Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 1hThe MLB's postseason is so short relative to the regular season compared to other sports leagues Cutting the regular season to 154 games and making the Division Series 7 games would only make a slight difference 042
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 6hThe Tampa Bay Rays have constructed a roster focused on making contact and putting the ball in play It's gotten them to the ALCS 011
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 7hTrying to capture some of the uniqueness of the 2026 Milwaukee Brewers in one chart 031
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 07/10/2026NFL home field advantage is not what it used to be The traditional understanding that playing at home is worth 3 points in football is a thing of the distant past. Modern oddsmakers now value home field advantage at closer to 1.5 points on average 011
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026China was once Nike’s secret commercial engine and an area where investors expected the Swoosh to keep outpacing its rivals Things have flipped. Many on Wall Street now refer to this simply as “Nike’s China Problem" Read more: wp.me/pc2RuA-1lzHZ8 030
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026The history of NBA MVP first place voting since 2000 0120
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Daniil Medvedev will forfeit his $220,000 in prize money at the China Open for hitting a fan with a ball He will also lose 200 ranking points. If he fails to quality for the ATP Finals because of this, he will miss out on a lot more money... Read more: wp.me/pc2RuA-1lzI1Awp.meMedvedev to Lose $220K, and Maybe Much More, for China Open SwatDaniil Medvedev was defaulted from the China Open for hitting a fan with a ball. He will lose $220,000 in prize money, and maybe more down the road. 000
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026In 2023, zero WNBA teams averaged at least 10,000 fans per game In 2026, 10 out of 15 teams were above 10,000 0132
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Arike Ogunbowale just broke the record for most points in a WNBA playoff game with 45 0223
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Points Per Drive of every NFL team since 2004 ⬇️ What jumps out? 221
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026My friend @justinxzhao.bsky.social made this very cool app inspired by one of my tennis data visualizations 🎾📈 You can see the points from victory for both players at every point of any 2026 US Open match! 🔗: www.justinxzhao.com/demos/points... 130
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026The average WNBA game drew 11,474 fans in 2026 That's up 76% from the pre-COVID average 0174
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026No NHL player making more than $10 million against the salary cap has ever won the Stanley Cup Is history on your team's side or not? 000
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Incredible stat: No NHL player making more than $10 million against the salary cap has ever won the Stanley Cup 🚫🏆 In 2026-27, 18 out of 32 teams are paying a player more than $10 million... will the NHL's $10+M ice ceiling finally shatter? Read more: www.sportico.com?p=1234945986 111
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Every year, sports teams are being valued at higher multiples of revenue than before The NHL is no exception, with the average value up to $2.43 billion (9.4x revenue) 132
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026.@sportico.bsky.social's NHL valuations dropped today 🚨 The value of the bottom-ranked NHL 🏒 team (Blue Jackets at $1.5M) is now higher than the bottom-ranked MLB ⚾️ team (Marlins at $1.45M) That would have been unthinkable five years ago 🤯 030
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Only 1 of the past 30 teams that lost the Super Bowl reached the Super Bowl again the next year 13 of those 30 missed the playoffs entirely Are the New England Patriots the latest team to fall victim to the Super Bowl hangover? 052
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 28/09/20268 of the top 10 highest-spending MLB teams made the playoffs 💰💰 3 of the top 5 bottom-spending teams made the playoffs 🚫💵 051
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 25/09/202625 of the 32 NFL head coaches share a name with another coach 🤯 club.sportico.com/p/nfl-coach-...club.sportico.comThe NFL’s Todd Robert Bowl Was Just the BeginningLast week, two men named Todd Robert coached against each other in an NFL game. This week, Sean Patricks will do the same. More “bowl” games are on the horizon. 010
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Last week, two NFL head coaches named Todd Robert faced off That same day, we had Mike Vrabel vs. Mike McCarthy and Mike Macdonald vs. Mike LaFluer This week, Sean Patrick McVay will coach against Patrick Sean Payton This is bonkers 161
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Highest-paid NFL players dropped today at @sportico.bsky.social Patrick Mahomes leads with $88.8 million, including a whopping $32 million off the field Story from @justbirny.bsky.social and @kbadenhausen.bsky.social: wp.me/pc2RuA-1lzHI0 020
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 22/09/2026The growth of NFL franchise valuations during the 2020s ⬇️ 030
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 17/09/2026It was a high scoring Week 1 in the NFL, but that doesn't mean that it was a triumph of offense over defense Points per play was high due to good field position off big kickoff returns and turnovers Offensive EPA per play, however, was quite mediocre Data from @sumersports.bsky.social 031
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Top 40 highest salaries in the NFL, per @spotrac.com ⬇️ Quarterbacks, wide receivers and edge rushers account for 35 of the top 40 021
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Andy Reid, John Harbaugh and Sean Payton each make $20 million a year, per @sportico.bsky.social There are 10 NFL coaches making at least $14 million in average annual salary 242
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Most Premier League jersey sponsors in the 1990s were technology 💻 or food & beverage 🍕🍺 companies By the 2020s, they were mostly gambling 🎲 or finance 💵 companies Starting with the 2026–27 season, the EPL has banned gambling companies from the front of matchday shirts 0103
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Incredible stat: In the history of the ATP rankings, no man has won multiple Grand Slams in a season without recording at least EIGHT top 10 wins during that year Alexander Zverev currently has TWO top 10 wins in 2026 0101
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 14/09/202688 of the past 89 men's singles tennis Grand Slams have been won by Europeans 🎾🇪🇺🏆 Who will be the next non-European man to win a Grand Slam? 0102
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026No matter what happens in Tiafoe vs. Shelton tonight, American men's tennis is in a good place 🇺🇸 111
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026We don't talk enough about the death of touch football 170
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Last night's Australia game was the NFL's first regular season game in the country There was one preseason game in Sydney in 1999 051
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 09/09/2026At 7-5, 6-3, 5-3... Michelsen was 4 points away from winning the match and Tiafoe was a minimum 64 points away Tiafoe won the match There is no sport like tennis 0122
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Here's the story of the Shelton vs. Alcaraz match told via how many points each player was away from winning the match at any moment Should I make this for Tiafoe vs. Michelsen? 1121
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 08/09/2026A look at who gets assigned which stadium courts at the US Open ⬇️ Djokovic, Nadal, Serena, and Alcaraz are Ashe-only Taylor Fritz has played way more Armstrong matches than Ashe matches Grandstand is Andrey Rublev's house (he's 8-0 there!) 030
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 08/09/2026At the US Open 🎾, be a Karen (not that kind) Karen Khachanov is one of the biggest Grand Slam risers of this generation, along with Ben Shelton and Stan Wawrinka 010
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Alex Eala is already an amazing player at age 21, but she might need to speed up her serve... 020
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 04/09/2026With his pending purchase of the Los Angeles Angels, Stan Kroenke's sports teams play on 311 out of 365 days this year The sun never sets on the Kroenke sports empire 0123
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 04/09/2026WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert will retire after this season Franchise valuations have soared during her tenure... In 2021, Mark Davis bought the Las Vegas Aces for ~$2-3 million. The average team is now worth $427 million, per @sportico.bsky.social 332
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Daniel Altmaier 🇩🇪, Terence Atmane 🇫🇷, Aleksandar Kovacevic 🇺🇸, Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard 🇫🇷, Tallon Griekspoor 🇳🇱, and Aleksandar Vukic 🇦🇺 lost in the first round of all four Grand Slams this year They each made $450,000 from those 4 losses 020
Reposted by Lev AkabasMichael McCann @mccannsportslaw.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Wow. The NBA punishing the Clippers over Kawhi Leonard and salary cap circumvention has so much to unpack, both basketball-wise and legally. I have a new @sportico.bsky.social column up with the great hoops mind @levakabas.bsky.social on what this all means whether the Clippers can fight it:sportico.comNBA Docks Clippers’ Draft Picks, Suspends Ballmer in Cap CaperThe NBA severely punishes the Clippers by stripping team of 5 draft picks and other penalties as NBA finds cap circumvention in Kawhi deal. 2145
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 02/09/202638-year-old Adrian Mannarino 🇫🇷 has played 28 tournaments this year, more than any man or woman at the US Open He was totally unaware that he holds this superlative “I’ve never paid attention... You know, if there’s a tournament one week, I’m going. Why not?” Legend wp.me/pc2RuA-1lzHilwp.meThe US Open’s Hardest-Working Player Is 38 Years OldFrenchman Adrian Mannarino, who is 38 years old, has played in 28 tournaments this year. His attitude is simple—if there's an event, he plays it. 173
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Stan Kroenke has reached an agreement to buy a control interest in MLB‘s Los Angeles Angels He already owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, NBA’s Denver Nuggets, NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Premier League’s Arsenal and MLS’ Colorado Rapids, worth a combined $25.2 billion! 3105
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Alex Eala mania continues tonight at the US Open When it was announced that she would play tonight in Louis Armstrong Stadium, ticket prices went from $180 to over $450, per TicketData 040
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 25/08/2026The US Open sold $17 million of Honey Deuce cocktails in 2025 How many will they sell this year? 020
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Generally, the share of U.S Open prize money that funnels to the best players has declined since the 2010s In 2016, the men’s and women’s singles winners received 18.3% of all payouts that went to singles players... that number is down to 12.9% in 2026 020
Lev Akabas @levakabas.bsky.social · 20/08/2026The U.S. Open's purse will increase 20% to $108 million in 2026 Early round losers got the biggest bumps, with Round of 128 loser payout up 27% and the winner's prize up only 10% 230
