Can we get 3 more of those? Plus, pour one out for catchers
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Can we get 3 more of those? Plus, pour one out for catchers

Economy World


The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.

Good morning! Consider your stance today. Coming up: 

Chaos: Yes, maybe the best ever

In yesterday’s Red Light newsletter, Sean McIndoe pondered if this year’s Stanley Cup Final could be the best we’ve ever seen. It was a thoughtful exploration of the topic, and the fact that it’s a question at all is high praise. 

Sean knows plenty more than me about the topic, but after another thriller last night, I’m all in. Quickly: 

  • Carolina tied this series 2-2 via a white-knuckle 5-3 win, which was essentially sealed on an elite empty-netter from Nikolaj Ehlers with less than a minute left. Jordan Staal’s go-ahead goal before that, though, is the one we’ll remember:

 

  • The win also came in the first playoff start for rookie Canes goalie Brandon Bussi, which is just an incredible thing to happen. He saved 18 of 21 shots. Bussi subbed in late during Carolina’s Game 3 loss, but was a big reason the team came back in that one at all. Winning your first playoff start, in the Stanley Cup Final, to tie the series 2-2 … that’s something to remember. 

This entire series has been chaotic. Let’s hope we get three more games. Moving on:

Feedback Loop: Woof, Texas Tech

Nathan Giese / Avalanche-Journal

As I suspected, the results of yesterday’s Pulse Poll were a rout. A solid 85 percent of you believe the Brendan Sorsby ruling spells the end of college football as we know it, with 15 percent saying it’s an overreaction. 

Your emails and comments struck me, however. Here’s a standout email: 

“I actually hold a degree from Texas Tech and I am MORE than ASHAMED by its role in this tawdry situation! The President of TT should just send an e-mail to every student stating that academic cheating will no longer be an offense, or, even if it’s considered an offense, there will be no penalty nor consequences other than better performance on academic work and consequentially better grades. 4.0 GPA for everyone!” — Gary C., Dallas

We received tons of messages blaming this mess squarely on NIL and the rise of legalized gambling. I see how you get there, and on this specific topic, I thought our Alex Kirshner nailed it on Sorsby a few weeks ago. We don’t think Sorsby is a bad guy, but the circumstances around the 22-year-old — and the lack of consequences — clearly are. 

And I hesitate to broadly blame this on the advent of NIL. For decades, young men and women endangered their bodies and gave gobs of time to college sports without a fair slice of the revenue pie. That wasn’t fair. Now, we have NIL run amok, which can feel … unwieldy. But it’s not a bad thing. It just needs honing. 

Or … regulation. That’s probably the right move. As Stewart Mandel wrote, everyone loses in the Sorsby situation. 

Thank you for voting. We’ll have more on any fallout as it comes.

News to Know

Paul Harding / Getty Images

Serena wins
Serena Williams won a professional tennis match yesterday for the first time in a staggering 1,375 days, in doubles play at the Queen’s Club in London. Williams, 44, and 19-year-old Victoria Mboko rolled to a surprising upset win in straight sets over the No. 3-seeded duo of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez. Caoimhe O’Neill was at the match and confirmed that, yes, Williams really looks back.

$60 million for McAfee?
ESPN and top personality Pat McAfee are negotiating a new deal that would pay him over $60 million a year, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported, nearly double what Stephen A. Smith makes as another face of the Worldwide Leader. McAfee currently makes around $30 million per year. The new deal would also mean more McAfee on the airwaves. See all the details.

Knicks, Spurs decry violence
Both NBA Finals participants denounced the violence seen in videos across social media yesterday of Knicks and Spurs fans brawling after San Antonio’s Game 3 win in New York. More than 20 people were arrested. See our full story, including video.

More news:

  • FIFA confirmed a Somalian referee scheduled to work the World Cup won’t participate after being denied entry into the United States.
  • USWNT beat Brazil, 1-0, in a match that saw multiple members of the Brazilian team earn red cards. Wild scene.
  • Brandon Aiyuk said the 49ers are “mad” and “stupid” for paying him while he’s MIA from the team. I still don’t really get what’s happening here.
  • Browns guard Joel Bitonio announced his retirement after 12 seasons. He might have a sneaky Hall of Fame case.
  • Police arrested Rams offensive lineman Alaric Jackson on domestic violence charges. Details inside.
  • Olivia Miles, the No. 2 pick in the WNBA Draft, outdueled top pick Azzi Fudd last night in convincing fashion. Angel Reese also shone in her return to Chicago.
  • Hayward Field, the track facility at the University of Oregon, was evacuated after a bomb threat. More here.
  • Two more pro track athletes have sued Puma and Mercedes F1 over allegedly defective shoes. The complaints are wild.
  • The White Sox called up top prospect Braden Montgomery. He hit a walk-off home run last night in his MLB debut.

📰 Find more news here 24/7.

Wincing: Balls, strikes, knees, ouch

The best stories inspire a range of emotions. Yesterday, Zack Meisel made me wince — and laugh, quite darkly. 

He wrote about catchers and groins: 

  • While there is no hard data on this trend, 12 catchers told The Athletic that crotch shots on catchers are most definitely up this year. And they blame a new catching strategy: the one-knee stance. It relieves stress on the knees, which has been a chronic issue for catchers. It also leads to this:

I urge you to read the full story on the fascinating backstory behind the strategy change and how catchers are dealing with it/bonding over their shared pain. Also, there are more crotch shots in there. 

Read it here. It’s OK to laugh.

Watch Guide

📺 NBA: Spurs at Knicks
8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Here we are. How does this series top itself? I expect the atmosphere to be plenty raucous, of course, but it won’t have the pressure Game 3 brought. The basketball should shine, and that’s exciting for all of us. I have no idea what will happen.

Pulse Picks

Peak Pixel Cafe for The North Face

Stephanie Case is a trailblazer for entering the Antarctic Ice Ultra, which is as brutal as it sounds. The part that made me cackle: She “genuinely” hates the cold. 

Candace Buckner published a fiery column about Game 3 of the NBA Finals: On President Trump, James Dolan and how the Knicks’ loss ruined the vibes. 

Corey Pronman returns with his ranking of 113 top NHL Draft prospects. At No. 1: Chase Reid. 

I really enjoyed this story from Chris Vannini on Washington quarterback Demond Williams, who’s trying to win back his teammates and fans after a transfer portal dalliance. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Madison Square Garden crowd booing President Trump. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️

📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, check out our other newsletters and connect with me on Instagram for more.



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