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Good morning! Take a risky swim today. Or not.
Big Numbers: A record day in women’s sports
A statistical record and a money record aren’t that closely tied, but we saw two numbers in women’s sports yesterday that made my eyes bulge:
- Caitlin Clark rung up 19 assists in the Fever’s 101-93 loss to the Wings, the most any player has recorded in a WNBA game. To re-emphasize: that’s an overall record, not a rookie record. Clark leads the league in assists at 8.2 per game. (Also, she is somehow not in the upcoming 3-point contest at the All-Star Game.)
- I was struck by Meg Linehan’s story on how Angel City FC became the most valuable women’s sports team in the world. The team now has a $250 million valuation, which represents a massive, massive spike in team values across the NWSL. The San Diego Wave sold at a $120 million valuation in March, which was a NWSL record then … and beat the previous record, $63 million for the Portland Thorns, which was set just earlier this year. The funniest part is that Angel City hasn’t even been that good yet. Imagine what the value will do when that happens. The club’s stated goal: a $1 billion valuation. This is a good start.
Remember when we agreed there would be a lengthy adjustment period for Clark? Well, her early couple weeks were rough, but she’s simply a really good pro already, and her team, which was bad enough last year to draft first, has been nearing .500. Let’s move on:
News to Know
Paris mayor braves iffy Olympic waters
Two powerful forces — steadfast Olympic officials and the E. coli bacteria swirling around Paris’ Seine River — are heading toward a messy collision in under 10 days, when opening ceremonies officially begin. Despite troubling bacteria levels recorded just last week, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine yesterday, fulfilling a grimy promise ahead of the Games. It’s still very unclear if the river will be safe enough for planned swimming events. Fun.
Argentinian racist chants spur action
In the hours following Argentina’s Copa America win, a video showed Argentinian and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez and unidentified teammates singing a racist celebratory chant about the French national team, who lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. Outrage has spread since. The French Federation filed an official complaint. Chelsea opened “internal disciplinary proceedings” against Fernandez yesterday. Fernandez has since apologized. In a searing column, Nick Miller writes the relative silence throughout the sport about the chant has been damning. Read The Athletic FC for more ongoing coverage of this mess.
Steph goes off
Team USA produced the best game of its pre-Olympic run yesterday in a 105-79 win against Serbia, led by Steph Curry’s 24 points. The win, as Joe Vardon wrote, showed how much the Americans can flex with a loaded lineup. Serbian superstar Nikola Jokić posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, but didn’t get much help. These two teams play again in 10 days in their Olympic opener.
More news
Feedback Loop: Pro Bowl, Schmo Bowl
I did not expect this much of a wipeout in yesterday’s poll. You have made your verdict clear: The NFL has the worst All-Star Game by far, trailed by the NBA in second place. Both of these track, really.
A few thoughts:
- The NFL is in a really tough place. You have to give them credit for trying with the Pro Bowl — they’ve tweaked formats and tried to introduce dozens of new features. Nothing sticks. There is just no way for such a physically grueling sport to field a separate game and make players care about it. I do like Joe Burrow’s idea of a Week 13 Pro Bowl break, but I just can’t imagine players on contending teams participating, even if it is just a skills challenge. Sorry to the most profitable league, I guess.
- The NBA is also trying, in a different way. I like the In-Season Tournament, which has actual stakes (read: money) on the line. I find that much more interesting than the All-Star Game.
- Speaking of: I’d love to see MLB implement something like the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. Give me some midseason stakes instead of an actual All-Star Game. A round-robin tourney with the winning team earning $1 million per player. Sounds fun, right?
We’re already changing baseball’s rules at a breakneck pace. Let’s do one more, Rob.
Watch This Game
Golf: The Open Championship
Now until 4:15 p.m. on Peacock
There isn’t much on tonight. Get your sports in now. We have a running live blog here. If you want to catch up: A full analysis of everything you need to know by Justin Ray, who writes indispensable stuff for every major. Will we see a Scottie Scheffler vs. Bryson DeChambeau showdown?
NBA: Lakers vs. Cavaliers
9 p.m. ET on ESPN
Bronny James had his best game as a pro last night, scoring 12 points and going 2-of-5 from distance. Let’s see if he gets better here.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Derrick Henry was not the first running back signed in free agency. But, get to know him like Dan Pompei did in a story today and you might realize he’s the best free-agent signing of the entire offseason.
The 49ers have three options in the Brandon Aiyuk mess, as David Lombardi sees it.
It’s easy to argue that women are the biggest stars in the upcoming Olympic Games. Jackie Joyner-Kersee spoke to The Athletic about how much she loves it. Cool to see her give flowers.
Dom Luszczyszyn ranks the NHL’s 10 worst contracts. Oof.
Tim Britton detailed the 10 best MLB trade deadline performances over the last decade. We’ll circle back to this soon.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Caitlin Clark’s interesting new NASCAR collaboration.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Steph Curry and LeBron James once harbored a “healthy resentment” toward one another. It has blossomed into a beautiful friendship.
Top podcast in The Athletic network: The Athletic Football Show picks eight teams that will be better (or worse) than you think this season. They’re cooking as training camp comes into view.
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