Liberty Media said the revenue increase “was primarily due to a change in the structure of the Braves’ ballpark retail and concession operations and increased broadcast revenue.” The company noted that the Braves brought retail operations in-house and changed concession operators.

On the other hand, Liberty said the decline in operating income before depreciation and amortization — the most common measure of a pro sports franchise’s economic performance — was “primarily due to the acceleration of player salary expense as a result of released or injured players, as well as certain penalties imposed on the Braves under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement related to certain international player signing bonuses paid during 2016 and increased operating expenses due to the aforementioned change to the Braves’ ballpark retail and concession operations.”