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Afternoon Edition

May 2, 2025

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Even with two teams in minor-league parks and a season that began with snow in the Northeast, MLB attendance is up yet again.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Mets, Dodgers, Pitch Clock Push MLB to Best April Attendance Since 2017 [[link removed]]

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball is off to a historically strong start at the gates, giving initial support to preseason expectations of a third straight attendance increase in 2025.

The league ended April with an average per-game attendance of 27,261, MLB’s best mark at the end of that month since 2017. Heading into the season, MLB executives had high hopes for another increase [[link removed]], which would create the first three-year streak of gains since 2005–2007. The early 2025 results, however, give a further dose of encouragement as several teams in the Northeast and Midwest were either flat or down in attendance by mid-April, but have since seen much stronger crowds as game temperatures have warmed considerably.

Running about 1.3% ahead of last year’s attendance pace, MLB will look to build on that as higher-attended summer games approach.

As was the case in both 2024 [[link removed]] and 2023 [[link removed]], MLB’s attendance momentum stems from several factors, including strong reception for the pitch clock and more action-filled style of play introduced two years ago, the broad appeal of major stars such as the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Yankees’ Aaron Judge, and a historic influx of young stars such as the Pirates’ Paul Skenes [[link removed]] and Reds’ Elly De La Cruz [[link removed]].

Team Issues

Not surprisingly, the Dodgers again lead the league in attendance with an average of more than 51,364 per game, as they are the defending World Series champions [[link removed]], play in the league’s largest stadium, and have been the league attendance leader for more than a decade.

The biggest story at the gate this year, however, may be at Citi Field as the Mets are up by more than 56% to 36,198 per game, by far MLB’s largest increase. The Mets’ total has been boosted heavily by the arrival of Juan Soto [[link removed]] in a record-setting free-agent contract worth $765 million, as well as a hot start on the field that has led to the league’s second-best record behind the Dodgers.

Even some struggling teams, however, such as the Rockies [[link removed]], are pacing ahead of 2024 in attendance. MLB is also posting its numbers with both the A’s and Rays playing in minor-league parks this season [[link removed]]. The A’s are up sharply in attendance at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park after the meager final-season showing in Oakland, while the Rays are having a variety of issues [[link removed]] at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The league will get another big boost in attendance in August with the MLB Speedway Classic, a special-event game at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee that will generate the largest single-game crowd of the year [[link removed]].

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Former ESPN President John Skipper Leaving Meadowlark Media [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Meadowlark Media co-founder John Skipper is leaving the company, sources told Front Office Sports.

Skipper, the former ESPN president, co-founded the company with host Dan Le Batard in early 2021. The company signed a reported three-year contract worth $51 million with DraftKings as the presenting sponsor, and later extended the deal. Le Batard has stated publicly on his show that their contract with the sportsbook is coming up.

It was not immediately clear what the new leadership structure will be for Meadowlark’s business.

One source said that Meadowlark will be aiming to focus more on its podcasts, including The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and Pablo Torre Finds Out. There will be less of an emphasis on documentary content, although it will not totally go away, the source said.

In between ESPN and Meadowlark, Skipper was executive chairman at DAZN. Skipper could not immediately be reached for comment.

Fubo Loses Subscribers; Focused on Disney Deal Despite Antitrust Probe [[link removed]]

fuboTV

Even with rising scrutiny over its proposed merger with ESPN parent Walt Disney Co. [[link removed]], Fubo is full steam ahead.

The streaming company said Friday that there has been no change in its plans to combine its operations with Hulu + Live TV and have Disney take a controlling interest. That pact, which included a $220 million payment by Disney to FuboTV and a $145 million loan scheduled for next year, helped resolve legal claims stemming from the introduction of the now-shuttered Venu Sports [[link removed]], the joint streaming service previously contemplated by ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The combination, however, has since generated plenty of lawmaker scrutiny and was recently referred to the U.S. Department of Justice [[link removed]] for investigation on potential antitrust issues.

Fubo remains confident in its ability to work through the regulatory reviews, and not only completing the Disney deal, but offering a new, sports-oriented streaming bundle stemming from that collaboration with Disney.

“We remain excited about our agreement with the Walt Disney Co. to combine Fubo with Hulu + Live TV and the potential to increase competition and consumer choice in the pay-TV space,” Fubo co-founder and CEO David Gandler said Friday in an earnings call. “We continue to work through the regulatory process and look forward to sharing more information when we are able. The streaming landscape continues to evolve and grow more fragmented, further demonstrating the importance and relevance of Fubo’s aggregation model.”

Fubo is targeting the release of its sports bundle, including content from non-Disney networks, for the fall.

“We are working hard to secure content from non-Disney programmers for the new service,” Gandler said. “It is critical for Fubo subscribers that we are able to negotiate content licensing agreements at fair rates and terms. Our goal remains to launch this service for the fall sports season.”

Broader Results

There may be an underlying reason for Fubo’s clear focus on closing the Disney deal, however, as its latest earnings report showed mixed results, with more near-term turbulence approaching.

The company reported $407.9 million in North American revenue during 2025’s first quarter, up 3.5% from the comparable period last year, while paid subscribers declined 2.7% to 1.47 million.

Those results, representing the vast majority of its total business, met or exceeded prior guidance. Net income swung from a prior loss of $56.3 million to a gain of $188.5 million.

The future outlook, conversely, is worse as the second quarter is expected to yield a 10% decline in North American revenue to a range of $340 million to $350 million. Paid subscribers on the continent are expected to be at 1.23 million to 1.26 million, down 14%. Among Fubo’s more recent challenges has been the loss of a distribution agreement with TelevisaUnivision, cutting into its appeal with Spanish-language consumers.

“Our goal has always been profitability, [and] profitability over growth,” Gandler said.

Investors dropped Fubo stock by 17% in Friday trading, with shares plummeting to $2.42 each, the lowest mark since the Disney deal was announced in early January. Disney, meanwhile, will make its next quarterly earnings report on May 7.

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Whether it’s helping explore outer space, designing electric vehicles, or fixing bugs in code, Atlassian knows anything worth doing is impossible alone.

See how Atlassian can help your teams at Atlassian.com [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT One Up, Two Down, One Push

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

New York Rangers ⬆ The NHL team completed a five-year deal to bring in two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan as its new head coach, continuing a particularly turbulent coaching carousel [[link removed]] across hockey. Sullivan, with the Penguins for a decade before being fired there earlier this week, will again be the league’s top-paid coach in New York after earning $5.5 million annually in Pittsburgh.

MSG Sports ⬆⬇ Elsewhere in the Jim Dolan empire, the parent company of the Rangers and NBA’s Knicks reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $424.2 million, down 1%, and operating income of $32.3 million, down 59%. The company cited a range of issues, including increases in NBA revenue sharing and luxury tax expenses. Despite that and a recent deal at sister company Sphere Entertainment Co. to reduce the teams’ rights fees from the MSG Networks, Dolan said “we remain as confident as ever in the value of owning marquee professional sports franchises.”

Wild ⬇ The NHL team has scaled back its plan to renovate St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center considerably, with a $488 million upgrade proposal representing a sharp decline from a prior, $769 million vision. The reduction arrives as the franchise found minimal support from legislators over a bid to have half of the renovation funded with Minnesota state dollars. The new plan calls for just $50 million from the state, $200 million from St. Paul and local partners, and the rest from the Wild.

Mike Trout ⬇ The Angels star is headed back to the injured list with a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. The unofficial face of MLB before the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, Trout has missed significant parts of three of the last four seasons with a variety of injuries, cutting heavily into that stature. Trout, however, still ranks No. 7 in MLB player salaries, [[link removed]] in terms of luxury tax impact, at $35.5 million, and his contract runs through 2030

Conversation Starters Rory McIlroy chipped into a washing machine on TV 27 years ago. Watch him do it on the Tonight Show this week—with a green jacket [[link removed]]. The Indiana Fever’s exhibition game against Brazil will feature the most expensive tickets of any game Caitlin Clark has ever played. Check out the average price [[link removed]]. Browns fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders surprised students by visiting a Cleveland school this week [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks TGL Team Owner Marc Lasry: TV Ratings Peak Was 4X Better Than Expected [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]Lasry said TGL would have been happy with 250,000 viewers per match. NCAA Baseball Coaches Get Preliminary Approval in ‘Wage Fix’ Case [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The baseball coaches are expected to be paid an average of roughly $33,000. Kentucky Derby’s Garland of Roses Is Crafted In a Local Supermarket [[link removed]]by Lillian Stone [[link removed]]The 40-pound, 400-rose garland is awarded to the race’s winner. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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