition to the time difference, Japan is also outdrawing the U.S. in some MLB playoff viewership despite the obvious North American base of the league and a U.S. population size that is nearly three times the size of Japan’s.

Capitalizing on a Legend

The key driver of the robust numbers, of course, is the presence of Japanese-born Ohtani in the playoffs [[link removed]] for the first time in his MLB career. Before the playoffs started, the league made that milestone a focus of its international marketing, as well as Ohtani’s historic season as MLB’s first player with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases [[link removed]] in a season.

In particular, the league constructed 113 billboards in Tokyo [[link removed]] depicting each one of those homers and steals. Beyond Ohtani, though, the Dodgers-Padres NLDS series also featured a Game 5 pitching clash of San Diego’s Yu Darvish and Los Angeles’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto, marking the first postseason starting-pitching matchup of all Japanese-born players.

The international viewership also builds on strong U.S. results for the playoffs that have included an 18% viewership gain through the wild-card and Division Series rounds [[link removed]]. The National League Championship Series between the Mets and Dodgers is posting the best start for that postseason round on any network since 2015 [[link removed]], while the American League Championship Series with the Yankees and Guardians drew an average of 5.6 million viewers, up 28% from the comparable game last year and TNT Sports’ best MLB postseason figure so far this year.

Japanese viewership from the LCS round has not yet been released, but given the Dodgers’ continued playoff march, it’s quite possible the record from the Division Series will be short-lived.

Why WNBA’s Next CBA Negotiations Have Huge Ramifications [[link removed]]

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

During a livestream earlier this week, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese revealed her WNBA salary does not cover any of her bills [[link removed]].

Reese, who was the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft, made around $73,000 this season, and Caitlin Clark, the top pick of the draft, only made about $3,000 more. (It should be noted both players have substantial endorsement deals.)

The salaries of WNBA players—which go only as high as about $250,000 [[link removed]]—have been a topic of discussion for years [[link removed]], but have been under a spotlight this season given the unprecedented attention the league has received since the arrival of the 2024 rookie class. The current collective bargaining agreement awards just 9.3% of the league’s revenue to players [[link removed]], a deal signed in 2020, well before the WNBA consistently drew more than a million viewers for prime-time games [[link removed]]. That percentage speaks to the economic realities of the league; without the coming influx of TV money, it is still losing money and subsidized by the NBA.

It comes as no surprise that the league’s players are expected to opt out of the current CBA by the Nov. 1 deadline. But even with the opt out, the current CBA rules will hold until the 2026 season—which is why Breanna Stewart has openly mentioned structuring her contracts [[link removed]] to ensure a new deal can be made the year the CBA changes are applied.

During CBA negotiations, the players will undoubtedly look to increase their share of the league’s revenue. Their NBA counterparts receive around 50% of the league’s basketball-related income—but an increase to just 20% or 30% for the WNBA could mean exponential increases to the salary cap.

That’s before mentioning the league’s increase in revenue starting in 2026, driven by the $2.2 billion media-rights deal it secured [[link removed]] alongside the NBA in July with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. That deal is worth $200 million annually and could rise as high as $272 million per year as more partners are secured [[link removed]], which would be four times as much as the league currently receives.

A revenue bump coupled with a revenue-share increase for the players could theoretically raise the salary cap far enough for max deals to land around the million-dollar-per-year mark, while minimum salaries could shift from about $64,000 to well in the six-figure range.

Seismic Shifts

However, this puts the league at risk of a severe roster construction issue.

Assuming the current salary cap doubles or even triples by 2026, every team would essentially have the flexibility to sign any available player. This could be advantageous for franchises in big markets with massive practice facilities and deep-pocketed owners like the New York Liberty or even the incoming Golden State Valkyries [[link removed]].

It could turn into an extreme version of what happened in the NBA in 2016, when its new media-rights deal kicked in and the salary cap increased by 35%, which is how the Warriors, coming off a 73-win season, were able to sign Kevin Durant.

The NBA added cap-smoothing to its CBA in 2020, which ensured the salary cap would only increase a maximum of 10% every year regardless of revenue increases. It may seem obvious for the WNBA to include some form of cap-smoothing—but that rule is a lot easier to swallow in the NBA where the average salary is nearly $12 million [[link removed]].

In the WNBA, the league and its players will need to thread the needle to find a solution that pays players adequately but doesn’t drastically tilt the balance of power.

SPONSORED BY UBS

Lewis Hamilton on Inspiration and Passion

Formula One is coming to the U.S. this week for the Austin Grand Prix on Oct. 18–20.

As part of the UBS “ Craftmakers [[link removed]]” campaign, motorsport trailblazer and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team driver Lewis Hamilton shares the advice that has inspired him throughout his career in racing, his commitment to building a fair and more inclusive future in the sport, and his advice to anyone working on mastering a craft. “If you’re really passionate about it, don’t let anyone stand in your way,” says the seven-time World Champion, who emphasizes the importance of never giving up and living without regret.

Watch the full video here [[link removed]] to learn more.

NIL WATCH Preps to Pros

Reebok

Front Office Sports keeps you updated on the latest NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals shaping college sports. Here’s who is cashing in now:

Athlete: Nate Ament Sport: Basketball School: Highland High School (Warrenton, Va.) Brand: Reebok

The deal: Reebok announced a groundbreaking NIL and NBA shoe deal with Ament [[link removed]], a five-star recruit in the class of 2025, who has yet to even commit to a college. The 6-foot-9 forward will don player-exclusive colorways for the brand’s Engine A sneaker launching in August 2025. Reebok is making a big bet on the 17-year-old, who projects as a top pick in the 2026 NBA draft. He has an NIL valuation of $1.3 million [[link removed]], according to On3.

This isn’t the first NIL-to-pros endorsement deal Reebok inked. The brand, which named Shaquille O’Neal its president of basketball [[link removed]] last year, also signed the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese to an endorsement deal [[link removed]] last October, when she was still at LSU.

AWARD

Whether it’s great leadership; focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; or commitment to employee well-being, the Front Office Sports Best Employers in Sports Award [[link removed]] recognizes organizations that do right by their employees.

Take the free employee survey [[link removed]] by Nov. 6 for a chance to recognize your company as one of the best in the business.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Glazer family ⬆ The owners of the Buccaneers are donating another $1 million to local relief efforts, with the Tampa Bay area now also recovering from Hurricane Milton. The Glazers donated an initial $1 million [[link removed]] following Hurricane Helene.

ESPN ⬆ After losing key NBA personalities Adrian Wojnarowski [[link removed]] and Zach Lowe [[link removed]], the network has reached contract extensions with four basketball analysts: Kendrick Perkins, Tim Legler, Chiney Ogwumike, and Monica McNutt, who recently went viral for sparring with Stephen A. Smith, and shed light on the situation [[link removed]] last month at the Front Office Sports Tuned In media summit in Manhattan.

Big Ten–SEC deal ⬇ SEC commissioner Greg Sankey pushed back on the idea that his conference and the Big Ten already have a future scheduling agreement in place [[link removed]], following meetings in Nashville [[link removed]] last week. “People said, you know what, maybe you guys keep talking, see what you can do. That’s not an agreement,” Sankey said Wednesday on The Paul Finebaum Show [[link removed]].

Iga Świątek ⬆⬇ The world No. 1 women’s tennis player announced Wim Fissette as a new member of her coaching staff [[link removed]], less than two weeks after parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski, her coach of three years. Fissette has coached other tennis stars, including Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters. Świątek, who won four of her five Grand Slam titles with Wiktorowski, withdrew from the China Open last month, weeks before announcing the coaching change. The Polish star said she was eyeing non-Polish candidates [[link removed]] to succeed Wiktorowski to “take the next step” in her career and landed on the Belgian Fissette.

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon Georgia

The No. 1–ranked Texas Longhorns [[link removed]] are riding high after dismantling Oklahoma last week. But they face an enormous SEC test in Austin this Saturday as they host the No. 5–ranked Georgia Bulldogs [[link removed]].

According to TickPick, Saturday’s matchup between Texas and Georgia is the third-most-expensive college football game on record, with an average purchase price of $746.

The biggest purchase so far has been for two tickets in Section 4, Row 2 for $2,814 a ticket ($5,628 total).

This is the Bulldogs’ first game in Austin since 1958. Their quarterback in that clash: Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who’s now 84 years old.

Get tickets to this event and others by downloading the TickPick app [[link removed]], and use code FOS15 for $15 off your first purchase of $99+.

Conversation Starters The Minnesota Lynx set a franchise record with 19,521 fans in attendance at Game 3 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty. Check out the scene [[link removed]]. The Raiders staff gave a warm welcome to the team’s new part-owner: Tom Brady. Take a look [[link removed]]. The Trail Blazers are giving away 5,000 digital antennas to fans two months after the team chose to leave its RSN partner, Root Sports, to broadcast games locally over the air [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks The White Sox Sale Trial Balloons Are Starting [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Jerry Reinsdorf is finally considering selling the team. Rick Carlisle Settles With Agent Who Says He Was Stiffed on Commission [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The lawsuit centered on Carlisle’s 2018 deal with the Mavericks. Packers Prove You Don’t Need an Owner to Feud With City [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Packers are feuding with Green Bay’s mayor over Lambeau Stadium upgrades. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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