In 2009, Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke went viral after telling Yahoo Sports he was boycotting Chipotle’s guacamole.

“I mean, $1.50 is already pretty darn high. So they changed it to $1.80, and I’ll never again get guacamole,” Greinke said. “It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win.”

Fifteen years later, a (small) side of Chipotle’s guacamole is $2.65, and Greinke’s thoughts remain a common sentiment among MLB players.

“Greinke was on a kick for a while,” said Reds pitcher Scott Barlow, a former Greinke teammate. “It’s the principle.”

So what else are MLB players cheap about? Well, after The Athletic asked dozens of them the question over the past year, the answer is … pretty much everything.

“It’s that old cliche,” said Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, “You stay rich by being cheap.”

Some players took issue with the framing of the question. “I don’t like the c-word,” A’s pitcher T.J. McFarland said. “I use frugal.”

You be the judge.

Whit Merrifield, free agent: It’s funny when music is playing in the clubhouse and someone has their phone hooked up and an ad comes on. Guys will yell, “You’re a big leaguer making millions of dollars and can’t pay $11.99 for Spotify?!”

Ryan McMahon, Rockies: My wife is on her cousin’s Spotify, so I use that.

Jake Cronenworth, Padres: I don’t buy any music. It’s a pretty useless purchase. I like to drive in silence. Total silence.

Zach Neto, Angels: I use Apple Music but I’m still on my (cheaper) student account. Don’t tell Apple Music that. It’s the only app I pay for.

Hayden Birdsong, Giants: I’m not paying for any apps. I’m on my mom’s Spotify.

Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers: There’s something about (buying an app). I just don’t want to give them the $2.

Barlow: If I have a game app and it says you can upgrade for no ads, I won’t do that.

Glasnow: It’s probably worth it, too. It’s just ingrained in my brain — like, no, I’m not doing it.

Despite being division rivals last season, former Yankees pitcher Lou Trivino was on Orioles reliever Cole Irvin’s Netflix account.

Tanner Scott, Dodgers: We are definitely still on my wife’s family’s Netflix.

Evan Carter, Rangers: I’m on my wife’s parents’ Netflix and my parents’ Hulu.

McMahon: If you’ve got someone else’s log-in, you’re all set.

McFarland: Up until about two years ago I was on my family cellphone plan. And I wasn’t even paying my parents, it was free. Finally, my dad is like, “You are in the big leagues, time to get your own s—.”

Dansby Swanson, Cubs: I had that moment, too. I needed a new phone and it was a good time to switch my phone number. I was like, “All right, it’s time to get off my parents’ plan.”

Tristan Beck, Giants: That day is coming for me, too. But I’m going to try to avoid it as long as I can.

---

Matt Strahm, Phillies: I’m not going to just buy new clothes because I want to. I need to need clothes to buy clothes.

Joe Musgrove, Padres: You know how in elementary school you get to go back to school shopping and you get a few pairs of jeans and a couple T-shirts to last you the year? I’m still the same way.

McFarland: I’m coming in with shoes literally coming apart — the sole was coming off. My wife was like, “That’s enough.” She took them and threw them out.

Derek Law, Nationals: My wife is like, “You need to get some new shirts,” and I’m like, “Ehh, I’m good.”

Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles: I never need new clothes.

Mike Yastrzemski, Giants: I don’t buy clothes, I don’t buy shoes. I get very weirdly indecisive about things. I’ll be like, “I want this,” and then I’ll turn around 10 minutes later and be like, “Well, what’s going to change if I buy this? Nothing.” So then I’m like, “I guess I don’t need this,” and I move on.

Strahm: I’m very simple and cheap with clothes. There is black, white and gray in my closet, just plain T-shirts.

Craig Kimbrel, Braves: I’ll wear stuff out.

Kwan: Socks, undershirts, that stuff I will ride until the end.

Musgrove: I’ll wear it until I can’t wear it anymore.

Mountcastle: Until it literally has holes in it.

Kwan: I had a pillow for 10 years that my now-wife was totally disgusted by. She’s like “You can get a new one!” and I was like “Why? I don’t need a new one.” One day she took the cover off and said, “You need to look at this, it’s disgusting.” And it was. I did end up throwing it away my first year up here. It made it to the big leagues, though.

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Seth Lugo, Royals: I hate paying for shipping.

Austin Riley, Braves: There was something — it was a hunting gadget, it was like $6, and the shipping was $8. And I was like, “I’ll just go buy it somewhere.”

Jesse Chavez, Braves: And a “processing fee.”… Processing? Where did that come from?

McFarland: When you use DoorDash and it’s an extra couple bucks to have someone deliver the food to you, I tell my wife, “No way, we are picking it up.”

Lugo: Go get it yourself. I’m not ordering stuff (to get delivered).

McFarland: Sure, it’s 15-20 minutes to go pick it up and you are probably spending that money on gas, but (delivery) is something I am not OK wasting money on.

Jesse Winker, Mets: I feel like Uber’s prices have gotten out of control, so if I can’t walk somewhere, I’ll rent a scooter for a fraction of the price.

Clay Holmes, Mets: I’m cheap about flights. You fly so much with the team you never even think about it, then you go to book flights in the offseason, and it’s like, “I got to pay this much to fly?”

Jameson Taillon, Cubs: I have a hard time paying for extra legroom. I can afford to fly first class or in an exit row, but I feel like I’m getting punished for being tall, so I refuse to upgrade my seat.

Triston McKenzie, Guardians: I look at first-class seats, but I don’t ever buy them.

Matt Vierling, Tigers: I still drive my car from college. It’s a 2012 Ford Escape. It broke down on the highway on me (in September).

Birdsong: I’ve got a 2015 Ford Fusion.

Paul Sewald, Guardians: I had my first car, a Toyota 4Runner, for 13 years in the big leagues, and only upgraded in 2021 because we got pregnant and needed a bigger car.

Vierling: I was driving an even older car before. (The Escape) was used when I got it; it had like 65,000 miles on it. Now it’s got like 172,000, and we are still rolling. I am going to try to ride it out for another year. I got everybody in my family saying, It’s not safe, you should get another car. And I’m just like, “Not yet. I will ride it until it dies.”

Birdsong: I was a sixth-rounder, I’ll keep it till it breaks, and it’s pretty close. It’s got 140-150,000 miles on it.

Sewald: I’ve got a Ford Expedition now. It’s not fancy. It’s pretty much a dad car.

Birdsong: Maybe I’ll get a Prius next.

Kwan: I still don’t own a car. I lease one and do some (promotional stuff) for the company, and they pay for it. That saves a lot of money.

Kyle Gibson, Orioles: When I was in college, my junior year (2009), I needed a 60-degree lob wedge. So I went to Walmart, and bought a $19.99 wedge. I still have that club, and I have yet to buy a new one because I love it. The grip is ripped badly, the shaft of the club is completely rusted out. Whenever I golf with somebody new, they see me pull it out of my bag and they go, “What are you doing?”

Yastrzemski: I have the same clubs I’ve had for four years that I got for free anyway. I called my agent because I cracked my driver face and said, “Hey, do you know anyone who can send me a driver? I don’t care what it is.” I didn’t want to buy it. … I did buy a new putter recently. It took me a year and a half to pull the trigger on it.

---

Chavez stayed near a lake during the All-Star break with teammate A.J. Minter and their families. There were eight people total, and they filled up a cart, mainly with fruit and vegetables. It was $600.

Chavez: I’m also a big stickler at the grocery store. … Where did this (bill) come from?

Law: Groceries are crazy.

McFarland: I will look at the store, and it’s like, “OK, if it’s 60 cents less, I am getting the generic brand.”

Emilio Pagàn, Reds: Even if it’s 40 cents cheaper.

McKenzie, Guardians: If I need medicine, I’m definitely getting Target brand ibuprofen.

Law: If the strawberries say they’re two for $7, I’m going to get two strawberries because I feel like I’m saving money. Am I? Probably not, because they made me buy two now.

Jake Diekman, free agent: The other day at self-checkout I was like, where are all the bags? And the lady said you have to buy them. It was wild. I only bought two, though.

Law: Most of the time you forget the bags that you’re supposed to bring. And it’s like, damn, I am not paying 10 cents.

Kwan: I don’t like paying for snacks. I have my little Lulu(lemon) bag and it’s like a trick-or-treat (in the clubhouse) every day. Usually it’s spilling out the brim. I’ve got free waters and these sweet Thai chili almonds I’ve been absolutely emptying out.

Winker: The price of water has gone way too high. We get so used to just being able to grab water (in the clubhouse). Then in the offseason you go buy water and you’re like, “This water is this expensive?”

Dustin May, Dodgers: I’m not saying I don’t load up (on the free waters). I definitely do.

Neto: I won’t pay for water bottles. Before I leave here, I will take a couple home with me to drink.

McFarland: The same guys walking out of here with tons of free water bottles have no problem spending $25,000 on a Rolex.

Manny Machado, Padres: I won’t spend money on a wine (at a restaurant) that they charge you 800 percent (markup) on. I’ll just go home and drink my own wine or bring my own wine.

Pagan: For the longest time, my diet included a lot of Taco Bell. Crunch Wrap Supreme is hard to beat. That helped my cheap mindset, but now I’m getting older and can’t eat that as much.

Machado: I like wine, but the value’s got to be there. I’m a value guy.

Diekman: You have to go to Costco, the No. 1 seller of wine in the world. I feel like everyone trying to save should go to Costco, grab yourself a hot dog and get some wine.

Kwan: You got to buy in bulk. I’m not playing around going to get toothpaste five or six times. I’m going to get the 10-pack and let that ride out.

Logan O’Hoppe, Angels: Don’t hate me, but even though it’s a dollar, I refuse to pay for The Athletic. Even if my name is in it, my ego gets in the way and I don’t want to pay for it.

(Editor’s note: Subscribe now for just $1/week for four weeks, Logan.)

McKenzie: I did finally subscribe. (Guardians beat writer Zack) Meisel got me to. He was like, it’s only a dollar! But I did hold out for a little bit.

O’Hoppe: I am not paying that damn dollar. It’s the principle. I will read the first paragraph before the paywall. So, I guess I’m too cheap to read this article.

— The Athletic’s Katie Woo, Dennis Lin, David O’Brien and Patrick Mooney contributed to this story.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

Wayne Gretzky finally has company. 

Gretzky became the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer March 23, 1994, when he surpassed Gordie Howe with his 802nd career goal.

Now, 31 years later, another player has joined Gretzky. 

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals tied Gretzky’s record Friday night.

Ovechkin entered the game needing two to tie and three to become the new goal-scoring king. He lit the lamp just four minutes into the game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Just over five minutes into the third period, the Capitals went on a power play, and Ovechkin took advantage, taking a pass and squeaking it past goalie Spencer Knight.

Capitals players stormed the ice as Ovechkin got a loud, long ovation.

Gretzky was in attendance for the game, which still had over 13 minutes left at the time of publication.

Ovechkin was drafted with the first overall pick by Washington in 2004, but because of a lockout, his debut was postponed a year.

In his 20th NHL season, the record-tying goal was Ovechkin’s 41st of the year, which ranks third in the NHL behind only Leon Draisaitl and William Nylander. 

ALEX OVECHKIN ODDS: WHEN WILL HE BREAK WAYNE GRETZKY’S SCORING RECORD?

This is the 14th season in which Ovechkin has scored 40 goals in his career. Had the league not had a lockout in 2012-13, he’d probably have 15 of those seasons. Although, he did lead the league that year with 32 goals. He’s led the NHL in goals nine times.

What’s even more impressive is Ovechkin missed nearly two months of this season with a broken leg.

Ovechkin looked to be slowing down a bit last season, scoring 31 goals in 79 games. Perhaps he got some juice, knowing he could break the record this season.

While Ovechkin is breaking records, the Capitals are Stanley Cup contenders. Their 105 points rank second in the NHL.

Even if you take away all 894 of Gretzky’s goals, he still has the most points in NHL history.

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It is not often these days that Sean Payton is the youngest guy in a room. He has been a head coach in the NFL for nearly two decades and first entered the NFL as an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997. Players he once coached, like Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, are now piloting their own NFL teams.

So, yes, the 61-year-old coach of the Denver Broncos is reveling a bit in his current status as the junior statesman in his own division.

“I’m the youngest!” Payton, who is six days younger than Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, exclaimed at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. “Thanks, Pete.”

Welcome to the AFC West, where what’s old — or rich in experience, to put it more politely — is new again.

When Pete Carroll, 73, was hired to become the new head coach of Las Vegas Raiders in January, replacing the fired Antonio Pierce, he raised the average age of the coaches in the division to 65.5 years old. No other NFL division has an average age among its four coaches that even reaches 50. Every boss in the AFC West had already begun his respective coaching career before any head coach in the AFC South — the division with the youngest average age at 40.5 years old — had even reached middle school.

The West’s sideline leaders have combined to win 668 regular-season games, five Super Bowls and two college national championships (Carroll won one more but it was vacated for NCAA infractions). There has never been a division in which every coach has won at least one Super Bowl or national title.

“It’s outstanding,” Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the league meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., this week. “It’s an all-star lineup.”

The AFC West is now where some of the most experienced coaches in the sport have been invigorated by a new, heady challenge: loosening the iron grip 67-year-old Andy Reid and the Chiefs have held on the division for most of the last decade. Perhaps the most vibrant illustration of the dominance: Kansas City has collected more AFC West titles since 2016 (nine) than division game losses (eight).

There’s no naiveté from the division’s other coaches about what changing that math will require. But they’re certainly not the kind of group that is shrinking from the task, either. All had to slay proverbial dragons to reach the peak of the profession. Payton outwitted Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning to win the Super Bowl in 2009. Carroll did the same in 2013 — and was one play away from toppling Bill Belichick a year later. Harbaugh beat Carroll to reach the Super Bowl in 2012 — where he lost to his brother John and the Baltimore Ravens — and defeated Nick Saban on his way to a national title at Michigan in 2023.

There’s a reason each coach was chosen to chase Reid, the NFL’s winningest active coach.

“To be battling against Andy and Sean and Jimmy Harbaugh, that’s what it should be,” said Carroll, the former Seattle Seahawks head coach who had fierce NFC West battles with Harbaugh when he was the San Francisco 49ers’ coach. “For us to survive the challenges of that division, we’re going to be ready for whatever comes. If you expect it to be easy, and you’ve got an advantage, I don’t see it that way. The harder it is, the better it is for us to get good. And the sooner it’s hard, the sooner we get better. The challenge is enormous.”

That goes for the Chiefs, too, perhaps more than at any point since their destruction of the division — and the league at large — began.

Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have led the charge for Kansas City since 2017, arguably the game’s best quarterback and best coach bringing out the best in one another. The rest of the division hasn’t exactly enjoyed the same continuity. The Raiders in that same stretch have had six head coaches, including those with interim titles, and have seen eight different quarterbacks start a game. The Broncos have cycled through five coaches and 14 quarterbacks. Harbaugh is the fourth Chargers coach since 2017.

That makes 2025 different in the AFC West. Not only has every coach raised the floor of the team they have inherited — Payton and Carroll never won fewer than seven games since 2006; Harbaugh has never had a losing record as an NFL coach — but they also have familiarity with the quarterbacks in their programs. Harbaugh will enter his second season with Pro Bowl QB Justin Herbert, the team’s starter since 2020. The Raiders traded for veteran Geno Smith, who previously started for Carroll in Seattle, a huge upgrade from what Las Vegas had at the position in 2024. Payton will enter his second season with Bo Nix, who is coming off the best season for a rookie quarterback in Broncos history and has already become “one heck of a player,” Reid said.

“(Nix is) exactly what they would have hoped he would have been,” Carroll added. “I saw him from the opening game of the year and he was not ready to be the guy that he showed that he was later on in the season. He became a dynamic football player very quickly. A tremendous amount of credit to Sean — building him and making him. It’s hard to figure those guys out sometimes, and everybody has their own way of going about it and the results are all across the lot, how the young guys do. And you have to have your act together to figure that out and Sean surely did.”

Of course, the Chiefs’ foes in the division have believed they were set up for a real run at the champs before. Ahead of the 2022 season, for example, the Broncos traded for perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson. The Raiders swung a deal that same offseason to pair star wide receiver Davante Adams with his old college QB, Derek Carr. The Chargers acquired stud pass rusher Khalil Mack to form a fierce tandem with Joey Bosa and then loaded up with other marquee defensive additions in free agency.

The end result: The Chiefs won the division going away and were undefeated in their six AFC West games. The Broncos (Nathaniel Hackett), Chargers (Brandon Staley) and Raiders (Josh McDaniels) all eventually made in-season firings of their head coaches.

Instead of searching for the next Sean McVay — the Super Bowl-winning coach of the Rams who is still somehow only 39 — the challengers in the AFC West have instead opted for something closer to Reid, at least as it relates to experience. Though the Chiefs went 15-2 last season before ultimately being blown out in Super Bowl LIX by the Philadelphia Eagles, there have been signs the gap in the division, thanks to its injection of coaching talent, is shrinking.

The Broncos finally snapped their eight-season losing streak against the Chiefs at home in 2023 during Payton’s first season. Denver would have beaten them in Kansas City last season had a short field-goal attempt not been blocked on the game’s final play. The Chargers’ last three losses to the Chiefs, meanwhile, have come by a combined 12 points.

“We had a really successful regular season … but if you look at the games that we played against the Chargers and the Broncos, they were probably our toughest games and our most physical games,” Veach said. “That’s not going to change. Those teams are only going to add to what they have talent-wise and get better. It will be a challenge just to win the division next year. That’s kind of the mindset we have going into the offseason.”

Carroll’s arrival in Las Vegas and his reunion with Smith already have made the Raiders a far more formidable team than the one that went winless in division games last season.

“He’s a great football coach,” Reid said of Carroll. “He’s got that stability and he’s got the record to go with that. He’s going to come in with cred, and I think the players will listen to him. He’s going to bring a heck of a defensive scheme and offensive scheme with him.”

The Broncos beat the Chiefs in Week 18 last season to clinch their first playoff spot in nine years, a victory that came as Reid rested his starters and key reserves with the No. 1 seed in the AFC already in hand. After the Broncos lost to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs, Payton’s mind was back on Kansas City. To truly contend in the playoffs, the coach reasoned, the Broncos would need to host postseason games. And there is only one way, Payton has impressed upon the organization, to earn those.

“Our absolute goal next year,” Broncos owner Greg Penner said, “is to win our division.”

The Broncos aren’t the only outfit with an experienced captain hunting for that prize. There is a different kind of challenge when you’re prepping for a full schedule of division games against coaches who have seen it all. But that’s what will make the 2025 AFC West crown all the sweeter to earn — whether it’s No. 10 in a row for Reid’s Chiefs or No. 1, at long last, for someone else.

“You have to go. You have to hit the ground running,” Payton said. “No one wants to hear your woes. We’re excited about it. We’re excited about that challenge.”

The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, Tashan Reed and Nate Taylor contributed.

(Top photos: Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh by Eric Thayer / Associated Press; Andy Reid and Pete Carroll by Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

Wayne Gretzky began to follow Alex Ovechkin on Friday night amid his trek to surpassing The Great One as the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer – the trip was almost done in one day.

Needing three goals to surpass Gretzky, Ovechkin scored twice to tie, and tried his darnedest to get a hat trick.

Nonetheless, Gretzky had been the solo leader for over 31 years. But now he has company, and soon enough, he will be looking up for the first time in a while.

But Gretzky is more than at peace with his record being tied, and soon going down.

“That’s OK… That’s what the game’s all about,” Gretzky said to the Monumental Sports Network shortly after Ovechkin tied him.

“Alex has been great for the game, great for Washington, great for his home country. It’s wonderful. I’m very proud of him, I’m proud of what I accomplished, and that’s what makes our game so wonderful, is the great athletes we have, and more importantly, the good people that they are.”

ALEX OVECHKIN ODDS: WHEN WILL HE BREAK WAYNE GRETZKY’S SCORING RECORD?

Gretzky became the NHL’s all-time goalscorer back on March 23, 1994, when he surpassed Gordie Howe with his 802nd career goal. He scored 92 more before hanging up the cleats in 1999 to bring his total to 894.

Ovechkin lit the lamp just four minutes into the game against the Chicago Blackhawks to inch as close as he could. Then, just over five minutes into the third period, the Capitals went on a power play, and Ovechkin took advantage, taking a pass and squeaking it past goalie Spencer Knight.

Ovechkin’s next chance at the record will be on Sunday in New York against the Islanders, with the puck set to drop at 12:30 p.m. ET.

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One of the most thrilling and important games in the history of this tournament that doesn’t get mentioned enough happened on March 30, 1991: Duke’s 79-77 upset of previously unbeaten UNLV at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis.

Or maybe it’s been mentioned enough and decades have passed. But I feel like I see Grant Hill to Christian Laettner — which happened one year later — 500 times for every replay I see of UNLV’s Anderson Hunt missing a 3 at the buzzer, into the hands of Bobby Hurley, into scenes of euphoria on his side and disbelief on the other. Keith Smart against Syracuse, Michael Jordan against Georgetown, Mario Chalmers against Memphis, Gordon Hayward from halfcourt against Duke — so close! — the finishes immortalize the games.

But Laettner’s winning foul shots, into Larry Johnson’s regrettable decision to pass to Hunt rather than attack, should warrant more replay rotation considering what that national semifinal meant. Yes, it meant Bob Knight’s 1975-76 Hoosiers were preserved as the last perfect team, fittingly in the Hoosier Dome. It meant no repeat title for Jerry Tarkanian and his renegade Runnin’ Rebels.

Most importantly, it was the last night in American sports history that it was OK to like Duke. More accurately, it was the last night it was OK to not hate Duke.

This was supposed to be a Hater’s Guide to the Final Four, following up similar public services before, such as the College Football Playoff and World Series. But Duke doesn’t leave much oxygen for anyone else. Haters and Duke go together perfectly, like peanut butter and jelly. Or liver pate and Pinot Noir.

Florida’s gator chomp is goofy. At least half of the Auburn and Florida fans on hand Saturday at the Alamodome will have been tricked into believing they’re about to see an unsanctioned spring football game. If Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson meet in the title game, it’ll be the show-cause showdown. Are we good here? Back to Duke.

Yes, of course, people hate Duke because of all the winning. Two days after Mike Krzyzewski’s inspiring upstarts upset UNLV — avenging a 30-point blowout loss a year earlier — they took out Roy Williams and Kansas for the championship. It was his first and Duke’s first. He would win four more with the Blue Devils, more in that time than rival North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas, the blue bloods that laughed at the idea of Duke being part of their club until Krzyzewski forced his way into it.

But Connecticut has won six championships in that time, its first in 1999 coming at the expense of what still might be Krzyzewski’s best team ever. So why don’t people hate UConn like they hate Duke, even with Dan Hurley begging them to do so?

One, Duke has more than a decade’s head start on inclusion in another exclusive club, that of Notre Dame football, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and the like — sports franchises that boast large followings and engender deep resentment among those not on the respective bandwagons.

And then there’s all the elitism, hypocrisy and objectionable personalities. “Two rings” Hurley may get there some day, but as of yet, there’s no documentary in existence titled, “I Hate Danny Hurley.” It’s been a decade since ESPN debuted “I Hate Christian Laettner.” It took him a year to go from righteous slayer of the UNLV dragon to face of sports villainy.

On the same night he hit arguably the greatest shot in NCAA Tournament history, off the Hill baseball pass to beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight, Laettner also stomped on the chest of Kentucky’s Aminu Timberlake while he was down on the court. It looked like a pro wrestling move. Duke has churned out more than its share of college hoops heels since then.

Forget that for every Cherokee Parks, Steve Wojciechowski, JJ Redick and Grayson Allen — players who annoyed opponents and non-Duke fans to the point of inspiring some to construct websites devoted to hating Duke — there are actually many more Duke players who are easy to like. Guys like Grant Hill, Thomas Hill, Chris Carrawell, Shane Battier, Jon Scheyer and, really, the entire team he’s coaching in San Antonio this weekend. I guess one rotten grape can spoil the whole bottle of Pinot.

Laettner apologized for that kick, by the way, in the documentary, which is a fair and nuanced look at how a narrative can spin out of control.

But see, that’s really the issue with Duke, at least for people who have paid much attention to college basketball in the 40 years since Duke became its most consistent force. The 1991 Duke-UNLV subtext was “program that does it the right way overcomes program that does it the wrong way.”

Time and perspective recast the late Tarkanian as a guy who had the guts to call out the farce of amateurism and big business coexisting, the guy who famously said of the rule enforcers who loved to make an example of him: “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, they’re going to give Cleveland State two more years of probation.”

Time and perspective also tell us Krzyzewski had an amazing knack for raking in the best talent in America for a guy who offered only room, board, tuition at an elite private school and his coaching skills. You don’t compete at that level for that long if you don’t swim in some murky waters at times, and if you think Duke never did, search Myron Piggie on Google. Or Marvin Bagley III.

Too many in media have wanted to confer “white hat” status on Krzyzewski as compared to, say, a Tarkanian. That’s not to say Krzyzewski didn’t do things “the right way” or that there isn’t a difference. But “the right way” used to be falsely applied to the farcical idea that some coaches were above having to deal with the underground — but very real — market. It should apply exclusively to caring about players as more than players and enhancing their development as people.

Krzyzewski’s magnificence in that area helps explain why the Duke brand is as strong as ever today. Also, just because you have an elite academic institution with a lot of top students in your program doesn’t mean you take only top students. You have to make exceptions and deal with outside forces to get the best talent all the time. Krzyzewski had the best talent all the time.

Still, there’s a “holier than thou” thing about Duke. Maybe it’s more from the outside than the inside. But it’s there. And that’s where the haters draw their inspiration.

Now that the money’s on the table, things are very different. Except that Duke still gets the best players. Duke might have another great coach, too. Scheyer has handled the enormous task of following his mentor with aplomb, with humility, with no arrogance detected. He’s hard to dislike.

But give him a championship, and some time.

(Photo of Grayson Allen and Mike Krzyzewski: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)

Mookie Betts won his second World Series in October, but this weekend will mark his first time commemorating a World Series victory with President Donald Trump.

Betts won a title with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, the same year he was named American League MVP.

However, he opted to skip the team’s celebration at the White House in 2019. 

That will not be the case this year.

“This is not about me; I don’t want anything to be about me. This is about the Dodgers. Because these boys were there for me,” Betts said, via the L.A. Times.

Betts said he regretted not making the trip in 2019, which manager Alex Cora and pitcher David Price also skipped, saying he felt he was a distraction.

“No matter what I say or what I do, people are gonna take it as political. But that’s definitely not what it is. This is about what the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year,” he said.

Cora recently admitted he skipped out on meeting Trump because he wanted to prioritize his home country of Puerto Rico. When the Red Sox visited the White House in May 2019, Puerto Rico was still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Cora wasn’t satisfied with the federal government’s response. 

YANKEES ANNOUNCER CHIDES TEAM’S FANS FOR VULGAR JUAN SOTO CHANT AFTER HE LEFT FOR METS

Other Dodgers had been asked about their status for the trip, but Betts’ decision was understandably top of mind.

“It is what it is. It comes with the territory, being Black in America in a situation like this. It’s a tough spot to be in,” he said. “No matter what I choose, somebody is gonna be pissed. Somebody is gonna have their own opinion. But, again, this is not about me. This is not about politics. This is about the Dodgers. It’s about my loyalty to these boys, this clubhouse. And that’s all it is for me.”

The Dodgers defeated Trump’s hometown New York Yankees in five games last year.

The Philadelphia Eagles will visit the White House later this month, and the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers visited earlier this year.

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The Athletic has live coverage of Texas vs. South Carolina and UCLA vs. UConn in the 2025 Women’s Final Four.

Start times matter in sports when it comes to championship game viewership. The World Series, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, the NCAA men’s basketball title game and college football national championship game, just to name a few mega-events, all commence in a prime time (on the East Coast) television window. The Super Bowl airs slightly earlier (roughly 6:30 p.m. ET) but concludes in the middle of prime time. There is a reason television programmers have historically done this, and it follows the same adage that Willie Sutton used when someone asked him why he robbed banks.

Because that’s where the viewers are.

Prior to arriving at The Athletic, I covered women’s college basketball for Sports Illustrated for more than a decade, including annually the women’s Final Four. The role gave me a window into the sport, and I could see the potential for an economic rocket shot as the players got more skilled and athletic, and programs got deeper. The past three years have shown everything points arrow up:

• In the BCC Era (Before Caitlin Clark), the 2022 title game between South Carolina and UConn drew 4.85 million viewers and peaked at 5.91 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, the most viewers in nearly two decades.
• In 2023, the championship moved from ESPN networks to ABC. The title matchup between LSU and Clark’s Iowa more than doubled 2022, averaging 9.9 million viewers.
• Last year, the South Carolina-Iowa title game drew an astonishing 18.9 million viewers on ABC and peaked at 24.1 million. It was the most-watched basketball game (men’s or women’s, college or pro) since 2019.

The last two title games tipped off at 3 p.m. ET, and there is a strong argument to be made that even with their increasingly huge TV ratings, they all left even more audience attention on the table by airing at 3 p.m. ET, rather than primetime, when more people would watch.

During my years of writing about women’s basketball, I’ve watched ESPN make a bigger commitment to its coverage, from airing more high-profile regular-season games in better programming windows to enhancing its studio coverage with dedicated women’s basketball experts. The company made the decision in 2021 to air all 63 NCAA Tournament games nationally and placed both semifinal games on Big ESPN. Now, the title game airs on ABC. ESPN recognized it had a product with growing mass appeal and acted accordingly.

The deal that ESPN signed with the NCAA last year — an eight-year, $920 million media rights agreement that featured 40 championships bundled together (including women’s basketball) through 2032 — has contractual provisions that the title game will air on ABC. This is a great thing.

But the time has come. Rather than the usual 3 p.m. ET start time — as with this Sunday’s championship game — the title game should air on ABC in prime time starting next year, and ESPN executives and the NCAA should advocate hard for this.

The ABC schedule this Sunday includes new episodes of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7 p.m. ET), “American Idol” (8 p.m. ET) and “The $100,000 Pyramid” (10 p.m. ET, and celebrity contestants include Rob Riggle, Luenell, Fortune Feimster and Rachel Dratch). That’s not exactly NBC’s Thursday night lineup in the 1990s.

The Walt Disney Co. would benefit far more in the long run from exposing one of its significant sports properties to a bigger audience because women’s basketball is going to be played on ESPN/ABC far longer than “Idol” and “Pyramid” will run on that network. American Idol drew 4.66 million viewers last Sunday while Pyramid drew  2.29 million viewers. The women’s title game would obliterate this in prime time.

Everyone wants to protect their own fiefdom at Disney, and there are legitimate challenges. Idol may have built into its contract that it can’t be pre-empted. As far as non-NFL programming, Idol also generates more than $100,000 for a 30-second spot, which is robust in 2025 for a broadcast show. So you would need a lot of executives from multiple sister partners to make this happen, but this is good long-term corporate business for the parent company. Willow Bay, the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and her spouse Bob Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, know well the power of women’s sports. Last year, the couple purchased a controlling stake in Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. Iger can make this happen very easily if he wants it.

No doubt the afternoon window has produced great viewership for the title game over the last two years, and a 3 p.m. (ET) Sunday tip has benefits, given it is an accessible time for younger fans.  (The prosecution has no objection here, your honor.) But prime time on ABC on Sunday or even Tuesday will do better.

ESPN did not make a programming executive available upon an inquiry on this topic, most likely because it is trying to be a good corporate partners. But last year when I asked this of Nick Dawson, ESPN senior vice president of programming and acquisitions, he said:

“The conversations have happened with regard to the time slot of the championship game as well as network considerations for the national semifinals. It’s an eight-year deal, so where we start may not be where we finish. As of right now, our intention is to continue with what we did — the championship game on ABC in that kind of late afternoon Sunday slot, which from a potential viewership perspective our research team has proven to us that there’s not much difference in terms of potential upside between that window and in a prime-time window.”

Though the decision would have to happen at levels above her, I asked Meg Arnonwitz, an ESPN senior vice president of production and the point person for the women’s tournament, what she thought of the idea. “What I would certainly be in support of having conversations about how we continue to put this sport in the best light possible for it to grow and give it the exposure it deserves,” she said. “We should never shy away from having those conversations.”

Added Rebecca Lobo, the lead analyst of the women’s tournament: “Moving the championship game from ESPN to ABC in 2023 proved to be a brilliant decision that took advantage of the newfound popularity of women’s college basketball. I’m curious how ratings would be impacted if the game was moved to prime time. But I also trust the leadership at ESPN to know if and when the timing is right for that.”

The women’s college game is in a great place. The Elite Eight round averaged 2.9 million viewers, the second most-watched Elite Eight on record and up 34 percent from 2023.  ESPN experienced a massive windfall with the nexus of Clark and a move of the title game to ABC. A prime time final is the next step. When you have momentum, ride it.

(Top photo: Al Bello / Getty Images)

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday the creation of a Title IX special investigations team in conjunction with the Department of Education. The new initiative aims at addressing an “increasing volume” of Title IX cases, amid a flury of controversial incidents involving trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports in recent years.

The DOJ provided an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital citing previous policies under the Joe Biden administration that enabled trans inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports for the situation the new investigations team will look to address.

“Women across America have spent the last four years disenfranchised by the Biden administration that allowed men to compete in girls’ sports – jeopardizing their safety, stealing their scholarships and stripping them of hard-earned awards,” the statement read. 

“This Task Force was created with the sole mission of going after bad actors who continue to endanger young women with woke gender ideology. It will leverage every legal resource available to ensure states and organizations follow Title IX to protect women’s civil rights and competitive sports.” 

The Biden administration took steps starting on day one of the former president’s term to enable trans inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports.

On Biden’s inauguration day in January 2021, Biden signed an executive order on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” 

The order included a section that said, “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.” 

In March 2023, Democrats advocated for a transgender bill of rights, proposing a resolution “recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights.” The resolution specifically called for federal law to ensure that biological men can “participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity; [and] use school facilities that best align with their gender identity.”

In April 2023, Biden’s Department of Education proposed a rule change that would have punished schools for preventing trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. 

The proposition was titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams.”

The rule would have outlawed individual states from banning participation in single-sex sports by gender identity rather than just sex. There are 23 states in the U.S. that have legislation in place to restrict trans athletes from competing as females in public school sports. 

WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN’S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS

In April 2024, Biden issued a sweeping Title IX rewrite that issued a ban on “sex” discrimination in schools based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions.” The rule took effect on Aug. 1, and for the first time, the law stated that discrimination based on sex includes conduct related to a person’s gender identity.

It led to more than two dozen attorneys general suing over the rule, arguing it would conflict with some of their state laws that block transgender students from participating in women’s sports.

The Supreme Court struck down an emergency request by Biden to enforce the rewrite in states that defied the rewrite in August. 

When the election came around in Novemeber, Biden’s record on the issue may have backfired on his party because it lost the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. 

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of “Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls’ and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls’ and women’s bathrooms” as important to them. 

Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was “very important.”

After President Donald Trump returned to office, he signed an executive order banning trans athletes in women’s and girls sports on February 5. However, many Democrat-led states have refused to comply with the order despite most Democrats being opposed to trans inclusion.

A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found that the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said that biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. 

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. 

Now, the DOE and DOJ are taking initiative to ensure that Trump’s agenda to protect girls’ and women’s athletes is carried out, and that those who oppose it face consequences. 

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Have Nottingham Forest worked out a foolproof method of beating the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’?

Tuesday’s 1-0 victory against Manchester United took them to 18 points from a possible 30 in their head-to-head encounters with the Premier League’s historical and financial giants so far this season.

Of the division’s other 14 clubs, only Brighton and Hove Albion can match Forest’s rate of success against Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season, and crucially, those points have put Forest into an extremely strong position in the race for Champions League qualification.

But whereas Brighton often go toe-to-toe stylistically with their more illustrious opponents, the manner in which Forest have achieved their results is even more remarkable.

 

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side rarely dominate the ball — their 32 per cent average possession is the lowest of any team in these matches. They also create relatively little — no side has a lower average xG in fixtures against the ‘Big Six’ — and they press less intensely than any other side in the division.

So how, despite seemingly lacking the hallmarks of a successful modern side, have they done it? Let’s break it down.

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While Forest have admittedly created little in ‘Big Six’ encounters, they have been highly effective at stifling their opponents at the other end. Among all games involving ‘Big Six’ teams this season, Forest’s fixtures have the lowest average combined xG at just 2.3. In matches like these where opportunities are at a premium, the opening goal becomes all the more decisive — and Forest have developed a knack for striking first, scoring the opener in 24 of their 30 league matches, more than any other side in 2024-25.

Their ability to restrain opposition attacks stems from a combination of a compact shape, direct approach, and the speed of their transitions. The results are a record of just one goal conceded in five home games against the ‘Big Six’ so far this season, with just Chelsea to come.

 

Chance creation from fast breaks is a key feature of many ‘Big Six’ teams — five of the six rank in the top six for xG from counter-attacks (Manchester City being the exception, with their more methodical build-up). But Forest rarely overcommit in possession and therefore find themselves less exposed than most teams — shown by the fact they have conceded the second-lowest xG from fast breaks in the Premier League this season.

A big reason for that is the discipline of their midfield pivots — typically Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez — who tend to hold their positions rather than making late runs into the box. Data from Footovision shows that the average distance between Forest’s midfield and defensive lines in these games is just 11.6 metres — the lowest of any team against ‘Big Six’ opposition.

That compactness carries over to their out-of-possession structure too, except here Nuno Espirito Santo generally instructs his front four to push high, apply pressure and block passing lanes, while the midfield stays deeper to provide cover.

Below is a typical example against Manchester City, where the front four are engaged in disrupting their opponent’s build-up, yet there is a large space in behind with the midfield opting to stay back and provide additional protection. The distance between Forest’s attacking and midfield lines is the sixth-highest in the league, evidence of this defined split of roles: Forest’s attackers stay high, the rest of the team stay as compact as possible.

When City do manage to play through the initial press, Forest retreat swiftly into a low block, leaving only talisman Chris Wood ahead of the ball.

This tight defensive shape frustrates even the best sides, and they often resort to attempting low-quality chances from distance. The graphic below shows where ‘Big Six’ teams are shooting from against Forest compared to other opponents. Shots from outside the box are more common, particularly in the left channel where the figure of 13 per cent is significantly higher than six per cent elsewhere.

Plenty of left-sided attempts were on show when Manchester United came to the City Ground this week, with Alejandro Garnacho a repeat offender.

Forest’s narrow structure often encourages switches of play, and here Dalot successfully finds Garnacho with a crossfield pass. But as the second slide shows, by the time Garnacho manoeuvres himself into a shooting position, Forest have bodies back in position cutting off shooting angles, and the Argentinian winger fires a wayward effort into the stands.

This defensive discipline isn’t just reserved for the big occasions — it’s something Forest have improved across the board. The average distance of shots faced has increased each season, and the jump this campaign is particularly notable.

But Nottingham Forest’s impressive points haul hasn’t come solely from a disciplined defensive setup — they’ve also needed their forwards to deliver at the other end.

Before Forest’s 1-0 home win over Manchester City, Pep Guardiola described Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga, Wood, and Morgan Gibbs-White as “exceptional players.” That assessment proved prophetic when Hudson-Odoi netted a late winner for Forest. 

Each of Forest’s attacking quartet brings something different to the table, but their skill sets complement each other effectively to provide a vital creative edge — particularly during attacking transitions, which have been a consistent source of goals against ‘Big Six’ opposition.

Although Forest often find themselves outnumbered when they break due to their defensive priorities, they consistently punch above their weight thanks to Elanga and Hudson-Odoi’s ball-carrying threat, Gibbs-White’s creativity, and Wood’s clinical finishing.

This counter-attacking prowess was on full display during Forest’s 1-0 win at Anfield earlier in the season — their first there since 1969. The winning goal began deep in their own half, where Forest regained possession before Gibbs-White picked out Elanga with a smart around-the-corner pass into the right channel.

Elanga then surged forward and delivered a pinpoint cross-field ball to Hudson-Odoi on the opposite flank, who cut inside and curled a composed finish beyond Alisson.

See more

Trademark Callum Hudson-Odoi

Our winning goal at Anfield pic.twitter.com/bfYzP75kbI

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 14, 2024

Hudson-Odoi’s clinical strike came from a low-percentage opportunity, and it would be remiss not to acknowledge the role of fortune in Forest’s season.

They’ve scored 50 goals from an expected goals tally of just 38 — the biggest over-performance in the division. While consistently taking the lead speaks to their quality, doing so as frequently as they have also enables them to execute their game plan more effectively, maintaining that compact shape rather than being forced to chase games.

Still, Forest have earned their share of good fortune this season. Their standout performances against the league’s most established sides have showcased the qualities that justify their lofty position in the table.

Nuno’s team may not play like a modern super club — but when facing teams that do, they’ve consistently found a way to thrive.

(Top photo: David Rogers/Getty Images)

Phil Mickelson admitted Friday that the tensions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have not completely dissolved, despite ongoing negotiations between the two circuits. 

However, the six-time major winner remained adamant that the rival golf league is not going anywhere because of what it offers to golf fans. 

Ahead of the first tournament of the year on U.S. soil, Mickelson appeared on “Fox & Friends” Friday morning to discuss the stark differences between the two circuits and how LIV’s unique structure taps into a market the PGA Tour has previously been unable to. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s gone,” Mickelson said of the tension. “We’re about growing the game globally, and the PGA Tour has always been about growing the game nationally. So if you look at it like that, there’s a lot of criticism that we take in the United States, but if you look globally the way LIV Golf is received, it’s incredible.” 

The Saudi-backed golf league launched in 2022 and was met with serious backlash after shaking up the golf world by drawing away many of the Tour’s biggest stars with lucrative signings. 

The fractured relationship between the two circuits appeared to be on the mend after the PGA Tour, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and the DP World Tour signed a framework agreement in June 2023. However, the parties involved failed to come to any agreement before that deal expired at the end of the year. 

Since then, President Donald Trump has gotten involved with the goal of reuniting golf.

TRUMP SAYS PGA-LIV ‘MERGE’ WOULD BE A ‘GREAT THING’ AS TALKS BETWEEN TOURS CONTINUE

“There’s always a need for traditional golf and traditional competition and the historical events, but we are not appealing to the younger crowd, historically, until now,” Mickelson added. “LIV is appealing to a younger crowd and making golf cool again and enjoyable to watch. And when you come out and watch, you have a much more relaxed feel and people are enjoying that vibe. 

“There’s a need and demand for what LIV Golf provides.” 

Trump is working to facilitate negotiations with the PGA Tour and PIF in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises. 

“Ultimately, hopefully, the two tours are going to merge. That’ll be good. I’m involved in that too,” Trump said Thursday. “But hopefully we’re going to get the two tours to merge. You have the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. And I think having them merge would be a great thing.”

The PGA Tour reportedly rejected PIF’s latest bid to invest into PGA Tour Enterprises. ESPN reported Friday, citing sources, that the tour rejected the $1.5 billion investment bid. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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