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How a Brazilian coach is transforming Rudy Gobert into an offensive threat

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Rudy Gobert knows what is coming. He knows that a fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is almost assuredly his after being the best defensive player on the best defensive team all season long.

He also knows that will do nothing to quiet the legion of skeptics who are ready to pile on should he fail to break through in the playoffs.

Gobert is one of the NBA’s great development stories, the gangly teen who has morphed into a chiseled All-Star. The former 27th pick who played in the D-League as a rookie before blossoming into a generational defender. But he remains one of the league’s biggest targets from those who believe he doesn’t have the offensive skill to merit all the money and accolades that have come his way.

Now that the playoffs are here, the scrutiny will only increase. Gobert’s third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves face the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round, beginning with Game 1 at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday in Minneapolis. The Suns like to play small, a lineup construction that has given Gobert’s teams difficulty in past postseasons and three decisive victories over the Wolves in this regular season.

Four years ago, Gobert set out on a mission to refine his game. The hunger to be more than just a defensive stalwart brought him to a Brazilian coach who specializes in neuroscience and cognitive development. The work the pair have been doing together has Gobert — and his teammates — feeling more confident than ever in his ability to punish teams offensively as the Wolves look for their first playoff series win in 20 years.

“I think when the playoffs come, teams are going to try to adjust to what I do,” Gobert said. “I think being able to have these little extra weapons is going to be key for us.”

Take a look at Gobert’s basic counting stats — 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 66.1 percent field-goal shooting — and there isn’t a real noticeable difference from most of his 11-year career. Dive deeper into his shooting profile, finishing package and expanded role in the Timberwolves offense and a different story starts to unfold.

Gobert is earning more and-1 opportunities by learning how to finish through contact and scoring more unassisted baskets thanks to an improved handle. And if that isn’t enough, the teammates who would occasionally wince at a dropped pass or grit their teeth at a turnover during a challenging first season in Minnesota have given him a much warmer embrace this season.

“I think trusting Rudy,” Anthony Edwards said earlier this month when asked about the difference between last season’s 42-win team and the one that won 56 games this season. “I think that’s the main thing. However many players on the team that plays … we all trust Rudy, like, together.”

Fernando Pereira may have envisioned Gobert earning the trust of different teammates when they began working together while with the Utah Jazz in 2020, but the results are exactly what he believed could happen. Using unconventional drills aimed at targeting the neuropathways of the brain, Pereira and Gobert have worked on sharpening his fluidity, decision-making, anticipation and reaction time.

Compared to the first season the two worked together in 2020-21, Gobert’s turnovers are down 10 percent, assists are up 26 percent and the amount of field goals he has made after taking two dribbles is up 64 percent since 2019.

“This is the future of sports,” Pereira said.

Their unique work together is about to face its biggest test. If Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns cannot make the Suns pay for playing small, the Timberwolves will be in big trouble. This is the moment for which he and Pereira have been waiting.

Pereira grew up playing basketball in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He was not the most athletic player on his teams but always found that his understanding of the game helped him get by. He played for the Brazilian U18, U17 and U16 national teams as a kid and spent 18 months playing professionally before earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in materials engineering while also doing post-graduate education emphasizing motor control, learning and development and a specialization in the neuroscience of movement.

Pereira quickly became interested in neuroscience and set out to learn how the brain processes information and interacts with the body. He saw how players such as Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks controlled games with their minds as much as with their considerable physical skills, and a philosophy started to form.

“The brain of each guy is the secret,” Pereira said. “Sure, Jokić is unbelievable. He’s also slow. This is a neuroscience of revolution. Jokić, bro, he doesn’t jump. He doesn’t run. But his decision-making, his brain skills are unbelievable.”

Pereira noticed that most coaches address player weaknesses by running them through single-skill drills over and over again. In conventional circles, repetition is what yields improvement. But Pereira started to tailor drills to improve a player’s coordination and anticipation, to overloading his senses to force him to make quicker decisions.

For instance, Pereira, who goes by the nickname “Nandes,” might have a player not just attempt a turnaround jumper or layup near the rim. He might stand behind the player, toss a ball into the air as soon as the player turns and require that player to first hit the ball in the air before shooting his ball. Or he might have a player dribble with one hand and keep a balloon afloat with his other. Drills like these focus on decision-making and hand-eye coordination and getting the entire body to work in concert with the brain.

Pereira’s theory is that the basketball environment a player finds himself in during a game changes quickly. If a player is driving to the basket, defenders can move in front of him in the blink of an eye. Maybe one on the perimeter swipes at the ball as he goes by. So drills should throw multiple stressors, forcing the brain to process different stimuli quickly and help the player adapt on the fly.

While in Brazil, Pereira befriended Raul Neto, who spent eight years in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers. Neto saw some of those unique concentration drills and asked Pereira to come back to the United States to watch games and practices during Jazz training camp in 2017.

It was there that Pereira met Jazz coach Igor Kokoškov, an assistant on Quin Snyder’s staff. Neto told Kokoškov about Pereira’s coaching techniques, and Kokoškov was intrigued. He recalled asking Pereira what he thought after watching his first NBA game. Pereira told him he watched the players closely from the time they arrived at the arena, to getting dressed, getting their ankles taped, eating a pregame meal and going through warmups.

“You guys touched everything. Everything but the brain,” Pereira told Kokoškov. “The brain is still sleeping. After the jump ball, your brain has to be ready to react. That’s something you guys didn’t do at all.”

Kokoškov, now an assistant under Snyder with the Atlanta Hawks, paused as he thought back to what he said was a “life-changing” meeting in his NBA coaching career.

“That was an interesting point of view,” he said.

Kokoškov invited him to dinner and then asked to watch Pereira put Neto and point guard Ricky Rubio through a workout the next day. That turned into an invitation to attend practices in the preseason.

“That changed my life,” Pereira said. “Because Igor was curious to know more.”

Kokoškov spent one season as head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 2018-19 and brought Pereira in again for the preseason to work with his players and coaches. Pereira worked directly with Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges and also went about trying to convince the rest of the coaching staff that neurology played an important role in player development. It has not always been easy.

Gobert hears skeptics in the NBA media world. Pereira runs into them in the coaching fraternity.

“It’s a revolution. A revolution changes things around us and people are skeptical and afraid,” Kokoškov said. “We’re all territorial, especially in big operations like the NBA. We’re just fighting for our territory and any unknown territory for us as coaches, we’re resisting.”

Pereira was back coaching and teaching in Brazil in 2019 when he decided to take a chance. He left his job and took a student visa to the U.S., enrolling in English classes in Salt Lake City. Kokoškov arranged a meeting with Snyder, who was still coaching the Jazz, for Pereira to present his theory and showcase his drills.

Snyder was convinced. He brought Pereira in and had him start to work with the Jazz G League players. Gobert took notice of the work Pereira was doing with the players. Neto also recommended him to Gobert, opening the door for collaboration.

In Gobert, Pereira found what he needed — a willing learner. Players can be skeptical of approaches as different and complex as those that Pereira employs. But Gobert has always been intellectually curious. There is always a book in his locker. His is a mind more open to the abstract. Some eyes would glaze over when Pereira would start to educate on cognitive responses in the brain. Gobert leans into it, searching to understand why things are different for him than some other players.

“I enjoyed it because there was also a challenging aspect to it,” Gobert said of his early days with Pereira. “It’s not like you just do 100 hook shots. You’ve been challenged and it challenges your brain to be put in different situations, which, I think for me, was what I needed.”

Looking to make his strides during the pandemic, when players were limited to one-on-one interactions with coaches, Gobert hired Pereira to start the 2020-21 season.

They set out on a plan together, focusing on Gobert’s decision-making, scoring versatility and fluidity of movement. The early days of the partnership laid clear how much work there was to be done. Pereira started to use soccer-based drills to get Gobert’s lower body to catch up to his upper-body motor skills. He would dribble a ball with each hand while Pereira kicked a soccer ball to him, forcing his brain to align the upper and the lower.

“The craziest part is that after a month that I got to starting, my footwork got a lot better,” Gobert said. “And my coordination got better. And I started to feel it on the basketball court.”

Pereira designed a program to get Gobert’s footwork to be more nimble and his hand-eye coordination to be sharper so that he could better catch the ball in traffic.

His drills included balance work, distraction, a ball rolled through his legs, a slap on the shoulder and anything to mimic the sensory overload the brain can endure during a game. If Gobert could stay focused and make the right decisions during the drills, then it would translate to the games.

“We changed the brain wave,” Pereira said. “It’s not just repetition.”

None of it was natural for Gobert. It has been a gradual path toward improvement. And that’s why he thinks it is working.

“I realize the more uncomfortable I was, the more I was learning, the better I was getting,” he said.

When Gobert was traded from Utah to Minnesota in 2022, Wolves coach Chris Finch promised to put him in more actions and showcase more of what he believed was untapped potential on offense.

The first season did not go as planned. Gobert was banged up at the start after playing for France in EuroBasket and Towns missed 51 games with a calf injury, leading to a disjointed season. The Wolves finished 42-40, won their second game of the Play-In Tournament and then were beaten 4-1 by Denver in the first round of the playoffs.

“A lot of people judged it a failure,” Gobert said. “Last year, I didn’t think it was a failure. I think it was just part of the process. And I think it was a year of a lot of learning, whether it’s for myself, for my teammates, for everyone, this organization, and we wouldn’t be having the year that we’re having now without last year.”

They also wouldn’t be having this season — the second-best record in franchise history and the first time they have had home-court advantage in the playoffs since 2004 — without Gobert. Finch and assistant Kevin Hanson have helped him with his handle and put him in more dribble-handoff sets. He has been dominant on the defensive end once again and is spreading his wings carefully on offense.

“There’s a difference between being the reason you win and being the reason you don’t lose,” Finch said. “And Rudy is the reason we don’t lose. He doesn’t let us lose these games.”

In the 2021-22 season, Gobert only had 26 and-1 opportunities, a startlingly low number for a player who spends so much time slamming into bodies at the rim. He wasn’t strong enough with the ball in his hands, too often turning it over or not able to finish through the contact.

In 2022-23, that number jumped to 46 chances. He had 44 this season.

In 2020-21, 67.5 percent of his field goals were assisted, the vast majority of them being lob or drop passes for dunks. Gobert and Pereira worked to make Gobert more reliable with the ball in his hands, and it culminated this season with him scoring a higher percentage of his buckets unassisted (52.2) compared to those coming off of an assist (47.8).

Part of the reason for that is Gobert plays with fewer natural lob passers in Minnesota than he did in Utah, but it also is indicative of a growing comfort of creating offense with a dribble or two that was previously unseen in his game.

a great start to the weekend. 👏 pic.twitter.com/10OsonwlJP

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 13, 2024

Over the past two seasons, Gobert has 42 buckets off of two dribbles. That is up 68 percent from the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons combined. He also is passing better out of the post and off of defensive rebounds to trigger transition opportunities.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE. pic.twitter.com/Ke1kHnLonV

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 10, 2024

None of these numbers or highlights are going to have Gobert mistaken for Hakeem Olajuwon. He will still drop a pass, air-ball a free throw or look awkward on a post move on occasion. But the Timberwolves do not need him to be graceful like David Robinson or as versatile as Anthony Davis. They need him to be a reliable option when the Suns’ switching defense ends up with a much smaller player on him in the paint.

On post touches in the middle of the paint, which happens often against switches, Gobert scored 1.34 points per possession, one of the most efficient options in the Minnesota offense this season.

“When he gets those deep seals, he’s kept it strong and simple,” said Hanson, who works with the Wolves big men. “That’s been the main thing.”

His hands aren’t perfect. But teammates have learned from Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson and Towns about how Gobert likes to receive a pass, and that is paying dividends.

another Rudy dunk?

you bet. pic.twitter.com/b07HwuNcxs

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 13, 2024

“Everything with Rudy is about finding him on time, on target, with the right speed of the ball,” Hanson said.

He also is starting to venture just a little bit farther away from the rim on some shots. That means he is having to get used to the idea of missing a shot now and then. Gobert has led the league in field-goal percentage three times, including a 71 percent clip in 2021-22. He is down to 66.1 percent this season, but that is still second in the NBA.

“That’s been the hardest for me,” Gobert said. “Just being OK with missing, being OK with making mistakes, freeing my mind, doing the things that I work on, but being able to get out of this kind of shell that I was being put in.”

There can be no shell in the playoffs. The Suns can spread out the Timberwolves and have not looked the least bit bothered by Minnesota’s superior size. If the regular-season games are any indication, the Suns will load up on Edwards and dare the rest of the Wolves to beat them.

Gobert has to be ready.

“They’re going to try to do anything they can to disrupt our team and, I believe, ultimately that is going to put me in different situations, but no situation that I’ve never seen before,” Gobert said. “Obviously in the playoffs, it’s a little more fun because the stakes are always a little higher.”

They are especially high for Gobert. He has yet to make a conference final in his previous 10 seasons. He is 31 and desperately wants a championship.

It is not all on Gobert’s shoulders. Edwards and Towns were All-Stars this season. Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker give him more perimeter defensive help than he’s ever had. He has the faith of his teammates and coaches, and the West is as wide open as it has been in years. This is the moment he and Pereira have spent the last four years building toward.

“For a lot of time in my career, I could have been fine,” Gobert said on his skill set. “I still could make a lot of money and still be a really good player. But I feel like I always had more in me than just that. And I think Nandes’ work is helping me unlock my ultimate potential.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo courtesy of Fernando Pereira)

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The New York Times

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April 19, 2024
Usain Bolt, Burnley and the story behind one of the season’s strangest photos

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It was one of the more unexpected social media posts of the Premier League season.

It came from Burnley and showed a visitor to the club’s training ground smiling in front of a slogan reading: “It’s a way of life.”

This, however, was no ordinary guest: this was Usain Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medal winner, the holder of world records in the men’s 100m and 200m, and one of the most famous sportsmen on the planet.

The Jamaican has dabbled in the footballing world since retiring from athletics in 2017, but his visit to the struggling Premier League side was not to discuss becoming their new No 9.

Instead, Bolt was attending Burnley under-21s’ 4-3 victory over Stockport County, who were fielding Che Gardner, the son of the sprinter’s close friend Ricardo, a former footballer who made over 400 appearances for Bolton and spent 11 years in the Premier League.

Bolt and Gardner met while the latter was on international duty with Jamaica — he made 111 appearances for the country in total and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in their history. After leaving Bolton in 2012, he did not play another senior game until announcing his retirement in May 2014.

Ricardo Gardner was a Jamaican international (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Gardner and Bolt’s friendship has grown over the years, including a shared love of music, which has seen them work together on various projects.

“We met ages ago just from being two sportsmen from Jamaica. We both represented our country so got to know each other and we’ve remained good friends,” Gardner tells The Athletic. “He’s become closer to the family as time has gone on. In Jamaica, the way we operate, Che would consider him his uncle. He’s not his actual uncle, but it is just out of respect.”

Gardner’s son Che is a first-team scholar for Stockport County and made a brief late cameo in the game on Wednesday.

Whenever Bolt has commitments in Europe, he will try to visit the Gardner family and if possible see Che in action. In March 2023, Bolt attended an under-15 game between Blackburn Rovers — where Che was on trial — and Burnley.

He posed for a picture with Rovers’ players after the game, which was posted on the club’s official social media channels, and stayed in The Avenue Hotel in the Ribble Valley, which includes former Blackburn midfielder David Dunn as one of its owners.

“He has been a massive influence and inspiration for Che,” Gardner added. “He’s always been supportive of him. He will give him advice as much as possible, being a mentor whenever needed. Che follows many things he has told him and looks up to him. It’s great when you have people around you who have done it at the elite level.”

Bolt is a huge Manchester United supporter, but after calling time on his athletics career at the age of 30, he turned his attention to playing professional football.

There were trials at German side Borussia Dortmund and Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners in 2018. He scored twice in a friendly for the Mariners, but despite reports of a contract being offered, he did not sign. A two-year deal with then Maltese champions Valletta was also turned down.

After admitting in early 2019 that he had given up any hope of a professional career, Bolt has become one of the headline stars of the annual Soccer Aid charity match.

Usain Bolt is a regular in football charity matches (Chris Arjoon/AFP via Getty Images)

Stockport celebrated promotion to League One after being crowned League Two champions earlier this month. The club is on an upwards trajectory and Gardner praised the work that is going on at all levels of the club having seen it first-hand through his son.

“Che’s enjoying his football, he’s growing and developing into a good human being,” says Gardner. “He’s on the right path, Stockport are doing a great job in terms of player development and you see where Che was to where he is now.

“They’re working hard to try to get the best out of all parties and he’s enjoying learning and the results are being seen as time has gone on.”

Keen to not miss out on the opportunity of recruiting Bolt, Burnley minority owner and NFL legend JJ Watt shared Burnley’s image of Bolt with his own message.

“Pleasure having you brother,” he wrote. “I guess I can settle for second fastest man to ever step foot on Burnley’s training ground. Still time to rearrange that schedule for TST. Just sayin’…”

Watt was referencing Burnley’s participation in The Soccer Tournament (TST) held in America this summer. Watt is captaining Burnley’s men’s team, while his wife, former USWNT forward and fellow minority owner Kealia, is captaining the women’s team.

Whether Bolt takes up that invitation is yet to be seen. In the meantime, Burnley are simply happy for his star power.

(Top photo: Burnley FC)

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The New York Times

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April 19, 2024
‘Could have gone horribly wrong!’ | Aryna Sabalenka’s near miss after volleying tennis ball

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Aryna Sabalenka let her frustration get the better of her as she almost hits the umpire after booting the ball in anger!

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April 19, 2024
NFL: ‘Insufficient evidence’ to punish WR Flowers
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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterApr 18, 2024, 05:11 PM ET

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Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers will not be disciplined by the NFL after being involved in a domestic violence investigation earlier this year, the league said in a statement Thursday.

“Following a review, the NFL concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that Zay Flowers engaged in any activity that violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy,” the league said in a statement. “There will be no action taken by the league and Flowers remains eligible to participate in all team activities.”

This decision comes two months after Baltimore County Police suspended a domestic violence investigation involving Flowers, who was never charged. The alleged incident occurred Jan. 16 in Owings Mills, Maryland. According to a police report, a woman said she was involved in a “violent” domestic incident with an NFL player. She told police the player’s brother pulled a gun on her.

Flowers, 23, set Ravens rookie records last season with 77 receptions and 858 receiving yards. He was the No. 22 pick in the NFL draft a year ago.
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Jamison Hensley

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April 18, 2024
NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will have a name starting with Utah

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The NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah, at least initially, until a long-term name is determined.

“We’ll start with Utah on the jersey and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else and what it is that we are,” new owner Ryan Smith told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We’re going to be Utah either way. We have the first part of the name. We don’t have the last.”

Smith Entertainment Group, which bought the franchise formerly known as the Coyotes in a deal unanimously approved Thursday by the league’s Board of Governors, has already contracted ad agency Doubleday & Cartwright for rebranding efforts. Former owner Alex Meruelo keeps the Coyotes name and has the chance to reactivate the franchise if he’s able to build an arena.

The short timeline of relocating the club could mean it has a placeholder name for the first season, like the Professional Women’s Hockey League did for year one or Washington’s NFL team had in 2020 and ’21 before becoming the Commanders.

“It’ll be Utah something, obviously,” Smith said. “It’s really important that we’re not saying, ‘Hey, this has to be ready by the fall,’ especially when it’s going to be Utah something. I think both the league feels better and we feel better to just run the process and then we’ll drop it when we drop it.”

While working on that process, Smith’s first priority is physically moving players and staff to Utah and getting them set up in the state.

“There’s a good roster and a lot of young talent and we’ve got to onboard those people into Smith Entertainment Group and show them what that means and what that’s like,” Smith said. “I think that’s a good opportunity for us and introduce them to the state of Utah and also bring the community together to receive them.”

Then it’ll be “full speed ahead” with the infrastructure, including potential renovations to Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz also owned by SEG, which has 12,000 unobstructed view seats for hockey. The plan is to expand that number to roughly 17,500.

“We want to actually use our arena and really spend time creating the best dual-sport arena that exists out there because we want to keep people as close as we possibly can or as vertical as we possibly can to watch both games,” Smith said. “It’s super fun and challenging, but we’re going to do it.”

It’s also a challenge to make Utah a hockey market, though 17 sheets of ice already in place and a youth hockey program give ownership a head start. Smith plans to build more rinks to make it easier for people of all ages to play the sport.

Former NHL player Ken Sabourin, who played in the minors for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League from 1987-91 and then again in ’92-93, raves about the city but thinks success will be determined by how the team plays.

“If they put a winning product out there, it’s going to help, obviously, and maybe (Smith’s group is) dedicated to do that,” Sabourin said Thursday. “It’s a good hockey market, it’s a good sports market — there’s no doubt about it. I think they have the fans. It’s whether they’ll come out or not. They’ll watch it for sure. It’ll be not a problem on TV. The first year in the building I’m sure it won’t be an issue no matter how good they are.”

Smith, who can skate a little and played mostly roller hockey, isn’t worried about that. He points to the sold-out NCAA Tournament men’s basketball games at Delta Center as evidence that fans will fill the building to watch NHL hockey.

“The one thing I do know about Utah is people show up,” he said. “It’s just different here. We’ve got 291 straight sellout games at the Delta Center (for the Jazz). I think every concert that’s come to town has sold out. It’s just what we do. We show up, and I have a lot of faith in the people in Utah.”

That faith was rewarded right away, as Smith said the organization had received 11,000 season-ticket deposits in the first four-plus hours after the sale was announced.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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April 18, 2024
Detroit Lions’ new threads include return of black uniform
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Eric Woodyard, ESPNApr 18, 2024, 09:38 PM ET

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Eric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter dedicated to the Midwest region before switching to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Mich. native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: “Wasted, Ethan’s Talent Search” and “All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story”. He is a proud parent of one son, Ethan. You can follow him on Twitter: @E_Woodyard
DETROIT, Mich. — Inside the war room during the NFL draft in 2021, new Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell asked team president Rod Wood when the black uniforms would return.

“When you win the division,” Wood responded.

Fresh off their first division title in three decades, the Lions will be back in black this season as an alternate uniform.
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After falling one game shy of making their first Super Bowl appearance in 2023, the Lions will tap into their past with the infamous black uniforms now making their return.

The Lions officially unveiled the new look during an exclusive event for season-ticket holders on Thursday at Ford Field.

“It’s a new attitude. It’s a new style and it’s our style,” Campbell said. “So, with that, the jerseys come out with it.”

In 1948, Detroit introduced a new black uniform then brought it back in 2005 as an alternate jersey, featuring Honolulu Blue numbers with silver and white trim but shied away from the on-field look completely after 2007.

The new black jerseys can be paired with either black pants or the team’s blue pants, while the blue numbers feature a silver outline with “LIONS” across the chest.

The alternate matte blue helmets will now feature a black leaping Lions logo trimmed in silver.

More grit. More attitude. More drive. pic.twitter.com/hreCyzZMoK

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 18, 2024

“All I’ve gotta say is I’m going to start a petition so we can wear these bad boys for every home game,” said Lions great Calvin Johnson before cheers during the event. “It’s beautiful. This goes back to the Reeboks we wore back in the day. They’re bringing back the block numbers with a new fresh modern style.”

The Lions’ original plan was to roll out the jerseys during the exclusive presentation, but the jerseys were leaked online early Thursday in a now-deleted ad post.

The organization playfully responded to the news through a prerecorded video on X — formerly known as Twitter — that featured defensive tackle Alim McNeill.

“Whoever leaked the uniform video, we appreciate it,” McNeill said. “We appreciate you ruining all the hard work we put in. Video coming soon.”

McNeill was also on-site during the event to unveil the updated road uniforms while second-year tight end Sam LaPorta sported the revamped primary blue jersey, which features a blue and white stripe that ties to the jersey sleeves. Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders was also in attendance and shared the stage with LaPorta.

“They’re nice. They’re cool. Love it. A little bit of a touch from the past with something new and exciting,” Sanders said. “It’s fitting that we’re looking at how the Lions start to turn over a new leaf and it’s almost fitting that they have new uniforms.”

New threads 📸

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 18, 2024

Lions safety Kerby Joseph modeled the black threads across the grand stage in their home stadium.

“Honestly, blue is my favorite color, but I feel like this blue is unique. I feel like it’s really something about the richness of it,” Joseph said. “It really pops. So, I know when we go out there on the field, it will really pop and really stick out.”

There was a ton of excitement throughout Ford Field as hundreds of fans showed up to watch the presentation from the stands. Detroit will also host its first NFL draft next week.

Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp drew cheers as she expressed her goal in the new threads for next season.

“One of the goals of 2024 is that at the end of the season, we will be hoisting the [Lombardi] trophy,” she said.
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Eric Woodyard

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April 18, 2024
Rivals.com – Rutgers lands another coveted Floridian in defensive lineman Jyon Simon

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Jyon Simon was set to take several cross-country visits this offseason, until he wasn’t

The Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines defensive lineman spent last weekend at Rutgers and just days later, he is the latest to commit to Greg Schiano’s program.

“It’s Rutgers!” Simon said. “They truly check off all my boxes. Relationships. Scheme. Teaching. Academics. Trust…and last but not least F.A.M.I.L.Y.

“The atmosphere, the players, the coaches, relationships, the positive feel, the structure. They’re really trying to build something in Jersey!”

Simon picked RU over two dozen scholarship offers from coast to coast, becoming the fifth pledge in the 2025 class to date.

Simon said he knew of the pick on the way out of the building to wrap up the weekend unofficial visit to Rutgers. He let Schiano know and there was an audible reaction.

“He was ecstatic, he said ‘BIGCATT coming to Jersey!’” he said. “That trip was amazing, it truly blew me away.”

The newest Scarlet Knight says multiple assistant coaches connected and re-connected with him while in town. Each played a part in the accelerated decision.

“Coach (Joe) Harasymiak,” Simon said. “Him and a couple more, but the whole staff impacted…it was just a great overall experience and it’s been like that since they put interest in me.

“It’s a great atmosphere, great environment up there. I’ll have to get used to the weather because I’m a Florida boy but nothing but good vibes in New Jersey!

“Im apart of the F.A.M.I.L.Y. now…. LETS CHOP🪓🪓”

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April 18, 2024
Roma beat AC Milan as Marseille see off Benfica on penalties – Europa League and Europa Conference League round-up

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Roma beat AC Milan in their Europa League quarter-final tie, while Marseille needed penalties to see off Benfica to reach the competition’s semi-finals.

Daniele De Rossi’s Roma side, who won the first leg 1-0, scored two quickfire goals through Gianluca Mancini and Paulo Dybala to strengthen their advantage.

Despite Mehmet Zeki Celik’s red card for a late challenge on Rafael Leao and Matteo Gabbia pulling one back in the 85th minute, the hosts managed to see out the match.

Last season’s runners-up Roma, who were beaten on penalties by Sevilla after a 1-1 draw in the final, advanced to their fourth European semi-final in a row.

They will next face the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who beat West Ham.

Marseille had to rely on spot kicks to claim their last-eight win over Benfica, who went to the Stade Velodrome with a 2-1 advantage.

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Marseille players celebrate after winning a penalty shootout against Benfica

Faris Moumbagna opened the scoring for the hosts but both defences proved to be stubborn as the match went the distance after extra-time.

Antonio Silva and Angel Di Maria missed from 12 yards before Luis Henrique scored the decisive spot-kick to send the French club through.

Marseille will take on Atalanta in the semi-finals, who went down 1-0 at home to Liverpool but progressed with a 3-1 aggregate win after their shock victory at Anfield last week.

Europa Conference League: Fiorentina and Olympiakos through

Fiorentina – last year’s runners-up – reached the Europa Conference League semi-finals beating Viktoria Plzen.

Nicolas Gonzalez and Cristiano Biraghi both scored in extra-time to edge 10-player Viktoria Plzen 2-0 in the second leg after the opening leg ended in a goalless draw.

Plzen’s Brazilian midfielder Cadu received a red card in the 66th minute.

The Italian team will face Belgian side Club Brugge, who beat PAOK 2-0 to round off a 3-0 aggregate quarter-final win. Ferran Jutgla scored both goals in the second leg.

Olympiakos also needed penalties to beat Fenerbahce, winning the shoot-out 3-2. Their quarter-final had also ended in a 3-3 aggregate draw over two legs. They will take on Aston Villa in the semi-finals, who also beat Lille on spot kicks.

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April 18, 2024
Seven teams, six QBs and your chance to make the perfect NFL draft match: Play GM now

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April 18, 2024
Why the Denver Nuggets are still a matchup nightmare for the Los Angeles Lakers
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Dave McMenamin

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Dave McMenamin

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Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.

Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

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Kevin Pelton

ESPN Senior Writer

Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series

Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers

Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system

Apr 18, 2024, 08:00 AM ET
LeBron James’ proclamation as he got up from his cubby in the cramped visitor’s locker room inside Smoothie King Center and turned the corner towards the showers sounded more exasperated than excited.

“I’m tired as f—!”, he said. “Oh my God!”

Beating the New Orleans Pelicans in Tuesday’s play-in tournament game earned the 39-year-old James and the Los Angeles Lakers four days to rest and prepare for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on ABC).

L.A. will need plenty of rest — and maybe some luck — to get past the defending champs. Denver has dominated this matchup dating back to last year’s Western Conference finals.

James averaged 39.5 minutes and was the primary defender on Zion Williamson in the Lakers’ two wins in New Orleans to close out the regular season and earn the No. 7 seed.

“Ain’t no more pace,” James said. “Pace yourself for what? It’s now a sprint. It’s a sprint now. We already went through the marathon.

“I’ll do whatever it takes. I mean, all the percentages and all that s—, it’s out the window. The season’s over. So it’s about just winning. Win the game.”

It’s been nearly 500 days since the Lakers have beaten the Nuggets. The West’s No. 2 seed enter Saturday’s game on an eight-game winning streak against L.A., including last season’s sweep in the Western Conference finals.

For the Lakers, none of those losses have any bearing. Coach Darvin Ham told his players as much after Tuesday’s win.

“It’s back to 0-0,” Ham said. “Obviously they’ve had a ton of success against our ball club but there’s always a new day.”

As much as optimism is warranted — overall, the Lakers have won 12 of their past 15 games — two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets command heightened awareness.

“Have to play mistake-free basketball,” James said of the series. “Make it tough on them. They’re going to try to make it tough on us, obviously.”

play

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Stephen A.: Lakers better show up vs. the Nuggets

Stephen A. Smith calls out the Lakers for their recent woes against the Nuggets ahead of their upcoming playoff matchup.

Why Denver is still a massive problem for L.A.

The Lakers’ frontcourt of Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James — with Hachimura the smallest of the group at 6-8, 230 pounds — is a massive advantage against most teams. That’s not the case against the Nuggets, who also boast three frontcourt starters 6-8 or taller.

Although Michael Porter Jr. isn’t quite as big as the Lakers’ starters at 6-10, 218, Denver’s combo of Porter, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic still runs a combined 737 pounds, making them one of the league’s biggest frontcourts. And, generally speaking, the bigger opponent, the worse the Lakers have fared this season.

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In 17 games against teams with a combined weight of at least 730 pounds in their primary frontcourt, the Lakers went 7-10 (.412) with a minus-2.2 differential. By contrast, the Lakers dominated the league’s smallest teams, going 16-6 (.727) with a plus-3.9 differential against teams with a combined primary frontcourt weight of 670 pounds or less.

Specifically, Denver’s size and skill seems to negate the Lakers’ ability to defend the paint. The Nuggets put up a blistering 122.0 offensive rating in last year’s conference finals, their best of any series en route to the title, and their 125 points per 100 possessions in this year’s 3-0 regular-season sweep was Denver’s third-best offensive rating against any opponent according to NBA Advanced Stats.

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The Nuggets’ 59% shooting on 2-point attempts against the Lakers this season was far better than either their overall 56% mark or the 54% the Lakers allowed. It hasn’t hurt that Denver has also scorched the nets beyond the arc against the Lakers, shooting 40% on 3s in last year’s playoffs and 42% head-to-head this season, their second-best mark against any Western Conference opponent.

Despite that hot shooting, Lakers-Nuggets matchups have typically been close. Two of this year’s three games and three of last season’s four playoff matchups have gone into clutch time — the score within five points inside the last five minutes or overtime. During those situations, Denver outscored the Lakers 28-13 in the 2023 conference finals and 27-10 in the 2023-24 regular season.

If the Lakers are going to flip the script in this year’s rematch, it’s going to start with finding more success in crunch time.

Why L.A. could challenge the champs

As the Lakers battled back from a 10-point deficit in the second quarter to take the lead at halftime on Tuesday, Gabe Vincent was in the middle of the momentum swing.

Keep track of all the latest NBA play-in and playoff news and happenings as the postseason gets underway.

Complete coverage of the NBA playoffs

Vincent recorded two 3s and a steal, all while chasing around Pelicans sharpshooter CJ McCollum on the perimeter. The Lakers outscored the Pelicans by 13 in the eight minutes Vincent played in the quarter. And, after the game, multiple members of the Lakers front office raved to ESPN about the backup guard’s impact.

Los Angeles used nearly all of its mid-level exception to sign Vincent in the offseason, coming off an NBA Finals run with the Miami Heat. A knee injury cost Vincent all but 11 games of the regular season, but he’s returned to the lineup in late March as one of the Lakers’ best on-ball defenders — especially with Jarred Vanderbilt out.

Vincent’s skillset is particularly helpful against Denver guard Jamal Murray, who averaged 32.5 points on 53/41/95 splits in last year’s conference finals against the Lakers, but just 21.4 points on 45/39/93 splits in the Finals against Vincent and the Heat.

Murray averaged 30.9 points per 100 possessions in the Finals with Vincent as the primary defender, compared to 36.9 against former Lakers guard Dennis Schroder in the conference finals, per Second Spectrum.

Another key personnel change for both sides is the departure of forward Bruce Brown, who left Denver in free agency last summer.

Brown was a two-way force against L.A. last season, averaging 12.4 points on 52.8% shooting while locking up D’Angelo Russell so well on defense that the Lakers guard fell out of the rotation during the series.

Russell hit five 3s in Tuesday’s win, including the clincher in the final minute to secure the No. 7 seed.

James, meanwhile, is coming off his most regular season games as a Laker despite being in his 21st season and has said his health is much improved over last year’s sweep.

“I took a lot of pride in the offseason,” James said, “just trying to get my ankle, get my foot right back in order, get my body back in order.”

Now, the Lakers’ next challenge in one of James’ final championship runs is taking down the champs — who they haven’t beaten in a playoff game since the Orlando bubble.

As Ham told his team on Tuesday night: “We want all the smoke and we ain’t ducking no fades.”
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April 18, 2024
China-born Zhou Guanyu will be a star regardless of who wins the Chinese Formula 1 race in Shanghai

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Formula 1 returns to China this weekend after a five-year absence. And no matter who wins on Sunday, the star locally will be China-born driver Zhou Guanyu.

Despite his so-so results, Zhou is a being promoted as a celebrity in China. He’s the subject of a new film as the first Chinese driver to compete in F1. And he’s, of course, a favorite of sponsors who want a Chinese connection.

Ahead of the first Grand Prix weekend in Shanghai since 2019, Zhou described as more than a race for him, saying “with a Chinese driver on the grid, we will write history.”

By the time he got to the driver’s news conference on Thursday, where the questions to him ranged from China’s economy and politics to its burgeoning auto industry’s future potential in F1, Zhou had spent more than a week doing promotional work and meetings with sponsors, backers and fans.

“I’ve been extremely busy, you know — the busiest man, probably, in Shanghai over the last week and a half,” he said. “A lot of activities done. It’s great to see the support from from the country already.”

Zhou has never won a Formula 1 race. In 48 races since 2022, he’s yet to even reach the podium — meaning a finish in the first three places. In the last F1 race almost two weeks ago in Japan, his Sauber retired with a gearbox failure and he placed 18th out of 20.

In the season standings in 2023, he was also 18th with only six points from 22 races.

But the numbers don’t matter much in the search for a hometown hero in F1.

“The pressure, of course this race is a little bit higher, but I don’t think it gets much more than for me than my debut in Formula 1,” he said. “Because by now everything feels a lot more familiar than back in the day. First day here is completely different … now’s third season. So I’m just going to use that.”

Zhou was born in Shanghai and, though he’s spent many of his formative years in England, Sunday’s Chinese GP is a homecoming for him — and for the race. The last F1 in China was run contested in 2019, and the next four were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that tickets sold out quicker than ever for the Chinese GP, with interest in the sport growing exponentially since he watched his first F1 race.

“For me, of course, it’s been 20 years waiting until this Grand Prix,” Zhou said. “Coming back here being an F1 driver … yeah, I can’t wait.

“A lot of mixed emotion, of course, but I want to treat it as much as the normal race weekend.”

A film about Zhou’s life will be released Friday by the Shanghai Media Group, a state-owned company and one of China’s largest media conglomerates.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes — he’s moving next season to Ferrari — won the 2019 race in China in the midst of his era of dominance when he won four straight season titles between 2017 and 2020.

However, the race two weeks ago in Japan was the 49th straight that Hamilton has failed to win. His last victory was in 2021.

The Chinese GP weekend will include a sprint race on Saturday and the main event on Sunday. Several drivers have raised concerns about the sprint being run on a track that has not been seen since 2019.

The only practice is scheduled for Friday, followed by sprint qualifying. Saturday has the sprint race, and qualifying for Sunday — all on a newly paved track. Sunday, of course, is race day.

The 90-minute Chinese-language documentary about Zhou is entitled “The First One.” The race is part of a campaign by the national and provincial governments to lure tourists back to China following the pandemic. It’s also part of an effort to keep businesses from moving investment out of the country.

China is relatively new to auto racing, and Shanghai held its first GP in 2004. In a statement last month, China’s General Administration of Sport — combined with the commerce and culture ministry — indicated sports events were a priority.

The statement urged the recognition of “the comprehensive benefits of sports events” and cultural tourism to “fully release consumption potential.”

The national statistical bureau said that 82.03 million inbound tourists entered mainland China in 2023, down from 145.31 million in 2019. Visitors from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao are counted as inbound tourists and their numbers have reached 81% of 2019 levels.

However the report, compiled by a branch of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said “inbound and outbound visits by foreigners only returned to 36% of the 2019 level.”

According to statistics, in 2023, the number of inbound tourists received by travel agencies was less than 10% of 2019, reflecting the low recovery level in the tourism market.

Zhou is part of the effort to show the global community that China is open for business and tourism, his helmet for the race will show details of Shanghai’s subway system and famous landmarks around the city.

“It’s an opportunity to inspire and pave the path for future generations being interested in the sport,” Zhou said.

___

AP researcher Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed.

___

AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

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April 18, 2024
Rivals.com – Indiana WR Lebron Hill planning summer commitment
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Indiana WR Lebron Hill Planning Summer Commitment – Rivals.com
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April 17, 2024

Eight women’s professional domestic teams confirmed for 2025 with plans for four more by 2029

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Yorkshire will have to wait until 2027 to take part in the England and Wales
Cricket Board’s new ‘Tier 1’ revamp of the women’s professional game, after
eight other counties were selected to lead the way.

Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire have been chosen as hosts, with the governing body abolishing the existing regional structure in favour of alignment with the first-class counties.

The blow to Yorkshire, for whom this is a further setback after several turbulent years on and off the field, has been mitigated by a promise to bring them into an expanded competition in the third season.

Glamorgan have been given the same assurances and both will receive additional funding to help build their pathway.

But there will be no ‘Tier 1’ cricket at Lord’s in the foreseeable future, with MCC declining to put itself forward and Middlesex among those overlooked. Sussex have also been left on the outside looking in, despite a long and strong
commitment to the women’s game

The ECB has also said it wants to expand Tier 1 to 12 teams by 2029 but no decision has been made yet as to where these further two teams would be based.

First-class counties that were not awarded Tier 1 status and national counties will be invited to be part of the process to determine teams for Tier 2 and 3 of the new domestic structure. These teams will be announced in September ahead of launch in 2025.

For the duration of the 2025-2028 seasons all three tiers will be ‘closed’, with no promotion or relegation.

The plans could see an 80 per cent increase in the number of professional female players by 2029 and the ECB is committing a further £3m a year from when Glamorgan and Yorkshire are operational.

It will mean a total of £8m new funding per year is invested into women’s domestic cricket by 2027 – taking annual investment in this area to £19m.

Richard Gould, ECB chief executive officer, said: “Through this process we’ve seen a huge appetite from first class counties to have a women’s professional team, and a real commitment to growing women’s and girls’ cricket in this country.

“I’d like to congratulate those counties who have been successful in their bids. I’m also delighted that in light of the support we have seen and the strength of the bids we have considered, we can accelerate our plans, including new top tier professional teams at Glamorgan and Yorkshire by 2027 with and a further two being introduced by 2029.

“More professional teams means more women able to make a career out of being a cricketer, more role models to inspire future generations, and more of the country having a women’s professional team to follow nearby.

Key aims of work to evolve the women’s professional game structure


• Ensuring stronger ownership, accountability, and governance to support the growth of women’s cricket.
• Creating scale and visibility for the women’s game to accelerate team and player fandom.
• Establishing a more compelling platform to commercialise women’s cricket, while enhancing existing arrangements for FCCs with commercial partners who want to sponsor aligned male and female sports properties.
• Providing long-term stability and a deeper sense of belonging for the women’s teams and female players.

“I recognise today’s announcement will also be disappointing to those who haven’t been successful at this stage. But with the new three-tier structure we are introducing, there is still a huge opportunity for them to compete in the other tiers so together we can all realise the potential of women’s domestic cricket.”

ECB director of women’s professional game Beth Barrett-Wild said: “It’s clear that the game is united in wanting to take the women’s professional game forward, and in wanting to produce commercially vibrant teams and competitions that excite fans and showcase the quality of our professional players.

“I’m energised about what comes next, for the counties themselves, for the players, for fans and for everyone who wants to see women’s cricket continue its accelerated trajectory.”

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April 17, 2024

Jags, Lawrence talking extension; ‘not my focus’
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Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff WriterApr 16, 2024, 03:44 PM ET

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Michael DiRocco is an NFL reporter at ESPN. DiRocco covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner. You can follow DiRocco on Twitter at @ESPNdirocco.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he’s had preliminary discussions with the team about a potential contract extension but isn’t spending any time worrying about what that could look like.

“There’s definitely been some conversations,” Lawrence said Tuesday. “As far as where that’s at now, it’s not really my focus. I’d love to obviously be a Jag for as long as possible. We love it here, and I love where we’re headed as an organization.

“I feel like I’m just getting better every year and my best ball’s definitely ahead of me.”

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NFL rules allow Lawrence to sign an extension after his third season. He signed a fully guaranteed fourth-year contract worth $36,793,592 after the Jaguars selected him first overall in 2021. The team has until May 2 to exercise the fifth-year option, which would pay Lawrence $25.664 million fully guaranteed in 2025, per OverTheCap.com.

Lawrence’s base salary in 2024 is $1.055 million.

Four quarterbacks currently make more than $50 million annually: Cincinnati‘s Joe Burrow ($55 million), the Los Angeles Chargers‘ Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Baltimore‘s Lamar Jackson ($52 million) and Philadelphia‘s Jalen Hurts ($51 million).

Kansas City‘s Patrick Mahomes, who just won his third Super Bowl, is the next highest-paid quarterback at $46.339 million annually.

Lawrence’s potential contract could fall anywhere in that range.

“My job isn’t going to change whether I get extended or not before this season,” Lawrence said. “My job is to go win games and to be the best I can be for this team so we can have a chance to win a Super Bowl. Even if I get the contract extension, that’s still my job even more so. So for me, I have the same focus and the same mindset.

“I can’t lie. Obviously it would be nice to have that done and feel good about it, but, no, it’s not really the focus right now. I know where we’re at, I know where we’re heading and I know what I have to do and there’s some improvements that I have to make going forward.”

Lawrence is already fourth all time in Jaguars history in passing yards (11,770) and passing touchdowns (58). In 2022, he led the Jaguars to the AFC South title and a wild-card victory before losing to the Chiefs in a divisional playoff.

He led the Jaguars to an 8-3 start in 2023, but Lawrence had a concussion and ankle and shoulder injuries in the second half of the season and the team went 1-5 down the stretch and missed the playoffs.
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April 17, 2024
NBA bans Raptors’ Porter for gambling violations

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Apr 17, 2024, 12:26 PM ET

Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA, the league announced Wednesday.

The NBA said that Porter provided confidential information to bettors, limited his own participation in games for gambling purposes and bet on NBA games.

“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game,” Silver said.

Porter, the league said, gave a bettor information about his own health status before Toronto’s game on March 20. The league said another individual, known to be an NBA bettor, placed an $80,000 bet that Porter would not hit the numbers set for him in parlays through an online sportsbook. That bet would have won $1.1 million.

Porter took himself out of that game after only a few minutes, claiming illness, with none of his stats meeting the totals set in the parlay. The bet was frozen and not paid out, and the NBA started an investigation.

Porter is a brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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April 17, 2024
This year’s NFL draft has lowest number of early entrants since 2011. That trend figures to continue

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The lure of starting a pro career early apparently isn’t quite as tempting for underclassmen now as it was in the days before college stars could profit off their name, image and likeness.

This month’s draft features 58 early entrants, the lowest number of players to enter the draft with college eligibility remaining since 2011. That includes 54 underclassmen who were granted special eligibility by the NFL and four others (Miami defensive back Kamren Kinchens, Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry, Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy and Clemson running back Will Shipley) who earned their degrees in three years.

That represents a dramatic shift, considering at least 100 underclassmen entered the draft ever year from 2016 to 2022. The 2021 draft had a record 100 underclassmen selected.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers drop even more next year,” Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said.

The NIL policy change for college athletes took effect in the summer of 2021. The next year, 100 underclassmen entered the draft, down from 128 the previous year. That number dropped to 82 last year and tumbled again this year.

“Some of these guys that are out now didn’t come out a year ago because they were enticed to go back for NIL money,” Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said.

Those NIL opportunities didn’t sway every underclassman who was thinking of leaving school early.

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen had arrived on campus planning to turn pro after three seasons. He said at Wisconsin’s pro day event that NIL possibilities gave him “zero” reason to rethink that plan.

But it did play a role for other players such as Michigan offensive lineman Zak Zinter, who didn’t enter last year’s draft and instead stayed for his senior season and helped the Wolverines win a national title.

“It’s good to not worry about stuff money-wise while you’re here playing ball and to get paid to do what you love,” Zinter said. “Nothing crazy, but it just definitely was a factor we talked about.”

The fallout from the lack of underclassmen won’t be evident early in the draft. The first round traditionally is heavy on early entries, and that isn’t likely to change this year.

The latest Associated Press mock draft has underclassmen getting selected with 19 of the 32 first-round picks, including eight of the top 10 selections. Twenty-five of the 30 top-10 selections over the last three drafts have been early entrants.

The question is whether the lack of underclassmen will limit teams’ choices when they get into the later rounds.

“I still think there’s more depth at some positions than others but I think there’s going to be a good pool,” Beane said. “I don’t see right now, like all of a sudden you get to a certain round on day three and you’re like, ‘You know, there’s nothing to pick from.’”

While this draft doesn’t have as many younger prospects as usual, it does have more rookies approaching their mid-20s than normal, continuing a trend that started well before this year.

The NCAA granted players who were in college during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season the opportunity for an extra year of eligibility. The age of the players who capitalized on that throws a wrinkle into the evaluation process.

“We don’t really go into looking as a vacuum, so let’s take age specifically,” Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. “It’s not like, ‘OK, hey, if you’re X years old you’re off the board or we’re not going to consider you.’ Really we do try and take each player individually and consider all the circumstances, risk factors, things that make that prospect unique and ultimately place a value on that individual from there.”

The impact is most obvious at the quarterback position. For instance, Green Bay Packers quarterback and 2023 fifth-round pick Sean Clifford was 25 when he began his first NFL training camp. Clifford is actually 3 1/2 months older than Packers starter Jordan Love, who was drafted three years earlier.

Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, a possible late-round pick, will be 25 when the NFL season starts. Oregon’s Bo Nix and Tennessee’s Joe Milton are both 24. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Florida State’s Jordan Travis turn 24 next month.

But there are some unusually older draft prospects at other positions as well. Minnesota tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske are both 24.

Fiske said he has pitched his maturity as an asset when he has spoken to NFL teams.

“I treat it like a pro and that’s how it’s going to be when I get to the next level,” said Fiske, who spent five seasons at Western Michigan before transferring to Florida State. “There’s not going to be any questions of can I handle the pressures at the next level. There’s not going to be any questions of can I handle the long days, the film, everything that goes into it.

“This is something I’ve been doing for a long time, and I’ve been able to handle it up to this point, and I think I’m ready to play at a high level and continue the success.”

Future drafts eventually will stop having those older prospects as the college players who were on campus during the pandemic finally exhaust their eligibility.

But the shortage of underclassmen figures to be something NFL teams will have to continue dealing with as long as NIL remains a factor.

“That drop in numbers (is) not a surprise,” Holmes said. “And I don’t really foresee it changing anytime soon.”

___

AP Sports Writers Larry Lage and Michael Marot contributed to this report.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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April 17, 2024
WNBA Draft grades: Fever earn A for picking Clark, Sky receive C+ even with Angel Reese

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The most anticipated WNBA Draft in recent memory has come and gone. Once again, it was a franchise-changing day for the Indiana Fever, who drafted Caitlin Clark. Meanwhile, several teams made meaningful investments in their futures while others fine-tuned in their pursuit of a championship in the near term.

Let’s take a look at how well each team accomplished its goals in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The grades are a little bit higher across the board than last year, but this was a better pool of players. I’m allowing for some optimism.

Nyadiew Puoch (12), Isabel Borlase (20), Matilde Villa (32)

The Dream made three international selections, all of whom are 19 years old, and none of whom project to play in the WNBA during the 2024 season. As such, it’s hard to say if Atlanta addressed any of its needs because by the time these players come over, the roster could look dramatically different. Big picture, Puoch and Borlase were rated as first-round talents by the general managers The Athletic surveyed, so to pick up both with only one first-round pick is good value. But the Dream have a chance to get better right now with Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray rating among the better perimeter duos in the league, and they punted on a chance for immediate improvement, even if this trio of selections makes an impact down the line.

Kamilla Cardoso (3), Angel Reese (7), Brynna Maxwell (13)

On the one hand, I love the players Chicago selected. Cardoso and Reese could be a dominant frontcourt for the foreseeable future, and they complement each other well. Maxwell is an outstanding shooter who made 42.7 percent of her 3-pointers and 91 percent of her foul shots during her five-year college career. She was ninth in the country in points per play (1.17) this past season.

But I can’t lose sight of what the Sky abandoned to move up one spot in the draft. They surrendered a second-round pick in 2025, which will be a deep draft because all of the seniors using their pandemic bonus years have to come out. They gave up on Sika Kone, a promising young player. And, they allowed Minnesota to swap first-round picks with them in 2026 — if the rebuild doesn’t go quickly for Chicago, the front office could come to regret that decision. The Sky did receive the rights to Nikolina Milić, but she’s already 30 years old and isn’t playing this season.

The haul Chicago acquired doesn’t quite make up for the fact that the Sky surrendered valuable assets to get here.

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso were battling it out a couple weeks ago in the SEC Tournament 🍿

Now, they’re teammates in Chicago. WILD 😳 pic.twitter.com/OlIxiFEGu5

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2024

Connecticut Sun: B-

Leïla Lacan (10), Taiyanna Jackson (19), Helena Pueyo (22), Abbey Hsu (34)

The Sun’s frontcourt is pretty well spoken for with Alyssa Thomas, Bri Jones and DeWanna Bonner all returning. What the Sun needed was reinforcements in the backcourt, and they took some swings to make that happen. Lacan is a high-ceiling prospect, only 19 and excelling in France. However, the domestic league schedule makes it challenging for French players to come to the WNBA, so it’s unclear when Lacan will debut for the Sun.

However, Connecticut found value later in the draft. Pueyo is a dogged defender who can shoot the ball at a decent clip from 3-point range. Hsu’s size at 5-11 is helpful for the position, and she’s a pretty solid first step. Taiyanna Jackson seems a little duplicative of Olivia Nelson-Ododa, but she was an outstanding defensive center at Kansas and should at least provide some training camp competition.

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Jacy Sheldon (5), Carla Leite (9), Ashley Owusu (33)

Can you tell the Dallas Wings needed guards? Nevertheless, even while honing in on a positional need, the Wings still managed to select players with significant upside. Sheldon is a 3-and-D archetype who excels in transition, making her a natural fit for Dallas, which likes to play up-tempo. Leite turns 20 on Tuesday, and she already shows the ability to run a pro offense while being an individual scoring threat. Even Ashley Owusu has promise. She was the best shooting guard in the country as a sophomore, so the talent is there if she can find a proper workout regimen and regain her motor.

The @DallasWings newest addition to their roster…Jacy Sheldon. 🙌@JacySheldon goes No. 5 in the first round of the @WNBA draft. pic.twitter.com/kiuzUGJ4r0

— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) April 16, 2024

Indiana Fever: A

Caitlin Clark (1), Celeste Taylor (15), Leilani Correa (27)

Of course, anyone in Indiana’s position would have taken Caitlin Clark, but who cares? The Fever made themselves an attractive destination for Clark, providing her with the motivation to declare from the draft, and did the obvious thing once she declared. If you pick a generational talent, the draft grade is going to be an A.

Beyond Clark, I like the selections of Taylor and Correa. Both are big guards, fitting with Lin Dunn’s philosophy (she drafted Grace Berger last year, after all). Correa can shoot a little, while also getting to the rim frequently, and Taylor is a nasty defender who can make things difficult on Clark in training camp and in practice. Indiana has its tentpoles in place — all of the decisions now should be to optimize Clark and Aliyah Boston. Taylor is someone who can play next to Clark and make her life easier, and Correa is a good flier to take at this point in the draft.

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Las Vegas Aces: B

Dyaisha Fair (16), Kate Martin (18), Elizabeth Kitley (24), Angel Jackson (36)

The Fair pick got most of the hype, considering she is the third-leading scorer in Division I women’s basketball history. However, I simply don’t see the need for another bucket-getter on a team that already has A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray. The Aces need role players who can fill in the gaps around their core four. That’s why their pick of Kate Martin intrigues me. Martin might not be a WNBA-level athlete, so this selection could be moot, but Martin absolutely knows how to amplify star talent. She hits open shots, she cuts hard, she sets good screens, and she plays bigger than she is on defense. Martin might be more skilled than Kierstan Bell, so why couldn’t she take that spot on the Aces’ roster?

Furthermore, getting Kitley at the end of the second round is a heist. Although she can’t play this season as she recovers from an ACL injury, perhaps it’s better for Kitley to be a stash. In that scenario, she can wait out Candace Parker’s eventual retirement to fill that frontcourt hole in the roster. There are concerns about Kitley’s footspeed, but she’s a three-time ACC Player of the Year who consistently figures out a way to produce. If she can expand her range — and this is where being on the same roster as Megan Gustafson could really pay dividends — Kitley has a future in this league.

Los Angeles Sparks: A

Cameron Brink (2), Rickea Jackson (4), McKenzie Forbes (28)

This was a home run of a draft for Los Angeles. The Sparks got the national defensive player of the year in Brink, someone whose defensive metrics alone made her a lottery pick. But Brink is also an outstanding playmaker and interior scorer with a burgeoning perimeter game once L.A. lets her stretch her wings. At No. 4, the Sparks selected the second-best scorer in the draft, someone who can score from anywhere on the court and demonstrated the capacity to get her shot off against Team USA in a November exhibition. Brink and Jackson are an enticing forward combination that can scale up if L.A. goes small but also can play with another big, whether that’s Dearica Hamby or someone else the Sparks acquire down the line.

Selecting Forbes in the third round is just good business. USC coach Lindsey Gottlieb has been touting Forbes as a first-round pick all year. Even if she didn’t rate that highly for WNBA teams, she still is a prolific shot-maker who reads the floor well, takes care of the ball and will bring the growing Trojans fan base with her to Crypto.com Arena, only two miles away from where USC plays its home games.

Steph Curry posted this video on his Instagram story, supporting Cameron Brink while watching the WNBA draft coverage. His Mom Sonya is there with the Brink family, & Steph got a shoutout on the broadcast as well. Always respect his support of women’s sports ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻 #WNBADraft pic.twitter.com/ytZGo8SbwB

— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) April 16, 2024

Minnesota Lynx: A

Alissa Pili (8), Kiki Jefferson (31)

It almost doesn’t matter who the Lynx took at No. 8 — the fruits of the trade they made with Chicago would have earned them a high grade regardless. However, Minnesota ended up with Pili, one of the most unguardable players in the country. Maybe we don’t know what position Pili will defend, but opponents will have to defend her, and that doesn’t seem pleasant. I feel a lot better about Pili’s WNBA future knowing she is under the tutelage of a seasoned and successful head coach like Cheryl Reeve.

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Marquesha Davis (11), Esmery Martinez (17), Jessika Carter (23), Kaitlyn Davis (35)

Realistically, the Liberty have at most one available roster spot, and the only need they have is a defensive-minded guard. I would have preferred Nika Mühl in this spot because she is a phenomenal defender and also could have learned the point guard position from Courtney Vandersloot as a succession plan. Davis is a better athlete and perhaps a more versatile defender — her steal percentage is astounding — but Mühl is a better shooter and playmaker and covers the point of attack just as well. With a team like New York that is contending right away, I’d prefer a more well-rounded player.

Martinez and Carter are interesting training camp players, both have a physicality that the Liberty didn’t always play with in 2023. New York announced that Kaitlyn Davis will be competing for the 2025 roster, so she appears to be a domestic draft-and-stash, much like fellow USC product Okako Adika, who New York drafted in 2023.

Esmery Martínez, recién elegida en el #WNBADraft por @nyliberty, recibiendo la medalla de plata 🥈 de los Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe #SanSalvador2023.

Esto sucedió hace 10 meses.

¡Una miembro de la selección nacional 🏀🇩🇴 en la @WNBA!pic.twitter.com/JrAsVm6Gzy

— Richard Bazil (@RichardBazil) April 16, 2024

Charisma Osborne (25), Jaz Shelley (29)

The Mercury have roster spots for the taking, and they addressed that by selecting two fifth-year seniors who could realistically contribute as rookies. Osborne was among the 15 invitees to the draft; she has the pedigree of a higher pick and should be ready to defend at the very least. Shelley also gets after it defensively and plays with moxie; she’s always willing to take big shots and shoots a high volume of 3s. Phoenix is always in need of more perimeter defense so long as Diana Taurasi occupies one of the other guard spots, and neither of these rookies will be intimidated by the personalities on the Mercury roster.

Charisma caught up with @sportsiren after she was selected by the Mercury! 🎙️▶️#GoBruins x #ProBruins | @CharismaOsborne x @PhoenixMercury pic.twitter.com/h840Gr0sr8

— UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) April 16, 2024

Nika Mühl (14), Mackenzie Holmes (26)

Seattle is another team that needs bench contributors, and Mühl might already be the fourth-best guard on the roster. She can chip in as a backup point guard and play next to the other Storm ballhandlers, just as she did with KK Arnold and Paige Bueckers at UConn. After playing in three Final Fours, Mühl shouldn’t be fazed by the pressure of being on a team that wants to win right now. There’s a strong tradition of Huskies excelling in Seattle, so perhaps Mühl is the latest in that line. Holmes already announced that she will undergo surgery to address some lingering injuries and will not play in 2024.

Aaliyah Edwards (6), Kaylynne Truong (21), Nastja Claessens (30)

There isn’t really anything wrong with the Mystics’ draft. They took two players who rate well statistically in Edwards and Truong, but I had hoped a franchise at this point in team-building would have taken a more aggressive approach. Washington has Shakira Austin as a focal point, but it needs another star, and I’m not sure any of the players it selected have the upside of an all-WNBA player. Admittedly, that’s a high bar. But it’s also what’s required of the best teams in the league.

The moment @AaliyahEdwards_ became a member of the @WashMystics 💙 pic.twitter.com/TFKIbkSOdz

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 16, 2024

(Photos of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Rickea Jackson: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

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April 17, 2024
Wrexham are a good story, yes, but they are no footballing fairytale

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Accrington Stanley owner Andy Holt’s tweet was dripping with Lancastrian sarcasm.

“Congratulations Ryan, I honestly don’t know how you do it! Fabulous achievement. Best of luck with the treble,” it read.

He was replying to Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds’ celebratory post following his side’s second successive promotion.

Holt is one of English football’s most intriguing characters and is about as divisive as the team on the receiving end of his post. Wrexham are the British game’s Marmite club — other teams’ fans love or hate them — and following their promotion to League One along with Stockport County last weekend, the debate is back with fresh fervour.

Congratulations Ryan, I honestly don’t know how you do it! Fabulous achievement 👏👏👏

Best of luck with the treble ❤️👍 https://t.co/IidWw4KeX0

— Andyh (@AndyhHolt) April 14, 2024

You can forgive Holt, a local businessman who made his fortune in the plastics industry and has invested heavily in his hometown club since assuming control in 2015, for his tongue-in-cheek reply to Reynolds. It was congratulatory while pulling off an exquisite ironic dig at Wrexham’s achievements given their sizeable budget for a fourth-tier club.

There is also the fact Holt has history with Reynolds and Wrexham’s other Hollywood star co-owner Rob McElhenney. They have not always seen eye to eye on matters such as streaming income and ticket prices. Maybe there is something to be said for staking out the moral high ground, for taking a deep breath in times like these and rising above. But this is football — an industry that thrives on petty grudges.

Reynolds and McElhenney celebrating promotion to the National League a year ago (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Most neutrals are self-aware enough to acknowledge a degree of jealousy when looking at what Wrexham have achieved since Reynolds and McElhenney took over in 2021.

Aside from the investment, the international exposure and the obvious respect both have for the north Wales club and the town they represent, the actors are annoyingly difficult to dislike. Their self-aware japes, like when they tried to learn Welsh in the Welcome To Wrexham documentary series, and their witty social media posts make it far more difficult to be cynical about their intentions.

They are public-facing in a way that allows accountability, going against the tide of too many absent or elusive owners in the EFL. They have shown touches of class around memorials to the Gresford Colliery mining disaster, surprise charity donations and fan engagement. New big-name international sponsors including Expedia, TikTok and United Airlines have arrived, along with grand plans for new stands at the Racecourse ground. And on-pitch, they have had clear success. Manager Phil Parkinson oversaw a record-breaking points tally on the way to winning the National League title last season to pull Wrexham out of the fifth tier of the English football pyramid after 15 years.

Fan culture in Europe and the U.S. on The Athletic

And they have now done it again, achieving back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club’s 160-year history, once again with the Welcome To Wrexham cameras in tow. The series has brought new fans and attention to the EFL, particularly from the U.S. And this has, in part, led to record domestic and international TV deals — worth £935million ($1.2bn) over five years and £148m over four respectively to the EFL.

So what is not to like? What harm is the Wrexham story doing to football?

If you ask most other fans in England and Wales, quite a lot. Here is where the bubble bursts if you believe Wrexham to be an against-all-odds tale.

Wrexham are not underdogs, at least not in the league. There is a case to be made for underdog status in their FA Cup runs which saw them play Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United and Coventry City, three sides much higher up the domestic football pyramid in the last two seasons. But when a team have the most money in the division, they have an advantage over the rest. Wrexham are not the first club to use their financial muscle to progress up the leagues. They will not be the last.

Stockport have been on a similar journey up from the National League and carry one of the highest wage bills in League Two this season. Fleetwood Town, now an established league club, did the same in 2012 and 2014. This season’s National League champions, Chesterfield, have spent plenty to get back into the EFL.

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The latest set of Wrexham accounts, covering the 2022-23 season, show their wage bill was £6.9million, with losses of £5.1m. Both figures were 1) records for the National League, and 2) higher than all League Two teams that season and most of League One, too. It is an unprecedented amount of money to spend in the lower leagues and as a point of comparison, Accrington lost £785,000 in the same period, when they were a third-tier side.

Stockport also celebrated promotion this weekend (Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

There is no shame in spending big, especially when it works and when your revenue is as big as Wrexham’s was last year (£10.5million — again, more than any other side in the fifth-tier National League or League Two). More money helps attract better players and so the league table often reflects each team’s spending. Only when a club endure a bad season or feel the constraints of the EFL’s financial fair play rules (usually once they reach the second-tier Championship) is there reason to worry.

Where Wrexham have done lots of good for football, the gradual hiking-up of salaries in the lower divisions has been a serious concern to clubs constrained by much smaller margins but trying to compete.

Wrexham’s financial clout and subsequent easy progress straight through League Two was to be expected and it probably will not be until they reach the Championship — or their owners run out of cash or enthusiasm for the project — that we will see what this sort of growth really means. The accounts are hard proof: Wrexham are a good story, yes, but they are no fairytale. This clip on CBS, and the replies, sums it all up perfectly of just how divisive they have become.

“Wrexham and their TV show is doing as much for soccer in America as MLS is doing right now.” 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇺🇸

A (now) third-tier football club from Northern Wales has pulled off back-to-back promotions and the Morning Footy crew couldn’t be happier 👏 pic.twitter.com/bFIy6G3Prq

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 15, 2024

What rankles so many League One and Two and National League fans is that while the story of a post-industrial town that has fallen on hard times with an underperforming/downtrodden football club has captured global attention, it is a story that applies to swathes of the EFL. You could swap out Wrexham for Grimsby Town, Wigan Athletic, Hartlepool United, Newport County or Accrington. None of those clubs means any less to their community just because there are no TV cameras to show it.

Maybe all this says more about fan culture in the UK than we care to admit.

The healthy position in all this is to sit somewhere in the middle. For every moment of admiration for what Wrexham are doing, a sprinkling of awareness of their wage bill or a dash of cynicism around the narrative that they are ‘the only club like it in the world’ should provide a perfectly seasoned outlook.

But balance? A healthy attitude to what other teams in your division are doing? Anything other than disdain for new ideas, new fans and a barrage of media attention for a club other than your own? You will not find that in the EFL. You’re better off trying Disney+ for it instead.

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(Top photo: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)

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April 17, 2024
100 days until the Olympic Games – is Paris ready?

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In 100 days, Paris will host the most famous sporting jamboree on the planet: the summer Olympic Games.

There will be action across 32 sports watched by millions of visitors, as well as an unprecedented opening ceremony set to take place on the River Seine, which runs through the city’s heart. At least, that is plan A, anyway — Emmanuel Macron, the French president, confirmed an off-river contingency for the first time on Monday.

Excitement has not quite taken hold in Paris yet. Decorations around the city remain discrete for a Games awarded to the French capital in September 2017. The City Hall has been plastered with Olympic regalia, but the focus of messaging has primarily been on practicality — “anticiper les jeux” (anticipate the Games), as posters on the Paris Metro, the city’s subway system, depict it.

The past few years have seen plenty of focus on staging the Games, but there has been much more discussion about the practical impact. Authorities have battled and quarrelled to meet deadlines and targets. There have been fears around security, heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict, with the audacious, river-based opening ceremony — set to be the first time a Games has not opened in a stadium — a particular area of concern.

Add in worries about transport disruption and the threats of strike action from unions with public sector workers, including police, demanding pay concessions for the extra work anticipated for the Games, and the build-up has been anything but smooth. Even ‘les bouquinistes’, the booksellers who maintain a 400-year tradition on the banks of the River Seine, erupted in protest at the prospect of temporary removal for the opening ceremony.

Booksellers have lined the Seine for more than four centuries (Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

But now, the focus should turn to what else the Games has to offer before the Olympics begin on July 26 (although the men’s and women’s competitions for soccer and rugby sevens begin on July 24), with the Paralympic Games to follow from August 28 until September 8.

“This is the French edition,” joked Emmanuel Gregoire, the mayor of Paris’ first deputy, when asked about optimism before the Games at a press briefing this month. “At the beginning, we have been talking only about problems — but we feel that the joy is growing.”

The Olympic flame is now ablaze, lit on Tuesday on Mount Olympia in Greece before beginning its journey across 400 towns and cities in 65 regions of the French territories and landing in Marseille on May 8.

“Paris 2024 begins on May 8, that’s kick-off,” said Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor in charge of sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Seine.

The first torch runners with the Olympic flame in Olympia on April 16 (Socrates Baltagiannis/picture alliance via Getty Images)

It has been a long journey to reach this point. Since Paris was awarded the Games, there has been a global pandemic — which first postponed the Tokyo Olympics and then forced it behind closed doors — conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, inflationary pressures, and screaming headlines about bedbug infestations hitting Paris.

It is safe to say the world could do with a little bit of joy and maybe the Games can provide that.

The question now is whether Paris is ready.

Are the sporting venues ready?

The permanent sites are ready. Paris is aiming to host a sustainable, green-focused Games, with 95 per cent of tournament venues either temporary or using already existing infrastructure.

The new permanent sites — the ones built specifically for the Olympics — are nearly there. The only new sports venue within inner Paris, the Adidas Arena at Porte de la Chapelle in the 18th arrondissement, opened in February. The two-hectare site will host badminton, rhythmic gymnastics, para-badminton and para-weightlifting.

The other two new sites, the Olympic Village and the Aquatic Centre, are in Saint-Denis, north of Paris and near the Stade de France, the national stadium. The Olympic Village was handed over to the organising committee in February and the Aquatics Centre opened this month.

The Aquatics Center in front of Stade de France in February (Stephane de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images)

“I thought it was not possible, but we delivered them two weeks or one month before the (due) date,” said Rabadan. “So that’s a good point for two things. First, because we are not late and less pressure. Second, because we want to respect our budget.”

Not everything is finished, however. The temporary and renovated venues are in the process of completion, while some training sites are not yet ready. Rabadan added: “Some of the renovations for training camps and venues, we are finishing. For example, we have a massive swimming pool in the north of Paris (20th arrondissement), Piscine Georges-Vallerey. That will open up at the end of April.”

Redeveloped venues include the renovated Yves du Manoir Stadium, used for the eighth Olympiad in 1924, which will host field hockey competitions. Temporary sites are also being put together around famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower (beach volleyball), the Place de la Concorde (which will become an urban park and host 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle and skateboarding), the Champ de Mars (judo and wrestling) and the Hotel de Ville (archery, athletics, cycling). The Grand Palais, on the Champs-Elysees, will host taekwondo and fencing.

Existing infrastructure is also being used and sometimes re-purposed, such as the home of tennis’ French Open, Roland-Garros (tennis and boxing), and La Defense Arena, which is home to rugby union side Racing 92 and holds major concert events but will host swimming and water polo.

“We are exactly where we would like to be 100 days before the Olympic Games,” said Rabadan.

What about other infrastructure, such as transport?

The extension of Metro Line 14 is due to be ready. This will link Saint-Denis, the heart of the Games, with Paris-Orly airport. Capacity is being increased through more trains and other developments, such as an extension of the tramway to Porte Dauphine, which will allow access to Porte de la Chapelle. That is now complete. The group of new lines, named the “Grand Paris Express”, will not all be ready. The new lines 15, 16, 17 and 18 will open before 2030.

“We’ve known for a very long time that the Paris Express could not be ready for the Games,” said Gregoire. “So it’s not a problem, but of course, it could have been better. But these lines don’t serve Olympic sites. The major aspect is we are guaranteed to have the 14th line in Paris. This will open in May or June.”

“We will have 15 per cent more offerings of trains and metros during the Games,” said Rabadan.

The Charles de Gaulle expressway, a new line that will speed up links between Charles de Gaulle airport and the Gare de l’Est, will not be ready. “It was supposed to be delivered for the Olympic Games,” said Gregoire. “But five years ago, we knew it would not be ready. It would be ready at the end of 2025-26.”

More trains and more people will mean more cost. During the Games, transport fares will be doubled.

Will the opening ceremony actually happen on the Seine?

As it stands, athletes will parade outside a stadium for the first time, as part of a large flotilla of boats along the River Seine.

The event will start at the Bibliotheque Nationale and conclude at the Trocadero, the site of the Palais de Chaillot, on the opposite bank of the river to the Eiffel Tower.

It promises to be an eye-catching spectacle, but questions have been raised about feasibility — particularly given heightened security risks. Last month, following an attack at a concert hall in Moscow that killed more than 130 people, France raised its terrorist alert warning to its highest level.

The complexity and uncertainty are mainly due to the large numbers set to attend and the challenge of securing the river. Initial hopes of more than a million in attendance were quickly dashed, but the capacity is still set to be more than five times that of the Stade de France (which can hold 80,000 people).

As well as 10,500 athletes, around 600,000 people will attend the ceremony. Of those, 104,000 are paid tickets sold by the Olympic Committee, 220,000 are distributed across the organising parties (the state, city of Paris and Paris 2024), and 200,000 will be for those on barges or watching on balconies.

(Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images)

Other considerations have had some impact. Les bouquinistes, the booksellers who have lined the Seine in some capacity for almost 400 years, caused a bit of a headache when they refused to remove their box stalls, some of which are a century old, for the opening ceremony. This dispute has been resolved, albeit at a cost, after Macron intervened. “We lost 70,000 spectators to guarantee security,” said Rabadan.

So is there a plan B? There have been mixed messages. This month, Paris city officials insisted the event will not be taken off the water. “We can reduce the impact and the facilities of the opening ceremony if the international risk becomes harder,” said Rabadan. “We can reduce it, the show, the number of people. But there is no plan B.”

But on Monday, Macron said there were contingencies — potentially even off the river. Asked what would happen if security risks made the river procession too risky, he told BFM TV/RMC: “There are plan Bs and plan Cs. We have a ceremony that would be limited to the Trocadero so it would not cover the entire Seine. Or we could return to the Stade de France. This is what is traditionally done.”

In a statement on Monday, city officials said: “While announcing alternative projects, the president reiterated his priority commitment to the ceremony on the Seine. This is an objective shared by all stakeholders.”

If Paris can pull off the ceremony in full, it will be spectacular. The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games will take place along the Champs-Elysées.

What do we know about security plans?

France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, outlined this month that an “anti-terrorist” perimeter would be set up around the Seine one week before the opening ceremony. It will be several square miles in size and closed to traffic unless authorised, while 15 metro and tram stations will shut, too. Only four bridges will stay open. This will then ramp up again on July 26, with no entry permitted after 1pm. Those living inside this security cordon will need a QR code to enter. “If you have not registered, you will not be able to return,” said Darmanin.

“The police need to check who they are in case they represent a threat to security,” added Gregoire. “They will have strong security measures days before. The idea is to maintain the possibility that neighbours can welcome friends and family. At the same time, to guarantee security.”

Checks are underway for volunteers and torchbearers. This month, Darmanin told broadcaster LCI that they had “excluded 800 people, including 15 on ‘Fiches S’ (the list of the most serious threats)”.

What about swimming in the Seine?

Paris wants to host the cleanest Olympic Games in history and plans to clean up the River Seine and use it to host events, such as triathlon and open-water swimming. Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923, but organisers hope they will be able to open three bathing areas in the river before 2025, a key legacy target of the Games.

To help offset severe waste run-off during heavy rain, a new multi-million dollar storage basin is being constructed near the river, designed to store enough wastewater to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Concerns have been raised about the suitability of the river in a worst-case scenario, such as after intense heavy rain. “You need a plan B in case it’s not possible to swim,” said reigning Olympic 10-kilometre open-water champion Ana Marcela Cunha, speaking to AFP last month. “The health of athletes must come first.”

City officials insisted they are confident the river-based events will take place without hazard, but the risk of one leg of the triathlon (swimming, cycling and running) remains.

“We know if there is a problem we can delay the event by two days,” said Rabadan.

“We will finish all the work and the quality of water (will be suitable). Unless we have two months of continuous rain during the summer, we will be ready.”

How much will this all cost?

Last month, credit rating agency S&P Global estimated that the Paris Olympics is “unlikely to do any lasting damage to France’s finances”.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 96 per cent of the budget for organising the Games has come from the private sector, “namely the IOC, partner companies, the Games ticket office, and licensing”.

A 2022 budget review by Paris 2024 cites a total of €4.38bn (£3.74bn, $4.66bn) for the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, with an IOC allocation of €1.2bn (including TV rights of €750m and partnerships contribution of €470m). Ticketing, hospitality and licensing will contribute €1.1bn, €170m and €127m and partnerships will bring in €1.226bn, according to the review. There will be a further four per cent of public funding to finance the organisation of the Paralympic Games.

President Macron views a model of the Aquatics Centre on April 4 (Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The rest of infrastructure spending and modification should double that budget, according to reports, to around €8.8bn. It has risen from a reported €6.7billion, but that is still below London, Rio and Tokyo.

This month, the former president of the French court of auditors, Pierre Moscovici, told France Inter that the Games “should cost” between €3bn and €5bn, although the true cost will not be known until after the Games have concluded.

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What’s the legacy vision?

Paris wants to host the Olympics and Paralympics using predominantly existing infrastructure, but more broadly, an environmentally-friendly approach is central to these Games.

This is defined by the cleaning of the Seine, but also by an increase in the number of bikes. There will be “10,000 more bikes” in Paris, according to city officials, with the network expanding to 1,400 kilometres (870 miles). Of those, there will be 60 ‘Olympistes’ — cycle routes dedicated to the Games and moving between venues.

Paris is aiming for a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared with the averages of London 2012 and Rio 2016. They want to use 100 per cent renewable energy and intend to achieve this using modifications such as connecting all venues to the grid, therefore limiting the use of temporary diesel generators. They want all sites accessible by public transport and are even “doubling the plant-based food to reach a target of 1kg of CO2 per meal, compared with the 2.3kg French average”, according to Paris 2024.

Ugo Gattoni, artist of the Paris 2024 Official Poster (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Ensuring a lasting impact in disadvantaged communities is also on the agenda. Saint-Denis, in particular, is set to benefit, with the athletes’ accommodation planned to be turned into 2,800 homes after the Games, 25 per cent of which will be social housing. The area also stands to gain renovated pools, including the Aquatics Center, which will replace a 50-year-old 25-metre pool.

This, along with cycling, will assist a sporting legacy. There will also be more access for disability sports. “Four years ago, only four sporting clubs (in Paris) could welcome young people with disabilities,” said Gregoire. “Before the Games, we are speaking of almost 50.”

The other new arenas will be repurposed. The Adidas Arena will become the headquarters of the Paris Basketball Club, and will host concerts and schoolchildren.

Fundamentally, though, Paris wants to breathe life back into the Olympic movement, which suffered due to the pandemic at the Tokyo Games.

“The world needs some joy and if the Paris edition of the Olympic Games helps a little for that, that would be good for everyone,” said Gregoire.

(Top photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

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April 17, 2024
Ken Owens announces retirement on medical advice after career with Scarlets, Wales, British and Irish Lions

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Ken Owens has announced his retirement from rugby on medical grounds, after a hugely successful career representing Scarlets, Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

The 37-year-old hooker has not played this season due to a long-term back injury, and last played for Scarlets in April 2023.

He captained Wales for the first time during the 2023 Six Nations, returning after a year out with a back injury, and retires having picked up 91 Test caps for his country.

Owens represented the Lions in the 2017 drawn series vs the All Blacks in New Zealand and 2021 series defeat to South Africa behind closed doors. He captained the Lions in a tour match vs the Blues in 2017.

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Owens steps away from the sport due to a long-term back injury, having played for Wales 91 times

He played 274 times for the Scarlets, captaining them to the Pro12 title in 2017 and a European Cup semi-final in 2018. He also played for Wales at three Rugby World Cups.

“Reluctantly, I am announcing my retirement from rugby. Not playing has been challenging, but the time is right to follow medical advice and hang up my boots,” Owens said.

“Had I written the script there would have been one more game for Wales, for the Scarlets and ultimately Carmarthen Athletic. A chance to sign off and thank everyone involved. It was not to be. It might not be the dream ending but my career has been more than I could have dreamt of.

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Owens represented the British and Irish Lions on two tours in 2017 and 2021

“Whilst part of me wishes I could have done more, I am well aware that if you had told me as a kid I would be fortunate enough to experience what I have, to have worked with and played with the people I have and taken the pleasure I have from this amazing game, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“My only professional club, the Scarlets, believed in me and I hope my loyalty over 19 years has repaid the faith you showed.

“To have played 91 times for Wales is an honour I can never fully describe. To be a Lion…lost for words.”

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April 17, 2024