Major League Baseball’s potential expansion and realigment in the coming years would increase fan enthusiasm and revenues.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred discussed these topics during an interview at the Little League Classic last weekend.

Expansion would mean new teams in new cities. Nashville, Orlando, Portland and Salt Lake City are frontrunners, according to Front Office Sports. Austin (200 miles south of Dallas) and Indianapolis are also top U.S. metro areas without teams. New Jersey is another state with a large population but no MLB team.

With the NFL and NHL both at 32 teams, it makes sense for MLB (and the NBA) to want to grow from 30 to 32.

Eliminating the traditional American and National Leagues and changing the current six divisions were also discussed. Imagine the Yankees and Mets, Dodgers and Angels or Cubs and White Sox in the same divisions.

MLB has had a resurgence in popularity, so the timing is right for growth. MLB’s last expansion was in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now just Rays) and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The challenge for the 162-game baseball seasons is that teams are often eliminated from contention early, so maintaining fan interest is more challenging than other pro leagues.

Our previous newsletter, The Replay Booth, wasn’t up to our standards so we’re now the Game Changers newsletter, which follows the difference makers in sports business. It’s not The Game Changers, just Game Changers.

We don’t expect to return to the previous title, like HBO Max did.

This is also a re-design which may see more changes. Look for new content features as well.

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The NWSL kicked off its 13th season with 13 league sponsors, including newcomers E.l.f. Beauty and Alex Cooper’s Unwell Hydration. E.l.f. went further by signing four NWSL players — proof beauty brands are finally playing in sports.

A different audience
Women’s sports attract fans that men’s leagues don’t. Only 5% of Golden State Valkyries ticket holders also hold Warriors tickets — even though they share the same arena. For brands, that means untapped communities and fresh customers.

Record-breaking deals
Jersey sponsorships are exploding: Bay FC + Trader Joe’s set a record, then Gotham FC + Dove broke it, and then Portland Thorns + Ring topped them all at $2.6M+, the biggest deal in league history.

Amazon goes all in
Amazon is betting on women’s soccer with streaming rights, exclusive retail deals, award sponsorships, and even a docuseries. The reason is the league’s “rabid fanbase” and growth, says Amazon Prime’s Deb Curtis.

Players feel vindicated
“What’s been proven is people love women’s sports,” says Tobin Heath, a former player. “They love women’s athletes as people. Brands love them too — they’re approachable, authentic, and great at marketing.” (Marketing Brew)

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be the first to allow sponsored naming rights on venues. Previous Olympics would cover up and not mention existing venue corporate naming rights if relevant.

Two corporate-branded venues were confirmed in LA28’s announcement:

That raises some questions. SoFi Stadium has already been named the swimming site and was expected to use a generic name. Is it assumed SoFi Stadium will keep its name? Or would SoFi decline and another company get the rights or outbid SoFi? What about Crypto.com Arena, the gymnastics and boxing site?

One article asks if this represents over-commercialization and is contrary to the spirit of the Olympics. Hosting the Olympics is notorious for being a money-losing proposition in exchange for tourism interest. Some host cities, like Sochi, were abandoned. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was admired for being among the most financially successful, so the city is trying to continue that tradition.

Little League International released a statement last week condemning any gambling on their games.

It’s illegal to bet on youth sports in the United States, but not overseas. Though illegal in the U.S., offshore sportsbooks aren’t governed by those laws and could be accessed. Point speads are made for game wagers. Parlays aren’t available.

People are betting on 12 year olds? If there’s a gambling addiction red flag maybe that’s it? (USA Today)