📰🏟️ Strike Zone Gaslight?

Good morning. Somebody better tell ESPN: in the battle between the Big Ten and SEC, the conference to the north (and west and east and partly the south), is winning. At least when it comes to money.

• The Big Ten reported ~$928M in revenue in 2023-24, according to tax returns released this week.
• The SEC reported ~$90M less in revenue, ~$840M, over the same time period.

But regardless of who's on top, the figures put numbers to the changing power dynamic in college sports. Both conferences appear to be on track to surpass $1B in annual revenue imminently—while the NCAA itself reports just over $1B in revenue/year.

—Peter & Kyle

On the clock: This newsletter takes ~4.15 minutes to read (1,105 words).

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⚾ UP FOR DEBATE

Is Major League Baseball gaslighting players about strike zone changes?

Caps turned backward, dust and spittle flying—MLB and its participants are locked in an argument over the strike zone that also resembles that of a toxic relationship. One party says they were 100%-forsure-no-doubt-about-it notified of a change, while the other maintains this did not, in fact, occur.

At issue: What’s referred to as the “buffer zone,” or leeway given to umpires when they’re being graded on how accurately they called balls and strikes. Prior to this year, umps were granted 2 inches just off the strike zone on all sides of the plate—but this past winter, as part of a new labor agreement with the Major League Umpires Association, it was shrunk to 0.75 inches.

And it seems to have made a difference that should make players facing down 100 MPH with hunks of wood v happy (and those throwing that 🧀 not so much): 

• 12.8% of pitches in the strike zone were called balls during the first month of the season, the highest level since 2017, according to data from Baseball Savant.
• LA Angels catcher Travis d'Arnaud also told The Athletic ($) that his research found there have been ~250 more close pitches that were called balls so far this year compared to the same point in 2024.

He said, he said: MLB officials insist all 30 clubs were informed multiple times of the buffer-zone change. But more than two dozen people, including players, managers, and front-office execs, told The Athletic they had “no recollection” of any league briefing, and, if they had, would have thought it important to communicate to those who would be on the field.

Looking ahead…The way balls and strikes are called could once again be changed next year, with the implementation of the spring training-tested Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS).

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⏱️ Catch Up Quick

Headlines de la semaine

🏀 There’s no place like home—except in this year’s NBA Conference Semis. For the first time in league history, all four road teams (aka lower seeds) have won Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs. And speaking of underdogs—there have already been four 20-point comeback wins in the NBA Playoffs, the most in a single postseason since the league began tracking play-by-play data in 1996. Playoff action is in full swing this weekend; see the bracket and schedule here.

⚽ The UEFA Champions League final is set. Inter Milan will face Paris Saint-Germain to determine the winner of Europe’s top club competition, which is widely considered the world’s second-biggest soccer tournament behind the World Cup. PSG is seeking its first Champions League title in club history in its fourth-ever finals appearance, while Inter Milan is trying to win its fourth CL trophy and first since 2010. The winner-take-all final match is scheduled for May 31 in Munich, Germany.

🏒 Utah’s NHL franchise made a Mammoth decision. Following a 13-month process that included four rounds of surveys and 850,000+ fan votes, the team finally announced its new identity: the Utah Mammoth. The new name, which carries the rallying cry “Tusks Up,” handily beat out the other two finalists: Utah Outlaws, and Utah Hockey Club (which was used for the team’s inaugural 2024-25 season). Fun fact: Lengthy naming processes are likely to become the norm for new US sports franchises moving forward, as many common words in the English language have already been trademarked.

⌚ SPORTS TECH

Welcome to a new era of play-calling

The days of belting out “LENSE TO DUECE RIGHT CLAW Z SHORT LANDER Z STRONG X REVO Z LOCKBACK CAN 2 JET X MONDAY ASTRO READ ALERT MONEY DEACON FLOW F PANAMA ON THE OMAHA” in the huddle could soon be over. 

The University Interscholastic League's football rules committee, which oversees high school football in Texas, recently approved a rule change for the upcoming season that allows all players on the field to sport wearable tech for the purpose of play-calling.

Why it matters: Friday nights in the Lone Star State have long been a testing ground for new stages of the game. The spread offense, as well as the pass-happy “Air Raid” scheme, were both popularized at Texas high schools before trickling up to the pros, per the Wall Street Journal.

“The democratization of play calling”...as pitch decks showcasing the tech probably position it, involves coach-to-player communication via these wearable devices. Think: screen-forward QB wristbands, but worn by everyone on the field.

• The tech has been compared to the PitchCom system—implemented by Major League Baseball following the Astros sign-stealing scandal—which allows pitchers and catchers to communicate digitally instead of using signals.

Big picture: GoRout, a main player in this space, won a prize from the NFL in 2017 for its on-field wearable technology, and now works with 1k+ schools across the country, including major college football programs who use its product during practice.

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• 🛕 Temple and boat tours

💬 Word on the Street

Overheard

“Hey @Brewers why do i have to pay almost a dollar in tax ON MY FREE HOT DOG?”

The Milwaukee Brewers’ latest fan promotion combines three classic aspects of American life: baseball, hot dogs, and taxes.

The Brewers recently unveiled a new membership program called the “Hot Dog Club,” where fans can fork over $59.99 in exchange for a special hat and a free hot dog at each game they attend.

But Jake Starck, a 33-year-old Brewers die-hard, noticed the promotion had a catch—fans still needed to pay sales tax on each “free” hot dog, amounting to ~$0.63 per trip to the concession stands.

The taxman cometh go away-eth: After Starck grilled the Brewers on social media (☝️), team officials said they fixed a “glitch” that mistakenly charged Hot Dog Club members sales tax on their free glizzy. The ~120 club members who were affected will be offered two free tickets to an upcoming game.

It’s not the wurst mistake in the world. Baseball history is littered with famous promotion blunders, including the Chicago White Sox’s Disco Demolition Night—where a pile of disco records were blown up in center field, leading to a fan riot—and Cleveland’s 10-Cent Beer Night (which is pretty self-explanatory).

📰 News

What else is happening

• 💰 Dick’s Sporting Goods is leading a $120M investment into youth sports platform Unrivaled Sports (not to be confused with the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league).
• 🏐 TCU became the first school other than USC and UCLA to win the NCAA women's beach volleyball championship.
• 📝 The lack of March Madness upsets dragged down FanDuel parent company Flutter's quarterly earnings.
• 🏒 The NHL canceled its 2026 All-Star Game; will replace it with an international event following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
• 👟 A'ja Wilson's first signature sneaker, the Nike A'Ones, dropped on Tuesday and sold out in five minutes.
• 🏇 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will miss the Preakness Stakes, forgoing the chance at a Triple Crown.

🌐 Web Gems

Cool things to click

⚽ What were you doing at 17? The unstoppable rise of the most electrifying teenager in sports. 

📖 Read: How the 6-foot-4 Jrue Holiday became one of the most feared defenders in the NBA.

⛳Get lucky (it’s all in the hips): The PGA of America is randomly giving away 3k notoriously-hard-to-get Ryder Cup tickets for free.

💪 Yolked: Take your gym routine to the next level with The Ripped Report. This free bodybuilding newsletter is filled with exclusive training tips and workout plans designed to help you lift (and feel) your best.*

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🤔 Trivia

Capture the Flagg

The NBA Draft Lottery takes place on Monday, with the winning team almost certain to choose Duke star Cooper Flagg.

Can you name the past five #1-overall picks and the team that chose them?

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🤔 Answers

2024: Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks)

2023: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

2022: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)

2021: Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)

2020: Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

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