| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Jan 14, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Let's sports. 💵 Breaking: A mint 1952 Mickey Mantle card has sold for $5.2 million, shattering the previous record of $3.4 million paid last August for a Mike Trout rookie card. Today's word count: 1,745 words (7 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏀 The Brooklyn blockbuster | | Giphy I often refer to the NBA as a 24/7 reality show. On Wednesday, it aired one of its most dramatic episodes yet. Driving the news: The Rockets traded disgruntled superstar James Harden to the Nets in a four-team, blockbuster trade that gives Brooklyn arguably the most talented "Big 3" ever in Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The trade: - Nets: James Harden
- Pacers: Caris LeVert, 2nd-round pick
- Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
- Rockets: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three Nets firsts ('22, '24, '26), one Bucks first ('22), four Nets first-round swaps ('21, '23, '25, '27)
By the numbers: Seven active players have a career usage of over 29%, and three of them will now be teammates in Brooklyn. Head coach Steve Nash has his work cut out for him balancing the Nets offense. The state of play: Consider everything that took place on Wednesday, and all the drama surrounding Harden, the Nets and the NBA. It's madness. - Harden was called out by his Houston teammates for basically quitting on the team, and the Rockets sent him home instead of having him at practice.
- The trade broke on Twitter around the same time that President Trump was impeached for the second time, sending the internet into a frenzy.
- Meanwhile, nobody seems to know where Irving is or what he's doing. He's missed five games for "personal reasons" and has created so much drama around himself that ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said he "should retire."
- On the heels of all this, a short-handed Nets squad faced off against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, beating their crosstown rivals, 116-109.
- And did I mention the NBA is in the midst of a coronavirus crisis? Three more games were postponed on Wednesday, bringing the season total to nine (eight since Sunday).
Of note ... Amid all the chaos, there is at least some semblance of normalcy: Another bearded millennial has moved to Brooklyn. Go deeper: |     | | | | | | 2. 🏒 NHL power rankings |  Table: Axios Visuals The defending champion Lightning are the top team in our debut Power Rankings, but just barely. - The loaded Avalanche are right on their heels, and the Golden Knights have championship aspirations entering their fourth season as a franchise.
- Top 16: The wealth is spread fairly evenly, with five East teams, four North teams, four Central teams and three West teams in our top 16.
The Flyers took down the Penguins at home. Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images - Wednesday's scores: Lightning 5, Blackhawks 1; Flyers 6, Penguins 3; Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 4 (OT); Canucks 5, Oilers 3; Blues 4, Avalanche 1
- Tonight: Bruins vs. Devils, Islanders vs. Rangers, Capitals vs. Sabres, Hurricanes vs. Red Wings, Flames vs. Jets, Blue Jackets vs. Predators, Sharks vs. Coyotes, Canucks vs. Oilers, Ducks vs. Golden Knights, Wild vs. Kings
| | | | | | | | 3. 😷 California high school sports still on pause |  | | | Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios | | | | California high school sports have been shut down since the pandemic began and remain paused as numbers continue spiking statewide, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Where it stands: The state hoped to avoid the pandemic's apex by pushing sports to 2021. Instead, conditions have only gotten worse, putting that plan in jeopardy. - California high school athletics are tentatively scheduled to begin later this month, but they're still subject to individual county's safety tiers.
- As of Tuesday, just four of 58 counties were below the most restrictive tier, which only allows for the most socially-distanced sports like golf, tennis and cross country.
Meanwhile, most other states have already completed their fall football seasons and are now in the midst of their winter basketball campaigns. - Football: 34 states have completed (or will by this weekend) their seasons, leaving 17 (including D.C.) with tentative or TBA start dates.
- Basketball: 32 states' seasons are already underway, with eight more slated to begin in the next three weeks.
- Other sports like soccer and volleyball have also crowned champions.
The state of play: California's athletic prowess is nearly unmatched, so this pause has deprived the high school sports landscape of many of its top players and teams. 2019 National Champion St. John Bosco's empty stadium in December. Source: @boscofootball (Instagram) What they're saying: Some are against the statewide pause, like North Torrance HS baseball coach Joshua Lee, who argues that starting them up again would be both safer and more equitable than keeping them shelved. - "Over 70% of my players have traveled out of state multiple times during this pandemic," Lee told the L.A. Times (subscription), adding that "only those with the means to travel to expensive out-of-state tournaments are able to."
The big picture: Others have gone a step further, circumventing restrictions to give kids the athletic outlet they're missing. - Take Jordan Campbell, a former California high school football star with a brief NFL career.
- His training center, Winner Circle Athletics, launched a club football league in the fall with 34 teams, 18 games a weekend and 1,500 players.
What's next: Statewide "Let them play" rallies are planned for Friday. "This is about the kids and their mental health," one mother said. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Coming soon: Axios Local | | |  | | | | This year, Axios will deliver free daily newsletters in U.S. cities. Sign up to be one of the first subscribers — and to read about the most consequential stories happening in your own backyard. | | | | | | 4. 🏈 Playoff preview: Chiefs vs. Browns |  | | | Graphic: Axios Visuals | | | | Four Divisional Round games; four (now two) days until Saturday. It's NFL preview week. The Divisional Round's Sunday doubleheader kicks off at Arrowhead Stadium as the top-seeded Chiefs host the sixth-seeded Browns, Jeff writes. - Kickoff: 3:05pm ET (CBS)
- Lines: KC -10 | O/U 56.5
- Attendance: 16,000
How they got here: - The Chiefs (14-2) had the NFL's best record but just the sixth-best scoring margin due to their final seven wins all coming by fewer than seven points.
- The Browns (11-5) were one of 13 teams to win at least 10 games this season. The other 12 averaged a +108.25 point differential. Cleveland's? -11.
Personnel: It's the air raid vs. the ground attack. Kansas City led the league in passing yards; Cleveland was third in rushing yards. - The Chiefs have this guy named Patrick Mahomes — perhaps you've heard of him? Receiving his passes are Travis Kelce (broke single-season yardage record for TE) and Tyreek Hill (second-most receiving TD in 2020).
- The Browns' game plan is about error mitigation and running the ball down opponents' throats. It's worked, as Baker Mayfield has thrown just one interception in his past 10 games, while Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 2,362 total yards and 23 TD on the year.
The intrigue: Take your pick... - Mahomes and Co. starting their title defense.
- Hunt's first game against the team that cut him (for good reason).
- The Browns looking to build on their first playoff win since 1995.
| | | | | | | | 5. 📺 FS1 climbs the rankings |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | "Buoyed by its studio shows, college football games and NASCAR races, FS1 finished 2020 as the second most-watched cable sports network on a total-day basis," Sports Business Journal's John Ourand writes (subscription). Why it matters: ESPN remains king — by a wide margin — but this marks the first time FS1 has drawn more viewers than ESPN2, NBCSN and NFL Network in a calendar year. Top 10: - ESPN (564,000 viewers)
- FS1 (119,000)
- NFL Network (113,000)
- NBCSN (108,000)
- ESPN2 (107,000)
- Golf Channel (83,000)
- MLB Network (40,000)
- Tennis Channel (27,000)
- NBA TV (26,000)
- ESPNU (25,000)
| | | | | | | | 6. 🇺🇸 USA Team Handball hits a snag |  | | | Photo: Sascha Klahn/Picture Alliance via Getty Images | | | | USA Team Handball was scheduled to play its first World Championship match in two decades today. Instead, a coronavirus outbreak has forced the team to withdraw at the eleventh hour, Jeff writes. - What happened: The team was training in Denmark to acclimate to the time difference ahead of their planned trip to Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday, but returned 18 positive tests on Tuesday.
The state of play: Team handball is among Europe's most popular sports, but remains mostly a mystery in the states. - European dominance: 77 of 78 World Championship and 38 of 39 Olympic medals have been won by a European nation.
- Americans' failure to launch: Team USA has made only 12 combined appearances across the 39 iterations of the Worlds and Olympics, and has never so much as won a single match at Worlds.
Quick primer: Teams of seven play on courts measuring 66 feet x 132 feet (NBA: 50 x 94) with a 23-inch circumference ball (size three soccer ball) and shoot on a manned, 6.5-foot x 10-foot net. The big picture: The sport's governing body and players saw this year's berth as an opportunity to grow the game domestically, arguing lack of exposure has been their biggest hurdle. - The team's withdrawal obviously stalls the progress this tournament would have provided, particularly after ESPN+ announced it would broadcast 31 games from Cairo.
- "Handball is the most American sport that Americans don't know about yet," USATH communications manager Melissa Zhang tells me.
- She's got a point. Games are short (30-minute halves), high-scoring (routinely in the 20s and 30s) and fast-paced (the clock rarely stops).
Looking ahead: Stalled and squashed are not the same. As Zhang told me after the news broke, "Hopefully you'll see us getting better than ever and being there in 2023! We plan on it." - After that? The Olympics come to L.A. in 2028, and as the host nation the U.S. automatically qualifies. Time to get to work.
| | | | | | | | 7. ⚽️ NWSL draft: Rodman goes No. 2 |  | | | Photo: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images | | | | Trinity Rodman, daughter of NBA legend Dennis, was selected No. 2 overall by the Washington Spirit in Wednesday's NWSL Draft. Why it matters: Rodman, 18, became the youngest selection in NWSL history just a day after registering for the draft and forgoing her freshman season at Washington State. - She never appeared in a match for the Cougars because the NCAA women's soccer season was pushed from last fall to this spring due to the pandemic.
- A 5-foot-10-inch forward, Rodman established herself as the top high school recruit in the nation in 2020 after leading the U.S. U-20s to the CONCACAF title by scoring nine goals in six games.
Tar Heel dominance ... Expansion team Racing Louisville took UNC defender Emily Fox with the No. 1 pick, while Sky Blue FC took UNC midfielder Brianna Pinto with the No. 3 pick. | | | | | | | | 8. Jan. 14, 1973: 🏈 17-0 | | Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images 48 years ago today, the Dolphins beat the Redskins, 14-7, in Super Bowl VII to became the first — and still the only — NFL team to complete a perfect season. Dolphins safety Jake Scott earned MVP honors Photo: Nate Fine/Getty Images - MVP: Dolphins safety Jake Scott recorded two interceptions, including a 55-yard return from the end zone during the fourth quarter (pictured above).
- Fun fact: Despite being undefeated, the Dolphins were actually one-point underdogs, largely based on the weakness of their regular-season schedule.
Photo: Vic Stein/Getty Images - The pregame show was a tribute to the crew of the Apollo 17, who exactly one month earlier had been the final humans to date to leave the Moon.
- The halftime show featured the Michigan Marching Band and famous crooner Andy Williams. Travel back in time.
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images 40 years later ... The Dolphins never made the traditional visit to the White House due to the Watergate scandal, but in August 2013 they finally made the trip at the behest of Barack Obama. | | | | | | | | 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |  | | | James Harden and Kevin Durant in 2013. Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage | | | | James Harden and Kevin Durant are two of the four players to win three consecutive scoring titles since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. - Question: Who are the other two?
- Hint: One starred in the East, one starred in the West.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Wednesday's top plays |  | | | Photo: Shaun Botterill/Pool/AFP via Getty Images | | | - ⚽️ Harry's header
- 🏒 Sid the Kid
- ⚽️ Gorgeous free kick
- 🏀 Damian to Derrick
- 🏀 McClung for the win
Watch all 5. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Coming soon: Axios Local | | | | | | | | This year, Axios will deliver free daily newsletters in U.S. cities. Sign up to be one of the first subscribers — and to read about the most consequential stories happening in your own backyard. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Pray for Steve Nash" Baker Trivia answer: Michael Jordan and George Gervin - Correction: Yesterday's trivia question was worded incorrectly and should have included Auburn as one of the answers rather than Texas (which isn't within 600 miles of Atlanta). My bad.
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