Newsletter Archive

📰🏟️ What’s owed

Plus: MLB trade deadline talk…

Peter Nowak, Kyle Nowak

22 Jul 2025 — 5 min read

Good morning. In today’s edition: WNBA collective-bargaining negotiations, college football’s most-expensive stadium, and much more.

—Peter & Kyle

On the clock: This newsletter takes ~2.97 minutes to read (791 words).

Enjoying these emails? Help us grow by forwarding one to a friend.

Did someone you know do this^ to you? Subscribe here for free.

🗺️ AROUND THE HORN

Three big things

🖐️ The Big 12 says “no thanks” to Memphis. The Grizzlies will need to snatch their extended nine-figure check out of the air and march on back to the American Conference with their tail between their legs, after Big 12 athletic directors recently decided to shoot down the school’s proposal for admittance. Memphis had offered to bring ~$200M in sponsorship deals into the conference, and also to take no media rights revenue for at least the first five years after its initial inclusion (the “SMU model”). But the Big 12 wasn’t able to overcome concerns about “dilut[ing]” its value in the next television deal, The Athletic reports.

🏀 CBA negotiations loomed over this past weekend’s WNBA’s All-Star Game. Both teams warmed up before a sold-out crowd in Indianapolis on Saturday in black shirts that read: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” Off court, the players are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that they hope will result in them sharing more of the WNBA’s recent windfall. The women’s league doesn’t make NBA money, but WNBA players currently receive just 9.3% of their league’s overall revenue, compared to NBA players who receive 50% of their league’s revenue. No tangible progress in negotiations has yet been publicly announced, but WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before the game that the league aims to significantly increase player salaries and benefits while balancing profitability for owners and encouraging continued investment (a potential challenge given the league’s cap table; WNBA owners hold 42% of the league, the NBA owns 42%, and investors own the rest).

⚾ The MLB trade deadline is right around the corner. There are nine days remaining until the July 31 deadline. And thus far, action has been slower than Bartolo Colón’s home-run trot. Of the top-30 MLB trade targets on the market identified by The Athletic in mid-June, a total of…zero players have been dealt. Just three trades have been completed across the MLB so far this July, which is lower compared to the same point in previous years—though action is expected to heat up as the deadline approaches.

🔥 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FAT & WEIRD COOKIE

A Fat & Weird birthday = huge savings

Fat and Weird Cookie is turning 7, and instead of cake, they're serving up their biggest sale of the year. Until July 27th, enjoy deep discounts on cookie packs plus free shipping:

🏆 Favorites Pack: $50
💖 Chocolate Haters & Lovers Pack: $48 (final chance to order these packs)
🥳 Party Pack & Best Sellers: $28
🫵 Build Your Own: $12 off

Renowned as “The best stuffed gourmet cookies in the world”, Fat & Weird Cookie has earned features on ABC, NBC, and Forbes.

Fat & Weird Cookie’s birthday sale ends July 27th—shop now

📸 SNAPPED

Pic of the weekend

*Images: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters | Vincent Kalut/Zuma Press*

🚵 The race for the Tour de France’s top spot is essentially over. Tadej Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France winner from Slovenia, essentially clinched his fourth Tour title over the weekend, strengthening his argument as cycling’s GOAT at the ripe old age of 26. While several difficult stages still remain before the finish in Paris on Sunday, Pogacar currently holds a massive 4 minute, 7 second lead over his closest rival, Jonas Vingegaard. Tour de France action resumes today with Stage 16 and its steep summit finish at the legendary Mont Ventoux.

👀 MUST-SEE TV

Top plays

💪 Ronald Acuña Jr. uncorks longest MLB throw of 2020s to get putout at third

⚽ FC Seoul’s Jesse Lingard finds the back of the net

🏈 Zahra “Thrill” Hill’s insane catch propels team to HS Girls Flag Football national title

⚾ Yankee announcers manifest Anthony Volpe HR into reality

⚽ Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger miraculously saves own-goal

🔢 BY THE NUMBERS

1,197 days

The amount of time between Scottie Scheffler’s first major golf championship and his fourth at the British Open on Sunday. It’s also exactly how long it took Tiger Woods to go from one major win to four between 1997 and 2000.

$8.2M

How much Eli Willits, the top pick in last week’s MLB Draft, received from the Washington Nationals as a signing bonus, in the largest deal ever for a high-school player. Even so, the Nats saved a pretty penny based on the record $11.1M slot value for the #1 pick, part of which they used to sign fourth-round pick Miguel Sime Jr. for nearly triple his slot value.

The amount of trophies or titles the Charlotte Hornets have won in franchise history, following their victory in the NBA Summer League championship on Sunday. Prior to that, the Hornets had never won a division, conference, NBA, NBA Cup, or Summer League title since first entering the league in 1988.

📰 NEWS

What else is happening

President Trump threatened to interfere with the Washington Commanders’ new $3.7B DC stadium deal unless the team changes its name back to the Redskins. Trump is also pushing the MLB's Cleveland Guardians to change their name back to the Indians.
Bill Belichick and UNC football are slated to be the centerpiece of a new Hulu docuseries, according to Front Office Sports.
The title fight between Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao and WBC champion Mario Barrios ended in a controversial draw. Pacquiao was attempting to make history as the oldest fighter to win the welterweight championship.
Former NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell resigned from The Carlyle Group, one of the few private-equity funds approved to buy minority interests in NFL teams.
The 2025 NBA summer league season wrapped up over the weekend. See its biggest winners and losers.

🔥 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARTICLE

Four elite products. One unfair advantage.

The Lady-Killer Kit from Particle isn’t just about skincare—it’s about presence.

Smooth, firm skin
Thicker, fuller hair
A subtle, magnetic scent

No fluff or 10-step rituals. Just science-backed tools to help you look, feel, and smell your best. Plus, save over $200 versus buying all products separately.

Save 22% on Particle with code PRESS22

🤔 TRIVIA

The Yankee round-trippers

Aaron Judge hit his 351st career homer in a 4-2 win over the Braves on Sunday, moving into a tie with A-Rod for sixth place in Yankees history. Can you name the other five players still ahead of him?

🌐 WEB GEMS