Axios

NBA star Kevin Love has withdrawn from the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, saying he's not at his "absolute peak performance" following a calf injury, ESPN reported Friday.

Why it matters: It's the latest blow to USA Basketball, which announced Thursday that Bradley Beal will miss the Tokyo Games after being placed under coronavirus health and safety protocols.

Formula One on Thursday unveiled a concept car based around new regulations being introduced next year.

Why it matters: The new regulations, which were supposed to be introduced this year but were delayed due to the pandemic, are aimed at creating closer, more dramatic races.

The average MLS team is valued at $550 million, per Sportico, with LAFC ($860 million) topping the list and the Colorado Rapids ($370 million) ranking last.

The big picture: The Portland Timbers ($635 million) are the only franchise outside of a top-20 market with a top-10 valuation, bolstered by their shared ownership of the NWSL's most successful team, the Portland Thorns.

At least 142 athletes who are publicly out as LGBTQ are headed to the Olympics, beginning one week from today.

Why it matters: That's more than have participated at all other Summer Games combined, per Outsports.

USA Basketball announced Thursday that Bradley Beal will miss the Tokyo Olympics after being placed under coronavirus health and safety protocols.

Why it matters: Though the team has time to replace Beal, it's not necessarily an easy task. The Olympic players have been conditioning for the games and working on team building, complicating the search for a last-minute addition, according to the Washington Post.

Olympic organizers have made a series of major, last-minute policy changes to reduce the risk of a superspreader event, but they declined to employ one particularly powerful tool: a vaccine mandate.

The big picture: Mandatory vaccinations would have been a massive logistical and ethical puzzle. But without one, the threat of infection will loom over the Olympic Village and could ultimately extend well beyond it.

An Olympic athlete and staff member are among six new positive cases of the coronavirus, the local Tokyo organizing committee said Thursday.

Why it matters: The announcement comes one day after the International Olympic Committee revealed that an official on the refugee team tested positive. Japanese people continue to protest the games amid the latest uptick in positive cases ahead of opening day July 23.

A Major League Baseball game will be called entirely by women next week for the first time ever on a broadcast, the New York Times reports.

Driving the news: Five women will serve as the on-air crew for the Baltimore Orioles game against the Tampa Bay Rays from St. Petersburg next Tuesday.

Luka Dončić will be featured on the cover of NBA 2K22, the latest installment in the best-selling video game franchise.

State of play: Candace Parker fronts the "WNBA 25th Anniversary Edition" of the game, making her NBA 2K's first female cover athlete.

The Open, the only men's golf major to shut down last year amid the pandemic, returned today at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England.

• Favorites: Jon Rahm (+800) had the best opening odds, per Caesars, followed by Rory McIlroy (+1400), Brooks Koepka (+1500), Jordan Spieth (+1600) and Xander Schauffele (+1800).

Forty-three minor league teams lost their MLB affiliation in 2020's restructuring, leaving some ballparks awaiting new fates.

The state of play: Some teams went independent or joined the new MLB Draft League. But in cities where minor league baseball disappeared, the challenge is now deciding what to do with those sleeping giants — and how to pay for it.

The Milwaukee Bucks came from behind in Game 4 to beat the Pheonix Suns, 109-103, in an instant classic that tied the NBA Finals at two games apiece.

By the numbers: Khris Middleton led the way for the Bucks with 40 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything (26-14-8-3-2), and Pat Connaughton was huge off the bench (11 points, +21 plus-minus).

With just days to go before the Tokyo Olympics begin, Bloomberg reports that concerns are growing about pollution levels in Tokyo Bay, where the swimming portion of the triathlon is set to take place.

What's happening: A test for the swimming part of the Paratriathlon in the bay was canceled in August 2019 after E. coli bacteria was found at more than twice the limit set by triathlon officials — and after one athlete reportedly said the bay "smelled like a toilet."