MLB will not show on-screen pitch tracker

MLB will not show on-screen pitch tracker

February 17, 2026

MLB announces that they will no longer show if a pitch is a ball or strike during game broadcasts with ABS taking over
Major League Baseball announced that game broadcasts will no longer display whether a pitch is ruled a ball or a strike. The league is transitioning from home plate umpires calling pitches to a league-wide ABS system designed to standardize the strike zone. Televised and streamed broadcasts will no longer include the familiar on-screen pitch tracker that indicates whether a pitch crossed the strike zone. Fans will still see the pitch velocity and type.
^{Yahoo Sports}

Japan’s surge on the Olympic halfpipe leaves the US with some catching up to do
Industry experts say there are half a dozen or fewer halfpipes spread across American resorts. Japan has made investments in dry-slope training grounds and expensive airbags. Fewer halfpipes means a shrinking pipeline for up-and-coming US snowboarders. Rick Bower, who was elevated to director of the USSA snowboard program, detailed initiatives to support snowboards that are starting to even things out, including an endowment potentially worth more than $65 million. The goal is to have the U.S. dominate the halfpipe in the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics.
^MSN

Sam Kennedy says ‘hurtful’ narrative on Red Sox can be disproven if you ‘do the math’ on payroll
Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy attended the 25th annual all-hands meeting on the first day of full squad workouts in spring training. He said the Red Sox want to be aggressive this winter and flex some financial might. The team currently has about $267 million in payroll commitments. There is a chance the number comes down should the club trade a well-compensated player like Masataka Yoshida, Patrick Sandoval or Jarren Duran.
^{Mass Live}

NBC Olympics viewership again benefitting from combined windows
The combination of live afternoon and primetime windows has boosted NBC’s audience for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games. The primetime coverage of the Olympics is averaging 26.5 million viewers across all of its platforms. This is nearly doubling Beijing viewership from four years ago.
^{Sports Media Watch}

Pau Gasol confirms his involvement in the new NBA Europe league
Pau Gasol is working with the NBA and FIBA to see what the evolution of basketball growth in Europe should be. He will either have a role at the league level or with a team. Gasol has a profound connection with FC Barcelona. That club recently chose to remain with Euroleague Basketball over the NBA’s expansion efforts.
^EuroHoops

Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Wins Daytona 500 for First Time
Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team won the Daytona 500. Tyler Reddick was in fourth place on the final lap before taking the lead at the very end amid multiple crashes. He never led other than on the final lap. This marks the first Daytona 500 win for Jordan’s 23XI Racing. The team was formed in 2020.
^{Front Office Sports}

NBPA elects David Kelly as union’s next executive director
The National Basketball Players Association has elected David Kelly as its next executive director. Kelly joined the NBPA as managing director and general counsel in February 2025. He will succeed Andre Iguodala, who is stepping down as executive director at the end of his term in July.
^{NY Times}

Sacramento State football to join FBS conference, reportedly paying $20M+ in fees
Sacramento State’s football program will move up to the FBS level of play this upcoming season. The program will pay upward of $20 million in entrance fees to do so. The Mid-American Conference will add Sac State as a football-only school. The expected entrance fee to the MAC is around $18 million, on top of a $5 million fee to the NCAA frorm the Football Conference Subdivision of Division I football to the higher-level Football Bowl Subdivision.
^{The Bee}

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