Overtime Elite (OTE), the startup basketball league paying elite prospects six-figures to ditch high school and skip college, launched this weekend.

How it works: OTE, founded by sports media brand Overtime, has recruited 24 teenagers, ages 16 to 18, to join the league, where they'll be paid at least $100,000 per season, plus health insurance and equity stakes.

• Players: OTE's roster includes seven five-star prep players, four top international prospects, and one projected 2022 NBA lottery pick in Jean Montero of the Dominican Republic. Players are split into three teams of eight, each with their own coach.
• Coaches: Dave Leitao (former college coach), Ryan Gomes (NBA veteran) and Tim Fanning (former EuroLeague coach) are coaches, and Kevin Ollie (former UConn coach) oversees everything as head coach and director of player development.
• Format: The season consists of games against outside competition (win = one point) and games against each other (win = two points). Teams can also earn points by winning "takeover" challenges like dunk contests and three-point shootouts.
• Location: Players will live, learn, train and play in Atlanta, with most of the action taking place at OTE's brand new 103,000-square-foot facility in the Atlantic Station neighborhood.
• Education: OTE athletes will spend four hours a day in class, where they'll take the required courses to receive a high school diploma.

The backdrop: OTE arrives amid a time of intense change, with some teenagers signing NIL deals, others skipping college, and many playing for high schools that, well, aren't really high schools.

• Mikey Williams, a 17-year-old with more Instagram followers than most NBA players (3.3 million), just signed a historic deal with Puma. He was in Atlanta this weekend, where he led Vertical Academy (Charlotte) against OTE's best.
• Vertical Academy was founded by Williams' father, isn't affiliated with a state, and will play 25 games in 19 states this season. Hoops academies like Vertical are all the rage; even Kanye West has one.

Between the lines: Overtime, backed by big-name investors like Jeff Bezos and Drake, has built an audience of mostly Gen Z and millennial sports fans who want to follow teenagers on their path to the pros.

• After years spent filming prep stars like Zion Williamson in their high school gyms, Overtime now controls the end-to-end experience — from basketball, to production, to distribution.
• The mainstream media may not cover OTE games, but the company is banking on the fact that its target audience isn't watching ESPN anyway — they're following Overtime.

The big picture: The journey to the NBA for elite prospects is transforming before our eyes...

• Traditional path: Four years of high school and at least one year of college, where players gain exposure on TV and maybe have their March Madness moment — all while on scholarship (and now with NIL opportunities).
• OTE path: 2–3 years of high school followed by OTE, where players gain exposure on social media and maybe have their viral moment — all while being paid (and also having NIL opportunities).

Plus ... There's also the G League route (see: Jalen Green), the abroad route (see: LaMelo Ball), and we could see the return of the "straight from high school to the NBA" route if the league eliminates one-and-done.

The bottom line: What a time to be alive — especially if you're a teenage hoops phenom who likes having options.

🎥 Watch: OTE highlights (Twitter)

The Braves could have become the first team since the 2013 Red Sox to clinch a World Series at home. The Astros had other plans, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

• Game 5 recap: Adam Duvall's first-inning grand slam had Truist Park rocking on Sunday night, but a stream of timely hits turned the tide in the Astros' 9-5 win, sending the series back to Houston.
• Staying alive: The Astros are the 47th team to go down 3-1 in the World Series. Now they're hoping to become just the seventh to bounce back and win.

Weekend notes:

• The Maldonado game: Houston's light-hitting catcher Martín Maldonado had as many RBI on Sunday (three) as he had in his previous 27 postseason games, as he played the role of unlikely hero.
• Pitching debate: Ian Anderson was pulled after five no-hit innings on Friday in a move that fans hated but analytics loved — an example of MLB's "growing conflict between winning and delivering an entertaining product," writes WSJ's Jared Diamond (subscription).
• Record books: José Altuve hit his 23rd career postseason HR on Saturday (second most all-time) and has scored 21 runs during these playoffs (tied for most in a single postseason).
• Bucktober: Joe Buck logged over 10,000 miles in October covering five NFL games and 11 MLB playoff games for Fox.

What's next: Game 6 is Tuesday in Houston. Will the Braves have their long-awaited champagne shower, or will we be treated to the two sweetest words in sports?

Pitchers went 2-for-11 this weekend in what may have been their last chance to make an impression at the plate, Jeff writes.

State of play: MLB's collective bargaining agreement expires a month from today (Dec. 1), and a universal DH is expected to be part of the new deal.

• The concept was tested during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and pitchers' continued anemic offensive numbers only make the argument for a DH clearer.
• This season, batters averaged a .728 OPS and designated hitters averaged a .776 OPS. Pitchers? .284.

The big picture: A CBA agreement isn't expected by the deadline. That means MLB's first work stoppage since 1995 is almost certain to start Dec. 2, which would freeze free agency and likely delay spring training.

P.S. ... Zack Greinke was responsible for both pitcher hits in Atlanta, including the first World Series pinch-hit by a pitcher since 1923. If this weekend was truly the end, what a way to go out.

⚽️ NWSL concludes: The NWSL regular season ended Sunday, with the playoffs starting this weekend. The six seeds: 1. Portland Thorns, 2. OL Reign, 3. Washington Spirit, 4. Chicago Red Stars, 5. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 6. North Carolina Courage.

🏈 Ridley steps away: Falcons WR Calvin Ridley is stepping away from football to "focus on my mental wellbeing," he announced on Sunday.

🇨🇳 Horrible hockey: Hockey's global governing body might drop host nation China from the Olympics because their team is terrible.

🏈 106-0: Inglewood High School (near Los Angeles) beat rival Morningside, 106-0 (!?!), on Friday in what Morningside's coach called "a classless move."

⚾️ Good read: What's next for Topps? (Bill Shea, The Athletic)

"Topps has been synonymous with baseball cards for 70 years, but after losing its MLB and MLBPA licenses, it will have to find other options."

A handful of backup QBs dressed up as starters for Halloween — and boy, did they earn their candy.

• Mike White (37/45, 405 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT) led the Jets to a stunning 34-31 comeback win over the Bengals, joining Cam Newton as the only QBs since at least 1950 to throw for 400+ yards in their first career start.
• Cooper Rush (24/40, 325 yds , 2 TD, INT) starred on "Sunday Night Football," leading the Cowboys past the Vikings, 20-16, in his first NFL start. "It was just as good as the dream," said the fifth-year backup.
• Trevor Siemian (16/29, 159 yds, TD) took over for an injured Jameis Winston in the second quarter and calmly led the Saints to a 36-27 upset win over the Buccaneers.
• Geno Smith (20/24, 195 yds, 2 TD, rush TD) completed his first 14 passes and led the Seahawks to a 31-7 win over the Jaguars in what may have been his final start before Russell Wilson returns.

Fun fact ... Cooper Rush's game-winning TD to Amari Cooper was the first in NFL history where the passer's first name matched the receiver's last name. The Cowboys also have the only TD where the passer's last name matched the receiver's first name: Andy Dalton to Dalton Schultz.

🎥 Watch: Every RedZone TD (Twitter)

Michigan State rose to No. 5 in this week's rankings after beating Michigan, and No. 10 Wake Forest has its highest ranking ever, Jeff writes.

• Michigan's loss in East Lansing dropped Jim Harbaugh to 3-9 against Michigan State and Ohio State.
• Wake had been the only Power 5 team never to crack the top 10. Welcome to the club, Demon Deacons!

State of play: Six more ranked teams lost to unranked opponents, and three fell from the rankings as a result.

• Moving in: No. 20 Houston moved in after handing SMU its first loss. No. 24 Louisiana-Lafeyette and No. 25 Fresno State are also ranked.
• Moving out: Pittsburgh tumbled from No. 17 after losing to Miami. Iowa State and San Diego State also dropped out.

Notes:

• Heisman moment: Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III shot up the Heisman leaderboard after his 197-yard, 5 TD performance on the biggest stage of his life.
• Georgia's dominant D: The Bulldogs' defense has scored nearly as many TD (3) as it has given up (5), and its 53 points allowed are the fewest through eight games since FSU in 1993.
• Special teams stud: Houston CB Marcus Jones' game-winning, kick return TD against SMU was his ninth career return TD, tied for most in NCAA history.
• Coaching moves: Gary Patterson is out at TCU after 21 seasons ... UTSA extended rising star Jeff Traylor through 2031.

What's next: The first College Football Playoff rankings come out tomorrow, so the AP poll will be largely cosmetic the rest of the way.

ATLANTA — Former President Trump and wife Melania took part in the controversial "tomahawk chop" during Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday.

• Go deeper: The history of the tomahawk chop (USA Today)

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke routed Winston-Salem State, 106-38, in an exhibition game on Saturday — the first game in front of "Cameron Crazies" since March 2020.

• Go deeper: Meet Cookie Monster, the ultimate Cameron Crazie (Duke Chronicle)

BUENOS AIRES — A tribute match was held Saturday at Diego Maradona Stadium to honor the late Argentine legend on the 61st anniversary of his birth.

• 🎥 Watch: Argentine church dedicated to Maradona celebrates his birthday (YouTube)

PARIS — The Olympic rings were placed in front of Paris City Hall on Saturday to mark 1,000 days until Paris 2024.

• Fun fact: The French capital (1900, 1924, 2024) will join London (1908, 1948, 2012) as the only cities to host the Summer Games three times.

108 years ago today, Notre Dame upset Army, 35-13, in a game that changed football forever thanks to one simple concept: the forward pass.

The backdrop: College football in its earliest form reflected rugby, and was brutally dangerous. In 1905, 18 players died from injuries sustained during games.

• That same year, President Theodore Roosevelt summoned key football coaches to the White House for a meeting about safety and rules, which led to the establishment of the NCAA's predecessor.
• It also led to the legalization of the forward pass.

The backdrop: The 1913 Notre Dame-Army game was the inaugural matchup of their historic rivalry, which used to feature annual games at Yankee Stadium. On this day at West Point, the Irish unleashed the pass.

• QB Gus Dorais completed 14 passes for 243 yards and 2 TD — a stat line that made national news and led to the popularization of the pass.
• Passing was no longer a parlor trick; it was a way to gain huge chunks of yards and keep defenses off balance.

The big play: Early in the game, Dorais hit the great Knute Rockne for a 40-yard score that left Army players scratching their heads.

• "Everybody seemed astonished," wrote Rockne, who went on to become a legendary coach at Notre Dame.
• "There had been no hurdling, no tackling, no plunging, no crushing of fiber and sinew. Just a long-distance touchdown by rapid transit."

The big picture: This game has become a mix of history and myth, aided by the movie "Knute Rockne, All-American," starring Ronald "Win one for the Gipper" Reagan.

🎧 Listen: The death that saved football (Legendary Bites)

LaMarcus Aldridge on Friday became the 48th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points.

• Question: Name the six active players ahead of him.
• Hint: Four West, two East.

Answer at the bottom.

Source: Giphy

1. 🏒 Pure wizardry
2. 🏈 Unreal catch (that counted)
3. 🏈 Unreal catch (that didn't count)
4. ⚽️ From his own half!
5. ⚾️ Rosario snags it
6. 🏈 91 yards to the house
7. ⚽️ Gorgeous bicycle
8. 🏈 Beast mode
9. 🏒 Lacrosse on ice
10. 🏀 LeBron reverse flush

Watch all 10.