Baseball is special for many reasons, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who includes pace of play among those positive differentiators.

The state of play: Nine-inning games are lasting a record three hours, nine minutes this season, the third straight year the record will be been broken despite MLB's concerted effort to reverse the trend.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will miss the rest of the 2021 Major League Baseball regular season and postseason after the league and the MLB Players Association agreed to extend his paid administrative leave, The Athletic reports.

Why it matters: This is the ninth time Bauer's leave was extended. The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner was initially placed on seven-day paid administrative leave on July 2 amid assault allegations.

Three retired NFL players pleaded guilty to numerous fraud charges related to a nationwide health care fraud scheme, bringing the total number of retired athletes who have pleaded guilty to 15, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Driving the news: The three defendants admitted to defrauding the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan. The fund, created in 2006, gives tax-free reimbursements of up up to $350,000 per player for out-of-pocket medical expenses.

NFL Players Association President and Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter in a blog post Tuesday called for daily COVID-19 testing for all players for the 2021 season due to the spread of the Delta variant.

Driving the news: Tretter's call comes after NFL announced that it will conduct weekly tests for players during the season. The league previously said it will cancel games and force teams to forfeit if they have an outbreak.

Tickets were once mementos — physical items soaked in memories and nostalgia, tucked away in attics and scrapbooks. They are now barcodes on our phones.

By the numbers: 98% of NFL fans used mobile tickets during preseason games this summer, according to the league. That's up from 67% in 2019.

The NFL will allow players to display choice social justice messages on their helmets and will stencil in "It Takes All of Us” and “End Racism” messages in the end zones of every field, the Associated Press reported.

Why it matters: Approximately 70% of the NFL's active players are Black and the initiative is an effort by league officials to display solidarity with players protesting social justice causes like Black Lives Matter, per the New York Times.

The Washington Nationals and Vice President Bob Boone are parting ways over the team's vaccine mandate for all full-time staff, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Driving the news: The Nationals informed staff of the vaccine mandate on Aug. 14. Employees had until Aug. 26 to provide either proof of full vaccination or one dose of the vaccine or apply for an exemption, per WashPost.

In his debut season, Wander Franco is on pace to break records set by baseball greats like Ted Williams and Ken Griffey Jr., DRays Bay reports.

• Franco has reached base in 48 of his first 53 games as a big leaguer. He’s one of just two players under 21 to reach base in that many games over his first 53 games — Willie Mays was the other.

The NFL will restrict media access for a second straight season amid the coronavirus pandemic, permitting only team employees inside the locker room when players are present.

Why it matters: Sports teams already operate like media companies, churning out content, growing audiences and publishing news updates. Keeping journalists at a distance gives them even more narrative control.

The NBA said Friday that all personnel who will be in close proximity to players and referees must be fully vaccinated, according to a company memo shared with Axios.

State of play: This includes anyone who travels with teams, those who are around the bench areas and those who have access to the locker rooms. Team staff must be vaccinated by Oct. 1.