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NBA's in-season tournament aims to attract more — and earlier — viewers

Nov 15, 2023
Major league sports are getting more creative at a time when just 16% of Americans follow a team "very" or "extremely" closely.
Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus Buckeye pretends to sleep as the Michigan Wolverines starting lineup is announced. Turns out, most Americans are sleeping on sports too.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Take me out to the cricket game? Investors launch a professional league for the U.S.

Jul 13, 2023
Major League Cricket is starting with modest ambitions — a two-week season — but it hopes the game's popularity will spread in the U.S.
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma. Cricket has a huge fan base in South Asia, and Major League Cricket hopes to take the sport pro in the United States.
Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

MLB's new rules are drawing more fans to ballparks nationwide

Jul 11, 2023
More than two-thirds of Major League Baseball teams are ushering more fans through turnstiles.
New rules include a pitch clock, which means pitchers now have 20 seconds at most to throw the ball.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Senators to ask PGA Tour execs why they pivoted from slamming rival LIV to merging with it

Jul 11, 2023
The answer involves Saudi Arabian billions pouring into sports to buff up the kingdom's reputation.
Major state investment in a sport to call attention away from a record of human rights abuses is called sportswashing, says Wharton professor Kenneth Shropshire.
Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

NASCAR's run at Le Mans is only the start for global auto racing

Jun 23, 2023
A NASCAR-style Camaro ran in the famed 24-hour car race in France. It's another example of globalization in the sports world.
Does a Chevy Camaro at the famous Le Mans auto race signal more international crossovers to come in the sport?
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Cord-cutters threaten the existence of regional sports networks

May 26, 2023
Lost cable fees mean reduced rights payments to teams. It's uncertain how it will all play out, says Ben Strauss of The Washington Post.
In March, Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts via Getty Images

Pickleball’s popularity presents equity challenges for city governments

Apr 11, 2023
For many major cities across the United States, pickleball’s rise in popularity shows equity gaps in infrastructure.
A pickelabll court located in Brooklyn, New York. More than 4.8 million people played the sport in 2021, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

As women's sports grow in popularity, so does the bar that only airs women's matches

Apr 7, 2023
"Spaces like this are really important for not just sports and not just representation, but for the people who come to be a part of that community," said Jenny Nguyen, owner of the Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon.
Celebrating the bar's first anniversary, Nguyen reflects on the The Sports Bra's place in the community.
Courtesy Dorothy Wang

College stars' name and image deals vs. the health of athletic departments

Mar 15, 2023
The channeling of NIL cash to athletes poses a risk to athletic department funding. Author Bruce Schoenfeld explains.
As March Madness rolls around, author Bruce Schoenfeld discusses how NIL deals are affecting funding for college athletic departments.
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