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Sports Are All About More, More, More in the Streaming Era

On the heels of the NCAA tournament expanding, now the World Cup is considering a further increase in the number of teams.
Jimmy Traina|
FIFA has said it is considering an even bigger World Cup in 2030.
FIFA has said it is considering an even bigger World Cup in 2030. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

1. Two things are happening right now in the world of sports.

First, almost every league and event is enjoying booming ratings for the past year, in part thanks to Nielsen changing its methodology for counting viewers. Second, streamers and networks want more content.

This is the perfect storm for leagues and networks because more games and more teams mean more money. Networks will pay leagues more money for TV deals. They will in turn charge fans more money in subscriptions fees. And networks will have more inventory for commercials.

The desire for more inventory is already playing out on several fronts.

  • The number of teams in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments has increased from 68 to 76.
  • The WNBA boosted its regular season from 44 games to 50.
  • The NBA added a midseason cup tournament.
  • The NHL has announced it has started the expansion process to add another team in Texas, which would be the league’s 33rd franchise.

And now comes word that FIFA will consider expanding the men’s World Cup from 48 teams to 64. This year’s 48-team tournament already marked a significant increase from the 32-nation format that had been in place since 1998. (The expansion for the 2030 tournament would supposedly be a one-off to mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup.)

In the case of the NCAA tournament and the World Cup, fans have cried foul. The argument is that both events are perfect as is and should not be messed with.

However, no matter how much fans complain about expanding fields on social media, unless they actually stop watching sports, expansion is going to slow down. There is way too much money to be had from television/streaming contracts for leagues to pass up.

If you’re a sports fan who wants to watch as many games as possible, this is your time.

2. Here’s what I wrote in Friday’s “Traina Thoughts” regarding the Bryce Harper-FanDuel story:

“However, it’s ridiculous to connect Harper to Thompson’s gambling problem. For starters, we don’t know what Harper knew about Thompson. I think it’s fair to assume FanDuel did not give Harper a report on Thompson’s winning and losing.”

Sure enough, Friday afternoon, Front Office Sports reported that Harper had no idea he was making a video for FanDuel.

3. Would Jeff Passan say this if the Home Run Derby was still on ESPN and not on Netflix tonight?

4. Larry David was interviewed by NBC on Friday at the American Century Championship. It was kind of a trainwreck.

5. Now THIS is journalism. The Action Network analyzed more than a million-and-a-half comments on NBA subreddits from the 2025-26 season to see which team’s fans curse the most. Coming in first place were those rascals from Philly with Sixers fans using expletives in 10.5% of the comments. You can see the full list here.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina is an all-mailbag episode.

Topics covered include the World Cup and what the U.S.’s exit means for Fox’s ratings; who’s to blame for the Yankees’ struggles and what is the biggest problem with the organization; top 5 play-by-play voices working today; whether the Knicks winning the championship helps the NBA; Sami Zayn winning the WWE title and then losing it nine days later; MLB’s complete incompetence in making a schedule; all-time best ESPN shows excluding SportsCenter; where Fox will turn for a No. 2 college football play-by-play person; the future of Good Morning Football; the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding; Long Island diners; The Bear’s final season and much more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Let’s get the week started with a feel-good story.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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