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Rodgers' last dance: In his first public comments since re-signing with the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers said that the upcoming season will be his last in the NFL — an announcement that allows the future Hall of Famer to have the farewell tour his career deserves.
️ Sho-Time is back: After being taken out of the lineup as a precautionary measure in each of his previous three pitching starts, Shohei Ohtani returned to being a true two-way player on Wednesday. The results? He homered on the first pitch of the game and then proceeded to lower his ERA to 0.73 with five scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Padres. Of course.
Montréal win PWHL title: The Montréal Victoire shutout the Ottawa Charge, 4-0, to clinch their first Walter Cup title, giving the PWHL just its second champion after the Minnesota Frost had won the title in each of the league's first two seasons.
All-Rookie Team: Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg headlined the All-Rookie First Team, joined by Hornets guard Kon Kneuppel, 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward.
️ Villa win Europa League: Aston Villa dominated Freiburg, 3-0, to win the Europa League, capturing their first trophy since the 1996 League Cup and giving manager Unai Emery his record fifth title in the competition.
See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports.
(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Oklahoma City — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 points, 9 assists) and the Thunder bounced back to beat the Spurs, 122-113, and even the series on a night that was marred by injuries to Jalen Williams and Dylan Harper.
ICYMI: San Antonio's Stephon Castle threw down the dunk of the playoffs.
(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Denver — The Golden Knights took down the mighty Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, winning 4-2 to hand Colorado its second loss of the postseason.
Worth the wait: Dylan Coghlan opened the scoring with his first goal since 2021, ending a drought that had lasted over 1,600 days.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti (L) and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
Conversations about an SEC/Big Ten breakaway from the NCAA are more real than they've ever been. But given how badly those two leagues have mismanaged self-governance in the NIL era, it's time for the rest of college athletics to call their bluff.
Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports:
As the financial disparity between the haves and have-nots in college athletics grew precipitously over the last 20 years, the SEC and Big Ten threatening to break away from the NCAA has developed into a strain of Stockholm syndrome.
Though nearly every problem in college sports can be traced directly to the largesse of those two leagues and the lack of fiscal restraint that came along with mountains of television money, they largely succeeded in convincing the rest of the NCAA that smaller schools cannot live without their captors.
No matter how many restrictions were taken off the books to accommodate the Big Ten and SEC, no matter how much rule-making autonomy the power conferences were granted, the next crisis always demanded more — or else.
As detailed by colleague Ross Dellenger, the SEC and Big Ten are running this play all over again as schools in those leagues have decided that they can't work within the confines of the de facto salary cap they created through the House v. NCAA settlement.
For the first time, the topic is getting discussed on more than a theoretical level. We should expect administrators in the Big Ten and SEC over the next several months to start putting real thought into what a breakaway would actually look like.
Don't be surprised, however, if the reaction across college sports is different than in the past. Instead of the masses prostrating themselves in front of the Big Ten and SEC to keep their dysfunctional family together under one NCAA umbrella, you're going to hear a lot more people shrugging their shoulders this time and saying, "Good luck."
"I said it three years ago — let them break away," Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard told reporters Monday at a booster event in Des Moines.
"I'd turn it around and say we should break away from them. Let 'em go. But they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball and softball and track when it's just the [34] of you. That's what I think we should do."
Though Pollard is way ahead of his colleagues in terms of saying it so publicly and directly, there has been a noticeable vibe shift in the last six months.
Keep reading.
(Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)
In the ongoing war over prize money at the Grand Slams, French Open participants are prepared to deliver a stinging volley at Roland Garros to emphasize their discontent.
What we're hearing: Players will walk out of their pre-tournament press conferences tomorrow after 15 minutes while shunning additional interviews with media partners, The Guardian reports. The plans are described as a "work-to-rule strategy," meaning the players aren't violating any contractual provisions through their choice of protest.
State of play: The French Open prize pool, at $72.3 million, is up almost 10% this season and nearly 80% over the last five years. That growth represents significant progress and outperforms the other Slams over the same period, but the French prize pool has been and remains smaller than its peers.
The players' gripes reside between the lines:
The target: Players receive 22% of revenues at joint ATP and WTA Masters 1000-level events. They're seeking the same commitment from the Grand Slams. "It's all about respect," said Jannik Sinner earlier this month. "We give much more than we are getting from them."
The grass is greener: Tennis revenue shares pale in comparison to what athletes enjoy in other sports, where strong players' unions collectively bargain to achieve stronger outcomes:
Serve, returned: The nuclear option — a full boycott of competition — was mooted by Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in recent weeks. These protests allow the players to fire the latest shot in an ongoing rally with the Slams while leaving the nuclear button unpressed for the moment.
This story was written by Dylan Dittrich, author of our upcoming Sports Business newsletter. Want in for the launch? Email [email protected] with the subject line "I'm in."
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
No undrafted or international WNBA player has ever won Rookie of the Year. But if early returns are any indication, two players look poised to take a run at ending that drought.
Instant impact: Liberty guard Pauline Astier and Mercury guard Jovana Nogić are burning the nets in their first taste of WNBA action, outperforming virtually every other rookie through the season's first few weeks.
Who's their competition? With the caveat that the season has only just begun, Lynx guard and No. 2 pick Olivia Miles (15.5 pts, 4.3 reb, 5.8 ast) is the only rookie you could reasonably say is playing better than Astier and Nogić. Chicago's Gabriela Jaquez (12.5 pts, 5.8 reb) and Seattle's Flau'jae Johnson (12.3 pts, 5.0 reb) have also played well, and though top pick Azzi Fudd has struggled so far (7.7 ppg), there's plenty of time for her and others to find a groove.
Looking ahead: International talent has transformed the NBA (see: eight straight foreign-born MVPs). Could Astier and Nogić's early success signal that a similar trend may be on its way in the W? That would be a huge boon for a league with a growing number of roster spots to fill, as it will have expanded from 12 to 18 teams between 2024 and 2030.
See them in action: Astier and Nogić both take the court tonight on Prime, with the Liberty hosting the Valkyries (8pm ET) and the Mercury hosting the Sparks (10pm).
(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NBA Playoffs
The Eastern Conference Finals continue tonight at Madison Square Garden (8pm ET, ESPN), where the Knicks will try to take a 2-0 lead and the Cavaliers will try to flush their epic collapse from Game 1.
Hunting Harden: New York aggressively targeted James Harden on Tuesday night, getting him to switch into nine isolations during the fourth quarter and overtime, and scoring an eye-popping 1.9 points per direct action in those instances. How will Cleveland adjust in Game 2?
NHL Playoffs
The Eastern Conference Finals get underway tonight in Raleigh (8pm, TNT), where the top-seeded Hurricanes host the resilient Canadiens in Game 1.
Hope for the Habs: Though Carolina has been a juggernaut in these playoffs (8-0, +14 scoring differential), history gives the edge to Montreal. Since 2000, teams coming off a Game 7 victory are 7-1 in series against teams coming off a sweep.
More to watch:
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
(Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Rays completed their sixth sweep of the season on Wednesday, improving to an MLB-best 33-15 and increasing their lead atop the AL East to four games.
Question: Can you name the other five division leaders without looking at the standings?
Hint: Two are in the same state.
Answer at the bottom.
(St. Louis Cardinals)
The Cardinals have fully embraced the "Tarps Off" movement, dedicating the upper right-field bleachers to fans who bring high energy to the game and, crucially (though not mandatorily), remove their shirts while doing so.
Tarps Off? The movement started during college football games last season, when one fan would make their way to an empty section, take off their shirt, wave it around and start cheering wildly. Others would inevitably join in, creating a section filled with rowdy, shirtless fans. The trend made its way to baseball this spring, and in addition to St. Louis has found a home at games in Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Anaheim.
Trivia answer: Guardians (29-22), Athletics (25-24), Braves (34-16), Brewers (29-18), Dodgers (31-19)
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Continue reading...
HEADLINES
Rodgers' last dance: In his first public comments since re-signing with the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers said that the upcoming season will be his last in the NFL — an announcement that allows the future Hall of Famer to have the farewell tour his career deserves.
️ Sho-Time is back: After being taken out of the lineup as a precautionary measure in each of his previous three pitching starts, Shohei Ohtani returned to being a true two-way player on Wednesday. The results? He homered on the first pitch of the game and then proceeded to lower his ERA to 0.73 with five scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Padres. Of course.Montréal win PWHL title: The Montréal Victoire shutout the Ottawa Charge, 4-0, to clinch their first Walter Cup title, giving the PWHL just its second champion after the Minnesota Frost had won the title in each of the league's first two seasons.
All-Rookie Team: Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg headlined the All-Rookie First Team, joined by Hornets guard Kon Kneuppel, 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe, Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward.
️ Villa win Europa League: Aston Villa dominated Freiburg, 3-0, to win the Europa League, capturing their first trophy since the 1996 League Cup and giving manager Unai Emery his record fifth title in the competition.See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports.
OKC RESPONDS, VEGAS WINS OPENER
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(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Oklahoma City — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 points, 9 assists) and the Thunder bounced back to beat the Spurs, 122-113, and even the series on a night that was marred by injuries to Jalen Williams and Dylan Harper.
ICYMI: San Antonio's Stephon Castle threw down the dunk of the playoffs.
You must be registered for see images attach
(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Denver — The Golden Knights took down the mighty Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, winning 4-2 to hand Colorado its second loss of the postseason.
Worth the wait: Dylan Coghlan opened the scoring with his first goal since 2021, ending a drought that had lasted over 1,600 days.
BREAKING AWAY? GOOD LUCK
You must be registered for see images attach
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti (L) and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
Conversations about an SEC/Big Ten breakaway from the NCAA are more real than they've ever been. But given how badly those two leagues have mismanaged self-governance in the NIL era, it's time for the rest of college athletics to call their bluff.
Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports:
As the financial disparity between the haves and have-nots in college athletics grew precipitously over the last 20 years, the SEC and Big Ten threatening to break away from the NCAA has developed into a strain of Stockholm syndrome.
Though nearly every problem in college sports can be traced directly to the largesse of those two leagues and the lack of fiscal restraint that came along with mountains of television money, they largely succeeded in convincing the rest of the NCAA that smaller schools cannot live without their captors.
No matter how many restrictions were taken off the books to accommodate the Big Ten and SEC, no matter how much rule-making autonomy the power conferences were granted, the next crisis always demanded more — or else.
As detailed by colleague Ross Dellenger, the SEC and Big Ten are running this play all over again as schools in those leagues have decided that they can't work within the confines of the de facto salary cap they created through the House v. NCAA settlement.
For the first time, the topic is getting discussed on more than a theoretical level. We should expect administrators in the Big Ten and SEC over the next several months to start putting real thought into what a breakaway would actually look like.
Don't be surprised, however, if the reaction across college sports is different than in the past. Instead of the masses prostrating themselves in front of the Big Ten and SEC to keep their dysfunctional family together under one NCAA umbrella, you're going to hear a lot more people shrugging their shoulders this time and saying, "Good luck."
"I said it three years ago — let them break away," Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard told reporters Monday at a booster event in Des Moines.
"I'd turn it around and say we should break away from them. Let 'em go. But they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball and softball and track when it's just the [34] of you. That's what I think we should do."
Though Pollard is way ahead of his colleagues in terms of saying it so publicly and directly, there has been a noticeable vibe shift in the last six months.
Keep reading.
PLAYERS PROTEST IN PARIS
You must be registered for see images attach
(Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)
In the ongoing war over prize money at the Grand Slams, French Open participants are prepared to deliver a stinging volley at Roland Garros to emphasize their discontent.
What we're hearing: Players will walk out of their pre-tournament press conferences tomorrow after 15 minutes while shunning additional interviews with media partners, The Guardian reports. The plans are described as a "work-to-rule strategy," meaning the players aren't violating any contractual provisions through their choice of protest.
State of play: The French Open prize pool, at $72.3 million, is up almost 10% this season and nearly 80% over the last five years. That growth represents significant progress and outperforms the other Slams over the same period, but the French prize pool has been and remains smaller than its peers.
The players' gripes reside between the lines:
- They contend that last year's pool increased only 5.4% in a year that saw Roland Garros increase revenue by 14%, reducing their share to 14.3%.
- They expect their share to remain below 15% this year as well. That 15% level is the inspiration for the players' choice to walk out after 15 minutes.
The target: Players receive 22% of revenues at joint ATP and WTA Masters 1000-level events. They're seeking the same commitment from the Grand Slams. "It's all about respect," said Jannik Sinner earlier this month. "We give much more than we are getting from them."
The grass is greener: Tennis revenue shares pale in comparison to what athletes enjoy in other sports, where strong players' unions collectively bargain to achieve stronger outcomes:
- NFL: Minimum of 48%
- NBA: 49-51%
- NHL: 50%
Serve, returned: The nuclear option — a full boycott of competition — was mooted by Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in recent weeks. These protests allow the players to fire the latest shot in an ongoing rally with the Slams while leaving the nuclear button unpressed for the moment.
This story was written by Dylan Dittrich, author of our upcoming Sports Business newsletter. Want in for the launch? Email [email protected] with the subject line "I'm in."
UNDRAFTED TO UNDENIABLE
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(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
No undrafted or international WNBA player has ever won Rookie of the Year. But if early returns are any indication, two players look poised to take a run at ending that drought.
Instant impact: Liberty guard Pauline Astier and Mercury guard Jovana Nogić are burning the nets in their first taste of WNBA action, outperforming virtually every other rookie through the season's first few weeks.
- Astier, a 24-year-old from France who won the EuroLeague title last year with USK Praha, leads all rookies in scoring (16.8 ppg) to go along with 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds. She's filling in for an injured Sabrina Ionescu (ankle), who could make her season debut as soon as tonight, but either way she's proved herself worthy of a rotation spot.
- Nogić, a 28-year-old Serbian, has played across Europe since graduating from Providence in 2019. She's averaging 15.4 points per game on the strength of a lethal three-point shot (51.7% on nearly six attempts per game), and dropped 27 points in a win over the Sky last week, the most ever in a game by an undrafted rookie.
Who's their competition? With the caveat that the season has only just begun, Lynx guard and No. 2 pick Olivia Miles (15.5 pts, 4.3 reb, 5.8 ast) is the only rookie you could reasonably say is playing better than Astier and Nogić. Chicago's Gabriela Jaquez (12.5 pts, 5.8 reb) and Seattle's Flau'jae Johnson (12.3 pts, 5.0 reb) have also played well, and though top pick Azzi Fudd has struggled so far (7.7 ppg), there's plenty of time for her and others to find a groove.
Looking ahead: International talent has transformed the NBA (see: eight straight foreign-born MVPs). Could Astier and Nogić's early success signal that a similar trend may be on its way in the W? That would be a huge boon for a league with a growing number of roster spots to fill, as it will have expanded from 12 to 18 teams between 2024 and 2030.
See them in action: Astier and Nogić both take the court tonight on Prime, with the Liberty hosting the Valkyries (8pm ET) and the Mercury hosting the Sparks (10pm).
WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, MAY 21
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(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NBA Playoffs
The Eastern Conference Finals continue tonight at Madison Square Garden (8pm ET, ESPN), where the Knicks will try to take a 2-0 lead and the Cavaliers will try to flush their epic collapse from Game 1.
Hunting Harden: New York aggressively targeted James Harden on Tuesday night, getting him to switch into nine isolations during the fourth quarter and overtime, and scoring an eye-popping 1.9 points per direct action in those instances. How will Cleveland adjust in Game 2?
NHL Playoffs
The Eastern Conference Finals get underway tonight in Raleigh (8pm, TNT), where the top-seeded Hurricanes host the resilient Canadiens in Game 1.
Hope for the Habs: Though Carolina has been a juggernaut in these playoffs (8-0, +14 scoring differential), history gives the edge to Montreal. Since 2000, teams coming off a Game 7 victory are 7-1 in series against teams coming off a sweep.
More to watch:
- ️ MLB: Blue Jays at Yankees (7pm, MLB) … Strange but true: The Yankees (30-20) have just one single win this season against a team currently over .500 (the 25-24 Athletics).
️ PGA: The CJ Cup (7:45am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is favored for his 46th consecutive start.- NCAA Softball: Georgia at Tennessee (7pm, ESPN2); Oklahoma State at Nebraska (9pm, ESPN2) … Best-of-three Super Regionals begin.
- WNBA: Valkyries at Liberty (8pm, Prime); Sparks at Mercury (10pm, Prime) … Sparks guard Kelsey Plum leads the league in scoring (26.8 ppg).
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
MLB TRIVIA
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(Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Rays completed their sixth sweep of the season on Wednesday, improving to an MLB-best 33-15 and increasing their lead atop the AL East to four games.
Question: Can you name the other five division leaders without looking at the standings?
Hint: Two are in the same state.
Answer at the bottom.
️ TARPS OFF
You must be registered for see images attach
(St. Louis Cardinals)
The Cardinals have fully embraced the "Tarps Off" movement, dedicating the upper right-field bleachers to fans who bring high energy to the game and, crucially (though not mandatorily), remove their shirts while doing so.
Tarps Off? The movement started during college football games last season, when one fan would make their way to an empty section, take off their shirt, wave it around and start cheering wildly. Others would inevitably join in, creating a section filled with rowdy, shirtless fans. The trend made its way to baseball this spring, and in addition to St. Louis has found a home at games in Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Anaheim.
Trivia answer: Guardians (29-22), Athletics (25-24), Braves (34-16), Brewers (29-18), Dodgers (31-19)
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Continue reading...
