| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Aug 10, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! It's me, Kendall. Today's word count: 1,709 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🎾 Serena prepares to say farewell |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | The U.S. Open is always a spectacle, but this year's edition will be downright historic, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Driving the news: Serena Williams, 40, plans to retire sometime after the tournament, she wrote Tuesday in an essay for Vogue, though she didn't pinpoint an exact date for her final match. "I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me. ... I don't want it to be over, but at the same time I'm ready for what's next." — Williams By the numbers: Williams' accomplishments always bear repeating. - Her 23 grand slam titles are an Open Era record (since 1968), and one shy of Margaret Court's all-time record of 24.
- She was ranked No. 1 for a record-tying 186 consecutive weeks during her prime and 319 weeks during her career, third-most ever.
- She won 20 of the 54 possible majors between the 2002 French Open and 2015 Wimbledon. No one else won more than seven.
 Data: Women's Tennis Association; Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios Between the lines: If Williams must say farewell, there's no better place than the U.S. Open, where she won her first major 23 years ago and has racked up wins and memorable moments for decades. - Williams' six U.S. Open titles are tied for the Open Era record, and her 106 matches won there are the most in history, man or woman.
- Wild stat: She almost never fails to reach the semifinals at Arthur Ashe, making the final four in 14 of her 20 U.S. Opens, including each of her last 11.
What's next: Williams said her plans going forward are to grow her business and grow her family, saying she wants another child, but "I definitely don't want to be pregnant again as an athlete." - Serena Ventures recently raised $111 million to expand beyond angel investing, but it's hard to imagine that being her "only" next move.
- Athletes of Williams' stature now often diversify into ownership (she has a stake in the Dolphins), Hollywood production (she was an EP on "King Richard") and more.
What to watch: We have precious few opportunities left to watch the G.O.A.T. - Williams plays tonight (~7pm ET) in the Canadian Open's round of 32 against world No. 12 Belinda Bencic.
- After that, she's confirmed for the Western & Southern Open (Aug. 13–21) and unconfirmed for the two concurrent events in the week before the U.S. Open (Aug. 29).
The last word: "I started playing tennis with the goal of winning the U.S. Open," Williams wrote. "I didn't think past that. And then I just kept winning." And what a privilege it's been to watch. Go deeper: For Serena, retirement could just be the latest reinvention (WashPost) |     | | | | | | 2. 💵 Pony Express 2.0 |  | | | Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios | | | | SMU is famous for boosters paying athletes. Now, they'll be doing it legally. Driving the news: The Boulevard Collective, a new NIL collective driven by Dallas business leaders and SMU alumni, will pay football and men's basketball players $36,000 each for a total of $3.5 million annually. The backdrop: College sports' new normal raises questions about the present, the future and — particularly in the case of SMU — the past. - The NCAA famously gave the Dallas-based school the death penalty in 1987 for illegal payments made to athletes through a booster slush fund, shutting down the program for years and setting it back decades.
- Now that boosters can pay athletes through collectives — which aren't just permitted but quickly becoming table stakes — the "Pony Express" is back.
Between the lines: The age of NIL has led some at SMU to feel more comfortable embracing the death penalty era. - This spring, the football team tweeted a recruiting graphic featuring a gold TransAm — a nod to the flashy car synonymous with 1980s star Eric Dickerson.
- "I always thought it was fair for players to get whatever they could get," Dickerson told The Athletic (subscription). "I'm really happy it's finally playing out like it always should have."
The big picture: The impact of Pony Express 2.0 remains to be seen. - 40 years ago, SMU was in the Southwest Conference alongside in-state rivals like Texas and Texas A&M, and its football team was contending for national titles.
- Now, the Mustangs are in the American Athletic Conference. NIL money may help them stand out in the Group of 5, but the Power 5 — and the benefits that come with such status — is still a world away.
The bottom line: SMU athletes will soon be earning money off their fame. And this time, it's all out in the open. | | | | | | | | 3. ⚾️ Whoops! | | Source: Giphy Well, that's a new one. Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro's phone flew out of his pocket while sliding into third base on Tuesday. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get 3 months free of SiriusXM | | |  | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music with channels dedicated to your favorite decades and genres. Even better: You'll even get access to exclusive music channels created by your favorite artists. See Offer Details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | 🏟 Unsponsored no more: Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium is now Paycor Stadium, leaving Lambeau Field and Soldier Field as the only unsponsored NFL stadiums. ⚾️ Poor Sale: Red Sox lefty Chris Sale underwent season-ending surgery after breaking his wrist in a bike accident. Since his five-year, $145 million contract began in 2020, Sale has pitched a whopping 47.4 innings. 📺 Big divorce: ESPN has pulled out of negotiations with the Big Ten. When its current deal expires in 2023, the network will stop carrying Big Ten football for the first time since 1982. 🏀 Squad of sons: Ashton Hardaway (son of Penny) has transferred to Sierra Canyon, where he joins Bronny and Bryce James (sons of LeBron) and Justin Pippen (son of Scottie). | | | | | | | | 5. 🏒 O Captain! My captain! |  | | | Photo: Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images | | | | The Rangers named defenseman Jacob Trouba captain on Tuesday, making him the 28th captain in franchise history and their first since 2018, Jeff writes. Why it matters: Captains are often considered more important in hockey than other sports, and just three teams have won the Stanley Cup without a lone captain: the 1970 and 1972 Bruins, and the 1989 Flames. - The Rangers were expected to name a captain last season but instead opted for six alternate captains, one of which was Trouba.
- Now that he has the official "C" on his sweater, seven teams are left without a captain: The Coyotes, Flames, Sabres, Kraken, Ducks, Canadiens and Flyers.
Fun fact: Six captains have held the position since at least 2013. - Sidney Crosby (Penguins, 2007)
- Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks, 2008)
- Alex Ovechkin (Capitals, 2009)
- Gabriel Landeskog (Avalanche, 2012)
- Jamie Benn (Stars, 2013)
- Steven Stamkos (Lightning, 2013)
| | | | | | | | 6. 📚 New book: Saban's greatness |  | | | Courtesy: Penguin Random House | | | | Nick Saban has built a dynasty at Alabama, and a new book examines how he runs the program as if he were the CEO of a large company. What they're saying: CEOs often say the key to success is hiring the right people. Saban is no different, says author John Talty: "His very first meeting at Alabama, he had everybody in the building come to this meeting. I'm talking custodians, secretaries ... he wanted you at this meeting. And he laid it out to them in very clear terms ... 'Everything we do is about recruiting.'" "[Former assistant] Tyler Siskey told me a story ... that they used to send [Saban] about a hundred recruiting films when he went on vacation and he would ... send in his notes and he would update them ... It's something that he prioritizes every single day." Buy the book: "The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban" | | | | | | | | 7. 🇺🇸 Photos across America | | Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images BALTIMORE — Rougned Odor's two-run blast lifted the Orioles past the Blue Jays, 6-5, to pull Baltimore within a half-game of a Wild Card berth. - AL Wild Card: 1. Blue Jays (60-50), 2. Mariners (60-52), 3. Rays (58-51), 4. Orioles (58-52), 5. Indians (57-52), 6. Twins (57-52) ... Three make it.
Photo: Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres via Getty Images SAN DIEGO — Padres superstar Manny Machado hit his seventh career walk-off home run to beat the Giants, 7-4, on Tuesday. - By the numbers: Machado's first career walk-off came in 2014. Since then, he has the most in MLB.
Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images LAS VEGAS — Three-time NCAA wrestling champion Bo Nickal won his second MMA fight on Tuesday at Dana White's Contender Series. - Of note: Nickal, who starred at Penn State, is arguably the greatest college wrestler of all-time on the professional stage.
| | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: MLS All-Star Game |  | | | Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios | | | | The MLS All-Star Game is tonight at Minnesota's Allianz Field (8:30pm ET, ESPN), and for the second consecutive season it pits the best players from MLS and Liga MX against each other. - What they're saying: "Judging off of last year, it's a competitive atmosphere," said Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman. "Not something that you see in a typical All-Star game."
- Who to watch: Seven MLS All-Stars are on the USMNT: Sean Johnson (G, NYC FC), Zimmerman (D, Nashville), Aaron Long (D, Red Bulls), DeAndre Yedlin (D, Miami), Paul Arriola (F, Dallas), Jesús Ferreira (F, Dallas) and Jordan Morris (F, Sounders).
More to watch: - 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Mercury (10pm, CBSSN) ... Both among the five teams fighting for the final two playoff spots.
- ⚾️ MLB: Reds at Mets (1pm, MLB) ... The red-hot Mets have won 14 of their last 16 games.
- 🎾 Tennis: Canadian Open (11am, Tennis) ... Second-round matches for Serena Williams, Iga Świątek, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and more.
- ⚽️ NWSL: Spirit vs. Thorns (7:30pm, Paramount+)
- ⛳️ USGA: U.S. Women's Amateur (6pm, Golf) ... At Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.
- 🥎 Little League: Four games (10am–7pm, ESPN+) ... Softball World Series, day two of seven.
- ⚾️ Little League: Six games (11am–9pm, ESPN/ESPN2) ... Regional tournaments ahead of the LLWS.
| | | | | | | | 9. 🎾 Tennis trivia |  | | | Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images | | | | Serena Williams' 23 Grand Slam women's titles are the most in the Open Era. - Question: Who's second with 22?
- Hint: Not American.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. ⚾️ 1 awesome thing: The kids are alright |  | | | Courtesy: Little League World Series | | | | A scary play at the Little League World Series on Tuesday turned into an incredible sports moment. What happened: Oklahoma hitter Isaiah "Zay" Jarvis was hit in the head with a pitch from Kaiden Shelton of Texas East. After several moments on the ground, Jarvis took first base. - Seeing that Shelton was shaken up, Jarvis called timeout and walked over to the mound to comfort him.
- "Hey, you're doing just great," you can hear Jarvis say to his opponent before other Texas East players and a coach join them.
Sports, man. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM today and get 3 months free | | |  | | | | With SiriusXM, stream expertly curated ad-free music on your devices with channels dedicated to your favorite decades, hits, styles and genres. The deets: Get access to more than 425 channels on the SXM app, plus podcasts, sports talk, Howard Stern and more. See Offer Details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Go O's baby!" Baker Trivia answer: Steffi Graf 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell friends to sign up. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 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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