| | | | | | | Presented By Blockchain.com | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·May 17, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Today's newsletter is bursting at the seams with information. Legitimately struggled to fit everything in. 🚨 Referral update: You'll notice the "Refer a friend" module is gone from the bottom of today's newsletter. That's because we're revamping it. Stay tuned! Today's word count: 1,769 words (7 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 💵 Sports betting, three years later |  Data: Legal Sports Report; Table: Sara Wise/Axios Welcome to Sports Betting Week, where we'll be covering the expanding industry and its impact on everything from sports leagues to state budgets. This weekend marked three years since the Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which had prevented states from creating their own sports betting regulations, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. - Where it stands: 36 months later, 21 states plus Washington, D.C. have legal sports betting operations, led by New Jersey, which has brought in more revenue than even Nevada since the SCOTUS ruling.
- By the numbers: Nine states have seen a $1+ billion handle (total amount wagered), including three that didn't legalize until 2020 (Illinois, Colorado and Michigan).
The state(s) of play: - In-person and mobile (11 plus D.C.): Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Iowa, Oregon, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Colorado.
- In-person only (7): Delaware, Mississippi, New Mexico, Arkansas, Montana, North Carolina, New York (approved mobile, but hasn't launched).
- Mobile only (3): New Hampshire, Tennessee, Virginia.
- Legal, not yet operational (6): Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming.
Of note: The three states missing from the graphic above are Montana (tiny market), New Mexico (doesn't disclose finances) and North Carolina (no betting locations yet). 📆 Coming up ... We'll be covering sports betting all week. Check back tomorrow for a deep dive into the brick-and-mortar side of the business. |     | | | | | | 2. 🏀 Let the games begin |  | | | Photo: Harry How/Getty Images | | | | The NBA regular season ended on Sunday. Now we head to the play-in round, highlighted by Warriors vs. Lakers on Wednesday night. How it works: The winner of the 7-8 matchup gets the No. 7 seed, while the loser plays the winner of the 9-10 game to determine the No. 8 seed. - Tomorrow (TNT): No. 10 Hornets at No. 9 Pacers (6:30pm ET); No. 8 Wizards at No. 7 Celtics (9pm)
- Wednesday (ESPN): No. 10 Spurs at No. 9 Grizzlies (7:30pm); No. 8 Warriors at No. 7 Lakers (10pm).
Courtesy: NBA Playoff matchups: - East: No. 1 76ers vs. TBD; No. 2 Nets vs. TBD; No. 3 Bucks vs. No. 6 Heat; No. 4 Knicks vs. No. 5 Hawks
- West: No. 1 Jazz vs. TBD; No. 2 Suns vs. TBD; No. 3 Nuggets vs. No. 6 Trail Blazers; No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Mavericks
Consider this ... No matter who wins on Wednesday, either Steph or LeBron will be playing in an elimination game on Friday night. Adam Silver, you savage. | | | | | | | | 3. 🏒 NHL playoffs start with a bang |  | | | Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images | | | | The NHL playoffs began this weekend and delivered the drama we've come to expect. Four matchups, four one-goal games, three OT finishes, and one absolute barn burner in Florida. Courtesy: NHL The backdrop: Following a season of strictly divisional play, the first two playoff rounds will also see teams play their division rivals. "Bad blood's already there. ... Instead of a buildup over time where gradually you get to Game 4 and all of a sudden now the nastiness starts, you'll just see it sooner. Familiarity will breed contempt." — Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, via APMeanwhile, in Vancouver ... The Canucks and Flames played the first of three bizarre, relatively meaningless games on Sunday. - Neither team made the playoffs, but they have to make up games from the Canucks' lengthy COVID-19 pause. The only thing that's on the line is where they rank in the entry draft lottery.
Go deeper: The 16 people to watch for in the playoffs (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | A message from Blockchain.com | | Blockchain.com: The fastest, easiest way to buy bitcoin | | |  | | | | Worried that you missed the boat on Bitcoin? Good news: it's not too late to be early. With Blockchain.com you can easily buy and sell cryptos like BTC, ETH and DOT, earn over 4% annually with Interest Accounts and swap crypto for other cryptos. | | | | | | 4. 🏀 The 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame class |  | | | Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photos: Getty Images | | | | Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headlined 2020's Basketball Hall of Fame class, forever enshrined over the weekend in a ceremony delayed eight months by the pandemic, Jeff writes. - The rest of the class was comprised of WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, college coaches Eddie Sutton, Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens and FIBA executive Patrick Baumann.
- Also honored were various media members, including Mike Breen, Michael Wilbon and TNT's "Inside the NBA" team of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith.
Onto the inductees... Kobe Bryant: It's been 16 months since Bryant, his eldest daughter Gigi and seven others died in a helicopter crash, so his wife Vanessa, flanked by Michael Jordan, accepted the honor on his behalf. - "He would thank everyone that helped him get here, including the people that doubted him ... He would thank all of them for motivating him to be here. After all, he proved you wrong." Full speech.
- Accolades: 18x All-Star, 15x All-NBA, 12x All-Defensive, 5x NBA champ, 2x Finals MVP, 2008 NBA MVP
- Stats: 1,346 games; 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals
Vanessa Bryant and Michael Jordan. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Tim Duncan: The day after the Spurs clinched a play-in berth, Gregg Popovich showed up to support his longtime superstar, which was exactly the type of behavior Duncan had come to expect from Pop. - "You showed up after I got drafted. You came to my island, you sat with my friends, my family, you talked with my dad. I thought that was normal. It's not. You are an exceptional person." Full speech.
- Accolades: 15x All-Star, 15x All-NBA, 15x All-Defensive, 5x NBA champ, 3x Finals MVP, 2x MVP
- Stats: 1,392 games; 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 blocks
Kevin Garnett: Perhaps the only context in which KG comes off as anything but utterly dominant is when compared to his co-inductees, whom he thanked for bringing out the best in him. - "Timmy, thank you man. ... I looked forward to all the battles, seriously. I thank you for taking me to another level. It's an honor to go into the Hall with you bro, you and Kobe." Full speech.
- Accolades: 15x All-Star, 12x All-Defensive, 9x All-NBA, 2004 NBA MVP, 2008 NBA champ
- Stats: 1,462 games; 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.3 steals
Looking ahead ... The 2021 class was announced on Sunday, headlined by Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber and Ben Wallace. | | | | | | | | 5. 🇺🇸 Photos across America | | Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images BALTIMORE — 11-1 long shot Rombauer sprung an upset to win the 146th Preakness Stakes, surging past Derby winner Medina Spirit and putting horse racing's latest controversy on the back burner. - Wild stat: This is the second time since 1950 that both the Derby and Preakness winners had odds of 10-1 or longer (Medina Spirit was 12-1).
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images NEW YORK, N.Y. — Sabrina Ionescu had a dream that she would hit a winning shot in her Barclays Center debut — and she did. Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images FRISCO, Texas — Sam Houston State converted two fourth-down conversions on the final drive and scored a last-minute TD to beat South Dakota State, 23-21, and win its first FCS national title. - Fun fact: Sam Houston is one of 47 college football teams that finished the strange 2020-21 season undefeated, whether they went 13-0 or 1-0.
| | | | | | | | 6. ⚽️ Soccer around the world | | Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images WEST BROMWICH, England — Alisson scored the first headed goal by a goalkeeper in Premier League history, lifting Liverpool to a win in stoppage time and keeping the Reds' hopes of a top-four finish alive. - What they're saying: Alisson dedicated the goal to his father, who passed away earlier this year. Watch his interview.
Photo: Lukas Schulze/UEFA via Getty Images GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Barcelona beat Chelsea, 4-0, to win the club's first Women's Champions League title. - What's next: The Chelsea men will try to avenge this loss on May 29 when they play Manchester City in the Champions League final.
Photo: S. Mellar/Getty Images for FC Bayern FREIBURG, Germany — Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski tied Gerd Müller's 49-year-old German league goal record with his 40th of the season — in just 28 games. More soccer: - 🇪🇸 La Liga: It's a two-team title race with one weekend left thanks to a late Luis Suárez goal on Sunday that kept Atlético Madrid (83 points) ahead of Real Madrid (81) and eliminated Barcelona (76).
- 🇺🇸 MLS: Atlanta scored in stoppage time to beat Montreal, 1-0, in front of 40,116 fans — the world's largest soccer crowd since last March.
- 🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus beat league champion Inter Milan, 3-2, to keep its Champions League qualification hopes alive.
- 🇺🇸 NWSL: Opening weekend was highlighted by the Portland Thorns' 5-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars. They put the league on notice.
- 🏴 FA Cup: Leicester City beat Chelsea, 1-0, to win its first FA Cup in front of 21,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium.
- 🇺🇸 College Cup: The men's and women's title games will be played on the same field tonight in Cary, North Carolina. Santa Clara vs. FSU (5:30pm ET, ESPN2) for the women, then Marshall vs. Indiana (8pm, ESPN2) for the men.
| | | | | | | | 7. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images | | | | 🎾 Nadal tops Djoker: Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, to win a record-extending 10th Italian Open and reestablish himself as the overwhelming favorite for this month's French Open. 🏀 King Kyrie: Kyrie Irving is the ninth player to join the 50-40-90 club (50% FG, 40% 3PT, 90% FT), and he's just the fourth to do so while averaging 25+ ppg, joining Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Larry Bird. 🥎 Softball bracket: The 64-team field was unveiled on Sunday. Oklahoma got the top overall seed and seven of the top 16 seeds are SEC schools, led by No. 3 Alabama. 😂 ICYMI: "Saturday Night Live" parodied "The Last Dance" and it was incredible. Stop what you're doing and watch this now. ⛳️ Best thing I read: A curious golfer, a lawn mower and a thousand hours in lockdown (Phil Hatcher-Moore and Jack Williams, NYT) "During the coronavirus pandemic, Chris Powell became obsessed with his Welsh town's golf course, long lost to time and the land. Then he rebuilt it, to play for a single day." | | | | | | | | 8. 📆 May 17, 1964: The first Tim Hortons |  | | | Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images | | | | 57 years ago today, Maple Leafs defenseman Tim Horton opened the first location of his eponymous restaurant chain in Hamilton, Ontario (~40 miles south of Toronto). - Playing career: Horton won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs and enjoyed a 24-year career. He's the only player in NHL history with two numbers retired (Leafs, No. 7; Sabres, No. 2).
- Restaurant locations: There are 4,286 stores in Canada, 653 in the U.S. and about 100 others across Mexico, Europe and Asia.
Photo: Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images Company history: In 1962, donut restaurateur Jim Charade approached Horton about putting his name on his fledgling shops. Horton agreed, but only if they pivoted to burgers. When that failed, they reverted to donuts. - Horton soon replaced Charade with another partner, Ron Joyce, who really unlocked the company's success as its first franchisee.
- In February 1974, Horton died in a single-car, drunk driving accident on his way home to Buffalo after a game in Toronto.
- After Horton's death, Joyce bought out the Horton family's stake and began aggressively expanding, to the point that Canada now has the most donut shops per capita in the world.
Go deeper: 11 very Canadian facts about Tim Hortons (Mental Floss) | | | | | | | | 9. ⚾️ MLB trivia |  | | | Photo: Harry How/Getty Images | | | | Albert Pujols has signed with the Dodgers, who now have four former MVPs in Pujols, Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw. - Question: The last team to have four former MVPs on the roster was the 1996 Red Sox. Can you name them?
- Hint: They won MVPs in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1995.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Weekend's top plays |  | | | Jackie Bradley Jr. doing Jackie Bradley Jr. things. Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images | | | - ⚽️ Goalie goal
- ⚾️ Home run robbery
- 🏀 Sabrina calls game
- ⚽️ Ferran Torres!!!
- 🏀 Wild Nets play
- ⚾️ Incredible grab
- 🥍 Insane finish
- ⚾️ Austin Davis, again
- 🏀 Tacko posterized
- ⚾️ What a play
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from Blockchain.com | | Blockchain.com: The fastest, easiest way to buy bitcoin | | | | | | | | Worried that you missed the boat on Bitcoin? Good news: it's not too late to be early. With Blockchain.com you can easily buy and sell cryptos like BTC, ETH and DOT, earn over 4% annually with Interest Accounts and swap crypto for other cryptos. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "What a weekend" Baker Trivia answer: Roger Clemens (1986 AL MVP), Jose Canseco (1988 AL MVP), Kevin Mitchell (1989 NL MVP), Mo Vaughn (1995 AL MVP) | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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