On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including MLB’s Opening Day. The season begins Thursday on the heels of an exciting World Baseball Classic, and with a number of new rule changes.
The hosts talk through the post-WBC buzz and the business impact of those rule changes. They include the larger bases, limitations around the shift and a new pitch clock aimed at creating faster games. The average game time in MLB was 3:07 last season, up from 2:21 in the 1970s.
The hosts also talk about the sport’s highest-paid players. Japan’s WBC star Shohei Ohtani tops the list at $70 million, followed by New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer at $60.3 million and New York Mets pitcher Justin Verlander at $44.3 million. It’s not just that Ohtani is so well compensated, it’s also where that money comes from. Almost all MLB players make the vast majority of their income from their team salaries. Ohtani, on the other hand, is making $30 million from the Angels and an additional $40 million from endorsements.
The hosts close the show by covering a few quick topics. They include the NCAA tournament’s Final Four, the New York Yankees investing in a padel franchise, Endeavor (NYSE: EDR) considering a sale of IMG Academy, and a new joint venture between the NFL and RedBird Capital.
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