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The Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee is dubbed the “Last Great Colosseumand for good reason. Its a massive homage to spectacle, with a seating capacity of around 150,000 encircling a half-mile track thats home to various NASCAR races throughout the year. Now, it’s being transformed for another purpose: It will serve as the field for the biggest regular-season baseball game of all time. On August 2, Bristol is hosting the new Speedway Classic, which will see the Cincinnati Reds face off against the Atlanta Braves in the biggest Major League Baseball (MLB) game ever played in Tennessee. So far, more than 85,000 tickets have been solda figure thats higher than the capacity of both teams stadiums put together, and a figure that breaks the record for the biggest regular-season game, set in 1954 when Cleveland hosted the Yankees. [Rendering: MLB] In Bristol there will be headlining music acts, cameras mounted on custom RC car rigs and, nestled within that gray concrete racetrack, the striking verdant green of a baseball field. To see a ballpark sitting in the middle of a racetrack is not something that you see every day, says Jeremiah Yolkut, SVP of global events for MLB. Heres how it got there. [Photo: Randy Sartin/MLB Photos via Getty Images] THE COLOSSUS PROBLEM MLB has been doing special-event games for the past nine years, with highlights including the Negro leagues tribute last year in Birmingham, Alabama and the Field of Dreams games in Iowa. Yolkut says MLB had pondered doing a game at a speedway, but most are simply too long and wide to be a fitting frame for a regulation-sized field. But then in September 2021, they went to check out Bristol, and were blown away by the trackand how its dimensions might uniquely cradle a baseball field. That kicked off six to nine months of viability studies. The most logical place to put a field would be at the center of the venuebut there was one critical problem: Bristol is home to the 127-ton Colossus, the worlds largest center-hung outdoor scoreboard. It would cut right through center field, posing a massive logistical issue in the field of play. [Photo: Earl Neikirk/Neikirk Image] Then there was the challenge of finding the optimal field positioning to avoid the sun being in players eyes; the issue of permanent structures on-site that could not be removed; the high banks of the tracks turns, and, well, that sacrosanct track itself. (We could not repave Bristol Motor Speedway to level the entire space, Yolkut notes.) They eventually jigsawed everything together and discovered an orientation within the infield of the track that satisfied all the requirements. They put the Colossus into foul territoryand then they got to work. [Photo: Earl Neikirk/Neikirk Image] DIRT RECIPES AND TIM MCGRAW Work started in May with a crew of around 150, who removed 1,000 feet of pit walls, demolished half of a building, removed a gas pump station, and other foundational tasks. Next, hundreds more workers took on the construction phase. Over the years, MLB has developed relationships with various specialty partners on bringing baseball to unconventional spaces, such as the global design firm Populous and the commercial landscaper BrightView. [Photo: Earl Neikirk/Neikirk Image] The team had to first raise and level the ground with 17,500 tons of rock from Tennessee; they then brought in 340 tons of clay from Pennsylvania, which utilizes the same dirt recipe as 25 other professional baseball stadium (since the clay must be kept moist, Yolkut says they also installed an irrigation system). Next came the turf124,000 square feet of Diamond Series Astroturf, the same kind that is used on the Toronto Blue Jays home field. And then all the rest: 450 wall pads for the perimeter; two 60-foot foul poles; 80,000 square feet of backstop netting; 275 extra light fixtures; 2,400 extra infield seats; and two full bullpens and dugouts. [Photo: Earl Neikirk/Neikirk Image] Yolkut adds that the team clubhouses had to be on par with what players are used to at home. To that end, each facility includes showers, bathrooms, a meal room, a training room, a video room, stretching area, weight room, and so on. And thats just half of Bristol. MLB is making use of the entire venue, and the rest of it will be home to a fan experience and pregame concert with Tim McGraw, Pitbull, and Jake Owen. The event is also set to feature a pregame player parade inspired by NASCAR’s driver intros, and when Fox Sports televises the game, theyll have extra tech on hand consistent with the race themesuch as an RC car camera that will show viewers the perspective of what its like to be on the track at Bristol, and the baseball diamonds unique location within the infield. [Photo: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos/Getty Images] The teardown When the big game ends, the field will disappear as quickly as it went upand for good reason, as NASCAR races come to the track September 11 to 13. Yolkut says the teardown is a three-week marathon that involves around 200 crew members, with the turf itself being donated to East Tennessee State University. It’s an exhaustive process, he says. In fact, a lot of the partners have separate teams that literally come in at the end of the event to do it. [Photo: Earl Neikirk/Neikirk Image] You may wonder how the Reds and Braves wound up in the biggest baseball game of all timeand Yolkut says it first came down to location. Atlanta and Cincinnati are both within a reasonable driving distance of Bristol, and beyond that, These teams have players that are fast, that are energized, that are young, and are bringing a lot of that power to the game. The ticket sales are perhaps a testament to that strategyand ultimately, Yolkut notes that itll be as much a spectacle for those fans on-site and at home as it will be for the players themselves. To see 90,000 people watching you is not something any of these players have had in their baseball time, he says. They’ve played in all kinds of venues, but I think they’re going to be mystified by just that feeling and that Last Great Colosseum feel. . . . I think that’ll be a pretty magical moment.
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Theres just something about a bubbly drink, warm weather, and a sunny patio. The Spritz is the perfect summer cocktail, so it makes sense that the holiday celebrating it takes place in the warmer months. To commemorate National Spritz Day today (Friday, August 1), lets mix one part history, one part variations of the cocktail, with a splash of ways to celebrate. How the Spritz came to be Before the Spritz became more formalized, it was born of necessity. The cocktail can trace its origins to the mid-19th century Veneto region. At the time, the floating city was ruled by Austrian soldiers who did not like how strong Italian wines were. They started to dilute it with a spritz of water. The genesis of a more complex cocktail had begun. Over time, the water would turn into sparkling and bitter liqueurs would also be added. A simple recipe At its core, the classic modern Spritz is made up of three parts sparkling or white wine, two parts of your choice of a bitter liqueur (amaro), and one part soda water. If you need a handy way to remember it, just count down from three. In 1919, brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri created Aperol, a bitter liqueur that would help popularize the cocktail. This adult beverage would really take off internationally in the 1950s. Variations on the theme The Aperol Spritz is probably the best known, but there are several options if you want to explore further. The Hugo Spritz utilizes an elderflower liqueur such as acqua santa or St-Germain instead of an amaro and hails from Northern Italy. Can you guess what the Campari Spritz uses? If you said Campari, youd be correct. The same principle applies to the Limoncello Spritz. For those choosing not to drink alcohol, turn to non-alcoholic liqueurs and wines. How to celebrate National Spritz Day The best way to celebrate this holiday is to find a rooftop bar or somewhere outdoors with an ocean breeze. Order a round for your friends and yap the night away. Be forewarned: Alcohol can bring on spontaneous dance parties. Here are some deals and discounts that will help your wallet. If you find yourself in New York City, Houston Hall is offering $10 Aperol Spritzes and $59 Aperol Spritz Towers. Plus at 7 p.m., brand ambassadors from Aperol will be on hand for fun freebies. West Coast friends can check out Punch Bowl Socials $10 custom creations. There are locations in San Diego, Rancho Cucamonga, and Sacramento as well as other venues across the country. A chain restaurant option is Carrabbas Italian Grill. Their Happy Hour menu offers an $8 Passion Pear Spritz all year long. So you can celebrate whenever you choose. However you imbibe today, make sure to say saluti!
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Its an understatement to say that Reddit had an excellent second quarter. On Thursday, July 31, the social media company reported a boost in revenue from $281 million to $500 milliona 78% increase year-over-year (YOY). Its the companys fastest quarterly growth in three years and blew past the $425 million predicted by Wall Street, according to consensus estimates cited by Bloomberg. Its also the most significant jump since Reddit went public in March 2024, and investors are responding in spades. Reddits stock price (NYSE: RDDT) has jumped over 15% during after-hours and into premarket trading on Friday. The social media company can thank advertising, in large part. Second-quarter ad revenue increased by 84% YOY, hitting $465 million, Reddit reported. Notably, its daily active users also increased 21% YOY, to 110 million. Feeding the beast with human-powered knowledge Reddit is walking an interesting line between the benefits of AI and the desire among users for real human connections. It has rolled out features like Reddit Answers, an AI tool that summarizes conversations and posts. But Reddit also focuses on the importance of human-centric discussion. For people, conversation and connection are becoming more valuable and rare, Reddit cofounder and CEO Steve Huffman stated in a quarter-two earnings call. In a world increasingly dominated by algorithms and automation, the need for human voices has never been greater. Huffman cites a recent study that reportedly found 80% of users believe some questions can only be answered by humans as opposed to AI-generated summaries. But he follows it up by adding that for LLM and AI search engines, these conversations and the knowledge they create are essential for training. So is Reddits idea to focus on human conversation until it gives AI enough info to replace it? According to Huffman, not necessarily. In an automated world that depends on human knowledge, we view Reddit as one of the most important and differentiated data sources,” he stated. “We believe this validates what weve always thought, human conversation is not being replaced by AI, instead, its becoming more important.” He added: “AI doesnt invent knowledge, it learns from us, from real people, sharing real perspectives. You cant have artificial intelligence without actual intelligence.
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