Rogers announced it has finalized its purchase of the remaining 25 per cent of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment from Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports worth $4.35 billion following various board meetings last week.
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it → announce → meetings
Now that the telecom giant has added full control of the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC and Argonauts to a sports portfolio that already included the Blue Jays, some had wondered if Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro would be the one tasked with running it all.
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Shapiro → add → it
But Thursday’s news release confirmed: “During the interim, it remains business as usual.
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it → confirm → interim
Keith Pelley will remain President and CEO of MLSE and Mark Shapiro will remain President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays.”
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Shapiro → remain → Jays
According to sources with direct knowledge who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the plans, Shapiro is not expected to become the person running the entire organization, which will soon be called Rogers Sports — and not because he isn’t qualified.
uncertain
he → accord → organization
The reality is, Shapiro has a pretty good job already.
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Shapiro → have → job
The Jays gave him a new five-year extension following the team’s run to the World Series last year and the massive Rogers Centre renovation that he championed before that.
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he → give → that
While he’s accomplished plenty since arriving in 2015, there’s a significant difference between running a baseball organization and becoming the face of the Leafs and Raptors as well.
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he → accomplish → Leafs
The public glare on the person running the Leafs alone is unlike almost anything else in Canadian sports.
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glare → run → sports
Add the Raptors, the rest of MLSE and a much broader sports and media operation, and the job as head of Rogers Sports becomes something entirely different.
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job → add → Sports
Shapiro has never appeared particularly interested in living in that spotlight.
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Shapiro → appear → spotlight
But that doesn’t mean the 59-year-old isn’t keeping an eye out for his next career move.
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old → mean → move
There’s another job that sources with direct knowledge say would intrigue Shapiro.
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sources → ’ → Shapiro
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has said he intends to step down when his term expires following the 2028 season.
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term → say → season
Succeeding Manfred is the type of challenge Shapiro would welcome, according to sources.
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Shapiro → succeed → sources
Whether the league eventually sees things the same way is another question.
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sees → see → things
But for someone who has spent his professional life in baseball — “I love the game, it’s been my life’s work,” he said at his Jays end-of-season presser on Wednesday — it would be a more natural next act than moving upstairs to oversee hockey, basketball, soccer, football and media.
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it → spend → hockey
The Star reached out to the Jays seeking comment from Shapiro on his future and the potential Rogers structure.
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Star → reach → future
The organization declined to comment.
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organization → decline → ?
As for Pelley, the MLSE president and CEO has made some interesting moves since taking the job in 2024 and has had some public moments that could have gone better.
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that → make → moments
But sources say the ownership group remains patient and is comfortable taking a wait-and-see approach rather than making another major leadership change.
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group → say → change
So the structure at Rogers Sports remains largely the same, at least for the next couple of years.
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structure → remain → years
- Shapiro continues to run the Jays and report to the Rogers ownership committee that includes executive chair Edward Rogers and CEO Tony Staffieri.
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that → continue → Rogers
- Pelley continues to run MLSE and reports to that same committee.
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Pelley → continue → committee
The leadership of the Leafs, Raptors, TFC and Argos continues to report to Pelley.
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leadership → continue → Pelley
- In summary: Shapiro does not move above Pelley, and Pelley does not move above Shapiro.
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Pelley → move → Shapiro
The real change comes on the media side, which will now ultimately go through Pelley as well.
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which → come → Pelley
The move makes sense; Pelley has spent much of his career in sports media and those inside the organization respect his ability to set strategy and make money.
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those → make → money
The way Rogers will structure the top of its new sports portfolio is not surprising.
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Rogers → structure → portfolio
If Pelley’s role were about to be diminished significantly, one has to believe he would have exited already, two and a half years into a four-year contract.
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he → diminish → contract
So while the keys to the new Toronto sports empire are not being handed to Shapiro, perhaps some day the keys to the baseball world will be.
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keys → hand → world
How MLSE changes value of Rogers
Now that Rogers has closed on its deal to control 100 per cent of MLSE, the company has already told investors what comes next.
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what → change → investors
In the first half of 2027, the company intends to bring the Jays and the Rogers Centre, Rogers Sports & Media and MLSE together administratively, before selling a minority stake or stakes in the combined business.
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company → intend → business
The company estimated its sports and media assets would be worth more than $25 billion with the completed transaction.
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assets → estimate → transaction
Jennifer Botterill spent more than five years on Sportsnet’s hockey panel and was its only woman last season.
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Botterill → spend → panel
There was no big goodbye, relatively little reaction from the people she worked with on air, and not much more from fans.
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she → be → fans
Compared with the attention surrounding Kelly Hrudey’s departure and the contract negotiations involving Kevin Bieksa and Elliotte Friedman, Botterill’s exit has been surprising.
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exit → compare → Bieksa
Sportsnet adds American duo amid job cuts
Sportsnet is taking some heat on social media for adding Frank Seravalli as a contributor and picking up “Frankly Hockey,” his daily show with longtime ESPN personality John Buccigross, for simulcast on Sportsnet and Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
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Sportsnet → add → Sportsnet
Seravalli is well known to Canadian hockey fans from six years at TSN, but he and Buccigross are Americans.
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he → know → TSN
With current tensions between Canada and the United States, Canadian media jobs disappearing while two Americans arrive was always going to get some attention.
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Americans → disappear → attention
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
