Axios

The Washington Commanders sent a 17-page letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, denying allegations of financial impropriety detailed last week by the House Oversight Committee.

Why it matters: Dan Snyder has a history of responding to allegations by digging his heels in, but Congress presents a formidable foe in this D.C.-based drama.

A pitch clock has shortened Minor League Baseball games by 20 minutes, per ESPN, setting the stage for MLB to implement a clock next season.

State of play: Entering Tuesday, MLB games were lasting an average of 3 hours, 10 minutes. The good news? That's one minute shorter than last season. The bad news? That's over one hour longer than a century ago — and 20 minutes longer than the average game as recently as 2005.

International sports organizations, teams and athletes quickly moved to boycott Russia after it invaded Ukraine, leading to the cancellation of major events in the country and the suspension of its national team from international soccer.

Why it matters: The sports world's rebuke of the invasion signals a swift change of tune about the Russian government, which has spent vast sums of money hosting international events.

Wimbledon has banned Russian and Belarusian players from this year's event in June, the All England Club announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, hasn't barred athletes from specific countries since the aftermath of World War II.

College soccer may soon undergo a monumental change, though not everyone is on board.

Driving the news: The "21st Century Model," which would make men's Division I soccer a year-long sport, is expected to be voted on by the D-I Council later this spring after last week's vote was tabled.

MLB's instant replay system was upgraded in a small but critical way this year, as umpires now announce the results of every challenge over the stadium's PA system.

Why it matters: The change provides clarity compared to the old format, wherein umpires non-verbally signaled the result of challenges, and triggers the type of epic crowd reaction one doesn't normally see at a baseball game.