October 28, 2024

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MLB got its dream World Series matchup with the Dodgers and Yankees facing off. Two games and a great deal of drama later, Los Angeles has taken a 2-0 lead, Fox has boasted excellent TV ratings, and ticket prices are dipping from astronomical to merely stratospheric. We examine what we’ve learned during this series and what to expect as it moves to The Bronx.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

World Series Update: TV Ratings Rise, NYC Ticket Prices Fall [[link removed]]

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As expected, the 2024 World Series has been a gift for Fox and Major League Baseball.

The first two games of the series between the Dodgers and Yankees averaged 14.5 million viewers across Fox networks [[link removed]], the most through two games since 2017, Fox announced Sunday.

Saturday’s game averaged 13.44 million viewers and peaked at 16.35 million, the most-watched Game 2 since Dodgers–Red Sox in 2018. The Fox audience was up 65% relative to Game 2 of the 2023 World Series.

However, Game 2 saw a slight dip versus the 15.2 million average and 17.8 million peak viewership [[link removed]] of Game 1—though the first game went to extra innings and featured a walk-off grand slam from Freddie Freeman.

Los Angeles has been carried by stellar pitching despite significant injuries to several high-priced arms, as well as a three-home-run power surge in Game 2. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, the regular-season AL home-run and RBI leader, has continued an abysmal postseason run. Through two games in the Fall Classic, Judge has recorded just one hit in nine at-bats with six strikeouts. If New York intends to extend this series—which would be beneficial for the league and its partners—Judge, the AL MVP favorite who is third in MLB jersey sales, may need to find his form.

Ticket Prices Fall in New York

The series is now headed to New York, but with the Dodgers ahead 2–0, ticket prices for Games 3-5 in Yankee Stadium have dropped since the beginning of the series.

According to TickPick [[link removed]], the “get-in” price, which is the minimum cost of a ticket, is $922 as of Sunday, which is down about 40% from the $1,521 price on Friday, Oct. 24—the day of the series opener. The average ticket price for the three games in The Bronx is $2,112, down around 30% from Friday.

Despite the dip, the tickets are still some of the most expensive in World Series history, and the average of the three games in Yankee Stadium is nearly three times as much as last year’s World Series average [[link removed]].

Dave Roberts says Ohtani ‘In a Great Spot,’ Will Play in Game 3 [[link removed]]

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LOS ANGELES — Just as Major League Baseball was basking in the strong early ratings returns [[link removed]] from its star-studded 2024 World Series [[link removed]], Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hurt his left shoulder late in Game 2 Saturday night, giving a serious scare to everyone involved in marketing the sport.

Ohtani sustained the injury attempting to steal second base in the seventh inning of Game 2.

ESPN spoke with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts Sunday afternoon, and Roberts said Ohtani was ‘in a great spot’ and would play in Game 3 Monday night.

Shortly after the game, the Dodgers were “encouraged” that he would not miss any time. But Ohtani’s condition was initially described as a subluxation, medically defined as a partial dislocation [[link removed]].

“We’ll know more in the next couple of days,” said Roberts after the 4-2 victory for Los Angeles. “The strength was great, the range of motion good, so we’re encouraged.”

Game 3 of the World Series is set for Monday at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers now lead two games to none, and Ohtani’s continued presence means a sizable momentum shift on the field isn’t paired with a potentially significant impairment to mainstream interest in the World Series—especially interest from Japan.

After Ohtani during the regular season became MLB’s first player with 50 home runs and 50 steals [[link removed]] in a season, he entered the World Series as the biggest star [[link removed]] in an event with plenty of others. That presence helped fuel MLB and Fox Sports to a strong Game 1 average viewership of 15.2 million viewers [[link removed]], the best Fall Classic opening audience since 2017.

Prior to this, Ohtani’s injury history has been primarily tied to his pitching. After major elbow surgery 13 months ago, he did not pitch all this season, but did play the full season as a designated hitter.

“He’s got to still go through the workout and swing the bat, but again, today feels better than yesterday, and our assumption is tomorrow’s going to feel better than today,” Roberts said in a Sunday press conference [[link removed]]. “That’s what I’m banking on.”

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Tua Tagovailoa “Felt Normal” in Return From Third Concussion [[link removed]]

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Tua Tagovailoa successfully returned to the field five weeks after suffering his third concussion in less than two years.

The Dolphins quarterback, who in July signed a four-year, $212.4 million deal that runs until 2028, threw for 234 yards and one touchdown. However, he was unable to secure the win for Miami after a last-second field goal lifted Arizona, 28–27.

Despite the loss, Tagovailoa said he “felt normal” during his return.

“I felt like myself. I’ve been preparing for five weeks as if I were to play while I was on IR,” Tagovailoa said at the postgame press conference.

The 2023 NFL passing leader admitted that over the last five weeks, he’s been working on making adjustments to try to limit the tackles he takes.

“I’m just trying to avoid the big hits if I can. Sometimes they’re unavoidable … but for me, putting myself in those situations, I would say, for the past few weeks, [I’ve] been able to think and ponder about my decision.”

Pundits have pitched the idea of retirement to the 26-year-old [[link removed]] signal-caller ever soon after he started facing concussions in 2022. Tagovailoa himself admitted on The Dan LeBatard Show [[link removed]] in August that he had pondered retirement—and that interview occurred before this most recent concussion.

If Tagovailoa chose to retire, he would have needed to give up $124 million in guaranteed money.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday “zero” medical experts recommended retirement to Tagovailoa [[link removed]]. After Sunday’s game, McDaniel said he didn’t make any adjustments to the game plan to accommodate his quarterback’s injury situation.

“You can’t really think about anything but: How can we move the ball and score points,’” McDaniel said.

Indiana Fever Fire Sides, Open Sixth WNBA Coaching Vacancy [[link removed]]

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The WNBA’s coaching carousel keeps turning.

The Indiana Fever have parted ways with head coach Christie Sides, the team announced Sunday. Sides finished with a 33–47 record over two seasons with the Fever, including a 20–20 record in 2024, good for the sixth seed and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016.

Sides’ firing means six WNBA teams have head coaching vacancies—half the league, without including the expansion Golden State Valkyries, who hired former Las Vegas assistant coach Natalie Nakase [[link removed]].

With the arrival of No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark this season—and even top pick Aliyah Boston last year—the spotlight was on Sides to deliver, despite it being her first major head coaching gig. She received a lot of criticism early in the season as the Fever opened the season with a 2–8 record, but the team turned its season enough to become a legitimate test for the title-contending Connecticut Sun in the first round.

Earlier this month, new team president Kelly Krauskopf spoke highly of Sides, especially given the outside noise she faced all season.

“For a young team to make that kind of progress, it’s hard to not be impressed,” Krauskopf said during her introductory press conference [[link removed]].

However, even with the strong finish, the writing may have been on the wall for Sides as the Fever had a major front-office shake up over the last two months. In early September, president and COO Alison Barber announced she would be stepping down. Krauskopf, who was the franchise’s general manager from 2000–2017, announced weeks later she would return as team president [[link removed]].

In early October, the Fever hired Amber Cox away from the Dallas Wings to be their new COO. She was also hired as the team’s new general manager, while Lin Dunn moved to a senior advisor role.

Following the announcement of her firing, Sides posted on X [[link removed]]: “Leave it better than you found it.”

Coaching Carousel

Other than the Fever, the teams currently without a head coach are the Wings, Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, Atlanta Dream, and Washington Mystics. The Phoenix Mercury are the only franchise that finished with a .500 or worse record not to fire their head coach this offseason. Nate Tibbets joined the Mercury this season— and is the highest-paid coach in the WNBA [[link removed]].

The slew of coaching vacancies could present a market shift in the WNBA as teams anticipate an influx of funds from the $2.2 billion media-rights deal [[link removed]] that begins in 2026. While WNBA coaching salaries are much higher than those of players [[link removed]], the additional funds and rising reputation of the league gives front offices the opportunity to go after more tenured or prominent head coaches.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Dream World Series Better Than Imagined

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The World Series matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers has delivered on the field and off. Front Office Sports newsletter writer Eric Fisher joins the show to discuss his trip to Los Angeles for the first two games and the unique star power of Shohei Ohtani.

Plus, Reggie Jackson discusses the A’s legends softball game he is organizing at the Oakland Coliseum before the stadium is converted into a soccer facility. Jackson notes that he had a higher bid for the team when it was sold to current owner John Fisher.

In other news, Tua Tagovailoa took the field for the first time since his dramatic concussion, Bronny James will spend time in the G League, and the unique court designs for the NBA Cup have been revealed.

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

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PSA: The Sports Equinox is Here

The sports calendar is arrayed to maximize fan interest throughout the year. Leagues space out their schedules to ensure they always get attention. As such, it’s very rare for all four of the biggest American leagues to converge.

Today is that day.

Baseball is the great differentiator, as its season winds down just as hockey and basketball begin. But with Game 3 of the World Series taking place tonight alongside Giants-Steelers, 11 NBA matchups, and eight NHL clashes, we benefit from a sports equinox in 2024. Major League Soccer has joined the fray, too, with two playoff matches. For this rare occasion, we can only recommend one thing: An array of devices between which to divide our attention, and preferably at least one big screen with quad-box capabilities.

Conversation Starters Cosm screened Game 1 of the World Series with the view from behind home plate—including Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam. Check out what it looked like at the LA venue [[link removed]]. Oct. 26 was officially declared “Coach Lee Corso Day [[link removed]]” in Bloomington, Ind. by mayor Kerry Thompson. Front Office Sports multimedia reporter Derryl Barnes joined Front Office Sports Today to discuss his experience at the Intuit Dome and The Wall during the Clippers’ home opener. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Inside The Wall at the L.A. Clippers’ New $2B Home [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]FOS went inside the “contagious” energy at the L.A. Clippers’ Intuit Dome. MLB Wants to Use 2024 World Series to ‘Amplify’ Marketing Efforts [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Rob Manfred says robust results already emerging have their roots in long-running endeavors. MLBPA Chief Criticizes Teams’ Pitcher Usage, A’s and Rays Interim Stadiums [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]] The Rays’ facility issues add to existing uncertainty surrounding the shift of the A’s to Sacramento. Question of the Day

Would your favorite team taking a 2-0 series deficit deter you from buying a ticket to the following games?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Friday’s result: 19% of respondents said they would stay up for Fox’s Rutgers-USC nightcap after World Series Game 1. That first game between the Yankees and Dodgers had an average viewership of 15.2 million.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Colin Salao [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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