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Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred addressed a small group of media Thursday afternoon in New York City following the conclusion of owners meetings this week.
He announced that the Texas Rangers will host the 2024 All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington and the Philadelphia Phillies will host the 2026 game to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. (The 2025 All-Star location is yet undecided.) Beyond that, here’s what he had to say on a range of topics:
Investigation into collusion between the Mets and Yankees
On Nov. 3 SNY reported that, according to Mets sources, the Mets would not make a run at Aaron Judge in free agency this offseason because owners Steven Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner have a “mutually respectful relationship, and do not expect to upend that with a high-profile bidding war.” The Athletic reported Wednesday that those comments had incited an investigation by MLB into whether they constitute collusion to suppress Judge’s market.
Manfred initially demurred, citing his lack of involvement in the investigation, but when pressed on how fraught accusations of collusion are — especially so close to an contentious labor fight — he offered unequivocal assurance that there had been no impropriety.
Fallout from FTX declaring bankruptcy after signing a partnership with MLB
In June 2021, MLB announced that it had forged “the first-ever partnership between a professional sports league and a cryptocurrency exchange” with FTX. Beginning with the 2021 All-Star Game, FTX became the first sponsorship company to advertise on umpire uniforms. The agreement also granted FTX worldwide marketing rights utilizing MLB logos, and through an agreement with the MLBPA, allowed FTX to use player highlights in their content creation.
Streaming rights, RSNs and the future of watching baseball games
Baseball fans have repeatedly shared their frustration with accessing MLB games on streaming services — specifically, the local blackouts on MLB.tv. (It was the No. 1 concern Reddit users wanted relayed to Manfred during the World Series.) This past season, the league debuted a series of partnerships with streaming services — including Apple TV and Peacock — to broadcast weekly national games. But navigating the broader shift from cable to streaming while still prioritizing the lucrative RSN (regional sports network) deals has proved to be a complicated multiyear process for baseball. Manfred said there was a “long report” on the RSN landscape made to the owners this week
“I think the look forward from our perspective,” he said, “is that there is a remnant of the cable bundle that has real economic value that we need to be aggressive about helping to survive to preserve those economics. Equally important, we need to develop digital products that get to people who have opted out of the bundle who currently don't have access to our game.”
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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