SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As revenue sharing with college athletes becomes a growing possibility, some bowl leaders are already hoping for a collective bargaining agreement with the players that would help significantly lower the number of postseason opt-outs.
Nick Carparelli, executive director of Bowl Season, told ESPN at the Fiesta Bowl Spring Summit this week that his understanding from speaking with conference commissioners and NCAA president Charlie Baker is that NIL collectives are destined to be brought in-house and there have been discussions about contracts in exchange for NIL payments.
“If you sign a contract and receive compensation, you’re obligated to perform certain duties — in this case, play 12 regular-season games and a bowl game or a bowl game and the playoff,” he said. “That’s logical to expect. It’s the way the rest of us working folks operate.”
Fiesta Bowl executive director and CEO Erik Moses agreed, adding that he isn’t insensitive to the risks the players and agents might take.
“Think about the industry that we’re in,” Moses told ESPN. “We put on live events. You come to see the talent. If the main talent isn’t there — you go see the Stones and Mick Jagger’s not playing, are you really seeing the Stones? We want the best talent to be involved in those matchups and those games and those events. That’s what people are paying to see.
“Yes, they care about the name on the front of the jersey probably more than the name on the back; that’s the special thing about college sports and college football,” he said. “But you want to see the best guys play, and I think the only way we get to that is through a collective bargaining agreement and employment contracts that require you to play in the postseason if you’re healthy.”
Carparelli said Bowl Season doesn’t officially track the number of opt-outs, but he estimated it has been about eight players per team who choose not to play in their bowl game because of the transfer portal, NFL draft or any other reason.
Moses said he expects the new 12-team College Football Playoff to help lower the number of opt-outs this fall because more teams will be playing for the national title — not just another postseason win.
“… You want to see the best guys play, and I think the only way we get to that is through a collective bargaining agreement and employment contracts that require you to play in the postseason if you’re healthy.”
Fiesta Bowl executive director and CEO Erik Moses
“You’re not just coming to the Fiesta Bowl to win the Fiesta Bowl and that’s it,” he said. “Now, you’re going to abandon your brothers, your teammates when you have a chance to win the national championship? That’s something those guys remember for the rest of their lives. You’re a part of history at that point.”
Carparelli said the 12-team format won’t require the elimination of any bowls currently in operation, but he noted that if the CFP eventually expands to 14 teams in 2026 and beyond, one might be cut. Bowl Season includes a total of 44 games, including 35 “traditional” bowls, the New Year’s Six bowls, the national title game, the Celebration Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
“That’ll be interesting to see,” he said. “Certainly, with two extra teams going to the playoff, that may mean one less bowl game involved.”
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will host a CFP quarterfinal game this year on Dec. 31 in the debut of the 12-team playoff. For the 2025 season, the Fiesta Bowl will host a semifinal on Jan. 8, 2026.
Moses said he has no reason to believe the New Year’s Six bowls won’t be included in future iterations of the CFP in 2026 and beyond.
“I think that we are at a point right now where we are challenging tradition of this sport in almost every way possible,” he said. “And the tradition of college football and college athletics, in my mind, is a key element to the affinity that people have for the sport, and I think we need to look for commonsense ways to preserve as much of that tradition as we can while also giving ourselves the latitude to innovate. I think the expansion of the playoff is a great innovation. I think the inclusion of the bowls as the kind of the meat of those playoffs is a great compromise between the consistency of tradition, while still innovating, and in my mind, that’s the sweet spot.”
TOKYO — For two days in Japan, it’s the Hanshin Tigers who have looked like the class of the National League.
In another sign that Japanese baseball has never been better, the Tigers capped a two-game sweep over MLB clubs with a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday at the Tokyo Dome.
Even more impressive, the Tigers didn’t give up a run in either game. Daichi Ishii recorded the final out, freezing James Outman for strike three on a 95 mph fastball to cap 18 scoreless innings in a row.
“These two days were priceless,” Hanshin manager Kyuji Fujikawa said through an interpreter.
Hanshin tagged two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell for three runs in the fourth inning when the first two batters reached base before Teruaki Sato smoked a three-run homer into the right-field seats, where a jubilant Tigers fan club erupted in celebration.
On the mound, right-hander Hiroto Saiki threw five dominant innings, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Saiki struck out Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to start the game and coaxed a harmless popup from the slugger in the fourth.
“Really good ballclub,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought they played really good defense. They can handle velocity, good with the fastball. The starter [Saiki] had major league stuff. Good command, good split. And then Sato, he looks the part. He’s a really impressive baseball player.”
Saiki was one of the best pitchers in Japan last season, finishing with a 13-3 record and a 1.88 ERA over 167⅔ innings. The Tigers had a 74-63 record last season, which was good for second place in Japan’s Central League.
The Tigers started the two-game sweep with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday after 20-year-old lefty Keito Mombetsu threw five perfect innings. No Cubs player reached base until Miguel Amaya smacked a single through the infield in the sixth that just got past the shortstop.
Hanshin also dominated on the basepaths against the Cubs, going 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
“They clearly showed they can play at the top level,” Roberts said.
Japanese players have made a huge mark on MLB, particularly over the past three decades. Former Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki was recently elected to the Hall of Fame, and this week’s Tokyo Series features five Japanese players, including three on the Dodgers with Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Skenes is coming off a dominant performance in his first season in the majors. The 22-year-old right-hander went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts for Pittsburgh in 2024, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
The Pirates posted a video on social media on Saturday that showed Shelton informing Skenes of his decision.
In the video, Skenes walks into Shelton’s office and answers a couple questions about how his bullpen went and how he was feeling. Shelton later got up from behind his desk and informed Skenes he would be starting March 27 at Miami. He shook hands with Skenes and gave him a hug.
“Congrats, brother,” Shelton said to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
“Appreciate it,” Skenes responded.
The 22-year-old Skenes has been working on incorporating a cutter and a running two-seam fastball to go along with his blazing four-seam fastball.
The Ottawa Senators have opened up a nice gap as the first wild card, with 75 points and 26 regulation wins in 65 games. Beyond them, things get interesting.
If it comes down to the regulation-wins tiebreaker at season’s end, the Rangers have an upper hand over all the rest, with 29 in that column, compared with 23 for the Jackets, Red Wings and Bruins, and just 22 for the Habs.
The Canadiens host the Panthers also at 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
The Blue Jackets face the visiting Rangers also at 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
And if they have their sights set on catching the Senators, these clubs are all rooting for the Maple Leafs, who host Ottawa (7 p.m., ESPN+). It’s a great night for multiple streaming devices!
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 62 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 75.9 Next game: vs. WPG (Sunday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 22
Points: 45 Regulation wins: 13 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 55.1 Next game: vs. WSH (Saturday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 5
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.