The NFL will restrict media access for a second straight season amid the pandemic, permitting only team employees inside the locker room when players are present, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write.

Why it matters: Sports teams already operate like media companies, churning out content, growing audiences and publishing news updates. Keeping journalists at a distance gives them even more narrative control.

• In the past, teams and players relied on beat reporters to amplify their voices and relay their message to the masses. Now, they can speak directly to millions of fans through social media.
• To be clear: Independent media will still have in-person access to athletes and coaches via news conferences, so it's not like they'll be unreachable this season. But the locker room is off limits.

What they're saying: "The relationships built during locker room access and the reporting [therein] ... is the heart of NFL beat coverage," said Lindsay Jones, president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

• "It allows for fans to have a deeper understanding of the players beyond their performances on the field," added Jones, who writes for The Athletic. "Coverage of the NFL will suffer without it."

The big picture: One of sportswriting's greatest innovations came in the 1940s, when Dick Young of the New York Daily News began gathering postgame quotes from players at their lockers, adding color to his stories.

• Reporting has continued to evolve since then, as has the balance of power between journalist and athlete. Why give a writer a quote when you can tweet it yourself?
• Closing locker rooms to media members makes complete sense as a precaution, and it's been labeled a temporary measure. But when access is yanked away, it tends not to be given back, at least not fully.

The last word: "The ability to report inside a locker room is nothing short of a miracle," The Ringer's Bryan Curtis wrote last year. "That's why [sportswriters are] scared ... the coronavirus will be the means by which it's taken away forever."

Go deeper: The evolution of sportswriting (Axios)

Speaking of NFL teams connecting directly with fans, we ranked all 32 franchises by combined Twitter and Instagram followers, Jeff writes.

Top 5:

1. Patriots (8.9M)
2. Cowboys (7.6M)
3. Steelers (6.3M)
4. Eagles (5.6M)
5. Seahawks (5.2M)

Share on Twitter.

Earlier this month, the independent Atlantic League moved the mound back 12 inches — from 60 feet, 6 inches to 61 feet, 6 inches.

The reason: The eight-team circuit has become MLB's laboratory — a place to debut innovations like "robo umps" and test out new rules like three-batter minimums (now an MLB rule).

• Moving the mound was the latest experiment, designed to mitigate pitcher dominance and create more offense.

The results: So far, statistical changes have been minimal. Through the first 67 games played at the new mound distance, teams combined for 6.37 runs per game. Before the switch they combined for 6.33.

• Meanwhile, strikeout rates actually increased during that time, from 18.3% to 18.8%, per WashPost. That's not what MLB wants.

What they're saying: Pitchers say they don't always notice the extra foot of distance, but many have experienced soreness in their lat muscles after starts.

"I'm throwing 92 to 94, and I'm hurting a bit after. What's happening with guys throwing 102? That could be a big deal."

Behind the scenes ... While the mound change hasn't had a major impact on box scores, it has destabilized the league in other ways. Turns out, athletes with aspirations don't love being guinea pigs. Who knew?!

Here's your stat of the day: With Andy Murray and Marin Čilić knocked out, Novak Djokovic is now the only man at the U.S. Open who has won a Grand Slam this century.

📆 Coming up: Djokovic takes the court tonight against 18-year-old Dane Holger Rune (7pm ET).

🎾 15th straight: Naomi Osaka won her 15th straight match at a hardcourt major, her second such streak. The only other women to do it multiple times? Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.

⚾️ MVP candidates go boom: Shohei Ohtani (No. 42), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Nos. 37 and 38), Fernando Tatís Jr. (No. 36) and Bryce Harper (N0. 26) all went yard on Monday.

⚽️ $48.5 billion: That's how much money was spent on international soccer transfer fees over the past 10 years, per a new FIFA report. Manchester City (130 incoming transfers) topped the spending charts.

⚾️ Strikeout machine: Blue Jays starter Robbie Ray notched 1,241 strikeouts through 1,000 career innings pitched. That's the most in MLB history, passing Yu Darvish (1,222).

⏱ Insane record: Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania obliterated the world one-day running record by running 7:30 miles for 24 hours straight.

🏈 Quote du jour: Nancy Pelosi "probably has a more important job than me," says Nick Saban. Full NYT interview.

The WNBA regular season ends in less than three weeks, and not a single team has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff writes.

• How it works: The top eight teams by winning percentage make the postseason, with the top two earning double byes to the semifinals and Nos. 3 and 4 skipping to the quarters.
• Of note: The first two rounds are single-elimination games, but the semis and Finals are best-of-five series. Finishing in the top two provides a huge advantage.

The big picture: The top-seeded Sun (led by MVP frontrunner Jonquel Jones) and second-seeded Aces (led by reigning MVP A'Ja Wilson) are in the driver's seat with six games remaining for each team.

• The Storm have clinched their sixth straight postseason berth, but the defending champs are trending in the wrong direction, losing three straight for the first time all year.
• The Mercury are suddenly chasing a first-round bye after winning six straight post-Olympics behind their "Big Three" of Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner.

📆 Tonight: Sparks vs. Lynx (8pm ET); Dream vs. Wings (8pm); Sky vs. Aces (10pm); Liberty vs. Storm (10pm)

TWIN BRIDGES, Calif. — Thousands of people near Lake Tahoe have been ordered to evacuate as the Caldor Fire chokes the region. Pictured above: A chairlift sits idle amid flames at Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort.

OEIRAS, Portugal — Ronaldo is currently in Portugal, training for upcoming World Cup qualifiers. He's expected to make his Manchester United debut against Newcastle on Sept. 11.

TOKYO — Ball is life.

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

• Player: T.J. Watt, LB (Steelers)
• Age: 26
• College: Wisconsin
• Contract: 1 year, $10M (FA in 2022)
• 2020 stats: 15 games; 15 sacks, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles, 7 pass deflections
• Week 1: Steelers at Bills

The big picture: With his devastating combination of strength and speed, the youngest Watt brother may end up being the best of the bunch — no small feat considering J.J. is a three-time DPOY.

• By the numbers: In 2020, Watt led the league in pass-rush win rate (29%), incompletions caused (40), sacks (15) and tackles for loss (23).
• What to watch: He's expected to sign a contract any day now that would supplant the recent Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa mega-deals as the richest ever for a defender.

What they're saying: "Speed, man. When you got that speed, it's unstoppable," says Packers LB Za'Darius Smith.

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; 12. George Kittle; 11. Josh Allen; 10. Russell Wilson

31 years ago today, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. became the first father-son duo in MLB history to take the field together. They hit back-to-back singles in the first inning, and two weeks later hit back-to-back homers.

The big picture: Of the 250 father-son duos (or trios) to make the big leagues, only the Griffeys and the Raines (Tim Jr. and Sr. in 2001) appeared in the same lineup.

• Some, like the Bells (Gus, Buddy, David and Mike) and Boones (Ray, Bob, Aaron and Bret), had three generations of MLB talent.
• Others, like the Yastrzemskis (Carl and grandson Mike), skipped a generation.

By the numbers: By wins above replacement, the Griffeys (118.3) are the second-best duo ever (min. 10 WAR per player), trailing Bobby and Barry Bonds (220.7). Felipe and Moises Alou (82.1) rank third.

• Wild stat: Cecil and Prince Fielder finished their careers with exactly 319 HR each.
• Fun fact: 14 fathers ended up in Cooperstown, but Griffey Jr. and Roberto Alomar are the only two sons who've made it there. Perhaps Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatís Jr. will join them?

🎥 Watch ... Junior: Father and son (YouTube)

Source: Giphy

• Question: Who is the oldest pitcher to win a Cy Young Award?
• Hint: Happened this century.

Answer at the bottom.

"Untold," Netflix's new five-part series examining some of sports' most infamous sagas, has been awesome so far. Really enjoying it.

• 🏀 Part 1: Malice at the Palace
• 🥊 Part 2: Christy Martin
• 🥇 Part 3: Caitlyn Jenner

🏒 Next up: Part 4, "Crime & Penalties," is out today. The film tells of the time "the real Tony Soprano" bought his teenage son a hockey team — and the madness that ensued.

• Trailer.