| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Jeff Tracy ·Feb 26, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! In case the name above didn't tip you off, I'm (Jeff) covering today's newsletter to give Kendall a much-deserved day off. Note from Kendall: You're in good hands! Also, just a quick note that in yesterday's top story about the "High-Performance Lifestyle," I failed to credit Fitt Insider. - Their analysis helped inspire the story, and the breakdown I included should have been attributed to them. I messed up.
- If you enjoyed the story, I recommend subscribing to their newsletter and podcast for more fitness-related content.
Let's sports. Today's word count: 1,633 words (6 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: 📱 MLB's changing social landscape |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | MLB terminated its "in-game coordinator" social media program two weeks ago in a move that could drastically alter how teams engage with their fans online. The backdrop: MLB created the program in 2015 to keep pace with the rise of social, deploying IGC's to ~25 different clubs to complement the in-house social team and be a liaison between league and club. - IGC's were hired seasonally — though often retained from year-to-year — working all 162 games as do-it-all, social mavens (most notably, but hardly exclusively, as the voice of Twitter).
- For home games, they worked from the stadium; away games, remotely. There was no exact job description, to which anyone who's worked in social (raises hand) can attest is the norm.
The state of play: According to a league source, the decision to shutter the program stemmed both from pandemic-related cuts and the fact that, because no two IGC's did exactly the same thing, it no longer reflected the league-run program it was born as. - Worth noting: The source mentioned this was not a decision that was taken lightly, and that the league is not abandoning social — just this program.
The big picture: It's likely even the most engaged fans had no idea what went into creating the content they loved, but now they might find out the hard way. - "IGC's were really good at showing the human side of players," a source with 10 years of MLB social experience told me. "I noticed they were always at batting practice, getting unique video of players."
- "Now, if I'm looking for content, hoping to see video of Tatís, or Lindor with his new team ... I just feel like people will be stretched too thin to produce stuff like that."
- One now-former IGC told me the group that was laid off comprised "25 of the most talented people I've ever come across in my life. ... Getting rid of a lot of talented folks who help market a brand that kind of desperately needs that was very puzzling for everybody involved."
Between the lines: The timing of the decision — just days before spring training began — amplifies its impact, leaving teams shorthanded with little time to figure out a plan for the season. My take ... This feels similar to the narrative that often surrounds MLB labor negotiations, inasmuch as cutting something so relatively inexpensive seems shortsighted. Go deeper: 2019 profile of the IGC program manager (The Athletic) |     | | | | | | 2. ⚾️ Breakout candidates |  | | | Photo: Nicholas T. LoVerde/Getty Images | | | | Speaking of baseball, spring training games begin Sunday (!), making this as good a time as any to project some players primed for a breakout season — one from each division. AL East: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays (21 years old) - The hype thrust upon this legend's son in 2019 was perhaps too great for such a young kid. Now, surrounded by attention-deflecting talent and looking slimmer than ever, he could be ready to put it all together.
AL Central: Adalberto Mondesí, SS, Royals (25) - Constant injuries and a free-swinging style have made his five-year career look like a yo-yo. But at his best — like his scorching hot final third of 2020 — his power-speed combo is nearly unmatched.
AL West: Jesús Luzardo, LHP, Athletics (23) - The former top-20 prospect excelled in his 2019 call-up, but his 2020 ERA suffered after contracting COVID-19 in July. His "stuff," however, has never been doubted, and he might even start on Opening Day.
Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images NL East: Victor Robles, CF, Nationals (23) - His glove has always been elite, but the power he displayed as a rookie in 2019 led to bad habits (including bulking up for 2020) and a ton of strikeouts. Like Guerrero, he's entered camp slimmer, ready to thrive.
NL Central: Keston Hiura, 1B, Brewers (24) - The sophomore slump hit hard after an incredible rookie campaign in 2019, but the Crew expect him, along with 2018 MVP teammate Christian Yelich, to bounce back and anchor the heart of the order.
NL West: Zac Gallen, RHP, Diamondbacks (25) - The prize of 2019's deadline deal with Miami has a 2.80 ERA since coming over, but he's thrown just 152 innings in the majors. The question is simply how the youngster fares with a full workload.
| | | | | | | | 3. ⚽️ The Premier League's race for fourth |  Data: Premier League; Table: Axios Visuals Manchester City are the runaway title favorite, but plenty of drama remains in the race for the top four, and thus a Champions League berth. The state of play: With 13 weeks left, it appears six clubs are realistically contending for that fourth spot. - No. 4 West Ham (45 points): This season's biggest surprise have never finished in the top four, so they're fighting history with each passing match.
- No. 5 Chelsea (43): They've turned it around since sacking manager Frank Lampard last month, but face a tough schedule on the horizon.
- No. 6 Liverpool (40): The defending champs might have too many injuries (subscription) to overcome.
- No. 7 Everton (40): They're in good position with one fewer game played than most teams, but need to catch up quick as they close the season at Manchester City.
- No. 8 Aston Villa (36): Like Everton, they have a games-played advantage, but they've also won just three of their past 10.
- No. 9 Tottenham (36): Despite a star-filled roster (Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale), they've fallen from first to ninth since December.
Coming up: West Ham visit Manchester City tomorrow morning in the game of the weekend (7:30am ET, NBCSN). | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The day's latest business news delivered to your inbox | | |  | | | | Stay in the know with Axios Closer, a daily afternoon newsletter that tackles the day's biggest business news. Delivered daily on weekdays to your inbox. Why it matters: See the trends that will shape the economy tomorrow. Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. 🥊 Fight night: Canelo vs. Yıldırım |  | | | Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | | | | Canelo Álvarez will try to defend his super middleweight title against Avni Yıldırım tomorrow night at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium (8pm, DAZN). - Odds: Álvarez (-5000) | Yıldırım (+1200) | Draw (+3300)
The state of play: Álvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs), the 30-year-old from Mexico, is arguably the world's best boxer, with titles in four different weight classes and just one career loss (Floyd Mayweather, 2013). - "I really do think he's unbeatable right now," said longtime trainer Robert Garcia.
Yes, but: The 29-year-old Yıldırım (21-2, 12 KOs), who hails from Turkey, won't go quietly. - "I want to shock the world," he said. To win, he'll have to.
- "It's like facing Ronaldo or Messi in soccer," said his promoter. "For a Turkish boxer to appear on a stage like this ... we have never been able to get to a position like this."
Go deeper: Who is Avni Yıldırım? (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 5. Former U.S. gymnastics coach dies by suicide |  | | | John Geddert at 2012 Olympics. Photo: AFP via Getty Images | | | | Former U.S. Olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert, 63, died by suicide Thursday in Michigan shortly after being charged with 24 felony counts, including human trafficking and criminal sexual conduct with a minor. The backdrop: Geddert owned and operated a gym where former U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar — sentenced in 2018 to 40-175 years in prison after sexually assaulting more than 160 women — treated (and abused) several gymnasts. The big picture: Geddert allegedly engaged in human trafficking from 2008-18 with "less than 50 [people], and they are all minors," said Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel. - Nessel added that Geddert "used force, fraud and coercion against the young athletes that came to him for gymnastics training for financial benefit to him."
What they're saying: Sarah Klein, a former student of Geddert's who is now a lawyer specializing in sexual abuse cases, said in a statement: "John Geddert's escape from justice by committing suicide is traumatizing beyond words. He tortured and abused little girls, myself included, for more than 30 years and was able to cheat justice. Geddert was a narcissistic abuser. His suicide is an admission of guilt that the entire world can now see." The last word, from Nessel: "This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved." The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free and confidential support for anyone in distress, in addition to prevention and crisis resources. Also available for online chat. | | | | | | | | 6. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | ⚽️ Thierry Henry resigned as manager of MLS' CF Montreal, citing ongoing travel restrictions amid the pandemic. "The separation is too much of a strain for me and my kids." 🏀 The NBA released its second-half schedule, with the 72-game regular season set to end on May 16. One big takeaway? The Jazz, already owners of the league's best record, have the easiest schedule the rest of the way. 🥏 Disc golf star Paul McBeth and Discraft, a leading disc manufacturer, inked a 10-year, $10 million contract — the largest in the sport's history. 😷 Forfeits could factor into March Madness. If a team is removed due to COVID-19 protocols once the tournament begins, "its opponent would advance to the next round via the no-contest rule," the NCAA announced. | | | | | | | | 7. 💉 Exclusive: Impact of athlete vaccination |  | | | Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios | | | | 54% of Americans think it would be a good idea to give NBA players early access to the COVID-19 vaccine in order to increase public confidence in it, according to a survey administered last week by The Harris Poll. - 1,961 adults were surveyed; 68% said they'd likely get the vaccine as soon as it became available.
- 39% said they'd be more comfortable getting the vaccine if NBA players publicly received it first, led by Black (55%) and Asian (54%) respondents.
The state of play: Through Wednesday, 13.6% of Americans have received at least one dose, and 6.2% have received both, per the CDC. | | | | | | | | 8. Feb. 26, 1935: ⚾️ The Babe's last hurrah |  | | | Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images | | | | 86 years ago today, 40-year-old Babe Ruth was traded to the Boston Braves ahead of what would be his final season. - He wanted to manage the Yankees, but was never seriously considered for the position.
- Yanks owner Jacob Ruppert granted him a trade to the Braves, where he'd be a part-time player, team VP and assistant manager.
What happened: Turns out, Braves owner Emil Fuchs only wanted Ruth as a gate draw, never intending for his off-field duties to materialize into anything beyond publicity. - He played just 28 games, batting .181 with six home runs before retiring on June 2 after a spat with Fuchs.
- Fun fact: In classic, Ruthian fashion, he went out with a bang, recording just the second three-homer game of his career a week before retiring.
Another curse of the Bambino? The Braves went 38-115 that year — the second worst record since 1900. Go deeper: Babe's year with the Braves (MLB) | | | | | | | | 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |  | | | Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images | | | | Steph Curry has become the all-time free throw king, improving his career average to 90.75% (166-177 this season). - Question: Which four players fill out the top five?
- Hint: Three of them have an "S" in their last name.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. ❤️ Nike's coolest partnership | Source: @OHSUDoernbecher (Twitter) For 17 years, Nike has partnered with Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Oregon to create patient-designed sneakers and raise money for the hospital — $29 million to date. - "This year, we weren't able to have patient-designers, but that didn't stop us from celebrating," says Eric Sandy, color design director for Jordan Brand.
- They combined 14 past designs to create the Air Jordan 1 above, producing just 17 pairs — one for each year of the partnership.
The first pair was auctioned off last night — reportedly for $1.5 million — at the annual Doernbecher Freestyle charity event, and the remaining 16 will be available on eBay starting later today. Go deeper: Detailed breakdown of the design (Nike) | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | The day's latest business news delivered to your inbox | | | | | | | | Stay in the know with Axios Closer, a daily afternoon newsletter that tackles the day's biggest business news. Delivered daily on weekdays to your inbox. Why it matters: See the trends that will shape the economy tomorrow. Subscribe for free | | | | Have a great weekend, Jeff "Need those Jordans" Tracy Trivia answer: Steve Nash (90.43%); Mark Price (90.39%); Peja Stojaković (89.48%); Chauncey Billups (89.40%) 🙏 Thanks for reading Axios Sports. | | 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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