Closing Bell

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke Tuesday in Philadelphia ahead of the All-Star Game, touching on topics ranging from a potential salary cap to President Trump‘s interest in CBA negotiations to the status of the Rays’ ballpark plans in Tampa and more. Some of the topics Manfred touched on included:

• A potential salary cap: Manfred and the owners “believe that if there’s no salary cap, the game’s popularity will wane.” Manfred noted that the MLBPA “wanted no part of a pitch clock, either, and it has resulted in resounding success,” and that it “pushed back on the ABS challenge system, too.” Manfred: “We got that momentum by listening to our fans and making changes that you know candidly, the MLBPA was not interested in.” Manfred said, “Those changes have paid off in terms of creating that momentum, and the best way to lose momentum is to stand still” (USA TODAY, 7/14).
• Trump’s interest in CBA talks: Manfred was “asked whether he thought Trump would intervene” in CBA negotiations, and while he did not want to “speculate” about Trump’s potential involvement, he did say that Trump is “interested.” Manfred: “He’s a great sports fan, and he is really knowledgeable about the business of sports, so it doesn’t surprise me” (FOXNEWS.com, 7/14).
• The Rays’ ballpark plans in Tampa: Manfred said that he “likes the design elements the Rays have shared” for the proposed $2.3B Tampa ballpark they seek to open in 2029. He is “pleased with the way that lead owner Patrick Zalupski and CEO Ken Babby have handled the protracted negotiations with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials." But “now he wants to see the deal done.” Manfred: “Every delay just makes it more difficult to hit a timetable of when the stadium is going to open” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 7/14).
• The Padres’ ownership transfer: Manfred said that the sale of the Padres to Clearlake Capital co-founder & Managing Partner José Feliciano and his wife Kwanza Jones “will get done.” Manfred: “It’s a question of getting investment commitments, documentation to be put in a condition that it’s ready for a club vote” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/14).

Meanwhile, MLBPA Interim Exec Dir Bruce Meyer also spoke in Philadelphia Tuesday, saying at the annual Baseball Writers’ Association of America meeting, “The salary cap is the ultimate excuse not to compete” (X, 7/14). Meyer said, “Teams in every market across the league can afford to compete. Many of them are choosing not to.” On a potential salary cap, Meyer said, “I believe that this system is bad for players and would be for generations to come” (ESPN.com, 7/14).

The MLB All-Star Game has a good chance of cracking 10 million viewers on Tuesday night for the first time since 2015, as Fox has set up the pregame show to get a direct lead-in from the postgame show after the France-Spain FIFA World Cup semifinal. Should the game go to penalty kicks, the All-Star Game might get an even bigger bump. Regardless, Fox is expected to have an extended postgame show after France-Spain and will toss it directly to the All-Star pregame at 6:30pm ET. Viewers tuning into the World Cup postgame show should also expect a talk-back from the pregame crew in Philadelphia at the MLB event.

Charlotte FC expects to forgo approximately $8.25M in season-ticket revenue over the next three MLS seasons by providing credits tied to around 15,000 seats following the club’s decision to end the sale of personal seat licenses (PSLs), according to Tepper Sports & Entertainment CRO Eric Sudol. The credits will compensate current season-ticket members for amounts they have paid toward PSLs, which will no longer be required to purchase season tickets.

Fans will be able to apply 75% of the amount they have paid toward their PSLs -- which Sudol said cost roughly $550 on average -- toward a combined 25-match package comprising the 2027 sprint season and the 2027-28 full season. Fans who subsequently renew for the 2028-29 season will be able to apply the remaining 25% toward those tickets.

“This is absolutely a long-term investment in the fan and the people that we care about, and it’s why we’re doing it,” Sudol told reporters at a business roundtable Tuesday.

The $8.25M does not include credits the club may offer to former PSL holders who opt to come back.

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Magic play-by-play voice David Steele, who spent 37 seasons in the role both on TV and radio, has announced his retirement. The Magic named Dante Marchitelli as the team’s new play-by-play TV announcer. Steele was named TV voice for the Magic in March 1998 and spent 28 years in the role after handling play-by-play duties on the radio for the team’s first nine seasons. Marchitelli enters his 28th season with the organization, having begun in 1998 as a radio intern before being hired full-time in January 2000 as radio producer. Marchitelli served as host/sideline reporter since 2008. The Magic will announce 2026-27 broadcast plans in the near future (Magic).

The ACC has a new multiyear deal with ReliaQuest, making the Tampa-based company the official cybersecurity sponsor of the conference. The multiyear deal was struck in conjunction with Disney Advertising and ESPN, and as part of the pact, both sides are committing to help raise awareness of cybersecurity and cybersecurity careers through ReliaQuest’s proven cyber labs program.

The deal covers each of the ACC’s 28 sponsored sports and will begin in the fall. The ACC has now doubled its portfolio of corporate sponsors over the past five years.

ReliaQuest has been involved in college football through a bowl game sponsorship in its home market since 2022 (the former Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, which pits Big Ten and SEC teams). ReliaQuest founder and CEO Brian Murphy is a Florida State alum and member of the FSU BOT. The company also has a sponsorship deal with the PGA Tour.

Visit Rwanda will feature as Premier League club Aston Villa’s “front-of-shirt sponsor next season.” The multiyear deal “will be worth close to” $26.75M per season, representing an increase on the club’s previous agreement with Betano. Aston Villa President of Business Operations Francesco Calvo “played a key role in negotiating the improved revenue from the club’s front-of-shirt sponsorship.” Villa’s partnership with Visit Rwanda will “extend beyond a commercial agreement, with the club expected to support the development of football in the country through programmes and coaching initiatives.” Visit Rwanda already has partnerships with La Liga club Atlético de Madrid, Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich, as well as U.S. sports franchises including the Clippers and Rams (BIRMINGHAM MAIL, 7/14).

Sources said that the partnership is the “most lucrative in Villa’s history” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/14). Supporters who have already purchased the new home kit will “be able to take their shirt into an Aston Villa store to have the sponsor branding printed free of charge” (BBC.com, 7/14).

Sharks C Macklin Celebrini was unveiled as the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 27, with the “Reveal Trailer” premiering on YouTube at 11am ET on Thursday. He is the second Sharks player to grace the cover of the video game following former NHLer Owen Nolan in 2001 (NHL). The cover is a recognition that Celebrini, who ranked fourth in NHL scoring with 115 points, has “already established himself as one of the league’s top superstars.” The popular hockey video game will be released on Sept. 4. Celebrini, who turned 20 last month, is the “youngest NHL cover athlete in EA Sports’ history” (THE HOCKEY NEWS, 7/14).

USMNT F Folarin Balogun on Tuesday hit the morning show circuit after signing with Klutch Sports for off-field representation. During an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” Balogun talked about how the run the American team made in the World Cup was “amazing” and that he could see “how many fans and how many young kids really were captured by it.” Balogun: “I really felt we were able to unite the country. That was an aspiration of mine and the team before we set out. … That’s a very special feeling to be a part of that.”

Balogun addressed the reversal of the controversial red card he received against Bosnia & Herzegovina that ultimately allowed him to play against Belgium in the round of 16. He noted he was certainly happy to be eligible to play, though he did say, “When I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it’s something that’s so unique.” Balogun: “The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could. But it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid” (“CBS Mornings,” 7/14).

Balogun also appeared in studio on NBC’s “Today,” where he called the team’s run a “special journey.” He said of the attention around his reinstatement for the Belgium match, “It didn’t help. As an athlete, you want to go into a game that’s already difficult enough with everything that goes on, the pressure. To have more pressure, not just internally (but) from almost the whole football world, was difficult. But it’s not an excuse. We were disappointed with the way it ended, but there’s still a lot of be proud of.” Talking about the future of soccer in the U.S., he said, “Now’s the time to be optimistic. You saw we were really, really able to capture so many people” (“Today,” NBC, 7/14).

N.Y.-based law firm Linklaters announced Chris Boehning has joined the firm as a partner and chair of the Global Sports Practice and U.S. Strategic Disputes, while Daniel Levi has joined as a partner in the firm’s Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations practice. The two execs joined from Paul Weiss, where Boehning served as co-chair of the firm’s sports, international and insurance practices and chair of the international arbitration practice (Linklaters).

The hiring of FIFA’s “go-to litigators” is a “coup for Linklaters as it seeks to compete with New York’s elite law firms” in their home market. The hires come as many firms “are attempting to bolster their sports practices.” Boehning and Levi have advised FIFA on the 2026 World Cup, winning a court ruling last month that allowed football’s governing body to “uphold its policy of prohibiting fans from bringing political symbols, such as Iran’s pre-revolution flag, into World Cup games.” Linklaters’ sports clients include the NFLPA, Premier League, LaLiga’s Real Madrid and Tennis Australia (FINANCIAL TIMES, 7/13).