Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
The league instituted its new pace-of-play initiative to widespread praise. The efforts cut the average game time by 24 minutes and resulted in a faster, more exciting on-field product. Attendance was up nearly 10% across the league, with the total attendance breaking the 70 million mark for the first time since 2017. The World Baseball Classic generated around $100 million in revenue while the Japan-U.S. championship game more than doubled the previous TV viewership high. The Cubs and Cardinals played a two-game series in front of more than 110,000 fans in London, while the Giants and Padres played the first regular-season games in Mexico City.
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Lionel Messi’s decision to join MLS and play for Inter Miami resulted in record interest in the league domestically and internationally. Inter Miami instantly saw a boost in ticket sales and sponsorships, while other teams drew capacity crowds to see Messi play. Apple began its broadcast deal with the league, with a reported 2 million subscribers signing up for the service. St. Louis City SC finished first in the Western Conference in its debut season, while ranking near the top in merchandise sales and ticket sales. The Leagues Cup made its debut, bringing teams from the U.S. and Mexico together.
NASCAR
NASCAR
A new seven-year, $7.7 billion TV deal was reached with NBC, Fox, Amazon and TNT Sports for the Cup Series that will begin in 2025, while the CW signed a deal for the entire Xfinfity Series also beginning in 2025. The new street race in Chicago was widely praised and was NBC’s top race broadcast in several years. NASCAR returned to its roots by bringing the All-Star Race to a refurbished North Wilkesboro Speedway, and the debut of “Full Speed” on Netflix increased the circuit’s exposure to a broader potential fan base.
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National Football League
NFL television viewership continued to dominate, with Super Bowl LVIII becoming the most-watched program of all time. Regular-season viewership was up 7% from 2022. The first playoff game was placed on a streaming service, and YouTube TV took over ownership of NFL Sunday Ticket fairly seamlessly. The NFL continued its growth internationally, holding its first games in Frankfurt while scheduling the first matchups in Brazil (2024) and Spain (2025). Owners approved the sale of the Washington Commanders to Josh Harris for a record $6 billion. In-person attendance hit its highest total in at least 20 years.
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National Women’s Soccer League
The league signed its largest TV deal to date, involving ESPN, CBS, Amazon and Scripps Sports. The value of the deal was more than 10 times the previous deal. Numerous attendance records were set, led by the expansion San Diego Wave. The league further expanded to the San Francisco Bay area and returned a team to Salt Lake City. The Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars were sold to new ownership groups, showing the growing interest in investing in the league. The KC Current opened the first stadium dedicated solely to a pro women’s soccer team.
WNBA
Women’s National Basketball Association
The league drew its largest attendance total in 13 years, with more than 1.6 million fans. That was a 55% jump from 2022. It awarded an expansion franchise set to begin play in 2025 to the Warriors’ ownership for $50 million. Scripps Sports made the WNBA its first league partner, and the league’s Changemakers program continued to grow, with CarMax becoming the sixth partner of the initiative. The debut preseason game in Canada sold out, with more than 19,800 fans attending the Sky-Lynx matchup in Toronto.
