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Rick Pitino’s cruel rant shows he still somehow has no shame after all these years

I would say Rick Pitino should be better but I don’t know if he can

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.

Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us at For the Win today. We greatly appreciate your time.

That’s something Rick Pitino has probably never said to his players. He doesn’t seem to appreciate much of anything they do at St. John’s.

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the rant Pitino went on about his team after their latest loss to Seton Hall. He publicly undressed his entire squad and its problems in front of cameras for the world to hear.

He called this job the “most unenjoyable experience” of his life. Honestly, is he sure about that? Because I can surely think of more than a few Pitino circumstances that seem like they might’ve been a bit more unenjoyable than coaching at St. John’s. I mean, that’s why he’s there in the first place, right?

Look, I get the frustration. St. John’s isn’t very good. The team is 2-8 in its last 10 games. But this isn’t just frustration — it’s bullying. It’s Rick Pitino using his power as a head coach to make his players feel as small as possible. He groaned on and on about how his players are “slow laterally” and “physically weak.” Those aren’t critiques — those are insults.

Plus, I’m sorry, but did I miss the part where somebody was holding him hostage and forcing him to coach this team? Everybody and everything suck so bad! …but he won’t leave.

Of course he won’t. There’s no cushy buyout and a clear path to a bigger job he can leech off of at the end of the road. He may never coach again if he does that because the sad reality is he just might not be good enough anymore. His best days as a head coach might be in the rearview mirror.

Ah, yes. There it is. The personal accountability Rick Pitino is terrified of taking here.

What he didn’t let us know in that rant is that these are all his players. This is the team that he orchestrated. This squad added 12 new players this offseason. This is the team he wanted. If they’re so bad and slow and weak, that’s on him.

As the head coach, it’s your job to get your players to play their best ball. It’s your job to make sure they’re able to sustain the 12-point lead they built. It’s your job to get your house in order after your team loses eight of the last 10 games. That’s why you’re paid what you’re paid.

Taking out your shortcomings on your unpaid “amateur” workforce while you literally make millions to fail is feckless. Period.

Be better, Rick Pitino. If you have it in you.

This is what being an adult looks like

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark makes a heart gesture after the team's NCAA college basketball game against Michigan, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. Clark broke the NCAA women's career scoring record. — (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)

Rick Pitino could probably learn a thing or two at his big age from Sheryl Swoopes here.

Remember the whole Caitlin Clark thing where Swoopes got some numbers wrong? She called the Iowa star and apologized for it. Meghan Hall has more here.

“It’s been a whirlwind month regarding the alleged beef between Sheryl Swoopes and Caitlin Clark. Fans have been in a frenzy since Swoopes said that she didn’t think Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark would make an immediate impact in the WNBA and implied that Clark’s previous pace to break Kelsey Plum’s NCAA scoring record was seemingly unimpressive. Those comments ignited hoops fans and even led to the team’s social media account getting involved. Then, things quickly escalated to “Don’t Be a Sheryl” and “Be a Sheryl” shirts flooding the internet. It was A LOT.

However, per Chantel Jennings of The Athletic, Swoopes recently revealed during a Baylor-Texas Tech broadcast that she had a conversation with Angel Reese via phone, and she also reached out to Clark to clear the air.”

Swoopes left out the glorious details here but, long story short, she apologized and told her that she respected her game. And I’m sure that means a lot to Clark, considering that Swoopes is a basketball legend.

It’s great to see the air cleared between these two.

The Nationals are not for sale

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

If you were in the market to purchase a baseball team, it sounds like you should take Washington off of your radar. The Nationals are not for sale anymore. At least, that’s what Mark Lerner is telling the Washington Post.

Add this latest announcement to the list of confounding moves the Nationals have made since winning a World Series in 2019.

Since then, the team has:

— Shed a ton of salary by letting its stars walk in free agency or via trade

— Announced that the Lerner family would be looking to sell the team

— And now the family has completely backed away from the idea of a sale

The Lerners are unpredictable. It’s hard to know what the future of this team holds or when it’ll even be competitive again.

The rebuild is moving along according to plan with Washington completely rebuilding its farm system. Ownership just has to be willing to spend again. Maybe, now that the Lerners are fully committed to the Nationals again, they will.

Don’t hold your breath on that, though.

Quick hits: Behold! MLB’s new awful jerseys … The 102 best NFL free agents … and more

— Andrew Joseph has a look at all of the Nike-Fanatics MLB jerseys for this season.

— Christian D’Andrea has a list of the 102 best NFL free agents this offseason. Yes. One hundred and two.

— Skylar Diggins-Smith finally revealed exactly why she moved on from the Phoenix Mercury. Meghan Hall has more here.

— Prince Grimes says you should buy low on Jayson Tatum’s MVP odds. This is a good bet.

— Man. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic’s friendship is the absolute best. Here’s Meghan with more.

— William Byron’s big finish at the Daytona 500 had fans on tilt. Here’s Nick Schwartz with more.

Thanks so much for reading, folks! We appreciate you. We’ll be back again with more tomorrow. Until then! Peace!

-Sykes ✌️

I can’t stop thinking about Kansas City after the tragic Chiefs parade shooting

This tragedy is so cruel.

Good morning, Winners. Thanks so much for reading TMW today and being with us. We appreciate your time.

With this newsletter, my normal focus is on bringing joy through the lens of sports to your inbox. That’s a hard task today considering the circumstances of what went down in the sports world on Wednesday.

We were all robbed of the joy that sports can bring when someone decided to open fire at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade. There were at least 21 people wounded. One person was killed. I’m sure every single person in attendance was scarred for life.

That’s the part I can’t stop thinking about — the pain and anguish so many of those people must still be feeling today.

Folks pulled up to that parade rightfully thinking that they’d just be there to celebrate a momentous accomplishment done by their favorite team. They were there for joy. Posterity. Because they wanted to feel like they were a part of something bigger. Something that was supposed to be a simple, good time. This was something they’d be able to tell their kids’ kids about.

Instead, some of them were left to wonder if their friends were OK after dodging bullets. Men, women, children, babies. Bullets have no discretion. Nobody was safe. Everyone took cover. For some, taking cover didn’t work.

Here’s the sick part: Those folks might be considered a bit more fortunate than others, given the circumstances. The friends of the 21 wounded probably went to bed unable to sleep because they couldn’t stop wondering if their loved ones would make it through the night.

For one the woman who was killed, local radio DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan? Her two children just lost their mother. Her brother lost a sister. Her family will never be able to hug her again. They won’t be able to share a meal with her or just tell her how their day went. They’ll never watch movies together again or listen to music. They’ll never get the chance to tell her how much they love her again.

It makes my blood boil just thinking about it. How could someone be so selfish? How can people be so cruel? To steal a life is to steal someone’s joy. Their hopes and dreams are just gone in an instant for no good reason. It just doesn’t add up. It never will. But it happens far too often in this country.

I’m 31 years old and, thankfully, I still talk to my mother every day. We don’t talk about much. It’s just shooting the breeze, you know? But every single time I tell her I’m going somewhere — it could be somewhere as simple as the grocery store — she’ll say to me, “Please be careful, son.” She’s been saying that to me for as long as I can remember.

It always confused me. “I’ll be OK just like I always am,” or something like it is my usual response because I’m a grown man now. I’ve always been able to take care of myself. I know I’m her child, but I’m not a child anymore.

Today? I get it. I see it. Because, just like me going to pick up some fruit from the market, the folks who were shot today expected to be safe. They expected to have a good time. They expected things to be normal. Lisa Lopez-Galvan expected to go home to her children last night.

Instead, she’s dead, and 21 others are wounded. Nobody expected this. And that’s the point. In this country — in this world — you just never know. It shouldn’t be this way. But our reality is it is.

So tell your people you love them today.

Steve Wilks deserved better

In case you missed it in all the chaos yesterday, the 49ers fired their defensive coordinator after his unit held Patrick Mahomes to just 19 points in regulation during the Super Bowl. Christian D’Andrea broke down the Steve Wilks firing.

It feels like Wilks being scapegoated here. Here’s Christian with more:

“Wilks may not have been the solution for which Shanahan asked, but he wasn’t the problem either. He continued his streak of player development, leaning into San Francisco’s strengths to bring the absolute best out of guys like Ward, Lenoir and free agent arrival Javon Hargrave. He authored a bend-don’t-break defense that covered its biggest weakness (consistent stops against the run) only for new ones to bubble to the surface at the worst possible time.

The 49ers couldn’t fire the head coach who is 35-16 over the last three regular seasons and has made it to the NFC title game or further four of the last five years. But they could push Wilks onto Shanahan’s sword after just a year of service. That’s the price of success; a symptom of complacency that sweeps away “good” in a possibly futile effort to be ‘great.’,”

What a tough way to go out. Wilks will land on his feet somewhere at some point. But, man, I can’t help but feel like he deserved another shot in San Francisco.

The Lakers should’ve traded LeBron

That’s according to our Prince Grimes. He put together a pretty compelling case for it in Layup Lines on Wednesday.

“If any other team had been as mediocre as the Lakers have been for so long, people would have been calling for them to either swing big or blow it up a long time ago. But because James is one of the greatest players ever, the Lakers are allowed to continue making marginal changes around him and Davis, moves that have largely failed outside of the trades that sparked last year’s unexpected run to the conference finals (where they got swept).

The next logical step is to assess whether it’s time to start a rebuild. Sit down with James, have a conversation about where this thing is realistically going, then at least consider what a trade could look like. Instead, it sounds like the Lakers stuck their head in the sand and let another team do the work of finding out whether he wanted to be there. Nothing about that sounds promising to me.”

Honestly, trading LeBron is tough. He might be the greatest player to ever touch a basketball. Justifying that to your fans is always going to be an uphill battle.

But Prince ain’t wrong here.

Quick hits: Klay Thompson blew it … Dre Greenlaw’s devastating injury … and more

— Prince has more on Klay Thompson’s mystifying foul that stifled a Warriors comeback. This made no sense, man.

— Mic’d up sound shows how devastating Dre Greenlaw’s injury was for the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Charles Curtis has more.

— Here’s Christian again with his latest NFL mock draft. The Bears are going QB, folks.

— Chris Russo on Taylor Swift is so bad. Here’s Caroline Darney with more.

— Here’s everything we know about the shooting in Kansas City so far from Charles Curtis.

— If you’re looking for a bit of joy from the parade, here are some moments you can cling on to.

Thanks so much for reading TMW today. We’re holding off on the Knicks’ poll results until tomorrow given the circumstances. We’ll talk again then.

We out. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

LeBron James on the Warriors would’ve been the weirdest thing ever

We should be so glad this never happened.

Good morning, Winners! I hope you’re well today. Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win. We’re halfway through another week and it’s almost All-Star weekend! Fun! There’s always something on the sports calendar.

Speaking of always something and the NBA, can you believe that the Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James? I mean, what in the world?

My colleague Charles Curtis has more details and reaction here. To make a long story short, the Warriors called the Lakers about LeBron James after he did all of that virtual huffing and puffing.

The Warriors saw the discord and chose to make a call, ESPN reports. Draymond Green was ready to drive the bus down to LA with Jonathan Kuminga and the requisite salary to get it done, but Rich Paul shut it down. And now, folks, we know why we got that weird statement about James not requesting a trade.

None of this really matters. It’s going to give ESPN some good post-Super Bowl segments and be a good “What if?” scenario we’ll talk about for the next few months. In the end, this is a whole bunch of nothing.

And thank goodness it is. Because, well, can you imagine LeBron James on the Warriors? Teamed up with Steph Curry? Nah, man. That’s nasty work.

After all the battles those two have had? After all the trash fans on both sides have talked? Nah, man. It can’t be that. For those two sides to be united would be like Newman and Seinfeld becoming roommates. Some of you are probably too young to get that reference.

Like, yes, there’s mutual respect there now. I’d even go as far as calling it a friendship. But teammates? That’s a bridge too far, man. People already think the NBA is too friendly. This would be the ultimate “too friendly” friendship.

In the end, it’s not happening. So there’s nothing here to really worry abo…wait. WAIT A MINUTE. YOU SAY LEBRON IS A FREE AGENT THIS SUMMER? AND THE WARRIORS HAVE LOTS OF SALARIES TO TRADE?!? WAIT … HOLD ON! PLEASE.

NOOOOOOOOOO. *transmission ends*

The pieces of the CFP puzzle are coming together … and they’re expensive

As the days go by we’re starting to learn more and more what this new 12-team College Football Playoff is going to look like and where it’s going to be.

ESPN just agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion deal (yes! with a B!) to broadcast the College Football Playoff through the 2031-32 season, The Athletic reports. ESPN will pay around $1.3 billion annually for those rights.

That’s…really expensive. You could buy pretty much every NFL team outside of the Dallas Cowboys with that much money.

Hey, NCAA, please pay the players.

The other pressing matter with the new CFP is the format. A proposed 5+7 format featuring the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked at-large teams is expected to be voted on by the CFP’s board of managers on February 20, ESPN’s Heather Dinich reports.

The decision has to be unanimous, though. And the Pac-12 is holding things up. Here’s why:

— The 5+7 format works for the Pac-12 considering it can’t get a conference champion bid right now because, well, it’s technically not a conference since it only has two teams. Seven at-large spots give Oregon State or Washington State a better chance at making the CFP.

— But the Pac-12 also wants to ensure that it continues to have this same revenue share in the CFP that it’s always had as the Pac-12 tries to rebuild itself over the next two years.

I’m not sure what the revenue share in the new contract will be, but it feels like a certainty that we’re looking at a 5+7 model for the new CFP. And the most notable thing here is that it’ll be worth billions.

Once again, NCAA, I ask that you please PAY. THE. PLAYERS.

Congrats, Shaq!

The Orlando Magic finally retired a jersey. Congratulations to Shaquille O’Neal. He was in the building as the Magic hung his jersey in the rafters on Tuesday.

celebrating a legend

#32 ♾️ pic.twitter.com/vdwlKKATyI

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 14, 2024

Shaq now has his jersey retired with three franchises: The Magic, the Heat and the Lakers. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Pete Maravich have that same honor.

This was dope to see. Salute to the Magic for getting it done.

Quick hits: Why PrizePicks is paused in New York … SO. MANY. QBs. … And more

— Prince Grimes has the skinny on why PrizePicks is paused in New York. Long story short, there’s a ton of money involved.

— Charles Curtis has Field Yates’ first ESPN NFL mock draft here and there are so many QBs going in the first round.

— Even the Super Bowl referees knew Mahomes was going to win if you gave him the ball back. This is hilarious.

— Could Brandon Aiyuk be on the move? Maybe. He was nice about it though. Robert Zeglinski has more.

— Finally, someone coming to Kyle Shanahan’s defense. Here’s Robert again.

— Here’s Meg Hall on Mecole Hardman getting the game ball from the Super Bowl. Good for him, man.

That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. Tap in again tomorrow for more TMW. We’ve got results for the Knicks poll coming to you! Peace. We out.

-Sykes ✌️

Respectfully, Patrick Mahomes is the greatest quarterback of all time

Just call him Patrick MaGOAT from now on.

Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today! We appreciate you for being here. Especially after that Super Bowl. What a game, huh?

Alright. Enough with the chit-chat. I’ll get to it because I’m certain some of you are blowing a gasket right now after reading that headline. You’re not reading it incorrectly.

I believe that Patrick Mahomes is the greatest quarterback any of us have ever seen. Before you hit me with a “well, actually” — probably with some, uh, let’s just call them choice words attached — just hear me out.

I can understand why someone would disagree here. I’ve heard all the arguments before. He’s only been in the league for seven years. He’s already lost a Super Bowl to Tom Brady and Brady’s got seven. Joe Montana’s got four. Mahomes only has three. He’s still got a long way to go before then. I get it.

But there are two things I would say to you in response that may or may not shift your opinion on this.

The first is that he’s got plenty of time here. Just like Brady, he’s already won three Super Bowls by the time he’s 28 years old. But, unlike Brady, I would argue that Mahomes has legitimately been the catalyst for his team winning all three of his first championships.

Obviously, football is a team sport. Mahomes isn’t the only player contributing to these Chiefs’ Super Bowl wins. But there’s a reason he has three Super Bowl MVPs to Brady’s two in that same spam. His playoff numbers so far also dwarf Brady’s. He’s been more impactful while being just as steady a hand at QB. Mahomes has 41 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards to Brady’s 20 touchdowns and 3,217 yards. Part of that is era, obviously, but 41 touchdowns are still 41 touchdowns. There’s no denying that.

There’s no reason to think Mahomes and the Chiefs won’t keep this pace up, either. He’s been to the AFC title game every single year of his career. He’s also been to four Super Bowls where he’s now won three of them. And you can argue that he just went back-to-back with the most flawed team he’s ever played on. There’s a world where things only get better from here. I think we’re living in it.

That’s the first point. I didn’t forget about the second. And that’s this: Sometimes, you just know it when you see it, right?

You can just see greatness when it lines up in front of you. That’s how it felt watching Tiger Woods play golf in his prime. It’s like, yeah, I’ve seen a lot of good. I know what great looks like. But I’ve never seen anything like that.

That’s what it feels like to watch Mahomes to me.

Rattle off whatever Super Bowl numbers you want. You can yell at me until you’re blue in the face about ring count and head-to-head matchups.

But, setting that reductive math aside, every season that I’ve watched Mahomes I’ve seen him do things no other quarterback could dream of. If you took all of the best traits from some of the most remarkable quarterbacks in NFL history and put them into one person, that person would be Mahomes. He’s a created player. It’s literally like he’s out there playing Madden sometimes.

His arm is a rocket launcher that somehow shoots darts at balloons. His mind is like a supercomputer — he already processes the game just like his predecessors and he’s only 28. He can also make plays with his legs that most of them never could.

Look, I’m not saying that you have to agree with me. I’m not even saying that those other guys don’t still have a claim here. You’re free to have your own opinion about this. But the reality is I’m just beating you to the punch here.

Sooner or later, you’ll come around. The wins will keep stacking up. The trophies will keep going to Kansas City. And, eventually, Mahomes will win you over, too. Because that’s what he does, man. He wins.

Patrick Mahomes is inevitable.

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The 49ers fumbled — again

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

All eyes are on Kyle Shanahan today with the 49ers blowing a double-digit lead in the Super Bowl again to Mahomes and the Chiefs.

I don’t think a lot of this loss was on Shanahan. He called a good game. His players’ execution was lacking. A muffed punt turned the game around. Missed blocks at the line of scrimmage cost San Francisco touchdowns. That’s not on the coach.

But the decision to receive the ball in overtime? That is on Shanahan. And, ultimately, it cost the 49ers, writes our Prince Grimes.

“Under the NFL’s new playoff overtime rules, both teams get a chance to possess the ball regardless of whether the first team scores — a rule inspired by the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. The new rules give the kicking team an advantage because they know exactly what they need to do in order to win or extend the game once they get the ball. By taking the ball first, Shanahan robbed his team of that advantage. How the extra period unfolded perfectly demonstrated that.

…

Shanahan said he chose to receive because it would have allowed San Francisco the first crack on offense once the game went to sudden-death after both teams possessed the ball. But this was simply an offensive mastermind outsmarting himself yet again. He put the cart before the horse. He was worried about the future without taking care of the present. The decision didn’t trump all the other things San Francisco did (or didn’t do) to cost themselves the game, but it’ll be the mistake we remember the most.”

It was clear the 49ers didn’t have a great understanding of how overtime works in the playoffs. The players have admitted as much. That lack of preparation there cost San Francisco in the end and it makes Shanahan look like a much worse coach today than he should.

Ultimately, I don’t think this should lead to any “hot seat” talk. But, man, that’s not a good look.

Usher did that

Listen, as fun as the game was, I won’t lie to y’all — the halftime show might’ve been my favorite part of the night.

Hearing Usher play hit after hit from the last 30 years gave me life when the game, itself, wasn’t providing any. Our Bryan Kalbrosky did a quick halftime review of Usher’s performance:

“The incredible musician, who arrived at the Super Bowl while seemingly wearing a blanket, had a tough act to follow after a delightful performance from Rihanna last season.

But we are talking about Usher, who took over Las Vegas long before he was tasked with performing at the Super Bowl. Remember, there is a reason why GQ called him the new king of Vegas.

This was a fantastic all-around performance from Usher, who kept the energy high at Allegiant Stadium after an uneventful first half between the 49ers and the Chiefs.”

Sixteen songs in one performance, man. That dude is a legend. Watch the entire thing here if you missed it.

Quick hits: Our first NFL Power Rankings … Taylor and Travis have their moment … and more

— Christian D’Andrea and Robert Zeglinski already have their final power ranking of the NFL season out. See where everyone lines up after the Chiefs here.

— Mics caught sound of this adorable moment between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after the Chiefs’ win. Caroline Darney has more.

— Here’s Robert on the 49ers potentially becoming one of the best teams to never win a Super Bowl.

— Here’s Christian on the four things the Chiefs did to stifle the 49ers on their way to another Super Bowl. Impressive stuff, man.

— Tony Romo has to learn when to let a moment breathe, man. Sheesh. Here’s Charles Curtis on that.

— Meghan Hall was tapped into the Nickelodeon broadcast for the Super Bowl and, BOY, it seems like it was a great time.

That’s all, folks! Happy Super Bowl Monday! Let’s chat again tomorrow. Until then, peace. We out.

-Sykes ✌️

The new ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. sports app is a good idea, but it might create more streaming problems for you

I’m honestly not sure whether those changes are good or bad.

Goooood morning, folks! Welcome back to The Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us this morning. We appreciate you. Hope you’re having a great week.

I’m sure you’ve seen the news about the new upcoming partnership between ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery. If you haven’t, the three companies are partnering together to launch a mega sports streaming app they’ll each own a third of.

The service is going to include the combined inventory of live sports they all have. Yes, that means every league and every sport you love will be on there. NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL. Whatever it is, it’s on this app.

We don’t know how much this will cost or what it’ll be. We just know it’ll be a monster of a sports streaming app. With all of these resources combined, it’s essentially a mini-version of cable.

Our Andrew Joesph summed it up pretty well here:

“So, basically viewers can pay for a subscription to this bundle and access the live sports that the companies are broadcasting. When streaming services started, it seemed inevitable that someone would eventually just make cable all over again and try to present it as something different. That’s what Disney, Fox and WBD appear to be doing here — but for sports only. On top of that, NBC Universal and CBS/Paramount were not included in this partnership of competing media giants.”

Andrew hits the nail on the head there. It’s always felt like, at some point, a cable-like package would come back around and reset things as everybody and their favorite cousin pulled out an individual streaming service. It’s unfeasible to think everyone would pay for each of them individually in perpetuity. We needed a reset. I think this is what that reset looks like.

But at the same time, I’m still concerned about the number of streamers people will be expected to pay for as the rights to live sports continue to get chopped up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Just think about it. Sure, you’ll get your Monday Night Football fix on ESPN via this megastreamer. Your local Fox and CBS games should pop up there, too, considering that those networks are partnered there.

But guess what? You’ll still have to pay for Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football if you want that. And if the NFL leans and makes Peacock a thing like it wants to? That’s an additional two streamers you may need to watch the biggest NFL games of the week.

The NBA is flirting with Amazon for its TV rights, too. Obviously, the league is working with Turner and ESPN now. The presence of this new streamer makes that unlikely to change considering that the powers that be will want to retain it to keep people on their app. But what if Amazon buys the rights to, say, the Play-In Tournament or even the In-Season Tournament? That’s totally in the realm of possibility.

I say all of that to say that while this cable-like subscription package could be good, it doesn’t completely end the streaming wars. All of our favorite things are still fragmented and, as consumers, we’re still being jerked around in the end. And, don’t forget, the only thing we know about this new partnership is that it exists. We don’t know the cost or what subscription levels we’ll need to watch what.

The streaming era is coming to a close. Whatever it’s morphing into next is on its way. All we can do is hope it’s more consumer-friendly than what we’ve got here now.

DraftKings Drama

(Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for DraftKings)

On the other side of the corporate world of sports, there’s quite a bit of drama going on on the betting side.

DraftKings is accusing its now former (???) head of VIP Michael Hermalyn of stealing employees and trade secrets as part of a year-long plot to leave the company for Fanatics.

Prince Grimes has more details here and, as he says, it sounds like something straight out of a movie plot. The company found out what Hermalyn was doing because it tracked him using geolocation data. Yes, it’s that serious.

Here are some of the juiciest details:

“It sounds like the company tracked Hermalyn’s location using the same technology online sportsbooks use to verify bettors are in legal betting territories (or to make sure NFL players aren’t betting at team facilities). And they pinpointed him at Fanatics’ offices during times he said he’d be somewhere else.

No, seriously. DraftKings actually tracked Hermalyn’s whereabouts on Jan. 29 and 30 using geolocation and access account records, after he emailed employees that a friend died and he had to deal with that.

“DraftKings has since learned, through geolocation data and access account records, Hermalyn had in fact traveled to California and visited Fanatics offices in Los Angeles on January 29 and 30,” the lawsuit says.”

You cannot make this up. In fact, I would love to actually see a movie plot based on this.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Hermalyn was also accused of using shady means to try and invalidate his non-compete agreement after leaving for Fanatics and working up millions of dollars from DraftKings in retention payments for him and his subordinates. It’s insane.

Keep in mind that all of this is going down just before the Super Bowl. That’s obviously the biggest day in sports betting and here DraftKings is dealing with this.

Yikes, guys. I don’t really know what else to say.

Changing names

Stadium rights mean absolutely nothing to FIFA if you’re not paying them. Some of the NFL’s teams are finding that out the hard way.

FIFA has changed the names of multiple stadiums around North America as we inch closer to the 2026 World Cup. It’s hilarious because the names are, well, remarkably bland.

Andrew Joesph has more:

“We’re still two years away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. But we’re already seeing the results of a grueling bidding process that cities and NFL owners were willing to go through in order to host these World Cup matches.

That apparently included the temporary changing of stadium names.

While we already knew that NFL owners agreed to install natural grass playing surfaces in time for 2026, they will also adhere to a FIFA policy about stadium branding. Basically, FIFA won’t let non-FIFA sponsors have their branding displayed during matches. And in the case of the U.S. — where corporate naming rights are the norm for stadiums — the venues we know are going to be called something entirely different for the World Cup.

And let me tell ya: FIFA did not put much thought into these temporary names.”

Man. Come on, FIFA. I feel like if you’re giving somebody else’s property a new name, you could at least be a bit more creative with it.

Peep the full names from Andrew here.

Quick hits: An updated NBA All-Star roster … Guests for the Usher Bowl … and more

— Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with the updated All-Star rosters now that Trae Young and Scottie Barnes are in.

— Meghan Hall has 7 guests that Usher might bring out for the Super Bowl Halftime show. I kind of hope he just does it solo, though.

— Speaking of the halftime show, here are the best memes ever from it, by Michelle Martinelli and Charles Curtis.

— This Nikola Jokic profile in the New Yorker was so cool. Here’s more from Robert Zeglinski.

— Patrick Mahomes had the highest praise for Caitlin Clark. That’s pretty cool. Here’s Robert again.

— Kahleah Copper is headed to Phoenix! Meghan Hall has trade grades for you here.

That’s all, folks! Happy Wednesday. We’re almost to the Super Bowl. Let’s get it.

-Sykes ✌️

Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team stinks but it might just change college sports forever

Things might be changing in college sports soon.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to The Morning Win. Thank you all for rocking with us this morning. We appreciate you taking the time today. I hope you’re having an awesome week! The Super Bowl is otw.

Let’s take a step away from the football content for a second to talk about Boston’s regional National Labor Relations Board ruling. An NLRD regional manager ruled that members of Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team were university employees and could vote to form a union, USA TODAY’s Steve Berkowitz reports.

And, just like that, folks, everything in college could change in the blink of an eye.

Details from the board’s 25-page ruling revealed the thinking behind the decision, Berkowitz writes. It said that “because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by” the players and “because the players perform that work in exchange for compensation,” they are school employees under the National Labor Relations Act.

The players say they dedicate more than 40 hours to their sport for the school despite the NCAA only allowing 20. That sort of dedication and requirement denotes some sort of labor in the board’s view.

The 15 players on the men’s basketball team could vote to unionize at any point soon. Only eight members of the team need to vote affirmatively for the players to formally ask to join the Local 560 of Service Employees union, per CBS Sports. And, from there, the school would have to begin cutting checks to its players.

Of course, Dartmouth is appealing. The school announced that decision shortly after the NLRB’s ruling.

Just received the following statement from Dartmouth spokesperson, who confirms the school will be appealing the ruling. pic.twitter.com/Vcw94pjZ9Y

— Amanda Christovich (@achristovichh) February 5, 2024

The battle isn’t over. You’d have to imagine that this is something that could reach the Supreme Court.

But, unlike the 2015 Northwestern Football failed attempt at unionization, this one just feels a little different, doesn’t it?

The landscape of college sports has changed. Name, image and likeness rights are everywhere. There are NIL collectives at schools all across the country essentially doing the work of paying the players for the schools — it’s just not under the table anymore. Attitudes about paying players for their work has changed drastically over the last decade or so.

Plus, Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team has this on their side: The team kind of stinks. Right now, Dartmouth is currently 5-14. It’s not going to the NCAA tournament — the team hasn’t gone to one since 1958. Dartmouth doesn’t have a single player on scholarship. The team doesn’t generate revenue.

Let’s put it like this: Matt Brown, the founder of Extra Points, says Dartmouth is “less of a box office draw than a very good high school basketball game” with less than 700 fans coming to see the team on average last year.

None of that matters to the NLRB. Profitability and popularity have nothing to do with labor, in this case. It’s purely about the labor the players are putting in — not the fruits of it.

With that in mind, this feels like a strong case that could hold up in court for the long run. It’s going to need to because, you can best believe, Dartmouth’s challenge is going to be a strong one.

The Betting Bowl

Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Told you we were going to get back to the football, didn’t I? There’s an unreal amount of money that’s about to be spent on the Super Bowl and it won’t be on party snacks, our Prince Grimes writes.

The American Gaming Association conducted a survey seeing how many folks would be betting on the big game this year and how much money they would spend. The numbers are ridiculous.

Here’s Prince with more:

“According to an AGA survey, 67.8 million American adults are expected to bet on Super Bowl 58 between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, which blows last year’s record total of 50 million out of the water. It’s a 35 percent increase over Super Bowl 57 between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, and the amount of money expected to be bet is more staggering.

Bettors plan to wager $23.1 billion, according to the survey, up from $16 billion in 2023.”

That’s unreal, man. I guess it makes sense considering that the game is in Vegas this year. But still — 67.8 million people? Spending that much money? My goodness, man.

A lot of you probably fall in that window. If so, best of luck. I, for one, am not that brave.

A Father-Son split?

(Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Seeing a father-son duo of LeBron James and Bronny in the NBA would be pretty incredible and make for a nice story. Well, that’s the conventional thinking, anyway. Not everyone believes that.

Austin Rivers actually thinks the two should never be teammates. It’d be a lot of pressure that the kid just doesn’t need.

Rivers is speaking from experience as the coach’s son. Bryan Kalbrosky wrote about it here, saying “Austin said that he was put under a microscope playing for Doc Rivers, who is a one-time NBA champion and one-time Coach of the Year recipient. Yet he still received a lot of criticism (like from Glen Davis) even though the two weren’t very close outside of basketball.”

Rivers pointed out how miserable that experience was for him and how bad it could get for Bronny, too.

“On a different level, Doc is great. LeBron James is the most popular basketball to ever play other than who, maybe Michael Jordan? It would just be a lot, man. I hope for the kid that he is able to not only play in the NBA but play somewhere where he can kind of niche out his own identity. His name is already Bronny. Everything we talk about with him always folds back to his dad and rightfully so. He plays for USC and his dad plays down the street for the Lakers. It’s an insane situation and the way he has handled it, I’m a fan of Bronny. I really. And I hope he goes somewhere else. I really do.”

This might not be what anyone wants to hear, but it’s coming from a place of care and concern. Plus, valid points are being made.

I really, really hope Bronny doesn’t have to go through any of that.

Quick hits: NBA trade rumors are flying … Dan Quinn is off to an awkward start … and more

— Here’s a quick roundup of NBA trade rumors as the trade deadline inches closer and closer to us.

— I can’t believe Dan Quinn is this awkward. Are we sure he’s done this before? Andrew Joseph has more here.

— Meghan Hall has some good words here on the hypocrisy of Michael Porter Jr. on women’s basketball. Shame on that dude for downplaying his peers.

— Patrick Mahomes says he’s not “halfway close” to being as good as Tom Brady. I disagree, but whatever. Cory Woodruff has more for you here.

— Brock Purdy is a good QB, to be sure. But he’s an excellent Spongebob.

—Charles Curtis has who all fans of the other 30 teams in the NFL should be rooting for in the Super Bowl.

-Sykes ✌️

Super Bowl week is finally here and it’s going to be the most chaotic week in sports for 2024

*Pounds the table* Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!

Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today! We all appreciate you taking the time.

Folks. It’s finally here. It’s Super Bowl week. Normally, I’d be pumped. I mean, I still am — don’t get me wrong. This game will be good. But by the end of it all, my brain will morph into a cloud of dust.

This is about to be the most chaotic week in sports, folks.

We’ve got the big game, obviously. It’s the 49ers vs. Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. Again. This is a rematch from four years ago, which always plays well. We love a good narrative, don’t we?

This could be Patrick Mahomes’ third Super Bowl win in seven years, which would be remarkable and trigger GOAT debates that I’m sure we’re all just ready to have. It could also be Kyle Shanahan’s first Super Bowl win and a vindication of one of the most brilliant offensive minds in NFL history.

Did I mention the inevitable Brock Purdy storyline here? We’re definitely getting one of those. Either he’s the greatest quarterback of all time or he sucks. No in-between. Don’t forget about the fact that George Kittle and Travis Kelce are going head-to-head. Those dudes are two of the best tight ends ever.

Oh, and speaking of Travis, will Taylor Swift be at the game? Of course, she’ll be at the game. So we’re going to talk about it.

On top of that, the game is in Vegas. The betting angles are there in full force. The sportsbooks believe this game will set betting records, so we can add that to the laundry list, folks.

Oh, and by the way, this isn’t an NFL thing but did you know the NBA trade deadline is this week? The NBA trade deadline is this week. The timing is just…something else. I’ll have more on that later this week.

I love my job. I love sports. I’ll relish every single moment of this chaos. But just know, while I’m doing it, my brain will also be screaming at me internally, wondering why I’m thinking about which NFL teams should trade for Dejounte Murray. That doesn’t make any sense. Why would an NFL team trade for Dejounte Murray? … But wait, can he catch? He might be a good tight end. Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. But not much will by the time Sunday rolls around.

Just get me to Usher’s halftime show. That’s all I ask.

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Joel Embiid is officially out

And, just like that, the NBA’s MVP race is up in the air again. But, at this point, that’s probably the least of the 76ers worries.

Joel Embiid is officially out after opting to have surgery on a torn meniscus, according to an announcement from the team. There’s no timetable for his return at this point. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Philadelphia believes the window isn’t closed for a return this season, but he’ll be out for a while.

We won’t know how long Embiid will be out until the surgery is completed. Specifically, according to The Athletic, there’s a displaced flap in Embiid’s meniscus. That’s a type o tear. The size of that tear will determine how long Embiid will be out.

Regardless, though, the 76ers are in a tight spot. Philly is in 5th place in the Eastern Conference at 30-18. Things are still tight and a few wins could bounce things back the other way. But without the reigning MVP, the path will be a tough one.

Speaking of Taylor Swift…

Before she steals the Super Bowl she stole another show. She won the Best Pop Vocal Album award at the Grammy’s and then announced that she has another album coming…in April.

Our Caroline Darney has more here.

“Taylor Swift won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, and used her acceptance speech to totally break the internet. The win was the iconic singer’s 13th Grammy, a number that is important to Swift. After referencing that fact, the Eras Tour singer dropped a massive piece of news.

She has a brand new album coming out in April.

The Tortured Poets Department will be Swift’s 11th studio album, and will release April 19. Fans and Swifties were expecting a potential announcement of Swift’s re-recording of Reputation (Taylor’s Version), so this was a stunning surprise to say the least.”

It’s truly the year of Taylor Swift, folks.

Quick hits: Doc Rivers doesn’t want the All-Star game … Victoria Monet is winning … and more

— Doc Rivers is trying to work his way out of the All-Star game. Adrian Griffin should still get to do it. Prince Grimes has more here.

— Victoria Monet, 3-time Grammy winner. Take that, MTV. Meghan Hall has more here.

— Here’s Charles Curtis with another NFL Mock Draft that has J.J. McCarthy going to a surprising spot.

— Michelle Martinelli has a full list of Super Bowl pre-game performers, including Reba!

— Here’s Robert Zeglinski with one trade deadline move that makes sense for each NBA contender.

— Jay-Z calling out the Grammy’s for never giving Beyoncé album of the year feels so vindicating. Cory Woodruff has more.

That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. Have a fantastic week. Hopefully, your brains won’t turn to mush like mine will by the end of it all. Let’s do this again tomorrow. Until then! Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

Charles Barkley says the NBA should help Tony Snell get his family full health care and he’s right

Charles Barkley is spot on. Somebody get Tony Snell a job.

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

Charles Barkley is usually hilarious on Inside the NBA. But, for a second on last night’s show, he took a beat from the usual fun to urge a team in the NBA to sign Tony Snell. It was a pretty cool moment.

You’re probably asking “Why in the world is Charles Barkley pushing for Tony Snell to get a roster spot?” Like the rest of us, Barkley found out earlier this week that Snell actually needs it.

The former first-round pick is currently in the G-League trying to scratch and claw his way back onto somebody’s roster for the rest of the season, Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports writes. He’s not doing it for the glory or the fame or the fortune.

Instead, he’s doing it for his two sons, Karter (3) and Kenzo (2).

Both have both been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Fischer writes. Snell is working to compile his 10th year of service in the NBA so he can get access to the NBPA’s retiree benefits and premium medical plan that would cover his entire family. That’s Snell’s motivation. He needs to be on an active NBA roster by February 9 to get access to the care his family needs.

Like the rest of us, Barkley caught wind of that and was moved by it. He felt so strongly that Snell should get a roster spot that he used his platform on the NBA’s best media property to call on it to happen.

Chuck calls for an NBA team to sign Tony Snell, who is looking to sign with an NBA team by Friday in order to qualify for the players association's retiree benefits.

Snell hopes to qualify for his two children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. pic.twitter.com/Cs3YkuNW83

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 2, 2024

“I’m just saying I hope a team signs him for the rest of the season because I don’t know a lot about autism. I ain’t going to say that. But man, I know it’s got to be expensive to have two young kids with that situation. So I’m hoping the NBA — we always talk about what a family we are. Let’s sign that kid for the rest of the season.”

To Barkley’s point, there are plenty of teams who could do this. Twelve of the 30 teams in the NBA still have at least one open roster spot to stick Tony Snell in until the end of the year, per Spotrac. Two of those teams (the Trail Blazers and Cavaliers) have two spots open.

Plus, it’s not like he wouldn’t be able to contribute to a team. He was hitting 39 percent of his 3-pointers when he last played for New Orleans. At 32 years old, Snell could still potentially be a rotation player and bring value to someone’s team.

Regardless of his value on the court, though, this is a player who needs a bit of help off the court. It’d be nice to see someone reach out and give it to him. You always hear about the NBA being a “brotherhood” or a “fraternity.” Snell was in that for nine and a half long seasons. Now, he needs this.

Make this happen, NBA. Or at least make an exception with his years of service. It shouldn’t take much. Snell is already right there.

Let’s just get him over the finish line in whatever way we can.

Caitlin Clark is chasing history

Caitlin Clark is well on her way to breaking the scoring record for Division I women’s basketball and our Mitchell Northam pinpointed exactly when she’s going to do it.

Kelsey Plum currently holds the record with 3,527 points. Clark is 103 points behind her at 3,424. She just eclipsed Kelsey Mitchell as the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer in Iowa’s win over Northwestern.

“Clark currently trails Plum by 103 points, meaning she would own the record after scoring 104.

This season, Clark is averaging 32.1 points per game, which leads the nation.

Iowa’s next five games are:

Feb. 3 – at Maryland

Feb. 8 – vs. Penn State

Feb. 11 – at Nebraska

Feb. 15 – vs. Michigan

Feb. 22 – at Indiana

If Clark maintains her current scoring pace over these next few games, she should enter the Feb. 15 home game against Michigan about eight points shy of the record.”

Circle your calendars, folks!

The Chiefs have beef with everyone

Including the San Francisco 49ers, apparently. Joey Bosa is already taking shots at Kansas City’s offensive line and the game isn’t even a week away yet.

Here’s more from Cory Woodruff on what Bosa had to say:

“As if a Super Bowl needs any additional fire for either team, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has provided some bulletin-board material for the Kansas City Chiefs.

While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Bosa was asked what he thinks about the Chiefs’ two tackles, Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor, with the latter known for his in-game penalties.

Well, Bosa gave a very blunt, quick answer about his feelings on the Kansas City offensive linemen.

“They hold a lot,” Bosa quipped in response to the question.

If that doesn’t fire up the Chiefs tackles in their upcoming Super Bowl matchup against Bosa, we’re really not sure what will.”

I guess, as Cory said at the top, bulletin-board material isn’t really necessary for either team here. They’re playing for all the marbles. That’s more than enough to get anyone going.

But, man. Bosa sure doesn’t care about giving the Chiefs any extra fuel here, does he? I guess that’s how it goes when you’re as good at your job as he is.

Photo Friday: The calm before the storm

Here’s a look at an empty space outside of Allegiant Stadium in Vegas where the Super Bowl will be played.

Next week, this same space is going to be filled to the brim with people. There won’t be a quiet moment. It’s all going up from here.

Get ready, folks. The Super Bowl is coming.

Quick hits: The NBA All-Star snubs … Missing out on $1.3 million … and more

— The NBA All-Star rosters are here! That means snubs are here, too. Bryan Kalbrosky has you covered with both.

— Speaking of snubs, Domantas Sabonis lost out on a $1.3 million bonus because of his. That’s wild.

— Baker Mayfield hilariously roasted himself at the Pro Bowl for his game-losing interception. Cory has more.

— Joel Embiid is out of the MVP conversation with a meniscus tear. Here’s Mary Clarke with more.f

— Speaking of Mary, here she is again with the NHL All-Star draft roster. This should be fun.

— Ben Fawkes has some good prop bets for Usher’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl. This is the kind of content I crave.

That’s all, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. Have a fantastic weekend. We’ll do this all again on Monday! Until then, peace!

-Sykes ✌️

Why doesn’t anyone want to coach the Washington Commanders?

Maybe the Snyder stink is still on the team?

UPDATE: As it turns out, somebody does want to coach the Commanders! Washington has reportedly hired Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as the Commanders’ new head coach, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

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

The NFL’s coaching cycle is pretty much finished. Everybody has been fired and hired. The lights have turned on. The music is slowing down. Everybody is going home with somebody. Except … the Commanders?

Washington came to the club with a whole new outfit on and money to spend. But, at the end of the night, it still went home alone looking in the mirror asking itself, “Is it me? Am I the problem?”

The most tragic part is the answer might just be: yes!

All of the targets the Commanders seemed to have on the board have chosen to go elsewhere. Raheem Morris went to Atlanta. Mike Macdonald went to Seattle. Bobby Slowik and Ben Johnson just went back home to Houston and Detroit, respectively. The pool is running dry.

And, look, the Commanders certainly have other candidates to consider. Maybe Dan Quinn is still in the picture? Eric Bieniemy is also right there on staff still. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is an option, too.

But, man, it’s just wild that it’s taking this long for newly-minted GM Adam Peters and the organization to land on somebody. This is a team under new ownership with a ton of cap space and the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft with an excellent QB class. It’s hard to understand why this job isn’t one people are jumping at.

Maybe the stink of the Snyder era still isn’t quite off of this team yet. Not to say that Harris, Magic Johnson and their ownership group will be as awful as Snyder was, but maybe the organization still has to prove it.

After all, it hasn’t been a year since the change yet and the Commanders have a reputation for being a sloppily run organization. Maybe that doesn’t just shake off because of a change on the owner’s nameplate. That could be the perception, anyway.

Either way, the Commanders don’t need to rush to make a hire now. Almost everyone else has found their guy. The team just needs to make sure it gets this one right.

Good luck, Washington. You’ve got decades of stink to wash off. It all starts here.

Another draft day?

The NBA is officially expanding the draft to a two-day extravaganza. Well, uh, maybe calling it an extravaganza is a bit too much?

The league is splitting up the two rounds over two days. The first round is on June 26 and the second round will be on June 27. Everyone is going to watch the first round. Only basketball sickos (my kind of people!) will watch the second.

So if nobody is going to watch the second round, then why move it? Our Prince Grimes thinks that that was actually the reason to do it. Here’s more from Layup Lines.

“Well, the length of it all might actually be the point. Last year’s draft was the most-watched draft ever on any network, averaging 3,743,000 viewers across both rounds, according to ESPN. However, the first round averaged 4,928,000 and peaked at 6,085,000, meaning there was a significant drop-off in the second round after viewers likely grew fatigued or disinterested from the hours-long program. According to Sports Media Watch, the second round averaged 1.19 million viewers.

While moving the second round to another day threatens to lose some of that lead-in viewership from the first round, it could also build a new energy and excitement for the round itself and potentially re-capture people who may have otherwise turned away after the first round. Instead of dedicating a whole five hours in one day to the draft, fans only have to dedicate two hours on two separate days.”

I honestly hadn’t thought of it from that angle. That’s interesting. Not only does it allow teams more time to think and make trades in preparation for day two, but it also gives fans a breather. And, yeah, you definitely need it after the marathon that is the first round of the NBA draft.

I swear Adam Silver takes forever to read the picks after they’re in.

More on the mesh

Our Christian D’Andrea is in his bag with this mesh concept feature. Yesterday, part one was all about what mesh concepts were and how unstoppable they’ve become.

Today, part two is all about how to stop them. And it isn’t easy. What’s the answer? Finding a way to rush the QB.

Here’s more from Christian:

“The simplest method to stop a mesh play is to generate pressure using the extra leverage created by that man coverage. While that means leaving gaps in the middle of the field, it can also force bad throws and eliminate secondary reads deep.

It’s also a dangerous one; these routes take roughly a second to unfold, which leaves enough time to make a strike downfield even in the face of a potent blitz. Then, suddenly, there are fewer contingency plans for a stop after the catch — a chunk of your would-be tacklers are now behind the play in the backfield.

The more conservative method is to disguise coverage, leaving offenses to think they’re facing straight up man coverage while freeing a third defensive back or linebacker to identify the mesh point from the second level and jump onto that under route. With a solid four-man rush, you can do both.”

This is such fascinating stuff, man. Christian’s piece is well worth your time. Check it out today.

Quick hits: Lewis Hamilton says ✌️ … Sheryl Swoopes keeps it 💯… and more

— Lewis Hamilton is reportedly OUT at Mercedes and heading to Ferrari. This is shocking, folks. Charles Curtis has more.

— Sheryl Swoopes says Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese won’t dominate the WNBA like they’re dominating college ball and well, yeah, that makes total sense to me. Meghan Hall has more.

— Here’s Mary Clarke with our latest NHL power rankings. It’s not looking good for my Capitals, man.

— Meghan Hall has our WNBA free agency tracker churning. Mystics, please. Do something.

— Here’s Robert Zeglinski with three decisions that sent the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

— The Cheifs really had their way with the Ravens, man. Here’s Cory with more.

That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading TMW today. We appreciate you. Until next time! We out. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

The NBA needs to seriously reconsider its 65-game awards rule after Joel Embiid’s latest injury

But not for the reason you’re thinking.

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

Let’s talk about this 65-game rule in the NBA. Yes, we’re doing this again.

A couple of weeks ago I said Embiid was the only player who could stop him from winning MVP at this point. That remains true today. The only thing that could stop the big man from going back-to-back was him getting injured.

That’s exactly what happened against the Warriors on Tuesday night. Embiid went down late with an injury after Jonathan Kuminga dove for a loose ball and took Embiid’s knee out in the process, which was a terrible play by the Warriors’ forward. I get that you’re trying to win a game and the rule is always the first to the floor gets the ball. But you’ve just got to be more careful than that.

That aside, Embiid didn’t look right the entire game. He fell down while going for a rebound once after not being touched by anyone. He also rolled his ankle, too. It’s clear now that he was never “ducking” anyone, as some on the internet will tell you.

Now, the 76ers are in a bind. Embiid’s latest injury is unrelated to his previous one. We don’t know yet what’s going on with his knee. He’ll have an MRI. We’ll find out soon enough.

But those are the trees. Here’s the forest: The unintended consequences of the NBA’s participation rule are now at the center of two major stories. The league is incentivizing players to get out there and play hurt — even if it might derail their careers.

Joel Embiid did it on Tuesday night against the Warriors in a game that he should never have been in. Tyrese Haliburton has done it, too, this season. And he’s also railed hard against the rule himself, straight up calling it “stupid.”

We’ve got to remember, folks. That rule is tied to awards. But awards aren’t just simply awards in the NBA – they mean money. Players have financial incentives tied to making All-NBA teams, winning MVPs and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Missing out on that All-NBA spot would mean missing out on a $41 million pay bump if you’re Haliburton. For Embiid, missing out on an All-NBA team or an MVP means failing to prove that he’s worth the deal he already has. There’s an incentive to go out there on a bad knee and give it a go just to make sure you hit those thresholds and prove that you’re one of the best players in the league.

And, look, I get it from the NBA’s perspective. Availability is an ability. Being there is valuable. If you can’t play 65 games then you’re probably not an MVP. Maybe you shouldn’t make an All-NBA team.

But voters already parsed that out themselves. It was already rare to see a player who couldn’t play a certain amount of games win any of those awards. The NBA made a hard and fast rule about it so now there’s the constant push for the superstar to get out there.

Do you want to be healthy or do you want the money? You choose.

But now, the NBA is constantly nudging the injured superstar to get back as soon as possible regardless of the consequences. In just half a season, we’ve already seen how wrong that can go.

The O’s sold

The Oriole Bird carries a broom after the Baltimore Orioles defeated the New York Mets 2-0 to sweep their three-game baseball series, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Baltimore. — (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

After 30 long years the Orioles will finally be under new management, the Baltimore Banner reports.

John Angelos agreed to sell the team to an ownership group led by David Rubenstein, the co-founder of the Carlyle Group, Michael Arougheti and Orioles’ legend Cal Ripken for $1.725 billion (!!!!).

Peter Angelos, the 94-year-old patriarch of the family, moved to sell the team with his health deteriorating, the Banner writes.

“Peter Angelos, 94, has owned a majority stake in the Orioles since 1993, but his son, John, has been the designated “control person” due to Peter’s age and declining health. Peter has advanced dementia, according to court documents, but his health status is currently unknown.

According to court documents, Peter Angelos intended for the team to pass to his wife, Georgia, and for her to sell it upon his death so she ‘could enjoy the great wealth they had amassed together.’ He left the decision up to Georgia. A call to her attorney had not been returned as of Tuesday evening.”

This was shocking news, but it’s certainly good news for Orioles fans. It’s good to be weary of private equity in sports, of course, but Rubenstein has ties to Maryland. So does Ripken. It would seem that the new group has every intention of leaving the team in Baltimore, full stop.

O’s fans should be happy today. Let’s just hope this new group is more Steve Cohen and less, well, the rest of the MLB.

Why the mesh concept is so unstoppable

Mesh concepts are so valuable to the NFL’s modern offenses.

You’ve seen them run a million times if you’ve watched any NFL football in your life on Sunday. You’ve likely heard color commentators break them down over and over and over again. It’s essentially the pick-and-roll game of the NFL. So many teams use them. There’s a reason for that: They’re seemingly unstoppable.

Our Christian D’Andrea developed is working on a series explaining exactly what makes them that. You absolutely need to check this out today.

Here’s a bit of a taste:

“That’s the beauty of the mesh concept; it’s timeless in offenses, ranging from the run-heavy early NFL to pass-heavy, air-it-out era in which we’re currently thriving. Simple in its execution and perpetually difficult to stop. It creates space for vital gains while breeding confusion near the line of scrimmage.

The forward pass became a staple of gridiron football in 1906. Mesh wasn’t far behind; the lure of mashing two defenders into each other proved too tempting for even the simplest coaches to pass up.

The mesh concept is easy enough to help inexperienced quarterbacks thrive playing freshman football. It’s difficult enough to stop that you’ll see All-Pros execute it in prime time until the death of the universe.”

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That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading. Tap in with us again tomorrow. Until then! Peace.

-Sykes ✌️