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On the 594th Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the latest in the ongoing saga of Manchester City‘s alleged violations of English soccer’s financial fair play rules.
The Emirati-owned soccer team is appealing a recent ruling that found it guilty on 114 of 115 charges. Looming in the medium-term future is the team’s punishment, which could run from dramatic to muted. Now it’s become a geopolitical issue, with Abu Dhabi’s ties to the U.K. government and its billions in U.K. investment becoming part of the conversation.
The hosts talk about the precedent set by smaller violations from other EPL teams. They also talk about the spirit of the rules that were broken, and how that might impact the ultimate decision. The fair play rules were put in place as a response to runaway spending from teams like Man City and a fear that it could push more clubs into financial insolvency.
Next they talk about the MLB playoffs, which features one high payroll team (Dodgers) and three low payroll teams (Guardians, Rays, Brewers). This comes as the league prepares for a labor fight in which financial inequality is a central top of debate.
They close by talking about the WNBA Finals, which feature the most valuable team in the league (Valkyries) and the least valuable team in the league (Dream). The Dream are currently planning to play at least some home games in their 3,500-seat venue, a reminder that while the W has seen large commercial growth in recent years, there’s still more to be seen.
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