Monthly Archives: May 2024

Buffalo Bandits’ Back-to-Back Championships Cap Record-Setting NLL 2023-24 Season

A record-setting sellout crowd for the clinching championship game, a significant uptick in content consumption across all media channels, and the historic launch of its new grassroots youth participation initiative are among the superlatives as the National Lacrosse League (@NLL) closed its 37th season with a second straight Buffalo Bandits’ title with a pair of wins over the upstart Albany FireWolves in the NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time.

The NLL’s first-ever brand campaign, “Welcome to The Next Major League” kicked off a transformative season for the largest professional lacrosse league in the North America:

  • The total NLL attendance of 1,150,369, inclusive of the regular season and playoffs, marks the second straight year that the League surpassed one million in attendance.
  • The Bandits’ championship was the sixth for the franchise, tying the Toronto Rock and Philadelphia Wings for most in NLL history.
  • The Bandits are the first back-to-back champions in the NLL since the Edmonton and Saskatchewan Rush did so in 2015 and 2016. In all, eight teams have won consecutive NLL championships.
  • Buffalo’s Josh Byrne became the fifth player in NLL history to win both the regular season and Finals MVP awards. Dane Dobbie was the last to achieve the feat in 2019.
  • The NLL engaged more fans than ever across its official media channels, including a 42% increase in social video views. (source: Emplifi)
  • The League’s broadcast team produced 135 regular season and 10 playoff games, totaling approximately 365 hours of coverage. Additionally, more than 100 games were produced and distributed in NLL team markets across the U.S. and Canada, adding more than 250 hours of live game coverage to fans via local outlets.
  • The NLL expanded its League-wide activation of the award-winning Every Child Matters initiative, with all 15 teams participating in a campaign helping to bring awareness to the forcible placement of Indigenous children in residential and boarding schools by the Canadian and United States governments from the 19th century to as recently as 1996.
  • The NLL moved forward with its most significant grassroots initiative ever, creating NLL UnBOXed™, a school-centric curriculum and equipment endowment platform aiming to introduce the NLL’s fun, sixes-style game play to a new generation of fansin more communities across North America. The campaign opened with eight new “NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities” joining the 15 existing NLL teams for the 2024 launch.
  • Buffalo’s Dhane Smith set the all-time playoff assists mark, notching nine in Game 1 on Friday to set the mark, and adding five more in the championship-clinching Game 2 on Saturday. His career total of 125 passed John Tavares (116). Smith also added four goals in the two-game sweep, moving into fifth place on the all-time playoff list with 63.

NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time summary:

(4) Buffalo Bandits vs. (3) Albany FireWolves

  • Game 1 – Buffalo 12, at Albany 9, Friday, May 17
  • Game 2 – at Buffalo 15, Albany 13, Saturday, May 18

UFL Launches Performance Medicine Solution From Kitman Labs As Advanced EMR

The United Football League (UFL) and Kitman Labs, the sports technology and analytics company setting the industry standard for how elite sports organizations use data, today announced the deployment of the Kitman Labs Intelligence Platform (iP) as the new EMR of record for the League, inclusive of the 8 member teams.

The Performance Medicine Solution – one of four Solutions offered as part of Kitman Labs’ iP: Intelligence Platform – will provide the centralized technology and infrastructure to automate and power accurate, league-wide medical data collection and analysis, drive collaboration among all relevant league and team stakeholders, yield actionable intelligence to support specific performance outcomes and enable data-led decision-making and research.  

Each Team in the UFL will operate from a distinct, configurable system designed to support their respective operating philosophy and will aggregate and mobilize all player medical data in one integrated platform – providing an accurate, real-time view of each player from a health, injury and readiness perspective.

iP: Intelligence Platform will enable the UFL and Teams to:
• Unify, consolidate and standardize league-wide medical documentation and data collection – eliminating data gaps, inconsistencies and inaccuracy and facilitate club-level compliance
• Collaborate and align relevant internal stakeholders across both the Medical and Performance Teams to support evidence-based decision-making around player health, care and wellness
• Enable practitioners to spend less time dedicated to data collection, analytics and administrative oversight and more time with athletes
• Establish a solid and complete data set to support ongoing and future league-wide research initiatives and innovation 
• Establish a data and analytics infrastructure that can scale, adapt and grow as the League continues to evolve
 
“The UFL needed to ensure that we unify data, people, and processes around shared infrastructure and technology to support the continued improvement and evolution of both the League and teams,” said Phil Hedrick, Director of Athletic Training, UFL. “Kitman Labs’ iP and Performance Medicine Solution allows us to provide best-in-class technology and tools to empower our medical teams, practitioners, and players while leveraging medical data to advance player health, wellness, and performance outcomes across the League.”
 
“It’s clear that the UFL is laying the foundation for sustainable growth and innovation at the League and Club-level.  By deploying a league-wide medical solution, the UFL is providing a platform not only capable of aggregating and analyzing disparate data sets and ensuring data integrity, but powering the advanced analytics and actionable intelligence necessary to maximize player health and performance outcomes,” said Stephen Smith, Founder & CEO Kitman Labs. “Each team within the UFL will have a configurable operating system, designed to support the unique needs of their particular club and operating style, providing each with the insights necessary to support data-led decision-making at every level of the organization ”
 
Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top governing bodies, leagues, teams and athletes across a variety of sports, including soccer/global football, basketball, rugby, and American football. The company’s technology has been used by teams in some of the world’s most elite sports organizations and universities including the NFL, NBA, Premier League, MLS, NWSL and NCAA.
The company represents the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (2000+) and iP: Intelligence Platform represents the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle..
 
For more information about Kitman Labs, visit www.kitmanlabs.com.

Fanatics Sportsbook Cheers on Justin Thomas in his Home State of Kentucky

Fanatics Betting and Gaming, a subsidiary of Fanatics Holdings Inc, a global digital sports platform, signed a partnership agreement with golfer Justin Thomas, one of the most popular golfers in the world.

“I am excited to be the first official partner of the Fanatics Sportsbook,” said Justin Thomas. “Whether it’s football, basketball or golf, I’m a big sports fan. So I’m looking forward to getting involved in the world of Fanatics and engaging with their customers.”

As an Official Sports Betting Partner of Fanatics Sportsbook, Thomas will highlight new product enhancements, create social content and engage with the Fanatics community over the course of the next year.

“Justin Thomas is one of the biggest names in golf and an amazing ambassador for the game,” said Ari Borod, Chief Business Officer at Fanatics Betting and Gaming. “With him coming home to Kentucky to try to win his third PGA Championship, the Fanatics family couldn’t be more excited to partner with him.”

The Justin Thomas signing comes on the heels of new enhancements to golf offerings at Fanatics Sportsbook. The Fanatics Sportsbook is available on iOS and Android and makes being a fan easy with fast signup, easy betting, and transparent withdrawals. The new golf features at the Fanatics Sportsbook include:

-Data Visualization: Fanatics Sportsbook now offers an enhanced live event center with shot-by-shot data, leaderboard tracking and course maps directly in the app.

-Odds Factory: Fanatics Sportsbook has fully integrated Odds Factory from Banach Technology to enhance our golf offerings, which means more betting markets, improved uptime and faster settlement speeds.

-Coming Soon: Customers will be able to stream select Par 3 holes in the app.

Fanatics Sportsbook will also have a special FanCash for Birdies offer for golf customers this weekend. To earn FanCash, customers will simply need to opt in and place a qualifying wager on any golfer to win this weekend’s championship outright. Those customers will earn FanCash for every birdie the golfer they bet on to win records in Round 1. See the Fanatics Sportsbook app for full promotional terms and conditions.

AXIA Time joins the expanding NLL partner roster as the ‘Official Timepiece of the NLL’

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced a new, multi-year partnership with AXIA Time as the “Official Timepiece of the NLL” and the presenting partner of the upcoming 2024 NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time that starts this Friday between the defending NLL champion Buffalo Bandits and the Albany FireWolves.

AXIA (pronounced ahx-EE-ah) Time creates heirloom-quality timepiece to commemorate life’s biggest moments. AXIA has been rapidly expanding its portfolio of partners and events. Notable recent projects include ultra-custom timepiece for the University of Michigan’s college football national championship and the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball back-to-back national championship. Last week, AXIA Time unveiled its new collaboration with Zach Edey, Purdue University, and the Naismith Awards – commemorating Edey’s back-to-back Player of the Year honors.

“Storytelling is vital to the NLL as we advance towards our goal of becoming ‘The Next Major League’ in North America,” said Kurt Hunzeker, NLL Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations. “The biggest and best story of any NLL season centers on celebrating championship teams, and AXIA Time specializes in celebrating life’s biggest achievements and memorializing them in remarkable timepieces that tell so much more than time.”

“We wanted to create a premium item that players, coaches, and fans would appreciate and want to wear to remind them of one of the best times in their lives, and AXIA Time is the perfect partner to bring our vision to life,” Hunzeker said.

“As a life-long lacrosse person, it’s an honor to be partnering with the NLL to create ultra-custom, heirloom-quality timepieces for their fans, players, and partners,” said John Kanaras, AXIA Time founder. “The NLL is making great progress toward creating the next major sports league, and that aligns with our vision to make AXIA Time the next great watch brand in the U.S.”

The 2024 NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time begin Friday, May 17, 7 p.m. ET at MVP Arena in Albany before the series shifts to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

All 2024 NLL Finals presented by AXIA Time games will be televised live on TSN and on the TSN+ streaming service in Canada, and available live via ESPN+ in the U.S.

Governors Cup Returns Bigger and Better: NYC’s Premier Soccer Event Expands and Sells Out in Record Time

NYC Footy, the leading adult soccer league in the United States, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated return of the Governors Cup tournament, set to take place on Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd. This year, the Governors Cup marks a significant milestone as it expands its capacity by 25%, welcoming 100 teams and 1,200 players to Governors Island for an unparalleled weekend of soccer.

Within just three days of ticket sales opening in January, the tournament achieved a remarkable feat by selling out, solidifying its reputation as NYC’s most sought-after soccer event. The overwhelming response underscores the immense popularity and demand for inclusive and competitive soccer experiences in the city.

“We are ecstatic to witness the continued growth and enthusiasm surrounding the Governors Cup,” said Tarek Pertew, co-founder of NYC Footy. “Expanding our capacity, securing premier sponsors, and selling out in record time are testament to the unwavering passion for soccer in New York City.”

The Governors Cup has become synonymous with inclusivity and community engagement, embodying NYC Footy’s mission to make soccer accessible to all adults. With a commitment to fostering respect, diversity, and camaraderie, the tournament emphasizes the importance of inclusivity both on and off the field.

This year, the Governors Cup is proud to welcome a roster of esteemed sponsors, including BetterPlayerNYCFCGotham FCWaterloo Sparkling WaterVAE Labs, and Mack Weldon. Their support further enhances the tournament experience, contributing to the vibrant atmosphere and sense of camaraderie that defines the event.

“As supporters of inclusive sport, we are honored to partner with the Governors Cup and NYC Footy in promoting diversity and unity through soccer,” said Sascha Allendes, Senior National Director of Field Marketing at Waterloo Sparkling Water.

In addition to thrilling soccer matches, attendees can look forward to a range of food and festivities, including delicious specials from ABC Shark Tank’s Pasta by Hudson and a viewing party for the Champions League final on June 1st. The celebration continues with an after-party at Taco Vista’s expansive beer garden on Governors Island, providing the perfect setting for players and fans to unwind and connect.

“Even if you didn’t get a ticket to participate, we invite soccer fans of all backgrounds to join us for a weekend in the sun celebrating the world’s most beautiful beautiful game,” added Pertew. “Together, we’ll make this year’s Governors Cup the most memorable yet.”

Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino Launches in New Jersey 

Fanatics Betting and Gaming, a subsidiary of Fanatics Holdings Inc, a global digital sports platform, launched the Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino today in New Jersey. Sports fans living in and visiting New Jersey will be able to download the Fanatics Sportsbook on iOS and Android and begin their Fanatics Sportsbook and Casino experience.  The Fanatics Sportsbook is now available to approximately 95% of the addressable online sports bettor market in the U.S.

On April 3, 2024, Fanatics Betting and Gaming completed its acquisition of the U.S. businesses of PointsBet.  Today in New Jersey, PointsBet customers’ username, password, account balance, rewards points and responsible gaming settings will be automatically migrated to the Fanatics Sportsbook. New Jersey is the final PointsBet state and marks the twentieth state for the Fanatics Sportsbook and fourth state for Fanatics Casino. 

The Fanatics Sportsbook makes being a fan easy with fast signup, easy betting, transparent withdrawals and is disrupting the sports betting industry with the following new features:  

  • Building a better sportsbook: The Fanatics Sportsbook app was built natively on iOS and Android. The design, speed and quality of the navigation experience rival the sports betting apps in the market today that were not built specifically for iOS and Android. 
  • FanCash: Get up to 5% FanCash back on bets, win or lose.  Every bet gets you closer to more rewards like team merchandise, bonus bets, and more.
  • Live Betting: Real-time game and stat updates keep customers informed.
  • Discover: Get everything a customer cares about—marquee games, key stats and trending bets delivered straight to the Discover feed. 
  • Search: Find promos, bets, and trending topics all from the advanced search functionality. Bet directly from the search results and spend time enjoying the game, not looking for a bet.
  • One App, One Wallet: Fanatics customers in NJ will now have a seamless sports betting experience and can travel to other legal sports betting states (like NY, PA and CT) to place wagers using one app and one wallet on the Fanatics Sportsbook.

As part of the launch in New Jersey, Fanatics Betting and Gaming will also launch its new online casino, embedded in the Fanatics Sportsbook app. The newly designed Fanatics Casino will feature a range of classic and popular casino favorites like roulette, slots and blackjack along with offering customers the following exciting new features: 

  • Play with IGT Play Digital: Fanatics Casino players can enjoy a range of highly engaging IGT PlayDigital games including many of the classic titles that iGaming players love including Cash Eruption™, Fortune Coin™ and Cleopatra™, as well as a suite of MegaJackpots™ titles, proprietary table games and video poker content.
  • Evolved Live Casino Games: Fanatics Casino has partnered with Evolution to provide customers with world-leading live casino games including Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and Poker variants. In addition, Evolution will provide Fanatics Casino with an exciting lineup of online slots, the award-winning Lightning Roulette, and many more. 
  • Wonderful New Games: Light & Wonder will provide Fanatics Casino with a wide range of the company’s first party titles, including top-performing games 88 FORTUNES™, JIN JI BAO™ ENDLESS TREASURES™, DANCING DRUMS EXPLOSION™, and ULTIMATE FIRE LINK™ CHINA STREET™. In addition, Light & Wonder will offer Fanatics Casino customers access to third party aggregated content from some of the world’s biggest studios such as Big Time Gaming, Reel Play and Hacksaw. 
  • Rewards: Casino customers can earn FanCash back on bets, spins and hands.
  • Fanatics Game Studios: Fanatics Betting and Gaming has produced exclusive content including the new Fanatics Blackjack and Fanatics Multi-hand Blackjack games developed in partnership with Boom Entertainment.    

National Lacrosse League Announces Finalists for 2023-24 NLL Awards

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL) today announced the finalists for its annual season-end awards honoring the best NLL players, coaches, and executives for the 2023-24 regular season.

Highlighting the major awards is the NLL Most Valuable Player honor, with two Buffalo Bandits – Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith — joining the Toronto Rock’s Nick Rose as finalists.

The award winners will be announced in advance of the 2024 NLL Finals.

Most Valuable Player

  • Josh Byrne – Forward – Buffalo Bandits
  • Nick Rose – Goaltender – Toronto Rock
  • Dhane Smith – Forward – Buffalo Bandits

Rookie of the Year

  • Owen Grant – Transition – Vancouver Warriors
  • Tye Kurtz – Forward – Albany FireWolves
  • Alex Simmons – Forward – Albany FireWolves

Goaltender of the Year

  • Doug Jamieson – Albany FireWolves
  • Chris Origlieri – San Diego Seals
  • Nick Rose – Toronto Rock

Offensive Player of the Year

  • Josh Byrne – Buffalo Bandits
  • Dhane Smith – Buffalo Bandits
  • Jeff Teat – New York Riptide

Transition Player of the Year

  • Ian MacKay – Buffalo Bandits
  • Shane Simpson – Calgary Roughnecks
  • Jake Withers – Halifax Thunderbirds

Defensive Player of the Year

  • Mitch de Snoo – Toronto Rock
  • Ryan Dilks – Vancouver Warriors
  • Brad Kri – Toronto Rock

Sportsmanship Award

  • Keegan Bal – Vancouver Warriors
  • Tom Schreiber – Toronto Rock
  • Lyle Thompson* – Georgia Swarm

Les Bartley Award (Head Coach of the Year)

  • Glenn Clark – Albany FireWolves
  • Curt Malawsky* – Vancouver Warriors
  • Matt Sawyer – Toronto Rock

General Manager of the Year

  • Glenn Clark – Albany FireWolves
  • Jamie Dawick – Toronto Rock
  • Curt Malawsky – Vancouver Warriors

Executive of the Year

  • John Catalano – President and Chief Executive Officer, Halifax Thunderbirds
  • Mike Hancock – Director of Communications and Lacrosse Operations, Toronto Rock
  • Oliver Marti – Chief Executive Officer, Albany FireWolves

Tom Borrelli Award (Media Person of the Year)

  • Teddy Jenner* – TSN play-by-play and co-host, “Off the Crosse Bar” podcast
  • Adam Levi – NLL.com, Inside Lacrosse, NLLPA contributing writer and host, “Lacrosse Matrix” podcast
  • Graeme Perrow – NLL Chatter

*denotes 2023 winner

Each NLL team had the opportunity to nominate and vote for each of the awards with the exception of Teammate of the Year, as each NLLPA Player Representative nominated a player from their team for this honor that was voted on by the NLLPA and its 15 Player Representatives. The Teammate of the Year will be announced with all awards’ winners.

The League added Offensive Player of the Year to the lineup of awards this year to align with the other position-based honors: Defensive Player of the Year, Transition Player of the Year, and Goaltender of the Year.

Once nominations were finalized, each NLL team cast three ballots for each award and select media were eligible to vote for all awards except Teammate of the Year and Executive of the Year.

Voting members selected their top five choices for each award among all nominated persons. Points were distributed for each first through fifth place vote as follows:

  • 1st Place – 10 points
  • 2nd Place – 7 points
  • 3rd Place – 5 points
  • 4th Place – 3 points
  • 5th Place – 1 point

The person that accumulated the most points will be announced as the winner, while the top three in each category are designated as the award finalists. The All-NLL and All-Rookie teams are determined by the top vote getters in each position-based award. The All-Rookie team will be made up of six rookies, regardless of position. The All-NLL First Team and All-NLL Second Team will be made up of six individuals – two forwards, one transition player, two defenseman, and one goaltender – per team.

Walter Johnson, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax Items Head Most Valuable Items in New Heritage Auction

Countless offerings among the almost 3,200 available in Heritage’s May 16-18 Spring Sports Catalog Auction could serve as its centerpiece, its highlight — that one thing that belongs in a museum, if not a Hall of Fame. Like, say, the road New York Yankees jersey worn by Mickey Mantle during his final season in 1968, then signed and inscribed to a Yanks batboy. Or the photo-matched road Brooklyn Dodgers jersey Sandy Koufax wore during his rookie season in 1955 when he was not yet known as The Left Hand of God. Or the bat Ty Cobb used in 1922, his third — and final — season as a .400 hitter.

The list of must-sees and must-owns is seemingly endless, whether it’s a box of unopened Fleer basketball cards from 1961-62 or the pair of Adidas Crazy 8’s photo-matched to Kobe Bryant’s first All-Star Game in 1998. As has become tradition, the Spring Sports Catalog Event brims with the jerseys, sneakers, gloves, bats and helmets worn and used by some of sports’ most towering titans, from Willie Mays to Lionel MessiReggie Jackson to Gale SayersWarren Spahn to Tom BradyHank Aaron to Jim PlunkettCarl Hubbell to Terry Bradshaw. The abundance of photo-matched jerseys in this auction alone qualifies it as historic, as do the cards featured throughout, among them a near-mint 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, a gem-mint Ty Cobb from the fabled Black Swamp find and the only known Elgin Baylor Topps card from 1969 graded a perfect 10.

But to begin, the relatively plain flannel jersey in this auction — gray, pinstriped, a small “W” stitched into each short sleeve — draws the eye first. It’s also a century-old jersey that still has tales to tell.

Collectors have always known who wore it: Walter Johnson, who spent all of his 21 seasons in the sun as the right-handed hurler for the Washington Senators. Johnson’s name is stitched into the collar in red cursive, just below the A.G. Spalding & Bros. label. We’ve always known, too, when Johnson wore it: during the 1919-1922 seasons, when the man sportswriter Grantland Rice called “The Big Train” was teammates with another right-handed pitcher, Eric “Swat” Erickson, to whom Johnson gifted the jersey upon Erickson’s retirement from the big leagues following his 1919-1922 stint with Washington.

Only days before this auction opened, Resolution Photomatching determined that the “one-time king of pitchers” — as Johnson was called in 1933’s Who’s Who in Baseball – wore this very jersey on April 29, 1920. That’s when the Nationals downed the New York Yankees 2-1 in front of 5,000 at the hallowed Polo Grounds.

Johnson recorded eight strikeouts that spring afternoon in New York, two coming against a newly minted Yankee right fielder named Babe Ruth, who recorded just a single hit (and RBI) against Johnson. The Big Train, who batted last in the Nats’ lineup, also got a hit that afternoon — a triple. In his 1920 book The Home-Run King, Ruth wrote that Johnson was “the best of them all.”

Earlier this month, Resolution photo-matched the jersey to a photo distributed by news agency Underwood & Underwood, whose caption heralds Johnson as “the unsurpassable speed twirler of the Nationals.” The photo also notes that Johnson’s “remarkable speed ball aroused all balldom several years ago” and that he pitched against the Yankees that April afternoon “with the same ‘pep’ that characterized his name.”

Two known Johnson jerseys have survived his storied career, during which The Big Train recorded 3,509 strikeouts (putting him at ninth on the all-time list), 417 wins (the most all-time behind only Cy Young’s 511 victories) and 110 shutout wins (still the record). One, from 1927, is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The other is in this auction.

“We have had the opportunity at Heritage Auctions to offer some incredible and museum-worthy jerseys over the decades,” says Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage. “But this Walter Johnson example, photo-matched to his first dual with the great Babe Ruth in Yankees pinstripes, certainly qualifies it as a cream-of-the-crop rarity.”

The Koufax and Mantle jerseys are no less significant, as they serve as sort of spiritual bookends to two mythical Hall of Famers who were each a king of New York — at least until the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after Koufax’s three seasons playing for his hometown team.

The Dodgers jersey — worn by the native son of Borough Park, Brooklyn, when he was a 20-year-old rookie who made his debut in the fifth inning of a game against Milwaukee — has been photo-matched to two spring training games in 1956, when it was common for ballplayers to reuse the previous season’s uniforms. It has Koufax’s name embroidered into its tail, inside which Rawlings sewed washing and drying instructions — right next to the tag that reads “Set I 1955.” It hails from the collection of James Harwell, a Louisiana hurler who played minor-league ball for the Dodgers in the 1950s.

(The jersey would pair well with the PSA Mint 9 Koufax rookie card in this auction, one of just 25 of his 1955 Topps cards to receive the grade — with just three graded higher.)

NLL Announces Television Slate for National Lacrosse League Semifinals

The 2024 National Lacrosse League (@NLL) Playoffs will take center stage again this weekend with both best-of-three semifinal matchups on linear television in Canada and the U.S.

TSN features complete coverage of the top-seeded Toronto Rock (16-3) and defending champion and #4 seed Buffalo Bandits (12-7) series between the long-standing rivals. In the U.S., ESPNU will be the linear home for the second-seeded San Diego Seals (14-5) and #3 Albany FireWolves (12-7) first-ever postseason battle.

ESPNU will also present Game 2 of Toronto vs. Buffalo series. All NLL postseason games will also stream live on ESPN+ and TSN+.

The Toronto-Buffalo series, a rematch of last year’s NLL Eastern Conference semifinals, will feature the commentator team of Jon Abbott, Pat Gregoire,and Brianne Foley. Play begins with Game 1 on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET from Hamilton, Ontario. Game 2 follows on Sunday live from Buffalo at 5:30 p.m. ET, with Game 3, if necessary, scheduled for Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m. back in Hamilton, Ontario.

San Diego and Albany, a first-time playoff winner, opens on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT from San Diego, with Cooper Perkins, Nick Ossello,and Raine Michaels on the call. The teams travel to Albany for Game 2 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, with Brendan Glasheen, Dan Bahl,and Ashley Miller calling the action. Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for Friday, May 10, at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT, with Perkins, Ossello and Michaels on the call.

The winners of each semifinal series will face off in the best-of-three 2024 NLL Finals, scheduled for Thursday, May 16, through Sunday, May 19, and Thursday, May 23, through Sunday, May 26. Additionally, should both semifinal series end in two games, the NLL may move the 2024 NLL Finals up to the preceding week.

To view the 2024 NLL Playoffs bracket, visit https://www.nll.com/standings/.

The complete 2024 NLL Playoffs semifinal round broadcast schedule:

(4) Buffalo Bandits vs. (1) Toronto Rock

  • Game 1 – Buffalo at Toronto, Friday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton, ON, TSN, ESPN+ (Abbott, Gregoire, Foley)
  • Game 2 – Toronto at Buffalo, Sunday, May 5, 5:30 p.m. ET, KeyBank Center, Buffalo, TSN, ESPNU, ESPN+ (Abbott, Gregoire, Foley)
  • *Game 3 – Buffalo at Toronto, Saturday, May 11, 7 p.m. ET, FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton, ON, TSN, ESPN+ (Abbott, Gregoire, Foley)

(3) Albany Firewolves vs. (2) San Diego Seals

  • Game 1 – Albany at San Diego, Friday, May 3, 10:30 p.m. ET, Pechanga Arena, San Diego, ESPNU, ESPN+, TSN+ (Perkins, Ossello, Michaels)
  • Game 2 – San Diego at Albany, Sunday, May 5, 3 p.m. ET, MVP Arena, Albany, NY, ESPNU, ESPN+, TSN+ (Glasheen, Bahr, Miller)
  • *Game 3 – Albany at San Diego, Friday, May 10, 10:30 p.m. ET, Pechanga Arena, San Diego, ESPNU, ESPN+, TSN+ (Perkins, Ossello, Michaels)