Front Office Sports Today

Cleveland is a top-20 market and home to some of the most-beloved franchises in sports. Now there is momentum to launch a National Women's Soccer League team, including funding earmarked for a new stadium. The founders of the group behind this big-league push join the show to discuss all the moving parts involved with the ambitious plan.Plus, the NBA All-Star Game produced almost as many points as complaints, while the Steph Curry-Sabrina Ionescu three-point contest pointed toward the weekend’s potential, MLS is likely to begin its season with replacement referees, and the Chicago White Sox want $1 billion from the state.

The NBA All-Star Game has gone from being just a top-shelf scrimmage to a full weekend of concerts—Lil Wayne! Keith Urban! T-Pain!—panels, and events. NBA Senior Vice President, Head of Event Strategy and Management Joey Graziano joins the show to discuss the evolution of the game and what the league learned from the first in-season tournament.Plus, Wilson is selling a $2,500 basketball, Comcast is using Caitlin Clark’s record chase to drive Peacock subscriptions, and MLB players are less than thrilled with their new Nike-Fanatics uniforms.This episode is sponsored by:Autotrader: autotrader.com/seeitfindit

Nikola Jokić is a singular basketball player, but he is emblematic of a talent pipeline from Serbia that is growing in prominence for the NBA. The New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas joins the episode to discuss the Serbian team that produced the superstar, the challenges of marketing Jokić, and what he means for the future of the NBA.Plus, Oakland and the A’s are talking again, and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo tells FOS's Mike McCarthy how ESPN changed his life.This episode is sponsored by:Autotrader: autotrader.com/seeitfindit

The NHL is looking to this weekend’s Stadium Series to help grow interest in the league. With team values rising, the league is expected to expand in the coming years. However, a hiatus from the Olympics and a fumbled response to the question of whether players can wear pride tape on their sticks shows a league that sometimes causes its own problems. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan joins the show to discuss the state of the league.Plus, Tiger Woods begins his next chapter, the Oakland A’s will have the first female lead play-by-play announcer in MLB history, and the Kansas City Royals campaign to fund a new downtown ballpark.This episode is sponsored by:Autotrader: autotrader.com/seeitfindit

The NFL just wrapped up arguably its biggest season yet, and now faces some compelling offseason questions: Will the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders secure new stadium deals? Can the league continue to push the envelope on streaming-exclusive broadcasts? What opportunities are there for the week one Friday game in Brazil?We dive into those issues, plus Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes, executive producers of an upcoming Apple TV docuseries on the New England Patriots, join to discuss how they chronicled one of the most dominant teams in NFL history.

Sin City saw its rise as a sports city come to fruition with Sunday’s Super Bowl, but more and more economists are questioning the value of hosting major sporting events. The city is also learning the quirks of Oakland A’s owner John Fisher, as he seeks funding for a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.FOS contributor Dan Kaplan and The Athletic columnist Tim Kawakami join the show to discuss the perils and profits that the city has felt as a high-profile sports destination.

The spectacle that is Super Bowl week is reaching new heights in Las Vegas. Long before kickoff, NFL players, media personnel, celebrities, and brands flooded the city for both business and pleasure. Ahead of the game, our writers on the scene join for a roundtable talk on the wild week. Plus, a development firm put out ambitious renderings for a new Chicago White Sox stadium, the NBA is embracing the flow of money from the Middle East, and Patrick Beverly broke the news of his own trade.

Disney’s quarterly earnings showed strength at ESPN and narrow losses from its streaming services. This week, ESPN announced both a joint streaming venture with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, and a separate standalone product that will put the ESPN cable channel on a streaming service along with ESPN Bet integration and other features. We dive into how the network is shaping its cord-cutting strategy.Plus, Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Phil Simms chime in from Radio Row, we have exclusive data on whether fans would pay to watch the Super Bowl, and the Boston Red Sox are getting the “Hard Knocks” treatment.

A ruling by the National Labor Relations Board puts college athletes on the path to becoming employees of their schools. While appeals are expected, the NCAA could face an equally tough audience from the Supreme Court, should the case progress that far.Plus, the mayor of Las Vegas responds to the reaction from her interview on this show, ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are launching a sports-focused streaming service, and we look back on the NFL season and ahead to the NFL draft with ESPN’s Matt Miller.This episode is sponsored by:Autotrader: autotrader.com/seeitfindit

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman applauds the city’s rise as a sports destination with one exception: the Oakland A’s. Mayor Goodman told Front Office Sports that she believes the team’s plans at the Tropicana site don’t make sense and that the team ought to stay in Oakland. She also discussed a potential NBA team there, and how the city will adjust in future years hosting Formula 1 to mitigate harm to small businesses.Plus, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his annual Super Bowl press conference, FIFA announced the World Cup final host, Inter Miami’s international tour has disappointed Lionel Messi fans, and the Kansas City Royals made one of the biggest signings in baseball history.