Baseball’s opening day strikes some as more tempting than going to work

Mar 29, 2018
For baseball fans, opening day at the ballpark means an introduction to the players. It’s the season’s first taste of a stadium hot dog,  And, for some? A reason to call in sick from work. So what are employers doing to keep workers at the office? Click the above audio player to hear the full […]

Beer, big screen TVs and the Dodgers

Oct 13, 2017
Fall sports are in full swing. Football season began last month, hockey kicked off last week, basketball begins soon and playoff baseball has fans riveted. And lots of people will be watching from sports bars instead of the couch. This is perhaps especially true in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers are in the playoffs, but the […]
Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Sports teams try to accommodate special needs fans

Jul 24, 2017
The Kansas City Royals have created quiet zones for fans on the autism spectrum.
The Bennett family had a difficult time locating the quiet zones and special concession stands the team has created this year for those on the autism spectrum.
Laura Ziegler/for Marketplace

Can the Hollywood baseball movie make a comeback?

Jul 19, 2017
The strike and steroids " purged a lot of the sentimentality" from the game, says Jay Caspian Kang of the New York Times.
Kevin Costner and Ray Liotta in "Field of Dreams."
IMDB

Why do pro sports teams get tax breaks to build new stadiums?

Jul 11, 2017
It's become the norm for pro sports franchises to count on tax-free municipal bonds for building stadium projects.
 A general view of Marlins Park.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Can a brain 'zapping' device improve San Francisco Giants' performance?

Jun 13, 2017
Some players were able to shave a fraction of a second off running times. But one scientist says the technology is inconsistent.
Tyler Beede, one of the Giant’s top minor league pitchers, wears headphones that deliver electricity to his brain during practice. The team is testing the technology to see if it improves athletic performance.
Photo courtesy of Halo Neuroscience

Atlanta Braves stadium development aims to keep fans lingering (and spending)

Jun 1, 2017
With high-end apartments, office space and a concert venue, the team’s business model has moved beyond hot dogs and beer.
Thousands of fans congregate in The Battery outside SunTrust Park during the Atlanta Braves' home opener.
Stephen Fowler/GPB

For public good, not for profit.

Stadium chefs hope new food combos will hit home with fans. Brontosaurus Rib, anyone?

May 19, 2017
They expect more publicity than sales of toasted grasshoppers or a patty melt on a funnel cake bun.
Aramark executive chef James Mehne shows off some of Kauffman Stadium's new food items, including truffled mac and cheese, lemon garlic rotisserie chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Peggy Lowe/KCUR

Championship baseball is a welcome distraction for debt-ridden Puerto Rico

Mar 22, 2017
The final game of the World Baseball Classic is tonight, down the road at Dodger Stadium. The United States made the finals for the first time, and it’s playing against a team that’s close to home: Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican government bought ads to promote tourism during the game. The island could use a […]

World Series done, players divide the spoils

Nov 3, 2016
The Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians last night, 8-7.
Chicago Cubs fans celebrate outside Wrigley Field after the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in game seven of the 2016 World Series in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs 8-7 victory landed them their first World Series title since 1908. 
Scott Olson/Getty Images