📰🏟️ Calling foul
Plus: Why sports ratings are about to rise…
Good afternoon. The top sports stories of the day are at your fingertips. Just keep scrolling.
—Kyle
1) Orioles bash MLB tech after key HR ruled foul
The Orioles are calling foul on MLB’s replay tech, after a would-be go-ahead homer from 1B Pete Alonso was ruled foul in last night’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees.
- 3rd-base umpire Will Little initially ruled Alonso’s towering 7th-inning blast in a 3-3 game—which went high over the pole in left—was foul, and replay officials let the call stand.
- But after the game, Orioles players said Statcast ball-tracking data available on their dugout iPads showed the ball was fair.
- Alonso suggested MLB install cameras or lasers in foul poles, similar to the NFL’s pylon cams.
See Alonso’s “foul” HR for yourself
2) Rising NBA star Peyton Watson dealt in 5-team trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly acquired Nuggets wing Peyton Watson as the centerpiece of a 5-team sign-and-trade deal, ending a weeks-long stalemate over his future in Denver.
- Other highlights of the complex trade include Cleveland sending Max Strus to the Clippers, and Denver receiving the Cavs’ 2031 1st-rounder (unprotected).
- The Wizards and Hornets also folded in their prior Tre Mann-for-Dennis Schröder swap for cap flexibility.
- Watson, 23, who’s coming off a breakout season of 14.6 PTS/gm and 4.9 REB/gm, also signed a 4-yr, $88M deal with Cleveland as part of the trade.
Watson joins the cavalry in Cleveland
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3) Bucs DT Vita Vea signs 1-yr deal ending hold-in
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to a 1-yr extension with DT Vita Vea that adds $6M to his $18M salary this coming season, plus an additional $24M next year.
- Vea, a 2x Pro Bowler, had previously requested a trade last month due to having no guaranteed money remaining on his prior deal.
- In other NFL news: Texans WR Jayden Higgins reportedly suffered a torn ACL, ending the 2025 2nd-round pick’s season, while two preseason games are tonight: Raiders-Texans (7 pm CT), and 49ers-Chargers (9 pm CT).
4) New Nielsen change could further juice TV audiences
Starting Aug. 31, Nielsen will officially change how it measures co-viewing, aka multiple people watching TV together, which could boost already-massive sports audiences.
- A pilot earlier this year increased reported viewership for major events like the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, and Daytona 500 by 4%+ on average.
- Under the new system, Super Bowl LX in February would’ve set a new US TV audience record.
- It follows on the heels of other major changes at Nielsen, which have boosted reported sports audiences by 10%-15% since mid-2025 and driven a wave of new viewership records.
Why sports ratings are about to rise
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