| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Jun 08, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! My Broncos bid fell short. ⛳️ Coming tomorrow: Special edition laying out everything you need to know about the LIV Golf Invitational Series and what it means for the PGA Tour and the future of the sport. Today's word count: 1,631 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏈 Broncos sell for record $4.65B |  | | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios | | | | The Broncos have officially named a new owner: Walmart heir Rob Walton and his family, Axios Denver's John Frank reports. Driving the news: Walton, his daughter Carrie Walton Penner and her husband, Greg Penner, have purchased the team for $4.65 billion — the most ever paid for a sports franchise. Details: The announcement late Tuesday night came about 30 hours after the deadline for a handful of investor groups to submit auction-style bids. - The sale still needs approval from the NFL finance committee and league owners.
- Walton would become the richest NFL owner, with a net worth of over $58 billion.
The big picture: The two most expensive sports team sales in history have taken place in the span of nine days. Chelsea's $3.1 billion takeover closed on May 30. The intrigue: Rob Walton's sister, Ann, is married to Stan Kroenke, meaning Walton heirs now own almost every Colorado pro sports team. (Kroenke also owns the Rams.) - Avalanche (NHL): Ann Walton Kroenke
- Broncos (NFL): Rob Walton
- Mammoth (NLL): Stan Kroenke
- Nuggets (NBA): Ann Walton Kroenke
- Rapids (MLS): Stan Kroenke
What to watch: Broncos CEO Joe Ellis called a new stadium "issue No. 1 on the next owner's plate" earlier this year, adding that significant upgrades to Empower Field at Mile High are needed. |     | | | | | | 2. 🏀 Chart du jour: NBA Finals salaries |  Data: Spotrac; Table: Simran Parwani/Axios Some career advice ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight: If you like money, consider applying to be a professional basketball player. By the numbers: The Warriors' most-used nine-man rotation made $153.7 million this year; the Celtics' equivalent made $125.6 million. - Golden State has three of the league's top-24 earners in Steph Curry (1), Klay Thompson (11) and Andrew Wiggins (24).
- Boston's highest-paid player, Jayson Tatum, ranks 35th. He's followed by Al Horford (39th), who the Thunder paid handsomely last season not to play.
Looking ahead: Whichever team wins the Finals will receive ~$3 million via the NBA playoff pool, while the losing team will split ~$2 million. | | | | | | | | 3. ⚾️ Angels in freefall: Maddon fired |  | | | Photo: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images | | | | The Angels fired manager Joe Maddon on Tuesday in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, ending his two-plus year tenure with a 130-148 record and no postseason appearances, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: After losing again Tuesday, the Angels have dropped a franchise-record-tying 13 straight games. - Just two weeks ago, they were 27-17 and in the driver's seat for their first trip to the playoffs since 2014.
- Wild stat: They're the first team in over 50 years (1970 Cubs) to lose 12+ games in a row immediately after being 10+ games over .500.
State of play: The Angels were in first place as recently as May 16, sitting at 24-14 after winning nine of 13. They split their next six games, and then everything fell apart. - Injuries have landed Anthony Rendon (wrist) and breakout star Taylor Ward (hamstring) on the IL.
- Mike Trout endured the worst slump of his career, going 0-26 until he finally singled on Monday night. He homered Tuesday — and then left in the third inning with groin tightness.
What they're saying: In a post-firing interview with The Athletic (subscription), Maddon said injuries, bullpen struggles and a lack of hitting "became contagious." "It wasn't an issue of camaraderie or lack of leadership. It was a calamity that occurred all at one time." — Maddon The big picture: Maddon probably wouldn't have been fired if this were another team, but the Angels are desperate to avoid wasting another year of Trout and Shohei Ohtani's coinciding primes. - They haven't won a playoff game since 2009, and they'll have to make history to change that this year: the longest losing streak for an eventual playoff team is 11.
- Yes, but: Their odds to make it to October are boosted by MLB's expanded postseason, which now includes three Wild Cards per league. Right now, they're just 2.5 games back of that third spot.
| | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Axios Local delivers news for your hometown | | |  | | | | Get a daily digest of what's new in your hometown with our Axios Local newsletters. Now available in 20 cities, with more to come. Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Kamila Valieva. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images | | | | ⛸ Must be 17: On the heels of the Kamila Valieva debacle in Beijing, figure skating's global governing body will gradually increase the age requirement for elite competitors from 15 to 17 over the next three years. ⚾️ 40 innings: Brewers closer Josh Hader's historic scoreless streak has ended at 40 innings, matching the longest stretch in MLB history. 🏳️⚧️ First trans cheerleader: Justine Lindsay will become the NFL's first openly transgender cheerleader next season as a member of the Topcats, the Panthers' cheering squad. ⚽️ Pride investigation: The NWSL's Orlando Pride have placed head coach Amanda Cromwell on administrative leave amid an investigation. Houston Dash head coach James Clarkson was placed on leave in April. 🏀 Duke hoops hires GM: Duke men's basketball has hired former Nike executive Rachel Baker as the team's first general manager. This could become the new normal in the NIL era. | | | | | | | | 5. 🥇 Special Olympics underway in Orlando |  | | | Screenshot: @SOMissouri (Twitter) | | | | Over 5,500 athletes hailing from all 50 states and the Caribbean Islands are in Orlando this week for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. Details: There are 19 competitions, with most events being held at Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. ABC and ESPN will have coverage all week long. - The sports: Athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, cheerleading, equestrian, flag football, golf, gymnastics, paddle board, powerlifting, soccer, softball, surfing, swimming (open water and indoor), tennis, triathlon, volleyball.
- Familiar face: Chris Nikic, who won the 2021 Jimmy V Award after becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon, lit the flame of hope.
- Historic airlift: 128 donated private jets flew 800 athletes to the Games on Saturday in the world's largest peacetime airlift. "It felt like we were celebrities," one athlete told CBS News.
The backdrop: The Special Olympics lifted its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on Friday after Florida threatened to fine the organization $27.5 million for violating state law. 🎥 Watch: Highlights, photos, etc. (Twitter) | | | | | | | | 6. 🌎 The world in photos | | Igor Shesterkin gives up a third-period goal to Steven Stamkos. Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning beat the Rangers, 4-1, on Tuesday night to even the East Finals. Somehow, this is the first conference finals since 1991 in which the home team won the first four games. Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images CLEVELAND — Have a day, Marcus Semien! The Rangers second baseman had three HR and seven hits in Tuesday's double-header against the Guardians. - Why it matters: He's the first player to put up those numbers on a single day since Joe Morgan on July 31, 1973.
A general view of the peloton during Stage 3 of the 74th Criterium du Dauphine. Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images CHASTREIX-SANCY, France — Cows love cycling. Everybody knows that. | | | | | | | | 7. 📺 Watchlist: David vs. Goliath |  | | | Graphic: Axios Visuals | | | | The Women's College World Series finals (best-of-three) begin tonight (8:30pm ET, ESPN) in Oklahoma City as unseeded Texas tries to topple No. 1 Oklahoma, arguably the greatest team in softball history. - Oklahoma (57-3) is the defending champion and ranks third all-time with five titles (UCLA, 13; Arizona, 8). The Sooners' 90 runs scored so far are the third-most in a single WCWS, trailing only their title-winning teams in 2013 (112 runs) and 2021 (91).
- Texas (47-20-1) has never even reached the finals, but they did accomplish one of 2022's rarest feats by beating Oklahoma back in April. Their next challenge: Win twice more in the next three days.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 8. 🧀 The Ocho: The champion of the cheese | | Lampe rolling like a maniac into the lead. Source: Giphy Abby Lampe, a 21-year-old NC State grad, won the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll on Sunday in Gloucestershire, England, Jeff writes. Why it matters: She's the first American woman to win the race, which has results dating back to 1986, a written record as early as 1826 and may have begun as many as 600 years ago. - The race's origins are unclear, but some believe it was about claiming grazing rights and others believe it could have been a fertility ritual.
- 23-time champ Chris Anderson has a simpler explanation: "It's one of those crazy British traditions," he told the CBC.
How it works: There are multiple races (this was the women's-only event) in which competitors chase an eight-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a steep, 200-yard hill. Racers try staying on their feet as long as possible, but gravity takes over sooner than later. - Broken bones and concussions are so common that the officially-sanctioned event stopped in 2008, but local volunteers picked it back up in 2010.
- Fun fact: A local rugby team is stationed at the bottom of the hill to help slow people down after they've reached the finish line.
What she's saying: After Lampe's historic win, SI interviewed the engineering major who's spending the summer in Europe after the pandemic derailed her study abroad plans. - To prepare, she watched hours of film of past races, practiced at a park in Raleigh, North Carolina, and last Friday did a test run at Cooper's Hill, which she said was much steeper than it looks.
- And as for her prize? "We're going to do a cheese unveiling with my family when I get back. ... we're going to have a nice charcuterie board."
🎥 Watch: Abby's race set to NC State's fight song ... Men's race in slow-mo (YouTube) | | | | | | | | 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |  | | | The Maurice Podoloff Trophy, named in honor of the NBA's first commissioner (then president), is awarded annually to the league's MVP. Photo: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | Can you name the only NBA MVP winner who is both not currently active and not in the Hall of Fame? - Hint: Very tall.
- Submitted by: Mike T. (Chicago)
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. ⚾️ 1 new book: "Rickey" |  | | | Courtesy: Mariner Books | | | | Last season, the Royals led MLB with 124 stolen bases. In 1982, Rickey Henderson stole 130 all by himself. Driving the news: "Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original," hit shelves Tuesday. Author Howard Bryant dives headfirst — much like Henderson — into the life and career of a baseball legend. "Seldom does a sports biography — especially a page-turner — so comprehensively explain the forces that made an icon the way they are." — SI Buy the book. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Axios Local delivers news for your hometown | | | | | | | | Get a daily digest of what's new in your hometown with our Axios Local newsletters. Now available in 20 cities, with more to come. Subscribe for free | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Broncos country, let's ride!" Baker Trivia answer: Dirk Nowitzki (he will be soon!) 🙏 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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