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Good morning! It’s an inquisitive day. Ahead:
Questions: Let’s interrogate the sports news
So much of our existence boils down to curiosity. What’s the best path forward for me? What should I eat for dinner tonight? How good would Peja Stojaković be in today’s NBA?
This is the root of journalism, too, and as I gazed at the sports world yesterday, I just had minor questions about many things. So here goes a semi-self Q&A, with a chance for you to participate at the end:
1. Is Cinderella dead?A heavy question, but it has merit. Take a look across both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments at the double-digit seeds who made the Sweet 16 this year. Men: No. 11 seed Texas. Women: No. 10 seed Virginia, winner of a thriller last night over Iowa. Zero mid-majors.
With all respect to both those teams, I will not consider major programs like those, no matter the seeding, a Cinderella. We had a story before the tournament began on the real Cinderellas, the mid-major legends of lore, like Valparaiso, George Mason and Fairleigh Dickinson. And then we saw Florida coach Todd Golden say earlier in the tourney that bigger programs are upset-proofing their strategy.
So, is that true? Is one of the best parts of March Madness gone? Not so, Jordan Brenner wrote yesterday. He argues Cinderella simply wears different threads this year thanks to the transfer portal. Alvaro Folgueiras, the Iowa forward who drained the game winner against Florida? He came to Iowa from Robert Morris. Other Iowa contributors came from Drake. Etc.
Give Jordan’s story a read to see graphs on how widespread this change is. It made me feel better. Kind of.
2. Are we really not going to play NFL stars in Olympic flag football?Probably not! We briefly touched on it this weekend, but I found yesterday’s edition of Scoop City a compelling point for the native flag footballers. While it was cool to watch Tom Brady slinging it again, NFL players quite literally aren’t built for the contact-free environment, and it would take a significant mental overhaul to adjust to the flag game.
Odell Beckham Jr. might make it, though, after that sick touchdown catch.
Aaron Doster / Imagn Images
3. Is Penn State wrestling the most dominant college sports program ever?The Nittany Lions won their fifth straight national title over the weekend and set a points record while doing so. The previous points record holder: PSU wrestling in 2025.
At the Division I level, the question at least warrants conversation, or a caveat. Arkansas won 12 straight championships in indoor track and field from 1984 to 1995. Iowa won nine straight titles in wrestling from 1978 to 1986.
But in this century? Few have come close to Penn State’s dominance. I asked Scott Dochterman, who covered the wrestling championship for us Saturday, his opinion:
💬 I live in Iowa, so there would be a very strong argument that historically Penn State hasn’t quite caught up with the Hawkeyes. (Legendary Iowa coach) Dan Gable won 15 titles over 21 years, and Iowa won 18 over 24 years (22 since 1977). I’d say Penn State currently is the most dominant dynasty in college sports and has the potential to equal Iowa wrestling.
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson has 13 now in 17 years as Nittany Lions head coach. Solid pace.
One to watch for a streak, too: Wisconsin women’s hockey, which won a second straight title and ninth overall at the Frozen Four last weekend.
Now, your turn: If you have any pressing sports questions — emphasis on any — you can submit them to us below. We’re planning a full edition soon to answer your queries, and are hoping to make this a running bit.
Send us your questions here.
News to Know
Steph Chambers / Getty Images
JSN snags record dealSeahawks superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million deal with $120 million guaranteed yesterday, making him the highest-paid wideout by average annual value in NFL history. Smith-Njigba’s new contract will pay him $42.15 million a year, edging out Ja’Marr Chase’s $40.25 million. More on the deal here.
Tigers pushed out whistleblowerIn the days following The Athletic’s explosive reporting on eight Detroit Tigers employees accused of misconduct last year, team officials encouraged transparency and accountability within the organization. According to a new report from The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli today, an employee who had been with the organization for 18 years wrote to his superiors about an interim vice president who was allegedly creating a toxic work atmosphere. Soon after, the employee was pushed out of the organization. Make time to read the new report.
Prediction market bill introducedU.S. Sens. Adam Schiff, a Democrat, and John Curtis, a Republican, introduced a bill yesterday to ban sports futures from prediction markets. These markets, headlined by Polymarket and Kalshi, skate around sports betting laws by acting as a marketplace to buy and sell contracts instead of betting against the house. Detractors say it’s just sports gambling via loophole. Read our full story.
More news:
A quadruple amputee professional cornhole player is in jail on murder charges. Just read the story.
WNBA players unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement.
Mets top prospect Carson Benge made the Opening Day roster after a stellar spring. The outfielder will make his big-league debut this week. See our scouting report.
USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi’s move to the Premier League is in doubt. More here.
Warriors guard Moses Moody suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury against the Mavericks. Watch the replay at your own risk.
Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke sued the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, even after participating in the NFL combine. See our full story.
Related: Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris detailed his mental health struggles to The Athletic as he petitions the courts for a seventh year.
Shohei Ohtani’s World Baseball Classic jersey sold for $1.5 million.
📰 Find more news here 24/7.
Watch Guide
📺 NHL: Wild at Lightning7:30 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO MaxBoth of these teams are firmly in the playoff picture, and both, according to our latest tiers report, are legit contenders. That means you should watch.
📺 NBA: Nuggets at Suns11 p.m. ET on NBC and PeacockThis is quite important for playoff seeding as the NBA’s regular-season slate winds down. Phoenix (40-32) sits atop the Play-In heap, four games back of both Denver and Minnesota to escape the No. 7 seed. Good game.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Courtesy of Brandon Collier
The hottest football recruit in the country has never played a down of football. Meet Neff Giwa. Such a fun story.
The Lakers are suddenly a contender again. The biggest reason why: LeBron James has reinvented himself.
The NBA’s 65-game award rule is under more fire than ever this week. Read why here.
We’ll have a ton more MLB stuff tomorrow, but here’s a ranking of all 30 Opening Day rosters to tide you over.
Twice last week, Nuggets forward Spencer Jones guarded someone who hit a game winner. He processed it the best way he knew how: posting on LinkedIn.
USC may have lost last night in the women’s tourney, but injured superstar JuJu Watkins is doing well in her recovery — and using it to make a new shoe with LeBron James.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The “Crazy Hispanic Fan” shirts.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The heartbreaking story of Jessi Pierce we linked here. Make time for it if you missed it.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.
