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🚨Heads
⚾️ Hook to Boston: The Red Sox signed LHP Garrett Crochet, who led all starters with 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings last season, in a deal with the White Sox.
🏈 NFL in Berlin: The NFL will play its first regular season game in Berlin next season as part of the league’s continued international expansion.
⚽️ Saudi Arabia 2034: FIFA officially confirmed on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. The next question: will it be in winter, summer or neither?
🏈 The return of Rich Rod: West Virginia is reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Rich Rodriguez from Jacksonville State, who coached the Mountaineers from 2001 to 2007.
👊 New MMA Competition: The Global Fight League, a new team-based MMA league, will launch in April with a roster of athletes including eight former UFC champions.
🏈Belichick to UNC
It really happens. In one of the most shocking coaching moves in sports history, six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick is heading to North Carolina.
Old man on campus: Belichick (72 years old) is now the oldest head coach in the FBS. The previous oldest was Mack Brown (73), whom he succeeds at UNC.
Large image: While shocking to many, the appointment is understandable and timely given the state of college football, which is looking more and more like professional football every year.
From Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports:
Belichick knows pro ball. The college is no longer so different.
In seven months, college athletics will make another big leap into the professional world: Schools will be allowed to start paying players directly under a salary cap-like system tied to the NCAA’s settlement of three antitrust cases.
Even before the July 1 implementation date, programs are offering guaranteed financial packages to players, with some even sending school-issued revenue sharing documents to recruits.
Most of these contracts are centered around the purchase of an athlete’s commercial and endorsement rights, and some of them are even multi-year agreements with buyout language. Schools must stay within a cap, tentatively estimated at $20.5 million in year 1.
Contracts. A salary cap. Scouting departments and capologists. Sound familiar?
Soon, the only things separating major college football from the NFL will be their ties to higher education (they still have to go to class!) and their lack of employment (they’re not considered employees yet).
Even college recruiting is changing. Players and their parents are not necessarily courted through home visits or trips to campus. These are often transactional relationships with guaranteed cash.
What he says: “A lot of colleges are looking at NFL-type models to structure staffing and coaching,” Belichick told Pat McAfee during an interview last week. “You need a general manager, a coach and a salary cap manager.”
In short: The transfer portal is basically a free agency. NIL deals are essentially contracts. There are even two main conferences (SEC and Big Ten) with approximately 16 teams each. Say goodbye to the college football you once knew. These are now the minor leagues.
Further reading: Belichick’s move from the NFL to college is rare; here’s how others fared
🧠 Research: Longer hockey careers yield higher CTE rates
The largest study ever into the brains of hockey players suggests that the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease such as CTE increases every year.
Methodology and findings: The Boston University study looked at the brains of 77 deceased male hockey players from youth through the professional ranks and found that the risk of CTE increased by 34% per year played.
CTE rates:
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Youth and high school: 10% (2 of 21)
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College, junior, semi-pro: 46% (13 of 28)
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Pro: 96% (27 of 28)
Enforcement officers are at greater risk: 18 of the 22 players (82%) who identified as enforcers had CTE, almost twice as many as those who did not (44%). That is consistent with an earlier study suggesting that enforcers die younger.
Large image: CTE has long been linked to concussions, but this study – like a similar football study conducted last year – suggests that cumulative force to the head, and undiagnosed concussions, is the best predictor of future brain disease.
What to watch: Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem, which greatly complicates treatment options for the disease. But scientists are getting closer to being able to diagnose CTE in living patients.
📸 Photo gallery
Houston — The Rockets took advantage of a frenetic and controversial finish to beat the Warriors 91-90 and book a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals. The win ended a 15-game losing streak against Golden State dating back to 2020.
New York — The Hawks came back to beat the Knicks 108-100, behind a quartet of double-doubles from Trae Young (22-11), Jalen Johnson (21-15), Clint Capela (11-13) and Onyeka Okongwu (12- 12). 11) to reach the NBA Cup semifinals.
Turin, Italy — Juventus defeated Manchester City 2-0 in Wednesday’s Champions League match as the giants have now won just once in their last ten games. The dagger was an all-American beauty, with Weston McKennie burying a volley after a Tim Weah cross.
🏈 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
The five best teams in this week’s NFL power rankings, courtesy of Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports:
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Lions (12-1): The defensive injuries are becoming a concern. We can talk and joke about Dan Campbell going for it on fourth-and-1 instead of getting the field goal last Thursday, but in doing so he indicated he didn’t trust his defense to keep Green Bay out of field goal range with only about 40 seconds left.
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Eagles (11-2): There’s some panic as Philly gets just 108 passing yards in a win over the Panthers on Sunday. Jalen Hurts is barely averaging 200 yards per game. Apparently, when the Eagles are on a nine-game winning streak, you have to find something to worry about.
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Leaders (12-1): The Chiefs’ +56 point differential is not only the worst of any team at 12-1 or better in NFL history, it’s also the worst by 33 points.
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Bills (10-3): Josh Allen’s chances of winning MVP got a lot better, even in a loss. The Bills’ hopes of avoiding Arrowhead Stadium in January did not. Giving up 44 points to the Rams and losing on Sunday could decide the AFC playoffs.
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Vikings (11-2): The Vikings still have tough games in hand against the Lions, Packers and Seahawks, and the Bears may be no slouch. Yet they keep winning. A Week 18 matchup between a 14-2 Vikings team and a 14-2 Lions team for the NFC North title isn’t difficult.
Complete rankings.
📆 December 12, 2002: LeBron’s TV debut
22 years ago today, Playing in his first game on national television, LeBron James scored 31 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s upset victory over Oak Hill Academy, the top-ranked team in the country.
Legend remained impressed: “I came here with high expectations,” said the late Bill Walton, who along with Dick Vitale called the game for ESPN2. “I leave more impressed than I could ever have imagined.”
📺 Watchlist: California Crash
The 49ers host the Rams tonight (8:15 PM ET, Prime) in a critical NFC West matchup.
Chase Seattle: The Seahawks (8-5) have won four straight games to take a one-game lead in the division, but Los Angeles (7-6) and San Francisco (6-7) can still pull ahead with strong finishes compete for the crown.
More to watch:
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🏀 NCAAW: No. 2 UConn at No. 8 Notre Dame (7 p.m., ESPN)
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🏀 NBA: Pistons at Celtics (7:30 p.m., NBA)
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🏀 NCAAM: No. 3 Iowa State* in Iowa (7:30 p.m., FS1)
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🏐 NCAA women’s volleyball: Sweet 16 (1:00-9:30 p.m., ESPN2) … Four games.
*The Cyclones are rolling: No. 3 Iowa State has its highest ranking since the 1956-57 season.
🏀 NBA trivia
Ask: Rank the four NBA Cup semifinalists (Bucks, Hawks, Rockets, Thunder*) by all-time win percentage.
*This includes the Seattle SuperSonics
Answer below.
🏈 Fantasy pro tip
Good luck this week!
Trivia answer: Thunder/Sonics (.536), Bucks (.528), Rockets (.514), Hawks (.493)
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