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| Presented By SiriusXM |
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| Axios Sports |
| By Kendall Baker · Jul 20, 2022 |
| 👋 Good morning! 📊 Poll results: 76.5% of you said the Big 12 is in a better position than the Pac-12 in this new era of realignment. Today's word count: 1,460 words (5 minutes). Let's sports... |
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| 1 big thing: 👟 The super spikes era |
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| Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios |
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| High-tech track spikes like those being worn at this week's World Athletics Championships have ushered in an era of blazing fast middle-distance runners (800-10,000 meters), Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. How it works: These "super spikes" — introduced by Nike in 2019 and adopted more widely in 2021 — improve runners' efficiency with a combination of cushiony foam and rigid carbon-fiber plates in the sole. - Ultra-light foam bounces back to its original shape after every step, returning roughly 85% of the runners' energy used to compress it.
- The rigid plates keep runners on their toes rather than allowing for the more natural, but less efficient, heel-to-toe stride.
 Note: COVID-19 led to fewer events in 2020. Data: Independent study of World Athletics data; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios By the numbers: In 2015, 72 men ran the outdoor 800m in under 1 minute, 46 seconds, per analysis by former World Athletics officer Peter Thompson. In 2021, 109 men did it, an increase of 51%. - Thompson found similar increases in elite times achieved across the 1500m (45%), 5000m (34%) and 10,000m (73%). Women's numbers were more of the same.
- The men's and women's 5000 and 10,000 meter marks have all been set since 2020, among others, and there's been a tremendous surge in sub-four-minute miles, per WSJ (subscription).
The backdrop: We've been here before. - Swimming records fell en masse in the late-aughts after the introduction of high-tech suits, which were banned in 2010.
- Nike's Vaporfly shoes upended marathoning a few years ago. Rather than ban them, World Athletics imposed regulations to ensure all athletes had access to the technology, which led to competing models.
The bottom line: Track stars are faster than ever, and their success can, at least partially, be explained by Spike Lee in the iconic Air Jordan commercial: "It's gotta be the shoes." |
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| 2. ⚾️ AL wins ninth straight All-Star Game |
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| Photo: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images |
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| The National League looked like it may finally break the American League's winning streak at the Midsummer Classic Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Then the rest of the game happened, Jeff writes. Game recap: The NL came out swinging in the first, notching four hits and two runs against Rays fireballer Shane McClanahan. They'd record just one more hit all night in an eventual 3-2 loss. - Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton hit back-to-back blasts in the fourth off Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin, who entered the break undefeated (11-0, 2.02 ERA) — then took the loss in the All-Star Game.
- MVP: Stanton's two-run blast — which at 111.7 mph was the hardest-hit ASG home run of the Statcast era (since 2015) — was enough to earn the L.A. native MVP honors at the stadium he grew up attending.
By the numbers: The AL has won nine straight All-Star Games and holds a 27-6 (.818) advantage since 1988. Fortunately for the NL, the World Series has been a much closer battle: the AL leads 17-16 in that time. 🎙 More mics, please … Alek Manoah narrated himself striking out the side … real-life batterymates Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino discussed pitch selection in real-time … Gerrit Cole and Max Fried chatted about their career batting lines from opposite dugouts. Go deeper: The night's best moments (Fox Sports) |
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| 3. ⚾️ MLB attendance: 23 of 30 teams are down |
 Data: Baseball Reference; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios MLB attendance entering the All-Star break is down for 23 of 30 teams compared to the same time frame in 2019, representing a league-wide decrease of 6.4%, Jeff writes. Why it matters: The reasons for the decline are varied, but assuming the pace holds this will be the fifth consecutive non-pandemic-restricted season with declining attendance. By the numbers: The Blue Jays (+49.2%) have seen the largest increase in attendance compared to the first half of 2019, while the A's (-54.6%) have seen the largest decrease. - Oakland is rebuilding amid relocation rumors, while playing in a ballpark that is "not a major league-quality facility," says commissioner Rob Manfred.
- The Dodgers deserve a shoutout: The All-Star hosts have drawn roughly the same attendance as they did in 2019 and are No. 1 by a mile (9,000 more fans on average than the second-place Cardinals).
State of play: Season-ticket sales are down 10% this year, to which MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden attributes much of the decline, per Sportico (subscription). - That makes sense: Some fans may have soured on the league after the 99-day lockout, and money is tight with inflation at a 40-year high.
- We're also currently in the midst of the fourth-biggest wave of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The big picture: MLB isn't alone, as average attendance in the NBA (down 3.7%) and NHL (down 9.3%) also declined compared to 2019. NFL attendance increased (up 1.2%), though that's entirely attributable to the Chargers and Raiders moving to significantly larger stadiums, per SBJ. |
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| A message from SiriusXM |
| Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free |
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| 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |
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| Bubba Wallace drives in front of soldier Field to promote the new race. Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images |
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| 🏁 Chicago street race: In the latest move to broaden its variety of races and enter new markets, NASCAR will stage an annual street race in downtown Chicago starting next year (July 2, 2023). 🏈 Harbaugh on abortion: Jim Harbaugh spoke out against abortion at a pro-life fundraising event this week. Abortion is currently legal in Michigan but is being contested in the courts. ⚾️ 7-foot pitcher: The Orioles drafted seven-foot lefty Jared Beck from Saint Leo University with the first pick in Round 13 of the MLB draft. If he makes the majors, he'll be the tallest player in league history. 🍿 New trailer: "The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist" ... Netflix's "Untold" sports documentary series dives into the incredible story of Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o and his fake girlfriend. |
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| 5. 🏈 Set your alarms: Football is coming |
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| Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios |
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| America's sports obsession is nearing its return. Where it stands: This week's SEC Media Days mark the unofficial start of the college football season. Meanwhile, NFL teams begin reporting to camp today and all 32 camps will be live by next Tuesday. ⏰ Countdowns... Go deeper: The NFL's extraordinary grip on America (Axios) |
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| 6. 🌎 The world in photos |
| Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images EUGENE, Ore. — Jake Wightman of Britain stunned everyone, including himself, by winning in the men's 1500 meters, pulling ahead of Olympic gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen down the final stretch. - Go deeper: Norwegian stars are stunned on a wild night (WashPost)
Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images FOIX, France — Hugo Houle on Tuesday became just the second Canadian to win a Tour de France stage, and the first in 34 years. Photo: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images for Golf Australia MELBOURNE, Australia — Kids at a junior golf clinic wore mullets in honor of countryman Cam Smith's Open Championship. |
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| 7. 📺 Watchlist: The ESPYs |
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| Steph Curry speaks onstage during the 2015 ESPYs. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images |
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| Steph Curry hosts tonight's ESPYs (8pm ET, ABC), where he's nominated for three of the 36 awards: best male athlete, best NBA player and best record-breaking performance (most threes in NBA history). More to watch: - 🚴🏼♂️ Tour de France: Stage 17 (8am, USA/Peacock)
- 🥇 Track & Field: World Championships (6pm, Peacock; 7:30pm, USA) … The women's 400m hurdles semifinal and 3000m steeplechase final headline Day 6.
- ⚽️ Women's Euro: England vs. Spain (3pm, ESPN2) … Quarterfinals.
- 🏀 WNBA: Storm at Sky (12pm, NBA) … A battle of title contenders.
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| 8. 💤 The Ocho: Pillow fight!!! |
| Source: Giphy Professional pillow fighting is a real thing that exists. Details: Brothers Steve and Paul Williams started the Pillow Fight Championship last year with the goal of creating a more family-friendly combat sport. - Fighters win by hitting their opponent in the head the most times during three rounds (90 seconds each) using a two-pound nylon pillow with three holster straps for more leverage.
- Tournaments have featured UFC fighters and paid winners up to $5,000. Shortly after holding its first live, pay-per-view event in January, PFC was acquired by video platform Triller.
The last word: "The world needs a pillow fight right now," Steve told CNBC earlier this year. "It's the only sport ... that everybody has done." 🎥 Watch: Highlights (Instagram) |
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| 9. ⚾️ MLB trivia |
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| Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios |
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| Just four players have made at least 20 MLB All-Star Game appearances. - Question: Who are they?
- Hint: Three of their last names start with the same letter.
Answer at the bottom. |
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| 10. 🎵 1 music thing: TNF theme song |
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| Pinar Toprak at the 94th Annual Academy Awards in March. Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic |
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| Amazon tapped Pinar Toprak to compose its "Thursday Night Football" theme song, which will debut with a preseason game on August 25. - Toprak is best known for scoring 2019 blockbuster "Captain Marvel" and mega-popular video game "Fortnite."
- The L.A.-based composer recorded the TNF theme song and multiple variations with a 70-piece orchestra on July 8 in Nashville, per Variety.
Why it matters: This will be the first new theme song for a season-long NFL package since NBC Sports tapped the legendary John Williams in 2006 to compose the "Sunday Night Football" theme we all know and love. |
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| A message from SiriusXM |
| Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free |
| |
| |
| |
| With SiriusXM Streaming, get access to three months of expertly curated ad-free music, Pandora artist stations, live sports, celebrity hosts, Howard Stern and more. More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See Offer Details. |
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| Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Sucker for theme songs" Baker Trivia answer: Hank Aaron (25x All-Star), Willie Mays (24), Stan Musial (24), Mickey Mantle (20) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |
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