🏀 Axios Sports: West Coast curse

Plus: Bad Brad | Friday, March 25, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Sports By Kendall Baker ·Mar 25, 2022 🎉 Happy Friday! Great day to be alive. 📆 Coming up: You're invited to Axios' inaugural What's Next Summit on April 5. Register here to join us virtually. Today's word count: 2,008 words (8 minutes). Let's sports...     1 big thing: 🏀 Coach K wins, West Coast loses Chet Holmgren and Gonzaga couldn't get it done. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images   The top two overall seeds went down, Coach K's "Last Dance" got at least one more song, and Collin Gillespie's fifth year at Villanova — which, in some ways, feels like his 45th — continued on Thursday. Scores: No. 4 Arkansas def. No. 1 Gonzaga, 74-68 No. 5 Houston def. No. 1 Arizona, 72-60 No. 2 Duke def. No. 3 Texas Tech, 78-73 No. 2 Villanova def. No. 11 Michigan, 63-55 Notes: Duke shot 71% from the field in the second half and made its final eight shots to lift Mike Krzyzewski to his record 100th tournament victory and record 17th Elite Eight. Do you believe in destiny? Gonzaga tied Oklahoma for the most NCAA Tournament appearances as a No. 1 seed without a title (five). It's now open season for Gonzaga haters for at least another 12 months. Arkansas is the first team ever to beat an AP No. 1 team during the regular season (Auburn) and the tournament (Gonzaga). Now, the Razorbacks are one win away from their first Final Four since 1995. Houston was No. 2 in the Basketball Power Index (BPI). Why is that notable? In 13 of the 15 years BPI has existed, the national champion was in the top three. (Gonzaga and Arizona were No. 1 and No. 3). Villanova is back in the Elite Eight for the third time in the last six seasons. The other two appearances? They won the title. The big picture: It's been 25 years since a West Coast team won a men's college basketball national championship (Arizona in 1997). UCLA is now its only hope of breaking the curse. Let's do it all over again tonight.     2. 📺 The golden age of NFL broadcasting Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios   NFL announcers have more leverage than ever — and are cashing in big time — thanks to increased competition for their services, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write. Driving the news: ESPN ("Monday Night Football") and new entrant Amazon ("Thursday Night Football") signed broadcasting teams to huge deals this month, reshaping the landscape entirely. ESPN lured both Troy Aikman (5 years, $90M) and Joe Buck (5 years, $75M) away from Fox. Buck will work alongside with his wife, Michelle Beisner-Buck, a "Monday Night Football" field reporter. Amazon's new coverage will be led by Al Michaels (3 years, ~$45M), who left his longtime post at NBC, and Kirk Herbstreit (at least $10M annually), who will also still cover college football at ESPN. Elsewhere: CBS' coverage is still led by Tony Romo, who signed the first of these megadeals in 2020 (10 years, $180M), and Jim Nantz, who re-upped last March for ~$10.5M annually. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" retained Cris Collinsworth (~$12.5M annually) and will see Mike Tirico (~$10M annually) slide into Michaels' old spot. That leaves Fox as the odd man out. The network will likely move its former "B team" of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen into the top slot, according to NY Post's Andrew Marchand. The big picture: This is reminiscent of the free agency we see on the field. Just like star QBs, the best announcers understand their value over replacements, empowering them to push for what they're worth. Aikman's old Fox deal included a clause that would allow him to leave if a "bigger and better" deal presented itself, Marchand reports. That foresight paid off. Peyton Manning could have worked anywhere, but he turned down several offers until ESPN let him produce his own MNF show — the Manningcast — with his brother. There are even trades in the broadcasting world. Fox swapped Buck (let out of his contract one year early) in exchange for this fall's Penn State-Purdue game, originally slated for ESPN. The big picture: This was all made possible by three key factors: the NFL's TV dominance (75 of the 100 most-watched shows), the addition of Amazon, and the lasting impact of Romo's market-shifting deal. Amazon may be just one more competitor, but that's more than enough to make an impact. "If you got one person who wants you, you get a job," John Madden once told a friend. "If you got two people ... you get a great deal. And if you have three or more, you get a bonanza." What to watch: ESPN2's Manningcast had an excellent first year, but with the company investing so much into its primary broadcast, where does that leave the alternate feed going forward? Go deeper: Welcome to the announcer empowerment era (The Ringer)     3. 🏒 How much it costs for a family NHL outing Data: Team Marketing Report; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios It's a great time to be a fan of a first-place NHL team, Jeff writes. Driving the news: All four first-place teams — the Panthers, Hurricanes, Avalanche and Flames — rank among the 10 least-expensive nights out per the newest Fan Cost Index (FCI). How it works: FCI measures the cost for a family of four to attend a game. Four non-premium tickets, two beers, two sodas, four hot dogs, two souvenir hats and parking. By the numbers: The NHL's average FCI is $462.58, up 5% from last year ($439.91). The Maple Leafs have the highest FCI ($697.75), driven largely by their league-high average ticket price ($145.60), though as a second-place team they're at least providing good value. The cellar-dwelling Kraken (second-highest FCI) and Blackhawks (fifth-highest) don't provide great value. Seattle is still selling out every game, though, with fans excited about their new team. Zoom out: The NHL trails only the NFL in terms of fan costs, though the newest data has yet to be published for the NBA, MLB and MLS. NFL: $568.18 (November 2021) NHL: $462.58 (March 2022) NBA: $430.25 (October 2020) MLB: $253.64 (September 2021) MLS: $250.40 (May 2019)     A message from Axios Share Axios Sports and earn rewards     Get free Axios merchandise when you refer your friends to Axios Sports. The more subscribers you refer, the bigger the rewards! Start sharing.     4. ⚡️ Lightning round Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images   🏁 Bad Brad: NASCAR came down hard on Brad Keselowski and his new team for illegally modifying a supplied part. Keselowski was docked 100 points and his crew chief was suspended, among other penalties. 🏈 KC gets draft: Kansas City will host the NFL draft for the first time in 2023, the league announced Thursday. 🎓 Big 14: Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy says he's "hearing" the Big 12 could expand to 14 teams within the next few years. One school he thinks could be a target: Boise State. ⚾️ Random ranking: The brands that spent the most money on MLB sponsorships last year, per Sportico (subscription): Budweiser ($65M), T-Mobile ($55M) and Nike ($50M).     5. 🏈 How to fix NFL overtime Source: Giphy NFL overtime rules, which place great emphasis on the coin toss and often see teams lose without touching the ball, leave a lot to be desired, Jeff writes. Driving the news: The annual owners meeting is next week in Florida, and overtime changes could be discussed. Any change would then require approval from at least 24 owners. State of play: Current rules allow a team to win on the first possession by scoring a TD. That has caused immense frustration for players, coaches and fans. Some ideas on how to fix it: Mandatory possession: The Eagles and Colts jointly proposed a format wherein both teams get the ball at least once, no matter what. If still tied, sudden-death for up to 10 minutes. Mandatory, unless: The Titans proposed something similar, except if the first team scores a TD and a two-point conversion, they win. Shootout: Similar to the USFL's new rule, teams would alternate red-zone possessions until one ends a round with a higher score. Fifth quarter: An additional 10- or 15-minute period, with no sudden death. Extend the game: If regulation ends and one team has, say, a second-and-seven from midfield, overtime would begin from there with the clock turned off. Next score wins. Spot and choose: The coin-toss winner chooses either to spot the ball anywhere on the field, or whether to start on offense or defense, in which case the loser spots the ball. When the Ravens proposed this last year, they provided two options for the ensuing period: a 10-minute sudden death or 7.5 minutes of play until the clock runs out.     6. 🌎 The world in photos Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images MEXICO CITY — The USMNT battled Mexico to a 0-0 draw, gaining a vital point to stay in second place in World Cup qualifying but squandering a golden opportunity. What's next: The U.S. can clinch a World Cup berth on Sunday with a win over Panama and a loss or draw by Costa Rica in El Salvador, or with a tie against Panama and a Costa Rica defeat. Photo: Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images PALERMO, Italy — Reigning Euro champion Italy will miss consecutive World Cups for the first time after losing, 1-0, to North Macedonia (+1700 underdog) in qualifying. Italy had never lost a qualifier at home. Wild stat: Only Brazil has won more World Cups than Italy's four. Now, the Azzurri will go at least 12 years (2014–2026) without an appearance and 20 years without a knockout game (2006–2026). Photo: Marianna Massey/Getty Images PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Not a bad backdrop for this week's Corales Puntacana Championship.     7. ⚽️ Flop of the century Source: Giphy Costa Rica's Johan Venegas may have pulled off the flop of the century on Thursday — and it worked. Canada's Mark-Anthony Kaye got a second yellow card for this and was ejected.     8. 📺 Watchlist: March to the Final Four Photo: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images   By Sunday night, the men's Final Four will be set. A day later, the women will join them. Will any of the six (five, Mich) double-digit seeds still be alive? Men's Sweet 16 (Friday): No. 3 Purdue (-12.5) vs. No. 15 Saint Peter's (7:09pm ET, CBS); No. 1 Kansas (-7.5) vs. No. 4 Providence (7:29pm, TBS); No. 4 UCLA (-2) vs. No. 8 UNC (9:39pm, CBS); No. 10 Miami (-2.5) vs. No. 11 Iowa State (9:59pm, TBS) Men's Elite Eight (Saturday): No. 2 Duke (-4) vs. No. 4 Arkansas (8:45pm, TBS); No. 5 Houston (-2.5) vs. No. 2 Villanova (6pm, TBS) Women's Sweet 16 (Saturday): No. 1 South Carolina (-10.5) vs. No. 5 UNC (7pm, ESPN); No. 2 Texas (-5) vs. No. 6 Ohio State (7pm, ESPN2); No. 1 Stanford (-7) vs. No. 4 Maryland (9:30pm, ESPN); No. 3 Iowa State (-5.5) vs. No. 10 Creighton (9:30pm, ESPN2) Women's Sweet 16 (Sunday): No. 1 NC State (-8.5) vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (11:30am, ESPN); No. 2 UConn (-8.5) vs. No. 3 Indiana (2pm, ESPN); No. 1 Louisville (-7.5) vs. No. 4 Tennessee (4pm, ESPN2); No. 3 Michigan (-4) vs. No. 10 South Dakota (6:30pm, ESPN2) More to watch: ⚽️ World Cup QF: Panama at USMNT (Sun. 7pm, FS1) 🏀 NBA: Nets at Heat (Sat. 8pm, NBA); Jazz at Mavs (Sun. 7:30pm, NBA) 🏎 F1: Saudi Arabian GP (Sun. 1pm, ESPN) ⚽️ MLS: Orlando City at Portland (Sun. 4pm, ESPN) 🏒 NHL: Blackhawks at Golden Knights (Sat. 3pm, ABC); Lightning at Islanders (Sun. 2pm, TNT) ⛳️ Golf: WGC-Dell Match Play (Fri-Sat., NBC, Golf, ESPN+); LPGA JTBC Classic (Fri-Sun, Golf) 🏁 NASCAR: EchoPark Automotive Texas GP (Sun. 3:30pm, Fox) 🏒 NCAA men's hockey tournament: First and second rounds (ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNews) 🎾 Tennis: Miami Open (Fri-Sun., Tennis)     9. 🏀 NBA trivia Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images   Devin Booker, who helped the Suns clinch the No. 1 seed with 49 points on Thursday night, is the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to score 11,000 points. Question: Which three players were younger? Hint: Only one went to college. Answer at the bottom.     10. ⚾️ 1 human thing: 365 days of catch Source: Giphy Dan Bryan lost his 16-year-old son, Ethan, in a car crash in September. To remember him, he set out to play catch every day for a year — sometimes with strangers, sometimes with friends. "He started on New Year's Day, playing catch with Ethan's best friend Tycen, who had been a passenger in the car. He headed out again the next day — this time with his pastor. On day three, he shared a catch with another local father who'd lost a child." "If you ask [Dan] why he's here, he'll offer different answers ... Maybe if he does the one thing Ethan loved the most, he'll remember another piece of him. Maybe if he shares the grief of losing a child, he'll come to understand it." "Maybe, he says, there is something about the very act of playing catch: 'People open up,' he says ... 'I'm not afraid to show my emotion now ... I've become vulnerable.'" — Rustin Dodd, The Athletic Go deeper: A father's mission to remember his son through 365 games of catch (The Athletic)     A message from Axios Share Axios Sports and earn rewards     Get free Axios merchandise when you refer your friends to Axios Sports. The more subscribers you refer, the bigger the rewards! Start sharing.   Enjoy the weekend, Kendall "Peacock fever" Baker Trivia answer: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us at @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy, and tell friends to sign up for Axios Sports. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. 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