| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Feb 01, 2023 | | π Good morning! Welcome to February. "It's the worst month of the year, but it's an honest month." π Coaching moves: Sean Payton will be the next head coach of the Broncos, who gave up picks to get him. DeMeco Ryans will be the next head coach of the Texans. Today's word count: 1,515 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ Baseball's endorsement king |  | | | Photo Illustration: Trent Joaquin. Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images | | | | Players like Shohei Ohtani come along once in a lifetime, and brands aren't throwing away their shot to partner with the two-way superstar, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Driving the news: The 28-year-old Japanese sensation signed a multi-year footwear and apparel deal with New Balance on Tuesday, ending his partnership with Asics that dated to 2014. - His first campaign will be for a limited-edition cleat in the same style as the brand's classic 574 sneaker.
- It launches this month ahead of the World Baseball Classic in March, where Ohtani will represent Japan for the first time.
The big picture: Ohtani's unique brilliance and global appeal have made him one of the most marketable stars in MLB history. - His 17 brand endorsements last year shattered the record for most in a single season, per SponsorUnited (Aaron Judge had 13 in 2021).
- Those endorsements earned him $20 million, more than three times as much as the next-highest off-field earner, per Forbes (Bryce Harper: $6.5 million).
- His team reaped the benefits, too: 22 Japanese brands paid for signs at Angel Stadium last season.
Looking ahead: Those endorsements will pale in comparison to Ohtani's next contract. Some believe he could fetch MLB's first $500 million deal when he becomes a free agent next offseason. |     | | | | | | 2. π Charted: From college to the Super Bowl |  Chart: Madison Dong/Axios Visuals Alabama made history this fall when it became the first school to have 70 alumni appear in a single NFL season. But five other programs will reign supreme at the Super Bowl, Jeff writes. By the numbers: 21% of players (22 of 106) on the Chiefs and Eagles active rosters attended just five schools: Oklahoma (6 players), Florida (4), Georgia (4), Michigan (4) and Mississippi State (4). - Alabama is one of six schools with three players, while nine schools have two each. 47 other schools will be represented by one player.
- Fun fact: Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia, is the only player who didn't attend college.
Conference call: All 10 FBS conferences will be represented at State Farm Arena, plus one independent (Notre Dame), eight FCS schools and three D-II programs. - Power Five: SEC (21 players), Big Ten (16), Big 12 (12), ACC (11), Pac-12 (9), plus Notre Dame (1)
- Group of Five: American (11), C-USA (5), Sun Belt (4), MAC (4) Mountain West (1)
- FCS: Georgia Southern, Idaho, Penn, Samford, South Carolina State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Western Illinois (1 each)
- D-II: Fayetteville State, Missouri Southern, Valdosta State (1 each)
| | | | | | | | 3. ⛸ One year later: Still no medals |  | | | The silver medalists, without their medals. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images | | | | Roughly a year after winning silver at the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. team event figure skaters haven't received their medals. The backdrop: Last February, Kamila Valieva helped lead the Russian Olympic Committee to a gold medal in the team event. The following day, it was revealed that she'd tested positive for a banned substance. - The IOC made the unusual decision to cancel the event's medal ceremony until doping agencies could determine whether Valieva and her team should be disqualified.
- In January, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency concluded that Valieva committed a violation but "bore no fault or negligence" and shouldn't be disqualified.
- The World Anti-Doping Agency is expected to appeal the decision, which could ultimately award the gold medal to the U.S. if Russia is disqualified. But that could take many more months.
What they're saying: "I used the word disheartening when we were on-site there in Beijing, and I certainly have that same feeling, unfortunately, 11 months later," American skater Evan Bates told WashPost. The bottom line: Imagine preparing your whole life for the Olympics, earning a medal and then never getting to celebrate it (or even receive it!) because Russia committed yet another doping violation. It's a disgrace. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free | | |  | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music, live sports, personalized stations and more. Next steps: Sign up now to get 3 months free. Cancel anytime. Learn more about the offer and start streaming. See offer details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | The graphic is incorrect: She's 22, not 23. Screenshot: WAVY10/FOX43 | | | | π This is wild: A 22-year-old assistant coach for the JV girls basketball team at Churchland High School in Virginia pretended to be a 13-year-old and played in a game. She's been fired and the team has ended its season. π Thriller at MSG: The Lakers beat the Knicks, 129-123, in an OT thriller on Tuesday at the Garden. LeBron James (28-10-11) passed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for fourth all-time in assists. π Tyler Huntley, Pro Bowler: Thanks to a rash of injuries, Ravens QB Tyler Huntley is headed to the Pro Bowl after throwing two TD passes and three interceptions in five games. Bizarre. π΅ 33rd state: Legal sports betting arrived in Massachusetts on Tuesday, making it the 33rd state (plus Washington, D.C.) with a live, legal sports betting market. ⚽️ Chelsea's big signing: Chelsea have signed Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica and will meet his ~$114 million release clause, a British-record transfer. His contract runs through 2031, per ESPN. π ACC schedule: The ACC has released its football schedule for the 2023 season, which won't feature divisions. Instead, the league's 14 teams will play each other on a rotating, 3-5-5 basis. | | | | | | | | 5. ✈️ Why Jalen Hurts was in Syracuse |  | | | Adam Weitsman and Jalen Hurts courtside at Monday's Syracuse-Virginia game. Photo: Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images | | | | The day after leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts flew to upstate New York to attend... a Syracuse basketball game? The backdrop: Hurts was the latest guest of billionaire Adam Weitsman, the owner and CEO of Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling and the university's most high-profile booster, per Syracuse.com. - Weitsman has brought numerous celebrity guests to the JMA Dome over the years including Tom Brady and Jimmy Fallon.
- He's also offering recruits six-figure and seven-figure NIL deals to play for the Orange in exchange for "charity work."
- One of those recruits, Elijah Moore, committed to Syracuse on Saturday after attending a game with Weitsman and rappers Fabolous and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
The bottom line: We live in strange times. Two weeks before the Super Bowl, one of the QBs flew to New York to hang out with a recycling kingpin, who shells out millions of dollars to recruit athletes to Syracuse, which we're supposed to believe is a legit NIL exchange and not simply a guy paying kids to play for his favorite school. To be clear ... I fully support Jalen enjoying his off day and probably getting paid to do it. It's just very random. I also fully support college athletes making money — though it'd be nice if the NCAA would exert even the tiniest bit of control over blatant pay-to-play schemes. | | | | | | | | 6. π Wooden Award: Top 20 candidates |  | | | Juniors Zach Edey and Caitlin Clark look like the favorites entering February. Photos: Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; G Fiume/Getty Images | | | | The Wooden Award watchlist has been narrowed to 20 men and 20 women, Jeff writes. Men: - Seniors (10): Armando Bacot (UNC), Antoine Davis (Detroit Mercy), Kendric Davis (Memphis), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA), Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), Markquis Nowell (Kansas State), Jalen Pickett (Penn State), Marcus Sasser (Houston), Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
- Juniors (7): Zach Edey (Purdue), Mike Miles Jr. (TCU), Kris Murray (Iowa), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), ΔΕΎuolas Tubelis (Arizona), Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Isaiah Wong (Miami)
- Sophomores (1): Terquavion Smith (NC State)
- Freshmen (2): Kyle Filipowski (Duke), Brandon Miller (Alabama)
Women: - Seniors (10): Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), Zia Cooke (South Carolina), Monika Czinano (Iowa), Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana), Ashley Joens (Iowa State), Haley Jones (Stanford), Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Diamond Miller (Maryland), Charisma Osborne (UCLA), Maddy Siegrist (Villanova)
- Juniors (6): Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Cameron Brink (Stanford), Aaliyah Edwards (UConn), Deja Kelly (UNC), Alissa Pili (Utah), Hailey Van Lith (Louisville)
- Sophomores (3): Olivia Miles (Notre Dame), Aneesah Morrow (DePaul), Angel Reese (LSU)
- Freshmen (1): Ta'Niya Latson (Florida State)
| | | | | | | | 7. π―π΅ In photos: Skiing in Japan | | Photo: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Niseko mountain on the Japanese island of Hokkaido is a skier's paradise, getting nearly twice as much snowfall each season as Vail. Despite these ideal conditions, Japan's ski industry has struggled for decades. Photo: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images That's starting to change thanks to one company's $500 million investment — part of a plan to reinvigorate Japan's most celebrated (yet dated) ski destination with high-speed lifts and a luxury hotel. Photo: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Japan's ski industry exploded in the 1990s, welcoming twice as many skiers as the U.S. during its peak. It's stagnated ever since, but perhaps major upgrades to the country's premier resort will reverse the trend. Go deeper: A $500 million bet on reinvigorating Japan's aging ski industry (Bloomberg) | | | | | | | | 8. πΊ Watchlist: All-Star Break Eve |  Data: ESPN; Chart: Axios Visuals There are just two NHL games on this final night before the All-Star break, but it's a stacked slate featuring the league's three best teams and the surging Sabres. - Bruins at Maple Leafs (7:30pm ET, ESPN+): Boston (38-7-5) hopes to snap its first three-game losing streak of the season against Toronto (31-12-8), which has won eight of 12.
- Hurricanes at Sabres (7:30pm, TNT): Carolina (33-9-8) has won six straight, while Buffalo (26-19-4) has won five of six.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. π NFL trivia |  | | | Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images | | | | Sean Payton has won 152 regular-season games, sixth-most among active NFL head coaches. - Question: Who are the five coaches ahead of him?
- Hint: They all have four-letter first names.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. π 1 familiar thing: History repeats itself | | Giphy Anybody else having dΓ©jΓ vu? - 2017-18: The Warriors won the NBA Finals, the Astros won the World Series, and the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
- 2022-23: The Warriors won the NBA Finals, the Astros won the World Series, and the Eagles could win the Super Bowl.
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More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Give them their medals or we riot" Baker Trivia answer: Bill Belichick (298 wins), Andy Reid (247), Mike Tomlin (163), Pete Carroll (161), Mike McCarthy (155) π Have the best day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Carolyn DiPaolo for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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