The San Antonio Spurs’ schedule for the upcoming season includes games in France and England, with a league-high 34 appearances on national TV. It also includes three “home” games in Austin.

While the Spurs continue to grow their fanbase along the I-35 corridor, they’re also trying to fund a massive arena complex set in San Antonio’s aging downtown. It’s been a delicate dance as the Spurs reaffirm their commitment to San Antonio while also growing their reach throughout Texas and abroad.

Spurs CEO RC Buford issued a carefully worded statement after the schedule release.

“San Antonio is home, and we’re looking forward to bringing our community together while reaching audiences in Austin, Paris and Manchester,” the statement read. “We’re excited for what this season will bring to our fans and proud to represent San Antonio and share the spirit, culture and community that make our city special everywhere the Spurs take the court.”

San Antonio has been the Spurs’ home since 1973, but they are only playing 36 regular-season games in the city this season due to their participation in the Global Games with international superstar Victor Wembanyama. They also added a third game in Austin early in the season, which coincides with a massive sports weekend in the Texas capital.

Back in November, Bexar County voters, where San Antonio is located, approved a measure to provide $311 million in taxpayer funding for the arena complex, which will be the crown jewel of the larger Project Marvel downtown development plan. The Spurs committed to contribute at least $500 million to construction of the new arena, which is estimated to cost $1.3 billion, while San Antonio’s city council approved $489 million in municipal bond funding. The Spurs also agreed to cover any cost overruns for the arena development.

However, the city is facing a projected budget deficit over the next two years, which affects the infrastructure development components of Project Marvel. San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones wants residents to reauthorize the city’s portion of arena funding this fall, and the deadline to add the issue to November’s ballot is Monday. The San Antonio City Council will hold a meeting that morning to vote on whether to place the funding on the ballot, or fall back on the council’s previous approval of municipal bond funding.

Even if the council votes against adding the issue to the ballot, which various local reports say is expected, the project’s term sheet stipulates that San Antonio residents must vote again on whether or not to issue city bonds for the first phase of construction. City spokesperson Brian Chasnoff told the San Antonio Current that the ballot structure for the bond program has not been determined and the city council will be briefed on the matter in September.

In response to Ortiz Jones’ call for a new vote, Buford issued a statement last week that read in part, “The vote has taken place. The commitments have been made. The work is underway.”

There was widespread concern in San Antonio last fall that a failure to approve a new arena could open the door for the Spurs to relocate to Austin. As teams expand corporate partnerships and develop arenas with more luxury seating, Austin is an attractive market for the Spurs.

But the team has maintained its commitment to San Antonio and framed its expansion into Austin as a plan to make the two cities one massive market.

Adding a third “home” game in Austin on Oct. 23 is part of the Spurs’ efforts to establish a foothold in one of the country’s emerging economic and cultural hubs. It’s also a chance for the Spurs to capture attention from the massive global audience attending the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin that weekend.

Now that the team is approaching the luxury tax in future seasons for the first time in a while, the need to pull revenue from outside of San Antonio is becoming a bigger priority. The franchise has paid just $17.5 million in luxury tax over six seasons in its history, but this roster is ripe for a long foray into the tax, barring significant austerity measures. The Spurs want to win over the Austin region and boost their popularity in Europe with Wembanyama as an emerging global superstar. Maintaining this deep and talented team is a big part of that.

The Spurs have been growing their presence in Paris over the past year, with the team joining Wembanyama in France earlier this month for a series of public appearances and team-bonding events. Their presence in Austin has been persistent and deliberate. Geographic boundaries to fandom have been fading in the NBA, and Wembanyama presents a chance for them to grab a true foothold well beyond San Antonio.

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays had nothing going against Gerrit Cole for five short innings Friday. The New York Yankees ace cruised through 16 outs before the Jays got a bounce. Luis García Jr.’s glove came off, a rogue throw flew into left field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stumbled home to tie the game.

It wasn’t a set play or a perfectly manufactured run. It wasn’t a drive into the gap or a rocket over the wall. It was a double-play ball that devolved into game-changing chaos. But that’s the sort of bounce that’s been going Toronto’s way in recent weeks, and Friday it led to a 3-1 win that has the Jays within a game of the final postseason spot.

“Just coming to the yard every day and late in games, we’re starting to get that feeling,” Jays pitcher Shane Bieber said. “You know, anything can happen.”

The Jays were in shock on trade deadline day, Max Scherzer said. Understandably so. Three of the team’s long-tenured players left for new threads and seemingly better October opportunities. General manager Ross Atkins, hours after the deadline, apologized to fans for the disappointment on the heels of a World Series appearance.

The Jays didn’t fully sell and wave the white flag on 2026, but things easily could’ve turned south after Kevin Gausman, Jeff Hoffman and Daulton Varsho departed. Attention could’ve turned to 2027, and obituaries for a disappointing campaign could’ve been crafted.

Instead, 11 days after the sell-off, the Jays sit as close to a playoff spot as they have in seven weeks. They’re knocking at the door, and the fans feel it.

“We’re winning games,” Guerrero said amid Toronto’s recent series win over the Boston Red Sox. “That’s the difference.”

When Alejandro Kirk blasted an opposite-field shot in the eighth to expand the lead Friday, the sold-out Rogers Centre crowd roared. When Louis Varland came out in the top of the ninth, the building was on its feet. Myles Straw, running out to left as Varland jogged in from the bullpen, began yelling at his closer and throwing his arm in the air. Straw told Jays strength coach Scott Weberg before the inning that he was going to fire Varland up.

Four pitches and three outs later, the win was sealed. It was Toronto’s 11th victory in 16 games.

All Systems GO 🚀 pic.twitter.com/xCsW35AqIJ

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 15, 2026

This version of the Jays is a bit different. Post-deadline promotions of Brett Bateman and Charles McAdoo injected speed into the lineup. Kirk and Andrés Giménez are riding hot streaks. The team, manager John Schneider said, feels less stagnant than it was to start the season.

But this winning stretch isn’t the product of some remarkable offensive turnaround. Guerrero, who left Friday’s game to be tested for a concussion, hasn’t started slugging. George Springer, with a busted shoulder, is scuffling again. The Jays entered Friday 23rd in team OPS since the deadline and 21st in average with runners in scoring position. But, on the back of solid pitching, they’re finding enough runs to win.

“It’s a different group of players,” Straw said. “You get some contact, scrappy players. The playing style is a little bit different with some fresh faces. We’re spreading some energy around.”

The Jays still find themselves in a stretch of tough games, with five more against the Yankees and three against the Tampa Bay Rays in the next 10 days. But if they survive this slog, the schedule opens up. The Jays end the season with 10 straight series against teams below .500. It’s one of baseball’s softest schedules in the final weeks.

A playoff appearance that seemed impossible a few weeks ago now appears within grasp. The Jays certainly won’t be the behemoth they were last year, with a wild-card bye and sights set on a World Series. The lineup isn’t nearly as scary, and the rotation isn’t nearly as deep. But they’ve at least got a shot at October. In a year when few teams have risen to the top, that’s a ticket worth punching.

It’ll require surviving this next week of games. It’ll require making a four-man rotation work for the time being and making heavily used relievers last through more heavy usage. It’ll require at least a few more fortuitous bounces, but those are certainly coming right now.

“You string a couple good games together, and we’re right in it,” Bieber said. “And so that’s how we feel.”