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On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Jacob Feldman discuss the biggest sports business stories of the week so far, including Sportico‘s exclusive news that the Pro Volleyball Federation is merging with Major League Volleyball.
The new league will operate under the MLV name, with new teams likely joining under new investors including Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and D.C. United owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan. The combined league has been valued at $325 million as part of the transaction, with $40 million added to its arsenal. It will continue competing with League One Volleyball for elite talent and fan attention. Ultimately, the league that’s best able to leverage existing college fan bases could be the last one standing. There are also lessons to be learned from past league mergers, such as the NBA-ABA combination.
The hosts also provide updates on the WNBA‘s Connecticut Sun sale, with a reported bid of $325 million from Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca, followed by questions about whether the new ownership would be able to move the team to Boston. The W seems more interested in either keeping the Sun in Connecticut, or potentially seeing them relocate to one of the cities that previously bid for an expansion team, such as Nashville or Austin.
The hosts then talk about ESPN’s expected acquisition of NFL media assets as the broadcaster plans to launch its newest direct-to-consumer service and the league sees plenty of bidders for it game rights, decreasing the value of an in-house broadcaster.
Scott also shares his reflections on MLB‘s experiment at Bristol Motor Speedway, where rain largely derailed baseball’s grand vision. Still, the league is likely to continue pursuing games in novel locations as a way to reach more fans and generate buzz during its regular season.
Last, they close by talking about the state of youth tackle football, which has seen participation bounce back after dropping last decade. All the while, flag football continues growing as well.
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