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Afternoon Edition

June 25, 2025

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MLB is deep in preparation for an August Braves-Reds game at Bristol Motor Speedway. Its ambitions include setting baseball’s all-time attendance record.

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

MLB’s Bold Bristol Plan: Inside the Renovation and Potential Records [[link removed]]

MLB

The most ambitious special-event game in Major League Baseball history is now awash in construction, furthering the initiative to turn a massive motorsports venue into a ballpark.

The league, along with a series of contractors and field consultants, is now fully underway on its work to turn Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee into a playable baseball facility for the upcoming MLB Speedway Classic on Aug. 2 between the Braves and Reds.

Work includes a temporary removal of some infield structures, the installation of nearly 18,000 tons of gravel to level off the infield, and another 340 tons of clay to serve as a base for the synthetic playing surface, similar to the one used at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Additional lighting will also be installed to cater to the specific needs of baseball.

Like other MLB special-event games such as those previously held at the Field of Dreams complex in Iowa, the preparatory work in Bristol also includes fencing, padding, foul poles, and the installation of temporary structures to house locker and weight rooms, trainers’ offices, and batting cages.

“It’s kind of like Christmas for us,” said Bristol Motor Speedway president Jerry Caldwell. “We’ve been preparing for a few years now for a Christmas meal, and we’ve now at least gotten the food together, and are starting to prepare. Our engineers are pleased with the progress to date, and we’ll be continuing to move that along over the next few weeks.”

All of those elements will then be quickly removed to return Bristol Motor Speedway to its prior state for NASCAR’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Sept. 13.

Attendance Matters

Though set to be the largest single-game attendance of the season [[link removed]], the league and Bristol Motor Speedway have not finalized their seating manifest for the game. Officials, however, said the final turnout “will be historic,” and the figure could challenge the 115,300 who saw a 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the largest crowd to date to see a baseball game.

“I am so thankful for that experience,” said MLB Network analyst and former player Sean Casey of competing in that prior game in Los Angeles. “To think about a baseball game being in Bristol, the history of the speedway, and what that’s meant to NASCAR … it’s going to be a one-of-a-kind thing.”

While a massive crowd for baseball, that plan will still not use all of the roughly 165,000-person capacity at Bristol Motor Speedway, the world’s eighth-biggest sports venue. Because of the oval shape and massive infield at the facility, the league has sought to balance between having as many fans attend as possible while still ensuring proper views of the game.

The league has supplemented its Bristol game plans with on-site concerts by Tim McGraw, Pitbull, Jake Owen, Timothy Wayne, Reyna Roberts, and Adam Doleac, as well as a fan festival.

“We’re working to make sure that for every fan who walks through that door, there’s a value proposition for them, whether they want to be closer to home plate, closer to the concert, or anywhere in between,” said MLB director of global event business and strategy Aaron Kaplan.

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Mavs Reset Takes Shape With Kyrie Locked In, Flagg Incoming [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Less than five months have passed since the league-altering Luka Dončić trade [[link removed]] that left Mavericks fans protesting their team’s front office [[link removed]], but the mood in Dallas has drastically changed since the end of the season.

On Tuesday, the Mavericks agreed to a three-year, $119 million extension with Kyrie Irving, less than 24 hours before the team is expected to select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. While it’s unclear when exactly Irving will return from the ACL tear he sustained in March, Dallas can expect the core of Irving, Flagg, and Anthony Davis to carry their team for the next few years.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Irving and the Mavericks organization showed “commitment” to one another [[link removed]], and the 33-year-old believes their current core can “compete for a championship.”

To sign his deal, Irving declined his $43 million player option, allowing the Mavericks to fall under the second apron. This gives Dallas access to its taxpayer mid-level exception—worth about $5.7 million—to sign another player.

The Mavericks are looking to use that flexibility to sign another point guard to start in front of Irving while he recovers—and unrestricted free agents D’Angelo Russell and Malcolm Brogdon are their targets, according to Charania.

The Mavericks also signed center Daniel Gafford to a reported three-year, $54 million contract on Monday, which kicks in during the 2026–27 season. The 26-year-old is not only a valuable big man to support Davis and Dereck Lively II, but his contract serves as a flexible asset in any future trade.

The positive steps—and some luck in landing the No. 1 pick—have rebuilt some cache between the organization and its fan base. ESPN reported Tuesday that the team has renewed about “75–80%” of its season tickets and sold about $8 million worth of season tickets in the three days following the draft lottery on May 12.

“We had a lot of work to do in earning back the confidence and fandom of a not insignificant segment of our fan base,” a team source told ESPN.

Dallas will still have a lot to prove on the court to emulate the team that made the 2024 NBA Finals with Dončić at the helm, but the sting of February’s trade is quickly starting to dissipate.

Amazon NASCAR Ratings Down 17%, but Skew Younger [[link removed]]

Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The results are in from Amazon Prime Video’s debut season exclusively streaming NASCAR races, and as expected, the viewership is down. However, some encouraging audience metrics emerged.

As part of NASCAR’s new $7.7 billion media-rights deals [[link removed]], Amazon broadcast five Cup Series contests, which averaged 2.16 million viewers per race, according to Nielsen ratings.

It’s almost impossible to fairly compare the TV ratings for those five race broadcasts to last year, because NASCAR’s schedule is quite different this year. Just one of Amazon’s five races was held on the same weekend in 2024, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

When looking at the same portion of the calendar last year—the five races from Memorial Day weekend on—Amazon’s 2.16 million average race viewership is down 17.5% from the 2.62 million average audience across Fox (two races), FS1 (one race), and USA Network (two races). Still, race viewership often fluctuates depending on the location, regardless of broadcast platform.

The median age of 56.1 for viewers of Amazon’s five races is nearly seven years younger than audiences watching Cup Series races on linear networks in 2025 (62.8).

That all falls in line with trends seen in other sports that moved packages from linear to streaming—a noticeable dip in overall viewership but much younger viewers, the latter of which can be seen as a positive sign for any league’s future.

NASCAR leaders are likely not worried about the initial ratings dip. Even the NFL’s Thursday Night Football took a viewership hit when it moved to Amazon. And though TNF ratings have increased each season, they are still not to the level [[link removed]] they were on linear TV in 2021.

TNT Sports Next Up

With Amazon’s portion of the NASCAR season complete, another new media-rights partner, TNT Sports, will make its Cup Series debut this weekend in Atlanta.

The next five races on TNT Sports platforms also coincide with NASCAR’s first in-season tournament [[link removed]], which will feature 32 drivers competing in a bracket-style knockout format for a $1 million prize. Seeding was determined by performances at the previous three races. TNT will air the traditional race broadcasts, while truTV has an alt-cast. Max is streaming all feeds.

After the TNT Sports portion of the season, incumbent NASCAR broadcaster NBC Sports will finish out the season, including the playoffs.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY New NBA Era: Draft, Trades, and Luxury Tax

FOS illustration

The NBA draft begins Wednesday night, and more trades are expected as teams sell off parts to navigate CBA restrictions and avoid the luxury tax. FOS reporter Colin Salao says the free-agency craze from the 2010s is something of the past, and because of that, drafting and trading players matter more than ever, especially in light of the Celtics trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis.

Four-time NBA champ John Salley also joins Baker Machado and Renee Washington to discuss the evolution of the draft process, how a draft slide affects a player’s mentality, as well as Salley’s thoughts on his former team, the Lakers, selling at a record $10 billion valuation.

Plus, ESPN acquires a stake in the Premier Lacrosse League, the latest in a trend of networks acquiring stakes in start-up leagues. FOS Tuned In columnist Michael McCarthy joins with the latest insight.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Collin Morikawa ⬇ The world No. 5 men’s golfer is parting ways with caddie Joe Greiner, his second caddie split since April after he separated from J.J. Jakovac. Morikawa called Greiner an “amazing caddie,” but said the two were on a “different page.” In light of the news, the 28-year-old had a contentious exchange with a reporter [[link removed]] during a media availability ahead of the Rocket Classic in Detroit.

Lionel Messi ⬆ The Argentine superstar’s boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys, is naming a grandstand after the superstar. The new build increases the stadium’s capacity from 42,000 to 50,000.

LIV Golf ⬆ The league is moving its annual preseason media event from Florida to Las Vegas next year, thanks to a new deal with MGM Resorts International, which will host players, team staff, and league officials participating in the gathering in Sin City.

Premier Lacrosse League ⬆ The league and ESPN announced a five-year extension for its broadcast partnership, which runs until 2030. The PLL first started airing on ESPN in 2022. The deal includes the Women’s Lacrosse League, which launched in November 2024.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Tuned In Adds Eric Shanks to the Lineup

This September, Front Office Sports returns to the Times Center in New York City for Year 2 of Tuned In [[link removed]].

This daylong event will feature intimate discussions with leaders in the sports media space. Adding to the roster is Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer at FOX Sports. Other speakers include:

Jessica Berman, NWSL Ian Eagle, CBS Sports Noah Eagle, NBC Sports Jay Marine, Amazon Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN Brian Rolapp, PGA Tour Luis Silberwasser, TNT Sports Adam Silver, NBA

Conversations will cover the future of media rights, sports streaming, the rise of talent, women’s sports, athletes turned media moguls, media bundles, and sports betting.

Included in your ticket is a full day of programming, lunch, top-tier networking opportunities, and a post-event cocktail hour.

Secure your ticket now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander left the Thunder’s championship celebrations to visit Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Check it out [[link removed]]. Take a look [[link removed]] at the view from the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flying above the Florida coast during the Panthers’ Stanley Cup parade. For the first time in history, the reigning championship series or playoff MVPs in the NBA, MLB, and NHL are Canadian [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Players Suing Tennis Begin Negotiations With Grand Slams [[link removed]]by Daniel Kaplan [[link removed]]They may add the Slams as defendants if talks fail in 90 days. Golf Equipment Maker TaylorMade Caught Up in Fight Over Who Owns It [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]There is a dispute over which Korean entity controls the company. Broadcasting With Benefits: Networks Gaining League Equity Is Now the Norm [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]ESPN gained an equity stake in the PLL as part of a rights deal. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[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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