Closing Bell

With a season to go before a likely labor battle with the league, the MLB Players’ Association amassed total assets of $519.3M in 2025, up from $353.1M in 2024, according to its annual LM-2 filing with the Dept. of Labor. Assets rose $166M year-over-year, a jump of nearly 47%, as the union stockpiles cash ahead of the next round of labor negotiations.

The union has continued withholding group licensing checks from players while building its war chest as a lockout looms, with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire in December. MLB teams have amassed a war chest of about $2B combined. The union’s total liabilities for 2025 were $7.8M compared to $4.9M in 2024.

Former executive director Tony Clark made $3.58M in 2025, his final year at the helm before his sudden resignation. Interim Exec Dir Bruce Meyer made $1.56M in 2025, his final year as Deputy. Interim Deputy Matt Nussbaum made nearly $917,000 in 2025 when he was General Counsel. Total employee disbursements for the MLBPA in 2025 were $26.6M.

Top payees were Fanatics at $106M (from $94.4M in 2024), OneTeam Partners at $40.2M (from $44.5M) and MLB Advanced Media at $16.7M (from $16.2M).

Many NFL Media employees will transition over to ESPN on Wednesday as part of the network buying NFL Network and RedZone Channel, and Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday afternoon sent a note to those impacted by the move. Sources have told SBJ that no immediate talent move announcements are expected to be announced Wednesday, but that some well-known names at NFL Network have already signed deals to stay aboard. Sources added that there will be a noticeable crossover of talent and content between ESPN and NFL Network.

Goodell’s note read:

“With a new league year upon us, we wanted to take a moment to recognize the members of our NFL family who will be transitioning to ESPN as part of the sale completed earlier this year. In 2003, we had an idea. Many skeptics doubted there was demand for a network featuring round the clock, yearlong NFL news, information and analysis. But we knew our fans. We knew if we built it, they would come.

“The team at NFL Network has accomplished something remarkable over the past two decades. A home for the best content in all of sports -- from ‘Total Access,’ ‘Good Morning Football’ and NFL RedZone, to breaking news and live games, including ‘Thursday Night Football.’ And let’s not forget, along the way you made the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Schedule Release must-see TV. It is no surprise that the fruits of your labor would be attractive to an industry leader like ESPN as they look to serve the insatiable appetites of NFL fans.

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NFL owners “approved an extensive contingency plan” Tuesday at league meetings to “centralize officiating in the event of a work stoppage” as negotiations continue on a CBA with the NFL Referees Association. The series of changes will “not apply if the NFLRA officials are under contract when games begin.” The rule allows league staff members in the NFL’s officiating command center in N.Y. to “alert a replacement referee if they see clear and obvious evidence of an uncalled foul for roughing the passer, intentional grounding or an act that would normally lead to disqualification.” Those staff members would also be “permitted to alert replacement referees that a flag shouldn’t have been thrown if there is clear and obvious video evidence that ‘at least one element of the foul called is not present.’” An amended version of another officiating proposal, which “will apply whether or not there is an agreement with the NFLRA,” would allow league personnel to “consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field” (ESPN.com, 3/31).

Guardians President of Business Operations Brian Barren “plans to retire” following the 2026 season, with EVP/Marketing and Brand Strategy Alex King “set to succeed him.” The 2026 season will be Barren’s 13th with the organization and his 10th as president. He “will serve in a special adviser role through December 2026″ before fully stepping away. During his tenure in Cleveland, Barren helped lead the franchise’s name change, a long-term lease extension and ballpark renovation project, as well as a “stretch of sustained revenue and attendance growth.” King, in his 16th season with the club, has spent the past 14 years leading the club’s marketing efforts and currently oversees brand, communications and media strategy. He has “worked alongside Barren on many of the franchise’s most significant initiatives,” including the name change, revenue growth strategies and the club’s ongoing media rights transition (CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 3/31).

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran “will be” at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran’s participation had been “thrown into doubt by the war” between the U.S and Israel that broke out on February 28. During Iran’s win over Costa Rica in a friendly Tuesday, Infantino said he has “spoken to the players and the coach.” Iran is set to play their first Group G game against New Zealand in L.A. on June 15. They are then scheduled to play Belgium in L.A. on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Iranian Football Federation VP Mehdi Mohammad Nabi said, “We will comply with whatever FIFA decides. Every host country has made commitments to FIFA and must honour them.” Mohammad Nabi said, “Infantino is providing the necessary support to our national team and has given our players a great boost” (AFP, 3/31). Addressing the venue concerns directly, Infantino stressed Iran’s “matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw.” This means Team Melli “will proceed with their planned itinerary” across L.A. and Seattle (GOAL, 3/31).

The U.S. and Canada will host a combined nine fixtures of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup, with Denver, Charlotte and Cary serving as U.S. hosts and Edmonton and Winnipeg hosting in Canada. Chile and Uruguay will also host matches. The tournament is set to take place throughout July and November, with the first fixture taking place in Montevideo on July 4 as Uruguay hosts Georgia. There will be 18 test matches staged in July across the Americas. The tournament comes ahead of the U.S. hosting the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 (World Rugby).

Park City Mountain resort will serve as the Snow League’s “newest host site for its second season,” with the competition set for Jan. 22–24, 2027. Snow League founder Shaun White made the announcement at Park City Mountain at the “top of an 18-foot halfpipe built at the Scott’s Bowl specifically for the event.” The three-day competition in Park City will “bring together the world’s top athletes in halfpipe snowboarding and freeskiing, along with live music, fan experiences and a full weekend celebration of winter sports culture.” Park City Mountain, the largest ski resort in the U.S. and a 2034 Utah Games venue, will debut an “upgraded 22-foot halfpipe for the competition” (PARK RECORD, 3/31).

A new agency launching around the women’s Final Four is taking an increasingly trendy approach to athlete representation -- focusing exclusively on high school and college women’s basketball prospects rather than professional stars. Longtime sports and entertainment marketer George Kaplan is launching Boston-based Choice Sports. The agency is led by Kaplan, who also serves as its co-founder and Managing Director.

The agency will target high school and collegiate women’s basketball players only, with a focus on the nation’s 100 top-ranked players. Choice is launching with three clients: Mater Dei High School G Harmony Golightly, incoming Stanford G Jhaliana Guy and Indiana F Zania Socka-Nguemen.

Choice will be a full-service agency helping clients through everything from financial literacy to basketball development in a process they call “Full Court Press.” The agency will use basketball as the cornerstone of all their relationships to cultivate deals with potential brands.

Kaplan said he launched Choice to meet a rapidly expanding women’s basketball market with an agency built specifically for it. His belief in women’s basketball is thanks in large part to a 2025 McKinsey study which said that women’s sports could generate “$2.5B in value for rights holders in the United States by 2030.”

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