On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the start of the MLB season. It’s not Opening Day—at least not in the traditional sense—but MLB is starting the season in Japan with a pair of games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
The Tokyo Series builds off of a lot of growth for MLB in Japan. Shohei Ohtani‘s rise, the success of the 2023 World Baseball Classic and an influx of other young Japanese stars—many of whom play in Los Angeles and Chicago—have opened the door for larger commercial opportunities for the league in Japan.
The hosts talk about the long delay—10 days—between the Tokyo Series and the beginning of the season for everyone else in the league. Is that too long? Does it threaten to lessen the excitement?
Before that, the hosts break down a number of business stories related to March Madness. North Carolina snuck into the men’s draw as the final team chosen, a notable decision given that a) UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham is chair of the selection committee, and b) Cunningham earned a $68,000 bonus for the Tar Heels’ selection. One of the teams left out in UNC’s place was West Virginia. The governor of West Virginia on Monday announced an investigation into the NCAA, which he derided as the “National Corrupt Athletic Association.”
The hosts also talk about some business oddities related to the coaches, top seeds and biggest-name players. This is yet another season where there may be more recognizable players in the women’s draw than the men’s tournament.
They close by talking about the Cincinnati Bengals, which just committed nearly $300 million to their two star wideouts. Are they the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NFL?
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