Category Archives: Major Sports

Old Trapper Named Founding Partner of SlamBall League: Series 6

Old Trapper announced that they are the Founding Partner and Official Beef Jerky of SlamBall League: Series 6. Throughout the 2023 season, Old Trapper product, messaging, and signage will be incorporated on broadcast, digital, and social media platforms of SlamBall on ESPN.

The partnership begins on Opening Night, as SlamBall relaunches live from Las Vegas on July 21 from 7-9 p.m. EDT. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to air more than 30 hours of live SlamBall programming across five weekends, culminating August 17-19 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game. All games will be played at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

As Founding Partner of SlamBall League: Series 6, Old Trapper will be highlighted as the Official Beef Jerky in broadcast deliverables. This includes TV visible signs during the 96 games at Cox Pavilion and 62 hours on the ESPN ecosystem. Old Trapper will also be featured on the starting lineups of each game. Old Trapper signage will appear on five minutes of LED rotations per game and on four 30-second spots per broadcast. Old Trapper will have product placement on the SlamBall broadcast desk and in post-game player interviews. For digital and social integrations, Old Trapper’s logo will be permanently integrated into SlamBallLeague.com. The company will also serve as the Presenting Sponsor of Dunk of the Summer, which will be featured on Instagram and voted on by fans.

“We are very excited to announce the start of our partnership with SlamBall,” said Robert Leary, Chief Marketing Officer of Old Trapper. “As Founding Partner and Official Beef Jerky of the 2023 season, we look forward to fueling the fire of champions with bold flavors and protein-packed goodness. Just as SlamBall combines high-flying athleticism with raw power, Old Trapper Beef Jerky complements the grit and determination of these athletes, delivering hearty sustenance to fuel their relentless pursuit of greatness.”

Strat-O-Matic Celebrates All-Star Game, Collectible Set with ’33 vs. ’83 Challenge Game

When the baseball All-Stars hit the field in Seattle tomorrow night, they will have a lot to live up to in order to match two anniversary midsummer classic lineups. The 90-year anniversary of the first-ever game in 1933 and the 50th of the 1983 contest, both held in venerable Comiskey Park in Chicago, is upon us, with first-rate Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth and Rickey Henderson and fan favorites like Pepper Martin and Fred Lynn among the popular stars dominating the team rosters.

Baseball fans love comparing great teams and players across eras, and one of the most fun aspects of Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, is its ability to put those squads together and see how they might fare.

Fans will soon be able to relive those games or create teams and leagues of their own as the Strat-O-Matic Collectibles Series: Strat-O-Matic All-Stars goes on sale today at www.strat-o-matic.com. To celebrate, Strat combined the A.L. and N.L. squads from both classics, and played a single contest, one of many ways fans will be able to utilize the set, which features every player on the All-Star rosters from 1933 and 1983, all produced in super-advanced format for the first time for those specific years.

“Who Would Win” is the popular question: and in this simulation, it was the ‘83’s, whose seven pitchers scattered eight hits in shutting out Ruth and Lou Gehrig and Co., 4-0. Philadelphia’s Mike Schmidt, a first-level Hall member, has the game’s only home run as part of a two-for-two day, making a winner of Cincinnati’s Mario Soto, who tossed the first two frames. Lefty Gomez took the loss, unable to replicate his victory in the actual ‘33 game.

Robin Yount, Andre Dawson and Steve Sax also drove in runs for the ‘83 stars, while Al Simmons had two hits for ‘33, whose defense turned three double plays but whose offense went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position

Linescore:

1983 All Stars………… 0 3 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  –  4  8  0

1933 All Stars………… 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  –  0  8  0

2b- M.Schmidt, J.Wilson; 3b- S.Sax; HR- M.Schmidt

WP: M.Soto; LP: L.Gomez

Tickets Now On Sale For SlamBall League: Series 6, July 21 – August 14 at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas

SlamBall, the fast-paced, gravity-defying sport that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and trampolines, today announced that tickets are now on sale for its 2023 SlamBall League Series 6, which includes 30 sessions over four consecutive weekends beginning on Friday, July 21 (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, ESPN)). Tickets are now available at https://www.unlvtickets.com/eventInfo/spe/840/slamball/ with all games held at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. Information on playoff tickets will be announced at a later date.

Tickets are priced at $30 for daily general admission, $50 for reserved and $125 for a limited number of VIP tickets, including post-game, on-court experiences with players and coaches.

Each competition day will feature two sessions of three games per session, with four teams battling in each session and all eight teams competing each night. The winners of the first two games of each session will then meet in the Main Event to determine the winner of the session.

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Wednesday’s news that ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to televise more than 60 hours of regular season action and all playoff games as well as the finalas part of an exclusive, two-year national broadcast partnership for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

“Las Vegas has emerged as a sports mecca, and we take great pride in being a distinctive addition to the city’s thriving sports scene,” said Mason Gordon, SlamBall creator and co-founder. “SlamBall is a sport that truly comes alive when experienced in person. There is simply nothing else comparable. The games are a thrilling display of non-stop, high-speed action from end to end, showcasing the extraordinary athleticism of our players. Being just a few feet away allows you to fully appreciate their remarkable skills. And we designed the schedule to make sure SlamBall fans can witness every team and player every night.”

Opening night will feature a battle between legacy teams MOB, led by Gage Smith (Elizabeth, CO) against the Rumble and its top star Bakari Copeland (Decatur, GA) and legendary Coach Ken Carter. Other games on Opening Night include the Slashers with captain Tony Crosby II (Inglewood, CA.) vs. Lava with Bryce Moragne (Tampa, FL) and Nathaniel Harris (Hammond,IN); Wrath with Christian Gray (Riverside, CA) vs. Gryphons and Justin Holmes (Roseville, CA); and Ozone with Bryan Bell-Anderson (Sarasota, FL) vs. Buzzsaw and Michael Kolawole (Rowlett, TX).

In the ensuing weeks, matchups will be announced several days prior to each week’s sessions, which following opening weekend will be held each Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through August 13. Each regular season competition date will feature two sessions, with all eight squads taking the court each night.

The full schedule, subject to change, with session start times and TV coverage is as follows:

Regular Season (two sessions per date, all times PT):

  • Fri, July 21, 4 p.m., ESPN
  • Fri, July 21, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, July 22, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, July 22, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, July 23, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, July 23, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Thu, July 27, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Thu, July 27, 8 p.m., ESPN
  • Fri, July 28, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Fri, July 28, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, July 29, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, July 29, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, July 30, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, July 30, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Thu, August 3, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Thu, August 3, 8 p.m., ESPN2
  • Fri, August 4, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Fri, August 4, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, August 5, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, August 5, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, August 6, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, August 6, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Thu, August 10, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Thu, August 10, 10 a.m., ESPN2
  • Fri, August 11, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Fri, August 11, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, August 12, 5 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sat, August 12, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, August 13, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+
  • Sun, August 13, 5 p.m., ESPN+

Playoffs

  • Tue, August 15, SlamBall Playoffs, TBD, ESPN+
  • Thu, August 17, SlamBall Championship Game, 8 p.m., ESPN2

For more information about SlamBall visit http://www.slamballleague.com.

Showtime Sports Announces Bonded By Ball: Inside The Obl, A Documentary Series Chronicling OBL

SHOWTIME Basketball announces BONDED BY BALL: INSIDE THE OBL, a four-part documentary series chronicling the inaugural season of the Ones Basketball League (OBL). All four episodes of the series premiere consecutively on SHOWTIME EXTREME starting at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, July 28, and all episodes will be available on demand and on streaming for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers on the day of premiere.

Founded in 2022 by seven-time NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and award-winning sports business executive and entrepreneur Jeffrey Pollack, OBL is an elite one-on-one competition series designed to discover and spotlight the best one-on-one players around the world and celebrate the competitive spirit of basketball.

“BONDED BY BALL takes you on a journey with incredible athletes you haven’t met before and also gives some insight into my life story,” McGrady said. “When I look at these players, I know how it feels to be overlooked and undervalued. When an opportunity is given, what are you going to do with it? These guys are out to prove something, and we are proud to bring their stories to a larger audience for the first time.”

“Tracy and the OBL fit the ethos of SHOWTIME Basketball, and BONDED BY BALL is a reflection of the type of boundary-pushing and innovative content we strive to create,” said Brian Dailey, SVP, Sports Programming & Content at SHOWTIME. “If you look at our roster, it’s full of Hall of Famers and champions who are open to sharing their experiences, just as Tracy has with this league and through this series.”

The documentary series is an intimate look at the league’s three-month tour across the U.S. during its 2022 season, highlighting competitions in Houston, Brooklyn, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The series, guided by McGrady, reveals the compelling and often heartbreaking stories of the star players. By uncovering each athlete’s unique personality, determination, style and circumstances, the series is an in-depth exposé on the collective joy and disappointment that comes with both basketball and life.

“One-on-one is the essence of basketball and Tracy’s vision for the game opens up a new world of storytelling,” said Pollack. “We are creating a unique stage for amazing athletes who deserve a chance to shine in the spotlight and our ultimate ambition is global. Fans can be with us at the start, enjoy a behind-the-scenes look and get closer to Tracy thanks to SHOWTIME.”

In each of the cities on the tour, 32 players compete for a chance to win $10,000. The winner in each city takes home the cash prize, and the top three players from each city earn a spot in the OBL Finals in Las Vegas and the opportunity to compete for the grand prize of $250,000.

The featured competitors include:

  • George Beamon, Roslyn, N.Y./Manhattan College (Los Angeles Winner)
    31, co-captain and two-time First Team All-MAAC at Manhattan College. He averaged 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2013-14 after a season-ending injury the previous year. Won OBL Los Angeles Regional to claim the $10,000 prize and qualify for OBL Finals.
  • Isaiah Brown, Queens, N.Y./SUNY Potsdam (New York Winner)
    25, nicknamed “Leaky Roof,” played at SUNY Potsdam. The sharpshooting lefty averaged 24.2 points per game in 2019-20 at Potsdam after transferring from Missouri State-West Plains. Won OBL New York Regional to claim the $10,000 prize and qualify for OBL Finals.
  • John Jordan, Houston/TAMU-Corpus Christi (Houston Winner)
    29, arrived from Romania just in time to compete in the OBL. He’s one of the most decorated players in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi history, totaling more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in his TAMU-CC Athletics Hall of Fame career. He played overseas and in the G-League, where he won the dunk contest in 2017. Won the OBL Houston Regional to claim the $10,000 prize and qualify for OBL Finals.
  • Matt Kiatipis, Newmarket, Ontario/Simon Fraser University (Houston Runner-Up)
    21, played a year for Simon Fraser University in his native Canada. He then turned his focus to other basketball pursuits, including a strong social media presence, park takeovers and dunk videos. The youngest OBL Finals qualifier, “M.K.” took second in the Houston Regional.
  • Kevin Kuteyi, Lanham, Md./Gannon University and Chowan University (DMV Winner)
    29, had one of the more vocal rooting sections at The St. James. In two collegiate seasons, one at Gannon University and one at Chowan University, he averaged 12 points per game and shot 40% from deep. “Uncle Skoob” came into the OBL DMV Regional as the No. 8 seed and had to win a play-in to get into the quarterfinals. Won the OBL DMV Regional to claim the $10,000 prize and qualify for OBL Finals.

“When you see that pain I’m putting in, it’s because I missed out on an opportunity,” OBL finalist George Beamon expresses in BONDED BY BALL: INSIDE THE OBL. “I want to get that breakout that I should’ve got. That ain’t stopping me. It’s motivating me.”

Beamon is not alone. The OBL is designed to create opportunities for gifted athletes who can earn a chance to shine on a national stage. McGrady’s devotion to nurturing and motivating the hundreds of players in the OBL comes from a shared place of perseverance and dedication.

BONDED BY BALL: INSIDE THE OBL is co-directed by Eric W. Newman and Rashad Floyd, and executive produced by Stephen Espinoza, Dailey, Newman, McGrady, Pollack and Elissa Grabow. Newman also directed and produced SHOWTIME documentaries KEVIN GARNETT: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE and BE NOW: INSIDE THE 2022 IVERSON CLASSIC, and the show ALL THE SMOKE WITH MATT BARNES AND STEPHEN JACKSON.

This documentary series adds to the award-winning rolodex of documentaries and docuseries from SHOWTIME Basketball, including GOLIATH, STAND, Kevin Durant’s NYC POINT GODS, LeBron James’ SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE, KOBE BRYANT’S MUSE, QUIET STORM: THE RON ARTEST STORY, PASSION PLAY: RUSSELL WESTBROOK and KEVIN GARNETT: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. SHOWTIME Basketball is also comprised of shows including ALL THE SMOKE WITH MATT BARNES & STEPHEN JACKSON, KG CERTIFIED WITH KEVIN GARNETT, TICKET & THE TRUTH, WHAT’S BURNIN’ hosted by Rachel Nichols, HEADLINERS WITH RACHEL NICHOLS and THE ARIEL HELWANI BASKETBALL SHOW.

Is 2023 Oakland Or Kansas City The Worst Team Ever? Strat-O-Matic Simulates Series

With the 2023 Oakland Athletics adding the ignominy of having a perfect game thrown at them last night by New York’s Domingo Germán to pile on a 21-61 record that threatens to be the lowest win total in the expansion era, and Kansas City just a few ticks better at 22-58, Strat-O-Matic got to wondering: are one of these teams the worst in history? Worse than the famed 40-120 Mets in 1962 and 43-119 Tigers in 2003, recognized by many as the most miserable in that span?

The baseball wizards at Strat-O-Matic simulated a seven-game series between those Tigers and Mets, with the loser taking on the A’s-Royals loser. And… drumroll, please… Oakland adds “Worst Team Ever” to its litany of shame this week and this year.

In the “semifinal” sets, the 1962 Mets were swept by the 2003 Tigers in four straight and this year’s A’s lost in five to the Royals to “advance” to the “finals.” Oakland then won the first two against the Mets, 10-6 and 2-1, but amazingly dropped the next three before winning game six to set up a “loser take all” game seven. There, Oakland fell in embarrassing fashion, 13-0, managing just four hits against Al Jackson, a 20-game loser in the actual inaugural Mets season.

To conduct the simulation, this year’s teams were constructed using rosters from the current “Strat-O-Matic Baseball Daily 2023,” which recalculates player cards each day throughout the current season, while the Detroit and New York squads are part of the standard Strat-O-Matic historical baseball seasons, which date back to 1871.

“Fans are always asking about the greatest teams ever, so we thought it would be fun to pit two of the worst ever against two truly bad teams in this year’s Oakland and Kansas City,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic Media. “Most think of the ‘62 Mets and ‘03 Tigers as the worst teams, and this simulation shows that they may have company with these two clubs.”

Kitman Labs Announces Transcontinental Deal with Chicago Fire and FC Lugano

Kitman Labs, the global SaaS platform providing the only single, centralized operating system for performance intelligence in the elite performance industry, announced a recent deal with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS) and FC Lugano of the Swiss Super League – both owned by Joe Mansueto. The deal will give both clubs access to Kitman Labs’ state-of-the-art Intelligence Platform including access to the Performance Medicine, Performance Optimization and Coaching & Development Solutions. The advanced operating system has now been deployed at the two clubs – and their Academies – with the full suite of resources now in play.

“While the number of individual clubs adopting our Intelligence Platform across both Europe and North America continues to scale, we anticipate that additional deals like this one – encompassing multiple clubs with joint ownership, straddling Leagues and addressing clubs with distinct training methods and styles of play – will become more frequent as we work with shared ownership groups,” said Stephen Smith, CEO and Founder of Kitman Labs. “There is nothing ‘cookie cutter’ when it comes to the bespoke needs, health and performance of a given club, but we think the economies of scale achieved and efficiencies realized by adopting the configurable platform by multiple clubs within a single organization will be a key multiplier for relationships like this for decades to come.”

Each club will work with a version of the system that has been configured for their specific needs. In addition, all club-related data will remain confidential – and only accessible to – that respective club. The collaboration between the Fire and Lugano performance staffs will provide shared learnings in real time as the clubs progress throughout their respective seasons. The partnership is designed to provide both clubs with deeper, strategic insight into all areas of on-pitch performance, ranging from developmental club best practices to helping gamify trade and transfer scenarios, making sure that injury prevention and maximal performance scenarios are created effectively and easily for all athletes, while giving performance leaders the ability to maximize every area of performance.

“In data-driven recruitment, matching the physical and medical profile of a player with the club and the league’s tactical and technical demands is paramount,” said Chicago Fire FC Director of Performance Nacho Torreño. ‘Through our relationship with Kitman Labs, we are working to develop the software that will allow us to track both the Chicago Fire’s and FC Lugano’s physical and medical metrics in one place and through one methodology. We are excited about the work being done that will give us an excellent understanding of how players from one environment will translate to the other. Additionally, this tool will also allow us to monitor players within our Academy, from the early stages through the professional ranks, to further enhance their development.”

“Kitman Labs is a value-add in the daily work of the technical staff of our first team and academy,” said FC Lugano Chief Sports Officer Carlos Da Silva. “It provides crucial support to those responsible for athletic preparation in terms of quality and intensity of training.”

Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top teams and athletes across a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, rugby, and American football. The company’s technology is being used by some of the world’s most elite sports organizations, such as MLS Next, Columbus Crew, and Bayer Leverkusen.

This new business launch follows other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs have undertaken. That includes the successful close of a $52M Series C funding round led by Guggenheim Investments, a global asset investment and advisory firm with more than $259 billion in assets under management and two strategic acquisitions of The Sports Office and Presagia Sports. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (700+) and created the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

Ones Basketball League and Dunk Media Partner to Bring 1-on-1 Basketball Content to Young Fans

The Ones Basketball League (OBL), founded by Basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Tracy McGrady, today announced a content and distribution partnership with Dunk Media LLC, a leading digital property, founded by creative entrepreneur Eliot Robinson, with a fanbase of more than 13 million basketball enthusiasts across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.

Starting in July 2023, Dunk will produce and distribute existing and new content highlighting the OBL and its successful proof-of-concept season that took place in the summer of 2022. Dunk will also work with McGrady to create new content focused on celebrating the one-on-one game, which McGrady calls “the essence of basketball.” In total, OBL-related content on Dunk is expected to drive over 50 million video views in the second half of 2023.

Tracy McGrady, Founder of OBL, said, “OBL celebrates the best one-on-one players in the world and highlights the essence of our great global game. This new partnership with Dunk will put a spotlight on the best moments from our pilot season and the incredible skill and talent of our elite players.”

Jeffrey Pollack, Co-Founder of OBL, said “Our proof-of-concept season was a smash hit with both players and fans, and Dunk will help re-energize and expand the OBL community as we put the pieces in place for a re-launch in 2024.”

Dunk Media CEO Josh Gotthelf said “The one-on-one game, and OBL’s unique format, are a perfect fit for the way today’s young audience consumes basketball content. We’re looking forward to telling the OBL’s many stories and creating new emotional connections to our community.”

Dunk will produce and distribute a wide range of engaging basketball content, including highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, player interviews, and insightful analysis that will provide an unprecedented glimpse into the world of OBL.

Strat-O-Matic Celebrates 1933, 1983 All-Star Games With Unique Limited Edition Collectible Card Set

Ninety years ago, baseball debuted its All-Star Game, a novelty that quickly became an annual tradition. Babe Ruth, naturally, launched the classic’s first home run in that inaugural contest, and it was 50 years later that California’s Fred Lynn hit the game’s first grand slam. Those two memorable shots, in games replete with dozens of Hall of Famers and other favorites, have made the 1933 and 1983 games among the most memorable in history, and beginning on July 10, Strat-O-Matic fans can relive and replay them like never before with the issue of the second entry in the Strat-O-Matic Collectibles Series: Strat-O-Matic All-Stars.

This special edition card set will feature the baseball All-Star teams from the 1933 and 1983 seasons on vivid, colorful cards with all-red (for the American League) or all-blue (for the National League) backgrounds and white text on both the basic and advanced sides of the cards. The numbered sets will be offered in a unique shrink-wrapped box that will also include charts detailing the starting lineups, rosters, and a box score for each game.

All 96 player cards from these two games will be released in Super Advanced format: a first for the majority of 1983 players (the season having been previously released with advanced-only features) while the 1933 season has never been released in card form by Strat-O-Matic.

“We expect demand for Strat-O-Matic All-Stars to be at least as strong as our Strat-O-Matic Black set, which sold out in less than two days,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic, Media. “Only 600 of these All-Star sets will be offered, never to be printed in this format again, so we advise fans to reserve theirs as soon as they go on sale at noon on July 10, just in time for the All-Star Game.”

The 1933 game, and this card set, featured Hall of Famers including Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Carl Hubbell, Pie Traynor, Frankie Frisch, and more. The 1983 classic included an incredible 18 Cooperstown inductees. Both contests were played at the revered Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Kitman Labs Announces Deal with New Zealand Football Club, the Wellington Phoenix

Kitman Labs, the global enterprise SaaS platform providing the only single, centralized operating system for performance intelligence in the elite performance industry, today announced a new deal with New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix Football Club – the only New Zealand-based club in the Australian League. The club will be utilizing several Solutions in the Intelligence Platform, including: Performance Medicine, Performance Optimization and Talent Development. The Platform combines medical, performance and talent development data into a single, interactive system that yields actionable intelligence to support specific operating and performance outcomes.

The Intelligence Platform is being deployed across the Men’s and Women’s Teams as well as the Academy. The platform will serve as the singular operating system for the Organization – eliminating data and information silos, enabling cross-Departmental communication and providing a comprehensive, real time view of every player in the organization.

By deploying the Intelligence Platform across the Academy and First Teams, Performance and Coaching staff will be able to effectively systemize their talent pipeline, enabling the early identification and progression of talent across the entire organization while creating key performance benchmarks and markers to inform their overall talent development strategy.

“The Intelligence Platform has been designed to unify data, people and processes to support informed decision-making, streamline operations and ultimately, yield the action plan necessary to achieve critical performance outcomes,” said Stephen Smith, CEO and Founder of Kitman Labs. “By deploying the platform across every aspect of the club, The Phoenix will have access to a complete, 360 view of each athlete and each team, eliminating data gaps and providing the intelligence necessary to develop and execute their performance strategy across every department.”

“Football clubs are no different than any other complex organization faced with significant amounts of incoming data and information,” said Shaun Gill, Director of Football, Wellington Phoenix FC. “Traditionally that information gets stuck or siloed within specific departments or project teams with limited transparency or context. By adopting the Intelligence Platform across every aspect of the Wellington Phoenix Organization – from our academy to first teams, men’s and women’s – all relevant, pertinent data will not only be centralized, but integrated. Kitman Labs will give us a comprehensive, real-time view of every player at all levels across the club and will provide the analytics necessary to support informed, strategic decision-making – whether that’s related to our development and recruitment objectives or athlete performance and health.”

Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top teams and athletes across a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, rugby, and American football. The company’s technology has been used by some of the world’s most elite sports organizations, including Bayer Leverkusen, Malmö FF, Columbus Crew and MLS Next.

This launch follows other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs have undertaken. That includes the successful close of a $52M Series C funding round led by Guggenheim Investments, a global asset investment and advisory firm with more than $259 billion in assets under management and two strategic acquisitions of The Sports Office and Presagia Sports, both made in the last two years. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (700+) and created the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

SlamBall, ESPN Announce Exclusive Two-Year Broadcast Partnership for the 2023 and 2024 Seasons

SlamBall, the fast-paced, gravity-defying sport that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and trampolines, today announced an exclusive, two-year national broadcast partnership with ESPN for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The partnership begins on Opening Night, as SlamBall relaunches live from Las Vegas on July 21 from 7-9 p.m. EDT. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to air more than 30 hours of live SlamBall programming across five weekends, culminating August 17-19 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game. All games will be played at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, with ticket sales beginning on June 27.

“ESPN’s multi-year commitment to SlamBall is further validation of the enormous appeal and growth potential of our sport,” said SlamBall creator and CEO Mason Gordon. “The level of interest in our hybrid team sport not just in the U.S., but across the world, has been beyond our expectations for the 2023 season. It’s clear that this is the best talent we have had in the sport’s history.”

“Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor,” said SlamBall co-founder Mike Tollin. “Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world.”

“We are excited to partner with SlamBall, a league that combines elements of some of our fans’ favorite sports, resulting in a unique game that is sure to entertain viewers across ESPN’s platforms.” said Ashley O’Connor, Sr. Director, Programming & Acquisitions at ESPN.

The broadcast team, production details, and full broadcast schedule will be announced in the next few weeks. SlamBall has a long-term partnership with global premium experiences company Legends to provide e-commerce and on-site event retail; global, data-driven partnership strategy and execution; and business intelligence with actionable insights to drive revenue across all areas of the league. David Levy at Horizon Sports and Experiences is providing additional sponsorship sales support in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

SlamBall recently closed an $11 million Series A round led by Roger Ehrenberg’s IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital (Owner and Advisory Board Member, Miami Marlins, Betr, Simplebet) with participation from strategic investors across sports, gaming, entertainment, and media. Strategic investors include David Blitzer (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Cleveland Guardians, Crystal Palace), David Adelman (76ers, NJ Devils), Michael Rubin (Fanatics), Gary Vaynerchuk (VaynerX, Major League Pickleball), and Blake Griffin (Boston Celtics power forward and six-time NBA All-Star), as well as Kevin Nagle (Sacramento Kings), Lloyd Danzig (Sharp Alpha), Legends, Brian Lovell (Red Games), Jesse Sharf (Gibson Dunn), Accelerate Sports, and Eric Manlunas (Wavemaker Partners). Accelerate Sports provided investment banking services for the round.

MLS NEXT, Kitman Labs Build New System To Drive Operational Efficiencies, Optimize Player Pathways

MLS NEXT and Kitman Labs, the sports technology and analytics company setting an industry standard for how elite sports organizations use data, today announced a new deal that will provide MLS NEXT with new software to enhance the operation of MLS NEXT and provide coaches and players with improved insights into player performance.

Starting at the beginning of next year’s MLS NEXT season, this program will allow MLS NEXT to consolidate and streamline program-wide operations and build a unified data set about players, staff, coaches and games played at every level for every season. By leveraging the data and technology offerings from Kitman Labs, MLS NEXT will gain insights into areas such as where and how players are playing, how they are progressing through the League and how different teams are performing and who is coaching them, which can drive immediate improvements in the player pathway and experience.

“Kitman Labs is a world-class technology company, and by teaming up with them we are excited for the opportunity to utilize next generation technology to power our entire MLS NEXT operation,” said Justin Bokmeyer, General Manager, MLS NEXT. “The player pathway within the MLS ecosystem is of the utmost importance to us, and there is no better place to introduce this combining of forces than within MLS NEXT. We look forward to working alongside Kitman Labs and sharing their game-changing capabilities and software tools with academy directors throughout the U.S.”

Kitman Labs

Through Kitman Labs’ proprietary Intelligence Platform (iP: Intelligence Platform), which provides high performance organizations with the technology and tools to support data collection, advanced analytics, communication and collaboration across leagues and teams, MLS NEXT will have access to data optimization and visualizations to empower decision-making and to assist in continuous program improvement. Additionally, Kitman Labs will help to streamline all of MLS NEXT’s daily operations, including the improvement of the quality of talent and play at every level while delivering an elevated experience for both staff and players. 

MLS NEXT is the first to launch the new League Operations Solution from Kitman Labs. Core capabilities within the solution include, but are not limited to:

• Player Registration
• Staff and Officials Registration
• Fixture Management
• Digital Match Rosters
• Match Reporting
• Discipline Management and Eligibility Tracking
• Registration Payments
• Waivers and Consents
• Competition Management

“As Leagues become increasingly more complex, the need to consolidate and streamline operations and logistics into a single platform, enabling collaboration, elevating the player and staff experience and providing the infrastructure to scale is paramount to future success,” said Stephen Smith, Kitman Labs Founder & CEO.  “MLS Next is setting a new standard across the board while simultaneously enhancing and prioritizing player pathways to elevate the overall level of play throughout the League.”  

This announcement arrives during a period of tremendous momentum behind the sport of soccer in North America, as MLS’ 28th season is underway, the highly anticipated 2023 Leagues Cup will take place from July 21 to August 19 and as the 2026 World Cup hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico approaches.

‘The League’ Negro Leagues World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Monday

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI), executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Oscar-winning SUMMER OF SOUL), Tariq Trotter (DESCENDANT), and produced by RadicalMedia, THE LEAGUE celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil – whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era – as well as celebrated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started out in the Negro Leagues.

The feature-length documentary debuts at the Tribeca Festival in New York on Monday and opens in theaters July 7 and on digital July 14.

From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, THE LEAGUE explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.

“My vision was simple,” said Pollard. “Find voices of those who played the game, surround them with historians and fans of the Negro Leagues, use as much archival footage and stills I could find and, to add drama, shoot period recreations and create animation that would add another level of cinematic texture to the film. Fortunately, I was able to find the voices of former Negro League players because Byron Motley (whose dad, Bob Motley, had been a Negro League Umpire) had interviewed and recorded many former players years ago.”

Producers are Robin Espinola, Dave Sirulnick, Jen Isaacson and Byron Motley.

Man City’s Haaland, Fulham’s Ream Claim Inaugural Men in Blazers ‘American Football Awards’

Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Tim Ream of Fulham were named the inaugural “American Player of the Year” and “American American Player of the Year” in the Premier League, as voted on by U.S.-based fans via the Men in Blazers Media Network’s Raven Newsletter and announced on MiB’s Season 9 finale today on NBC and Peacock.

MiB host and co-founder Roger Bennett and popular commentators Robbie Earle and Rebecca Lowe announced the winners, who appeared by video accepting their awards and accompanying prize belt.

“I want to thank everyone for voting me as American Player of the Year,” said Haaland on the program. “It’s a real honor for me and I have to keep going. Thank you for this award.”

Haaland was selected over other finalists Marcus Rashford of Manchester United, Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur.

“I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who voted me your American American Player of the Year in the Premier League,” added Ream. “It’s a huge honor to win the award amongst the names that were in the running. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and winning it again.”

Ream’s fellow American American of the Year finalists were his Fulham teammate Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams of Leeds United and Matt Turner of Arsenal.

“Football awards are an expression of the culmination of a season’s journey. That journey is different depending on your perspective — the place and reality of where you watch,” said Bennett. “MiB Network has been a manifestation of the surging growth in football fandom across the United States over the last decade — the sense of shared discovery, passion, and connectivity. These awards to Haaland and Ream are a reflection of that — the unique perspective of American football fans who have fallen head over heels in love with this game. Fans who have gone from not caring about football, to becoming football-curious, to getting a Tottenham Hotspur tattoo on their forearm and not quite believing how fast it has all happened.”

The Men in Blazers Media Network is the largest and most successful independent soccer-focused media company in North America. The “American Football Awards” show followed Sunday’s Premier League Finals.

The finalists and winners were selected by thousands of fans across the nation. MiB will also debut the women’s “American Football Awards” this fall after the World Cup and conclusion of the NWSL season, with a unified, platform coming in 2024.

Men in Blazers Launches First-Ever ‘American Football Awards’

The Men in Blazers Media Network, the largest and most successful independent soccer-focused media company in North America, today announced another expansion of their platform, “The American Football Awards.” This new award will honor the Premier League footballer deemed to have had the best season in 2022-23 as voted on by the surging audience of American fans. The accompanying “American American Player of the Year” is handed out to the best American player in English Football. The first awards show will be seen on NBC this coming Sunday following the Premier League Finals and will be hosted by Robbie Earle, Rebecca Lowe, and Men In Blazers’ Roger Bennett. The winners will be announced and both will give their acceptance speeches on the show, directly addressing the American Premier League audience.

“For decades, the United States has seemed like the Final Frontier for Football, like Space was for Captain Kirk,” said Men in Blazers Co-Founder Roger Bennett. “Over the last decade, that has changed. The sport is surging. The audience is passionate and knowledgeable, and this award is both a reflection of their surging interest, and how seriously the Premier League teams and players take our fanbase. It is our hope this award will become the Ballon D’or for a U.S. audience, and are thrilled to partner with NBC Sports who have been such a driver of the growth of football in this nation as we continue to champion the growth of the sport in the U.S. on every level to the biggest audience possible.”

The finalists and winners were selected by thousands of fans across the nation. MiB will also debut the women’s “American Football Awards” this fall after the World Cup and conclusion of the NWSL season, with a unified, platform coming in 2024.

The “American Football Awards” continues Men in Blazers expansion as a leading pop culture, sports and entertainment platform. In March, MIB significantly added to its content lineup with talent and shows that now include: “Here We Go” with Fabrizio Romano, “The Road to the Cup” with Becky Sauerbrunn, “VAMOS” with Herculez Gomez, and “Men in Blazers Live and Dangerous” with Sam Mewis on Twitch leading the Women’s World Cup 2026 programming, in addition to the widely followed and successful original MiB content.

What started as a weekly TV Show (now in its 9th Season with NBC Sports) and Podcast has become a 24/7 flourishing multi-voiced, digital integrated media network serving every aspect of global football – both men’s and women’s – with a full slate of programming and talent across a variety of channels including a co-production partnership with Twitch.

All of this comes ahead of what will be an even bigger window of exposure for football interest and growth in the U.S., with the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the 2024 Copa America and the 2026 World Cup also held in North America and the continued interest in both the business and consumer engagement with MLS, the NWSL, US Soccer, and other emerging properties. Men in Blazers partnered with Twitch prior to the 2022 Men’s World Cup, executing a strategy that fused “sidecasting” games live with celebrity guests by day, live “theater shows” by night, all streamed LIVE on Twitch, combined with a daily cascade of podcasts. The format nominated for Sports Emmy, had a total of 6M unique viewers across the 44+ hours of live streams throughout the tournament.

The content was amplified, cross-platform on social to create a 24/7 narrative accompaniment and drove unprecedented numbers for Men in Blazers and partners — reaching #4 across all Sports podcasts in the USA throughout the time-period.

Tanzania Tourism Board Announces New Relationships with International Tennis Hall of Fame, USTA, ITF

The Tanzania Tourism Board announced new relationships with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the USTA and the ITF, all designed to raise awareness, opportunity and good will tied to the expedition John and Patrick McEnroe will be making to Tanzania in December. The new and expanded relationships will broaden the scope and opportunity around the trip and will be able to put this global opportunity to expand the game of tennis top of mind with many of the key enthusiasts for the game of tennis on every level.

“This partnership is key to having us reach communities through sport across North America, and in aligning John and Patrick McEnroe with some of our other partners in places like the NFL and MLS, it shows how seriously we take this commitment,” said Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources Hassan Abbas. “Of all our new relationships, this one we believe can have the greatest impact, both on people coming to experience our country and in those young people who will benefit from learning and growing the game of tennis in Africa.”

“The possibilities of what we can do with these partnerships as a way to reach and engage not just fans of tennis, but of those who have interest in social responsibility both across the United States and in Tanzania is pretty endless,” said Patrick McEnroe, the newly appointed President of The International Tennis Hall of Fame. “It is the rare opportunity to impact lives but here and in Africa and we are looking forward to moving this project along into the summer and fall, especially with those who will be coming with us.”

The partnerships include a number of opportunities for members to engage and participate with the experiences well in advance of the trip as well as learn more about how the trip and all its components will build and execute good will and growth of the sport. The programs will include digital and social media contact, select in person events and charitable connections across the board.

John and Patrick McEnroe will be travelling to Tanzania this December as part of a new goodwill, awareness and sport initiative. In cooperation and support of the Tanzanian government. The Brothers McEnroe will be accompanied by as many as 120 tennis aficionados during a special eight-day trip which will include the first ever professional tennis match in the Serengeti and other tennis related events.

Guests will also join John and Patrick when they visit a traditional Maasai Village to bring goodwill and cultural exchange and introduce the Maasai youth to the game of tennis as part of a special court dedication.

Travelers will enjoy African hospitality while staying at the Four Seasons Serengeti, Gran Melia and other luxury lodges. This bucket list tour package includes all gourmet meals on an all-inclusive basis, domestic air, almost daily Safari game drives in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, a welcome reception hosted by the President of Tanzania, tennis-themed activities and memories to last a lifetime.
Tennis fans will not want to miss this historic moment in tennis history. This is a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to one of the most majestic landscapes on the planet with tennis legends.

To learn more or join the tour, please visit: https://epictanzaniatour.com/

National Lacrosse League Announces Finalists for 2022-23 NLL Awards

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced the finalists for its annual season-end awards honoring the best players, coaches, and executives for the 2022-23 NLL season.

Reigning NLL Most Valuable Player, Buffalo Bandits forward Dhane Smith, looks to repeat against last year’s NLL Rookie of the Year, New York Riptide’s Jeff Teat, and Calgary Roughnecks’ standout goaltender, Christian Del Bianco.

All 11 award categories are based on 2022-23 regular season stats and performances, with voting taking place prior to the start of the 2023 NLL Playoffs. Voters ranked their choices from 1st through 5th place with those votes correlating with a point total (noted below). The top three vote getters for each award are listed as the finalists.

The winners will be announced next week leading into Game 1 of the NLL Finals.

Most Valuable Player
• Christian Del Bianco (Coquitlam, BC) – Goaltender – Calgary Roughnecks
• Dhane Smith (Kitchener, ON) – Forward – Buffalo Bandits
• Jeff Teat (Brampton, ON) – Forward – New York Riptide

Rookie of the Year
• Brett Dobson (Oshawa, ON) – Goaltender – Georgia Swarm
• Jonathan Donville (Oakville, ON) – Forward – Panther City Lacrosse Club
• Jack Hannah (Milford, OH) – Forward – Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Goaltender of the Year
• Christian Del Bianco (Coquitlam, BC) – Calgary Roughnecks
• Nick Rose (Orangeville, ON) – Toronto Rock
• Matt Vinc (St. Catharines, ON) – Buffalo Bandits

Transition Player of the Year
• Reid Bowering (Coquitlam, BC) – Vancouver Warriors
• Zach Currier (Peterborough, ON) – Calgary Roughnecks
• Challen Rogers (Coquitlam, BC) – Toronto Rock

Defensive Player of the Year
• Latrell Harris (St. Catharines, ON) – Toronto Rock
• Graeme Hossack (Port Perry, ON) – Halifax Thunderbirds
• Brad Kri (Acton, ON) – Toronto Rock

Sportsmanship Award
• Kyle Buchanan (Nepean, ON) – Buffalo Bandits
• Tom Schreiber (East Meadow, NY) – Toronto Rock
• Lyle Thompson (Onondaga Nation, NY) – Georgia Swarm

Teammate of the Year
• Kyle Buchanan (Nepean, ON) – Buffalo Bandits
• Dan Dawson (Oakville, ON) – Toronto Rock
• John LaFontaine (Whitby, ON) – Albany FireWolves

Les Bartley Award (Head Coach of the Year)
• Mike Hasen – Rochester Knighthawks
• Tracey Kelusky – Panther City Lacrosse Club
• Curt Malawsky – Calgary Roughnecks

General Manager of the Year
• Mike Board – Calgary Roughnecks
• Dan Carey – Rochester Knighthawks
• Jamie Dawick – Toronto Rock

Executive of the Year
• Melissa Blades – Director of Business Operations, Calgary Roughnecks
• Mark Fine – Chief Executive Officer, Las Vegas Desert Dogs
• Matt Hutchings – Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, KSE, Governor, Colorado Mammoth 

Tom Borrelli Award (Media Person of the Year)
• Pat Gregoire – TSN/Halifax Thunderbirds color commentator and co-host, “Off the CrosseBar” Podcast
• Teddy Jenner – TSN play-by-play and co-host, “Off the CrosseBar” Podcast
• Adam Levi – Inside Lacrosse, NLLPA, and NLL.com contributing writer and host, “Lacrosse Matrix” Podcast

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.

Once nominations were finalized, each NLL team casted three ballots for each award by three members of its organization. Select media were eligible to vote for all awards except Teammate of the Year and Executive of the Year with the same voting system.

Each ballot allowed voting members to select 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 are the finalists. The All-League and All-Rookie teams are determined by the top vote getters in each correlating award. The All-Rookie team will be made up of six rookies, regardless of position. The All-League First Team and All-League Second Team will be made up of six individuals per team. Each Team will consist of two forwards, one transition player, two defenseman, and one goaltender.

For the latest scores and developments in the National Lacrosse League, please visit NLL.com and find the NLL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Kitman Labs announces Performance Intelligence Deal with Danish Superliga Club, FC Midtjylland

Kitman Labs, the global enterprise SaaS company providing the only single, centralized operating platform for performance intelligence in the elite performance industry, today announced a new deal with Danish Superliga club, FC Midtjylland. This deal makes FC Midtjylland the fifth club in the League to subscribe to Kitman’s proprietary, multi-solution advanced operating system, iP: Intelligence Platform. Other clubs adopting the platform include: Aalborg Boldspilklub, Aarhus Gymnastikforening, FC Nordsjaelland and Viborg FF. All five clubs have now been onboarded, the technology has been deployed and will be in use throughout the 2024 season.

In all instances, the clubs have adopted the full suite of Solutions including: Performance Medicine, Performance Optimization and Talent Development. The platform combines medical, performance and talent development data into a single, interactive system that yields actionable intelligence to support specific performance outcomes while providing a complete, comprehensive view of each individual player within the team.

“We are pleased to continue to work with progressive and insightful football clubs the world over. These five clubs – representing close to half of the Danish SuperLiga – show how we can customize each program to support the bespoke needs and objectives of each organization within the League,” Kitman Labs CEO Stephen Smith said. “ Whether it’s ensuring a heightened level of regulatory compliance related to personal and medical data or systemizing the most effective talent development pipeline, our technology – combined with the Team’s expertise – has been designed to address the most critical operational needs and objectives of teams and leagues within global sport.”

The Intelligence Platform allows us to gather all of the Club’s data and make it easily accessible to all relevant departments. This applies to everything from training planning to talent development and treatments in the physical sector,” said Sven Graverson, Sporting Director, FC Midtjylland . “With Kitman Labs, the data is available in real time and ensures that there is a common thread from Guldminen to the first team with better insight into the individual player, efficiency of the work process and integration of data into the decision-making process.”

Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top Leagues and teams across a variety of sports at the professional and collegiate level including, soccer, American football, basketball, and rugby. The company’s technology has been used by some of the world’s most elite sports organizations, such as Bayer Leverkusen, Malmö FF, and Columbus Crew.

This new business launch follows other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs has undertaken. That includes the successful close of a $52M Series C funding round led by Guggenheim Investments, a global asset investment and advisory firm with more than $259 billion* in assets under management and two strategic acquisitions of The Sports Office and Presagia Sports, both made in the last two years. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (700+) and created the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

National Lacrosse League Playoffs Begin Friday, May 5; Schedule Features Two Games on TSN and ESPNU

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL) closed out its record-setting 2022-23 regular season in dramatic fashion yesterday, as the Halifax Thunderbirds defeated the Georgia Swarm, 17-11, to claim the final spot in the 2023 NLL Playoffs.

The Buffalo Bandits (14-4) and San Diego Seals (14-4) repeated as the East and West Conference regular season champions, respectively, and will have home floor advantage in next week’s single-elimination NLL Quarterfinals game. The Bandits earned the #1 overall seed by virtue of its win over Albany.

Each conference’s second seeds – the Toronto Rock (13-5, East) and Calgary Roughnecks (13-5, West) – will also host games next weekend.

This season’s playoff field features six teams from last year’s postseason, including the defending champion Colorado Mammoth (9-9). New this year are the Rochester Knighthawks (10-8) and Panther City Lacrosse Club (10-8).

TSN will carry two games: Toronto’s home tilt versus Halifax on Friday, May 5, at 7:30pm ET, and the Panther City-Calgary matchup on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30pm ET. ESPNU will also carry the Saturday playoff doubleheader starting with Buffalo hosting Rochester followed by the game at Calgary.

Here is the complete single-elimination NLL Quarterfinals broadcast schedule:
• Friday, May 5
– Halifax (E3) vs. Toronto (E2) at 7:30pm ET, TSN, TSN+, ESPN+
– Colorado (W4) vs. San Diego (W1) at 10pm ET, ESPN+, TSN+
• Saturday, May 6
– Rochester (E4) vs. Buffalo (E1) at 7pm ET, ESPNU, ESPN+, TSN+
– Panther City (W3) vs. Calgary (W2) at 9:30pm ET, TSN, TSN+, ESPNU, ESPN+

Next week’s winners advance to their respective best-of-three Conference Finals, with Games 1 and 2 scheduled for May 12-15, and any necessary Game 3 played between May 19-22. Conference champions will face off in the best-of-three NLL Finals starting the final weekend of May.

Exact dates and broadcast schedules for TSN and ESPN for the Conference Finals and NLL Finals rounds will be announced after the pairings and dates are set. To view the 2023 NLL Playoffs bracket, visit https://www.nll.com/standings/.