MLB All-Star Edition ⚾ 🌭

The 2021 MLB All-Star game, a celebration of the best pinch hitters and crowd-pleasers, ended Tuesday with a 5-2 win for the American League All-Star Team. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 game was canceled for only the second time since 1933 – the first was due to WWII. This year's return was a welcome event for baseball fans and the MLB organization, which generates $45MM from the game in advertising revenue alone.

“America’s pastime” gets political

This year’s game wasn’t all hot dogs & crowd renditions of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” as the decision to relocate the game from Atlanta to Denver was based on a highly contentious political issue: voting rights laws in Georgia. The MLB ultimately decided to move the game after Georgia lawmakers enacted voting laws alleged to predominantly affect voter turnout from the Black community, a reaction many attributed to the Republican upset experienced in the 2020 Presidential election, when Georgia went blue for the first time since 1992.

We’ll see how America’s two pastimes -- baseball and politics -- mesh in the future. For now, let’s take a look at the business of baseball and its major league teams.

Bases are loaded 💰💰💰

On first base: Boston Red Sox 🥊
Notorious for having the craziest fans of all baseball teams, who “park the car on Harvard yard” (I couldn’t help myself), the Boston Red Sox takes the 4th spot with a valuation of $3.47BN.

On second: Los Angeles Dodgers ⚾
These former Brooklynites boast a payroll of $200MM and have been owned in part by basketball legend Magic Johnson since its 2012 sale for $2.2BN. The value now comes in in 3rd place at $3.57BN.

On third base: Chicago Cubs 🐻
With a devoted fan base of “lovable losers” showing up to Wrigley Field to see them play, despite having a curse on their heads since the 1945 world series, that loyalty earns them the 2nd spot in valuation at $3.63BN.

Home run: New York Yankees 🎩
Boasting baseball legends Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle among their alums, this team has true star power. The team slides into first with a mega-valuation of 5.25BN big ones.