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Afternoon Edition

July 17, 2025

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The WNBA All-Star weekend sustained a major blow, as Caitlin Clark announced she would not participate due to an injury. She’s not alone, but her absence is the biggest blow to an event that had carried a lot of hype.

— Margaret Fleming [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Caitlin Clark Out for WNBA All-Star Game, 3-Point Contest With Injury [[link removed]]

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark will miss the WNBA All-Star Game and three-point contest with an ongoing groin injury, she said Thursday morning.

Clark’s injury is a major blow to the weekend’s festivities in her home market of Indianapolis. Last year, the All-Star Game between Team USA and Team WNBA drew 3.44 million viewers [[link removed]], more than double the previous high and still the largest audience for a WNBA game in the Clark era. This season, the Indiana Fever’s games have continued to be the most-watched on TV [[link removed]], with matchups against Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky always performing well [[link removed]]. Her participation in the three-point contest would have been her first [[link removed]] in the WNBA.

The Fever’s second-year star has struggled with a recurring groin injury all summer and left Indiana’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night with 30 seconds left after re-aggravating the injury.

“I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game,” Clark said in a team statement Thursday morning. “I have to rest my body.” Clark is the captain of one of the All-Star teams, and she said she would still attend the game Saturday. “I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy [Brondello] coach our team to a win,” she said.

Clark’s news follows a Wednesday announcement from the Phoenix Mercury’s Satou Sabally, who said she will not compete in the All-Star Game as she continues rehab for an ankle injury. Sabally was selected as a starter and drafted by Clark.

“I’m disappointed, naturally, but I want to ensure I’m doing everything I can to be healthy after the break and give … my organization and the X-Factor everything I can as we compete to accomplish our team goals,” Sabally said on her Instagram Story.

The first player to drop out with an injury was the Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard, who the league announced Tuesday will be replaced with the Minnesota Lynx’ Kayla McBride. Howard, an All-Star reserve drafted to captain Napheesa Collier’s team, injured her knee in a game last week and will be out the rest of the month.

The list of potential dropouts is also concerning for the league. Reese missed the Sky’s final game before the break to rest her leg injury, while Jackie Young hurt her hip in the final quarter of the Las Vegas Aces’ game Wednesday.

Reese was drafted as a reserve to Collier’s squad, and Young is on Clark’s bench.

The WNBA announced two replacements Thursday afternoon: Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes (for Clark) and Dream forward Brionna Jones (for Sabally). Who will replace Clark and Sabally in the starting lineups remains to be determined.

Sabally said she will still be in Indianapolis to attend “the most important part of the weekend,” the pivotal meeting between the WNBA and its players’ union amid ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations. As reported by Front Office Sports, the two sides remain far apart and a work stoppage is a real possibility [[link removed]], but players said they are hopeful Thursday’s meeting will be productive. Sabally is not part of official WNBPA leadership, but players outside of the core bargaining committee are expected to attend the meeting.

Clark herself will be there as well. “The meetings that are going to happen in Indianapolis are going to be really important,” Clark had said before her absence from the actual game was announced. “I’m certainly looking forward to those meetings and being in them, and I think everybody in our league is to help these CBA talks continue to move forward.”

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ESPN Bidding Against NBC, Apple for MLB Rights Package [[link removed]]

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MLB missed its intended deadline [[link removed]] of reworking its national media rights by the All-Star Game. Nonetheless, major decisions are soon arriving for the league, with the package being forfeited by ESPN expected to be broken up into multiple parts involving some of the biggest networks in the media business.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said to CNBC [[link removed]] that Apple, ESPN, and NBC Sports are the three known bidders for the Sunday Night Baseball rights, a key portion of the current ESPN package. That comment confirmed prior expectations around the industry, with Apple potentially expanding upon its current Friday night rights, NBC perhaps reviving a historic relationship with the league [[link removed]], and ESPN looking to preserve its own MLB tie [[link removed]] after a bitter divorce in February [[link removed]], albeit in a fundamentally different structure.

For ESPN in particular, that reworked package could include local rights, something that chairman Jimmy Pitaro has been keenly interested in [[link removed]], as it prepares to debut its direct-to-consumer service later this year [[link removed]]. In Atlanta, during this week’s MLB All-Star Game events, several ESPN sources conveyed hope to Front Office Sports that a new deal could be struck and cheered an 11% bump this season in SNB viewership [[link removed]], but they cautioned that the negotiating process remains fluid.

“I’m still eternally optimistic until I’m told otherwise,” SNB broadcaster Karl Ravech said late last week in response to a FOS question. “I go back to what I said before [[link removed]]. To me, it’s like the ark leaving with the animals. Baseball would want to be on the ark with all the sports animals, and we would want baseball on that ark. Nothing has changed for me, other than I know our [DTC] platform is coming. Our ratings success is wonderful. It’s a great story, so I remain optimistic.”

Fox, meanwhile, also has eyes on expanding its baseball presence. The network saw a slight viewership dip for Tuesday’s All-Star Game [[link removed]], but has also registered growth this year in its regular-season package. Fox is particularly interested in obtaining the MLB Home Run Derby rights [[link removed]], currently held by ESPN, if possible, and praised the audience bump for that event on Monday [[link removed]].

“We’ll see what MLB pulls out of its hat,” a Fox source tells FOS.

Decisions are now expected within the next several weeks [[link removed]], with Manfred working on the matter while attending the recent Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, which drew many top media executives. That timing would still allow the winning suitors sufficient time to prepare for next season, such as hiring additional talent and solidifying broadcast production logistics.

In any outcome, the forthcoming rights deals are expected to be a three-year bridge to 2028, when the rest of MLB’s national-rights deals expire, and Manfred is looking to fundamentally reconstruct the sport’s media rights [[link removed]].

MLB’s Largest Payrolls Could Swell Further at Trade Deadline [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One of the most fraught times of the year for many baseball operations executives has arrived, as the MLB trade deadline is now two weeks away and teams will need to determine whether they are buyers or sellers.

As the July 31 deadline approaches, all but three American League teams are currently within five games of a playoff spot, and all but five in the National League are within 5.5 games. The creation of a sixth playoff spot in each league in 2022 once again has left many teams just one moderate hot or cold streak from being in or out of the playoff picture.

That, in turn, has complicated potential dealmaking, but it has also raised the stakes significantly for the initial game schedule coming out of this week’s All-Star Game break.

“It’s hard to ignore, for sure, I try to stay off my phone as much as possible,” said Orioles All-Star Ryan O’Hearn, who is a potential trade piece given the team’s disappointing seasons and upcoming free agency this offseason. “The Orioles right now are my team. In my mind, we’re trying to make a miraculous comeback. And if a trade happens, when it gets close to the trade deadline or whatever it may be, that’s the nature of the business.”

Market Moves

For many of the sport’s established powers—namely the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees—the upcoming deadline is expected to provide a clearer window to add talent. Those three clubs, representing baseball’s three largest luxury-tax payrolls [[link removed]], have each undergone midseason swoons and are looking for additional help.

Fox Sports broadcaster Derek Jeter notably pointed to his former boss, Yankees GM Brian Cashman, as a likely buyer.

“Cashman basically said he’s all in,” Jeter said in the network’s postgame coverage at Tuesday’s All-Star Game [[link removed]]. “So I expect the Yankees to do something at the trade deadline.”

Boston, meanwhile, also suddenly looks like a buyer at the deadline. The team lost 7 of the first 10 games after trading Rafael Devers to the Giants [[link removed]] last month, but it ripped off a 10-game winning streak before the break, a run that remains active, and holds the AL’s second wild-card position.

Among the potential sellers, the Diamondbacks are frequently eyed as a top candidate, as the club has regressed since a 2023 run to the World Series and was eliminated on the last day of the regular season [[link removed]] last year. Top Arizona stars such as infielder Eugenio Suárez and Zac Gallen have been frequently mentioned as possible trade pieces.

The Braves, meanwhile, are not expected to begin a fire sale [[link removed]], despite a 42–53 record that is far below expectations. Atlanta still has much of its core locked up on more team-friendly contracts.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Caitlin Clark’s All-Star Absence

FOS illustration

A huge loss ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis as hometown hero Caitlin Clark announced she will not take part in the game and the three-point contest as she recovers from a groin injury that has sidelined her for an extended period this season. FOS women’s sports reporter Annie Costabile is on the ground in Indy with instant reaction to Clark’s absence and how this could affect the hype surrounding the big event.

And just days after canceling much of their programming, FS1 has signed an agreement with Barstool Sports that includes licensing content and Dave Portnoy appearing on its Big Noon Kickoff. FOS media and entertainment reporter Ryan Glasspieigel broke the news and joins Baker Machado and Renee Washington to weigh in on the partnership and whether Portnoy can be Fox’s version of Pat McAfee.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Sports Media Giants Join Tuned In

JUST ADDED to our Tuned In [[link removed]] sports media summit on Sept. 16 in NYC: NBC Sports host and producer Maria Taylor and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. The duo joins two additional commissioners, four network presidents, and other big broadcast talent for a day of hearing from the biggest names in sports media.

Tuned In is the only place to hear directly from the industry’s most powerful voices. Taylor, Manfred, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro are just some of the speakers you’ll hear from.

Don’t miss your chance to be in the room with the people shaping the future of sports media. Tickets are limited— register now [[link removed]] to join us.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Nathan Eovaldi ⬆ The Rangers gave the pitcher the $100,000 All-Star bonus in his contract, despite not making the American League squad. The veteran’s performance certainly could have merited it, as he has a 7–3 record with a 1.58 earned run average, but he missed a month earlier this season with a triceps injury.

Olivia Smith ⬆ Arsenal officially announced the signing of the Canadian striker, paying a record $1.3 million (£1 million) transfer fee to Liverpool. The 20-year-old signed a four-year deal with the club. The previous transfer-fee record in women’s soccer was set in January when Chelsea paid $1.1 million (£820,000) to the NWSL’s San Diego Wave for Naomi Girma.

Ons Jabeur ⬆⬇ The former world No. 2 women’s tennis player announced Thursday that she is taking a break from competitive tennis. “Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living,” the 30-year-old wrote in an Instagram post [[link removed]]. Jabeur is a three-time Grand Slam finalist who has earned more than $14 million in her career. Her announcement comes just hours after world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from the Canadian Open later this month to prioritize rest.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ⬆ The run of awards for the NBA Most Valuable Player, league champion, Finals MVP, and NBA 2K26 cover athlete continued as he was named best male athlete at the ESPYs. Olympic-winning gymnast Simone Biles claimed the honor for best female athlete.

Conversation Starters Alex Rodriguez said on The Herd that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame for saving baseball. Watch it here [[link removed]]. ESPN8: The Ocho will broadcast 30 new sports from July 31 to Aug. 3, including soap hockey, diving chess, and bubble gum blowing. Check out the list [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Barstool-Fox Deal Shows NFL’s Portnoy Cold War Is Thawing [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The Barstool-Fox alliance is a signal of how times have changed. Memphis Basketball and Softball Placed on NCAA Probation [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Memphis has had multiple NCAA issues since hiring Penny Hardaway. Josh Donaldson Seeks Another $70K in Landlord Dispute [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Donaldson rented the house while playing for the Yankees in 2022. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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