By Stadium Business

Major League Baseball (MLB) has canceled the first two series of games in its 2022 regular season, as efforts to strike a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with players started eating into the competitive schedule.

MLB entered its first lockout in over quarter of a century on December 2 as commissioner Rob Manfred criticized the Players Association’s (MLBPA’s) “strategy of confrontation over compromise” amid a potential threat to Opening Day of the 2022 season.

The sport’s previous CBA expired with the League’s owners immediately deciding to lock out the players after failed talks over a new deal. MLB’s last lockout ran from August 12, 1994, to April 2, 1995, resulting in the cancelation of the 1994 World Series.

MLB in August announced the master schedule for the 2022 regular season, which was due to open on March 31, with all 30 teams in action. However, talks since December, which have become more intensive in recent days, have failed to come to a resolution, leading to the League’s announcement.

Cancelation of the first two series for each of the 30 teams has resulted in the loss of 91 games in total. This will likely see each club’s schedule cut from 162 games to 156 at most. In a letter to fans, Manfred said: “I had hoped against hope that I would not have to be in the position of canceling games. We worked hard to avoid an outcome that is bad for our fans, bad for our players and bad for our clubs.

“I want to assure our fans that our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort on the part of either party. The players came here for nine days, worked hard and tried to make a deal. I appreciate their effort.”

While drafting out offers that the League had made to the MLBPA, Manfred said “compromise after compromise” had been put forward. Players have vented their frustration that payrolls have decreased by 4% from 2015 through 2021, with many teams electing to cut some of their highly paid veteran players in favor of lower-priced youth.

Manfred added: “So, what is next? The calendar dictates that we are not going to be able to play the first two series of regular season games and those games are officially canceled. We are prepared to continue negotiations. Currently, camps could not meaningfully operate until at least March 8, leaving only 23 days before scheduled Opening Day.

“We played without an agreement in 1994 and the players went on strike in August, forcing the cancelation of the World Series. It was a painful chapter in our game’s history. We cannot risk such an outcome again for our fans and our sport.

“The clubs and our owners fully understand just how important it is to our millions of fans that we get the game on the field as soon as possible. To that end, we want to bargain and we want a deal with the Players Association as quickly as possible.”

Speaking at a news conference, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark maintained his members “remain committed to the bargaining process.” Clark said: “Players want to play; everybody knows that. But the reason we are not playing is simple – a lockout is the ultimate economic weapon.

“In a $10 billion industry, the owners have made a conscious decision to use this weapon against the greatest asset they have – the players. But the group won’t be intimidated. I’ve seen more unity over the previous few years than at any time in our recent history.”

MLBPA added in a statement: “Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have canceled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised.

“From the beginning of these negotiations, players’ objectives have been consistent—to promote competition, provide fair compensation for young players, and to uphold the integrity of our market system. Against the backdrop of growing revenues and record profits, we are seeking nothing more than a fair agreement.

“What Rob Manfred characterized as a ‘defensive lockout’ is, in fact, the culmination of a decades-long attempt by owners to break our player fraternity. As in the past, this effort will fail. We are united and committed to negotiating a fair deal that will improve the sport for players, fans and everyone who loves our game.”

By Zack Yohman

Caesars Entertainment, Inc. announced a multi-year partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers to make Caesars Sportsbook an “Official Sports Betting Partner” and Caesars Entertainment the “Official Casino Partner” of the team. This partnership includes plans to open a best-in-class retail sportsbook on the street level inside the northwest atrium area of the team’s home venue, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“We’re ready to welcome Ohio sports fans into the Caesars Sportsbook Empire, while also making history with our second sportsbook at an NBA arena,” said Chris Holdren, Co- President of Caesars Digital. “Building upon our already established roots with Scioto Downs in Columbus, we’re excited to announce our partnership with the Cavaliers at an exciting time in their franchise’s history. As we prepare to launch sports betting in Ohio later this year, this wide-ranging partnership enables us to connect with the Cavs passionate and highly engaged fanbase. Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be a first-class venue providing an exciting atmosphere for sports betting and more.”

Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will have betting windows for cash wagering and combine custom VIP and hospitality experiences for Caesars Rewards members, along with on-site activations throughout the year. The approximately 10,355 square foot venue will feature a full-service bar and VIP lounge, an extensive menu, and wall-to-wall TV’s. The costs of these improvements will be paid for entirely by the Cavaliers and Caesars.

With construction starting soon, Caesars Sportsbook will be located on the street level inside the northwest atrium of the venue near the intersection of Huron Road and Ontario Street. The Sportsbook will be open year-round on both event and non-event days for both eligible fans with tickets to events and those without tickets who want to place wagers. Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is expected to be open by the end of 2022, subject to regulatory and other necessary approvals and further details and renderings will be announced at a later time.

In addition, Caesars Sportsbook gains access to the use of official Cleveland Cavaliers logos and marks, broadcast and digital content across Cavs properties, as well as TV-visible in-game signage.

Caesars Sportsbook made sports history with the first-ever sportsbook at a professional sports venue in May of 2021 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. and will soon be opening its doors to another Caesars Sportsbook at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona through a partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

When mobile sports betting goes live in Ohio, sports fans will be able to download the Caesars Sportsbook app to make a bet anywhere in the Buckeye State. Caesars Sportsbook will have mobile market access via the Caesars Entertainment-owned Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs Casino in Columbus. Caesars Sportsbook players can also earn Tier Credits and Reward Credits through the industry-leading customer loyalty program, Caesars Rewards, to unlock emperor-worthy experiences within the Caesars portfolio of properties and partnerships, including access to a wide range of hospitality assets and VIP experiences with the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Zack Yohman is Director of Business & Strategic Communication for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Opening its doors for the first time on February 1, 2012, College Park Center (CPC) marked its 10th anniversary in February. In the past 10 years, the 7,000 seat multi-purpose arena has hosted more than 700 events, ranging from collegiate and professional athletics to national concert tours, world-renowned speakers, boxing, wrestling, and conventions, and has seen over 125,000 graduates walk across the stage.

“It’s hard to believe we’re already celebrating ten years,” says Jeff Davis, executive director. “It doesn’t seem that long ago we were opening the doors to the arena. None of our opening team could have imagined the successes that awaited – the numerous events and adding a professional sports team, the Dallas Wings. I can only begin to guess at what the next ten years might hold for College Park Center.”

The UT Arlington Men’s and Women’s Basketball games on February 5 and 6 featured special celebrations in
recognition of CPC’s 10 years on the UT Arlington campus. The party isn’t stopping there, however. CPC will be celebrating throughout 2022, bringing a memorable year of programming, recurring segments showing behind-the-scenes looks at events and highlights of notable dates in the arena’s history, as well as offering limited edition giveaways through social media.

Although College Park Center has not been immune to the complications that COVID-19 has brought to the public assembly venue industry over the past two years, events are steadily coming back to the calendar. And with various improvements made since 2020; GBAC Star Certification, Sensory Inclusive Certification and all new LED sports lighting, the arena is more prepared than ever to deliver, safe, inclusive, and memorable events for all.

To watch a video celebrating the 10 years, click here.

Snapchat users in over 20 countries can now discover when their favorite acts are coming into town.

They can see if their friends are also going, make plans to meet up via Snapchat Camera and buy tickets after being directed to Ticketmaster.com.

A new partnership with Ticketmaster allows Snapchatters to use Ticketmatcher Mini to have shows recommended based on their music tastes and city. Snap Minis are third-party programs that live inside Snapchat’s Chat section.

Users access the Ticketmatcher Mini through the Rocket icon in the Chat section of the app and fill out a quick survey on music preferences. They browse events by swiping left or right, saving what they like.

If the user and friends don’t want to plan too far ahead in meeting up, they can open the Snap Map and find upcoming events nearby through Snapchat’s first-ever partnered Map Layer. This is the first time Snap has integrated a partner to Snap Map through its new Layers technology. Snap Map reaches 250 million users a month.

Ticketmaster’s EVP of distributed commerce, Dan Armstrong, said working with Snap enables the company to ‘deeply engage’ a new generation of event goers.

“As digital natives, Gen Z is highly influenced by what they discover and share online with their friends,” he said. “Discovering a cool show on your Snap Map and sharing it with your friends via the Tickematcher Mini, provides a whole new way for us to help artists, teams, and venues connect with this important demographic.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Snap on a groundbreaking new product, inspiring a new generation to fall in love with going to live events.”

By Jocelyn Postrado

The Sacramento Kings NBA basketball team has partnered with US-based software company Glowing to offer a modern way for fans to communicate with staff via text messaging before, during, and after games and events. Glowing’s messaging solution will be used to heighten the Kings’ fan experience on game days. The team began offering the messaging solution for premium suite holders and has now expanded it to road trips as well as groups in attendance.

It is hoped the partnership will offer messaging to every fan that enters the Kings’ Golden 1 Center arena for any game or event. “”As we continue to strive to provide the best fan experience, the Glowing platform allows us to take our premium service to the next level,” said John Rinehart, the Kings’ president of business operations. “Not only are we able to engage directly with our fans in real-time to share information and answer questions but we can provide ‘anticipatory service’ to ensure a positive and seamless experience.”

The Kings began offering the messaging solution to their premium account holders and have expanded to use it during road trips as well as to groups in attendance. The aspiration is to offer messaging to every fan that enters the arena for any game or event.

“We have always had a keen eye for the stadiums and arenas vertical because those venues do not have a sense as to who is actually in attendance nor the ability to message attendees directly,” said Glowing, Inc. CEO Jasen Lew. “As industry leaders in technology innovation, especially that revolves around the fan experience, the Sacramento Kings are a perfect partner to deliver our easy-to-onboard messaging solution. As we closely monitor and adjust to growing fan engagement, we look forward to our continued partnership with the Kings to develop a best-in-class, leading-edge solution for all of their fan needs in our ever-evolving world.”

Jocelyn Postrado is with Glowing, Inc.