As Major League Baseball looks to shift its economic model, owners are not all on the same page.

“I believe the vast majority of players, agents, and clubs dislike baseball’s economic system,” Boston Red Sox owner John Henry said. “Competitive balance continues to be a huge issue for clubs.”

MLB payrolls range from the Oakland A’s $61 million to the New York Mets’ $355 million, per Fangraphs.

That disparity was partial motivation for the economic reform committee MLB launched last week. Mets’ owner Steve Cohen, however, said that he was “absolutely not” the target of the committee, despite running a payroll $83 million higher than the second-place New York Yankees.

“They laid down the rules, and I’m following them,” Cohen told reporters last week.

The creation of the committee has raised the prospect that owners could push for a salary cap, which the MLB Players Association has long opposed.

“We’re never going to agree to a cap,” said MLBPA executive director Tony Clark. “Let me start there. We don’t have a cap. We’re not going to agree to a cap.”

While some have questioned the sustainability of Cohen’s approach, San Diego Padres’ owner and chairman Peter Seidler has pushed back on that term saying, “Putting a great and winning team on the field in San Diego year after year is sustainable.”

The Padres’ payroll is $262 million after agreeing to an 11-year, $350 million extension with Manny Machado over the weekend.

The Philadelphia 76ers might have to wait a little longer to get into their new $1.3 billion arena.

76 Devcorp, the development company created in July 2022 to oversee the project, was eying June to receive approval of a zoning variance from the city for the Center City venue.

“I would say by the fall, that’s really our goal,” David Adelman, part-owner of the Sixers and chairman of 76 Devcorp told Philadelphia Business Journal. 

“Honestly, I think it’s just the pace of the government in Philadelphia … I still like June. We’re making good progress on the paths we need to make, but I know if you don’t get it done by June, not a lot gets done in Philadelphia in the summer.”

The City Council meets June 22 and then not again until Sept. 14.

Councilmember Mark Squilla would introduce the variance for approval and has said he wouldn’t introduce legislation unless community members reviewed it first. His district includes Chinatown, whose businesses and residents have heavily criticized the proposal.

“What we’re working on now is actually quantifying it so you can see the diagram of what you can get with this money,” Adelman said, adding that they want to work with the community.

Tentatively named 76 Place, the arena is estimated to provide $1.9 billion in economic output during construction and $400 million annually once it opens. The team is aiming for it to open during the 2031-32 season — its lease at Wells Fargo Center ends in 2031.

The TV rights for one of England’s top soccer leagues are reportedly set to double in value.

The organizing body for the second, third, and fourth tiers of the English Football League  is set to issue an invitation to tender to broadcasters and expects to bring in $239.1 million annually from TV rights, according to The Daily Mail.

Sky Sports, BT Sport, Viaplay, and DAZN are all reportedly interested. Sky has held the rights since 2002 and currently pays around $142.2 million annually.

The tender invitation includes all three divisions, the playoffs, the EFL Trophy, the EFL Cup — which also includes Premier League teams — and has been split up into 20 separate packages. There are 72 teams across the divisions. 

The EFL is reportedly considering a hybrid model with several broadcasters and is inviting bids for between three and five years.

Every game will be available for purchase, according to the report, which could put an end to the Saturday 3 p.m. TV blackout — a rule that’s been in place since the 1960s. 

A change to the blackout, which applies when 50% of the Premier League and Championship matches kick off at 3 p.m. local time on a Saturday, would likely face opposition from the Premier League.

The Australian Football League is willing to invest heavily to expand, but adding a new team is far from a done deal.

The league has agreed to spend $242 million over 10 years to add a team in Tasmania, but that is contingent on finding funding for a new stadium.

The funding would go primarily toward club operations, with $60.5 million allocated to game development and $22.2 million toward three new academies for developing young players.

The league is seeking $161.4 in government funding toward a new stadium, which has raised concerns in Tasmania, an island state of Australia with a population of 541,071 as of September 2020. 

In September, the AFL signed Australia’s largest sports media rights deal ever, inking a seven-year, $3.05 billion deal with Seven Network, Foxtel, and Telstra. The deal begins in 2025.

The planned stadium would be in Hobart, on Tasmania’s southern coast. The plan has drawn opposition from those who live on the northern end of the island.

Other AFL teams have raised concerns as well, namely that stadium costs might run higher than current estimates. The league has promised at least $10 million toward construction costs.