The 2021 MLS season kicks off tonight, just over four months after the conclusion of the most unusual campaign in league history.

What to know:

• Teams: 27 (Austin FC debut season)
• Schedule: Each club will play 34 regular-season matches (17 home and 17 away). In an effort to limit travel, teams will play mostly conference opponents, with more games against nearby teams.
• Fan policies: Most clubs will begin the season with 20%-30% capacity, though a few will allow closer to 50%.
• TV/streaming: ESPN, Fox and Univision will carry national broadcasts, and all other games will be available to stream on ESPN+ (minus local blackout restrictions).

Storylines:

• Expansion: Austin FC is the ninth expansion team to debut since 2015, and waiting in the wings are Charlotte FC (2022), St. Lous City SC (2023) and an undetermined 30th franchise (Sacramento backed out).
• New stadiums: Three new stadiums will open this season in Austin, Cincinnati and Columbus.
• Canadian invasion: Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Canadian teams will start the season in the U.S., with Toronto FC in Orlando, CF Montreal in Miami and the Vancouver Whitecaps in Salt Lake City.
• Global league: Players from 75 countries played in MLS last season, making it one of the world's most diverse leagues. Meanwhile, homegrown stars have increasingly become targets for European clubs, making MLS a bigger player in the global transfer market.

Odds:

• Title: LAFC (+500), Columbus Crew (+550), Seattle Sounders (+600), Toronto FC (+900), Orlando City (+1100), Philadelphia Union (+1100), NYCFC (+1400), New England Revolution (+1800). See more.
• MVP: Carlos Vela, LAFC (+400); Josef Martínez, Atlanta United (+500); Alejandro Pozuelo, Toronto FC (+650); Lucas Zelarayán, Columbus Crew (+650); Gonzalo Higuaín, Inter Miami (+900); Alan Pulido, Sporting KC (+900). See more.

Go deeper:

• How Austin FC prepared for its debut season in a pandemic (The Ringer)
• The best and worst of the 2021 MLS kits (SB Nation)

📆 Coming Monday: An interview with MLS commissioner Don Garber

The 2021 WNBA draft began as many predicted, with the Dallas Wings taking Texas center Charli Collier and Finnish center Awak Kuier with the first two picks.

• Aari McDonald, who led Arizona to the national title game earlier this month, went No. 3 to the Atlanta Dream. She's the first Wildcat ever selected in the first round.

• The Indiana Fever rounded out the lottery by selecting West Virginia guard Kysre Gondrezick, who most expected to go in the second or even third round. Watch her reaction.
• More surprises: Louisville's Dana Evans (No. 13 to the Wings), Oklahoma State's Natasha Mack (No. 16 to the Chicago Sky) and Rutgers' Arella Guirantes (No. 22 to the L.A. Sparks) all fell to the second round.
• MVP of the night: UCLA's Michaela Onyenwere went No. 6 to the New York Liberty, and her grandmother stole the show with her outfit and dance moves.

See all selections.

Go deeper:

• 📚 Read: For Charli Collier, determination is a family trait (ESPN)
• 🎥 Watch: WNBA bubble documentary trailer (ESPN)

Giphy

Two quarterbacks who've combined for eight MVPs and three Super Bowls are in the news not for their million-dollar arms, but rather their trivia-hosting chops, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

• Aaron Rodgers wraps up his successful, two-week stint tonight as guest host of "Jeopardy!"

• Peyton Manning will host the reboot of "College Bowl," a quiz show originally from the '50s and '60s in which college students compete for scholarships. It premieres in June.

The big picture: Neither of these shows is centered on sports, but with athletes serving as hosts, it got us thinking: What ever happened to sports-themed trivia shows? And why did so many past attempts fail?

• The most famous example was "Sports Jeopardy!," which aired from 2014 to 2016 but never took off despite what seemed like a winning formula: famous host (Dan Patrick), name brand and the same producers and set as its parent show.
• The show's biggest problem was distribution. Sony, which produces "Jeopardy!," tried using the sports version to drive sign-ups for its streaming service, Crackle. That ultimately limited the show's visibility, and it was canceled halfway through its third season.
• Other short-lived shows: "Grandstand" (1988-89); "Sports on Tap" (1994-95); "Ultimate Fan League" (1998-99); "2 Minute Drill" (2000-01); "Stump the Schwab" (2004-06)

Between the lines: The issue may be that for as popular as sports are, they're still niche compared to broader trivia games.

• "A funny thing about Jeopardy! is that it is meant so much more for the people shouting out answers from their couch than for the three people on stage," The Ringer's Claire McNear told SI (subscription).
• Few people watching at home can answer every "Jeopardy!" clue, but there are usually a few categories they can play along with. On the flip side, sports-centric trivia limits its viewers to fans only.

The final weekend of the FCS spring season is upon us, with the postseason bracket set to be unveiled on Sunday morning.

How it works: The 24-team tournament has been reduced to 16 teams this year, with 10 automatic bids and six at-large bids. Only four teams will be seeded compared to the usual eight.

• Six automatic bids have been clinched: Weber State (Big Sky), Sam Houston State (Southland), Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley), Monmouth (Big South), Sacred Heart (Northeast), Davidson (Pioneer).
• Four more are at stake this weekend, with the Colonial Athletic Association providing the most intrigue.

What to watch: The CAA has four teams ranked in the top 11, and they all play each other on Saturday: No. 1 James Madison vs. No. 19 Rhode Island, and No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Villanova.

• "If Delaware and JMU win then ... those two rightfully take their place in the playoffs and we move on with life," writes The Athletic's Gene Clemons (subscription).
• But if one, or both, lose, it will cause a serious headache for the selection committee and cause all kinds of at-large bid chaos.

📆 Schedule:

• Selection show: April 18
• First round: April 24
• Quarterfinals: May 1-2
• Semifinals: May 8
• Final: May 16 (Frisco, Texas)

Go deeper: FCS spring bracketology (Hero Sports)

Jimmie Johnson, one of NASCAR's all-time greats, will occupy a new role this weekend: rookie, Jeff writes.

Driving the news: After a 23-year NASCAR career that saw him win a record-tying seven Cup titles, Johnson, 45, will make his IndyCar debut Sunday at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (3pm ET, NBC).

The big picture: Johnson's vanilla public persona and conservative driving style, in which he bided his time before making a late run at the checkered flag, often rubbed fans the wrong way.

• Yes, but: "Those who know Johnson away from his day job have always decried his image, insisting he's actually a hard-partying daredevil who never shies away from a bad idea," writes AP's Jenna Fryer.
• Now, as an IndyCar rookie, he seems ready to let his freak flag fly, signing with Carvana and playing against type in three ads for the car retailer that will debut this weekend (here's the first).

More Sunday races:

• NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr., coming off a victory last week and winning both Richmond races in 2019, is the favorite at the Toyota Owners 400 at the Richmond Raceway (3pm, FOX).
• F1: The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix made its F1 debut last year as a one-off race to help fill the pandemic-altered calendar. This year (9am, ESPN), it has stepped in to replace the canceled Chinese Grand Prix.

Go deeper: Jimmie Johnson Q&A (USA Today)

The Lightning are turning a luxury suite at Amalie Arena into an Airbnb, writes Axios' Ben Montgomery. Even cooler: The Stanley Cup will be there.

• How it works: One lucky fan, the first to book a reservation on Monday at noon, will pay $5,000 and can take five friends for a stay on April 24, with all proceeds going to charity.

• Extras include: A five-course meal, champagne during your own private happy hour, a tour of Amalie Arena, private skate time and a movie on the humongous Lightning Vision screen.

⛳️ Pic du jour: An alligator hanging out during the first round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Australia's Cameron Smith (-9) leads after 18 holes.

🏒 Canucks update: The NHL has delayed Vancouver's return (set for tonight) after players said they felt like they were being rushed back. The Canucks haven't played since March 24 due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

🏈 Stat du jour: Derrick Henry compiled 3,130 rushing yards after contact over the past two seasons, which is more yards than any other running back compiled total over that same span.

🎾 Monte Carlo Masters: No. 1 Novak Djokovic lost 6-4, 7-5 to Daniel Evans for his first defeat of the year, while No. 3 Rafael Nadal cruised into the quarterfinals of a tournament he's won a record 11 times.

💵 NFL betting: The NFL will partner with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel, making them the league's first official sports betting partners.

18 years ago today, Michael Jordan played his final NBA game — a 107-87 Wizards loss to the Sixers.

• He scored 15 points with four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes, ending the year with a 20-6-4 line and joining Karl Malone as the only players to average 20 points at age 39 or older.

• Fun fact: Jordan's game-worn jersey from that night, later signed, sold for $570,000 earlier this year.

The backdrop: MJ didn't want to make a big deal out of his finale, but Philly's arena was packed with stars like Julius Erving and Spike Lee, ready to give him his well-earned send-off.

• The Sixers even brought in Ray Clay, the Bulls' PA announcer from Jordan's prime, to give him his signature introduction.
• MJ was on the bench with a few minutes left in the blowout loss when the crowd started chanting: "We want Mike! We want Mike!"
• Coach Doug Collins obliged, getting the GOAT back in the game for one last ovation and two free throws — the final points of his career.

The last word: After the game, Jordan reflected on the closing of a remarkable chapter in his life — and in sports history.

"Now I guess it hits me that I'm not gonna be in a uniform anymore. And that's not a terrible feeling; it's something that I've come to grips with. It's time, it's time. ... I never took the game for granted. I was very true to the game, and the game was very true to me."

🎥 Watch: MJ's final game (YouTube)

LaMarcus Aldridge, who abruptly retired Wednesday due to an irregular heartbeat, ranks 47th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

• Question: Only five active players are ahead of him on that list. How many can you name?
• Hint: Three East, two West.

Answer at the bottom.

1. 🏒 Filthy pass
2. 🏒 Equipment guy assist!
3. ⚽️ Double save
4. ⛳️ Hole-in-one
5. 🏀 Tic-Tac-Toe

Watch all 5.

Axios Sports has partnered with The Aspen Institute on a series called "Future of Sports," and our latest virtual event is today at 12pm ET.

• Topic: Women Reimagining Pro Sports
• Speakers: Julie Foudy, Angela Ruggiero and Aleshia Ocasio

✍️ Wanna come? Register here. See you at noon!