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Front Office Sports - The Memo

Afternoon Edition

July 14, 2026

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Ticket prices for Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia reached $1,388—six times more than last year’s get-in price for the game in Atlanta. It also surpassed the World Cup France-Spain semifinal match in Dallas, also on Tuesday. The biggest factor in the price spike: a shortage of tickets on the resale market.

—Ava Hult

First Up

  • With MLB’s labor deal expiring in less than five months, players and the league are very far apart on specific proposals, and ideologically. Read the story.
  • A ruling on the investigation into the Clippers and Aspiration won’t be finalized before NBA commissioner Adam Silver meets with the media Tuesday night. Read the story.
  • FIFA’s lack of consistency around its rules has eroded the governing body’s credibility—and fueled fan suspicion. Read the story.
  • The two managers in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game had a clear message for all those chosen to play in the midseason showcase: You should be here. Read the story.

Price of MLB All-Star Game Tickets Surpasses World Cup Semifinal

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The get-in price for Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game has surpassed that of the France-Spain World Cup semifinal.

Ticket prices reached $1,388 on Tuesday, surpassing the $1,301 minimum price for the same day France-Spain semifinal match in Dallas, according to TicketData. 

This year’s All-Star Game is also dramatically more expensive than recent editions. Game-day get-in prices were $223 in Atlanta in 2025, $268 in Texas in 2024, and $367 in Seattle in 2023. Philadelphia’s current price is six times last year’s get-in cost and nearly four times the price in Seattle three years ago, according to TicketData. 

In each of the past three years, the get-in price fell by more than 50% between MLB Opening Day and the day of the All-Star Game, according to TicketData founder Keith Pagello. This year, prices have more than doubled from roughly $600 on Opening Day. 

The biggest factor is a shortage of tickets on the resale market. Fewer than 1,000 tickets have been available across the major resale sites since the end of last week, Pagello said in a statement to Front Office Sports.

Prices for the All-Star Game had already climbed to $1,199 by Monday night, a sharp increase from the $647 reported one week earlier, before rising further Tuesday. The trend accelerated as buyers saw Home Run Derby prices continue to rise over the weekend. 

“The exhilarating finish to the Home Run Derby certainly added fuel to an already very hot market,” Pagello said.

Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker defeated Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber 12–11 in the final after hitting six consecutive home runs on his last six swings, becoming the first St. Louis player to win the event. 

The get-in cost for the Home Run Derby reached $1,541 before Monday, a 176% increase over the previous three days, according to TicketData. By comparison, the previous three Derbies had get-in prices of $184 in Atlanta, $119 in Texas, and $365 in Seattle.

The surge in demand is particularly notable given the star power missing from Tuesday’s game. Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge will not play, as well as several prominent pitchers, including Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Cam Schlittler, Jacob Misiorowski, and Zack Wheeler.

“This will almost certainly be the most expensive MLB All-Star Game on record,” Pagello said. “I think a lot of this comes down to Philadelphia once again proving itself to be one of the country’s strongest and most passionate sports markets. Last-minute demand is high, inventory is extremely limited, and fans appear genuinely excited about the game.”

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ONE BIG FIG

Last of the Majors

Golf - The 154th Open Championship - Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Britain - July 13, 2026 General view of a flag with the Claret Jug trophy during practice

REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

$17.75 million

That’s the prize money for the 2026 Open Championship, the R&A announced Tuesday. That’s up from $17 million last year, but it’s still the lowest purse of the four golf majors—the Masters, PGA Championship, and U.S. Open all have purses of more than $20 million. The winner of The Open will receive $3.2 million, up from $3.1 million last year. The tournament is taking place at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, and tees off Thursday. Read the story.

LOUD AND CLEAR

A for Effort

John Smoltz acknowledges the crowd during the introduction of returning inductees at the National Baseball Hall of Fame's 2024 induction ceremony Sunday, July 21, 2024, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.

The Time Telegram

“Nobody’s in there throwing 85-mile-per-hour meatballs to see if guys can hit home runs.”

—Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz in an interview with Front Office Sports ahead of the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, where he will be in the broadcast booth for Fox. Smoltz said calls to make big changes to MLB’s All-Star Game are “unfair” as it’s “absolutely played like a regular-season game,” unlike the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games and the NBA’s All-Star Game, both of which have been criticized for the lack of competition. Read the story.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Hang Out in the Hamptons

Huddle in the Hamptons has earned its place as the season’s most coveted invitation: a sun-soaked gathering where the people shaping sports come to think, compete, and connect.

This July, Front Office Sports returns to the Hamptons for another quintessential summer Friday with official partners UBS and Opendorse.

Set against one of the East Coast’s most storied summer backdrops, the day blends wellness, candid thought leadership, and the kind of unhurried relationship-building no formal meeting can replicate.

Because some of the most important deals in sports don’t start in the boardroom—they start here.

Want to join us out East? Request to attend.

STATUS REPORT

Three Up, One Down

Jul 11, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; The scoreboard is seen as the Chicago White Sox select Roch Cholowsky for the number one draft pick in the 2026 MLB Draft before a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Athletics at Rate Field.

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Roch Cholowsky ⬆ The No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB draft will receive a record $10.35 million signing bonus from the White Sox. The former UCLA shortstop is signing under the $11.35 million slot value for the pick, giving Chicago more flexibility to sign the remainder of its draft class. Cholowsky’s signing bonus beats the previous record held by Chase Burns and Charlie Condon, who both signed for $9.25 million in 2024. 

Folarin Balogun ⬆ The USMNT forward has signed with Klutch Sports following a three-goal breakout World Cup. Balogun is the first soccer player to sign directly with Klutch, the agency founded by Rich Paul, which expanded into soccer in 2024 through its acquisition of European agency ROOF.

Carlos Alcaraz ⬆ The seven-time Grand Slam winner is nearing a return. Alcaraz’s wrist is reportedly healed, with the tennis star hoping to return at the Cincinnati Open in August and compete in the US Open later that month. Alcaraz last played at the Barcelona Open in April, missing the French Open and Wimbledon due to injury.

Conor McGregor ⬇ The former UFC champion will undergo surgery and complete the final fight on his contract, he said Monday. The announcement comes two days after McGregor’s comeback bout against Max Holloway at UFC 329 lasted just 69 seconds. Ahead of the fight, UFC president and CEO Dana White said the match would be the biggest gate in UFC history at $25 million, surpassing UFC 306, which grossed $21.8 million at the Las Vegas Sphere.

Editors’ Picks

Bryson DeChambeau Has Last Chance at 2026 Major Cut—With 3D-Printed Irons

by David Rumsey
LIV Golf’s biggest star continues to stay busy off the course.

World Cup Powerhouses Will Leave With Tens of Millions in Prize Money

by Ava Hult
FIFA’s total distribution for the tournament is $871 million.

StubHub CEO Sued for Ties to Hedge Fund That Resells Tickets

by Griffin Senyek
Up to 80% of tickets available on secondary sites are sold by ticket scalpers.
Events Video Games Shop
Written by Ava Hult
Edited by Lisa Scherzer, Catherine Chen

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