• Sources with knowledge of the discussions said the NBA and NBA Players Association are expected to agree to move the age of player draft eligibility from 19 to 18, effectively allowing high school players to jump to the NBA once again. The new age limit, which would replace the current rule set in 2005, could go into effect as early as the 2024 NBA draft. (The Athletic) 
• Amazon.com Inc. said its first exclusive broadcast of “Thursday Night Football” between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 15 was a “resounding success,” according to a memo sent to staff by Prime Video’s Global Head of Sports Jay Marine, who wrote that the game “delivered the most watched night of primetime in the U.S. in the history of Prime Video.” Marine added that Amazon, which is still waiting for official Nielsen ratings, also saw the most Prime sign-ups in a three-hour period in the platform’s history. (Deadline)
• LIV Golf Invitational Series CEO Greg Norman will meet with U.S. lawmakers in Washington this week to “educate members on LIV’s business model” and combat the PGA Tour’s “anti-competitive efforts,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. The new golf property joined a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by some of its players against the Tour, which banned players who defected to LIV Golf. (The Washington Post)

Tua for MVP? After another bonkers week, his odds are rising.

The Washington Post

Eli Manning shares story behind Omaha Productions’ viral Penn State walk-on video

Ryan Glasspiegel, New York Post 

Eli Manning’s still got his deadpan comedic timing. Manning is working with older brother Peyton’s Omaha Productions and NFL Films on “Eli’s Places,” which airs on ESPN+ and covers the history of college football. 

Aces Championship Keeps WNBA Ratings Afloat Amid Scheduling Competition

Emily Caron and Anthony Crupi, Sportico 

The 2022 regular season was the league’s most watched since 2008. Regular season numbers for the W have long remained relatively stagnant, but the 25 games that aired on Disney’s networks this season saw a 19% jump over 2021.

Bucs’ Evans suspended for dust-up with Saints’ Lattimore

Fred Goodall, The Associated Press 

The NFL said Monday that Evans violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules by knocking Lattimore to the ground when the Buccaneers star intervened in a confrontation that initially involved Lattimore and Bucs teammates Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette.

49ers QB Lance has successful ankle surgery, full recovery expected

Rory Carroll, Reuters 

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance said he underwent successful surgery to treat the season-ending right ankle injury he suffered during Sunday’s game and that a full recovery is expected.

NFL Player Stock Market Launches in New Jersey

Jacob Feldman, Sportico 

Mixing sports gambling, fantasy competition and stock market mechanics, Mojo launches in New Jersey Monday with $100 million raised to date. In the app, NFL players—from Tom Brady to Jets rookie Jeremy Ruckert—each have a share price that represents the stat totals they’re expected to accrue over their career. 

Las Vegas police investigating incident in which fan allegedly struck NFL quarterback Kyler Murray

Kevin Dotson, CNN

Authorities in Las Vegas are investigating after a fan at a game Sunday between the Arizona Cardinals and the Las Vegas Raiders allegedly hit an NFL player. In the chaos following the Cardinals’ fumble return for a touchdown to win the game, video shot by CNN affiliate KPNX sports anchor Cameron Cox appears to show a spectator strike Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray in the head as Murray celebrated with onlookers in the stands.

‘I Would Be Booing Myself,’ Broncos Coach Admits After Win

Victor Mather, The New York Times 

For the second week in a row, Denver fans were left scratching their heads about Nathaniel Hackett’s play-calling and time management.

Celtics add No. 6 in parquet paint to honor Bill Russell

The Associated Press 

The Boston Celtics have painted Bill Russell’s No. 6 in the free throw lanes of their parquet floor as part of a season-long tribute planned for the Hall of Famer, who died this summer.

Twins.com web address finally lands with MLB after decades-long fight

The Athletic 

A decades-long fight over a simple web address — Twins.com — between twin brothers Durland and Darvin Miller and Major League Baseball finally settled earlier this month when ownership of the URL transferred to MLB.

MLB won’t move Yankees’ Apple TV+ game over Aaron Judge home run chase

Andrew Marchand, New York Post 

Aaron Judge is the biggest thing in baseball and is having one of the historic seasons in the game’s history. But does he have enough power to save MLB from streaming? 

Astros clinch AL West for 5th time in 6 years, beat Rays 4-0

Dick Scanlon, The Associated Press 

The Houston Astros clinched their fifth AL West title in six years, getting a leadoff home run from Jose Altuve in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

A new museum dedicated to sports legend Jackie Robinson goes beyond the familiar story

Nate Berg, Fast Company 

From civil rights activism to a prominent business career, Robinson did more than break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. 

Mets Clinch Playoff Spot With Scherzer’s 200th Win

Benjamin Hoffman, The New York Times

After achieving a suddenly rare milestone, Max Scherzer focused on the bigger picture: The Mets qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016.

‘Iron Man’ Keith Yandle announces retirement from NHL after 16 seasons

Sportsnet 

The 36-year-old from Boston played 1,109 games and recorded 103 goals and 516 assists for 619 points with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers.

How a five-star prospect from Georgia ended up homeless, ineligible and 2,000 miles away

Andy Staples et al., The Athletic 

The man who sent the text message on June 1 called himself Big Rev. Looking down at his phone, Darren Heitner tried to place him.

The USMNT, facing a tight World Cup time frame, begins camp in Germany

Steven Goff, The Washington Post 

If this were a normal buildup to a World Cup — and rest assured, there is positively nothing normal about the preparations or the tournament itself in Qatar starting in November — Gregg Berhalter would conduct a four-week countdown with a training camp for his U.S. men’s national soccer team.

MLS to investigate racial abuse allegations against DC United forward

Amy Tennery, Reuters

Major League Soccer (MLS) said on Monday it would launch an investigation into allegations of racial abuse during a game between DC United and Inter Miami. Miami coach Phil Neville said DC United forward Taxi Fountas used a racial slur towards Miami defender Damion Lowe during the match on Sunday, calling the language “unacceptable in society”.

Chelsea and Todd Boehly’s multi-club options: Portugal, Belgium and… Brazil?

Matt Slater, The Athletic 

Should we be shocked that a guy who owns stakes in 100 different companies is a fan of the multi-club model? No, of course not. 

French federation to review image rights agreement

Manasi Pathak, Reuters

The French Football Federation said it will review its agreement on players’ image rights following media reports that striker Kylian Mbappe had refused to take part in sponsor activities. 

Qatari ambassador faces LGBT-rights appeal before World Cup

Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press 

Qatar’s ambassador to Germany was urged Monday to abolish his country’s death penalty for homosexuality at a human rights congress hosted by the German soccer federation two months before the Middle East country stages the World Cup. Fan representative Dario Minden switched to English to directly address the Qatari ambassador, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, at the congress in Frankfurt.

LaLiga condemns hate speech after Vinicius Jr racially abused

Manasi Pathak, Reuters

LaLiga has condemned hate speech after Atletico Madrid fans were filmed racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. outside their Metropolitano Stadium ahead of Sunday’s match. Hundreds of Atletico supporters could be heard singing, “Vinicius, you are a monkey, you are monkey” in a video published on social media by radio station Cope in the build-up to the Madrid derby, which Real won 2-1.

Check Under The Hood

Adam Stern, Sports Business Journal 

New animation rolled out this year during NASCAR coverage on NBC Sports offers viewers how-and-why lessons about what makes race cars tick.

Everything stacked in US favor at another Presidents Cup

Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press 

The last Presidents Cup was so close the International team walked away with renewed hope that it had enough game and enough fight to conquer the mighty Americans. That now seems so long ago.

Tiger Woods, Tom Brady and the PGA Tour team up in new NFT platform deal

Adam Schupak, Golfweek 

What do Tom Brady, Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour now have in common? The Tour and Autograph, the web3 brand co-founded by Tom Brady and that counts Woods as a board adviser, announced a deal through 2027 to create a NFT platform and allow fans to own a token of its history.

Fans Went On A Spending Spree In Honor of Roger Federer’s Retirement

Amanda Christovich, Front Office Sports 

What do Tom Brady, Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour now have in common? The Tour and Autograph, the web3 brand co-founded by Tom Brady and that counts Woods as a board adviser, announced a deal through 2027 to create a NFT platform and allow fans to own a token of its history.

How achievements took over the video game industry

Adrian Hon, Fast Company 

From “Candy Crush” to “Assassin’s Creed,” games of all levels have made a fortune capitalizing on player engagement—and, in many cases, obsession.

2022 Minor League Markets: Charleston’s Holy Trinity

David Broughton, Sports Business Journal 

Riding the strength and longevity of its baseball, soccer and hockey teams, the Holy City is the first Southern region to top SBJ’s minor league markets rankings.

WNBA players skipping Russia, choosing other places to play

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press 

For the past few decades, Russia has been the preferred offseason destination for WNBA players to compete because of the high salaries that can exceed $1 million and the resources and amenities teams offered them. That all has come to an abrupt end.