As we head into the U.S. playoffs, latest stats suggest Team Blue is slightly more likely to take the title than Team Red. It’s close though and will likely come down to the wire. If this plays out, Team Red has a lot of major decisions to make in the off-season: possible changes to front and back office; key on-field roster changes; and possibly exploring new ownership structure.

It’s no huge victory for Team Blue though. Both clubs will need to contend with similar challenges in the off-season: an aging roster; diminishing membership/booster numbers; growing competition from alternate leagues.

Given these trends, it’s very likely that ownership teams and management representatives from both clubs will meet this off-season to discuss and revise terms for the league. There could be new media rights arrangements, a refreshed marketing framework, revised playoff structure for 2028, etc. There are various options to explore and no doubt some things will be contentious. However, with aligned incentives and increased concentration and overlap between the clubs’ ownership teams, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to settle on updated terms.