| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Apr 20, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! Is your dad reading Axios Sports yet? Sign him up. Today's word count: 1,639 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🎾 The Wimbledon ban |  | | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios | | | | Wimbledon plans to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year's event in June, NYT reports. Why it matters: Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, hasn't barred athletes from specific countries since the aftermath of World War II. - Four Russian men are ranked in the ATP top 30, including No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, the reigning U.S. Open champion.
- Five Russian women are in the WTA top 40, and Belarus has two in the top 20, including No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka, a 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist.
The backdrop: After the war began in February, Russia and Belarus were quickly barred from team events like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, both of which were won by Russian teams in 2021. - Individual players from Russia and Belarus have continued to play, though they haven't had flags or countries listed next to their names.
- Last month, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston suggested that Medvedev and his fellow Russian players might need to provide "assurances" that they don't support Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What they're saying: Some in the tennis community have been calling for a full ban, while others argue that Russian and Belarusian athletes — some of whom have spoken out against the war — shouldn't be punished. - One side: "Why is somebody who works in McDonald's in Russia losing their job ... and the tennis players are exceptions? ... It has to be even," former Ukrainian player Olga Savchuk said last week.
- The other side: "I feel very strongly that ... individual athletes should not be the ones that are being penalized by the decisions of an authoritarian leadership," WTA chief Steve Simon said last month.
The big picture: Wimbledon isn't alone. This week's Boston Marathon enacted the same ban, Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from the Paralympics, and Russia was removed from World Cup qualifying. What to watch: As of now, neither the French Open (next month) nor the U.S. Open (August) have indicated that they intend to ban players. But this announcement could change that. |     | | | | | | 2. ⚾️ Tick tock: Pitch clocks are coming |  Data: Baseball Reference; Chart: Axios Visuals A pitch clock has shortened Minor League Baseball games by 20 minutes, per ESPN, setting the stage for MLB to implement a clock next season. State of play: Entering Tuesday, MLB games were lasting an average of 3 hours, 10 minutes. The good news? That's one minute shorter than last season. The bad news? That's over one hour longer than a century ago — and 20 minutes longer than the average game as recently as 2005. By the numbers: Over the first 132 minor league games that included the pitch clock, the average game time was 2 hours, 39 minutes. In a control set of 335 games without the clock, games lasted 2 hours, 59 minutes. - Scoring was nearly identical: 5.11 runs and 15.9 hits in the pitch clock games vs. 5.13 runs and 16.1 hits per game in the non-clock games.
- How it works: 14-second clock with the bases empty, 18-second clock with runners on base. Automatic ball if the pitcher isn't ready in time, automatic strike if the batter isn't ready. Pitchers are also limited to two step-offs or pickoff attempts.
Context: The California League saw similar results when it implemented a 15-second pitch clock last summer. Game times decreased by 21 minutes, and runs and homers were up, while walks and strikeouts were down. What they're saying: "It seemed like it accomplished exactly what MLB wants," Henry Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick and catcher in the Pirates farm system, told ESPN. "[Outside of] playing in the College World Series or unique games, it has been the most fun I've ever had playing." What to watch: The new CBA gives MLB the ability to unilaterally implement new rules with a 45-day advance notice, so a pitch clock by 2023 seems plausible, assuming MLB continues to see what it has called "encouraging results." | | | | | | | | 3. 🏈 Commanders fire back |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | The Commanders sent a 17-page letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, denying allegations of financial impropriety detailed last week by the House Oversight Committee, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: Dan Snyder has a history of responding to allegations by digging his heels in, but Congress presents a formidable foe in this D.C.-based drama. What they're saying: The Commanders rebutted all three alleged schemes involving improper ticket sales, withholding ticket revenue, and keeping $5 million worth of customers' security deposits. - In the letter, the team questioned the credibility of Jason Friedman, whose testimony drove the allegations, calling a "disgruntled, lying former employee" who didn't have visibility into or expertise on their accounting practices.
- Friedman's character was also questioned, as the team called him a "serial liar" who "created a culture of fear" before being fired in October 2020 for professional misconduct.
- The Commanders say Friedman contacted them nearly 20 times asking for his job back between his firing and January 2022, when team president rejected him. He testified weeks later.
The other side: "If the team maintains that it has nothing to hide, it should welcome an independent review by the FTC," said a House Oversight Committee spokesperson. - Eight former Commanders employees, all women, said the letter was a "clear attempt" to smear Friedman while "distracting the public from the truth: that the Snyders operate a franchise rooted in corrupt and toxic behavior."
- Friedman's lawyers also responded to the letter, saying he "stands by his testimony [and] is happy to answer follow-up questions from Congress, the FTC, or any government agency."
What's next: With both sides having stated their case, the FTC will now determine whether or not to open an investigation. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Advertise in Axios Sports | | |  | | | | Are you a marketer looking to reach decision makers who care about sports? Consider advertising with us: - Reach hundreds of thousands of people daily.
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Let's Chat | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round | | Source: Giphy 🏀 West vs. HBO: Jerry West is demanding a retraction and an apology for what he called "a baseless and malicious assault" on his character in the HBO series "Winning Time." 📺 Big women's ratings: The 2021-22 women's NCAA championships brought record viewership, with basketball (4.9 million viewers), volleyball (1.2 million) and gymnastics (922,000) amassing their best audiences in over a decade, per ESPN. 🏟 Longhorns new home: UT-Austin's Moody Center opens its doors to the public today. At $375 million, it's the most expensive college arena ever built. ⚾️ Mad Max: Max Scherzer had 10 strikeouts in a game for the 105th time on Tuesday night. Only Nolan Ryan (215), Randy Johnson (212), Roger Clemens (110) and Pedro Martinez (108) did it more. ⚽️ $240 million promotion: Fulham clinched promotion back to the Premier League on Tuesday, which is worth up to $240 million. | | | | | | | | 5. 🎙 NFL broadcast booths finalized |  | | | Mike Tirico. Photo: Leon Halip/Getty Images | | | | Mike Tirico has officially been named NBC's new "Sunday Night Football" play-by-play voice, completing an offseason game of broadcast booth musical chairs, Jeff writes. The lead NFL broadcast crews for 2022 and how they differ from last season... Thursday night: - 2021 (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
- 2022 (Amazon): Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit
Sunday afternoon, Fox: - 2021: Buck, Aikman
- 2022: Kevin Burkhardt, TBD (likely Greg Olsen)
Sunday afternoon, CBS: - 2021: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo
- 2022: Nantz, Romo
Sunday night, NBC: - 2021: Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
- 2022: Tirico, Collinsworth
Monday night, ESPN: - 2021: Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick
- 2022: Buck, Aikman
Sideline reporters: NFL Network's Melissa Stark will replace Michele Tafoya on SNF. Tracy Wolfson and Lisa Salters are still with CBS and ESPN, respectively, while Amazon and Fox have yet to announce theirs. Go deeper: The golden age of NFL broadcasting (Axios) | | | | | | | | 6. 🌎 The world in photos | | Photo: Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images MIAMI — Jimmy Butler powered Miami past Atlanta, 115-105, and joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as the only Heat players with a 45-5-5 line in the playoffs. Miami leads 2-0. - Elsewhere: The Pelicans beat the Suns, 125-114, and the Grizzlies beat the Timberwolves, 124-96, evening both series at one game apiece.
Photo: Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images ELMONT, N.Y. — The Islanders paid tribute to franchise legend and Hall of Famer Mike Bossy on Tuesday in their first home game since he died last week of lung cancer at 65. Photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images LIVERPOOL — Fans honored Cristiano Ronaldo, absent from Tuesday's match after the death of his baby boy, with singing and applause during the seventh minute for his No. 7. "You'll Never Walk Alone" - The match: Liverpool's 4-0 win over Manchester United moved them two points ahead of Manchester City, who'll try to reclaim first place today against Brighton.
| | | | | | | | 7. 📺 Watchlist: Kyrie vs. Boston |  | | | Kyrie Irving, not a big Boston guy. Photo: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images | | | | The Celtics (up 1-0) host the Nets tonight (7pm ET, TNT) in Game 2 of their intriguing first-round series. - Game 1, which ended on a buzzer-beater, was the most-watched opening-weekend NBA playoff game since 2002.
- There's bad blood between Boston and Kyrie Irving, who was fined $50,000 for giving heckling fans the middle finger in Game 1.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 8. 🎱 The Ocho: Snooker athleticism |  | | | Photo: George Wood/Getty Images | | | | Ladies and gentlemen, this is what peak athleticism looks like, courtesy of English snooker player Ashley Hugill. How it works: In pool, the goal is to clear all the balls from the table. In snooker, the goal is to score the most points by pocketing balls worth different point values. Full explanation. | | | | | | | | 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |  | | | Grizzlies rally towels. Photo: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | The Heat, Grizzlies and Suns all hosted playoff games on Tuesday. - Question: What are the names of their arenas?
- Hint: They all start with "F."
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🚲 1 biking thing: Top 10 cities |  | | | Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios | | | | Cycling boomed during the pandemic, with sales surging and several cities expanding their bike infrastructure. Who's doing it best? Top 10 biking cities, per WalletHub: - Minneapolis (83.5 bike score)
- Portland, Oregon (82.7)
- San Francisco (72.3)
- Chicago (72.2)
- Denver (71.8)
- Seattle (71.1)
- Long Beach, California (70.1)
- Washington, D.C. (69.5)
- Boston (69.4)
- New York (69.3)
| | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Advertise in Axios Sports | | | | | | | | Are you a marketer looking to reach decision makers who care about sports? Consider advertising with us: - Reach hundreds of thousands of people daily.
- Achieve your KPIs around business development, awareness, and product sales.
- Over 60% of our audience earns six figures per year and makes business purchasing decisions.
Let's Chat | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Happy holidays" Baker Trivia answer: FTX Arena (Heat); FedExForum (Grizzlies); Footprint Center (Suns) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |  | 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.
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