Latest news with #GinaFerazzi
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chargers season opener will be first NFL game streamed exclusively on YouTube
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and his players will kick off the upcoming season in Brazil. The NFL announced the contest will be streamed exclusively on YouTube. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) The Chargers' season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, will be the NFL's first game streamed exclusively on YouTube, the league announced Tuesday, further expanding the NFL's streaming footprint to include the ubiquitous free video platform. Despite now having a home team and TV partner for the matchup, the Chargers' opponent was the only piece of the NFL's seven-game international slate that was not announced Tuesday. Front Office Sports reported the Chargers will face AFC West rival Kansas City on Sept. 5 at Arena Corinthians. The Chiefs have won seven consecutive games against the Chargers while becoming one of the league's most popular TV draws. Advertisement Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were at the center of the NFL's expanded streaming influence last year as the Chiefs played in the league's Christmas Day takeover of Netflix . The doubleheader that also featured Houston playing Baltimore drew an average of 26.5 million viewers, which made it the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history . But the ratings lagged slightly behind recent linear broadcasts. In 2023, the NFL boasted its most-watched Christmas Day game since 1989 with the Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders drawing 29.2 million viewers on CBS. Last season, the Chargers faced the Arizona Cardinals in a "Monday Night Football" game that was the first ESPN+ exclusive to not be included in the international series. Read more: Chargers to open 2025 NFL season in Sao Paulo in league's return to Brazil Played as the second game of a staggered doubleheader that featured a matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers' loss to the Cardinals attracted less than 2 million viewers, according to NBC's Pro Football Talk, which made it the least-watched NFL game since 2008. Advertisement Putting a star-studded division matchup at a neutral site on Friday of Week 1 would remove a marquee game from the Chargers' SoFi Stadium slate. While local fans would miss the highly anticipated rivalry game, the Chargers will still host the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and NFC rookie of the year Jayden Daniels, the San Bernardino native who led the Washington Commanders to their first NFC championship game appearance since 1991 last season. The home schedule also features AFC West counterparts Las Vegas and Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. On the road, the Chargers will play their three AFC West rivals, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Dallas, the New York Giants and Miami. The remainder of the schedule will be released Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shaikin: The Dodgers are good, and old. Should they try NBA-style load management?
Third baseman Max Muncy, reacting after hitting a homer in the second inning, is among a group of key position players for the Dodgers who are the oldest in MLB. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) With the Lakers, Clippers and Kings all one loss from summer vacation, the sporting eyes of Los Angeles turn to the Dodgers. If you've been busy watching the NBA and NHL playoffs, let us catch you up on the Dodgers. After a start so good that folks giddily wondered if the Dodgers could win every game, and after a couple of runs so bad that the Dodgers twice fell into third place in the National League West, the opening month is over and the verdict is in: The Dodgers are who we thought they are. Advertisement They are in first place, in the toughest division in the major leagues. They have 21 victories, the most by any Dodgers team at the end of April since their streak of annual postseason appearances started in 2013. They are on pace to win 110 games, and their odds of making the playoffs stand at 98.3%, according to Baseball Prospectus. There are 29 major league teams that start the season hoping to advance to the playoffs, and then there are the Dodgers, who start planning for October in March. For all the angst about the Dodgers' injured pitchers, well, that is all part of the plan. Read more: Tony Gonsolin shines in his first game since 2023 as Dodgers win fifth straight The Dodgers awoke Wednesday with 13 pitchers on the injured list, the most of any major league team, matching the combined total of the rest of the NL West. They have 32 pitchers under control: on the active roster, on a minor league option, on the injured list, or on two-way status (Shohei Ohtani, who is expected to resume pitching later this season). Advertisement They do not try to find five starting pitchers and ride them all season. They do try to end up with five healthy and effective starters for the postseason, and they try to maximize their chances to do that by collecting as many pitchers as they can, with the support of an ownership group willing to pay players to rehabilitate. No one pitched more innings last season than Gavin Stone, at 140. In 2013, Clayton Kershaw pitched 259 innings, including the postseason. However, as the Dodgers have become acutely aware of managing the workloads of their starting pitchers, they have not prioritized managing the workloads of their key position players. The Dodgers have the oldest group of position players in the majors, and the sustained success means extra weeks on the schedule every year. Advertisement Over the past five years, Mookie Betts has 205 postseason at-bats and Freddie Freeman 175. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has 119 and, among NL West rivals, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks has 66 and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres has 48. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team has discussed that issue, but mostly in regard to catching. Will Smith had 105 at-bats last April and 76 this April; backup Austin Barnes had 21 at-bats last April and 32 this April (and he is batting .250 this April, 27 points above his career average). Among other position players, Roberts said, 'I don't know if that tax of playing an extra month is necessarily a disadvantage for the following season.' The Dodgers' renowned research and development department has not done a deep dive into that question, according to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. Advertisement 'So much of our focus is on pitching,' Friedman said, 'and, after a long season, what the offseason program looks like, what the ramp-up looks like, what the season looks like. I don't worry about it that much on the position player front.' While 'load management' is established in the NBA lexicon, Roberts said he is less concerned in baseball because the postseason features more off days than the regular season, including nearly a week off after the regular season if your team is one of the top two seeds in each league. 'They're actually more antsy and rested than we would actually like,' Roberts said. 'It's a tricky one. 'To give Freddie Freeman off days to say that you're managing his workload, I think it just makes some people feel better that they'll be ready for the postseason. There's no correlation. And it's not an exact science.' Advertisement Read more: Matt Sauer saves the Dodgers' bullpen in rout of Marlins Freeman said the Dodgers do manage his workload, but not always with days off. On Tuesday night, with the Dodgers enjoying a big lead, Freeman was removed after six innings. 'They do such a good job of load management here,' said the 35-year-old Freeman, 'and I'm reluctantly to starting to get on board with it as I get older. 'I ingrained in myself that I get paid to do a job and I do my job. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around, 'You're not doing your job today.' ' On Wednesday, Freeman homered, singled and drove in two runs. The Dodgers again ran up the lead, and again they removed him after six innings. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Koreatown seniors have become Kings' playoff good luck charm with harmonica national anthem
Harmonica players from the Koreatown Senior and Community Center perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 2 of the Kings' first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers at Arena on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) The Kings are playing in Edmonton this weekend with a chance to sweep the Oilers and win their first playoff series since their Stanley Cup championship run in 2014. Hopefully the Kings didn't forget any of the essentials while packing for such a big trip. Advertisement "Pack your harmonicas," the Kings' X account posted following the team's 6-2 win over the Oilers on Wednesday night at Arena. "We're taking this show on the road." That's right, harmonicas. Just two games into the 2025 playoffs, the free-reed musical instrument has become the Kings' unofficial postseason good luck charm — thanks to some memorable pregame performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner" played by a group representing the Koreatown Senior and Community Center. Read more: Why Andrei Kuzmenko has become a 'difference-maker' for the Kings vs. the Oilers Located about 2½ miles west of the Kings' home arena, the center offers 47 programs attended by approximately 1,500 people each week, according to public relations manager Gloria Y. Kim. A harmonica class was introduced seven years ago, and the group started practicing the U.S. national anthem in 2021. Advertisement On June 7, 2023, several class members played the anthem to start a Los Angeles City Council meeting at City Hall. "That day, we received a standing ovation from LA City Councilmembers and over 100 attendees, which gave us great confidence," Kim told The Times in an email Thursday. In January, Kim said, the center was contacted by the Kings, who were making plans for their K-Town Night to be held March 23 when the team hosted the Boston Bruins. Kwanil Park, the center's executive director, suggested that the harmonica group reprise its performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game. The Kings liked the idea, Kim said. So 13 women and one man from the harmonica class, dressed in traditional Korean hanbok, appeared at the game and played the anthem "to an overwhelmingly positive response." Advertisement Read more: The Times podcast: The music genre Korean elders 'trot' to The harmonica class was invited back for Game 1 against the Oilers on Monday, Kim said. This time the group was composed entirely of women, again dressed in their traditional garb. "It was a truly moving moment when the crowd sang the national anthem along with our harmonica performance," Kim said. After the Kings' wild 6-5 win that night, the team's X account posted a group of photos from the game with the caption, "The power of the harmonicas." That led to Wednesday's anthem performance by the harmonica group, this time wearing Kings jerseys. After the win, the team's X account declared, "The HarmoniKings are 2-0." Advertisement Read more: Kings have a fight coach. He's one of many specialists helping their playoff drive The series moves to Edmonton for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday, but the Kings will be back home at some point this postseason — either for possible Games 5 and 7 against the Oilers or in the next round and possibly beyond. Does that mean that local hockey fans haven't seen the last of the Koreatown senior center players as part of the pregame festivities? "We are currently discussing it with the LA Kings," Kim said. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Dodgers sell hot dogs for $7.99. The Diamondbacks sell them for $2.99. Why?
The Dodgers sell hot dogs for $7.99. The Diamondbacks sell them for $2.99. Why? Fans wait in line to purchase food and beverages before a game at Dodger Stadium earlier this month. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) In the seventh inning, fans rise and sing about buying peanuts and Cracker Jack at the ballgame. But what if the concession prices have risen so much that fans have to think twice about buying? At Dodger Stadium, a Dodger Dog costs $7.99. Advertisement As ticket prices have soared, a small but growing number of teams in all sports are offering a limited menu of basic concession items at fan-friendly prices. At Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a hot dog costs $2.99. Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said team executives discussed whether discounting a handful of concession items would cost the team some revenue. It turns out, he said, they make more money that way. 'People feel like they're getting a bargain,' Hall said, 'and they buy more.' Read more: Bobby Miller struggles, but Dodgers complete sweep of Rockies The Chase Field $2.99 menu includes hot dogs, sodas, peanuts and popcorn. The Baltimore Orioles offer seven food items at $4 or less, including hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, pretzel bites and desserts. Nine other teams have value menus or $1 hot dogs for selected games, based on the fan value page on the league website. Advertisement At the Delta Center, home of the NBA's Utah Jazz and the Utah Hockey Club, the $3 menu includes hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and ice cream. The Atlanta Falcons, the NFL team credited with starting the trend, offer hot dogs, sodas, popcorn and pretzels at $2 each, with $3 items including sweet tea, peach shakes, nachos and vegan dogs. The Dodgers have studied whether to introduce a value menu at Dodger Stadium, team president Stan Kasten said. 'We will increase the number of transactions if we have lower prices,' he said. 'They say they make more money that way.' That would be great, Kasten said, except for what he said was an insurmountable obstacle. Advertisement 'I hate to say this,' he said. 'It's a terrible thing to say. I wish it wasn't true. 'We can't physically handle more transactions.' The fan experience would be worsened that way, Kasten said. The notoriously long Dodger Stadium concessions lines would get even longer, and the notoriously crowded concourses would get even more crowded. Dodger Stadium is built into the side of a hill, which cramps space for existing concession stands and kitchens and complicates any plans to widen the concourses. In 2013, the Dodgers needed to remove seats in order to expand concourses. The Dodgers allow fans to bring in their own food and drink, provided the food is in a small clear bag and the drink is in a factory-sealed bottle, no larger than one liter, and non-alcoholic. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Championship blues: Dodgers games used to be affordable family entertainment. No more.
Championship blues: Dodgers games used to be affordable family entertainment. No more. The estimated price for a family of four to see a game at Dodger Stadium this season — four of the cheapest tickets, parking, four hot dogs, two beers and two sodas — was a league-high $399.68, according to a study. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Four days after the Dodgers won the World Series, and two days before he won the presidential election, Donald Trump was the guest on a sports podcast. America's major sports leagues, he said, were pricing out their most loyal customers. Advertisement 'The leagues are not taking care of their fans,' Trump said on the 'Let's Go!' podcast. 'They really aren't. They're making it impossible.' The Dodgers are the greatest show in baseball, with an international tourist attraction atop their lineup. They pack the largest stadium in the major leagues every night. Read more: 'A Shohei economy': How Shohei Ohtani's first year transformed the Dodgers financially If tickets to sporting events have gotten too expensive for the average fan — and 86% of sports fans say they have, according to an Ipsos poll released last month — then Dodger Stadium is a flash point in the debate over whether teams should pursue every dollar they can or sacrifice a few bucks so they can better nurture a new generation of fans. Advertisement Baseball, after all, is touted as America's last great affordable sport. Fans are more likely to develop a lifelong baseball habit if they attend a game as a kid, according to research cited by the commissioner's office. Can a family of four afford hundreds of dollars to enjoy a day at the ballpark? 'That inability to have that family experience is an incredible negative if you're just going for the green,' said Andy Dolich, who has run marketing operations for teams in all the major North American sports leagues. 'That's where you are building your fan bases of the future.' In an interview with The Times, Commissioner Rob Manfred challenged the notion that baseball tickets have become too expensive. The 30 major league teams sold a combined 71 million tickets last year, the most in seven years, and attendance has increased every year since the pandemic. Advertisement 'If we had an affordability problem, I think you would see it in terms of those numbers,' Manfred said. 'Those numbers tell you the opposite.' According to the league, tickets for $20 or less were available for 70% of MLB games last season. No Dodgers game this season is currently on sale at that price. Fans line up to buy food at a concession stand before a game earlier this month at Dodger Stadium. (Kevork Djansezian / For The Times) 'If you want to sit next to Mary Hart, it's expensive,' Manfred said. 'I think it's really important to think about that from an access perspective.' Many studies about fan costs use the average price of a resale ticket, but a study released this month used the cheapest ticket price on official sale sites, as sampled on a variety of dates this season. Advertisement The estimated price for a family of four to see a game at Dodger Stadium this season — four of those cheap tickets, parking, four hot dogs, two beers and two sodas — was a league-high $399.68. The league average, according to that study: $208. Ticket prices can rise and fall daily, based on supply and demand. On the day before the Dodgers' home opener, The Times checked the prices for every game on the Dodgers' website. The cheapest ticket all season, available only for a Wednesday afternoon game against the Miami Marlins, before school lets out: $38. For four seats that day, parking, four hot dogs, and four sodas, the price would be $249.96. In Los Angeles County, the median family income is $101,800, according to Elly Schoen, assistant director of the Neighborhood Data for Social Change program at the USC Lusk Center. If both parents work, and if they subtract costs for housing, food, child care, health care and transportation, the amount left over each month would be $530. Advertisement 'I don't know if you can spend half your discretionary income on a baseball game,' Schoen said. Dodgers team president Stan Kasten, right with Shohei Ohtani following the team's World Series win over the Yankees, said the team and its corporate sponsors work to provide free and discount tickets. Even so, the range of of cheapest available prices per game ranged from $38 to $156. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Dodgers president Stan Kasten said the team and its corporate sponsors work to provide free and discount tickets. The Dodgers' foundation said it distributed 64,000 tickets last year through the Commissioner's Community Initiative, described by the league as a program that 'provides $2.5 million in ticket distributions to deserving communities league-wide.' Said Kasten: 'We've had a lot of success maintaining and even starting to grow our youth fan base. We're very proud of that, and we work hard at it.' Advertisement In 2015, the Dodgers' average ticket price was $29, according to Team Marketing Report. A decade later — after winning the World Series twice and signing Shohei Ohtani as the crown jewel of a superstar-studded roster — the range of cheapest available prices per game ranged from $38 to $156. 'You can't have it all ways, right?' Manfred said. 'The Dodgers have made a massive financial commitment in terms of players, and they have to run a business that supports that massive financial commitment.' Notwithstanding Manfred's belief that MLB does not have an affordability problem, a popup survey on the league website last week asked fans whether they strongly agreed, somewhat agreed, somewhat disagreed, or strongly disagreed with this statement: 'Attending a Major League Baseball game is affordable.' Read more: Bobby Miller struggles, but Dodgers complete sweep of Rockies Advertisement If local fans consider the Dodgers' prices too high, Manfred suggested where they could find a cost-effective alternative. 'One of the leaders in terms of thinking about affordability has been the other Los Angeles team,' Manfred said. Soon after Arte Moreno bought the Angels in 2003 — and with the team coming off a World Series championship — the team introduced $3 tickets for kids and teenagers one night per week. The Angels now offer a $44 family pack — four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks — at more than half their home games. They also feature a "Junior Angels" kids' club, with a $20 membership that includes four game tickets. Arte Moreno, who has owned the Angels since 2003, on affordability in baseball: "We want everybody to have access to the stadium. We've worked really hard to keep tickets low and have families come in." (Ashley Landis / Associated Press) Parking is $20 at Angel Stadium and $40 at Dodger Stadium. Advertisement 'I just really believe there should be affordability,' Moreno said. 'We want everybody to have access to the stadium. We've worked really hard to keep tickets low and have families come in.' The Angels last appeared in the playoffs 11 years ago, the longest postseason drought in the majors. Moreno did not discount the notion that prices might rise if the team returns to contention, but he did not guarantee it either. 'If the demand exceeds the supply, prices go up,' he said. 'But, for us, you have 45,000 seats.' The New York Yankees sold more tickets than any team besides the Dodgers in each of the past three seasons. The Yankees sell $10 tickets for every game: sometimes a few dozen, sometimes a few hundred, sometimes a couple thousand, based on overall demand for each game. As part of a corporate promotion, they also sell tickets under $10 or at 50% off for a handful of games. Advertisement The league maintains a fan value page, where the vast majority of teams display a variety of ticket discounts, concession deals and family packs. The Dodgers' entry on that page features its promotional schedule, highlighted by bobblehead dolls so coveted that they drive ticket prices ever higher. On that November podcast, Trump said he knew how to address high ticket prices. 'I think there are things that have to be done,' Trump said. Read more: Got your ticket for bobblehead night? Check. Get the bobblehead? Not so fast Manfred declined to comment about whether he had heard from Trump or whether he would work with him on the issue. Advertisement The Times asked the White House press office what ideas Trump had to lower ticket prices and what timeline he might have for pursuing any such actions. White House spokeswoman Liz Huston packed six sports phrases into a 48-word statement — 'stepping up to the plate' and 'home run economy' included — that did not provide a response to the questions. Trump did not say he would make the Dodgers affordable again. In Los Angeles, some fans have stuck with their team through the lean years — the Fox and McCourt years, as we call them — only to be priced out when the team returned to glory. On the podcast, without reference to any particular team, Trump said middle-class fans are 'your biggest sports fans.' Said Trump: 'They're being shut out of seeing a team they grew up with and that they love.' Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
