🤖 MLB to Test Robot Umpires

Canada wins 4 Nations Tourney, NFL broadcast rights, Large Yankee policy change, and more!

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Sportie Newsletter
February 23, 2025

⚾️ Baseball

Automated Umpire system will be tested at Spring Training

A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues.

MLB is testing the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system during spring training games, with the goal of aiding, not replacing, umpires by 2026.

Teams can challenge up to two calls per game. The system uses cameras to track pitches and determine if they fall within the strike zone.

This technology is being tested at 13 spring training stadiums, and feedback will help refine the system for future use.

Yankees change facial hair policy for first time

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced Friday that the team has amended its facial hair policy to allow “well-groomed beards.”

It’s a decision that walks back a longstanding mandate Steinbrenner’s father, George Steinbrenner, who bought the team in 1973. He owned the franchise until his death in 2010.

“It is a part of who these younger men are. It’s a part of their character. It’s a part of their persona. Do I totally relate to that? It’s difficult for me. I’m an older guy who’s never had a beard in his life. But it’s a very important thing to them.“

🏒 Hockey

Team Canada wins 4 Nations

Canada defeated USA Thursday to win the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, capping what had become a heated and politically charged event.

An overtime goal from Connor McDavid sealed the 3-2 win for Canada at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, where ticket prices soared in the days ahead of the hotly anticipated finale.

The result was the culmination of a midseason tournament that featured stars from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. Recognized as one of the biggest international hockey games in years.

NHL will hold its first decentralized draft

The 2025 NHL draft will take place June 27 and 28 at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre, the league announced Saturday, and Bettman — the NHL’s commissioner since 1993 — will be center stage as he is set to announce each first-round pick for the first time.

The draft will be the first for hockey to use the decentralized model that has been standard for the NFL and NBA for decades, with team staffs participating virtually from their home cities.

Bettman and top prospects will still be in attendance for the event, with Bettman’s role expanding beyond that of master of ceremonies for the first round. Teams had traditionally announced their own selections, but that role will now pass to Bettman.

🏀 Basketball

Gregg Popovich not expected to return this season

Gregg Popovich is not expected to return to the San Antonio Spurs' bench this season. In addition, Popovich's future with the team is uncertain after he suffered a stroke in November.

Popovich has been the Spurs' head coach since taking over in 1996. Popovich has led San Antonio to five championships and 22 playoff appearances in 29 seasons. Popovich turned 76 in January. 

🏈 Football

Starting in 2025, no NFL games will be exclusively broadcast on traditional TV

The pivot to the streaming of NFL games includes ensuring that all NFL games will stream.

As explained by Tyler Aquilina of Variety.com, via Sports Business Daily, no NFL game will be exclusively available on streaming in 2025. Which means all games will be available through streaming.

And it means, per the report, that viewers within a given locale who are able to watch games that are otherwise available on “free TV” will be able to stream games without paying for a streaming service.

Ravens remain silent regarding Justin Tucker

The NFL is doing what it needs to do, reportedly interviewing three women who accuse Ravens kicker Justin Tucker of inappropriate conduct during massage-therapy sessions and planning to interview more. The Ravens, in turn, are doing — and saying — nothing.

ESPN confirmed on Friday that the league is talking to the accusers, adding this from the league office: “We do not provide details or updates of the review process while investigations are ongoing.”