A sports economist explains how the deal leaves players with a fundamentally different – and in many ways, worse – arrangement than their counterparts in the other major US sports leagues.
The Netflix documentary A Secret Love tells the remarkable story of a decades-long relationship between two gay athletes and opens up a conversation about racism, classism and homophobia in the 50s.
Pitchers in Major League Baseball have been striking out more batters than ever, and some people say it’s because they’re adding sticky stuff to the balls.
Twenty years ago, a few small-market Major League Baseball teams used advanced analytics as a secret weapon to compete with large-market teams. But the Moneyball effect is gone now.
More competitive games between top soccer clubs is desirable but creating a ‘closed’ system would harm a soccer culture built on dreams, says the man who predicted the Super League two decades ago.
New sports are being added to the Olympics all the time in an effort to remain relevant to younger audiences, while others (sorry baseball) are left out.
By removing Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name from the plaques awarded to each league’s MVP, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America acknowledged Landis’ role in upholding segregation.
Mark Otten, California State University, Northridge
It will be possible to compare the outcomes of games with and without fans, giving new insights into the relationship between fans, home-field advantage and clutch performances.
This isn’t the first time sports have been put on hold. But in the past, the reprieve was brief, and sports went on to act as a way to bring Americans together. This time’s different.
In 2002, Mike Veeck, a minor league baseball owner with a knack for bizarre promotions, decided to set the record for lowest attendance – and bar fans from entering the stadium.
While segregation was a shameful period in baseball history, the Negro Leagues were a resounding success and an immense source of pride for black America.
Up until the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, gambling and baseball had a marriage of convenience. A century later, gambling is again being seen as a solution to the sport’s woes.