Baseball
Features
Mickey Mantle: In death, still king of the collectors’ world
Dead since 1995, the revered Hall of Famer still commands a lofty position among baseball memorabilia collectors
MLB aims to ‘democratize’ esports with inclusive push around Home Run Derby VR game
Major League Baseball's developing esports strategy, much more inclusive and based on a game title much simpler to play, veers heavily from other major US sports properties
Minor League Baseball seeks to move national sales to “biggest levels in the market”
After more than three years of steady growth building a national sales operation, the affiliated minor leagues of baseball has growing ambitions
Mark Lev – President Fenway Sports Management at SDMS Miami
Mark Lev, President Fenway Sports Management, a group marketing iconic brands such as Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox speaking at the Sports Decision Makers Summit in Miami about incentivised sponsorship …
Two-site ballpark plan gives Oakland A’s new hope in long-running facility search
The MLB club's bold plan to solve its nearly generation-long search for a new facility not only has unusual architectural choices, but also involves redeveloping two separate parcels. Barry M. Bloom reports.
Philadelphia Phillies see large bump in business fortunes with Harper signing
Fan excitement over the acquisition of the star free agent has fueled the MLB club to what is by far the league's largest per-game attendance increase. But Paul Hagen examines how the organization is already thinking long-term and looking to sustain fan engagement over Harper's entire 13-year deal.
New York Yankees celebrate a decade of community impact with influential HOPE Week
MLB club's annual initiative forges a new model for community outreach within the sports industry. Eric Fisher examines the impact both in and out of the organization.
San Francisco Giants pursue aggressive real estate play at Mission Rock
Three-times World Series winners the San Francisco Giants are turning property developers with the Mission Rock mixed-use development across the way from their Oracle Park home. Barry M. Bloom examines a project 15 years in the making.
MLB begins “long-term journey” in Europe with London games
Baseball starts push into the continent with its biggest and most historic rivalry: the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Story by Eric Fisher.
Fast fashion comes to Asia | Q&A Masanori Kawana, managing director, Fanatics Japan
Masanori Kawana, managing director, Fanatics Japan, came to prominence in October when he signed the company’s first vertical merchandising deal in Asia with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Here he speaks to Ben Cronin about the prospects for the company's fast fashion model in Asia.
How teams commercialise players from specific regions
When a leading sports team signs a foreign player, it does so because of their athletic ability. But sometimes that player can also usher in an opportunity to build a sizeable fan base in their home country
Local initiatives offer solutions to Major League Baseball’s national attendance problem
For the first time since 2003, average attendances fell below 30,000 and 70 million total threshold
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US Digest | Tiger effect lifts PGA Championship TV ratings
Welcome to the US Digest, rounding up the big news and developments coming out of the world’s biggest sports market
US sports tweak rules and presentation to keep audiences hooked
US major leagues are tweaking their rules to make sure fans stay tuned in as concerns build about distracted audiences. Data is playing a critical role, with leading rights-holders employing sophisticated, data-led decision-making to make the changes.
US Digest | Lakers reap immediate rewards of the LeBron effect
Welcome to the first edition of SportBusiness Group’s US Digest, rounding up the big news and developments coming out of the world’s biggest sports market
US Digest | Telemundo takes lead against Fox for World Cup viewers
Welcome to SportBusiness Group’s US Digest, rounding up the news and developments coming out of the world’s biggest sports market
Telemundo takes lead against Fox for World Cup viewers
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US Digest | United bid wins 2026 World Cup vote by landslide
In this week's US sports industry round-up: United bid wins 2026 World Cup vote by landslide; NBCSN to simulcast Telemundo Russia 2018 matches; and New Jersey sports betting bill is given the green light.
US Digest | Delaware ushers in new sports betting era
In this week's US sports industry round-up: Delaware ushers in new sports betting era; United 2026 bid outscores 'high risk' Morocco; and the New York Yankees win scheduling battle with ESPN.
Pro Sports Leagues Make Successful Stock Pickers
Looking at historical data of the publicly-traded commercial partners of the US major leagues shows that investing in Official Corporate Partners is a sound long-term investment strategy.