| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Mar 01, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! Day 90 of the MLB lockout. The deadline for salvaging a full season has been extended to 5pm ET today. 📆 Coming up: Join Axios virtually at our inaugural What's Next Summit on April 5. Register here. Today's word count: 1,756 words (7 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏈 Pre-combine mock draft |  Table: Axios Visuals The NFL combine begins today in Indianapolis, marking the official start of #MockDraftSeason. Here's our first crack ahead of the draft on April 28, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Notes: - Race for No. 1: Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux are game-changing edge rushers, but the Jaguars' most sensible pick at No. 1 is Alabama OT Evan Neal — protection for last year's No. 1 pick, Trevor Lawrence. Note: Neal will not participate in workouts this week.
- Stud receivers: We project six WRs to be taken in the first round, which would be one shy of the record set in 2004. It would also continue a recent trend (six first-round WRs in 2020, five in 2021).
- No RBs: Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III is widely projected to be the first running back off the board — but not until the second round. This would be the first draft since 2014 with no first-round backs.
- New York, New York: The Giants and Jets have four of the top 10 picks, which fans hope will bring some much-needed talent to the Meadowlands. New York radio is going to have a field day with this.
- Champs lead the way: Our mock features four first-round picks from Georgia, all of whom were members of the Bulldogs' historic defense. Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Washington have two picks each.
Go deeper: NFL combine preview (The Athletic) |     | | | | | | 2. 🏟 Lawmakers target stadium tax breaks |  | | | Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios | | | | Three House Democrats reintroduced a bill last week that would eliminate public subsidies for the construction of professional sports stadiums, Jeff writes. Why it matters: Since 2000, 43 professional stadiums have been at least partially funded using $16.7 billion worth of such tax-exempt bonds, costing the federal government $4.3 billion in lost tax revenue, per a 2020 study in the National Tax Journal. The backdrop: Commanders owner Dan Snyder is looking to build a new stadium soon, and Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) hope the shared rancor over Snyder's misdeeds will help their bill succeed where similar legislation has failed. "Taxpayers-subsidized municipal bonds should no longer be a reward for the Washington Commanders and other teams that continue to operate workplaces that are dens of sexual harassment and abuse." Between the lines: This bill aims to reverse the "10% loophole," which was born from the 1986 Tax Reform Act. - How it works: A team wants to build a new stadium, so it reaches a deal with the local government: issue a bond for residents to buy, and give us the money for construction.
- The loophole: If the government agrees to take less than 10% of the stadium's annual revenue, the bond is exempt from taxes (i.e. bond-holders don't need to pay federal tax on income earned from the bond).
- The fallout: The government still needs to pay out dividends, and if it can't use revenue earned through the stadium, it must find that money elsewhere — often through raising taxes, finding a surplus or diverting funds earmarked for other projects.
The big picture: The logic behind these subsidies is that new sports venues act as economic anchors, but "arguments that stadiums boost job creation have been repeatedly discredited," said Beyer, whose claims are backed up by numerous reports. | | | | | | | | 3. 🏈 Headline of the day: USFL sues USFL | | Source: Giphy A group of owners and executives from the original USFL (1983–85) are suing Fox to block the launch of the new USFL, set to kickoff April 16. Details: The plaintiffs, who refer to themselves as "the Real USFL," claim that Fox's new league (NBC is also an investor) is an "unabashed counterfeit" that has no claim to its logo or team identities. "Fox is claiming to be something that it's not — the heir of the 1980s league that launched numerous Hall of Fame careers and changed the game of football." — Nicholas Matich of McKool Smith, which represents the Real USFL Of note: The lawsuit includes a link to a June 2021 press release, which implies that Fox owns the USFL trademarks and is rebooting it. When you visit that link now, the release has been changed to state that the new USFL is not affiliated with the old USFL. The bottom line: Another startup professional football league facing legal complications and a cloudy future? You don't say. Go deeper: Hall of Fame fullback and former USFL GM Larry Csonka is part of the group bringing the lawsuit. He shared his thoughts. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Recruit smart professionals | | |  | | | | Axios Chicago has a job board to reach remote and local talent. Reach top candidates that use Axios Chicago daily to make decisions about what to do and where to work. Post your job opportunities on Axios Chicago. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | 🏈 NFL goes global: There will be five NFL regular-season games played internationally in 2022 — three in London (home teams: Packers, Saints, Jaguars), one in Mexico (Cardinals) and one in Germany (Buccaneers). ⚽️ Russia kicked out: FIFA and UEFA have banned Russia's national and club teams from all international competitions, including the 2022 World Cup. Russia was scheduled to play Poland in qualifying this month. 🏈 Briles resigns: Art Briles, the former Baylor coach who was hired last week as Grambling State's OC, won't be joining the staff after his appointment sparked outrage. ⚽️ Leeds hires Marsch: American Jesse Marsch has been hired as Leeds United manager, becoming the second U.S.-born coach to manage a Premier League club (Bob Bradley, Swansea City in 2016). ⚾️ Good read: Derek Jeter is a player again (Tom Verducci, SI) "The Hall of Famer handed the union a win when he stepped down as Marlins CEO ... The timing of his exit is nothing if not curious." | | | | | | | | 5. 🏀 Men's poll: Baylor, Duke into top four |  Data: AP; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios Gonzaga and Arizona remain atop the rankings after a wild weekend of upsets of that resulted in major shuffling throughout the rest of the poll, Jeff writes. - Baylor, one of just three top-10 teams that didn't lose on Saturday, vaulted seven spots to No. 3.
- Duke, riding a six-game win streak, rounded out the top four and earned the second-most first-place votes (11) behind Gonzaga.
Looking ahead: The regular season wraps up this week, with some conference tournaments already underway or tipping off today. Here's a look at each league's current top seed: - A-B: America East (Vermont, 24-5); American (No. 14 Houston, 24-4); ASUN (Liberty, 21-10); A-10 (Davidson, 24-4); ACC (No. 4 Duke, 25-4); Big 12 (No. 6 Kansas, 23-5); Big East (No. 9 Providence, 24-3); Big Sky (Montana, 21-7); Big South (Longwood, 23-6); Big Ten (No. 10 Wisconsin, 23-5); Big West (Long Beach State, 16-11)
- C-O: Colonial (Towson, 24-7); C-USA (North Texas, 22-4); Horizon (Cleveland State, 19-9); Ivy (Princeton, 21-5); MAAC (Iona, 24-5); MAC (Toledo, 23-6); MEAC (Norfolk State, 20-6); Missouri Valley (Northern Iowa, 18-10); Mountain West (Boise State, 23-6); Northeast (Bryant, 19-9); Ohio Valley (No. 22 Murray State, 28-2)
- P-W: Pac-12 (No. 2 Arizona, 25-3); Patriot (Colgate, 20-11); SEC (No. 5 Auburn, 25-4); Southern (Chattanooga, 24-7); Southland (New Orleans, 16-11); SWAC (Alcorn State, 13-15); Summit (South Dakota State, 27-4); Sun Belt (Texas State, 21-6); West Coast (No. 1 Gonzaga, 24-3); WAC (New Mexico State, 23-5)
Go deeper: Previewing this week's conference tournaments (WashPost) | | | | | | | | 6. 🏀 Women's poll: Hawkeyes on the rise |  Data: AP; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios Caitlin Clark and Iowa jumped nine spots to No. 12 this week, as the Hawkeyes claimed a share of the Big Ten regular season title for the first time since 2008, Jeff writes. - Fun fact: Seven schools appear in both the men's and women's rankings: Arizona, Baylor, Iowa, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
- Top 16: The NCAA released its final top 16 on Monday. The top five is the same as the AP poll, with teams like Michigan and Tennessee higher and teams like UConn and Iowa lower.
Looking ahead: The regular season wraps up this week, with some conference tournaments tipping off today. Here's a look at each league's current top seed: - A-B: America East (Maine, 18-10); American (UCF, 21-3); ASUN (No. 22 FGCU, 26-2); A-10 (Dayton, 23-4); ACC (No. 3 NC State, 26-3); Big 12 (No. 5 Baylor, 24-5); Big East (No. 7 UConn, 22-5); Big Sky (Idaho State, 19-9); Big South (Campbell, 21-6); Big Ten (No. 13 Ohio State, 22-5); Big West (Hawaii, 15-9)
- C-O: Colonial (Drexel, 23-3); C-USA (Charlotte, 18-8); Horizon League (IUPUI, 21-4); Ivy League (Princeton, 20-4); MAAC (Fairfield, 20-6); MAC (Toledo, 23-4); MEAC (Howard, 17-8); Missouri Valley (Southern Illinois, 19-7); Mountain West (UNLV, 23-5); Northeast (Fairleigh Dickinson, 17-10); Ohio Valley (Belmont, 20-7)
- P-W: Pac-12 (No. 2 Stanford, 25-3); Patriot League (Holy Cross, 19-9); SEC (No. 1 South Carolina, 27-1); Southern (Mercer, 20-6); Southland (Houston Baptist, 14-9); SWAC (Jackson State, 18-6); Summit League (South Dakota, 24-5); Sun Belt (Troy, 22-7); West Coast (No. 17 BYU, 25-2); WAC (Stephen F. Austin, 25-3)
Go deeper: NCAA makes changes to women's tournament (AP) | | | | | | | | 7. 🌎 The world in photos | | Photo: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images MEMPHIS — Ja Morant threw down the dunk of the year and dropped a career-high 52 points in a win over the Spurs, two nights after scoring a career-high 46. - Of note: It's the first 50-point game in Grizzlies history, and his 22 made field goals also set a franchise record.
U.S. Paralympians on the team bus en route to LAX. Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC LOS ANGELES — Team USA's Paralympics journey began this weekend, as 110 athletes, coaches and staff boarded a charter flight from LAX to Beijing. The Games begin on Friday. Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images LONDON — 🇺🇦 Love this photo. | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Lakers in full panic mode |  | | | Photo: Michael Owens/Getty Images | | | | The Lakers are a mess. They're 3-9 in their past 12, Anthony Davis is hurt and they got booed at home on Sunday. - Tonight, they get Luka Dončić and the red-hot Mavericks (10pm ET, TNT), who've won seven of nine and are coming off an epic comeback against the Warriors.
- The big picture: The Lakers (27-33) are much closer to falling out of the play-in round (2.5 games) than securing a playoff berth (8.5 games).
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL trivia | | Source: Giphy Only two single-digit numbers (1-9) aren't retired in the NFL yet. - Question: Which two?
- Hint: One is a prime number, one isn't.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🏀 1 fun thing: Poeltl (like Wordle) |  | | | Jakob Poeltl. Photo: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images | | | | You've played Wordle, Gordle, Nerdle and Lordle of the Rings. Next up: Poeltl (pronounced PER-tull), an NBA version of the popular word game named after Spurs center Jakob Poeltl. How to play: There are eight categories: Player name, team, conference, division, position, height, age and jersey number. - You have eight tries to guess an NBA player, and categories will appear in either green (correct), yellow (close) or no color (off).
- Silhouette: At any point, you can click to see a silhouette of the player to help you. This doesn't count toward your guesses (and is a bit of a cheat code if you ask me).
Play. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Recruit smart professionals | | | | | | | | Axios Chicago has a job board to reach remote and local talent. Reach top candidates that use Axios Chicago daily to make decisions about what to do and where to work. Post your job opportunities on Axios Chicago. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Taught Mel Kiper everything he knows" Baker Trivia answer: 2 and 6 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy) and tell friends to sign up here. |  | Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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