| | | | | | | Presented By Babbel | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Jan 11, 2021 | | 👋 Happy Monday! Let's sports. Today's word count: 1,894 words (7 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏈 The NFL's elite eight | | Courtesy: NFL Super Wild Card Weekend and the first Nickelodeon NFL broadcast are in the books, with both more than living up to the hype, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. What's next: The field has been narrowed to eight, with the Divisional Round kicking off this Saturday. - AFC: Ravens at Bills; Browns at Chiefs
- NFC: Rams at Packers; Buccaneers at Saints
Wild Card Weekend highlights... Photo: Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images - Streaks snapped: The Browns got their first playoff win since 1994, and the Bills got their first since 1995. What a weekend! Cheers to both fanbases.
- 0-2 no more: Lamar Jackson struggled early before getting back to basics and using his legs to wreak havoc on Tennessee's defense, rushing for 136 yards including an absurd, 48-yard TD scamper.
- Wild stat: Tom Brady has now beaten more teams in the playoffs (17) than any other QB has total playoff wins (16, Joe Montana).
Source: @PardonMyTake (Twitter) - Nickelodeon for the win: Bears-Saints was simulcast on Nickelodeon, and it was fantastic. From the virtual slime to the educational yet entertaining commentary, it was fun without being a joke.
- L.A.'s new formula: In 2018, the Rams reached the Super Bowl with the NFL's second-ranked offense but a mediocre defense (No. 20). This year, L.A.'s offense was middling (No. 22), but its top-ranked defense decimated Seattle.
- A night to remember: Taylor Heinicke spent last spring as a backup in the XFL. On Saturday, in his second career NFL start, he went toe-to-toe with the G.O.A.T. and nearly led Washington to a stunning comeback.
|     | | | | | | 2. ⛳️ PGA abandons Trump |  | | | Trump Bedminster. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images | | | | The PGA of America is cutting ties with President Trump, announcing Sunday that it will relocate the 2022 PGA Championship scheduled for Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Why it matters: The PGA is the first sports organization to abandon the President in the wake of last week's Capitol siege. - Of course, other sports leagues have no such connection to the president, so they haven't been put in this position.
- But his golf properties have hosted numerous PGA and LPGA events, including the 2017 U.S. Women's Open at Bedminster.
Between the lines: The Trump Organization owns or operates 17 golf courses around the world, which generate about a third of the family's revenue, per NYT. - Tournaments are seen as a crucial way to draw attention and drive traffic to the clubs, which Trump has visited over 300 times since taking office.
- In 2018, Trump reportedly asked Woody Johnson, the American ambassador to Britain and owner of the New York Jets, to help steer The Open to Trump Turnberry in Scotland.
What they're saying: PGA of America president Jim Richerson said it had "become clear" that hosting the event at Trump Bedminster "would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand" and risk the PGA's ability to "sustain the longevity of our mission." - "We find ourselves in a political situation not of our making," added PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh.
- "Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster. ... The only real course of action was to leave."
Of note: This isn't the first time the PGA has removed an event from a Trump golf club. In 2015, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf was pulled from Trump's course in Los Angeles following his offensive remarks about Mexican immigrants. The backdrop: On Thursday, golfers Gary Player and Annika Sörenstam — natives of South Africa and Sweden, respectively — received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. - They attended a private ceremony at the White House and were among the first outsiders to be with Trump since the Capitol siege 16 blocks away.
- Of the 24 Medals of Freedom Trump has awarded, 14 have gone to sportspeople: Alan Page, Babe Ruth, Roger Staubach, Bob Cousy, Roger Penske, Mariano Rivera, Jerry West, Tiger Woods, Dan Gable, Lou Holtz, Jim Ryun, Babe Zaharias, Player and Sörenstam.
What's next: Trump plans to award Bill Belichick the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday, Politico reports. Go deeper: Trump, canceled (Axios) | | | | | | | | 3. 🏆 Preview: Ohio State vs. Alabama |  | | | L to R: DeVonta Smith, Nick Saban, Ryan Day, Justin Fields. Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios | | | | Ohio State and Alabama — two absolute powerhouses who rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in all-time wins — will compete for a national title this evening. Game info: - Kickoff: 8pm ET
- Odds: ALA -8.5 | O/U: 75
- Attendance: ~14,000
- Location: Hard Rock Stadum (Miami)
- TV/streaming: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, fuboTV
Who to watch: Alabama and Ohio State are NFL player factories, combining to produce a whopping 31 first-round picks since 2016. This year, they have 11 of Todd McShay's top 50 prospects (subscription). - Alabama: DeVonta Smith, WR (4); Patrick Surtain II, CB (7); Jaylen Waddle (11); Christian Barmore, DT (20); Najee Harris, RB (27); Mac Jones, QB (32)
- Ohio State: Justin Fields, QB (9); Wyatt Davis, G (24); Chris Olave, WR (34); Shaun Wade, CB (41); Pete Werner, ILB (49)
By the numbers: - 636: That's how many yards Ohio State RB Trey Sermon has rushed for in his last three games (9.1 per carry!). Serious "Ezekiel Elliott in 2014" vibes.
- 115.6: That's how many rushing yards Harris averaged per game (12th in the nation). But the Buckeyes allowed only 89.1 (2nd), including just 32 to Clemson's Travis Etienne.
- $405.9M: Ohio State spent more on athletics than any other school in fiscal 2019 ($220.6 million), and Alabama was fourth ($185.3 million).
Storylines: - Alabama attack: The Tide's well-balanced offense scored on over 50% of their possessions in every game except one (they were 6-for-13 in a 41-0 win over Mississippi State that saw them pull their starters).
- Buckeye blitz: The best way to slow down Alabama is with constant pressure, and Ohio State is dominant up front. Seven qualified FBS lineman generated a 16%+ pressure rate this season, per ESPN. Three are Buckeyes.
- Injury mysteries: Little is known about the apparent rib injury Fields suffered against Clemson, raising questions about his health. Meanwhile, Waddle could line up for Alabama after missing most of the season.
| | | | | | | | A message from Babbel | | Start speaking a new language in three weeks | | |  | | | | In 2021, let language take you places with Babbel. The background: This language learning app gives you bite-sized, manageable lessons in a variety of languages. It'll have you speaking the basics in three weeks. Sign up today and get 60% off. | | | | | | 4. 💵 Business is booming for sports agencies |  Data: Forbes; Table: Axios Visuals The pandemic may have upended the sports world, but business is booming for its top agencies. By the numbers: The 40 most valuable sports agencies in the world negotiated deals worth over $56 billion in 2020 and brought in commissions worth $2.9 billion — a 10% rise from 2019 and a 55% gain since 2015, per Forbes. - Creative Artists Agency tops the rankings for 2020 and was the top agency by commissions in the NFL and NBA, second in the NHL and fourth in MLB.
- Klutch Sports Group — founded by LeBron James' agent Rich Paul — had the best year, jumping all the way to No. 8 in terms of contracts negotiated.
Top agents: MLB superagent Scott Boras sits atop the list after negotiating $3.2 billion worth of contracts and bringing in $161.1 million in commissions. - Rounding out the top five are three soccer agents — Jonathan Barnett, Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola — and NBA agent Jeff Schwartz.
- The rest of the top 10 features three MLB agents — Casey Close, Joel Wolfe, and Sam and Seth Levinson — plus Paul and NFL agent David Mulugheta.
| | | | | | | | 5. ⛳️ Review: "Tiger" |  | | | Tiger Woods, 16, after winning the Los Angeles Junior Championship in 1991. Photo: Anders Pettersson/Corbis via Getty Images | | | | Part I of "Tiger," HBO's two-part documentary based on Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian's 2018 book, "Tiger Woods," premiered last night, Jeff writes. At a glance: The film begins with grainy footage of Tiger's father, Earl, speaking at a collegiate awards banquet. - "My heart fills with so much joy when I realize that this young man is going to help so many people. ... The world will be a better place to live in by virtue of his existence and his presence."
- Tiger was just 20 at the time, and as he sat beside the podium Earl spoke from, he looked exhausted. Like he'd not only heard the speech before, but constantly felt the pressure of its sentiment.
- Two videos were intercut with the speech: First, Tiger celebrates his epic putt to force a playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open; then, as Earl says "the world will be a better place," we see footage of Tiger's 2009 mugshot. Subtle, this is not.
The big picture: Father-son relationships don't have to be distant to be problematic. Tiger and Earl called each other best friends, but perhaps what Tiger really needed was a father — not a friend or cheerleader. - This was a relatively one-note first installment, but I will give them full marks for setting up part two (next Sunday) with an excellent final frame.
- One that essentially says, "OK, we've just shown you this complex relationship Tiger had with his father ... now let's cover the fallout."
🎬 Watch: Trailer | | | | | | | | 6. 📸 Photos 'round the world | | Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images BOSTON — The NBA postponed the Celtics vs. Heat game on Sunday night after contact tracing left the Heat without the eight players needed to field a team. - Meanwhile, the Celtics barely had enough themselves on the heels of a weekend that saw multiple teams face COVID-related issues.
Poto: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images CROSBY, England — Eighth-tier club Marine held of Tottenham for 24 minutes before falling 5-0 in the biggest FA Cup mismatch ever. - It was the ultimate culture shock for Tottenham, who traded in their $1.5 billion arena for a tiny field between two streets of red-bricked houses.
Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images KAPALUA, Hawaii — Harris English won the Sentry Tournament of Champions for his first PGA Tour victory in seven years. - English's victory came against a picturesque backdrop, as surfers could be seen riding waves throughout the weekend.
Photo: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — American teenager Matthew Hoppe scored a hat trick to help Schalke snap a 30-match winless streak. - Hoppe, who planned to play at San Diego State before Schalke offered him a contract in 2019, is the first American to score a hat trick in the Bundesliga.
| | | | | | | | 7. 🏀 Ball in the family | | LaMelo and Lonzo Ball. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images On Friday, LaMelo and Lonzo Ball went head-to-head in the NBA's first matchup between brothers who were both top-3 draft picks. LaMelo (12-10-9) and the Hornets got the best of Lonzo (5-2-3) and the Pelicans, winning 118-110. - But wait, there's more: It was a family affair in New Orleans, with Caleb and Cody Martin (Hornets players) and the Van Gundy brothers — Stan (Pelicans coach) and Jeff (ESPN announcer) — all on hand.
- Go deeper: Opposite paths to the Ball brothers showdown (ESPN)
Dave and Maureen Magarity. Courtesy: Army Athletics On Saturday, Dave Magarity (Army) faced off against Maureen Magarity (Holy Cross) in the first father-daughter coaching matchup in D-I basketball history. - The two schools played again on Sunday, with Maureen's Crusaders winning both games. Better luck next time, Pops.
- What's next: Due to the Patriot League's limited schedule this season, Army and Holy Cross will play two more games in early February.
| | | | | | | | 8. Jan. 11, 2004: 🏈 "4th and 26" | | Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images 17 years ago today, Donovan McNabb hit Freddie Mitchell across the middle to convert an improbable 4th and 26 against the Packers. - The play extended the drive for the Eagles, who tied the game with a David Akers field goal and eventually won in overtime.
- The Eagles lost to the Panthers, 14-3, in the NFC Championship Game but Mitchell's catch lives on forever (even if he and McNabb's friendship did not).
The big picture: While "4th and 26" remains one of the most memorable playoff moments of the century, it didn't break my top 10. So many to choose from! - "The Helmet Catch" (2008)
- "Music City Miracle" (2000)
- Butler's INT (2015)
- "Minneapolis Miracle" (2018)
- "Philly Special" (2018)
- "Beast Quake" (2011)
- Holmes' TD catch (2009)
- Harrison's pick-6 (2009)
- Sherman's tip INT (2013)
- Saints' onside kick (2010)
Go deeper: Top 100 plays in NFL playoff history | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL trivia | | Giphy Lamar Jackson is the second QB in the Super Bowl era with 100+ rush yards and a rush TD in a playoff game. - Question: Who's the other?
- Hint: Happened this century (not Michael Vick).
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Weekend's top plays |  | | | Taylor Heinicke dives for the pylon. Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | - 🏈 Lamar's TD run
- ⚽️ Bend it like Messi
- 🏈 Air Heinicke
- 🏀 HS girls buzzer-beater
- 🏀 Rozier rises up
Watch all 5. | | | | | | | | A message from Babbel | | Start the new year with a new language | | |  | | | | In 2021, let language take you places with Babbel. The background: This language learning app gives you bite-sized, manageable lessons in a variety of languages. It'll have you speaking the basics in three weeks. Sign up today and get 60% off. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Pulling for Browns-Bills" Baker Trivia answer: Colin Kaepernick | | Invite friends to follow Axios Sports Use your personal link to track how many readers you bring into the community  You currently have 00 referrals. Share with a friend For questions email referralsupport@axios.com. Participation in the Axios Sports Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the Axios Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be viewed here. | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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