Eben Novy-Williams

The secret market dictating World Baseball Classic rosters How a lesser-known insurance company threw a wrench into the upcoming international baseball showdown.

On the eve of the World Baseball Classic, we dove into the insurance market that is keep a number of stars--Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, Elly De La Cruz, Mike Trout--out of the tournament.

Here's the latest @clubsportico.bsky.social breakdown 👇
club.sportico.com/p/world-base...

This is wild. Anyone else get this when they google "World Cup Schedule 2026"??

MLS Selects Korn Ferry to Run Search for Next Commissioner MLS owners hired the Korn Ferry search firm to run the process for a potential new commissioner. Don Garber's contract is up at the end of 2027.

MLS is scouting for Don Garber's potential replacement 🔍

How not to shoot a gold medal goal Plus: Olympics judging bias, morals clauses, and a fun tanking fix.

Today's @clubsportico.bsky.social Pick Six:

- The golden goal camera angles 🤢
- Figure skating bias ⛸️
- The Jerome Tang Threshold 🎽
- Mick Cronin 👎
- Mark Cuban on affordability 🎟️
- a tanking fix, via the @thepwhlofficial? 🏒

club.sportico.com/p/how-not-to...

Home Spoils: Italy’s Medal Count Surges at the 2026 Winter Olympics Italy is having its best-ever Winter Olympics on home soil. It continues a trend of host nations outperforming their prior medal hauls.

18 of the last 19 Winter Olympics host nations (and 17 of the past 19 Summer hosts) have increased their medal haul vs. the prior Games.

www.sportico.com/leagues/olym...

Giannis Antetokounmpo had himself a week The Greek Freak has always been a different type of NBA star. Last week he redefined what that means.

In the past two weeks, Giannis Antetokounmpo partnered with Kalshi, bought into a soccer team, invested in a startup, launched a candy brand, flirted with trades and posted memes on X.

Today's @clubsportico.bsky.social is about the evolution of a humble star 👇

club.sportico.com/p/giannis-an...

Get the 🔎 out. Here's the latest @sportico.bsky.social valuations for all 154 team in the big five U.S. leagues:

🔴 NFL - $7.13 billion average
🟠 NBA - $5.51 billion average
🟢 MLB - $2.82 billion average
⚫️ NHL - $2.1 billion average
🔵 MLS - $767 million average

NFL Fans May Need a New Punching Bag The internet loves to make fun of Sam Darnold. Does a Super Bowl ring change that?

"On a hypothetical depth chart of mocked NFL players, Sam Darnold is QB1"

In today’s Club Sportico, we ask whether a Super Bowl ring will change how the internet talks about the Seahawks’ quarterback:
club.sportico.com/p/sam-darnol...

Netflix vs. YouTube is daytime’s hot new drama Now starring your favorite sports podcasters???

Netflix vs. YouTube is daytime's new hot drama.

Today's Club Sportico essay breaks down what's really happening with Netflix's push into sports podcasts. It might not be what you think...

club.sportico.com/p/netflix-sp...

omfg

'Moneywall' could be baseball's next frontier The Kansas City Royals just revealed a whole new type of analytics for teams to exploit. Why isn't this more common?

The Kansas City Royals are moving their outfield walls after a careful analysis--done by a computer science PHD--of their current roster of hitters and pitchers.

Why isn't this more common? Today's Club Sportico post dives deep into... Moneywall!
club.sportico.com/p/moneywall-...

Our Year-End News Quiz How well did you follow the biggest sports business news of the last 12 months?

How well did you follow the money in sports in 2025?

Take the Club Sportico year-end quiz!

club.sportico.com/p/sports-bus...

Our Year-End News Quiz How well did you follow the biggest sports business news of the last 12 months?

How well did you follow the money in sports in 2025?

Take the Club Sportico year-end quiz!

club.sportico.com/p/sports-bus...

Whittingham’s Michigan Gig May Cost Grandkids Free Utah Tuition Whittingham’s decision to accept a new coaching job at Michigan rather than retire comes with consequences for his progeny.

Here's a fun one: Had Utah been Kyle Wittingham's last job, his 11 grandkids would all have been able to attend the University of Utah for free.

His taking the Michigan job appears to have terminated that benefit. More from @daniellibit.bsky.social at Sportico 👇
www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

Sign up for @sportico.bsky.social newsletters here:

cloud.email.sportico.com/signup/

For the next two weeks, @sportico.bsky.social is handing our AM newsletter over to a different writer each morning to look back on 2025 🔙 and ahead to 2026 🔮.

Here are some excerpts so far from Lev, Anthony and @jacobfeldman.bsky.social 👇

Chiefs Land Record $1.8B in Public Money to Cross Kansas State Line The Kansas City Chiefs are moving to Kansas. Their $1.8 billion in public subsidy money is the highest total ever for a U.S. stadium project.

BREAKING: The Chiefs are set to receive $1.8 billion (!) in public money for a new $3 billion stadium in Kansas. That's the largest public subsidy ever for a U.S. sports stadium project. More coming for practice facility, too.

www.sportico.com/business/rea...

USTA Near Deal to Tap Australian Open Boss as Next CEO The USTA's CEO search has narrowed to Craig Tiley, the CEO of Tennis Australia and the director of the Australian Open. He is nearing a deal.

BREAKING: Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley is in advanced talks to become the next CEO of the @USTA, sources tell Sportico.

Tiley has experience running both a governing body and a grand slam. Process comes at a critical time for global tennis. More 👇🎾
www.sportico.com/personalitie...

This map shows the Chiefs reign is over A cartographical exploration of NFL scheduling minutiae

Read and subscribe to @clubsportico.bsky.social here 👇

club.sportico.com/p/nfl-progra...

Can you figure out what's happening in these three circles?

In today's Club Sportico essay, @jacobfeldman.bsky.social lets you in on a fun little trivia challenge: deciphering the oddities in the NFL's Sunday TV map.

College football makes FIFA look competent Plus: How the World Cup schedule gets made and why Notre Dame has already lost fans' sympathy

In today's Club Sportico early week missive, we're talking about the College Football Playoff selection process, which managed to make even a surreal World Cup draw look sane and well managed...

club.sportico.com/p/world-cup-...

College football's mercenary era has a new posterboy Lane Kiffin's dramatic Sunday included leaked audio, an R-rated airport sendoff, and a healthy dose of hypocrisy.

In today's Club Sportico newsletter, we're talking about the new posterchild for college football's mercenary era 👇

club.sportico.com/p/lane-kiffi...

And here's UMass football in four charts:

Sunk-Cost Football: UMass’ Faltering Quest to Belong in the FBS UMass bought the promise of big-time football in 2011, when it joined the FBS. Fourteen brutal years later, the Minutemen are doubling down.

UMass has been FBS's worst football team since it moved up in 2012. Its struggles include spilled hydraulic fluid, a failed stint at an NFL stadium 90 miles away, and unmet "pie-in-the-sky" projections.

Now the school is doubling down. More w/ Daniel Libit 👇
www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

This morning in the Spanish capital, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez proposed amending the team's fan-controlled structure slightly, to allow the club to sell a passive 5% equity stake.

He believes that could provide the team $500+ million. More via Club Sportico 👇

Real Madrid is prepping a delicate balancing act The world’s most valuable soccer team has historically been unable to court new owners. Now it’s trying to raise ~$1 billion without losing its soul.

Today at @sportico.bsky.social, we're talking about the delicate balancing act underway at Real Madrid.

Can the world's most valuable soccer team court $1 billion in investment while keeping its fan-controlled structure?

club.sportico.com/p/real-madri...

Real Madrid is prepping a delicate balancing act The world’s most valuable soccer team has historically been unable to court new owners. Now it’s trying to raise ~$1 billion without losing its soul.

Today at @sportico.bsky.social, we're talking about the delicate balancing act underway at Real Madrid.

Can the world's most valuable soccer team court $1 billion in investment while keeping its fan-controlled structure?

club.sportico.com/p/real-madri...

Steph Curry is wearing Nikes?! Plus: A soccer league's existential crisis, AI ticketing, and skiing on top of the world.

Happy Monday. In this week's Pick Six, we're talking about:

👟 The two shocks of Curry's Under Armour separation
⛷️ Skiing on top of the world
🐂 Advertising that I actually enjoy watching
🎫 “Now there are sort of good bots and bad bots”
⚽ The NWSL's Rodman problem

club.sportico.com/p/steph-curr...

Apple, MLS Deal Will End in 2029 With Revised Payment Structure MLS and Apple's streaming rights agreement will now end three and half years early, letting the league explore new partners after the 2026 World Cup.

SCOOP: @jacobfeldman.bsky.social and I got details of MLS's
revised Apple deal

- Ends in June 2029 (3.5 years early)
- Apple gave up 2027 opt-out
- MLS gets: $200M in 2026, $107M for 2027 "sprint" season, $275M in final two seasons

Via @sportico.bsky.social 👇
www.sportico.com/leagues/socc...

Under Armour’s CEO Just Did the Thing He ‘Couldn’t Imagine’ Under Armour is cutting ties with Steph Curry's brand, the latest in its billion-dollar cutback of sponsorship deals with leagues, teams and athletes.

Two years ago, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank said he "couldn’t imagine Under Armour without Stephen [Curry], or Stephen without Under Armour"

Today, his company and its biggest endorser announced the unimaginable. More via @sportico.bsky.social 👇

www.sportico.com/business/com...