Top Stories

  • The Washington Nationals clinched their first World Series berth and first pennant for a D.C. baseball team in 86 years, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 to complete a sweep of the National League Championship Series. The Nats will begin play World Series play Tuesday against the winner of the American League Championship Series, which the Houston Astros currently lead over the New York Yankees two games to one. (The Washington Post)
  • Roughly a month following his request to be traded, the Jacksonville Jaguars sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for three future draft picks: a first-round pick in 2020 and a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2021. The about-face from the Jaguars comes less than a week after team owner Shahid Khan had a “heart-to-heart” meeting with Ramsey and two weeks after he told The Associated Press that he did not want to trade the two-time Pro Bowler. (ESPN)
  • MLS is expected to announce Monday that it is awarding Sacramento the league’s 29th franchise, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The team will reportedly take up the mantle of Republic FC, a team from the lower-tier United Soccer League that has played in Sacramento since 2014, and the ownership group responsible for luring the team to California’s capital city — led by Los Angeles billionaire businessman Ron Burkle  — has said it plans to break ground immediately on a $250 million, 20,000-plus seat stadium downtown. (The Sacramento Bee)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

10/16/2019
2019 Octagon Sports Marketing Symposium
PRDecoded
10/17/2019
PRDecoded
SportTechie event on sports helmet tech and innovation 1:00 pm
View full calendar

Who is winning the NFL advertising game?

Morning Consult has leveraged its suite of message and creative testing tools to track consumer perception of the ads airing during NFL games. Can you guess which ads resonate the most with people?

Check it out here.

General

Eurosport Strikes Content and Ad Deal With Twitter for Tokyo Olympic Games
Tim Dams, Variety

Discovery-owned Eurosport has inked a content and ad sales deal with Twitter for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Eurosport has rights to the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 16 European markets.

ESPN’s politics policy, and its journalism, tested by NBA-China controversy
Ben Strauss, The Washington Post

When a tweet from a leading basketball executive incited an international incident last week, the NBA found itself embroiled in a media firestorm, with rippling ramifications about its values, its business and its international future. A sports media company that prides itself on blanketing that league with wall-to-wall coverage — and likes to call itself the place of record in sports — should have been salivating.

Sexual Abuse Cases Test U.S.A. Swimming Leader
David W. Chen, The New York Times

For three and a half contentious hours last week in a downtown office in Denver, the chief executive of U.S.A. Swimming tried to distance himself and his organization from a lawsuit involving a California girl who was sexually abused by her club coach. Tim Hinchey III, who took over the national governing body for swimming in 2017, said that he was not familiar with the details of the case and that he had not met the victim, according to a deposition reviewed by The New York Times.

Curt Schilling decides against running for Congress in Arizona
Kevin Stone, KTAR News

Curt Schilling has decided against running for Congress in Arizona in 2020, the former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher told 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station‘s John Gambadoro on Tuesday. “The things that have been said and done to my wife and kids since I announced interest in running” are not worth it, said Schilling, an outspoken conservative.

NFL

NFL: Preseason game concussion rate increased by 44%
Steven Wine, The Associated Press

The NFL says the number of concussions in exhibition games this year rose to 49 from 34 in 2018, an increase of 44% and a setback in efforts to reduce brain trauma. “We have more work to do,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, at the owners’ meetings Tuesday.

The 49ers Are Undefeated. Yes, Those 49ers.
Victor Mather, The New York Times

Six weeks into the season, there are still two undefeated teams in the N.F.L. One is the New England Patriots.

Source: Titans going with Ryan Tannehill over Marcus Mariota at QB
Turron Davenport, ESPN

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, desperately in need of a spark on offense, has elected to make a change at quarterback, naming Ryan Tannehill the new starter, a source confirmed to ESPN. Tuesday’s move, which was first reported by NFL Network, comes after Tannehill — the former Miami Dolphins starting quarterback — was inserted into the lineup in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Jay Gruden admits he didn’t always see ‘eye to eye’ with Redskins’ front office
Matt Bonesteel, The Washington Post

Jay Gruden did not watch the Washington Redskins score their first victory of the season on Sunday afternoon, which also was their first game since he was fired as coach six days earlier. Instead, he was on the course at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, catching up on his golf game with friends as he attempted to fill the vast amount of free time he now had on his hands.

NBA

LeBron James Faces Backlash Unseen Since ‘The Decision’
Sopan Deb, The New York Times

It has been almost a decade since the last time LeBron James faced widespread backlash. Fans in Cleveland burned his jersey.

LeBron James no longer King James for Hong Kong protesters
John Leicester, The Associated Press

When the ball smashed into a photo of LeBron James’ face stuck above the hoop and dropped into the basket, the Hong Kong protesters cheered. They also trampled on jerseys bearing his name and gathered in a semicircle to watch one burn.

With Rui Hachimura, first potential NBA star from Japan, Wizards make big play for new audience
Rick Maese, The Washington Post

When the Washington Wizards drafted Rui Hachimura ninth overall four months ago, coaches liked what they were getting: a two-way player with a massive wingspan and a ton of potential. The team’s front office and business side were excited about the possibilities, too, seeing nothing but opportunity in the first Japanese-born player to be selected in the NBA draft’s first round, a player who could help the Wizards make an impact off the court — and overseas.

Go for 2: In today’s NBA, a powerful pair beats 3 of a kind
Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press

In today’s high-stakes NBA, a powerful pair beats three of a kind. Teams who longed to build a Big Three are now striving for a dynamic duo, hoping two premier players are good enough to win a championship when the belief used to be that it required a trio.

MLB

Cole pitches Astros past Yankees 4-1 for 2-1 lead in ALCS
Mike Fitzpatrick, The Associated Press

Gerrit Cole is making his pitch to own this October. A gritty Cole held the New York Yankees scoreless without his sharpest stuff, Jose Altuve sparked Houston at the plate and the Astros locked down a 4-1 victory Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Reddick: Yankees fans ‘disrespectful’ for throwing debris
Scott Orgera, The Associated Press

Houston Astros right fielder Josh Reddick called out Yankees fans for tossing water bottles, baseballs and other objects on the field during New York’s 4-1 loss in the AL Championship Series on Tuesday night. “You throw a baseball hard enough and hit somebody in the head when they’re not looking, it could do some damage to the player, so it’s definitely disrespectful and at the same time very unsafe,” Reddick said.

Tipped off: Pitch-tipping paranoia haunting teams in October
Jake Seiner, The Associated Press

Astros manager AJ Hinch has heard the chatter — that Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was offering a sneak peek on his offspeed deliveries, that Houston had a poker-worthy tell on Yankees hard throwers James Paxton and Luis Severino. All that pitch-tipping paranoia?

Dead ball? Juiced ball? The debate unfortunately rages on
Jeff Passan, ESPN

The biggest story this year in Major League Baseball wasn’t a player, a manager, a general manager, an incredible play or a historic game. It was a five-ounce-heavy, nine-inch-round orb that birthed conspiracy theories, broke records, spurred incessant conversation and happened to be part of all 732,472 pitches thrown in the 2019 regular season.

NHL

Cup champion Blues visit Trump at White House as full team
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press

President Donald Trump honored the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, using the occasion to announce an envoy to Turkey, mention the economy and an agriculture deal with China and laugh off the possibility of impeachment. For the Blues, it was more of a last chance to celebrate the first title in franchise history than a political statement.

Soccer

Canada beats US 2-0, ends 34-year, 17-game winless streak
Ian Harrison, The Associated Press

The U.S. keeps coming up with underwhelming performances in its first year under Gregg Berhalter, whose tenure as American coach is starting to draw criticism. Canada beat the United States for the first time in 34 years, getting second-half goals from Alphonso Davies and Lucas Cavallini in a 2-0 victory over the listless Americans on Tuesday night in the CONCACAF Nations League.

North Korea holds South Korea to 0-0 in World Cup qualifier
Kim Tong-Hyung, The Associated Press

North Korea held South Korea to a 0-0 draw Tuesday in a World Cup qualifying soccer match played in an empty stadium in Pyongyang. Specific details of the game weren’t immediately available.

Bulgaria detains 4 soccer fans following racist acts
The Associated Press

The Bulgarian government says it has detained four soccer fans linked to making racist gestures, including Nazi salutes, during a European Championship qualifying match against England. Bulgarian fans also directed monkey noises at England’s black players during the match, which was halted twice in an effort to stop the racist abuse.

European Soccer Is Still Losing the Battle Against Fan Racism
Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal

From the dugout of Bulgaria’s national stadium on Monday night, England soccer manager Gareth Southgate twice asked his players a question that most coaches never face. With hostile fans making Nazi salutes and hurling racist abuse at the black members of his team, did the players simply want to walk off the field?

Racing

Formula 1, Hard Rock Stadium agree to host Miami Grand Prix
Safid Deen, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Formula 1 and Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday announced a deal in principle to host an annual Miami Grand Prix race at the Miami Gardens venue beginning in May 2021. The deal is pending approval from the Miami-Dade County Commission, which could table the idea later this month during its next commission meeting set for Oct. 29.

An Equestrian Was Shot by Her Olympic Trainer, Then Pummeled Online
Sarah Maslin Nir, The New York Times

The gunshots rang out from the back porch of the farmhouse, a little ways off from the stables and Olympic-level dressage arena, the improbable sound rising over the 53-acre estate. A woman had been shot twice in the chest by a man well known not merely to her, but also to just about everyone in the rarefied dressage community: Michael Barisone, an Olympic rider, the owner of the farm and the woman’s trainer.

Golf and Tennis

Game changer: NBA star Steph Curry has game — and a huge stake in golf’s future
Alan Shipnuck, Golf.com

An NBA franchise often takes on the personality of its best player. The flashiness of the Showtime Lakers mirrored Magic Johnson’s smile, while the Chicago Bulls’ dominance was defined by Michael Jordan’s seething intensity.

College Sports

At LSU, Football and Politics Converge in a Way That’s Uniquely Louisiana
Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated

John Bel Edwards does not claim to be a prognosticator of every college football game, just those involving his favorite team. When it comes to LSU, the Louisiana governor has impeccable knowledge because he’s got an inside source, a man who knows more about the Fightin’ Tigers than anyone else, a close confidant he communicates with on a weekly basis: the head football coach.

Esports

Axe signs League of Legends sponsorship worth over $100m
Matthew Glendinning, SportBusiness

Unilever-owned male grooming brand Axe has signed as a multi-year partner of League of Legends Esports’ global events – the Mid-Season Invitational, World Championship, and All-Star Event. The deal was brokered for Riot Games by the CAA Sports agency, the global agency for League of Legends.

Is There Life After ‘League Of Legends’? Riot Bets Big On Its First New Game In 10 Years.
Matt Perez, Forbes

The biggest pitch of his career is just 28 days away, and Riot Games cofounder Marc Merrill is going through the paces in his West Los Angeles office. Showing a company presentation that outlined the plans, he pauses to gauge the reaction of his audience (on this day a lone journalist) to a slide flashing “Riot Game” on the screen, before slowly painting in a yellow “S” to spell out “GameS.”

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

LeBron James usually gets it right. On Daryl Morey, he was the one who was ‘misinformed.’
Jerry Brewer, The Washington Post

At its core, the latest twist in this peculiar NBA-China controversy comes down to this: LeBron James is annoyed that Daryl Morey wasn’t more careful with his words. And how did James express his frustration?

Morning Consult