There will be a “monster” weekend in Major League Baseball on both sides of the Atlantic. Two of the biggest names in licensed sportswear and headgear are teaming up. Ted Leonsis discusses his aspirations to play baseball once more. In NASCAR, tennis, golf, and horse racing, there are huge payouts at stake. Also included are updates on ESPN, Mike Tyson, Jake Paul, the Twins, and the Rays.
This weekend marks a significant milestone in MLB’s global outreach, as it also happens to coincide with one of the most important regular season contests.
The home field of West Ham United in the Premier League, London Stadium (above), will host a series between the Mets and Phillies on Saturday and Sunday. This game, which is a part of the MLB World Tour, is the third set of games played in London after the Cubs vs. Cardinals game last year and the Yankees vs. Red Sox game in 2019.
The MLB games played in South Korea and Mexico to begin this season are also followed by those in the United Kingdom. But in contrast to Asia and Latin America, where there is already a sizable baseball fan base, the league’s efforts to grow the sport in Europe have faced greater challenges. In that vein, earlier arrangements to perform in Paris the following year had already been canceled. It is considered a significant advancement that the massively popular Phillies and Mets—along with their mascots—are in London.
Significant Star Power
The Dodgers are playing a three-game weekend series against the Yankees in New York, and while those games are taking place in London, something even larger is going on back home. The slate is the only match between two of the most well-liked clubs in the league this season.
Logistics of Media
Fox will broadcast the Dodgers vs. Yankees game nationwide in prime time on Saturday, creating a kind of baseball doubleheader with earlier coverage of the first Mets vs. Phillies game and the Belmont Stakes horse race in between. The second Major League Baseball game from London and Sunday Night Baseball between the Dodgers and Yankees will feature a similar high-profile pairing on ESPN the following day.
Investing Is Important
The private equity firm ACON Investments, which invested in New Era in 2021, will continue to hold a “significant stake” in the combined business.
The deal will provide New Era more clout, especially in light of the ongoing, massive consolidation occurring in the licensed sports apparel industry overall—many of which are the result of Fanatics’ aggressive expansion into new markets.
