Comments here are too much. Y’all need more to do. Another snoozer in an empty venue in Boston tonight for Scotland and Haiti. Pubs will probably be no fun this evening. 🤪

Seems pretty good. First knock out round might be closer to 40M

USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving. Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free. I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these." "They just come with the table, man." They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat. I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared. "Did we…?" "Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless." Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined. My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude." Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man. I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy. Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived. I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most. Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.

For all my friends around the world convinced we’d see empty stadiums and no atmosphere, it’s packed to the gills in SF for the banger of a game between Qatar and Switzerland. Not to say there isn’t plenty wrong with our nation, and/or FIFA, but welcome to the spectacle. This is a soccer country. And for all our flaws, this World Cup is going to rip for the next month.

The great @JacquiOatley on the call tonight in Guadalajara. Enjoy, y’all!

There is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary. When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team - and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them - only Congress can equip the @NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently. The Protect College Sports Act would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions - it's needed now more than ever.

Bob Harig (and @Rosenberg_Mike) and countless others at the once-great (SI) have enriched my life as a golf sicko and sports fan, to say nothing of the always kind and always fair professional interactions. They'll get new jobs, so we'll still get the benefit of their coverage. But man, this sucks. In the meantime, go read this one from Bamberger.

This is completely false - the NCAA has no commercial partnership with any sportsbook and the NCAA prohibits betting ads during all broadcasts.

USA baby, the one and only. A message to our guys from @McConaughey

This is great. Come on, boys!

The bipartisan SCORE Act ensures college sports are for college athletes, not a safety net for professional players - so while student-athlete leaders across all three divisions support the bill, it is no surprise a handful of pros are opposed.

The (mostly) British media who have been incredulous about World Cup ticket prices and the legal secondary market in the U.S. may be forced to admit that it works (I know, I know). FIFA looks to have made some really smart choices. Sell for what the market will bare. Get the tech-enabled "ticket touts" on the hook for everything you can. And a rational market will sort it out. Stadiums will be full in the end. Everyone relax. nytimes.com/athletic/7260127…

ICYMI, the Olympics matter.

The sports business newsletter we are about to launch alongside Yahoo Sports AM is gonna be incredible. Been dreaming up this idea for years. Extremely excited for it to finally be coming to life w/ @DylanDittrich and all of our great partners.

AI has changed/is changing the communications industry in unimaginable ways, and yet, the importance of earned media and its impact on your reputation has never been more important. This is worth a listen.

This is great. Think even my Tar Heel wife would agree. (but she's not on here and please no one tell her I said so).

⚽️ The Queen's Classic, presented by @CarMax @GothamFC vs @WashSpirit at @CitiField 🗓️ July 15th 🏟️ @CitiField 📺 @espn Presented by @CarMax Be part of this historic first ever women's sports event at Citi Field! Sign up for Gotham FC emails now to get access to tickets before the general sale: gothamfc.com/schedule/washin…

For my @nwsl followers, opening weekend continues right now on @victoryplustv. Simple signup process, free for everyone. @reignfc at @ORLPride on now! Banda back in the starting XI.