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🚨 Headlines
🏈 57.4 million: That’s how many viewers Sunday’s Chiefs-Bills game averaged on CBS, making it the most-watched AFC championship game ever. The Eagles-Commanders NFC title game, which kicked off at 3pm ET, delivered 44.2 million viewers on Fox.
🏀 WNBA All-Stars on the move: Phoenix is acquiring five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas from Connecticut, while 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner is leaving Phoenix to sign with Atlanta.
🎓 “The call came from inside the house”: The person who tipped off the NCAA about Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing scheme came from Michigan’s own campus, according to a document obtained by Yahoo Sports. They appear to have worked at the school, at least at one point.
⚾️ The rich get richer: The Dodgers added one of the best relievers on the market, signing two-time All-Star Kirby Yates to a one-year, $13 million deal that pushes their projected payroll to $379 million — the largest in MLB history.
🏀 Sixth-most steals: LeBron James moved past Maurice Cheeks for sixth on the NBA’s all-time steals list (2,311). The only players with more steals: John Stockton (3,265), Jason Kidd (2,684), Chris Paul (2,671), Michael Jordan (2,514) and Gary Payton (2,445).
🎓 The GM arms race: USC poaches Bowden
USC has poached a key contributor to Notre Dame’s national championship game run, hiring general manager Chad Bowden to man the same position for the Trojans.
“[Bowden’s] outstanding body of work in recruiting and roster management is recognized throughout the country. Chad’s hire is vital to the future of our program and sends a strong message about the direction of USC football.”
— Lincoln Riley, USC head coach
Brave new world: A few years ago, there was no such thing as a college sports GM. Now it’s a highly-paid position (Bowden will earn over $1 million annually) and one of the most important roles in major college athletics as programs navigate the NIL landscape, manage the transfer portal and prepare for the revenue-sharing era, which will be here soon.
Hottest job on campus: A handful of Power 5 football teams had GMs in the early 2020s, and it wasn’t long before basketball powerhouses followed suit. Since then, the role — which involves everything from roster management and recruiting to fundraising and alumni relations — has become decidedly more high-profile thanks to some big names taking the job.
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Andrew Luck recently returned to Stanford to become the GM of the football team. “The transfer portal was intense,” he told the New York Times after the December window closed. “If I had any romantic notion of the thing, the business side, it was lost there.”
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Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the world in September when he retired from ESPN to return to his alma mater and become the GM of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program, which came with a 99% pay cut.
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Longtime NFL executive Michael Lombardi is the new football GM at North Carolina, where Bill Belichick plans to operate an NFL-type model. “The job is obviously too big for one person,” said Belichick. “You need a general manager, a coach and salary cap manager.”
From coach to GM: We’ve even seen a head coach trade in his whistle for a taste of manager life. Baker Dunleavy (son of Mike) resigned as Quinnipiac’s men’s basketball coach in 2023 to become the GM for Villanova’s men’s and women’s programs.
Looking ahead: The demand for college sports GMs — and the demands of the job itself — will only increase once revenue-sharing arrives. If you think big-time football and basketball programs already operate a lot like pro sports teams, just wait until they’re paying players (legitimately this time) and monitoring the salary cap.
🏀 NBA trade deadline: 5 teams to watch
Speaking of general managers… The NBA trade deadline is one week from tomorrow, and just about every team is looking to play some kind of angle, writes Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine.
For a handful of upper-crust squads, it’s about trying to find the last piece of the championship puzzle. For plenty more, it’s about attempting to separate yourself from the pack and make a postseason push in a congested conference where a handful of wins separates home-court advantage from a lottery spot.
For the rest, it’s about continuing a rebuilding project by trying to snag a second-round pick or two on the fringes of bigger deals… or, if nothing else, looking to duck the luxury tax and save your owner a few million bucks. Whatever game they’re playing, front offices across the NBA are working overtime trying to find the help they want at the price they need.
5 teams to watch:
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Heat: Jimmy Butler desperately wants out of Miami, and he’s the best actually-gettable player on the market right now.
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Suns: Phoenix is where Butler is reportedly angling to go, but their path to landing him all but certainly means moving Bradley Beal and his gargantuan contract.
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Bulls: Chicago is the only team that hasn’t made any deal, of any type, at any of the last three deadlines. Expect that to change.
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Pistons: Detroit is firmly in the playoff hunt (a surprise to many) and is the only team with meaningful cap space ($14 million).
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Lakers: Anthony Davis, who left Tuesday’s game with an abdominal strain, believes this team is 1-2 pieces away from contending for a title and said he hopes they add a center at the deadline. Will they?
More deadline buzz: The Kings are open to dealing All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who reportedly wants to join Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio … The Rockets might be one piece away from serious title contention.
❤️ You absolutely love to see it
When Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped a critical two-point conversion in Baltimore’s loss to Buffalo two Sundays ago, Bills fans responded by donating $145,000 (and counting) to an organization he supports.
Returning the favor: Ravens fans are now rallying around Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid, who dropped a critical pass of his own in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, donating $30,000 (and counting) to an organization he supports.
Bottom line: Andrews and Kincaid have both received their fare share of hate online, which is sadly not surprising. But most people are good people. “Even when the moment seems darkest, perspective can reveal that there’s still a lot of light in this world,” Andrews wrote on Instagram. “I’m now going to do my part to bounce back and contribute to it.”
Donation links: Here’s the GoFundMe page for Breakthrough TD1 (Andrews), a juvenile diabetes research and advocacy organization. And here’s the GoFundMe page for The Summit Center (Kincaid), which provides behavioral health and autism services for children and young adults.
⚾️ In photos: January baseball
The Dominican Republic’s professional baseball league, LIDOM, concluded its season on Monday night in epic fashion when Rays infielder Junior Caminero hit a ninth-inning, title-winning moonshot* to lift Leones del Escogido over Tigres del Licey in Game 7.
Superstars in the dugout: The winning manager was none other than future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, who’s in his first year at the helm after briefly playing for the Leones a few years ago. Mets slugger Juan Soto was in the other dugout supporting the Tigres, who he’s expressed a desire to play for one day.
A wide array of talent: Like other Caribbean Winter Leagues, Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) comprises players with all levels of experience. Rising MLB stars like Caminero (No. 1 overall prospect last year) and former All-Stars (like Johnny Cueto and Jean Segura) were in action on Monday alongside fringe major leaguers and youngsters hoping to one day make it to “The Show.”
What’s next: The Leones’ victory secured their spot in the Caribbean Series, which begins Friday in Mexico and also features Winter League champions from Puerto Rico (Indios de Mayagüez), Venezuela (Cardenales de Lara), Mexico (Charros de Jalisco) and, for the first time ever, a Japanese team (Japan Breeze) invited by tournament organizers.
*Must-see celebration: Caminero’s titanic, 454-foot blast was followed by a sky-high bat flip and a euphoric trip around the bases that ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt called “the most extravagant home run trot in the history of baseball.”
✍️ Extra points
⚾️ Three stars, one cover: “MLB The Show 25” will feature multiple cover athletes for the first time ever, with Paul Skenes (Pirates), Elly De La Cruz (Reds) and Gunnar Henderson (Orioles) sharing the honors to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary.
🏀 Part-time employee: 76ers center Joel Embiid missed his 400th game on Tuesday, which is almost as many games as he’s appeared in (446) since debuting in 2016. The 2023 NBA MVP earned $266 million during that time and has four years, $248 million guaranteed remaining.
🎾 Gasquet matches Federer: Roger Federer is one of two players to win at least one ATP Tour-level match in 24 consecutive seasons* (1998-2021). The other? Richard Gasquet (2002-25), who joined him on Tuesday when the 38-year-old Frenchman advanced at the Open Occitanie.
🏀 No. 9 forever: The Warriors will retire Andre Iguodala’s No. 9 jersey next month, making the four-time champion and 2015 Finals MVP the franchise’s seventh player to earn the honor. The other six: Wilt Chamberlain, Al Attles, Chris Mullin, Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond and Tom Meschery.
👊 Fans brawl in St. Louis: A massive fight broke out in the stands at Chaifetz Arena on Tuesday night, delaying the end of Saint Louis’ 78-69 win over VCU.
*Of note: Jimmy Connors won Tour-level matches in 25 different seasons, but not consecutive. He went 0-3 in 1990 and appeared headed for retirement… only to make an improbable run to the U.S. Open semifinals the following year. Click here to travel back in time to 1991.
📺 Watchlist: Who will advance to the Round of 16?
The “league phase” of the new-look Champions League concludes today with all 36 teams in action simultaneously (3pm ET, Paramount+), as Europe’s top clubs fight to secure their spot in the knockouts — or at least the playoff.
How it works: The top eight teams automatically advance to the Round of 16 and the bottom 12 are eliminated, while spots 9-24 will enter a playoff to complete the field for the knockout round. 16 of today’s 18 matches feature at least one club with something to play for, and no match is bigger than Manchester City’s must-win game vs. Brugge.
More to watch:
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🏀 NBA: Nuggets* at Knicks (7:30pm, ESPN); Thunder* at Warriors (10pm, ESPN)
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🏀 NCAAM: TCU at No. 22 Texas Tech (7pm, ESPN2); No. 4 Alabama at No. 14 Mississippi State (9pm, SEC); Texas at No. 23 Ole Miss (9pm, ESPN2)
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🏒 NHL: Flyers at Devils (7pm, TNT); Penguins at Utah (9:30pm, TNT)
*MVP favorites in action: Denver’s Nikola Jokić (+240 at BetMGM to win MVP) has nearly as many triple-doubles this month (8) as anyone else has all season (LeBron James, 9). OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-325) leads the NBA in scoring (32.1 ppg) for the first-place Thunder, who are a half-game ahead of the Cavs for the best record in the league.
🏈 NFL trivia
Brian Schottenheimer’s promotion in Dallas makes him and his dad, Marty, the eighth* father-son head coaching duo in NFL history.
Question: How many of the other seven can you name?
Hint: Two sons are active head coaches.
Answer at the bottom.
*It’s nine if you count John and Jim Fassel, but John was only an interim head coach (0-3 with the Rams in 2016).
⚽️ $300 million for one goal
Neymar is officially a free agent after reaching an agreement to terminate his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, which spent nearly $300 million on a player in exchange for… one goal in seven matches.
By the numbers: Al-Hilal paid $100 million to acquire Neymar from PSG in August 2023 before signing him to a two-year, $200 million contract. The Brazilian will end up receiving roughly $170 million of that (plus potentially $100+ million more in commercial opportunities) after spending 17 months at the club, where he spent the majority of his time rehabbing a torn ACL.
What’s next: Neymar will now return to Santos, his boyhood club in Brazil where he first made his name before signing with Barcelona in 2013.
Trivia answer: Mike and Kyle Shanahan, Bill and Brian Callahan, Don and Dave Shula, Buddy and Rex Ryan, Bum and Wade Phillips, Dick and Mike Nolan, Jim and Jim Mora Jr.
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