Interest — and investment — are surging for Major League Soccer

Jul 1, 2024
The U.S. league's fans are in-demand among advertisers.
When Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi joined Miami’s MLS club, the team’s value jumped to more than $1 billion.
Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

Why taxpayers keep footing much of the bill for new sports stadiums

Jun 27, 2024
Governments provide big subsidies even if the dollars and cents don't add up, says The Economist's Simon Rabinovitch.
The Kansas City Royals' ballpark, Kauffman Stadium. Officials in Kansas want to lure the team away from Missouri.
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images

How the game has changed for Black college athletes

Following a Florida bill that effectively bans DEI programs at the state's college and universities, the NAACP has called on Black athletes to reconsider attending predominantly white institutions.
"The game has changed, no pun intended," when it comes to athletes and activism, said "Marketplace" special correspondent Lee Hawkins. "NIL deals are now part of the equation, the stakes are so much higher."
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

For many Olympians and Paralympians, the path to Paris is self-funded

May 23, 2024
It's up to many athletes to pay for the bulk of training, coaching, travel, equipment and other expenses on the road to Paris.
Ben Washburne and his Paralympic teammates practice on the Charles River in Boston. Washburne juggles training with a full-time job.
Henry Epp/Marketplace

How can the WNBA maximize this moment?

May 14, 2024
Superstar rookies Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Kamila Cardoso bring a new wave of fans and media attention to the professional game — and now the WNBA's challenge is making it last.
Star players like Caitlin Clark don't hang around forever, so the WNBA is now tasked with getting new fans invested in teams, storylines and the league as a whole.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

When take your kid to work day goes viral

Apr 26, 2024
At 5 years old, Christopher Bess is already a high school basketball coach.
At just 5 years old, Christopher Bess appears to have already found his calling: coaching basketball.
Courtesy Bess

Meet the first Black baseball players

Apr 8, 2024
We're watching “The League,” a documentary about the contributions that Black baseball players and the Negro Leagues made to America’s pastime.
A magazine cover featuring Jackie Robinson in 1952.
Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

NBA's in-season tournament aims to attract more — and earlier — viewers

Nov 15, 2023
Major league sports are getting more creative at a time when just 16% of Americans follow a team "very" or "extremely" closely.
Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus Buckeye pretends to sleep as the Michigan Wolverines starting lineup is announced. Turns out, most Americans are sleeping on sports too.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Take me out to the cricket game? Investors launch a professional league for the U.S.

Jul 13, 2023
Major League Cricket is starting with modest ambitions — a two-week season — but it hopes the game's popularity will spread in the U.S.
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma. Cricket has a huge fan base in South Asia, and Major League Cricket hopes to take the sport pro in the United States.
Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

MLB's new rules are drawing more fans to ballparks nationwide

Jul 11, 2023
More than two-thirds of Major League Baseball teams are ushering more fans through turnstiles.
New rules include a pitch clock, which means pitchers now have 20 seconds at most to throw the ball.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images