Axios Sports

July 25, 2023
👋 Good morning! A short and sweet edition for you today.
✍️ Some news: After 4.5 years, this will be the final week of Axios Sports. But don't worry — I'll still be writing a newsletter elsewhere. More to come…
Today's word count: 977 words (4 minutes).
Let's sports...
1 big thing: ⚾️ A week from the deadline


The MLB trade deadline is a week from today. So who are the buyers and sellers?
State of play: The answer isn't so simple this season — for a few reasons.
- First off, all but five teams are within 10 games of a playoff spot. So the A's, Royals, White Sox, Nationals and Rockies are the only undeniable sellers.
- On top of that, some high-payroll teams that you'd expect to spend this time of year have flopped (Mets, Padres), while surprise teams with smaller payrolls (Orioles, Diamondbacks) have emerged.
What they're saying: "This is one of the stranger buildups to the trade deadline I can remember," writes The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal ($). "The sport is essentially upside down."
Go deeper:
- The 23 best players potentially available (Yahoo Sports)
- What each team should do at the deadline (MLB)
2. 🏈 44 days out: Super Bowl odds


Training camp is underway across the NFL. With 44 days until the season, how do you feel about your team's Super Bowl odds?
Go deeper: Training camp questions and roster projections (ESPN)
3. ⚽️ Charted: World Cup clubs


32 countries are competing in the Women's World Cup — with players representing clubs from over 40 countries.
Yes, but: Over 25% of players come from clubs in England and the U.S., Axios' Thomas Oide and Simran Parwani write.
- 17 players play NCAA soccer in the U.S.
- The clubs with the most players include Barcelona, Chelsea and PSG.
4. ⚡️ Lightning round
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
💰 Al Hilal eyes Mbappé: Saudi club Al Hilal has made a stunning $332 million bid for French superstar and PSG forward Kylian Mbappé. It would be the largest transfer fee ever, though he is reportedly not interested.
🏈 This just in: Saquon Barkley has reportedly signed a one-year deal worth up to $11 million. The Giants' running back is heading to training camp.
🎓 Hazing at Northwestern: Two lawsuits alleging hazing within Northwestern athletics were filed on Monday, one by a former football player and one by a former volleyball player. This comes two weeks after football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired over claims of hazing.
⚽️ While you were sleeping: In Women's World Cup action, Colombia beat South Korea, 2-0, Switzerland tied Norway, 0-0, and the Philippines upset New Zealand, 1-0.
5. 📆 July 25, 1992: The 25th Olympics
Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson share a laugh in Barcelona. Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
31 years ago today, the 25th Olympic Games opened up in Barcelona, featuring 169 countries participating in 257 events across 25 sports.
The headliners: The IOC allowed NBA players to participate for the first time, leading to the creation of the "Dream Team." The superstar-laden squad destroyed opponents by an average of 44 points and quickly became a global sensation.
"I look to my right, there's Michael Jordan. I look to my left, there's Charles Barkley or Larry Bird. I didn't know who to throw the ball to."— Magic Johnson, per the Chicago Sun-Times
Go deeper:
- Look: Dream Team photos
- Watch: Dream Team highlights
6. 💵 Exclusive: FanDuel's new hire
Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
FanDuel has hired Alison Kutler as the company's vice president of sustainability and responsible gaming, Axios has learned.
State of play: As sports betting goes mainstream, operators are investing more resources into ensuring their customers are gambling responsibly.
- Sports betting is now legal in 38 states plus D.C., and major sports leagues — long opposed to betting — are now partners in the fast-growing industry.
- This has made sports betting more approachable and less stigmatized, but there are still serious risks associated with gambling of any kind.
- FanDuel is already a leader in responsible gaming. Hiring Kutler should help the company better protect consumers and work with regulators.
Background: Kutler comes to FanDuel from Dapper Labs, where she served as senior vice president of global government affairs for the NFT and blockchain developer.
- She had a similar role at Visa and has held multiple positions in the U.S. government, including as special adviser to the chairman of the FCC.
- Now, she'll work in sports — a field she's loved her whole life. "My parents said my first word was touchdown," Kutler, a Nebraska native, tells Axios.
7. 🌎 The world in photos

VENTURA, Calif. — A stunning shot of France's David Rinaldo competing in Moto X best trick at X Games California.

MAURIAC, France — The peloton rides through the forest during Stage 2 of 8 in the second annual Tour de France Femmes.

SYDNEY — In South Korea's 2-0 loss to Colombia, 16-year-old American Casey Phair (her mother is Korean) became the youngest player ever to appear in the Women's World Cup.

OAKLAND — Tony Kemp can fly.
8. 📺 Watchlist: Subway Series
Fans ride the subway to Yankee Stadium during the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and Mets. Photo: Spencer Platt/Newsmakers
The Yankees host the Mets tonight (7:05pm ET, TBS), kicking off the final Subway Series of the season after the teams split their first two-game set last month.
- State of play: The Yankees (53-47) are tied for last in the AL East (though just 2.5 games out of the wild card); the Mets (46-53) are fourth in the NL East and seven games out of a playoff spot.
- On the mound: Since a slow start, Justin Verlander has a 2.72 ERA in his last nine outings, and Domingo Germán is three starts removed from throwing MLB's 24th perfect game.
More to watch:
- ⚽️ Leagues Cup: Inter Miami vs. Atlanta (7:30pm, Apple) … How will Messi follow up his electric, game-winning debut?
- ⚽️ Friendly: Man United vs. Wrexham (10:30pm, ESPN2) … In San Diego.
- 🏀 WNBA: Aces at Sky (7pm, ESPN) … Vegas (21-2) has a +357 point differential, the best in any 23-game stretch in league history.
- 🏀 The Basketball Tournament: Nine games (2-9pm, ESPN+) … The 64-team tournament for $1 million will be two-thirds complete by day's end.
9. 🏈 NFL trivia
Photo: Kayla Wolf/Getty Images
The Packers confirmed Monday that they plan to eventually retire Aaron Rodgers' No. 12 jersey, which would make him the third Green Bay QB to earn that honor.
- Question: Who are the other two?
- Hint: Nos. 4 and 15.
Answer at the bottom.
10. 😍 The beautiful game
Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Brazil scored an early contender for goal of the tournament in Monday's 4-0 win over Panama, stringing together a beautiful series of passes in the box.
Talk tomorrow,
Kendall "Can't think of a good nickname today so I'll just take this opportunity to thank you for scrolling all the way to the bottom" Baker
Trivia answer: Brett Favre (No. 4) and Bart Starr (No. 15)
🙏 Thanks for reading! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Matt Piper for copy edits.
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