Closing Bell

The NFL is “defending its expanded lineup of games on streaming platforms” amid criticism from President Trump and scrutiny from the U.S. Dept. of Justice. NFL EVP/Media Distribution Hans Schroeder suggested that the league has “no intention of pulling back from its partnerships with streaming services.” He said the league believes it has the “most fan-friendly model there is of any sport or entertainment as far as distribution.” The NFL airs 87% of its games on free broadcast networks, per league officials. Schroeder argued that the league is “actually meeting consumers where they are in an era of cord-cutting by adding games on platforms such as Netflix” (ESPN.com, 5/15).

Apple TV will be “showing” Friday’s Mets-Yankees game for “free on a giant screen” in Times Square. Fans of the two teams will have to wait until the Subway Series finale to “watch the games on the teams’ networks.” After Apple TV’s broadcast on Friday, Fox will broadcast the game on Saturday. SNY and YES Network will “air postgame shows on Friday and Saturday but not pregame shows.” The Sunday showdown at 1:40pm ET will be televised on SNY and YES (NEWSDAY, 5/14).

The Times Square broadcast is “another step in Apple TV’s strategy of airing famous matchups in the iconic Manhattan location.” The stunt’s goal is to “get more eyes on baseball, especially in a major rivalry with two teams from the big apple” (SPORTING NEWS, 5/13).

MMA fighter Ronda Rousey said that her fight with Gina Carano “will set a new purse record for female fighters” when they meet Saturday at Intuit Dome, with the bout set to be streamed on Netflix. Rousey “championed her bout with Carano as a landscape-shifting moment for the sport” and also “took aim at the UFC’s fighter pay” system. While Rousey said she “had no problem with” UFC President & CEO Dana White, she “voiced her unhappiness at how the promotion is being run” and predicted the partnership between Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix “could change the future of MMA.” Rousey: “Who can say the success of this fight won’t give the competition the UFC needs and give bargaining power back to the fighters?” Meanwhile, organizers are “aiming to set a new record for the most watched MMA event of all time” with the Netflix stream. But it “remains to be seen if the Rousey-fronted venture can indeed step out of the UFC’s shadow” (BBC.com, 5/15).

MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian “has high expectations for the event.” While the company’s inaugural MMA event is “functionally a one-off,” if “all goes as planned, the potential for more only expands.” There “aren’t currently any commitments in place” from either MVP or Netflix to carry on with future events, but Bidarian “fully expects talks to begin in the following months, should Saturday’s show be a success.” Bidarian also confirmed earlier this week that all fighters on the card “will be paid a minimum of $40,000” and that purses “will also be a flat rate, with bonus incentives still in play.” He added that Saturday’s event will “operate with a unique revenue share” that will be “much higher than 50% to the fighters,” as compared to the UFC’s approach -- which typically pays its fighters between 16%-20% (YAHOO SPORTS, 5/12).

Here is a snapshot of the range in ticket prices for the event as of presstime:

• Ticketmaster: $88-$3,607
• SeatGeek: $149-$6,234
• StubHub: $128-$19,617
• Vivid Seats: $134-$2,523

The Preakness Stakes will be held at Laurel Park for the “first and only time” Saturday, while the race’s traditional Baltimore home Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations and it is a big moment for Laurel Park. It is also a “bit of a last hurrah,” as Laurel Park will cease operations as a racetrack in the next year and convert to a training facility for horses. This year Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a plan for the state’s acquisition of Laurel Park for $48.5M. Organizers 1/ST Racing decided to cap the attendance of the 2026 Preakness at 4,800, less than a tenth of the 63,000 at Pimlico in 2025. Even with a more intimate gathering planned, however, it will “be the biggest thing to happen at Laurel Park in many years” (BALTIMORE BANNER, 5/13). The state’s $48.5M acquisition was delayed earlier this week after a “legislative committee requested a cost-benefit analysis and 45-day review period” (AP, 5/13).

Laurel Park hosting this year’s event and suffering the defection of a healthy Kentucky Derby winner in Golden Tempo has “created questions about this year’s event and what the future holds” for both Pimlico and the structure of the Triple Crown that are on Maryland Jockey Club President and GM Bill Knauf’s plate. Still, Knauf sees “plenty of reasons for optimism.” The Preakness at Laurel did attract a full field of 14 3-year-olds horses. While it “may lack star power, it should be a highly competitive race and great betting race for fans” (BLOODHORSE, 5/14).

The FBI “plans to deploy roughly 60 specially trained state and local police officers across venues” for the FIFA World Cup to “detect and electronically disable hostile drones.” Training is “already underway” with less than four weeks until the tournament starts. A source said that officers from agencies including state police in N.Y. and N.J., the NYC and L.A. police departments and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office “will operate counter-drone equipment under FBI supervision.” The source added that the FBI will “directly oversee drone mitigation” in L.A., Miami and N.Y., while Department of Homeland Security components “will cover the other eight” U.S. host cities. Authorities “plan to deploy across World Cup stadiums, fan festivals and public viewing areas” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/15).

The Detroit PWHL team “has star power in its first general manager,” hiring former hockey player Manon Rheaume, the first woman to try out for an NHL team. Rheaume, in 1992, became the first woman to appear in an NHL exhibition game. She joins the team after four years with the L.A. Kings in hockey operations and an 11-year tenure with the Little Caesars AA (LCAAA) Hockey Club. Her duties “first and foremost are to build a support staff” ahead of the June 17 expansion draft (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/15).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, SBJ’s Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter discuss how Amazon isn’t just streaming games -- they’re building an entire sports ecosystem, from NFL deals to scripted shows like the upcoming Muhammad Ali series.