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While You Were Sleeping: Maybe USA is the favorite after all
Sure, Canada won a thrilling overtime game against Sweden to open 4 Nations play on Wednesday. But the U.S., on night two of the event, barely needed three periods to wash away the Finns. Quickly:Â
- One could say the Americans Tkachuk-ed Finland in a 6-1 blowout, as brothers Brady and Matthew recorded two goals apiece. This game was 2-1 entering the third and was 5-1 three minutes later. Tough.Â
See our full report from Montreal here. The Americans get Canada on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC).Â
- Also late last night: Women’s hoops superstar JuJu Watkins tallied 38 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in No. 6 USC’s huge 71-60 win over No. 1 UCLA. It was the Bruins’ first loss of the season. Sabreena Merchant has more on the incredible performance.
Lightning Rods: Can Doug Gottlieb be 2 things at once?
One image describes the tao of Doug Gottlieb, one of the most divisive men on the sports internet:
Candice Ward / Getty Images
That’s Gottlieb on Radio Row at the Super Bowl, interviewing Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Very normal behavior for the longtime radio host Gottlieb. Except for the fact that he is also the head men’s basketball coach at Wisconsin-Green Bay, which was preparing for a game while Gottlieb did his other job.Â
It has been a strange year for Gottlieb, who took the Green Bay job in May while maintaining his role as Fox Sports host. He hosts a daily show. His team has lost 20 straight games. He got into a social media spat with ESPN’s Adam Schefter and lost.Â
What is he doing?Â
Brian Hamilton traveled to Green Bay to embed with Gottlieb & Co. and came away with a great story on that exact question. Two things that struck me:Â
- Gottlieb, like any worthy radio host, seems to have a surprisingly thick skin. This man has been pilloried on social media plenty this season. It doesn’t bother him much. At one point the 49-year-old joked he probably should’ve texted Schefter instead of tweeting at him.
- What doesn’t come up in online conversations is the bad luck 2-23 Green Bay has endured this year. Multiple stars are out with injury and other prospective players either transferred or could not make it to school for various reasons. Gottlieb may invite grief, but he’s gotten more than his warranted share this year.Â
I urge you to read the full piece and see how you feel about Gottlieb afterward. I still think he’s overextended, but I at least came away with a different view of the guy.
News to Know
The NFL QB wheel turns
In new Saints coach Kellen Moore’s introductory news conference yesterday, he called Derek Carr a “tremendous” quarterback, but without committing to the 33-year-old as New Orleans’ starter in Week 1. This is an awkward dance all around the league, as QB slots open officially — the Jets confirmed they told Aaron Rodgers his time is up — and unofficially, which I can only assume the Saints’ job is. Here’s a good list of who could be available.
More news
- The Chiefs are giving Travis Kelce until mid-March to make a decision about his future.
- NBC is hiring Carmelo Anthony to be an NBA analyst next season, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports.
- Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will not run back their 3-point contest during this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities.
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Firsts: We might finally get pro-rel stateside
For decades, we have talked about the growth of soccer in the United States. The globe’s most popular sport has been bandied about as the eventual football killer, yet American professional soccer — namely MLS — has not reached anywhere near those heights, despite enduring popularity.
The United Soccer League, which currently operates two lower-tier leagues, sees the gap. It announced yesterday the formation of a new division-one men’s professional league, which would directly compete with MLS.
Two key details on what could be a historic beginning:
- This new top division would open the way for the USL to become the first promotion-relegation system (in which teams can rise or fall into playing in different groups) in American sports history. A tantalizing possibility, from a fan’s perspective. The move would add an exciting element to American soccer and align it with its much more popular global counterparts.
- The league plans to kick off in 2027-28, and leadership feels strongly the U.S. can support more than just the 30 first-division teams MLS currently has — fans in Europe back hundreds of top-flight teams.
Possible franchise owners are already mobilizing. I asked Paul Tenorio, who wrote our report on the news, two rapid-fire questions about the future ahead:Â
How momentous is this for American sports?
💬 I think that’s TBD. Soccer has grown tremendously in this country, but there is still much more to be done. This undoubtedly is a step toward giving more kids access to pro soccer. Those connections drive interest — and future soccer players. That’s good for American sports.
Do you think MLS is worried about the competition?
💬 I don’t think so. Not yet, at least. They won’t like it. MLS still has a long way to go to convince people of its own standing in the global soccer game. Facing more domestic competition isn’t ideal. But the wealth of MLS’s ownership group will be tough to compete with for USL. If anything this should spur MLS to act decisively on its own strategic growth.
Go read Paul’s full report for more. Fascinating stuff.
Watch and Listen
đź“ş Soccer: Chelsea at Brighton
3 p.m. ET on USA
Chelsea needs points to stay in the Premier League’s top four. Brighton desperately needs to get out of a two-loss rut. This is the best actual game you’ll get on your TV today.Â
đź“ş NBA: Celebrity All-Star Game
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
This should be … interesting? The teams are coached by Barry Bonds and Jerry Rice, for some reason, and host a fun array of celebrities and athletes. I just hope Matt Barnes or Baron Davis dunk on someone.Â
Get tickets to games like these here.
🎧 “The Athletic Football Show” forecasts where the NFL’s big free agents will land. Watch on YouTube.
Pulse Picks
It’s time to focus on MLB spring training. Jayson Stark starts us off with an insider survey on the players, teams and storylines to watch.Â
There is a dark side to gambling in the NBA, as James L. Edwards III wrote earlier this week. Kudos to Jalen Brunson, Kyle Kuzma, Isaiah Stewart and others for sharing their experiences.Â
We have a brand-new excerpt from “The Basketball 100” book: No. 22 on the list, Giannis Antetokounmpo, written by Eric Nehm, who might know Giannis best. Read this today.Â
Tashan Reed has an interesting look at how the NFL’s diversity efforts among coaches have yet to translate to the offensive coordinator role. There are zero Black OCs in the NFL right now.Â
The Connor Stalions saga is not over at Michigan. Austin Meek explains why more litigation could lie ahead.Â
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on the death of UNLV lineman Ben Christman.Â
Most-read on the website yesterday: The Aaron Rodgers news.
(Top photo: David Kirouac / Imagn Images)
