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| Presented By OurCrowd |
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| Axios Sports |
| By Kendall Baker ·Sep 29, 2021 |
| 👋 Good morning! Today's edition is full of fascinating stories ... and a possible Pennywise the Dancing Clown sighting. 🤡 Today's word count: 1,564 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... |
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| 1 big thing: ⚽️ The pride of Moldova (kind of) |
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| Photo: David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images |
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| Sheriff Tiraspol stunned Real Madrid, 2-1, in Spain's capital on Tuesday, improving to 2-0 in its Champions League debut. Why it matters: Nobody predicted this from the little-known Moldovan champions. Suddenly, a club from Europe's poorest country is the star of its richest sports competition. "It's very difficult to play against these teams, the best in the world. I'm emotional. If I carry on talking much longer, I'll end up crying." — Goalkeeper Georgios Athanasiadis Screenshot: Google Maps A closer look: Sports fans love their underdog narratives, and this is certainly one of them (Sheriff closed at +2700 to beat Real Madrid). But upon further examination, this story is far more complex than it appears. - The city: Tiraspol, the city where Sheriff is based, does not consider itself part of Moldova. Instead, it is the capital of Transnistria, a pro-Russia breakaway state with its own currency, flag and government.
- The club: Sheriff competes in the Moldovan league, where it has won all but two titles this century with a roster full of foreign imports. It plays in a beautiful stadium while rivals play on decrepit fields.
- The league: Domestic opponents can barely afford to pay players let alone compete with well-funded Sheriff, which has led to an unprecedented amount of match-fixing.
- The sponsor: Sheriff is a monopoly run by a former KGB agent that owns everything from supermarkets and gas stations to TV channels and phone networks. This is where the money comes from.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the head of Transnistria, and his wife Svetlana attend Alexander Nevsky Church this month. Photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images The big picture: The chance for Sheriff to tangle with Europe's giants is precisely what the anti-Super League crowd sought to protect. - While the Super League would have kept European soccer's immense wealth concentrated among superpowers, the Champions League has more spots for small clubs — and thus distributes money more widely.
- Sheriff will be paid handsomely for its Champions League play, as will Moldova's soccer federation — an outcome that could improve the lives of kids (more youth programs) and pros (better facilities) alike.
The other side: There's concern that an influx of money will only serve to widen the gap between Sheriff and its domestic rivals, hurting Moldovan soccer rather than improving it. As NYT's Rory Smith puts it: "This is what Sheriff has been waiting for; it is what the rest of Moldovan soccer might have been dreading. It crystallizes the inevitability of Sheriff's winning the league, again and again." "Watching from Moldova, it is not a fairy tale about a plucky hero, but quite the opposite. It is the final victory of the giant." |
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| 2. ⚾️ MLB snapshot: Cards clinch, Yanks cruise |
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| Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images |
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| Five days left... NL Wild Card: The Cardinals extended their winning streak to 17 games (!!!) and clinched a wild-card berth with a 6-2 win over the Brewers. AL Wild Card: The Yankees dominated the Blue Jays, their seventh straight win since adopting a turtle … The Orioles beat the Red Sox (shades of 2011) … The red-hot Mariners beat the A's. - Yankees: 90-67 (+2)
- Red Sox: 88-69
- Mariners: 88-70 (0.5 GB)
- Blue Jays: 87-70 (1 GB)
- Athletics: 85-73 (3.5 GB)
NL East: The Braves held on for a 2-1 win over the Phillies, extending their division lead and upping their playoff odds to 96.1%, per FanGraphs. - Braves: 84-72
- Phillies: 81-76 (3.5 GB)
NL West: All quiet on the Western Front. The Giants beat the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers beat the Padres, so no movement. - Giants: 103-54
- Dodgers: 101-56 (2 GB)
Let's run it back today... |
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| 3. ⚾️ Bipartisan baseball: Congress at the bat |
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| Photo: Alex Edelman/Getty Images |
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| Washington's partisan divide will replace the aisle with a diamond tonight at Nationals Park for the 86th Congressional Baseball Game, which has graduated from C-SPAN to FS1 (7pm ET), Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: The game benefits charities, and is expected to raise $1.2 million this year after 2020's edition was canceled due to the pandemic. The backdrop: The inaugural contest was played in 1909, when former MLB player and then-Pennsylvania Rep. John Tener, organized a game among his colleagues. - The Democrats beat the Republicans that day, 26-16, but the all-time series couldn't be tighter, with one tie and 42 wins apiece.
- In 2017, the tradition took a dark turn when a gunman opened fire on the Republican practice the day before the game. Fortunately, the only fatality was the shooter himself, and the game went on as planned.
Cheerleaders for the Republicans and Democrats show their spirit before the Congressional Baseball Game of 1966. Photo: Mickey Senko/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images What they're saying: "Today, this really is the only event that brings both Democrats and Republicans together for social purposes," baseball writer Nathaniel Rakich told WashPost in 2017. Between the lines: Though this bipartisan camaraderie is by all accounts genuine, both teams still want to win. In fact, they've been practicing every morning while Congress has been in session. - That practice paid off for the 25 members of the Congressional Baseball Hall of Fame, which tonight will welcome four new members, including President Biden and a posthumous induction for President George H. W. Bush.
- Wild coincidence: When Biden played as a senator in the 1970s, he wore a Phillies jersey ... with the number 46.
🚨 Scoop (there it is): Rep. Greg Steube (Fla.) will start on the mound for the Republicans, while Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.) gets the nod for the Democrats, sources tell Axios. Go deeper: Full rosters |
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| 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |
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| Photo: David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images |
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| 🏀 Vaxxed LeBron: After evading questions about his vaccination status last season, LeBron James said Tuesday that he is vaccinated. ⛳️ Bryson's side gig: Bryson DeChambeau averaged 406.2 yards on his five longest tee shots to advance to the second round of the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championships. 🎓 Musical chairs: Colorado State and Air Force are expected to leave the Mountain West Conference to join the AAC, which is set to lose Houston, Cincinnati and UCF to the Big 12. ⚽️ Spirit fallout: Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke has been fired following an investigation into alleged inappropriate conduct. The team has also been banned from NWSL governance matters. |
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| 5. 🏈 The NFL ratings machine rolls on |
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| Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios |
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| The NFL is a ratings juggernaut, and the viewership gap between football games and the rest of the pay-TV bundle widens by the week. By the numbers: Despite a 20% drop in overall TV use since 2019, NFL ratings through three weeks are up 3% compared to the same period two years ago, per Nielsen. - Week 3 coincided with the launch of the fall broadcast season, and the NFL crushed the Big Four's new primetime shows.
- Sunday's two national broadcast windows averaged 21.1 million viewers, while the seven new series that debuted between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26 drew just 3.73 viewers.
The bottom line, via Sportico's Anthony Crupi (subscription): "The gulf that stands between the NFL and everything else on linear TV is so vast that, were he still alive, the oft-shattered daredevil Evel Knievel would probably try to jump over the thing on his motorcycle." In related news ... The ManningCast drew 1.89 million viewers on Monday, up from 1.86 million in Week 2 and 800,000 in Week 1. |
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| 6. 📱 The next social media frontier |
 Data: Axios research; Chart: Will Chase/Axios The NBA blows away the competition on TikTok, which just hit 1 billion users and is becoming a key part of sports leagues' content strategies. Followers: - 🏀 NBA: 13.4M
- 🥊 UFC: 8.5M
- 🏈 NFL: 6.7M
- ⚾️ MLB: 4.2M
- 🏒 NHL: 1.4M
- 🏁 NASCAR: 1.3M
- 🏀 WNBA: 827K
- ⛳️ PGA Tour: 733K
- ⚽️ MLS: 301K
- 🥍 PLL: 141K
Our thought bubble: The NBA's TikTok success is largely due to its own concerted efforts, but it certainly doesn't hurt that hoops is so highlight-driven. That's a huge boon for the NBA as fans increasingly choose snacks (clips) over meals (games). |
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| 7. 🌎 The world in photos |
| Photo: Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Courtney Vandersloot (12-10-18) posted the second triple-double in WNBA playoff history, leading the Sky past the Sun, 101-95 (2OT), and snapping their 14-game win streak. (CHI leads 1-0) - Elsewhere: The Aces beat the Mercury, 96-90, behind 26 points from Riquna Williams and 25 points from Kelsey Plum. (LVA leads 1-0)
Photo: Aurelien Meunier/PSG via Getty Images PARIS — Lionel Messi scored his first goal for PSG — a beauty in a 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City. Photo: Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images for Ironman VENICE — Another day, another epic Ironman photo. |
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| 8. 📆 Sept. 29, 1954: "The Catch" |
| Photo: New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images 67 years ago today, Willie Mays made the most iconic catch in baseball history — an over-the-shoulder grab in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. - Mays' New York Giants were tied 2-2 with the Indians in the eighth inning, with two on and no outs, when Vic Wertz crushed a fly ball to the Polo Grounds' uniquely deep center field.
- Mays tracked down the 425-foot drive to stop the go-ahead run from scoring, and the Giants hit a walk-off HR two innings later before going on to sweep the series.
Photo: Bettman Archive/Getty Images 🤡 In the top photo, there's a creepy face in the far left window that may or may not be Pennywise from "It." In the book, the first encounters happen in the 1950s ... Someone get Stephen King on the phone, I'm scared. Go deeper: The evolution of MLB ballparks (Axios) |
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| 9. 🇵🇭 Philippines trivia |
| A teenage Manny Pacquiao in 2001. Photo: Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images Manny Pacquiao retired from boxing on Tuesday and plans to run for president in his native Philippines. - Question: What is the capital of the Philippines?
- Hint: Ali-Frazier.
Answer at the bottom. |
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| 10. 🏟 1 Chicago thing: Bears to the 'burbs? |
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| Soldier Field. Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images |
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| The Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington International Racecourse property in suburban Illinois, The Athletic reports (subscription). Why it matters: "Da Bears" appear destined for a new stadium in the 'burbs. Their Soldier Field lease runs through 2033, but they can pay the city $84 million to break it in 2026. |
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| A message from OurCrowd |
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| Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Didn't take Pennywise for a baseball fan" Baker Trivia answer: Manila 🙏 Thanks for reading. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter: @thekendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. |
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