Morning Win – Syndication Server

The Bears should stop wasting all of our time and just pick Caleb Williams already

Let’s get this over with, Bears. Stop playing games.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Goooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for reading today. I appreciate you giving us a bit of your time.

The NFL draft is finally here. Many of you have been waiting for this day for a long, long time. I hope your team does the exact thing you want it to do. It probably won’t, but hey! There’s still hope.

Me personally? I’m only rooting for a timely process. That starts with the Chicago Bears, who hold the first overall pick.

Given that, I have a request for GM Ryan Poles and company: Pick Caleb Williams already, you cowards. Get it over with.

Obviously, the draft hasn’t started just yet. It won’t until 8 p.m. ET tonight (SIGH). But let’s be real — we all know who the Bears are picking here. It’s Williams. It’s always been Williams. We’ve known since, basically, September. Once Chicago traded Justin Fields, it was a wrap.

Yet, for whatever reason, Poles was out here trying to be cute with his pre-draft press conference. “We know what we’re going to do, but everyone is going to have to wait until Thursday to go there,” he told reporters.

Hey, Ryan. Buddy. I’ve got a newsflash for you: WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING, TOO.

Most of us have probably known what you and your team were doing for longer than you have. While y’all were hemming and hawing over where to trade Justin Fields, we wondered why you were still playing these silly games.

This is the worst-kept secret in the NFL. Just announce that you’re drafting Williams already. There’s no need to take more than two minutes to do this. If it takes the entire 10 minutes allotted for the pick, I will riot.

We’ve all got things to do and I need to hurry up and get to my team’s pick. Let’s get a move on, Chicago.

DON’T MISS A BEAT: Follow USA Today’s NFL Draft live tracker to stay updated on the latest news, mock drafts, expert picks and real-time pick analysis during tonight’s action!

Dive Deeper on the NFL Draft

Good reads from the staff at For The Win ahead of tonight’s action:

— Here’s Christian D’Andrea with our latest NFL mock draft ahead of all the action tonight.

— Five bold predictions for the NFL Draft from Cory Woodroof

— The 13 prospects attending the NFL Draft in the green room from Charles Curtis

— Prince Grimes has a top-10 NFL mock draft based on consensus betting odds for you.

— Six NFL prospects sliding down draft boards that could be steals from Christian D’Andrea

— The pressure a potential 6-quarterback first round puts on bettors from Ben Fawkes

The spotlight is yours, Detroit

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

For the last decade, the NFL draft has moved from location to location every year. Detroit is in the spotlight this year and, well, the city’s got a lot riding on this one, writes Ken Belson of the New York Times.

The city declared bankruptcy a decade ago, as the real estate market crash led to thousands of homes being abandoned and the automotive industry, which drove the city’s economy, was still on the road to recovery after its collapse.

Since then, Detroit has been on the up-and-up. There are still problems, of course, but it’s recovering. Belson writes the draft may perhaps be a springboard to hasten that recovery a bit more:

“Detroit hosted the Super Bowl in 2006, as a reward to the Lions for moving into a new stadium. But city officials expect that being the site of this year’s draft, which begins on Thursday, will provide an economic jolt, though how much of one is unclear. They also hope the three days of exposure on television showcases the city to fans who might not otherwise visit. Detroit, they say, is not the Detroit of a decade ago, when the city was bankrupt, tens of thousands of homes had been abandoned and the automobile industry was pulling out of a long slump. Since then, new hotels, businesses and residents have flooded downtown; unemployment has fallen; and the city’s debt has returned to investment grade.”

Of course, there are doubts about how much of a boost the draft — and other events like it — would provide for the city’s economy.

Ultimately, money generated will probably be spent just to host this event. Belson writes that road closures and increased security eat up that cash.

But this is Detroit’s moment to show the world how far it’s come since hitting rock bottom. In the end, that’s a good thing.

Meet the man who makes the fastest NFL players faster

Each one of the athletes you see picked today in the NFL Draft is one of the best athletes in the world. But they all won’t make it.

In the NFL, you win on the margins. Each second and every inch matters. Running a sub-4.3 40-yard dash could be the difference between being drafted in the second round or the fifth round. Most of these guys cut it that close.

That’s where Tony Villani comes in.

Villani is the founder of XPE Sports — a training facility where some of the best names in the game have come to get better over the last 22 years. Travis Kelce, Tariq Woolen, Anquan Boldin, Mark Ingram and so many more have come through those doors.

Through his speed training program, he helps the fastest players in the NFL become even faster. We got to fly down to Florida and chop it up with him to see how it all works.

He makes his strategy sound simple. “When people run a [40-yard dash] at 25 miles an hour, they get to 15 miles an hour at the first 5 yards,” Villani told For The Win. “They spend the next 35 yards getting the next 10. Training that explosive force into your form and doing it inside and tracking it…It’s so easy. We call it ‘get fast, fast.’ It’s not hard.”

WATCH: Watch Villani’s work with his latest crop of NFL hopefuls here

Quick hits: We need more from Nike after Caitlin Clark … Mookie Betts is the best … and more

— Meghan Hall wrote this awesome piece on Nike’s sneaker deal with Caitlin Clark and how it needs to lead to more from the brand on women’s hoops.

— Mookie Betts continues to be the best of us. Andrew Joseph has more here.

— Here’s Charles Curtis on how Kool-Aid McKinstry got his dope nickname.

— Here’s Charles again with the order of the first-round of the NFL draft. You know, for organizational purposes.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading. Hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter! TMW will be out tomorrow, but there will still be plenty of great content on the site for you to tap into. Happy NFL Draft day! Talk soon.

Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Reggie Bush getting back the Heisman Trophy he never deserved to lose feels so good

It’s about time, man.

Goooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you.

I’m not going to lie to y’all. I had something completely different written here about the Phoenix Suns. It was done. I was finished. Ready to publish.

Then news broke that Reggie Bush was finally getting his Heisman trophy back and I deleted everything. This is the day’s news. This is such a big deal, folks.

Before I tell you why, let me give you the skinny. The Heisman Trust has reportedly decided to formally reinstate Bush’s trophy and give it back to him he forfeited it to the committee in 2010, according to ESPN, citing the “enormous changes in the college football landscape” as the reason why.

Let me translate that for you: The players are getting paid over the table now through NIL collectives by the same boosters who allegedly paid players like Bush under the table back in the day. So, because of that, Reggie can have his trophy back.

The catharsis is flowing right now. After all these years of lobbying and public complaints, the Heisman Trust has finally listened to the reason. Bush should never have lost this trophy in the first place.

Look, I get it. USC broke the rules. An investigation into USC found that the school allegedly showered his family with improper gifts and benefits during his time at the school from 2003 to 2005.

Sure, they’re stupid rules, but they’re still the rules. Someone had to pay for that. In a way, I guess USC did. The school was stripped of 14 wins that Bush played in, including its 2004 BCS title. But it’s always felt like Bush himself was more severely punished.

Not only did he lose his Heisman Trophy, but his stats were also vacated. He was banned from USC for 10 years after 2010. They quite literally erased Bush from the annals of college football after he made everyone fall in love with it.

Do you understand how infuriating that is? Bush is one of the greatest college football players ever — he might be the most exciting. Every time he played, it was must-see TV. Just watch a highlight. You’ll get it if you don’t already.

What makes it doubly infuriating is that this never actually had to happen. The NCAA doesn’t govern the Heisman Trust. Those two organizations are independent of each other. Bush losing the trophy was the trust kowtowing to the NCAA’s whim and saying, “If Bush’s numbers don’t exist, then neither does his trophy.” Both things have always been extremely unfair.

All the work he did, the numbers he put up, the exciting moments he gave us. We were just supposed to act like it never existed all because the NCAA was upset about a little cash flow. That’s silly. It never made sense.

Thankfully, this egregious mistake has been corrected. Good for you, Reggie. It’s about time.

A G5 Playoff?

All the talk about the expansion of the college football playoff usually centers around the Power Five (Power Four now?) conferences — specifically with the SEC and Big Ten holding most of the power.

The middling conferences are always usually left out of the conversation despite having some pretty good teams with lots of depth and talent.

It seems like those conferences are finally looking to do something about that by creating their own playoff, according to reporting from The Athletic.

“Multiple administrators from within the G5 conferences — the American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, MAC and Conference USA — told The Athletic that former college and NFL coach Derek Dooley has been the salesman on behalf of private equity firms, making contact with schools. The administrators, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, made clear that nothing is imminent and they haven’t been presented with any numbers yet. But conversations are more real than they’ve ever been. Dooley did not respond to a request for comment. CBS Sports first reported on the talks.”

Nothing concrete seems to be laid out just yet. But if these schools can pull this off, it would be an incredible power move. They’d be baking their own pie instead of just taking morsels the SEC, Big Ten and other big players are leaving behind.

This means creating their own structure and bowl games to go along with it. It certainly wouldn’t be easy to pull off, but it’s totally plausible.

I’d love to see this happen.

Anthony Edwards is a visionary

Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

“They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels.” This clip of Anthony Edwards from All-Star Weekend 2023 is easily one of the funniest clips ever.

Funniest clip of all time pic.twitter.com/HPTX5uFaJP

— Mike (@MikeAdxx) February 19, 2023

But now, it’s kind of reality? Jaden McDaniels, y’all! He cooked Durant and the Suns in Game 2, which made the clip perfect. Charles Curtis has more:

“In an interview during All-Star week last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves star remarked, “They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels.”

KD would of course be Kevin Durant, and before you think that’s just Ant hyping up his T-Wolves teammate, maybe Edwards knew that in Game 2 of the Wolves’ playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, McDaniels would explode for 25 points, outplaying Durant (6-of-15 for 18 points).”

This is why you always show confidence in your teammates, man. Shoutout to Ant Edwards. The dude knows what he’s talking about.

Quick hits: The biggest NFL draft questions … Does Jerry Jones know how this works? … and more

— Here’s Cory Woodroof with 32 questions for all 32 teams as we enter into the NFL draft

— Jerry Jones got roasted because he doesn’t really seem to know how the draft works. Meghan Hall has more.

— Zach Edey to the Wizards? Nice. Very nice. Charles Curtis has more.

— Here’s Prince Grimes with prop betting guide to the NFL Draft.

— Here’s everything we know about the drama between a fan and Nikola Jokic’s brother. This isn’t a great look.

— Let’s hope Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze play together because the vibes are definitely there. Meg has more here.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. Let’s do this again tomorrow. Until then! Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

LeBron James and the Lakers complaining about officiating after blowing another lead is pathetic

This is the only thing the Lakers have left against the Nuggets.

Gooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for tapping in with us today. We appreciate you.

There’s nothing worse in sports than a sore loser. That’s what LeBron James and the Lakers look like today.

The Nuggets evaporated another double-digit lead behind a 20-20-10 triple-double from Nikola Jokic. Then Jamal Murray sealed the game with an impossible stepback fadeaway over Anthony Davis.

It was absurd, sure. But here’s the thing: The absurdity of it all feels regular. At this point, I guess it is. The Nuggets have beaten this team 10 straight times. They’re just better in every way than the Lakers. It’s very clear.

That’s probably why, instead of just tipping their cap to Denver after a tough win, the Lakers are opting to complain about *checks notes* officiating? Sure. Yup. Ok.

Specifically, James and the Lakers were complaining about an overturned call on Michael Porter Jr. And, to be fair, that foul probably shouldn’t have been overturned! Porter Jr. clips Russell’s face after the ball is released.

But here’s the thing: At that point, the Lakers were nursing a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter. The Lakers still had every opportunity to win this game. No, scratch that. LA should’ve won this game.

But they didn’t. And now, here we are, with two of the team’s biggest stars complaining about officiating instead of just taking the L on the chin.

LeBron James went out of the way to call out officials at the end of his press conference, asking reporters, “What the [expletive] do we have a replay center for?” D’Angelo Russell ran to Twitter to tell everyone he was fouled as if there was something we could do about it.

Look, y’all. This isn’t a 76ers situation where officials missed a few calls at the end of Game 2 that led directly to Philly’s loss. That’s a team with plenty of room to complain.

Instead, we’re talking about a play that had no bearing on the game’s final moments. It didn’t matter. There was an entire quarter between that overturned call and the game’s final buzzer. The Lakers still had a lead and lost it.

That’s probably why we’re talking about this — the Lakers just realized there’s nothing they can do here. The reality is the Nuggets are just better. Denver has beaten LA 10 consecutive times in every way possible.

Instead of whining about fouls, maybe the Lakers should think about a way to defend Nikola Jokic a bit better. Because they don’t seem to have much of anything for that guy right now.

And Scott Foster ain’t coming to the rescue.

The saddest QB room ever?

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve seen some pretty bad quarterback rooms in my day — especially living here in D.C. and seeing the Commanders up close.

But, man. The Broncos quarterback club might be the saddest one we’ve ever seen when opening weekend rolls around. Christian D’Andrea has more here:

“The most likely situation is either Denver stands pat at No. 12 and adds a passer there, or trades back to address other needs (there are several) and slides to a place where it’s a little more logical to take a non-top-four QB. Either way, the best rookie for which the Broncos can hope is probably either Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr..

Which means their training camp quarterback room would look like this:

Jarrett Stidham (incumbent starter, somehow)

Zach Wilson

Ben Dinucci

Bo Nix/Michael Penix Jr./Rookie QB X

the smoking crater Russell Wilson’s $35.4 million in dead salary cap space left behind

Gross! There are other iffy situations across the league. The New England Patriots currently have Bailey Zappe, Jacoby Brissett and Nathan Rourke under contract. The Washington Commanders have Marcus Mariota, Jake Fromm and Jeff Driskel. The Vikings are desperate enough for competence that they staked a $10 million bet on Sam by-god Darnold.

But each of those teams has the draft assets to at least instill some legitimate hope for 2024 and beyond. The Broncos are in worse shape.”

Jarrett Stidham, the incumbent starter? YUCK. Also, who in the world is Ben DiNucci? Definitely sounds like a created player.

Nobody deserves that. Sorry, Broncos fans.

We need reverse ejections in baseball

Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

That’s what should’ve happened to umpire Hunter Wendelstedt during yesterday’s Yankees game. He ejected Aaron Boone for something he didn’t even do.

Here’s Andrew Joseph on that:

“In the first inning of the Yankees’ game against the A’s, Aaron Boone was evidently upset over a lead-off hit by pitch call. And ironically said something to Wendelstedt just as the ump missed a call in the Yankees’ favor.

Wendelstedt warned Boone to stop chirping and threatened him with an ejection. Boone seemed to take the message and stood at the edge of the dugout steps quietly. Yet, Wendelstedt mistook a fan’s heckling for Boone and ejected the Yankees manager anyway. The scene was absolutely wild.”

Wendelstedt literally admits that he doesn’t care what actually happened and that Boone was being ejected regardless.

That’s malpractice. Major League Baseball needs to step in here.

Quick hits: Anthony Davis is mad, too … Six NFL prospects who may not live up to the hype … and more

— WHEW boy the Lakers are upset. Anthony Davis didn’t have too much to say after Murray’s game-winner. Here’s Charles with more.

— Here’s Christian with more on six NFL draft prospects who may not live up to the hype this fall.

— The Nuggets live moneyline ticket is good money right now. Prince Grimes has more.

— Mark Stone’s goal last night has hockey fans kind of salty. Mary Clarke has more on why here.

— Cory Woodroof has five games that defined Matt Ryan’s Falcons career here.

— Cavs-Magic was somehow blacked out and fans were absolutely livid. Tyler Nettuno has more here.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. Appreciate you. Have a fantastic Tuesday. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

The NBA’s next TV deal potentially including a major streaming service for its biggest games can go so wrong

The streaming wars are taking over sports, and that could include the NBA.

Good Morning, Winners! Happy Earth Day! I hope you’re well on this glorious Monday morning. Welcome back to the Morning Win.

There’s been a ton of NBA playoff action this weekend. Could you imagine having to go to, say, Amazon Prime to check it out? If the NBA has its way, that could potentially be in the cards moving forward.

ESPN and TNT’s exclusive negotiating window for the NBA’s television rights reportedly closes at midnight. If that does happen, a deal between the three sides can still be done. But it also opens the window for other partners to swoop in and woo the biggest basketball league in the world.

That’s what the NBA wants, according to the latest from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.

While the league seems interested in continuing its relationship with TNT and ESPN, it does not seem very interested in granting its two longtime broadcast partners the exclusive rights they had previously.

Particularly, Marchand says, the NBA is ready to get in bed with a streamer of some sort. While negotiations with TNT and ESPN are expected to continue, the league will also reportedly entertain overtures from Amazon, NBC, Netflix and more. The NBA is ready for a slice of that streaming pie, baby.

On one hand, you can’t blame the NBA here. Its contemporaries have all seemed to have varying levels of success playing the streaming game.

The NFL’s exclusive Thursday night window for Amazon has been a hit, with viewership reportedly increasing by 24 percent to almost 12 million viewers on average. The NFL also has the Peacock Playoff games that I thought we all hated. Yet, somehow, the NFL reportedly had 24 million viewers for those games on average.

When you view the NBA’s negotiating tactics here from that lens, it’s easy to see why the league is reportedly interested in streaming big games like conference title showdowns or even the NBA Finals on a streaming service. That’s a valuable platform.

But I think that could be a mistake — especially if those big games were exclusively paywalled like the NFL did with its games.

The NFL makes it look easy, man. It’s king in the sports world. No matter when the games are, where they are or how they’re broadcast, people will watch them. It’s a true “if you build it, they will come” situation.

The NBA doesn’t have that or anything close to that. This is a league that’s building gimmicky tournaments in the middle of its season to not only sell something new to streamers but also keep people interested and invigorated.

Sure, the stakes of, say, the NBA Finals would intrinsically build that interest. I’d buy a Peacock subscription for that in a heartbeat. So would a bunch of other nerds like me.

But what about the casuals who don’t already have one? Would they be as interested? The answer is probably not. It’s just not the same draw. Nobody but the NFL has that.

Streaming the NBA would be fine. In fact, I’d even call it a good thing. Cable isn’t dead, but there’s no question that it’s fading. Streaming options are required for big sports leagues in this day and age.

But access is important. Going streaming exclusive would be a huge mistake. Let’s hope the NBA doesn’t make it.

Golf legends are building at the same time

We had a special weekend in the golf world, folks.

First, Nelly Korda won a record-tying fifth straight tournament on the LPGA tour after winning the Chevron championship over the weekend. She finished two strokes under Maja Stark to win her second career major.

With that win, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2005) as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events. That’s surreal. If you’d asked Korda if she’d be in this moment back in 2022 while recovering from a blood clot that required surgery, she’d probably have said no.

On the other side in the PGA, Scottie Scheffler is building out quite the resume himself.

Scheffler won the RBC Heritage tournament on Monday after a rain delay. His lead was so demonstrative that a bogey on the final hole of the tournament didn’t even matter — he still finished 3-under 68 and held a three-shot victory over the competition.

Scheffler has won four of his last five starts and has taken home a purse of a bit over $16 million in the last 42 days.

I won’t call him Tiger-esque. I refuse to call him Tiger-esque … but it does feel pretty close, doesn’t it?

Golf is in a great place, folks.

Playoff hockey is the most stressful thing ever

Case in point: This goal from the Jets on Sunday night. I still have no idea how this went in. Our Mary Clarke doesn’t, either:

“In the midst of a wild back-and-forth Game 1, Adam Lowry extended the Jets’ lead to 5-3 in the third period after an absolutely bonkers sequence. Lowry’s shot hit both posts and then somehow managed to streak across the goal line just barely as it was spinning wildly in the air.

Originally this sequence was called no-goal on the ice, before replays caught the puck spinning right over the line before pivoting back out again.”

Look at how close this is, y’all. Come on.

I’m sorry, Avalanche homies. That’s a tough one. Especially in a tight game like that one? There were 13 total goals scored last night. Every single one made a difference — maybe none more than that one right there that was just mere inches away from not being a goal at all.

Like I said. Playoff hockey. It’s the most stressful thing in sports.

Quick hits: The underdogs rise up … NFL draft dads … and more

— The underdogs ruled the weekend in the NBA playoffs. Our Prince Grimes has more on that for you.

— There are a ton of NFL draft dads this year that will make you feel old as dirt. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.

— Christian D’Andrea has seven slept-on NFL prospects you should definitely keep an eye on.

— Joe Mazzulla being excited about Jayson Tatum’s hard fall here is so weird...but I like it. Robert Zeglinski has more.

— Damian Lillard didn’t go to Coachella this year and he’s so happy about it. Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with more.

— There’s no way the White Sox should be this bad. This is wild. Andrew Joseph has more.

That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you. Have a fantastic Monday. Let’s do this again tomorrow. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Nike needs to finally give A’ja Wilson a signature shoe or let someone else do it instead

This needs to happen. Now.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you.

Mind if I get a little deep in my sneaker bag this morning?

News of Caitlin Clark’s new signature shoe deal with Nike hit the streets late on Wednesday night. Clark reportedly signed a multi-year, ten-figure signature shoe deal with the Swoosh, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

That’s well deserved. Seeing a rookie get a signature shoe deal is extremely rare, but this was largely expected for Clark. Her popularity is obvious — her Indiana Fever jersey sold out within an hour after she was drafted. Nike is banking on that same fever (pun very much intended) carrying over into the sneaker world.

But, yo. I’m sorry. Where on Earth is A’ja Wilson’s signature shoe?

Look, I don’t mean to railroad this Caitlin Clark news. I’m genuinely happy for her and glad Nike is capitalizing on her popularity.

But A’ja Wilson has been in line for a sneaker for a long time now and it just hasn’t happened yet. It’s getting pretty ridiculous.

The Aces’ superstar has been in the WNBA since 2018. She’s become a two-time WNBA champion, a two-time MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year winner and a five-time All-Star.

Even before that, her stardom bubbled at South Carolina. She actually won a championship there, too. She was also named as a Naismith Award winner and the 2017-18 National Player of the Year.

Off the court, she’s popping. She’s one of the W’s brightest personalities and easily one of the most likable characters in the league. She just made TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list. She’s also now a New York Times best-selling author. She’s done every single GTA side mission at this point.

She’s even proven herself as one of Nike’s most valuable faces. Wilson was the headliner for the brand’s Cosmic Unity sneaker line and she got her own LeBron 21 Player Exclusive model that people reacted well to.

What else must this woman do to get a signature shoe on her feet? No one can say she isn’t marketable or good enough. So what’s the hold-up, then?

That’s what makes the announcement of a Clark signature shoe deal so frustrating. You see just how easily that deal reportedly got done before Clark even played a minute of WNBA basketball. What does it take to make this happen for A’ja?

We genuinely don’t know the answer to that question because Nike hasn’t said much about the situation. As of 9:00 a.m. E.T. this morning, I’ve contacted the brand for comment but have not gotten a response.

Instead of speculating, let’s focus on the facts. When you do that, this doesn’t look great for Nike.

Nike is expanding into women’s basketball again. That’s a good thing — especially as the brand searches for a new face with LeBron James’ retirement looming over everything. It could easily be a WNBA player who takes over that mantle — especially with how quickly the league is growing.

But here’s the problem: The most prominent female faces of Nike basketball are set to be two white women in a league that is 70 percent Black. There go those racial disparities in the WNBA again.

I’m not saying that Nike is doing this on purpose or that there’s some sort of malicious intent here. I’m just saying that Wilson needs a signature shoe, like, yesterday.

And, whatever it takes to make that happen? I hope it happens. Even if that means the shoe doesn’t come from Nike at all.

So long, Coyotes

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This entire Arizona Coyotes saga has been so strange. A move for this team has always felt like it’s been in play, but never actually serious. Until now.

The team is reportedly moving to Salt Lake City and it just all feels so sudden. One day, the move was proposed. The next, the NHL’s Executive Committee approved the deal. Yesterday, the team played its final game in Mullett Arena.

This has all been so strange. Charles Curtis captured the most emotional moments from the game here:

“With the Arizona Coyotes franchise packing up and heading to Utah in Salt Lake City, the NHL team that’s had a long history of struggles in the area, there was one last game in Tempe on Wednesday night. The awesome part is the Coyotes won it, but it was a night filled with poignant moments for fans, players and staffers.”

My heart goes out to you, Coyotes fans. It’s never easy to see a team move. But to have it ripped away like this? That’s tough. Hopefully, hockey will return to Arizona someday soon.

The Jontay Porter fallout

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA is well-deserved. Not only did the dude bet on his own team, but he also influenced his prop bets in a way that violated the game and the intrinsic trust built between the league and its viewership.

That just can’t happen. He couldn’t be allowed to return after that. Our Prince Grimes has more on the situation here with five key takeaways from it all. Adam Silver is a man of his word:

“The first thing to understand here is Porter is done in the NBA. While the official release doesn’t put a time frame on the ban, it’s safe to assume it’s permanent. Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters last week Porter could face a lifetime ban if the accusations against him were confirmed. This is confirmation.”

It’s good the NBA caught this happening. At the very least, this proves its system is working. That’s the good part.

The bad part is that this happened in the first place and that it got as far as it did. Porter placed 13 NBA bets via someone else’s account before getting caught here. This went on for a while.

Hopefully, Porter is a good enough example for this to never happen again.

Quick hits: Speaking of Caitlin Clark jerseys … Another amazing Mike Breen call … and more

— Caitlin Clark’s jersey is going to be on hold for a while, man. Bryan Kalbrosky has more here.

— Mike Breen and free chicken are an amazing combination. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.

— Meghan Hall has more on Tom Brady’s glowing A’ja Wilson tribute in Time Magazine.

— Zion Williamson’s latest injury is so heartbreaking. Prince has more here.

— Charles Barkley and Shaq roasting Kendrick Perkins is the best. Robert Zeglinksi has more.

— Here’s Meg with the eight best moments from Caitlin Clark’s introductory press conference.

Thanks so much for reading TMW today, folks! We appreciate you. Have a fantastic rest of your day. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

If you’re upset about WNBA player salaries, you need to invest in women’s sports

You can’t complain about WNBA salaries if you’re not watching the league

Good morning, Winners! My name is Meghan L. Hall, your resident WNBA and women’s college basketball savant, and I want to discuss something that so many people are talking about right now — WNBA salary.

Let’s talk about how we got here.

The 2024 WNBA Draft was one of the most anticipated draft classes ever because it was loaded with talent and spearheaded by college basketball greats like Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Caitlin Clark. The collision of the WNBA’s growth and the rise of women’s college basketball is spectacularly happening in real time.

Naturally, that puts the WNBA under a microscope. Issues that have plagued the league for many seasons, like salaries, are bubbling up to the surface again. People are learning the league’s inner workings and calling out the elephant in the room: Why aren’t WNBA players making more money?

For example, according to salary data from Sportrac, Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie scale deal will have her make just $338,056 over the next four years. The Aces’ Jackie Young makes a bit more than $250,000 annually in base salary, reportedly the highest annual value on a contract in the league. Some players have earned up to $600,000 through a base salary and other league earnings, according to the WNBA.

Still, other leagues dwarf those raw salary numbers, and folks new to the league are curious about why. Particularly when it comes to the NBA comparison.

To understand that, one must know the league is only 28 years old — well below the 75-plus years its NBA counterpart has been around. It’s been around longer, so it’s seen more investment from outside resources. The NBA has $2.5 billion in media rights deals. The WNBA, comparatively, only has $60 million.

To truly make a fair comparison, you’d have to look at where the NBA was in its 30th year with all of its struggles. Playoff games were taped on a delay. The audience wasn’t there. The league nearly folded because of how unpopular it was and the problems the athletes had. So, why all the fuss about a league so young?

The WNBA’s talent, which so many people have recently discovered, is certainly worth more investment. The league and its owners know things like expansion teams, state-of-the-art practice facilities, and more charted flights are how you sow into the long-term success of its athletes.

But investment can’t just come from the league itself. It comes from TV and media rights deals, partnerships, better negotiations in the next collective bargaining agreement, and detailed storytelling about players. And, just as crucially, it comes from you. Fans consistently watching and showing up to games matters. It shows big-money investors how much people care about this league.

If people want the WNBA to succeed, they have to be ALL IN with their support and show up, like the players and coaches have been doing for decades.

WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison told For The Win in 2023 that the WNBA is “the best-kept secret that is not so secret.” She’s right.

The secret has been out. It’s time for everyone else to join the women’s sports movement.

The Warriors’ Big 3 might be finished

Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors’ season is over after a loss in the 9-10 Play-In Tournament game to the Kings, Mike Sykes writes.

This certainly isn’t how the team envisioned itself finishing, but that happens when you’re not constantly on your A-game in an all-time competitive Western Conference.

This may have been the last hurrah for this Golden State team — particularly with the trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson in particular, who shot a putrid 0-10 from the field against Sacramento, is up for a new contract. It’s not a guarantee he’ll be back.

Curry was asked about the possibility of the Big 3 returning. On one hand, he said, “I can never see myself not playing with those two,” about Green and Thompson. On the other hand, though, he also said, “I just want to win.”

Steph Curry on Draymond/Klay: “I can never see myself not with those two guys.”

Are big changes needed? “I just want to win.” pic.twitter.com/ugRK6e8eeb

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 17, 2024

What should we make of that? I have no idea. We’ll have to wait a few months here to find out.

The Flyers messed it up for everyone

The Flyers ruined SO MANY NIGHTS by pulling their goalie against the Capitals for no reason on Tuesday, Mike Sykes writes.

Charles Curtis has the situation for you here:

“It was the scenario we were all hoping for, mostly for the drama: the Philadelphia Flyers needed to beat the Washington Capitals but ONLY in regulation on Tuesday.

Otherwise, Philly was out, and some of that might open the door for the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins to grab the second Wild Card spot in the East.

Here’s the thing: the Red Wings went to overtime against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday BEFORE the end of the Flyers game, which eliminated Philly on the spot. But John Tortorella and the Flyers didn’t know that. So in a tie game, the scenario we wanted happened — in a tie game, Philly pulled its goalie, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNNECESSARY! — and the Capitals scored to win the contest.”

That’s a tough way to go out, man. I offer condolences to Red Wings, Pens, and Flyers fans.

Quick hits: This INCREDIBLE Kate Martin story … Nurkic stomping on the Warriors’ grave … and more

— Meghan Hall has more on the incredible story of Kate Martin getting drafted by the Aces, as told by TikTok.

— Jusuf Nurkic’s hate for Draymond Green and the Warriors runs deep. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.

— Here’s Christian D’Andrea with the biggest draft needs for all 32 NFL teams.

— Team USA has a 12th man! Kawhi Leonard has reportedly agreed to play. Cory Woodroof has more.

— Here are all the players who will miss out on NBA awards because they missed too many games this year.

— This Lil Yachty meme is the absolute best. Love this.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading TMW today. Appreciate you! Peace. We out.

-Meg & Sykes ✌️

Caitlin Clark and the 2024 WNBA draft class have arrived but the next part is the toughest

Making it in the WNBA is one of the hardest things in sports.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you taking the time.

Hopefully, you watched the WNBA draft last night! That felt like a real watershed moment for the league. I don’t know how the ratings will turn out, but everyone on my social feeds was tapped into it.

Caitlin Clark was the night’s big draw, but folks were also there to see where Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson and more would go. The names we know all now have homes in the WNBA.

But I’ve got to be honest, folks. I know some of us are new to the league. And I’m so glad you’re still watching. But for some of those names? I wouldn’t get too attached.

There’s a solid chance some players you heard getting their names called on Monday night might not be on those same teams by the end of the season.

Making it in the WNBA is hard. Just look at the 2021 draft class — four of the top five picks from that class were cut by the teams that drafted them within two seasons. That’s how it goes.

It’s a numbers game. There are only 12 teams in the league and 12 available roster spots per team. That’s 144 players without a ton of churn. Making room for 36 more players yearly is a tough proposition — especially when there’s no developmental space like the G League to place them.

This is why expansion matters so much for this league. More teams mean more roster spots. More roster spots mean more space for talent. The W is working on it — Cathy Engelbert said she expects the league to have 16 teams by 2028.

In the meantime, though, rookies remain at a disadvantage. It’s not that they’re not good — they just don’t know the tricks of the trade like the W’s vets do. They’ve been there already. They’ve done the work. The rookies still have a lot of heavy lifting to do.

This is why folks like Diana Taurasi scoff at the idea of a rookie dominating the league. The truth is, if Indiana wanted to (and this will absolutely never happen), it could cut Caitlin Clark in a month with no repercussions.

Best of luck to every single one of those ladies who heard their names called last night. They’ll need every bit of it over these next few years.

A wild finish on the ice

Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

We’re just a few days away from the start of the NHL playoffs and almost everything is settled…except the Eastern Conference race for the wild card. The landscape has changed a bit from a week ago.

You’ve got two spots available for four teams: The Washington Capitals (89 points), Detroit Red Wings (89 points), Pittsburgh Penguins (88 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (87 points).

The Capitals are in a “win and you’re in” situation on Tuesday night with the Flyers on schedule for their season’s final game.
A Washington win would give the Caps 91 points on the year and the top wild-card spot in the East since the team owns the tiebreaker over the Red Wings.
A Flyers win would give the Flyers, Caps and Red Wings 89 points on the year with the Flyers in pole position through tiebreakers.
Pittsburgh would have to beat the Islanders on Wednesday to get 90 points and become the conference’s top wild-card team.

It’s chaotic. It’s a mess. It’s playoff hockey. You love to see it.

One way the NBA In-Season tournament worked

Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Debates on whether the NBA should’ve considered the NBA In-Season Tournament a success or failure raged on in the middle of December when we had nothing else to talk about.

It was the classic NBA ratings talk. Were people watching the games more because of the tournament? Sure. But was the impact large enough for the NBA to tout it as a huge win? Probably not.

However, the league did make some gains in another area because of the tournament: in-person attendance. The NBA released numbers on game attendance this year and set sellout records for the second consecutive year.

“The total attendance of 22,538,518 in the 2023-24 regular season surpasses the previous record of 22,234,502 set last season. The other records include 873 sellouts (up from the previous record 791 in 2022-23), 71% of games sold out (up from 63% in 2022-23) and an average attendance of 18,324 (up from 18,077 in 2022-23). Additionally, NBA arenas were filled to an all-time-high 98% capacity.”

It’s hard to get people to come to games between the improving at-home experience and expensive ticket prices. The NBA getting these numbers is impressive.

Does it mean the In-Season Tournament is a no-brainer win? No. But it is a good sign that shows people are still interested in NBA basketball.

Quick hits: Nikola GOAT-ic … The Knicks made The Sopranos wack … and more

— Robert Zeglinksi has Nikola Jokic at the top of his MVP ladder again. A third MVP would put him in some pretty rare air.

— The Knicks making The Sopranos uncool is such a Knicks thing. Here’s Christian D’Andrea with more.

— What a fun Caitlin Clark photobomb. Charles Curtis has more.

— Here’s Cory Woodroof on the 11-man roster of Team USA’s men’s hoops squad. We’ve got one roster spot left to give.

— Mitchell Northam has you covered on everything you need to know about the Indiana Fever.

— And here’s Tyler Netunno with the best outfits from the draft.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate it. Let’s do this again tomorrow! Until then. We out. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Rooting for Tiger Woods at The Masters is just simply hoping that he can still do this

Here’s to Tiger Woods just giving it his best shot.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for tapping in with us today. We appreciate you here.

It’s about that time, people. The tradition, unlike any other, has returned. The Masters is back and Tiger Woods is in it again. He’s been a fixture in this tournament for so much of our lives. For most of it, we’ve expected him to dominate.

Sure, he’s old. But he’s still Tiger Woods. And he told us, “If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.”

He’s earned having that mentality with his long history of dominance on this course. Of course, Woods believes that. Why shouldn’t he? This is the same guy who Augusta altered its course for back in 1997. I’m always going to give that guy the benefit of the doubt. Plus, we’ve seen what it looks like when everything comes together for him. Just go back and watch clips from his incredible 2019 run at The Masters that still feels so improbable today.

But we’ve got to be realistic. As much as we want to believe in this guy, rooting for Tiger Woods at The Masters in 2024 is simply hoping he can complete the course these days.

While that 2019 Masters run does exist, it feels like centuries ago. When you look at Woods’ recent history, things aren’t so rosy.

He withdrew from the Genisis Invitational earlier this year because of an illness. Last year, he withdrew from The Masters after making the cut for a record-tying 22nd time because of plantar fasciitis. After all his body has been through over the years, it isn’t cooperating anymore. It can’t operate like this for long stretches.

That’s why Woods simply making the cut would be an accomplishment. A good 36 holes from Tiger would be great. If he can finish the tournament? Whew, boy. We’re cooking with gas there.

The reality is that this Tiger isn’t that superhuman Tiger we’re all used to—he’s a bit closer to you and me these days. That’s OK. That’s life. That’s what makes him even going for it here so special.

Let’s hope he can give us a few special moments here to cheer for. We don’t know when it’ll be the last one.

Shohei Ohtani is in the clear

Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Shohei Ohtani translator scandal seems to be over, I guess? We all still had questions about Ohtani’s involvement with Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling problems and how his former translator could steal money from right under his nose.

It seems that those questions have been answered. Well, at least they were for federal investigators, anyway.

Mizuhara is reportedly in negotiations with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to theft, according to the New York Times. Ohtani has been cooperating with the federal investigation into the theft and an MLB investigation that seemingly puts him in the clear.

Things are still confusing, though. We don’t have any answers to how on Earth Mizuhara managed to move such massive amounts of money from Ohtani’s accounts without being caught.

Once details of this investigation are revealed, we may get the answers we’re looking for. Until then, we’ll just be confused.

SO. MUCH. CAITLIN. CLARK.

Caitlin Clark hasn’t even been drafted yet and she’s already a huge part of the WNBA’s plans for this season. We’ll see a lot of her on TV this year — more than we’ll see the defending WNBA champs, the Las Vegas Aces.

Meg Hall has more here:

“On Wednesday, they released their television broadcast schedule for the upcoming season, which will have several games shown on networks like ESPN, ABC and CBS but will also spotlight the Indiana Fever with 36 nationally televised games. That’s more than the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (35 games) and the runner-up New York Liberty (31 games). That’s also a 35 percent increase from the 2023 season when the Fever had 22 games on national television.”

I’ve got to be honest, folks. This is ridiculous. To be fair, all of them aren’t on ESPN. Some games will appear on Ion and NBA TV. You can argue that those games might not count. But still, man. This is a lot of Caitlin Clark. It’s easy to see why players like Diana Taurasi will go so hard at her. The league is doing all this for Clark and she hasn’t done anything yet.

Good luck, Caitlin. You’re going to need it this year.

Quick hits: Coyotes on the move? … New Masters tee times … and more

— Here’s Mary Clarke with more on a potential move for the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City.

— Charles Curtis has you updated here on the new tee times for The Masters after a rain delay.

— This morbid joke from Tara Van Derveer on her retirement is so on-brand. Meg Hall has more.

— Prince Grimes has five picks to finish in the top 10 at The Masters here.

— Here’s a hole-by-hole look at the course at Augusta National. This is so beautiful, man. Charles Curtis has the details.

— John Calipari’s blunt assessment of his roster at Arkansas is hilarious. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.

Thanks so much for reading today, folks! Hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Let’s do it again tomorrow. Until then! Peace. We out.

-Sykes ✌️

NBA officiating has reached its all-time weirdest point with the Bucks-Celtics matchup

The NBA’s officiating just keeps getting weirder and weirder this season

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you for rocking with us this morning. Happy Wednesday. I hope your week is going well.

Watching the Celtics and Bucks play last night was…such a weird experience.

Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calf injury threw everything off. Anytime you see a non-contact injury to anyone, your heart sinks into your stomach. There were fears that he’d torn his Achilles during the game, which Milwaukee apparently avoided here. Antetokounpo just has a strained calf, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. What a relief.

But that injury wasn’t what made yesterday’s game so weird. It was the free throws — or a lack thereof.

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference combined for two (!!!) free throws in Tuesday’s game. Boston became the first time in league history to not shoot a free throw during a game, according to Yahoo! Sports’ NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh. Milwaukee only shot two and they came from Antetokounmpo.

The combined total of two free throws in this game is the fewest for two teams since 1983. The previous record for the fewest free throws in a game was 11, set back in 2019 during a Pacers-Magic game, per the Associated Press.

You can explain this away a bit if you try hard enough. Boston is mostly a jump-shooting team — they don’t shoot many free throws per game as is. Milwaukee lost Antetokounmpo, who tends to draw most of the team’s fouls.

One of the major stories in the league has been how officials have essentially swallowed their whistles during the second half of the season. The NBA had a mid-season crackdown on foul hunting in silence, and these are the results.

The result is a scoring crash around the league with shooting foul rates dipping across the NBA. This game seems to be the most extreme example of that.

But there’s something about this that I can’t shake. It’s strange to see two of the league’s premiere teams officiated this way with all the star power on both rosters.

Whether this is a good or bad thing is an interesting question. Of course, the games are quicker and fewer questionable fouls are called. The added physicality gives defenders some much-needed support. We can’t complain about that.

But this shadow protocol to officiate shooting fouls out of the game feels strange. There was no notice and teams had no adjustment period. That’s how we get games like this one where things are a little too unbelievable.

We’ll see how this works in the playoffs. That’s all that matters. Hopefully, it will make for better basketball in the end.

Happy Trails, Tara VanDerveer

One of the most fascinating things to come across my timeline today is this incredible quote from Tara VanDerveer when she left Ohio State for Stanford in 1985 after winning four consecutive Big Ten titles.

She was looking for a challenge.

“It’s probably hard for some people to understand when we’re doing so well, but it was a decision I had to make,” VanDerveer said at the time. “I felt I was becoming very one-dimensional. I feel very comfortable that I will be rewarded both personally and professionally. Stanford doesn’t have near the talent Ohio State has and the competition is not there yet, but I consider this to be the ultimate challenge.”

Ultimate challenge accepted. Ultimate challenge crushed.

After 38 seasons, three championships, 14 Final Four appearances and 15 Pac-12 championships, VanDerveer is finally calling it a career. And what a glorious one it’s been. Her 1,216 wins are the most ever in NCAA basketball history. If there was ever a time to walk away, it’s now.

Congratulations on an incredible career, Tara. Happy trials.

Tiger Woods still believes

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Network

Tiger Woods hasn’t won a major tournament since the 2019 Masters.

Doesn’t matter. If you put him on that green, we’ll all believe he can make something special happen even if we haven’t seen it in a while. It doesn’t matter how old he is. That’s still Tiger freakin’ Woods.

It’s good to know Tiger feels the same way. Charles Curtis has more on that.

Tiger Woods has been through so many struggles at Augusta and beyond in the last year with his health.

But once again, he believes in himself, which makes sense. He’s Tiger Woods. That competitive streak is always going to be there.

The thing is: he’s being honest about his chances given all those injuries and aches. When asked if he could win on Tuesday while meeting with reporters, he had this to say: “If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.”

Would a lot have to go right? Absolutely. But it’s Tiger. I won’t stop believing until it’s time to stop believing. He won’t, either. I suggest you do the same.

Quick hits: Diana Taurasi’s beef with Caitlin Clark … The best 30-and-over players in the NFL … and more

— We’ve got an explainer cooked up on the beef Diana Taurasi has with Caitlin Clark. This is an interesting one.

— Christian D’Andrea and Robert Zeglinski cooked up a list of the best 30-and-over players in the NFL at each position. Yes, Dak Prescott is included.

— Here are five sleeper picks from our Prince Grimes to win The Masters this year.

— Haven’t seen the latest Mel Kiper mock draft at ESPN? No worries. Charles Curtis has you covered here.

— Blake Schuster has five good bets to miss the cut at The Masters.

— Victor Wembanyama just continues to be a walking video game. Cory Woodroof has more.

Thanks so much for reading, folks. Appreciate you taking the time. We’ll be right back at it again tomorrow. Talk soon. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Indiana State winning the NIT could prove how dumb the men’s NCAA tournament committee was

Let’s go Sycamores!

Happy Thursday, friends! There’s college basketball on Thursday before we get the women’s and men’s Final Four and championship games in the next few days.

It’s … the men’s NIT final?

Now, normally I wouldn’t be so amped up about the NIT (I’m the casualest of casuals in college hoops who only pays attention in March!). But Indiana State is marching in to the final against Seton Hall on Thursday night, and that means we get to watch the bespectacled Robbie Avila cook. Dude is really good at basketball.

It’s also a chance for some kind of redemption. The Sycamores should have been in the men’s NCAA tournament this year but were completely snubbed by the selection committee. Instead, we got Virginia somehow making it and a First Four one-and-done appearance that had everyone wishing Indiana State made it instead.

So I’m hoping that Avila and the Sycamores win to prove that we all missed out on March Madness greatness.

Malachi Flynn scored 50 points?! Malachi Flynn scored 50 points!

Scoring in the NBA is nuts this year, but here’s the best story: Malachi Flynn was traded twice this year (to the Knicks, then to the Pistons) and had a previous career-high of 27 points.

On Thursday, he EXPLODED for 50. And our Bryan Kalbrosky has a fact about that:

Even crazier, though, is that Flynn entered the game with the lowest scoring average from someone with a 50-point game.

Flynn averaged just 5.2 points per game before this random scoring outburst.

While the Pistons are having a dreadful season, it was amazing that the guard was given a chance to prove that this is something that he is capable of on the court.

No matter what happens during the rest of his basketball career, Flynn will always have the 50-point game associated with his name. It just goes to show that anyone can get hot on any given night if they get the right opportunity.

Amazing.

The Stefon Diggs drama finally ends

It’s always amazing to me when NFL players send cryptic tweets and everyone goes wild about it and then nothing happens for a bit … and then SOMETHING happens.

That’s Stefon Diggs, but for what feels like a while. There were cryptic tweets, including one a few weeks ago and another just hours before he was dealt from the Buffalo Bills to the Houston Texans. WOW! Here’s a look at some of the stuff we wrote about it:

Trade grades!
So much reaction!
The fantasy football winners and losers
The 6 biggest beneficiaries
Christian D’Andrea broke down the “big, dumb mess” in Buffalo and what the value of a rookie QB contract is in Houston.

Quick hits: Angel Reese is going pro … Travis Kelce is going to the Eras Tour again … and more

— Angel Reese declared for the WNBA draft, which is awesome. Kim Mulkey said goodbye on Instagram.

— Travis Kelce confirmed he’ll go see some of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Europe. Here’s how their schedules line up.

— Shohei Ohtani hit his first Dodgers dinger but didn’t have to pay much to a fan for the ball.

— Here’s everything we know about the proposed college football super league.