Curated by RLO
The Best of BTBS

New here? Start with these. The pieces that best represent what Beyond the Box Score is trying to do.

Essential Reading
03
NFL

The NFL Doesn't Have the Best Product. It Has the Best Scarcity.

One day a week. Sixteen home games. The entire country watching at the same time. The most successful business model in American sports is not about football. It's about what you don't get.

June 1, 2026 · 7 min read
04
College Football

The CFP Expansion Was Never About the Players. Follow the TV Money.

The 12-team playoff sounds like fairness. It is a $7.8 billion media rights negotiation that happened to involve college football games. The players are not part of this conversation.

June 1, 2026 · 8 min read
05
Minor League Baseball

MLB Cut 40 Minor League Teams in 2021. The Towns That Lost Them Are Still Angry.

For a lot of small American cities the local minor league team was the only professional sports they had. MLB ran a spreadsheet and those towns did not get a vote.

May 22, 2026 · 8 min read
06
Pickleball

Five Years Ago Pickleball Was a Retirement Hobby. Now It Has a Valuation.

The most surprising sports business story of the decade. How a backyard game became a private equity target and what it tells us about how new leagues actually get built.

May 22, 2026 · 8 min read