🏟️ Speedway Classic ’25: Baseball Like You’ve Never Seen

Welcome to this week’s edition of Sports Industry Weekly.
We’re breaking down the biggest headlines, boldest moves, and emerging trends shaping the business of sports. From major deals to industry shifts, here’s what you need to know. Let’s dive in.

⚾️ Baseball is heading to the race track, with the Braves and Reds squaring off at Bristol Motor Speedway in a one-of-a-kind game.

📺 Playfly is expanding its reach in MLB, now handling local media sales for the Twins, Guardians, and Rockies.

🥎 AUSL’s league revamp is paying off, viewership jumped 88% year-over-year, with massive growth among young and female audiences.

🤝 Sports and streaming carried Disney’s upfront, generating nearly $4 billion in advertiser commitments.

🎤 Sophie Cunningham’s breakout summer continues as she inks a podcast deal with Colin Cowherd’s media brand, The Volume.

🎥 Fox is now a minority owner in IndyCar, reflecting the rising trend of broadcasters investing directly in the leagues they cover.

🏁 NASCAR is on the hunt for a new agency to help restore its connection with longtime, working-class fans.

🤝 New guidance confirms NIL collectives can keep paying players, cementing their influence in college sports, within regulated boundaries.

🌏 The NBA is ramping up its presence in Europe with games in major cities, and early talks of launching a league on the continent.

🏀 The Spurs are putting $1B behind a new downtown arena, real estate, and $60M in community-focused investments.

📺 Tom Brady’s Birmingham City FC will be the focus of a new docuseries, spotlighting his evolution from player to club owner.

⛳️ This week, Wales hosts its first AIG Women’s Open, marking the largest women’s sports event the country has ever seen.

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