Sporticast 466: The Home Run Derby's Slam Dunk Contest Problem
The event, part of MLB's All-Star festivities in Atlanta, is missing the sport's biggest names. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani aren't hitting. Neither are Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Manny Machado, Elly De La Cruz or Bobby Witt Jr. The Home Run Derby appears to have a similar problem to the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest: The sport's biggest stars, the ones fans most want to see perform, don't want to participate.
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The hosts talk about why that is. Is it fear of embarrassment? Lack of meaningful prize money? Concerns over injury? They also talk about ways the event could be improved. For example, is there an avenue to involve pitchers? The All-Star Game starters, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, are a more enticing duo than any two players in Monday's Home Run Derby.
Next the hosts talk about the latest at the NFLPA. Union executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. is under fire after multiple reports that he agreed to hide from players the result of an arbitration decision regarding NFL owners possibly colluding on player contracts. Howell has also been consulting for the Carlyle Group, the private equity fund, which was recently given the go-ahead to buy passive minority stakes in NFL teams.
The hosts then discuss the FIFA Club World Cup. Chelsea upset PSG on Sunday to claim the title, which included a $40 million prize. The event was considered by many as a tune-up for the FIFA men's World Cup in North America next year. The hosts discuss the controversy leading up the event, the aftermath and where it goes from here.
They close by hitting on a few other topics, including takeaways from the Wimbledon final and some interesting business stories coming out of the Tour de France.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
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