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Good morning! Juuuust a bit outside.
$$$$: The strange reality of college football in 2025
We are officially in Week 1 of the college football season, which is simply a glorious thing. We will have plenty this week on what could be the biggest Week 1 slate we’ve ever seen, plus all the exciting tangential storylines this sport inevitably produces.
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Before that, though, I want to zoom out a bit on the state of the sport, just briefly, after two reports we published yesterday made me pause and ponder. Two points:
- I’m not trying to say the sport is ruined, but the pace at which it has changed and, more importantly, how the money has exploded, is jarring. According to our in-depth reporting, athletic department revenues grew 212.4 percent from 2005 to 2023; expenses grew 210.8 percent in that same span. Coaching salaries rose 370.4 percent in that time frame, too. The power brokers inside the sport know that, no matter how much revenue grows, there’s never enough money. Seems like a problem!
- Even at the country’s biggest revenue-driving schools, officials scramble to find enough money to support the entire operation. Athletic directors have had to get creative, as Scott Dochterman detailed, to cover costs. Fascinating levels there. Concerts, weddings, sponsored yard markers. They’re all coming to a stadium near you.
I understand why this has all happened, but it just feels weird. Maybe I’m naive about my favorite sport. But it’s just our reality.
Here’s a fun palate cleanser of news to perk us up:
- At Michigan, Bryce Underwood will be the starting quarterback. The true freshman and No. 1 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class will get his reps early. The Wolverines will be a must-watch this year.
- Our college desk envisioned an SEC-Big Ten challenge, 16 games broken down in detail. It’s a fun exercise and feels like a potential reality for us in the next few years, as power consolidates in the sport. It’s a close race.
We’ll have more fun things this week. Saturday is so close. Let’s keep going:
News to Know
Jordan, Kobe and the most expensive card ever
A one-of-a-kind basketball card featuring Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant sold for a staggering $12.932 million early yesterday, making it the most expensive sports card ever sold. The card, of course, features signatures from both players and patches from their game-worn jerseys. The price zooms past the previous record holder, a Mickey Mantle card that sold for $12.6 million. Read more here.
Big Dumper continues big season
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, the Big Dumper himself, hit home runs Nos. 48 and 49 in Seattle’s win over the Athletics yesterday, which gives Raleigh the record for most dingers hit by a primary catcher in a single season. He did it with 31 games left on the schedule and is on pace for 61, just one shy of Aaron Judge’s AL record. Read more about his day here. Vibes were high in the stands, too:
Impeccable.
🎥 @MLB pic.twitter.com/mp6tt7PcTR
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 25, 2025
More news
- Chinese Taipei dominated Nevada to win the Little League Baseball World Series yesterday. It was poignant.
- Kansas State QB Avery Johnson’s father and brother apologized for a fight that happened after the Wildcats’ game Saturday.
- The Phillies and Twins will play in the next Field of Dreams game. Details here.
- Minnesota traded Sam Howell to the Eagles and signed Carson Wentz. More on the QB room shuffle here.
- The Buccaneers waived cornerback Shilo Sanders one day after he threw a punch in a game. Tough week.
- President Donald Trump demanded that Roger Clemens be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
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Firsts: You can rest now, Tommy
What’s the stage past the meme? Or the running bit? Is it just catharsis? Nirvana? Simply peace? Wherever it lies, Tommy Fleetwood — the world No. 10 golfer who, before yesterday, had been winless in eight years on the PGA Tour — is there.
After a brutal stretch of near-misses, Fleetwood’s tap-in par on the 18th hole at East Lake yesterday sealed his Tour Championship win, the first of his PGA career (he’s won multiple times internationally), which was a doozy: a 30-man field of the Tour’s best golfers, with $10 million on the line. Not bad!
Two macro things that struck me about the moment:
- It was endearing to see how beloved Fleetwood, 34, is among his peers and across the sports spectrum. Justin Rose, the guy who snatched a win away from Fleetwood just two weeks ago, sat behind the green taking videos as if his best friend were getting married. Tiger Woods tweeted his congratulations, as did LeBron James and Caitlin Clark.
- To drill down further, the fact that basketball superstars are tweeting about Tommy Fleetwood is enough evidence I need to say LIV still has no juice, despite recent progress the breakaway tour has made.
Gabby Herzig was in Atlanta to witness the triumph firsthand. Her story was great and worth a read this morning.
Almost done:
What to Watch
📺 Premier League: Liverpool at Newcastle
3 p.m. ET on USA
Can Newcastle hang with the defending champs without Alexander Isak? They could use a nice result, even though it’s early.
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📺 Tennis: Venus Williams vs. Karolina Muchova
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Williams’ surprising 2025 renaissance continues here in the U.S. Open first round against the 11th-seeded Muchova, which is just one of a day’s worth of matches happening. Let’s see if Venus can be competitive at 45.
📺 MLB: Reds at Dodgers
10:10 p.m. ET on MLB Network
These two are in desperate need of every win possible at this juncture, with L.A. tied with the Padres in the NL West and Cincinnati 1 1/2 games short of the final NL wild-card spot.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Yesterday was Bob Uecker Day in Milwaukee. It was simply beautiful, as Andrew Baggarly captured.
You loved our story yesterday on Kansas’ new stadium, so let’s travel across the sea for a similar story: on Everton’s new digs, which Patrick Boyland called “an arena fit for the future.” Looks cool.
From the weekend: Our writers took us inside the shocking Eberechi Eze signing at Arsenal, which was more of a love story than hijacking.
Dan Pompei has a great story on the brotherly relationship between Jayden Daniels and Bobby Wagner in Washington. Don’t be surprised if the Commanders are excellent again this year.
I’m still in awe of that NASCAR finish at Daytona this weekend. Alex Bowman said he owes Ryan Blaney “7 million beers,” which is a great way to get me to click.
I appreciated our story on tennis star Alexander Zverev, who said he’s sought professional help after some depressing comments made at Wimbledon. Good for him.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on college football’s new rules that punish fake injuries. Read up.
Most-read on the website yesterday: A report from Friday about a troubling situation in Marseilles, where two stars were placed on the transfer list after a locker room brawl.
(Top photo: Don Juan Moore / Getty Images)
