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Afternoon Edition

October 15, 2025

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Fans are watching more live sports on TV than ever before. From Oklahoma-Texas drawing 8.7 million viewers to the Mariners–Blue Jays ALDS averaging 8.72 million, college football and MLB are continuing to set new viewership highs week after week.

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

MLB Postseason TV Ratings Surge to Highest Levels Since 2010 [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

Major League Baseball’s hot streak of television viewership continued through the second round of the playoffs and into the start of the third round.

After the league posted across-the-board audience increases in the regular season [[link removed]] and the wild-card round [[link removed]], it ended the division series round with an average per-game viewership of 4.17 million, up 17% from last year and the best such figure since 2011. Among the other viewership figures from the division series:

Game 5 of the Tigers-Mariners series on Oct. 10, a 15-inning thriller won by Seattle, averaged 8.72 million on Fox. That represented the most-watched American League Division Series games in 14 years. Postseason viewership through the first two rounds is averaging 4.33 million per game, up 30% from last year. That’s also the highest level since 2010, buoyed in part by record-setting figures in the wild-card round. The Yankees–Blue Jays ALDS matchup, won by Toronto, averaged 7.65 million across both Canada and the U.S. Canadian viewership is not part of the U.S.-based figures from Nielsen. Within Canada, though, the average of 3.65 million per game was up 10% compared to nine years ago, when the Blue Jays were last in the ALDS. More Up North

That latter average, meanwhile, is about 9% of the total Canadian population. Similar penetration in the U.S. would be equivalent to a viewing audience of more than 30 million, which is a typical audience for an early-round NFL postseason game.

The initial stages of the championship series round, meanwhile, have also performed well. Despite Canadian viewership not factoring into the U.S.-based Nielsen data, Fox said that Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Mariners and Blue Jays averaged 5.31 million viewers, up 32% from the comparable game last year between the Guardians and Yankees on TNT Sports.

When including another 4.7 million in Canada, though, Game 1 of the ALCS surpassed 10 million in average viewership.

The escalation in MLB viewership extends what has been a resurgent season for the league across many key audience metrics, also including attendance [[link removed]].

“It’s a continuation of the momentum that we’ve seen in the game,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last month [[link removed]] at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit.

SPONSORED BY PEPSI

Cheesesteaks, Crabfries, and Chaos in Philly

Eagles fans bring the same energy to the food as they do to the field. In the latest episode of Stadium Eats [[link removed]] presented by Pepsi, Front Office Sports teams up with local food creator TwoChomp to take on Philadelphia’s wild tailgate scene and top stadium eats. [[link removed]]

From Nonna’s tailgate spaghetti and Chickie’s & Pete’s legendary crabfries, to birria fries, cheesesteak pie, and the stacked Vincent sandwich—we taste it all, rate it, and crown the top Philly bite [[link removed]].

Watch Episode 2 now [[link removed]] and see which dish takes our top rating.

Texas-Oklahoma Gets 8.7M Viewers, Most-Watched CFB Game of Week 7 [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Red River Rivalry was the most-watched college football game of Week 7 action, as 8.7 million people watched Texas defeat Oklahoma 23–6 on ABC.

That marks the largest TV audience for a Texas-Oklahoma regular-season matchup since 2009.

The second meeting of the Longhorns and Sooners, squaring off as SEC members, beat out the Indiana-Oregon Big Ten clash on CBS, which also aired at 3:30 p.m. ET [[link removed]] and averaged 5.6 million viewers. The Hoosiers’ 30–20 upset over the Ducks was only the fourth most-watched game of the day, behind all three SEC contests on ABC.

Oklahoma-Texas: 8.7 million (ABC) Alabama-Missouri: 7 million (ABC) Georgia-Auburn: 6.7 million (ABC) Indiana-Oregon: 5.6 million (CBS) Ohio State–Illinois: 5.28 million (Fox)

USC’s 31–13 win over Michigan drew 4.3 million viewers on NBC on Saturday night, going head-to-head with Georgia-Auburn. Alabama-Missouri beat out Ohio State–Illinois in the noon window.

Ratings Surge

Now halfway through college football’s regular season, ABC is still off to its best start [[link removed]] on record, averaging 6.9 million viewers per game. ESPN networks are off to their best start since 2002, averaging an audience of 2.4 million.

Games in Fox’s Big Noon Saturday window are averaging 5.87 million viewers, which is 35% compared to the first seven weeks of the 2024 season.

The ratings momentum continues what was already a strong college football season across all TV networks [[link removed]].

Bears Hit Another Speed Bump for New $5B Stadium in Suburbs [[link removed]]

Bears, Arlington Heights-MANICA

Even after forging a plan to pay for their own stadium on team-owned land, the Bears are facing new obstacles in their suburban stadium push.

Six weeks after the NFL team detailed a revised vision [[link removed]] to build a domed stadium and mixed-use development in Arlington Heights, Ill., a state legislator has filed a new bill that threatens to delay or revise the plan.

The proposed legislation from state representative Kam Buckner, who is from Chicago and has firmly opposed the team’s intended move out of the city, contains several potentially impactful measures, including:

A requirement for Illinois sports franchises to reimburse schools, libraries, and emergency services for lost property taxes due to stadium deals. The Bears have long sought a greater ability to negotiate their own property taxes with Arlington Heights, and the Buckner bill would cut heavily into that. A requirement for financial agreements on stadium projects to be posted online for a month before finalizing, as well as a public report and open hearing. Many such details have historically been kept private by sports teams. A requirement to produce annual reports on job creation and tax revenue generated from a new stadium. Full repayment of all public subsidies, plus annual compounded interest, if a team moves or fails to meet other economic commitments.

“Building up our state’s economy and securing long-term prosperity is about putting our money where it will do the most good, not spending it on magic beans and hoping for the best,” Buckner said.

The latest legislation, entitled the Stadium Transparency and Responsible Spending (STARS) Act, potentially creates a further time crunch around the Bears project. The team has said that the overall stadium cost, already more than $5 billion, rises by more than $10 million per month. It’s not likely that the bill will be approved in the state’s fall legislative session, but Buckner intends for this to be at least the start of a broader conversation around the stadium financing.

Notably, the Bears have already backed off a prior ask for direct state funding for the stadium, in the wake of significant opposition from Gov. J.B. Pritzker [[link removed]] and other key leaders. Instead, the team seeks $855 million in public support toward infrastructure [[link removed]].

Meanwhile, Pritzker has said the Bears should pay off outstanding debt on Soldier Field, the team’s current home, from a 2003 renovation before any legislation related to the Arlington Heights project is considered. That debt stands at more than $534 million.

The Browns grappled with somewhat similar issues in recent months, facing repeated maneuvers from the city of Cleveland to block a planned move to suburban Brook Park, Ohio, before reaching a $100 million settlement earlier this week [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Dodgers Dominance Shows MLB Payroll Matters

FOS illustration

The Dodgers lead the Cinderella-story Brewers 2–0 in the NLCS and have looked completely dominant thanks to their big investments in pitching. FOS newsletter writer Eric Fisher joins Baker Machado and Renee Washington to revisit the payroll discrepancy in MLB, give his predictions for both championship series, and look ahead to the offseason.

Plus, Los Angeles Kings all-time leading scorer and team president Luc Robitaille joins with insights on the NHL’s new CBA, pros playing in the Olympics, and league expansion. He also addresses the direction of the Kings this year and going forward after franchise player Anže Kopitar retires at the end of the season.

Also, we see resolutions for numerous lawsuits in the NBA, Giannis wants to spend his final playing years in Greece, and U.S. President Donald Trump threatens the World Cup again.

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

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

NFL TV ratings ⬆ The Lions-Chiefs Sunday Night Football matchup was the most-watched NFL game of Week 6, averaging 27.3 million viewers on NBC. Just behind in second place was the 26.82 million viewers CBS drew for 49ers-Buccaneers in the late Sunday afternoon window.

Brian Branch ⬇ The Lions safety has been suspended one game for his role in a fight Sunday night, after Detroit lost 30–17 in Kansas City. Branch, who is appealing the decision, punched Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the face.

Jason Kidd ⬆ The Mavericks signed their head coach to a multiyear extension, the team announced Tuesday. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed. Kidd is entering his fifth season as the Mavericks’ head coach and led the team to the NBA Finals in 2024.

Oklahoma City sports ⬆ Voters passed all 11 propositions [[link removed]] worth more than $2.7 billion in its recent bond election, the largest in the city’s history. The bond includes $25 million to build office space for the 2025 NBA champion Thunder and $50 million in additional funding for the city’s soccer team.

Conversation Starters Colts cheerleaders helped their teammate’s boyfriend surprise her with a proposal during one of their in-game routines. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Cape Verde, a country with a population of 525,000, qualified for the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time in history. Check out [[link removed]] the national team’s celebration. Take a look [[link removed]] at the playoff bonuses WNBA players receive, starting as low as $1,616 for making the first round. Editors’ Picks WNBA’s Fire Prematurely Announce Head Coach Hire on LinkedIn [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]Portland is expected to hire Alex Sarama from the Cavaliers, FOS confirmed. Trump Again Threatens to Move World Cup, Olympics [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Trump claimed he could target Boston if he deemed the city unsafe. Texas Tech Booster Cody Campbell Slams Conference PE Deals [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Campbell said the concept goes against “all the laws of finance.” Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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