| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Sep 13, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! One week of NFL football down, 17 more to go. Will share some travel stories tomorrow. Today's word count: 1,459 words (6 minutes) Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🇧🇷 The Brazilian Storm |  | | | Filipe Toledo celebrating with the Brazilian flag. Photo: Thiago Diz/World Surf League via Getty Images | | | | Men's surfing, long dominated by Americans and Australians, has recently seen a new power ascend the crest of the wave: Brazil, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Driving the news: Filipe Toledo won the 2022 World Surf League men's championship last week, edging out fellow Brazilian and 2019 champion Ítalo Ferreira in the last round of the WSL Finals in San Clemente, California. State of play: This is the fourth straight year that a Brazilian has won the men's world title, and the sixth time in the past eight seasons. - 2014: Gabriel Medina
- 2015: Adriano de Souza
- 2018: Medina
- 2019: Ferreira
- 2021: Medina
- 2022: Toledo
Plus: They're not just winning titles — they're dominating the standings. Brazil had the top two finishers this year, the top three in 2021 and three of the top four in 2015, 2018 and 2019. The big picture: Prior to 2014, no Brazilian had ever won a world title in a sport dominated by Australia, the U.S. and Hawaii (competes independently). Here are the men's champions by country since 1976, when the modern surf tour began: - Australia: 16
- USA: 15
- Hawaii: 7
- Brazil: 6 (all since 2014)
- South Africa: 1
- U.K.: 1
The backdrop: With Brazil's vast coastline and warm weather, surfing is hardly a new endeavor in the country of 215 million. In fact, Brazilian Pepe Lopes won the first event in the 1976 tour, held in Rio. - Yes, but: The country was a dictatorship in pro surfing's earliest days, which stifled the economy and the careers of any would-be elite Brazilian surfer.
- In 1985, Brazil's dictatorship fell. By the 2000s, there was a booming middle class. When Medina broke through in 2014, the floodgates were opened.
What they're saying: "This generation is so dominant, so undeniable, that it has earned a nickname: Tempestade Brasileira, which is Portuguese for the Brazilian Storm," writes NYT's Anna Dimond. 🌊 Watch: Toledo beats Ferreira for the title (YouTube) |     | | | | | | 2. 🏈 Chart du jour: NFL betting boom |  Data: GeoComply; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios The NFL's opening weekend saw a record amount of legal online betting activity — hardly a surprise given the proliferation of legal wagering across the country, Jeff writes. By the numbers: There were 103.1 million sportsbook logins from Thursday through Sunday night across the 21 states (plus D.C.) where online sports betting is live and legal, per geolocation firm GeoComply. - That's up from 60.1 million during last year's opening weekend, a 71.5% increase.
- New York, which didn't have legal online betting last year, led the way with 15.7 million logins, or 15.3% of the total. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Illinois rounded out the top five.
🎰 Read: As sports betting goes mainstream, addiction experts are on high alert (WashPost) | | | | | | | | 3. 🚲 How cities are incentivizing e-bikes |  | | | Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios | | | | Cities, states, and major companies are racing to give people incentives to switch to electric bikes for their work commute or gadding about town, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson reports. Why it matters: E-bikes — which give people varying levels of motorized assistance — are environmentally friendly alternatives to cars. Mass adoption could make a big dent in road congestion and carbon emissions. - Yes, but: They're expensive — typically around $2,600 for a commuter version, and $5,000 for a cargo model — so lawmakers, businesses, and others are trying to make them more accessible.
State of play: The number of e-bike incentive programs nationwide exploded 0ver the last year as the COVID-19 pandemic drove enthusiasm for all things bicycle — e-bikes in particular. - About 80 e-bike incentive programs are active, have been proposed, or completed across the U.S. and Canada, per Portland State's tracker.
- Some offer cash subsidies, rebates, tax credits, or low-interest loans. Others give people free use of an e-bike for a limited time, or offer a bike "lending library."
The big picture: Five states — Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Vermont — have passed or renewed e-bike incentive programs, per advocacy group PeopleForBikes. - Dozens of electric utilities, cities, and towns are getting into the act, plus private employers such as Amazon (which introduced bike subsidies) and Google (which offered a free lending program).
- City examples: Denver offers rebates of up to $1,700 to residents of certain income levels; Oakland is setting up a lending system in low-income neighborhoods.
What they're saying: "A lot of states and municipalities are trying to show progress on climate initiatives, and this is an easy and tangible way" to do that, said Ash Lovell of PeopleForBikes. What to watch: On the federal level, the proposed E-BIKE Act would grant a 30% tax credit on purchases, but it got axed from the Inflation Reduction Act at the 11th hour. Advocates are hopeful it will be reintroduced and passed. ⚡️ Read: Electric bikes jolt U.S. cities (Axios) | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images | | | | ⚾️ Magic Mike: Mike Trout has hit a HR in each of his last seven games, one shy of the MLB record. Watch all seven. 💵 Athletic ads: The New York Times has debuted ads on The Athletic, hoping it will help its subscription sports website become profitable in the three-year time frame it gave investors in January. ⚾️ Going streaking: The Yankees clinched their 30th straight winning season last week (1993-22), which trails only the Yankees (39 straight, 1926-64). The Dodgers clinched their 10th straight postseason berth on Monday, which trails only the Braves (1991-05) and Yankees (1995-07). 💪 At-home fitness headlines: Peloton's co-founders are leaving in a broad executive shakeup ... Tonal is seeking to raise $100 million at a $1.9 billion valuation. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏒 Unveiled: NHL jersey ads |  | | | Courtesy: Canadiens | | | | NHL teams have started to unveil the sponsorship patches that will adorn their uniforms next season — and hockey fans are split. 💵 Read: The advertising invasion (Axios) | | | | | | | | 6. 🌎 The world in photos | | Photo: Jane Gershovich/Getty Images SEATTLE — In Russell Wilson's return to Seattle, it was his former backup who got the loudest ovation — and stole the show. Geno Smith (23/28, 195 yards, 2 TD) balled out, leading the Seahawks to a 17-16 win. - 💬 What he's saying: "They wrote me off, I ain't write back though," said Smith, a nine-year veteran and longtime backup, when asked about his doubters. A win for perseverance.
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images NEW YORK — The U.S. Open victory party at Carlos Alcaraz's Manhattan hotel wrapped up before 3am on Monday, which was early by his recent standards. "I got to bed at 5:15am after the Čilić match, and 6am after the Sinner match," he told NYT. Competitors enter the water during the Ironman Wales competition. Photo: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images TENBY, Wales — Breathtaking. | | | | | | | | 7. 📺 Watchlist: Game 2 in Vegas |  | | | Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images | | | | The Aces (up 1-0) host the Sun tonight in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals (9pm ET, ESPN), where Connecticut will look to even the best-of-five series. - Who to watch: Nearly every award winner will be on the floor: Aces F A'ja Wilson (MVP, DPOY), Aces G Jackie Young (MIP), Aces coach Becky Hammon (COY) and Sun F Brionna Jones (Sixth Player).
- The big picture: Connecticut and Vegas are two of the four active franchises without a ring (Liberty, Dream).
More to watch: - ⚽️ Champions League: Seven games, headlined by Bayern vs. Barcelona (12:45pm, 3pm, Paramount+) ... Group stage Matchday 2 of 6.
- ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Red Sox (7:10pm, TBS) ... The last Fenway series of the year for these division rivals.
- 🏀 EuroBasket 2022: Finland vs. Spain (11:15am, ESPN+); Germany vs. Greece (2:30pm, ESPN+) ... Quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championship, contested every four years.
- ⚽️ MLS: Miami vs. Columbus (8pm, ESPN+); Minnesota vs. LAFC (8pm, ESPN+)
- 🎾 Davis Cup: Group stage (8am, Tennis)
| | | | | | | | 8. 🛹 The Ocho: Maryhill Ratz | | Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images The Maryhill Ratz Freeride attracts riders from around the world, offering a chance to ride the historic Maryhill Loops Road, one of the first modern roads in the Pacific Northwest. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images The winding asphalt road, located in Maryhill, Washington, was built as an experiment for Model T cars in 1912. The Maryhill Ratz has been around since 2007. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Food for thought: Would you rather skateboard or luge down that hill? I'm luging, no question. 🍿 Watch: Drone footage (YouTube) | | | | | | | | 9. ⚾️ MLB trivia |  | | | Photo: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images | | | | Aaron Judge has 55 HR with 21 games left to play, already the seventh-most of any player this century. - Question: Who are the only six players with more?
- Hint: 2001 (3x), 2002, 2006, 2017.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🏀 1 event thing: Join us next Tuesday |  | | | Graphic: Aspen Institute | | | | NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently proposed lowering the age at which a player can be drafted from 19 to 18 — right out of high school. - As a thought exercise, we ask: Why stop there?
- What if NBA teams, like European clubs, took control of their talent pipeline even earlier?
Coming up: Join us next Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 11:30am ET for our latest Future of Sports conversation, in partnership with Aspen Institute. I'll be on the panel, alongside two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol and others. Register here. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Geno!!!" Baker Trivia answer: Barry Bonds (73 in 2001), Sammy Sosa (64 in 2001), Luis Gonzalez (57 in 2001), Alex Rodriguez (57 in 2002), Ryan Howard (58 in 2006), Giancarlo Stanton (59 in 2017) 🙏 Have a great day! Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy) and tell your friends to sign up. Thanks to Bryan McBournie for copy editing this newsletter. |  | | 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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