On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, include the latest Sportico valuations, which found that the average MLB franchise appreciated 5% in the past 12 months. The New York Yankees are now worth $7 billion, making them the most valuable sports franchise in the world.
The Boston Red Sox ($5 billion) are second, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers ($4.9 billion) and Chicago Cubs ($4.4 billion). The Miami Marlins are last at $1.1 billion.
The hosts also discuss some controversial comments by Cincinnati Reds executive Phil Castellini, son of owner Bob Castellini, and the latest in the sale of English soccer giant Chelsea. There are four finalists left, and bidding is expected to exceed $4 billion for the London club.
Lastly, the hosts discuss the latest controversy surrounding Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder. A congressional oversight committee sent a letter Wednesday to the FTC detailing alleged financial fraud by the NFL club—the allegations included withholding more than $5 million in ticket refunds from roughly 2,000 fans, and recasting ticket revenue so it didn’t need to be contributed to the NFL’s revenue sharing policy. According to a former executive at the franchise, the team called extra revenue held by these schemes “juice.”
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