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Good morning! Think about renewing talks with your ex today. Be careful, though.
While You Were Sleeping: A City-sized upset
There has been much banter of late about how tough the Club World Cup schedule will be on Premier League behemoths like Manchester City and Chelsea. This assumed those teams would breeze through most of the competition.
City, which looked simply unbeatable as recently as 2024, lost in stunning fashion to Saudi side Al-Hilal in the round of 16 last night, 4-3, in extra time. The fallout is breathtaking.
Also booted from the CWC yesterday: Inter Milan, which fell 2-0 to Brazilian club Fluminense. Milan was just in the Champions League final a month ago.
Here’s the bracket as it stands now. The final quarterfinal matchup gets decided today.
Aggression: Panthers and … Hawks are going for it
As is wont to happen this time of year, the NBA and NHL are on similar schedules. Free agency is underway for both, and yesterday we saw daring, league-defining moves in both sports. Not bad for a dog day of summer.
Let’s start on the ice:
Mitch Marner is officially an ex-Maple Leaf after Toronto executed a sign-and-trade with its homegrown star, sending him to Las Vegas in exchange for Nicolas Roy. It’s a win for both sides, especially for Toronto, which got something in return for the star free agent. The remaining question: Does Marner leave Toronto a villain or hero? Sean McIndoe discussed it with himself.
Florida signed everyone. The two-time defending champs agreed to deals with both Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad yesterday, just three days after Sam Bennett also agreed to stick with the Panthers. This is what all-in for a dynasty looks like, and our experts agreed in a roundtable that Florida shouldn’t care about future costs here. The title window is too appealing.
Make sure to check in with our NHL big board to see who’s left.
On to the hardwood, where the Atlanta Hawks (??) won the day, at least in my mind:
Yes, the Hawks. After landing Kristaps Porziņģis in a trade last week, Atlanta snagged Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade that bolsters the Hawks into a real-deal Eastern Conference contender. Alexander-Walker is the definition of a role player on a good team. And with the East wide open, why not go for it?
You know who else has done well this offseason? Dallas. The Mavericks agreed to terms with D’Angelo Russell yesterday, actually a great fit alongside Anthony Davis while Kyrie Irving recovers from an ACL tear. I’m still not giving Nico Harrison full credit for having a ping-pong ball change his fortune, but this isn’t bad. And, as of now, I might even take a full-health Mavericks team over the Lakers in a seven-game series. Gulp.
Two other transactions to know: The Nuggets shipped Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson, while the Grizzlies signed star Jaren Jackson Jr. to a $240 million max extension.
And, of course, see who’s left on the market here.
News to Know
Steelers, Dolphins swap star DBs
Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is heading back to Miami, where he started his career in 2018, after the Steelers traded him for Dolphins corner Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith yesterday. Fitzpatrick’s move shocked some, but as Mike DeFabo wrote in our report on the trade, the perennial Pro Bowler has been a minor disappointment in the last two years.
MLB, ESPN renew talks
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported yesterday that ESPN and MLB — which announced a breakup earlier this year — have resumed chatting about keeping MLB on ESPN airwaves in some capacity going forward. The talks are preliminary, but some form of reunion between the two sounds like the best thing for MLB right now. Read Andrew’s full report.
More news
The WNBA announced new franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Sources told The Athletic the expansion fees were a record.
EA Sports announced the return of a college basketball video game, due in 2028. We should be able to play as Ed O’Bannon.
Two of the top three prospects in baseball are on the MLB Futures Game rosters, which were released yesterday. See the names here.
Manchester United wants Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins if Rasmus Hojlund leaves. More scuttlebutt inside.
The unnamed woman who sued BYU QB Jake Retzlaff for sexual assault withdrew her case yesterday. It’s unclear if Retzlaff will still leave the university.
Georgia has closed its NIL collective as revenue sharing begins in college football. Fascinating.
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Things You Need to See: Whoops
Wimbledon is fully underway across the ocean, and Madison Keys is doing this on serves:
Don’t worry, she won her opening-round match, as did Carlos Alcaraz — barely. Men’s world No. 9 Daniil Medvedev was not as lucky, losing to unseeded Benjamin Bonzi in the first round.
Play is already underway this morning, too, which you can keep up with here.
What to Watch
📺 CWC: Real Madrid vs. Juventus
3 p.m. ET on DAZN
This is today’s best CWC match (we think), but it’s going at a strange time. If you’re around, flick it on. The kick time is also controversial for health reasons.
📺 MLB: Guardians at Cubs
8:05 p.m. ET on TBS
Chicago is steady atop the NL Central, but it is Cleveland that piques my interest. “Guards Ball” is gone, as Zack Meisel noted, and the team is merely treading water. Hm.
📺 WNBA: Fever at Lynx
8 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Caitlin Clark vs. Napheesa Collier, a game between the two All-Star captains. This is as must-watch as the regular season gets. If you’re available, book it.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant have a startling report on Caitlin Clark’s value to the WNBA — experts say around $1 billion — which begs the question: Why is she paid a tiny fraction of that?
I was floored by our story from Hard Rock Stadium, which was a horror show of logistics while hosting the Inter Miami-PSG match over the weekend.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is either doing a stand-up thing or deploying a devious negotiating tactic by speaking directly to players about union issues. Evan Drellich explained it as only he could.
Will Canada actually learn from its Gold Cup flop — or just continue to talk a big game? Take some time for this fiery column from Joshua Kloke.
Georgia Tech, one of those college football sleeping giants we talked about last week, might have some real oomph this year. Just listen to coach Brent Key and you’ll be swayed.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on the blue-chip recruit that picked Michigan over Ohio State.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The Hard Rock stadium story ☝️
(Top photo: Al Diaz / Miami Herald / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)