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| Axios Sports |
| By Kendall Baker · May 17, 2022 |
| 👋 Good morning! Great day to be alive. Today's word count: 1,689 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... |
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| 1 big thing: 🏉 Rugby's American dream |
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| Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios |
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| The U.S. has been chosen to host the 2031 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women's Rugby World Cup, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write. Why it matters: This is the first time that either event will be held in North or South America, so expect to see lots of rugby initiatives this decade as the U.S. prepares for such a pivotal moment. The backdrop: Rugby has long struggled to gain a foothold in America's crowded sports landscape, but there's still a decent-sized community, with roughly 100,000 participants and 1,000 college teams nationwide. - Major League Rugby continues to expand, though having to compete with the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and others is a clear challenge. MLR's fourth full season is currently underway.
- The men's national team has won just three of 26 World Cup matches, and the women's team hasn't finished in the top four this century after winning the inaugural event in 1991.
- The low point for USA Rugby came in June 2020, when the organization filed for bankruptcy soon after the pandemic broke out.
State of play: Rugby has delivered bursts of excitement in America, like the USA-New Zealand friendlies in Chicago (2014) and Washington, D.C. (2021). But without infrastructure in place to bottle that momentum, they were fleeting moments. - Enter World Rugby, which has a 10-year plan to grow the game here. "We want to build a real sustainable business plan with these World Cups as the anchors," USA Rugby CEO Ross Young tells Axios.
- World Rugby and USA Rugby will work in tandem to increase participation ahead of the World Cups. One of their first initiatives: A partnership with MLR to bring flag and touch rugby to schools.
The big picture: The beauty of a 10-year headstart is that you're not just executing a plan — you're planting seeds. Investments made today could change how an entire generation views rugby a decade from now. "When 2031-33 comes to pass, the 10-year-old American girl ... who falls in love with the sport [should be able to] become a player, coach, referee or fan for the rest of her life." — Former USA captain Blaine Scully, via The GuardianZoom out: Rugby's American ambitions are part of a broader global sports exchange currently taking place. Cricket is also trying to break into the U.S., while the NFL is bringing American football to Europe. Go deeper: How to play rugby (Axios) |
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| 2. 🇨🇦 The Battle of Alberta |
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| Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios |
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| The Oilers and Flames' second-round series begins tomorrow, marking the latest chapter in Edmonton and Calgary's centuries-old "Battle of Alberta," Jeff writes. Why it matters: This is the sixth postseason matchup ever — and first since 1991 — between two cities roughly the same distance apart as Boston and New York. - 1991: Oilers won 4-3 (first round)
- 1988: Oilers won 4-0 (second)
- 1986: Flames won 4-3 (second)
- 1984: Oilers won 4-3 (second)
- 1983: Oilers won 4-1 (second)
Context: Alberta is the fourth-most populous of Canada's 10 provinces (~4.5 million people). More than half of Albertans live in either Edmonton, which is the capital, or Calgary, which is the province's largest city. The backdrop: The Edmonton-Calgary hockey rivalry dates back to the 1890s and both cities had teams in the short-lived Western Canada Hockey League in the 1920s. - The rivalry found new life when teams from both cities joined the NHL in the 1970s and took the league by storm. Every year from 1983 to 1990, one of the two made the Stanley Cup Final.
- While Edmonton holds the edge in the playoffs (20-10), Calgary leads the regular-season series (130-111-19). They've fought 265 times in their 290 games — evidence of bad blood.
The big picture: Not only is this the first Battle of Alberta in 31 years — it's also just the fifth all-Canadian playoff series this century (not counting 2021's COVID format). The other four were all Maple Leafs-Senators in the early 2000s. 🎥 Watch: The history behind the Battle of Alberta (YouTube) |
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| 3. ⛳️ "Phil" hits shelves amid Lefty's absence |
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| Courtesy of Simon & Schuster |
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| Phil Mickelson was supposed to be at Southern Hills this week to defend his PGA Championship title. Instead, he's at home — and on bookshelves. Driving the news: "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar," a new book by longtime SI writer and bestselling author Alan Shipnuck, is out today. Why it matters: The highly-anticipated book has already had a tremendous impact on its title character. - In February, Shipnuck shared comments from Mickelson about the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Tour, which he appeared to support despite the backers being "scary" and murdering journalists.
- Those comments, which Mickelson claimed were made "off the record," ultimately cost him millions of dollars and damaged his reputation and his relationship with the Tour.
- He didn't play in the Masters, where they had to deflect the idea that they'd asked him not to come. Now it's the PGA Championship's turn.
Excerpt: Mickelson's gambling habit is well-documented. Here's another story to add to the pile, courtesy of former CBS announcer Gary McCord: When I was in the TV tower ... every time Phil got to my hole, Bones [his caddie] would look up at me and I would flash the odds. If Phil had a 15-footer, I'd flash three fingers, which meant the odds were 3-1. If he was 60 feet, I'd give him 2-1 on a two-putt. Bones would go down and whisper in his ear and Phil would look up at me and shake his head, yes or no. I can't tell you how many wadded-up twenties I threw out of the tower, until the Tour found out about it and I got word through CBS I was no longer allowed to gamble with Phil while up in the tower. — McCord Buy the book. |
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| A message from Axios |
| Advertise in Axios Sports |
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| 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 |
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| 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |
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| Screenshot: @DevinBooker31 (Twitter) |
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| 💬 Tweet du jour: Stephen A. Smith mistakenly tagged the wrong Devin Booker when criticizing the Suns' Game 7 performance. That Devin Booker — who plays basketball in Turkey — had an all-time response. ⚾️ Red-hot Yanks: The Yankees (26-9) are off to the third-best start in franchise history, which is quite a rich history. Only the 1939 and 1928 teams (28-7) were better at this point. 🏀 LeBron Q&A: LeBron James conducted a wide-ranging Twitter Q&A on Monday, during which he said Luka Dončić is his favorite NBA player and Ken Griffey Jr. is his favorite non-basketball athlete. ⚽️ Arsenal falls: Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United means they will likely not qualify for the Champions League for a fifth straight season. Tough times for the storied London club. 🐎 Rare filly: A race horse named Sodashi has become a sensation in Japan because of her color: pure white. Such thoroughbreds are exceedingly rare, per NYT: As few as one in 100,000. |
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| 5. 🏀 Bismack Biyombo: Bigger than basketball |
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| Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images |
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| Bismack Biyombo was on the wrong side of Sunday's blowout loss to the Mavericks, but this season was about far more than basketball for Phoenix's big man, Jeff writes. Driving the news: The 11-year NBA veteran is donating his salary ($1.4 million) to build a hospital in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo to honor his father who died last year of COVID. - There are only 0.28 doctors and 1.19 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 people in the DRC, per the Borgen Project.
- "Isn't that crazy?" Biyombo told CBS News in April. "If your loved one is going to the hospital, they have a higher chance of dying than surviving. It really breaks my heart."
The big picture: Biyombo's dedication to service is nothing new. He and his father, François, founded the Bismack Biyombo Foundation in 2016 to provide better opportunities for the youth of his nation. The backdrop: Biyombo returned home last summer to care for François. After his death, he vowed to return to the NBA and dedicate the season to his dad. - In addition to donating his salary, Biyombo changed his number to 18 in honor of his father's birthday, June 18.
- He put up career highs in points per 36 minutes (14.9) and PER (17.3), making the most of his 36 games with the Suns.
Go deeper: "My dad was everything to me" (Andscape) |
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| 6. 🌎 The world in photos |
| Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images NEW YORK — Still thinking about Artemi Panarin's series-clinching goal, which is even better when set to the "Titanic" theme song. Photo: Stefano Guidi/Getty Images TURIN, Italy — After 17 seasons, Juventus captain and Italian soccer legend Giorgio Chiellini bid farewell to fans in his final home match for the club. Teammate Paulo Dybala also said his goodbyes. Pro Sailing Tour competition off the island of Corsica. Photo: Lloyd Images/Getty Images BONIFACIO, France — Wish I was there. |
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| 7. 📺 Watchlist: "Throwback series" |
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| Jimmy Butler and Jayson Tatum during a game in October. Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images |
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| The East Finals tip off tonight in Miami as the Heat (-1.5) host the Celtics in a battle of the top two seeds (8:30pm ET, ESPN). - By the numbers: This is the fifth time they've met in the playoffs, with Miami winning the last three. ... Boston's 21 conference finals appearances trail only the Lakers (23), but they're 0-4 since 2012.
- What they're saying: "This is like a throwback series," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "Both teams hang their hats on rock-solid team defense [and] being disciplined to schemes. ... Pat [Riley] is going to enjoy this."
More to watch: |
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| 8. 🏍 The Ocho: "Ben-Hur" (2022) |
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| A chariot racing during "Ben-Hur" (1959), starring Charlton Heston. Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images |
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| Chariot racing is cool, but imagine if you replaced the horses with motorcycles. OK, now stop imagining... It exists. |
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| 9. ⛳️ Golf trivia |
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| Woods during Monday's practice round. Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images |
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| Tiger Woods is vying to win his 16th major championship this week. - Question: How many times has Woods won each of the four majors?
- Hint: He's won the Masters the most.
Answer at the bottom. |
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| 10. 😎 1 free thing: Summer workout pass |
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| Photo: Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images |
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| Planet Fitness will allow high schoolers (ages 14–19) to work out for free at locations across the U.S. and Canada starting this week through Aug. 31. Why it matters: Pretty cool initiative given the mental and physical toll the pandemic took on teenagers. |
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| 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 |
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| Talk tomorrow, Kendall "You're not that guy" Baker Trivia answer: Masters (5x), PGA Championship (4x), U.S. Open (3x), The Open (3x) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |
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