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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Step aside, millennials: Gen Z is taking over the NBA playoffs
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🚨 Headlines 🏀🏒 Conference Finals: SGA (40 points) and the Thunder beat the Timberwolves, 128-126, to go up 3-1; the Hurricanes blanked the Panthers, 3-0, to avoid elimination and end a 15-game conference finals losing streak. Advertisement 🥎 Last eight standing: No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 9 UCLA, No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 16 Oregon and Ole Miss are headed to the Women's College World Series. 🏁 Racing roundup: Alex Palou won the Indy 500 for his fifth win in the season's first six races; Lando Norris (McLaren) won the Monaco GP; Ross Chastain won the Coca-Cola 600 despite starting in last. ⚾️ Selection Sunday: A record 13 SEC teams made the NCAA Baseball Tournament, with Vanderbilt earning the No. 1 overall seed in the 64-team field. 🥍 Lax champs: Cornell won its fourth men's title (and first since 1977); UNC won its fourth women's title; the Buffalo Bandits completed the three-peat in the NLL (indoor). 🏀 Step aside, millennials: Gen Z is taking over (Yahoo Sports) The NBA playoffs used to be the domain of older, savvy vets deep into their thirties, but the league has gotten younger, and the best teams seem to be aging in that direction more rapidly. Is contending for a title increasingly becoming a young man's game? Advertisement From Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh: When LeBron James made his NBA debut in 2003, Anthony Edwards was merely a toddler, taking his first steps on Earth. When Kobe Bryant threw the iconic 'oop to Shaquille O'Neal in the 2000 Western Conference finals, Tyrese Haliburton was just a few months old. Jalen Brunson is young enough to ask his father, Rick, what it was like to play against Cleveland LeBron. Oh, and when Michael Jordan hit the clinching shot over Utah in the 1998 NBA Finals? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't even born. Feeling old yet? Millennials certainly do. By the numbers: With the Thunder leading the way, the average age of the four conference finalists stands at 26.5 years old. That's the lowest on record and guarantees that the NBA will crown its first Gen Z champion this year. Advertisement This continues a surprising trend that has seen the NBA get younger and younger in its final stages of the season. A Gen Z champion was only a matter of time, but if late 1990s roster trends held firm, we'd be about 2-3 years away from reaching that point. With these four teams, we're way ahead of schedule. While it's true the league, in general, has gotten younger across the decades, the final four used to be far older than the also-rans. Nowadays, the age gap is narrowing to the point where, especially this season, there doesn't seem to be much of one at all. Keep reading. 📸 The world in photos (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images) 🏴 Liverpool, England — Nearly 50 Liverpool fans were injured Monday after a 53-year-old British man drove a car into a crowd during the club's Premier League championship parade, according to police. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images) 🇫🇷 Paris — Rafael Nadal was honored Sunday at Roland Garros, where the "King of Clay" won a record 14 French Opens and will now forever have his footprint immortalized on center court. () 🇺🇸 St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota Frost have repeated as PWHL champions, clinching their second straight Walter Cup on Monday with an overtime winner against the Ottawa Charge. () 🇵🇹 Lisbon — The only English club to win the Women's Champions League is now the only one to do so twice, as Arsenal beat defending champion Barcelona, 1-0, on Saturday for their first title since 2007. 🏒 U.S. wins first world title since 1933 Team USA holds up Johnny Gaudreau's jersey while celebrating their championship. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images) 92 years later, the Americans are once again world hockey champions. Advertisement Victory in Stockholm: The U.S. beat Switzerland, 1-0 (OT), on Sunday thanks to a golden goal from Sabres center Tage Thompson, giving USA Hockey its first on-ice trophy in this tournament since 1933. What they're saying: "We knew there was something special in this room, but the biggest thing was having Johnny Gaudreau in our room, too," Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman said of the late NHL star who is the Americans' all-time points leader at worlds. "This gold goes to him and the legacy that he's paved for all USA hockey players." A long time coming: The 1933 title came back when only amateurs were allowed to compete. The Massachusetts Rangers (representing the U.S.) beat the Toronto National Sea Fleas (representing Canada) in the tournament's seventh edition, and first not won by Canada. The Americans tasted success in the ensuing decades, including Olympic gold in 1960 (technically a world title) and 1980, plus World Cup gold in 1996. But they mostly struggled at standalone world championships. Canada (28 golds), Russia/Soviet Union (27), Czechia (13) and Sweden (11) have won 79 of the 88 worlds; this was the first year the U.S. reached the title game in the tournament's modern era (since 1992). Between the lines: Team USA showed off its depth in Stockholm, boasting a young but talented roster that shared just two players with the team that took home silver in the 4 Nations Face-Off (Swayman and Blue Jackets' defenseman Zach Werenski). Advertisement Looking ahead: Next year's Winter Olympics will feature NHL players for the first time since 2014. And unlike worlds, the 2026 Games are during an NHL break, meaning all top players will be available. Can the Americans run it back in a true best-on-best tournament? We'll find out in eight months. ⚾️ Ohtani throws live BP, inches closer to return (Elsa/Getty Images) Shohei Ohtani faced live batters this weekend for the first time since 2023 as he works his way back from reconstructive elbow surgery. From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Shohei Ohtani climbed a big league hill for the first time in 614 days. Officially, it was just a live batting practice session, a low-stakes environment for a recovering pitcher to ease back into competition. But because it was Ohtani, the session morphed into a can't-miss event. Advertisement As the three-time MVP readied to throw, a gaggle of his teammates assembled together behind a protective net set up near home plate. Dozens more Dodger players, coaches and team employees watched from the dirt track in foul territory down the third-base line. Across the diamond, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and a handful of his players followed along from the home dugout. Media members, television cameras and photographers dotted the otherwise empty stands, jostling for the best possible view of the show. Only with Ohtani does the mundane feel so momentous. Scouting report: Ohtani threw 22 pitches across five at-bats and called upon his entire arsenal: fastball, sinker, cutter, sweeper, splitter. The velocity clocked in at 94-95 mph, although it reached as high as 97, according to pitching coach Mark Prior. "The stuff is there," Prior ensured. Meanwhile, on offense… Hours after his live BP session, Ohtani swapped his glove for a bat and cranked the second pitch of the evening 411 feet for his 18th home run. The next day, he cranked the first pitch of the night 378 feet for his MLB-leading 19th. 📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, May 27 KAT scored 20 of his 24 points on Sunday in the fourth quarter. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 Knicks at Pacers, Game 4 (8pm ET, TNT) New York gave Indiana a taste of its own medicine on Sunday with a 20-point comeback win behind a fourth-quarter explosion from Karl-Anthony Towns. Can the Knicks tie up the series tonight before heading back home? 🏒 Stars at Oilers, Game 4 (8pm, ESPN) Edmonton has been on a roll since dropping Game 1, winning Games 2 and 3 by a combined score of 9-1, including Sunday's 6-1 thrashing. 🎾 French Open, First Round (5am, TNT) No. 2 Coco Gauff (7:10am), No. 3 Jessica Pegula (7:50am) and No. 6 Novak Djokovic (8:20am) headline the final day of the first round at Roland Garros. Advertisement Plus: ⚾️ MLB: Braves at Phillies (6:45pm, TBS) … Ronald Acuña Jr. has homered twice in three games since returning from a torn ACL. ⛳️ NCAA Men's Golf: Team Match Play (Golf) … Quarterfinals (1pm) followed by semifinals (6pm). Today's full slate. 🏀 NBA trivia () All-NBA Selections: SGA, Jokić, Giannis, Tatum, Mitchell (First) | Edwards, James, Curry, Brunson, Mobley (Second) | Towns, Harden, Cunningham, Haliburton, Jalen Williams (Third). LeBron James earned his 21st All-NBA selection this season, six more than any other player in NBA history. Question: Which three players are tied for second, at 15 selections each? Hint: One guard, two bigs. Answer at the bottom. 📸 The best sports photo ever turns 60 (Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) When Muhammad Ali knocked down Sonny Liston on May 25, 1965, photographer Neil Leifer captured what many consider to be the greatest sports photo ever taken. Advertisement What he's saying: "What happened that night was I got very lucky, and I didn't miss," Leifer, now 82, told the New York Times on the 60th anniversary of his iconic shot, taken 1 minute and 44 seconds into the infamous title bout held in a tiny youth-center hockey rink. Fight: "Ali vs. Liston II" Location: Lewiston, Maine Equipment: Rolleiflex camera Behind the lens: Two distinct features of this photo are the (1) clean frame and (2) hazy background. Here's Leifer on both: Clean frame: "There was no commercialism. The mat was plain off-white canvas. There was nothing on the trunks. Nothing on the gloves. The background would be different today, with all sorts of crap: commercials for light beer, a hotel." Hazy background: "In those days, the crowd was going to be 90% men, and a lot of them were smoking cigarettes or cigars. The strobe lights filter through the smoke and you get a little bit of a blue haze, as opposed to a jet black, and it made the picture look a little more dramatic." 🎥 Watch: Full fight (YouTube) Trivia answer: Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is flag football the key to the NFL's global growth?
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🎓 Y! Sports exclusive: The Power 4 conferences have drafted a contract that would bind schools to new enforcement rules and require them to waive the right to sue over decisions. Schools not signing could risk conference eviction. Go deeper. 🏈 Eagles extend Sirianni: The reigning champs have agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach Nick Sirianni, whose .706 winning percentage (48-20) is the third-best in the Super Bowl era (min. 50 games). ⚾️ Check swing challenge: MLB is launching a pilot program today in Single-A that will allow teams to challenge check swing calls using the same Hawk-Eye tracking technology that enables robo umps to call balls and strikes. 🏀 Nuggets back Adelman: Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon and others are campaigning for David Adelman to be their next head coach after he nearly led Denver to the conference finals on the interim tag. 🏈 Warner gets paid: The 49ers signed four-time All-Pro Fred Warner to a three-year, $63 million extension that makes him the NFL's highest-paid inside linebacker. NFL owners will meet in Minneapolis this week to discuss numerous topics. Among them: A resolution that would allow players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. What's on the table: The resolution would allow no more than one player from each NFL team to participate in the Games, while also permitting each club's designated International Player to play for his country, clearing the way for representation beyond Team USA. From Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson: Nearly eight years ago, sitting on a couch in a hotel room in California, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had the concept of Olympic flag football on the tip of his tongue and just couldn't find it. In an expansive 1-on-1 interview with Yahoo Sports in the summer of 2017, Jones was discussing the growth of the NFL as a globally consumed sport when the subject of untapped markets was broached. Specifically, how to get traction in places where the NFL was nothing more than an oddity. It was a question that, back in 2017, was being focused through China — largely because the English Premier League and the NBA had cultivated that country's hundreds of millions of potential fans in a way that the NFL could only dream of achieving. Selling the sport, not the league: At first, Jones didn't have an answer on China. But later in the interview, he speculated that the key to success there might be spurning the NFL-down strategy (aka. "selling the league") in favor of a grassroots approach designed to introduce football organically (aka. "selling football"). In other words: Playing NFL games abroad is great, but what if you simply passed out a bunch of footballs and encouraged people to toss them around? "[The answer] might be giving people a reason to pick up a football for the first time and just go outside to play with it," Jones said. "Which really isn't simple at all." What he was getting at was a singular idea that has long created the wall between true global interest in the NFL versus the aggressively targeted international traction that currently exists: Getting people interested in the game itself — or some version of it — rather than getting people interested specifically in the NFL. Enter flag football and the grand stage of LA 2028. It's arguably the best answer the NFL has ever had to motivate the entire world to pick up a football and play with it — especially if some of the people picking up a football for their country also happen to be NFL players. Keep reading. The AL Central, which spent much of the past decade as a punchline, is now arguably the best division in baseball. Consolidated power: Four of the AL's six best teams hail from the Central, which joins the perennially strong NL West as the only divisions with four teams above .500. Tigers (31-17): Success was expected after Detroit ended its nine-year playoff drought in 2024. But best team in baseball in 2025? Who saw that coming? It helps that reigning Cy Young Tarik Skubal is dealing again (2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) and $140 million man Javier Báez has emerged from a years-long slump (.811 OPS). Royals (27-22): Perennial MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. and breakout pitcher Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) have KC trending toward back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since winning the 2015 title. Twins (26-21): This story would have looked a lot different a couple weeks ago when Minnesota was sitting at 13-20. Then they rattled off 13 straight wins (MLB's longest streak in two years) and completely altered the trajectory of their season. Guardians (25-21): Cleveland has long been the AL Central's constant, with just two sub-.500 seasons since 2012. The bad news? Their run differential this year (-20) suggests regression is coming. The good news? José Ramírez is heating up. White Sox (14-34): At least they're not the worst team in the league this year. From worst to first: The AL Central's top dog status is particularly noteworthy given how bad this division was in the not-so-distant past. Their .436 winning percentage in 2018 was the worst in the divisional era (since 1969), and they nearly matched it just two years ago (.442) when they had one winning team. Four playoff teams? If these teams keep it up, the AL Central could become the first division to send four teams to the playoffs. The Tigers, Royals, Twins and Guardians would all make the field if the season ended today. No Formula One team has had more success through their first 400 races than Red Bull, which won its 124th grand prix on Sunday in Italy. Leader of the pack: Red Bull's 124 wins through 400 grands prix are 19 more than any other team in F1 history, putting them well ahead of Williams (105), McLaren (104), Ferrari (91) and Lotus (79). Renault (35), Tyrrell (23) and Sauber (1) are the only other constructors who've raced in at least 400 grands prix. Man meets machine: Red Bull's dominance can be partly attributed to its engineering prowess and innovative design, but fast cars alone don't guarantee results. The real key to their success has been pairing those machines with the right tactics and drivers — namely four-time defending champion Max Verstappen. The 27-year-old is a rare talent behind the wheel, as he reminded us on Sunday when he outmaneuvered the field en route to his 65th career victory (third-most ever). Zoom out: Red Bull's historic success through 400 races already has them climbing the all-time leaderboard. They recently overtook Williams for fourth-most wins ever and are six away from passing Mercedes (129) for third. Ferrari (248) and McLaren (194) hold a sizable lead at the top, but it may be only a matter of time before Red Bull catches them, too. ⚽️ 0 losses Chelsea beat Manchester United, 3-0, in Sunday's Women's FA Cup Final to finish the season unbeaten in all 30 domestic matches they played. Among the 74,000 fans on hand to witness their latest triumph? The club's newest minority owner, Serena Williams. ⚾️ 118th immaculate inning Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill tossed the first immaculate inning of the season and the 118th in MLB history on Sunday against the Rays, striking out the side on nine pitches. 🎙️ $15,300 How much would you pay to call a half-inning of a Cubs game on the official broadcast? The team auctioned off that experience for charity and it just closed. The winning bid: $15,300. 🏀 1 million Facebook followers The Fever are the first WNBA team to reach 1 million followers on a social media platform. 🏈 0.1% stake Charles Woodson is joining fellow "Michigan Man" Tom Brady in the world of NFL ownership, paying $5 million for a 0.1% stake in the Browns. Brady owns a much larger share of the Raiders (5%) and has played an active role in football operations. It's unclear how involved Woodson will be in Cleveland. We're experimenting with a new Watchlist format that (1) highlights more key matchups while (2) listing fewer overall games. We also added a link to a daily TV guide so you can browse the full slate. Feedback? Email me. 🏀 Timberwolves at Thunder (8:30pm ET, ESPN) | West Finals, Game 1 "New York is the glamour market, but this is the irresistible series," writes Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill. SGA vs. Anthony Edwards should be peak NBA cinema. 🏒 Panthers at Hurricanes (8pm, TNT) | East Finals, Game 1 The Canes have lost 12 straight conference finals games in sweeps against the Penguins (2009), Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023), who they get another crack at two years later. 🎥 "Untold: The Fall of Favre" (Netflix) The latest entry in the "Untold" series delves into Brett Favre's controversial career, the dark side of sports stardom and the scandals that marred his legacy. Now streaming. 🏒 Minnesota at Ottawa (7pm, YouTube) | PWHL Finals, Game 1 Who will hoist the Walter Cup? The defending champion Minnesota Frost visit the Ottawa Charge to begin the best-of-five series. Plus: ⚾️ MLB: Mets at Red Sox (6:45pm, TBS) 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Fever (7pm, NBA) ⚽️ EPL: Man City vs. Bournemouth (3pm, USA) Today's full slate. Here are the starting lineups the last time the Knicks and Pacers met in the Eastern Conference Finals (2000). Question: What are the first names of all 10 starters listed above? Answer at the bottom. "Air Puka" by Rams photographer Bryce Todd won the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 57th annual photo contest. Behind the lens: As he positioned himself prior to the snap, Todd was struck by the way the sun was reflecting off the windows at Gillette. "I've never seen anything like it," he said. "If I retire now, this was my drop-the-mic shot — the best I've ever gotten and maybe ever will get, although I'm going to keep at it." Trivia answer: Dale Davis, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller (Pacers); Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing, Charlie Ward, Allan Houston (Knicks) We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is flag football the key to the NFL's global growth?
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🎓 Y! Sports exclusive: The Power 4 conferences have drafted a contract that would bind schools to new enforcement rules and require them to waive the right to sue over decisions. Schools not signing could risk conference eviction. Go deeper. 🏈 Eagles extend Sirianni: The reigning champs have agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach Nick Sirianni, whose .706 winning percentage (48-20) is the third-best in the Super Bowl era (min. 50 games). ⚾️ Check swing challenge: MLB is launching a pilot program today in Single-A that will allow teams to challenge check swing calls using the same Hawk-Eye tracking technology that enables robo umps to call balls and strikes. 🏀 Nuggets back Adelman: Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon and others are campaigning for David Adelman to be their next head coach after he nearly led Denver to the conference finals on the interim tag. 🏈 Warner gets paid: The 49ers signed four-time All-Pro Fred Warner to a three-year, $63 million extension that makes him the NFL's highest-paid inside linebacker. NFL owners will meet in Minneapolis this week to discuss numerous topics. Among them: A resolution that would allow players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. What's on the table: The resolution would allow no more than one player from each NFL team to participate in the Games, while also permitting each club's designated International Player to play for his country, clearing the way for representation beyond Team USA. From Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson: Nearly eight years ago, sitting on a couch in a hotel room in California, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had the concept of Olympic flag football on the tip of his tongue and just couldn't find it. In an expansive 1-on-1 interview with Yahoo Sports in the summer of 2017, Jones was discussing the growth of the NFL as a globally consumed sport when the subject of untapped markets was broached. Specifically, how to get traction in places where the NFL was nothing more than an oddity. It was a question that, back in 2017, was being focused through China — largely because the English Premier League and the NBA had cultivated that country's hundreds of millions of potential fans in a way that the NFL could only dream of achieving. Selling the sport, not the league: At first, Jones didn't have an answer on China. But later in the interview, he speculated that the key to success there might be spurning the NFL-down strategy (aka. "selling the league") in favor of a grassroots approach designed to introduce football organically (aka. "selling football"). In other words: Playing NFL games abroad is great, but what if you simply passed out a bunch of footballs and encouraged people to toss them around? "[The answer] might be giving people a reason to pick up a football for the first time and just go outside to play with it," Jones said. "Which really isn't simple at all." What he was getting at was a singular idea that has long created the wall between true global interest in the NFL versus the aggressively targeted international traction that currently exists: Getting people interested in the game itself — or some version of it — rather than getting people interested specifically in the NFL. Enter flag football and the grand stage of LA 2028. It's arguably the best answer the NFL has ever had to motivate the entire world to pick up a football and play with it — especially if some of the people picking up a football for their country also happen to be NFL players. Keep reading. The AL Central, which spent much of the past decade as a punchline, is now arguably the best division in baseball. Consolidated power: Four of the AL's six best teams hail from the Central, which joins the perennially strong NL West as the only divisions with four teams above .500. Tigers (31-17): Success was expected after Detroit ended its nine-year playoff drought in 2024. But best team in baseball in 2025? Who saw that coming? It helps that reigning Cy Young Tarik Skubal is dealing again (2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) and $140 million man Javier Báez has emerged from a years-long slump (.811 OPS). Royals (27-22): Perennial MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. and breakout pitcher Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) have KC trending toward back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since winning the 2015 title. Twins (26-21): This story would have looked a lot different a couple weeks ago when Minnesota was sitting at 13-20. Then they rattled off 13 straight wins (MLB's longest streak in two years) and completely altered the trajectory of their season. Guardians (25-21): Cleveland has long been the AL Central's constant, with just two sub-.500 seasons since 2012. The bad news? Their run differential this year (-20) suggests regression is coming. The good news? José Ramírez is heating up. White Sox (14-34): At least they're not the worst team in the league this year. From worst to first: The AL Central's top dog status is particularly noteworthy given how bad this division was in the not-so-distant past. Their .436 winning percentage in 2018 was the worst in the divisional era (since 1969), and they nearly matched it just two years ago (.442) when they had one winning team. Four playoff teams? If these teams keep it up, the AL Central could become the first division to send four teams to the playoffs. The Tigers, Royals, Twins and Guardians would all make the field if the season ended today. No Formula One team has had more success through their first 400 races than Red Bull, which won its 124th grand prix on Sunday in Italy. Leader of the pack: Red Bull's 124 wins through 400 grands prix are 19 more than any other team in F1 history, putting them well ahead of Williams (105), McLaren (104), Ferrari (91) and Lotus (79). Renault (35), Tyrrell (23) and Sauber (1) are the only other constructors who've raced in at least 400 grands prix. Man meets machine: Red Bull's dominance can be partly attributed to its engineering prowess and innovative design, but fast cars alone don't guarantee results. The real key to their success has been pairing those machines with the right tactics and drivers — namely four-time defending champion Max Verstappen. The 27-year-old is a rare talent behind the wheel, as he reminded us on Sunday when he outmaneuvered the field en route to his 65th career victory (third-most ever). Zoom out: Red Bull's historic success through 400 races already has them climbing the all-time leaderboard. They recently overtook Williams for fourth-most wins ever and are six away from passing Mercedes (129) for third. Ferrari (248) and McLaren (194) hold a sizable lead at the top, but it may be only a matter of time before Red Bull catches them, too. ⚽️ 0 losses Chelsea beat Manchester United, 3-0, in Sunday's Women's FA Cup Final to finish the season unbeaten in all 30 domestic matches they played. Among the 74,000 fans on hand to witness their latest triumph? The club's newest minority owner, Serena Williams. ⚾️ 118th immaculate inning Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill tossed the first immaculate inning of the season and the 118th in MLB history on Sunday against the Rays, striking out the side on nine pitches. 🎙️ $15,300 How much would you pay to call a half-inning of a Cubs game on the official broadcast? The team auctioned off that experience for charity and it just closed. The winning bid: $15,300. 🏀 1 million Facebook followers The Fever are the first WNBA team to reach 1 million followers on a social media platform. 🏈 0.1% stake Charles Woodson is joining fellow "Michigan Man" Tom Brady in the world of NFL ownership, paying $5 million for a 0.1% stake in the Browns. Brady owns a much larger share of the Raiders (5%) and has played an active role in football operations. It's unclear how involved Woodson will be in Cleveland. We're experimenting with a new Watchlist format that (1) highlights more key matchups while (2) listing fewer overall games. We also added a link to a daily TV guide so you can browse the full slate. Feedback? Email me. 🏀 Timberwolves at Thunder (8:30pm ET, ESPN) | West Finals, Game 1 "New York is the glamour market, but this is the irresistible series," writes Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill. SGA vs. Anthony Edwards should be peak NBA cinema. 🏒 Panthers at Hurricanes (8pm, TNT) | East Finals, Game 1 The Canes have lost 12 straight conference finals games in sweeps against the Penguins (2009), Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023), who they get another crack at two years later. 🎥 "Untold: The Fall of Favre" (Netflix) The latest entry in the "Untold" series delves into Brett Favre's controversial career, the dark side of sports stardom and the scandals that marred his legacy. Now streaming. 🏒 Minnesota at Ottawa (7pm, YouTube) | PWHL Finals, Game 1 Who will hoist the Walter Cup? The defending champion Minnesota Frost visit the Ottawa Charge to begin the best-of-five series. Plus: ⚾️ MLB: Mets at Red Sox (6:45pm, TBS) 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Fever (7pm, NBA) ⚽️ EPL: Man City vs. Bournemouth (3pm, USA) Today's full slate. Here are the starting lineups the last time the Knicks and Pacers met in the Eastern Conference Finals (2000). Question: What are the first names of all 10 starters listed above? Answer at the bottom. "Air Puka" by Rams photographer Bryce Todd won the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 57th annual photo contest. Behind the lens: As he positioned himself prior to the snap, Todd was struck by the way the sun was reflecting off the windows at Gillette. "I've never seen anything like it," he said. "If I retire now, this was my drop-the-mic shot — the best I've ever gotten and maybe ever will get, although I'm going to keep at it." Trivia answer: Dale Davis, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller (Pacers); Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing, Charlie Ward, Allan Houston (Knicks) We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is flag football the key to the NFL's global growth?
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🚨 Headlines 🎓 Y! Sports exclusive: The Power 4 conferences have drafted a contract that would bind schools to new enforcement rules and require them to waive the right to sue over decisions. Schools not signing could risk conference eviction. Go deeper. Advertisement 🏈 Eagles extend Sirianni: The reigning champs have agreed to a multi-year extension with head coach Nick Sirianni, whose .706 winning percentage (48-20) is the third-best in the Super Bowl era (min. 50 games). ⚾️ Check swing challenge: MLB is launching a pilot program today in Single-A that will allow teams to challenge check swing calls using the same Hawk-Eye tracking technology that enables robo umps to call balls and strikes. 🏀 Nuggets back Adelman: Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon and others are campaigning for David Adelman to be their next head coach after he nearly led Denver to the conference finals on the interim tag. 🏈 Warner gets paid: The 49ers signed four-time All-Pro Fred Warner to a three-year, $63 million extension that makes him the NFL's highest-paid inside linebacker. 🏈 Flag football: The key to the NFL's global growth? (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) NFL owners will meet in Minneapolis this week to discuss numerous topics. Among them: A resolution that would allow players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Advertisement What's on the table: The resolution would allow no more than one player from each NFL team to participate in the Games, while also permitting each club's designated International Player to play for his country, clearing the way for representation beyond Team USA. From Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson: Nearly eight years ago, sitting on a couch in a hotel room in California, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had the concept of Olympic flag football on the tip of his tongue and just couldn't find it. In an expansive 1-on-1 interview with Yahoo Sports in the summer of 2017, Jones was discussing the growth of the NFL as a globally consumed sport when the subject of untapped markets was broached. Specifically, how to get traction in places where the NFL was nothing more than an oddity. Advertisement It was a question that, back in 2017, was being focused through China — largely because the English Premier League and the NBA had cultivated that country's hundreds of millions of potential fans in a way that the NFL could only dream of achieving. Justin Jefferson in action during the 2025 Pro Bowl's flag football game. () Selling the sport, not the league: At first, Jones didn't have an answer on China. But later in the interview, he speculated that the key to success there might be spurning the NFL-down strategy (aka. "selling the league") in favor of a grassroots approach designed to introduce football organically (aka. "selling football"). In other words: Playing NFL games abroad is great, but what if you simply passed out a bunch of footballs and encouraged people to toss them around? "[The answer] might be giving people a reason to pick up a football for the first time and just go outside to play with it," Jones said. "Which really isn't simple at all." Advertisement What he was getting at was a singular idea that has long created the wall between true global interest in the NFL versus the aggressively targeted international traction that currently exists: Getting people interested in the game itself — or some version of it — rather than getting people interested specifically in the NFL. Enter flag football and the grand stage of LA 2028. It's arguably the best answer the NFL has ever had to motivate the entire world to pick up a football and play with it — especially if some of the people picking up a football for their country also happen to be NFL players. Keep reading. ⚾️ The AL Central has leveled up (James Pawelczyk/Yahoo Sports) The AL Central, which spent much of the past decade as a punchline, is now arguably the best division in baseball. Advertisement Consolidated power: Four of the AL's six best teams hail from the Central, which joins the perennially strong NL West as the only divisions with four teams above .500. Tigers (31-17): Success was expected after Detroit ended its nine-year playoff drought in 2024. But best team in baseball in 2025? Who saw that coming? It helps that reigning Cy Young Tarik Skubal is dealing again (2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) and $140 million man Javier Báez has emerged from a years-long slump (.811 OPS). Royals (27-22): Perennial MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. and breakout pitcher Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) have KC trending toward back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since winning the 2015 title. Twins (26-21): This story would have looked a lot different a couple weeks ago when Minnesota was sitting at 13-20. Then they rattled off 13 straight wins (MLB's longest streak in two years) and completely altered the trajectory of their season. Guardians (25-21): Cleveland has long been the AL Central's constant, with just two sub-.500 seasons since 2012. The bad news? Their run differential this year (-20) suggests regression is coming. The good news? José Ramírez is heating up. White Sox (14-34): At least they're not the worst team in the league this year. From worst to first: The AL Central's top dog status is particularly noteworthy given how bad this division was in the not-so-distant past. Their .436 winning percentage in 2018 was the worst in the divisional era (since 1969), and they nearly matched it just two years ago (.442) when they had one winning team. Four playoff teams? If these teams keep it up, the AL Central could become the first division to send four teams to the playoffs. The Tigers, Royals, Twins and Guardians would all make the field if the season ended today. 🏎️ 400 races: Red Bull's historic run (James Pawelczyk/Yahoo Sports) No Formula One team has had more success through their first 400 races than Red Bull, which won its 124th grand prix on Sunday in Italy. Advertisement Leader of the pack: Red Bull's 124 wins through 400 grands prix are 19 more than any other team in F1 history, putting them well ahead of Williams (105), McLaren (104), Ferrari (91) and Lotus (79). Renault (35), Tyrrell (23) and Sauber (1) are the only other constructors who've raced in at least 400 grands prix. Man meets machine: Red Bull's dominance can be partly attributed to its engineering prowess and innovative design, but fast cars alone don't guarantee results. The real key to their success has been pairing those machines with the right tactics and drivers — namely four-time defending champion Max Verstappen. The 27-year-old is a rare talent behind the wheel, as he reminded us on Sunday when he outmaneuvered the field en route to his 65th career victory (third-most ever). Zoom out: Red Bull's historic success through 400 races already has them climbing the all-time leaderboard. They recently overtook Williams for fourth-most wins ever and are six away from passing Mercedes (129) for third. Ferrari (248) and McLaren (194) hold a sizable lead at the top, but it may be only a matter of time before Red Bull catches them, too. 📊 By the numbers Chelsea teammates celebrate after beating Manchester United in Sunday's FA Cup Final. (Justin Setterfield/The FA via Getty Images) ⚽️ 0 losses Chelsea beat Manchester United, 3-0, in Sunday's Women's FA Cup Final to finish the season unbeaten in all 30 domestic matches they played. Among the 74,000 fans on hand to witness their latest triumph? The club's newest minority owner, Serena Williams. Advertisement ⚾️ 118th immaculate inning Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill tossed the first immaculate inning of the season and the 118th in MLB history on Sunday against the Rays, striking out the side on nine pitches. 🎙️ $15,300 How much would you pay to call a half-inning of a Cubs game on the official broadcast? The team auctioned off that experience for charity and it just closed. The winning bid: $15,300. 🏀 1 million Facebook followers The Fever are the first WNBA team to reach 1 million followers on a social media platform. 🏈 0.1% stake Charles Woodson is joining fellow "Michigan Man" Tom Brady in the world of NFL ownership, paying $5 million for a 0.1% stake in the Browns. Brady owns a much larger share of the Raiders (5%) and has played an active role in football operations. It's unclear how involved Woodson will be in Cleveland. 📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, May 20 (Yahoo Sports) We're experimenting with a new Watchlist format that (1) highlights more key matchups while (2) listing fewer overall games. We also added a link to a daily TV guide so you can browse the full slate. Feedback? Email me. Advertisement 🏀 Timberwolves at Thunder (8:30pm ET, ESPN) | West Finals, Game 1 "New York is the glamour market, but this is the irresistible series," writes Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill. SGA vs. Anthony Edwards should be peak NBA cinema. 🏒 Panthers at Hurricanes (8pm, TNT) | East Finals, Game 1 The Canes have lost 12 straight conference finals games in sweeps against the Penguins (2009), Bruins (2019) and Panthers (2023), who they get another crack at two years later. 🎥 "Untold: The Fall of Favre" (Netflix) The latest entry in the "Untold" series delves into Brett Favre's controversial career, the dark side of sports stardom and the scandals that marred his legacy. Now streaming. Advertisement 🏒 Minnesota at Ottawa (7pm, YouTube) | PWHL Finals, Game 1 Who will hoist the Walter Cup? The defending champion Minnesota Frost visit the Ottawa Charge to begin the best-of-five series. Plus: ⚾️ MLB: Mets at Red Sox (6:45pm, TBS) 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Fever (7pm, NBA) ⚽️ EPL: Man City vs. Bournemouth (3pm, USA) Today's full slate. 🏀 NBA trivia (NBA on NBC) Here are the starting lineups the last time the Knicks and Pacers met in the Eastern Conference Finals (2000). Question: What are the first names of all 10 starters listed above? Answer at the bottom. 📸 Photo finish Puka Nacua lays out for a touchdown catch against the Patriots on Nov. 17, 2024 at Gillette Stadium. (Bryce Todd/Los Angeles Rams) "Air Puka" by Rams photographer Bryce Todd won the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 57th annual photo contest. Behind the lens: As he positioned himself prior to the snap, Todd was struck by the way the sun was reflecting off the windows at Gillette. "I've never seen anything like it," he said. "If I retire now, this was my drop-the-mic shot — the best I've ever gotten and maybe ever will get, although I'm going to keep at it." Trivia answer: Dale Davis, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller (Pacers); Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing, Charlie Ward, Allan Houston (Knicks) We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. 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16-05-2025
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As the Preakness arrives this weekend, the Triple Crown needs a reset
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. ⛳️ 18 holes down, 54 to go: Jhonattan Vegas (-7) sits atop a PGA Championship leaderboard devoid of stars. For just the second time in tournament history, a round ended without a single top-10 ranked player in the top 10. 🏈 $8.5 billion: The 49ers are selling a 6% stake in the team at an $8.5 billion valuation, the most any sports franchise has ever been valued at in a transaction. 🇪🇸 Barça clinches title: With a 2-0 win over Espanyol, Barcelona clinched their 28th La Liga title, second only to Real Madrid's 36. No other team has more than 11 (Atlético). 🏈 NFL at LA28? NFL team owners will discuss a resolution next week that would allow NFL players to participate in the flag football competition debuting at the 2028 Olympics. ⚽️ Human rights complaint: A group of international lawyers filed a formal complaint against FIFA regarding 2034 World Cup host Saudi Arabia, where "widespread human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated." There have been 13 Triple Crown winners in the history of horse racing. Unless the sport introduces a new calendar, we may never see another one. The new normal: The Kentucky Derby winner competed in the Preakness Stakes every year from 1997 to 2018, when Justify won the most recent Triple Crown. But four of the last seven Derby winners have now opted against going to Baltimore, with Sovereignty becoming the latest to skip. The problem: Horses are no longer bred to run three races in five weeks, which is the requirement to compete in the Derby (May 3), Preakness (May 17) and Belmont Stakes (June 7). The initial two-week turnaround is particularly tight, which explains why Sovereignty's Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott, forfeited a shot at history this weekend despite the 3-year-old thoroughbred being healthy and an early 8-5 favorite to win the 150th Preakness. In fact, only two of the 19 horses that competed in this year's Run for the Roses are in tomorrow's field at Pimlico Race Course, which is right in line with recent years. Heck, the 2023 race only attracted a single horse from Churchill Downs. Consider this: The last 19 Triple Crown races have been won by 19 different horses, and only two of them ran all three legs the year they won: War of Will in 2019 (when he won the Preakness) and Mystik Dan in 2024 (when he won the Derby). The solution is obvious: Space out the schedule. Keep the Derby on the first Saturday in May, move the Preakness to the first Saturday in June and move the Belmont to the first Saturday in July (or better yet: have it on the Fourth of July, which lacks a major sporting event). This would lead to better fields, more Triple Crown contenders and higher viewership across the board, while also improving the long-term health of horses by taking the pressure off trainers and owners to run them back too soon. Prominent thoroughbred owner Mike Repole proposed a similarly spaced out schedule last week — though he suggested making the Belmont the second leg (possibly moving it up a week from its current date) and holding the Preakness four weeks later. What's the argument against this? Purists will say that altering the horse racing calendar disrespects the history of a sport steeped in tradition and cheapens the accomplishment of winning the Triple Crown, which is supposed to be extremely difficult. To which I'd respond: What's the the point of preserving tradition if that tradition becomes irrelevant? That's the risk horse racing runs by doing nothing and continuing down a path where horses don't even get the chance to win the Crown. The sport is dying for some juice. There are three days a year when it commands America's attention. It simply must figure out how to ensure that the horses people know — and the narratives that draw them in — are present. The last word, via SI's Pat Forde: We have come a long way since the first Triple Crown was won in 1919. Sir Barton didn't just win all three legs in a span of 32 days — he won a fourth in between the Preakness and Belmont as well. Today we're lucky to get a horse that will run twice in 32 days, much less four times — even if it wins the Kentucky Derby. The breed has changed. The Triple Crown needs to change with it. Preakness preview: Odds, pole positions Washington, D.C. — The Hurricanes eliminated the top-seeded Capitals, breaking a tie late in the third period of an eventual 3-1 win. They'll face either the Maple Leafs or Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Denver — Nikola Jokić (29-14-8), Jamal Murray (25-8-7) and Christian Braun (23-11-5) led the Nuggets to a 119-107 win over the Thunder, forcing a Game 7 on Sunday in OKC. As if a series between the two MVP favorites could have ended any other way. Winnipeg — The Jets shut out the Stars, 4-0, to keep their season alive and send the series back to Dallas for Game 6. As the 29th WNBA season tips off tonight, here are some facts and figures to get you back up to speed after a long offseason. +225 The defending champion Liberty are the favorites to run it back (+225 via BetMGM), followed by the Aces (+275), Fever (+300) and last year's runner-up Lynx (+400). The rest: Mercury (+1400), Storm (+3500), Dream (+5000), Sparks (+5000), Sky (+6600), Wings (+6600), Sun (+12500), Mystics (+15000), Valkyries (+20000). Year 2 Reigning ROY Caitlin Clark led the Fever to their first postseason berth since 2016 last year. Now she enters her sophomore season as the MVP favorite (+195), and many expect her retooled Fever squad to contend for a title. 13 teams The Golden State Valkyries are the WNBA's first expansion franchise since the Dream in 2008. They'll share the Chase Center with the Warriors, and will be coached by former Aces and Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase. 8 new coaches Speaking of Nakase, she's one of eight new coaches this season, joining Karl Smesko (Dream), Tyler Marsh (Sky), Rachid Meziane (Sun), Stephanie White (Fever), Sydney Johnson (Mystics), Chris Koclanes (Wings) and Lynne Roberts (Sparks). Best-of-7 For the first time ever, the WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven series after playing as a best-of-five for the past 20 years. The first round is also changing, remaining a best-of-three but with a 1-1-1 format to ensure both teams host at least one game. $2.2 billion That's the value of the WNBA's 11-year media rights deal that kicks in next season, worth five times as much annually as the current deal. Why is that important right now? Because if the league and union don't agree on a new CBA that reflects this new economic landscape before next spring, there could be a work stoppage — a storyline that will be ever-present this summer. Go deeper: Preseason power rankings | Awards and playoff predictions Aaron Judge is hitting like Barry Bonds, so where are all the intentional walks? From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: In 2004, at the peak of his powers, Barry Bonds was intentionally walked a record 120 times. The three seasons prior, he averaged 55 intentional walks per year. Compare that to Judge, who over his 162-game run of brilliance has been intentionally walked just 24 times. The disparity is even more glaring in high-leverage, late-game scenarios. Over his past 162 games, Judge has had 47 plate appearances as the tying or go-ahead run in the seventh inning or later. He has been intentionally walked just eight times, or 17% of those instances. Bonds, during his 2004 reign of terror, came up in 64 such scenarios. He was purposefully handed a free pass 25 times, good for an outrageous 43.8% clip. Why the stark difference? Conversations with players, coaches and insiders revealed myriad reasons, the biggest of which has nothing at all to do with either player. Dive in. Game. Seven. The Thunder will host the Nuggets on Sunday (3:30pm ET, ABC) in a battle of title contenders and MVP favorites. "It's do or die. It's what you live for. It's what you worked your whole life for." — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Plus: Tonight's game isn't exactly a dud, as the Knicks (3-2) host the Celtics (8pm, ESPN) with a chance to clinch their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Maple Leafs (2-3) at Panthers (Fri. 8pm, TNT); Jets (2-3) at Stars (Sat. 8pm, ABC) … Panthers-Leafs Game 7 on Sunday, if needed. ⛳️ Golf: PGA Championship (Fri-Sun, ESPN) … Will Day 2 bring more turtles? 🐎 Horse Racing: The 150th Preakness Stakes (Sat. 7pm, NBC) 🎾 Tennis: Italian Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Champions will be crowned. 🏀 WNBA: Aces at Liberty (Sat. 1pm, ABC); Sky at Fever (Sat. 3pm, ABC) … Opening weekend. ⚾️ MLB: Astros at Rangers (Fri. 8pm, Apple; Sun. 1pm, Roku); Mariners at Padres (Fri. 9:40pm, Apple); Mets at Yankees (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) … The Subway Series headlines MLB's "Rivalry Weekend." 🏁 Racing: F1 at Imola (Sun. 9am, ESPN2); NASCAR All-Star Race (Sun. 8pm, FS1) ⚽️ FA Cup: Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace (Sat. 11:30am, ESPN+) … Championship at Wembley Stadium. 🥍 Men's Lacrosse: NCAA Quarterfinals (Sat-Sun, ESPNU) … No. 1 Cornell vs. Richmond, No. 2 Maryland vs. Georgetown, No. 3 Princeton vs. No. 6 Syracuse, No. 5 Penn State vs. Notre Dame. Plus… 15 MLS games (Sat-Sun, Apple); 7 NWSL games (Fri-Sat, Prime/ION); UFL Week 8 (Fri-Sun, Fox/ABC); Hockey Worlds (Fri-Sun, NHL); PWHL Semifinals (Fri-Sun, YouTube); Giro d'Italia (Fri-Sun, Max). Question: Which three WNBA teams are tied for the most championships, with four? Hint: One is defunct. Answer at the bottom. It's no secret that the .300 batting average, once the gold standard of offensive excellence, is quietly vanishing from Major League Baseball. But this still blew my mind… Only three active MLB hitters with at least 3,000 plate appearances boast a .300+ career average: Freddie Freeman (.301), Jose Altuve (.305) and Luis Arráez (.321), who recently crossed the 3,000 plate appearance threshold. Trivia answer: Houston Comets (1997-2000), Minnesota Lynx (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017), Seattle Storm (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020) We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. 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