• According to FIFA, the international soccer body has received an “unprecedented” amount of interest from countries contemplating a bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, a list that includes Brazil, Argentina and Japan, among others. Belgium was the most recent and 10th nation to express interest, though a spokesman for the Royal Belgian Soccer Association clarified that the country was only gathering information on the requirements for hosting a tournament and did not intend to submit a bid. (The New York Times)

• A trial date of May 5, 2020 has been scheduled in the U.S. women’s soccer team’s pay-discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. The trial comes nearly three months before the beginning of the Tokyo Olympics on July 24 as well as before what both parties requested: the women’s team wanted a Nov. 2020 trial date while the federation requested the following month. (The Wall Street Journal)

• A jury awarded almost $15.5 million to former Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers after he said he was forced out due to age and health discrimination, including what was later diagnosed as complex migraine syndrome. The judge’s decision for Simers, who worked at the publication from 1990 to 2013 and spent over a decade as a columnist, earning $234,000 annually, is over twice the $7.1 million he was originally awarded in 2015, but on appeal, a judge reduced the amount, which led to him filing his own appeal and being granted a retrial on the damages. (The Associated Press)

Sports publishers continue to grapple with politics
Scott Nover, Digiday

Politics has always been likened to sports: Elections are “horse races,” policy squabbles are “inside baseball,” and debates feature “knockout” performances and “home runs.” While political rhetoric is happy to draw from sports for the most apt analogies, new data from ESPN says viewers want their sports strictly isolated from the politics of the day — and advertisers agree.

NOCs confident Tokyo 2020 can overcome heat, water quality issues
Jack Tarrant, Reuters

Searing heat and water quality issues have dogged Tokyo 2020 organizers in recent weeks but delegates to a Chef de Mission seminar on Tuesday said they are confident their hosts will find solutions ahead of next year’s Summer Olympics. The three-day visit by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), which includes a progress update and venue tour, comes after recent test events highlighted potential problems for next year’s Games, which kick off on July 24.

Disney Plus: First Global Markets Get Launch Dates, Pricing
Todd Spangler and Leo Barraclough, Variety

Disney will begin its international roll-out of Disney Plus on the same day – Nov. 12 – that the direct-to-consumer service launches in the U.S., with a push into Canada and the Netherlands, followed a week later by Australia and New Zealand. In addition, Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International group announced Monday that it had reached global agreements with Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roku, and Sony to distribute the Disney Plus app across partner mobile and connected-TV devices.

Ask the experts: Here’s the sports media stories you need to be watching in the months ahead
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal

Every summer as I head out on vacation, I ask some of the smartest minds in sports business to help write this column. They always answer the same question: Name the most intriguing sports media story to follow over the next four months.

Little League Slows the Home Run Revolution
Amanda Christovich, The Wall Street Journal

The most advanced youth batting cages are filled with machines to monitor a player’s every move. At facilities like New York Empire Baseball in New York, TV screens and iPads surrounding the cage display information about body and ball movement, some of which are picked up by sensors attached to players with black straps.

How Michael Avenatti’s Case Could Disrupt the Basketball World
Michael McCann, Sports Illustrated

Michael Avenatti is not the most trusted narrator, but if the celebrity attorney is to be believed in a new court filing, a Nike employee approved illicit payments to New Orleans Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson and Boston Celtics rookie guard Romeo Langford while the two were high school stars. Depending on the trajectory of the federal government’s prosecution against Avenatti, these claims could become problematic for both players as well as for Nike, Duke University and Indiana University.

Alex Rodriguez Doesn’t See This Video Game-Playing Generation Outliving Their Parents
Bobby Burack, The Big Lead

Word is that this is the first generation that is going to die before their parents do. That is according to life expectancy expert and former superstar Alex Rodriguez.

USOPC proposes more athletes on board as part of overhaul
Eddie Pells, The Associated Press

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is taking steps designed to help athletes in the wake of Olympic sex-abuse scandals, proposing an increase in their numbers on its board and a recasting of its mission statement to include the job of promoting their well-being. These changes are part of a proposal, released Monday, to rewrite the USOPC bylaws.

Michael Phelps Is Losing World Records, but He’s Gained Other Treasures
Karen Crouse, The New York Times

A plaintive voice on the other end of the line was clearly distraught over the loss of a cherished possession. It was late at night at the world swimming championships in Gwangju, South Korea, but the breakfast hour halfway around the world where Michael Phelps, his pregnant wife, Nicole, and their two sons, Boomer, 3, and Beckett, 1, were vacationing.

World Surf League Studios Launches With Kelly Slater Documentary Film, ‘Transformed’ Series
Debbie Emery, The Wrap

The newly-formed World Surf League (WSL) Studios unveiled its debut slate of programming on Monday, which includes a documentary film about 11-time World Surf Champion Kelly Slater and the series “Transformed,” highlighting how surfing has impacted cultures around the world. Designed to appeal to surf fans and new audiences ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, the slate of documentaries, docuseries and daily short-form content will be distributed across multiple platforms.

Sports economists weigh in on how another recession could prove costly for the industry
Bill Shea, The Athletic

The “R” word dominated economic headlines last week: recession. While economists disagree on an explicit definition of a recession – 19th century Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle famously termed economics “the dismal science” – mounting evidence of a coming downturn is a reminder of the last major financial decline was costly for the sports industry.

With Vegas move on horizon, Raiders fans are torn between staying loyal and moving on
Mark Maese, The Washington Post

There are no protest signs. The bleachers that wrap almost entirely around two football fields are mostly full, many of the fans wearing black under the summer sun, and somehow they are loud and boisterous and live up to their reputation, even if the Raiders’ regular season is still a few weeks away.

Brown takes part in meetings with Raiders
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press

Star receiver Antonio Brown returned to training camp with the Oakland Raiders on Monday, a day after being given an ultimatum by general manager Mike Mayock to be “all in or all out.” Brown took part in meetings in Napa before the team broke camp, a person familiar with the situation said on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t release details.

Do You Understand the N.B.A. Salary Cap? Imagine Enforcing It
Sopan Deb, The New York Times

To be even a casual N.B.A. fan in 2019 means having to become a quasi-accountant or a lawyer to decipher how the league’s salary cap works. It means understanding the difference between a soft cap and a hard cap, or the mid-level exception vs. the biannual exception.

MLB Sleeve Patches Could Be More Valuable Than NBA Jersey Ads, According to Nielsen Analysis
Patrick Kulp, Adweek

As Major League Baseball considers introducing sponsored uniform patches in the next few years, a recent analysis from Nielsen found that such ads could prove even more valuable than those of leagues that already allow them. The measurement firm used proprietary computer vision tech to track logos stitched on the players’ sleeves across footage of the MLB’s London and Japan series—since uniform advertising is already permitted for international games—and projected the results out for a regular season.

Home run robbers get praise _ and swag for spectacular plays
Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press

It was late in the 2015 season when Baltimore’s Manny Machado smoked a pitch from Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer into center field at Camden Yards. Kevin Kiermaier sprinted to the wall, turned and leaped high above it before reaching back and snatching the ball.

When adding staffers, NHL Seattle must navigate complex minefield with those currently under contract elsewhere
Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times

When it comes to Ron Francis adding staff members, just getting candidates interested isn’t always enough. Navigating the minefield of poaching employees still under contract to other teams will be a factor for Seattle’s new NHL general manager.

MLS commissioner to be in St. Louis for Tuesday’s press conference
Patrick Kulp, KMOV

Major League Soccer (MLS) is set to award an expansion franchise to St. Louis, according to sources familiar with the plans. The St. Louis ownership group, led by Carolyn Kindle-Betz, has met multiple times with MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Garber visited St. Louis in March.

ESPN Scores Worldwide Rights To National Women’s Soccer League Featuring Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe & Marta
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline Hollywood

Ready for some football….The other kind of football. ESPN and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have inked an exclusive agreement for worldwide rights (excluding U.S.) to the league’s regular season and playoff matches. ESPN already holds the rights to NWSL broadcasts in the U.S. via a separate agreement announced earlier this year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaks out for first time since plane crash: ‘We are truly blessed’
Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win

In a message on Twitter, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke out for the first time following the plane crash he and his family were in last week on their way to Bristol Motor Speedway. The private plane carrying Dale Jr., Amy Earnhardt, their 15-month-old daughter, Isla, their dog, Gus, and two pilots bounced after a hard landing on the runaway at Elizabethton Municipal Airport — about about 15 miles from the Bristol race track — in Tennessee on Thursday.

Tiger leaves door open to playing on Presidents Cup team
Rory Carroll, Reuters

U.S. Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods said on Monday he may select himself to play for the team in December but he would need to see how sharp his game is before making the call. Woods was not among the top eight players to automatically qualify for the squad after he finished 13th on the points list but he has the power to name himself to the roster with one of the four captain’s picks for the event at Royal Melbourne.

Another first for Clemson: No. 1 in AP preseason Top 25
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press

Cross off another milestone for Clemson, college football’s newest superpower. For the first time, the defending national champion Tigers are No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 presented by Regions Bank.

Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus reinstated, not eligible to play
Todd Richmond, The Associated Press

Former Wisconsin receiver Quintez Cephus was cleared Monday to return to school after a jury acquitted him of sexual assault charges, though it was unclear when he will be eligible to play in a game. The school announced Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s decision in a statement that said the university had obtained information that wasn’t provided during a student conduct review.

Esports faces new debate over shooter games
Adam Stern, Sports Business Journal

The reaction of some politicians blaming video games for recent mass shootings in America serves as a reminder of the esports industry’s vulnerability with issues around violence. The shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, led President Trump to reference video games as a factor he felt contributes to such violence.

Going dark: Call of Duty esports circuit awaits Activision’s next move
Noah Smith, The Washington Post

After the distribution of $2 million in prizes and a final championship title handed out to esports outfit eUnited, the Call of Duty World League went dark, waiting to be reborn by its parent company when a new league framework will be implemented. Santa Monica-based Activision, which publishes the game and runs its eponymous pro leagues, is recasting its competitive circuit in a new franchise-based mold, akin to the Overwatch League.

The 2019 Oakland Raiders: Just Laugh, Baby
Jason Gay, The Wall Street Journal

Once, the Oakland Raiders inspired fear. Now, giggles.

Dwight Howard isn’t the villain that Lakers fans make him out to be
Arash Markazi, Los Angeles Times

When rumors were floated recently that Dwight Howard might be a fit for the Lakers, the reaction of Los Angeles fans was predictable. Seven years after he spurned the team’s billboard campaign begging him to stay in purple and gold, he remains, arguably, the most vilified former player in Lakers history.