The NHL will allow teams to sell sponsorship patches on their uniforms beginning in the 2022-23 season, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write.

Why it matters: Jersey advertisements have become increasingly prevalent in North American sports over the past decade or so, and the pandemic appears to be speeding up adoption.

• MLS and the WNBA have had jersey sponsors for years, and NBA teams began selling patches in 2017 for an average of roughly $10 million per season.
• One MLB executive called uniform patches "inevitable," and it's hard to imagine the NFL not eventually following suit and leaving hundreds of millions of dollars on the table.

The backdrop: Leagues are carving out all kinds of new space for advertisers to recover from pandemic losses. The NHL debuted helmet ads last year, the NBA is ramping up virtual on-court ads and MLB umpires now have a cryptocurrency sponsor on their shirts.

What they're saying: "When you put a logo next to another logo, they tend to negate each other," says sports graphic designer Todd Radom. But not all patches are the same, with some logo and color combinations working better than others.

• That being said, "anecdotal evidence suggests that younger fans don't care as much about this," adds Radom. "They're bombarded by brand impressions in ways that I certainly never was growing up."

Of note: The rise of jersey sponsorships in North America still pales in comparison to Europe, where a single soccer uniform can generate three different revenue streams.

• For example, Manchester United makes $103 million from Adidas (kit supplier), $65 million from TeamViewer (jersey sponsor) and $27 million from Kohler (sleeve sponsor). That's $195 million a year.
• It's no mistake, then, that MLS recently added sleeve and short sponsors. And while MLB uniforms may never look as cluttered as Premier League kits, make no mistake: the ads are coming.

The bottom line: What was once jarring — like a "Wish" logo on the iconic Lakers jersey, or a Nike swoosh atop the Yankees pinstripes — now feels normal. It's also just the beginning.

American investors are placing big bets on European soccer, spreading money across the continent at a remarkable rate.

By the numbers: 45 European soccer clubs are now majority-owned by U.S. investors — and 64% of those acquisitions have come in the last three years, per the International Centre for Sports Studies:

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England (16): Arsenal, Aston Villa, Barnsley, Burnley, Charlton, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Leyton Orient, Liverpool, Manchester United, Millwall, Portsmouth, Swansea City, Wycombe
• 🇮🇹 Italy (8): AC Milan, Fiorentina, Parma, Pisa, Roma, SPAL, Spezia, Venezia
• 🇫🇷 France (5): Caen, Le Havre, Marseille, Nancy, Toulouse
• 🇪🇸 Spain (2): Alcorcón, Real Mallorca
• 🇩🇰 Denmark (4): Esbjerg fB, FC Helsingør, HB Køge, SønderjyskE
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland (3): Dundee United, Dundee FC, Hibernian FC
• 🇧🇪 Belgium (2): KVO, Waasland-Beveren
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: Dundalk FC
• 🇬🇷 Greece: Crete FC
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: FC Den Bosch
• 🇵🇹 Portugal: Estoril
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland: FC Lugano

Joey Votto is in the midst of a resurgent season at age 37, and his career numbers now put him squarely on the path to Cooperstown, Jeff writes.

The latest: This week, Votto became the 286th player in MLB history to amass 8,000 plate appearances. Of those 286 players, he is one of just 17 with a career slash line of .300/.400/.500.

By the numbers: Since Votto debuted in 2007, only two players have more wins above replacement (WAR): Mike Trout and Robinson Canó.

• His .417 on-base percentage is the 25th-best mark ever, and he's one of six players to lead the league in OBP at least seven times, joining Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb.
• After two down years that threatened his Hall of Fame candidacy, Votto has dominated in 2021 with a .952 OPS. Since the break, he leads baseball in HR (17) and RBI (41) and has the Reds contending.

The bottom line: Entering the season, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout and Yadier Molina were probably the only Hall of Fame shoo-ins among active hitters. It now feels prudent to add Votto to that list.

🍻 In related news ... Votto's Reds were shut down by the Brewers on Wednesday. It was Milwaukee's fourth game with 16+ strikeouts and zero walks — twice as many such games as any other team has had in a season since 1900.

📺 ESPN shakeup: Rachel Nichols appears to be out at ESPN. ... Max Kellerman is leaving "First Take" and could be replaced with a rotation of sparring partners for Stephen A. Smith.

💣 495-foot bomb: Twins slugger Miguel Sanó hit the longest HR of the season, a 495-foot moonshot that left Fenway Park.

🏀 Bates to Memphis: Emoni Bates, who's been hyped as the "next Kevin Durant" since age 14, has committed to Memphis, where he'll join fellow projected top-five pick Jalen Duren. Penny Hardaway can recruit, man.

🏈 The Arians Rules: Bruce Arians said Buccaneers players won't be allowed to leave the team hotel or have family visit on road trips, even if they're vaccinated. "There's league rules and then there's my rules."

⚽️ 12 goals to none: Bayern Munich destroyed fifth-tier club Bremer SV 12-0 to advance to the second round of the German Cup. Americans Taylor Booth and Chris Richards both saw action.

As college football coaches' jobs have expanded over the years, a new role has been born: general manager, Jeff writes.

Catch up quick: In 2006, an enterprising young coach named Geoff Collins carved out a position at Georgia Tech as, what he called, the director of player personnel. His primary task: oversee recruiting.

• Collins' success in that role kickstarted his career (he returned to Tech in 2019 as head coach) and showed other teams the benefit of splitting recruitment into its own arm of the program.
• Since then, countless others have followed in Collins' footsteps, including Mississippi State's Matt Dudek, LSU's Austin Thomas, Ohio State's Mark Pantoni and UNC's Billy High.

Between the lines: GMs roles can be expansive, with some acting as liaisons between the team and school. And recruiting isn't limited to just athletes — they also help identify candidates for other jobs on staff.

The big picture: After the upheaval of the past 18 months, GMs have become an even more vital part of building a winning program.

• The transfer portal, college's version of free agency, has been ratcheted up now that transfers can play immediately. It's like "speed dating with shoulder pads," and GMs manage the process.
• Then there's NIL. Between compliance and pitching recruits on brand-building opportunities, GMs have their hands full navigating this brand new landscape.

LOS ANGELES — Matt Turner made key saves and Ricardo Pepi scored the decisive kick, as MLS defeated Liga MX in a penalty shootout to win the historic first combined All-Star game.

• 🎥 Watch: Highlights (YouTube)

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Gavin Weir (aka mini-Chris Sale) threw his fourth no-hitter of the summer to lift South Dakota into the LLWS semifinals. His stats this summer: 114 strikeouts, one hit...

• 🎥 Watch: Highlights (Twitter)

TOKYO — "Goalball" is a sport specifically designed for the visually-impaired, in which teams of three attempt to throw the ball past their opponents. The ball has bells inside so players can hear it coming.

• Look: Paralympic medal count (Tokyo 2020)

LA MANGA, Spain — The Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) is currently underway, with 11 of 21 stages completed.

• 🎥 Watch: Stage 11 highlights (YouTube)

The NFL season is fast approaching. While we eagerly await its arrival, we're counting down the league's top 20 players.

• Player: George Kittle, TE (49ers)
• Age: 27
• College: Iowa
• Contract: 5 years, $75M (FA in 2026)
• 2020 stats: 8 games; 634 receiving yards, 2 TD
• 2021 fantasy: No. 26 ADP (average draft position)
• Week 1: 49ers at Lions

The big picture: A broken foot limited Kittle to just eight games in 2020, but he enters this season with a clean bill of health — bad news for defenses trying to deal with his blazing speed.

• By the numbers: The separation Kittle's speed creates has helped him post a 78.2% catch percentage since 2019, by far the best among tight ends (minimum 100 targets).
• Wild stat: Last October, he joined Christian McCaffrey as the only players in NFL history with at least 15 receptions and a 100% catch rate in a game, going for 15-183-1 in a 25-20 loss to the Eagles.

What they're saying: "He moves after the catch better than anyone," an AFC scout told ESPN (subscription). "He's the toughest [tight end], the best blocker, and he can catch 100 passes in the right offense."

ICYMI: 20. Dalvin Cook; 19. Trent Williams; 18. Bobby Wagner; 17. Tyreek Hill; 16. Jaire Alexander; 15. Stefon Diggs; 14. Myles Garrett; 13. Jalen Ramsey

One year ago today, the Bucks chose not to take the floor for their playoff game — and thus began one of the most impactful days in sports activism history.

What happened: The Bucks stayed in the locker room at Disney World for Game 5 against the Magic, leading to all three NBA games being postponed — and most of the sports world following suit.

The backdrop: Milwaukee's landmark decision came three days after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin — just 45 minutes south of Milwaukee.

"Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball."

The last word ... As Jeff put it a year ago: Sports are ultimately nothing without those who play them, and [Aug. 26, 2020] was a stark reminder of what it means to be more than an athlete.

The 2021 college football season begins this weekend.

• Question: Can you name the six schools who have appeared in the CFP title game?
• Hint: They represent four conferences.

Answer at the bottom.

Source: Giphy

NFL Films captured stunning drone footage of the Cowboys' 91-acre practice facility. Such a cool video.

Click this link (just trust me on this one)