Axios Sports: NCAA vs. Alston, explained

Plus: Soccer-specific stadiums and niche sports athletes. | Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Curex   Axios Sports By Kendall Baker ·Jun 22, 2021 👋 Good morning! Today's newsletter includes my new favorite trivia question. But first, two wild stats: ⚾️ Jacob deGrom has now gone 12 straight starts with one or zero earned runs allowed, breaking a tie with Bob Gibson in 1968 for the longest streak in a single season since earned runs became official. 🏒 Brayden Point is the second player in NHL history to score a goal in eight consecutive games within a postseason. Reggie Leach did it in 10 straight for the 1976 Flyers. Today's word count: 1,672 words (6 minutes). Let's sports...     1 big thing: 🎓 The NCAA model is unraveling Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the NCAA on Monday, issuing another significant blow to the embattled organization. Why it matters: The ruling in NCAA vs. Alston chips away at core aspects of amateurism and opens the door for future legal challenges that could upend the NCAA's current business model built on unpaid labor. Details: SCOTUS ruled Monday that the NCAA was violating antitrust law by placing limits on academic-related benefits that schools can provide to student-athletes. Schools can now provide their athletes with unlimited compensation as long as it's connected to education (i.e. laptops, paid internships). More importantly, the ruling suggests that SCOTUS may be open to more substantial antitrust challenges of NCAA rules in the future. Of note: This is the first time since 1985 that the Supreme Court has weighed in on the governance of college sports. What they're saying: The court's opinion, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, was limited to academic-related benefits. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurring opinion expanded the scope, arguing that the entire NCAA operation is illegal. "Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate." "Law firms cannot conspire to cabin lawyers' salaries in the name of providing legal services out of a 'love of the law.' Hospitals cannot agree to cap nurses' income in order to create a 'purer' form of helping the sick." — Justice Kavanaugh Data: NCAA; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios Between the lines: During one of the most politically divided times in American history, the NCAA has managed to bring both sides of the aisle together as their common enemy. "[The NCAA] assumed conservatism's presumed affinity for the status quo would supersede conservatism's demonstrated affinity for free markets," writes The Athletic's Andy Staples (subscription). "In the process, the schools and the NCAA placed themselves in the middle of a pincer movement between those who historically champion open markets (the right) and those who historically champion workers' rights (the left)." The big picture: So there's that. Meanwhile, the NCAA is facing an even more pressing issue: Name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation. The organization has been urging Congress to pass a federal bill to govern how student-athletes earn NIL money, but none have passed. In the meantime, 19 states passed their NIL own bills. Six of those bills take effect on July 1, meaning the NCAA has nine days to pass its own national guidelines to ensure uniformity and avoid state-by-state chaos. If they fail to do so, athletes in six states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas — will be able to earn NIL money while the rest of the country can't. The last word: "It feels like the NCAA is between three rocks and four hard places," Gabe Feldman, a Tulane professor and NIL expert, told SI (subscription). "There are so many forces closing in on them." The bottom line: The Alston case represents another crack in the foundation of college sports. Monday's ruling didn't bring the whole system down, but it made it clear that amateurism's days are numbered.     2. 🏳️‍🌈 Nassib first active NFL player to come out as gay Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images   Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib on Monday became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. What he's saying: Nassib, 28, made the announcement on Instagram, saying he's coming out now because "representation and visibility are so important." He's also donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. "Studies have shown that all it takes is one accepting adult to decrease the risk of an LGBTQ kid attempting suicide by 40%," Nassib wrote. "Whether you're a friend, a parent, a coach, or a teammate — you can be that person." The backdrop: In 2014, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. He didn't make a roster out of training camp but paved the way for more acceptance in the locker room. A handful of players have come out after their NFL careers ended, most famously running back David Kopay in 1975. "I think it's safe to say there's at least one on every team who is either gay or bisexual," said former offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan, who came out in 2017. The last word ... Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, when asked about Carl's announcement: "I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great." In other groundbreaking news ... Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has been named to New Zealand's Olympic roster, making her the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Games.     3. 🏒 Tampa Bay's international scoring surge Photo: Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images   The Lightning destroyed the Islanders, 8-0, to take a 3-2 series lead and move within a win of returning to the Stanley Cup Final. By the numbers: 13 players from five different countries recorded a point for the defending champions on Monday night. 🇨🇦 Canada: Alex Killorn, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, David Savard, Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde, Luke Schenn 🇺🇸 USA: Blake Coleman, Ross Colton, Patrick Maroon 🇷🇺 Russia: Nikita Kucherov 🇸🇪 Sweden: Victor Hedman 🇨🇿 Czech Republic: Ondřej Palát Zoom out ... Tampa Bay's 13-man scoring machine is fairly representative of the NHL's overall makeup. Here are the nationalities of the 99 players who've seen action in this year's semifinals: 🇨🇦 Canada: 52 🇺🇸 USA: 18 🇷🇺 Russia: 6 🇸🇪 Sweden: 5 🇫🇮 Finland: 4 🇨🇿 Czech Republic: 3 🇸🇰 Slovakia: 2 📆 Tonight: Canadiens at Golden Knights, 9pm ET (Tied 2-2)     A message from Curex Treat the source of your seasonal allergies, not just the symptoms     Curex uses at-home allergy immunotherapy to meaningfully reduce the underlying cause of indoor/outdoor allergies. Here's how: The treatment exposes your body to small amounts of an allergen over time, habituating the immune system and reducing its reaction. Find out more.     4. ⚽️ End of an era: Crew Stadium closes Data: Axios research; Table: Connor Rothschild/Axios The Columbus Crew played their final match at Historic Crew Stadium on Saturday, sending their longtime home out in style with a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire. Why it matters: When Historic Crew Stadium opened its gates in 1999, it was America's first soccer-specific stadium. 22 years later, MLS has 20 such venues, with more on the way. Columbus' new stadium, Lower.com Field, opens on July 3, and Nashville (2020 debut) and St. Louis (2023 debut) are currently building their own soccer-specific stadiums. MLS has made it mandatory for expansion teams to have soccer-specific stadiums, so even more will be built in the coming years as the league grows to an expected 32 teams. In other news ... MLS is launching a development league next year, aimed at bridging the gap between youth academies and first-team rosters.     5. 🌎 Photos around the world Photo: Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images COPENHAGEN, Denmark — In a campaign overshadowed by the health of Christian Eriksen, Denmark routed Russia, 4-1, to secure an unlikely place in the knockout stage. What a moment. Photo: Gareth Copley/ICC via Getty Images SOUTHAMPTON, England — India players walk out to bat during the ICC World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand, which has unfortunately had two rain-outs in four days. Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images PUEBLA, Mexico — Jaguar's Mitch Evans in action during the Puebla E-Prix, an event on the Formula E circuit, which uses electric cars and allows fans to impact the race by giving their favorite driver a "boost."     6. ⚡️ Lightning round Cade Cunningham. Photo: William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images   🏀 Tonight in the NBA: It's an eventful evening in the Association, with the draft lottery at 8:30pm ET followed by Clippers-Suns Game 2 at 9pm. Who will land first dibs at projected No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham? ⚾️ Wolfpack rising: NC State is the first team to beat both the No. 1 seed (Arkansas) and defending national champion (Vanderbilt) in a single NCAA Tournament since seeding began in 1999. CWS scoreboard. 🇺🇸 Rubio pens Biden: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote to President Biden urging him to grant a waiver that would allow Navy graduate Cameron Kinley to delay his service and attend Buccaneers training camp. ⚽️ City eyes Kane: Manchester City are readying a $139 million offer for Tottenham striker Harry Kane, ESPN reports. 🏈 Eli's return: Eli Manning is back with the Giants in a business operations and fan engagement role. The team will also retire his No. 10 jersey during a special halftime ceremony on Sept. 26.     7. 📆 June 22, 2016: NHL approves Vegas bid Photo: Josh Holmberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images   Five years ago, NHL owners unanimously approved the Las Vegas expansion bid, giving birth to the most immediately successful expansion franchise in major sports history. By the numbers: The Golden Knights have qualified for the playoffs in all four of their seasons. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in Year 1 and are two wins away from returning in Year 4. All-time record: 173-94-24 (.636) Points leader: Jonathan Marchessault (225) The big picture: The Golden Knights were Las Vegas' first major sports team, but that number has since doubled — and could keep growing. The Oakland Raiders moved to Vegas in 2020, and there are rumors that the NBA and MLB (possibly via the A's relocating) could be next. On a smaller scale, the city also just added an indoor lacrosse team, co-owned by Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash, Dustin Johnson and Joe Tsai. 🎥 Watch: Inside T-Mobile Arena (YouTube)     8. 💵 The Ocho: Niche athletes on the rise Disc golf hole in the forest. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images   "How much can athletes really make in niche sports? A whole lot more than you might think," writes David Gardner in a piece for The Ringer titled, "The rise of the $10 million disc golf celebrity." The big picture: Not long ago, niche sports barely cracked the national consciousness. Now, they reach dedicated fan bases — and even the masses — thanks to elite athletes with large social media followings. "In niche sports, social media is 10 times — maybe 100 times — more important to an athlete than it is in mainstream sports [where] stars get constant TV coverage." "If you're in a niche sport, you have to tell people what you have coming up and what you've achieved. You want people to feel like they're a part of this journey." — Jason Belmonte, bowler Keep reading.     9. 🌆 Team name trivia Source: Giphy The Nets are one of eight teams in the four major leagues whose name represents a region, rather than a city or state (Brooklyn is a borough). Question: Can you name the other seven? Hint: Three NFL teams, two NHL teams, one NBA team, one MLB team. Answer at the bottom.     10. 💬 Reader poll: Bucks or Hawks? Photo: Michael Zarrilli/Getty Images   Question: Who will win the Eastern Conference Finals? Click to vote: Bucks Hawks Thanks for voting. I'll share the results tomorrow ahead of Game 1.     A message from Curex How Curex allergy is treating allergies differently     Curex is an innovative telehealth platform that unites allergy clinicians, allergy-testing labs and leading pharmacies. The company's personalized treatments include: Virtual visits to discuss medical history. At-home allergy testing. Custom allergy immunotherapy treatment.   Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Big disc golf guy" Baker Trivia answer: Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Panthers, Golden State Warriors, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays 🙏 Thanks for reading. Don't forget to refer your friends (axios.com/referral) and follow me on Twitter: @thekendallbaker. Like this style and format? Request access to Axios HQ The tool and templates you need for more engaging team updates.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. 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