NIL

5-at-10: Weekend winners (college softball) and losers (SEC baseball) and Scottie’s torrid stretch continues

Sign up for the daily newsletter, Jay’s Plays of the Day, to get sports betting recommendations for the top games of the night and the week ahead. Weekend winners › You know who. Yeah, more on Scottie Scheffler winning the Memorial at Jack’s Place in a moment. › Cooper Flagg. This blew my hair back. Here’s […]

Published

3 weeks ago

June 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sign up for the daily newsletter, Jay’s Plays of the Day, to get sports betting recommendations for the top games of the night and the week ahead.

Weekend winners

› You know who. Yeah, more on Scottie Scheffler winning the Memorial at Jack’s Place in a moment.

› Cooper Flagg. This blew my hair back. Here’s a report on how Cooper Flagg made $28 million in NIL money in his one year at Duke. Say what? Here’s more, and some of that — including a monster deal with New Balance — were signed after his Duke season ended. But buckets of duckets, that’s a lot of coin.

› NCAA softball. There’s star power. There’s drama. The games are quick, and the competition is intense. What more can we ask for? And the cosmic walk-off win for Tennessee had all of it. For those who missed it, UCLA’s Megan Grant hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the top of the seventh at 4. She missed home plate to celebrate, and her teammates redirected her to touch home. Technically, she’s out, but the umps decided it was not reviewable. The home run stood, but justice was served when Tennessee walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. Crazy game for sure. Karlyn Pickens is the truth.

› Paul Skenes. Dude has filthy stuff. Just nasty. His last four starts have covered 26.2 innings, three earned runs and 30 Ks.

› Royals fans. You already have Bobby Witt Jr., who is one of the best young players in the game. Now they are calling up top-ranked prospect Jac Caglianone, who crushes baseballs. Fittingly, there is no “K” for that Jac.

Weekend losers

› The NBA. Look, the TV rights money is already fixed, but when the Nos. 25 (Indianapolis) and 47 (OKC) media markets are in the Finals, it will be comparative crickets. Plus, has there been more than, say, three truly down-to-the-wire playoff games?

› Colorado Rockies. Wow. 9-50 is simply staggeringly bad. Their current season win total is over/under 37.5. Yikes.

› Atlanta Braves. Wow, part II. Atlanta has lost four straight series and are 27-31 as we pass the first third of the season. Moreover, Atlanta is fourth in the NL East and 9.5 games back of the Mets.

› SEC baseball. There was some good — I see you, Auburn — but there is a lot of drama today. It’s undeniable that the home regional stumbles for No. 1 Vandy, No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Georgia make it even impossible for Paul Finebaum to put a positive spin on this weekend for a record-setting SEC baseball season.

› Kyle Pitts’ future in the A-T-L. Have not missed on many draft prospects as badly as I missed on Pitts, whom I thought was going to be a short-list All-Pro regular tight end.

Beam them up, Scottie

OK, a couple of you regulars last week wondered aloud if Scottie deserves the gushing love that he’s getting in the golf world.

It gave me pause, and before we start etching names among the one-name all-timers — Tiger and Jack, Arnie and Phil among them — longevity has to be part of the equation.

You can be great for a few years and turn out to be, say, Jordan Spieth.

Is he a Hall of Famer? Of course. And maybe the narrative changes for Spieth if he can match Rory McIlroy’s recent career grand slam with a PGA Championship in terms of legacy.

But even if your stance on Scottie is, “Yes, he’s No. 1 in the world, but let’s see what the complete career numbers are,” well, that’s completely fair.

And likely smart.

But to dismiss this as simply a heater is underestimating how truly dominant Scottie has been over the last 18 months.

It’s June 2, 2025 — where did May go? — his numbers are staggering.

Try this one for starters: Since May 3, Scottie and the Colorado Rockies have the same number of wins. Read that again.

He has 10 wins since the Arnold Palmer last spring.

In his 12 starts this season, his worst finish was T25. He has more wins (three) than finishes outside the top 11 (two).

Sunday was Scottie’s third win in his last four starts, and he continues to join a slew of lists — including the last back-to-back at Jack’s — that include Eldrick Woods.

He’s now 9-for-9 since the 2023 Phoenix Open when leading after 54 holes.

For all the talk of Brooks being a big tournament trophy hunter, since that first W in Phoenix in ’23, Scottie has 16 wins with three majors, nine signature events and a Tour Championship.

Three players in golf history have gone from 1 win to 16 wins quicker than Scottie’s three years, 108 days. They are Sam Snead (2-182), Jack (3-52) and Tiger (3-95).

Only three players have three or more “back-to-back” wins at the same tournament over the last 30 years. Scottie (3), Phil (5) and Tiger (23).

Do I need to continue?

Does he? I can see that.

But this current streak is every bit as great since the Tiger Slam. And Scottie’s not done.

Are you betting against him any time soon?

This and that

› Inside the NBA with Ernie, Chuck and the crew had their final TNT broadcast over the weekend. The iconic show will move to ESPN next season. Ernie got upset. Shaq O’Neal got profane. Buckle up, Bristol, because there’s a new game coming to town.

› The Tour Championship is returning to stroke-play later this season. Thoughts?

› The Lil’ Miss 5-at-10 pitched well Saturday in her tournament. They got knocked out in the semifinals. She threw 11.2 innings, allowed one earned run, struck out 17 and walked one. So it goes.

› Harris English finished T12 and made $415K. Stephan Jaeger finished T39 and made $82,000.

› Olympic gold medal boxing champion in the women’s competition at the Paris Games Imane Khelif’s medical records were leaked. Imane was born a male. Goodness. Here’s more.

› Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR race in Nashville. Sometimes when you see a kid, you know, you know. When he was just a wee lad I can remember him being around the Atlanta Motor Speedway track with his dad Dave, who was a super nice dude. Every time he walked by — even then at like 5 or 6 — everyone would say, “There’s the best driving Blaney right there.”

› Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld got hitched over the weekend. Count me in team Josh-lee over team Trev-lor in football star-celebrity hook-ups.

› Head on a swivel today as the NFL calendar has moved past the June 1 cut day that allows teams to release veterans and spread the salary cap hits across multiple years.

Today’s questions

Weekend winners and losers. Go

As for Multiple Choice Monday, let’s try this. Not counting football or men’s basketball, which is your third favorite college sport to follow?

> Women’s hoops;

> Baseball;

> Softball;

> Golf;

> Other.

Discuss.

As for today, June 2, let’s review:

Wow, “The Wire” debuted on this day in 2002. Man, arguably my favorite all-time TV series.

I will rewatch that this summer.

Babe Ruth retired on this day in 1935.

Lou Gehrig died on this day in 1941.

Hey, happy June.

Rushmore of “June” and have some fun.

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NIL

Extra Points is hiring a new FULL-TIME Writer! Here are the details

Recently, we expanded our Extra Points Editorial Team to include a part-time editor. Today, I’m pleased to announce that we’re hiring again. We’re looking to add a Full-Time Writer to the Extra Points team. I don’t want to spill all the beans about the new content initiative we’re looking to launch (stay tuned, I’ll be […]

Published

6 minutes ago

June 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Recently, we expanded our Extra Points Editorial Team to include a part-time editor. Today, I’m pleased to announce that we’re hiring again.

We’re looking to add a Full-Time Writer to the Extra Points team. I don’t want to spill all the beans about the new content initiative we’re looking to launch (stay tuned, I’ll be doing that very soon), but I can share enough to start our hiring process. Here are the details:

Extra Points, a leading newsletter covering business, policy and off-the-field stories in the college athletics industry, is now seeking a writer to lead a newsletter project that will cover the “Money in College Athletics”, from NIL to Private Capital and everything in between. This is a full-time, remote, position.

Here’s what we’d really need this person to do:

Write three newsletters a week, combining original reporting and analysis with smart, value-adding curation, on issues relating to NIL, college sports business, and dealmaking in college athletics.
Take ownership of the editorial direction and voice of a new, standalone newsletter, shaping the voice, focus, and community around that brand.
Serve as a thought leader in the college sports business space.

It would be nice, but not required, if this person could also:

Here’s what we really need, experience-wise, from this person:

Experience writing about related issues professionally. This is not an entry-level position, as we’ll need a writer who is capable of being a self-starter, knows how to find and cultivate sourcing, and where to find the information that matters to our audience. We don’t necessarily need experience writing about NIL or college sports business, but we would want experience writing about business, college sports, or related industries.
A comfort level working with a small team. This is not a role where each newsletter topic can be directly assigned to you. We work very collaboratively and will be happy to provide advice and structure, but we need folks who are self-motivated.
Comfort working in a remote working environment
An understanding of what Extra Points is and who we’re writing for.

Here are some things we’d like from this person:

At least some understanding and connections within the college sports business space. Who are the relevant stakeholders, what are the major policy questions, and where to find relevant and interesting stories.
Some experience in writing for email-first audiences and platforms. Writing newsletters is slightly different from writing newspaper articles or digital-first blogs.

What we can offer this person:

A remote working environment with flexible hours. When you log in is not important to us. We have employees all over the United States right now, so chances are, somebody will be around when you are.
Annual compensation in the $75,000-$105,000 range, with opportunities for bonuses and equity.
Professional mentorship in the sports business/newsletter space

Send a resume (or link to a LinkedIn profile), a clip, and two ideas for stories you’d want to write in this newsletter to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE. We don’t need a cover letter. Please do not email me your application.

I hope this isn’t the last opening we advertise for in the near future. Your readership, paid subscriptions, advertising campaigns and Extra Points Library usage helps give us the resources we need to hire in a sustainable and healthy way.

I’ll share more updates about what we’re up to very, very soon. Thanks for reading!

Link

NIL

A look at Cooper Flagg’s multi-million endorsement deals

Cooper Flagg is anticipated to join the Dallas Mavericks as the No. 1 NBA Draft pick, potentially boosting his $28M endorsement value. DALLAS — Projected No. 1 pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, is expected to become a Dallas Maverick. That contract would increase Flagg’s endorsement value, which is estimated to be well north […]

Published

7 minutes ago

June 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Cooper Flagg is anticipated to join the Dallas Mavericks as the No. 1 NBA Draft pick, potentially boosting his $28M endorsement value.

DALLAS — Projected No. 1 pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, is expected to become a Dallas Maverick. That contract would increase Flagg’s endorsement value, which is estimated to be well north of $28 million, according to CBS Sports.

After just one season in college ball, the former Duke star became one of the highest-paid players in NCAA basketball history. One of his most notable NIL deals is a $13 million contract with New Balance.

The partnerships don’t stop there. Several other brands, ranging from internet providers to a furniture business, have also partnered with Flagg.

Here is a breakdown of Flagg’s endorsements and their estimated worth:

New Balance

Flagg struck a $13 million multi-year shoe deal with New Balance back in August of 2024, according to CBS Sports, making him one of the brand’s newest signature athletes. That was before he even stepped foot in a college basketball game. ESPN noted that New Balance manufactures a majority of its shoes in Flagg’s home state of Maine, which could have been part of the reason he chose the brand over other notable companies.

Fanatics

Fanatics announced a multi-year deal with Flagg in January 2025. This deal included trading cards and memorabilia, and according to sports journalist Howard Bryant, during his recent sit-down with Bob Costas, it is worth a staggering $15 million. The deal with Fanatics, which also owns trading card company Topps, also included Flagg’s first rookie card.

Gatorade

Flagg landed an endorsement with Gatorade prior to his first college game at Duke. This makes him the first NCAA men’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with the company, according to the Duke Chronicle. Flagg joined the Gatorade team alongside some of the biggest names in professional basketball, like Caitlin Clark, Jayson Tatum and Paige Bueckers. The estimated value of this deal is unclear.

AT&T

Dallas-based AT&T offered Flagg an NIL deal during the 2024-25 season. According to Fox Sports, this deal has not been clearly outlined outside of being confirmed, and an estimated value of the partnership has not been disclosed.

CORT Furniture

Flagg has been reported to have endorsements from the home and office furniture rental company, CORT Furniture. Specific information regarding the deal and the estimated value has not been disclosed. The partnership was confirmed after Flagg posted an Instagram video thanking the company for helping him move to North Carolina for the 2024-25 basketball season at Duke.

New Era

New Era, the apparel company, and Flagg were reportedly partnering during his freshman season at Duke. Similar to his announcement with CORT Furniture, Flagg posted on Instagram to inform the public of the partnership. Specific information, including the estimated value of the deal, was not disclosed.

NIL Store

Flagg partnered with the NIL Store brand and became the face of their new collection: “Hometown Hero”, according to On3. The collection featured throwback jerseys of Flagg’s high school, Maine United. Information regarding the estimated value of this deal is not available.

If the 6’9″ forward does become a Mav Wednesday night, his NBA rookie contract is estimated to pay him $13.8 million. Over four years, his contract will be worth $62.7 million.

If Flagg stands in a position to sign a second contract at the end of the four years, the five-year deal would be worth more than $350 million.

Link

NIL

Report: College basketball regular season expanding to 32-game limit

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, the number of college basketball games played in a season is set to increase. Norlander reports beginning with the 2026-2027 season, teams can play on 32 occasions. They will not be required to but the move allows programs to schedule more nonconference matchups any given year. “College basketball’s regular […]

Published

31 minutes ago

June 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“College basketball’s regular season is set to expand,” Norlander said. “Barring an unexpected and extremely unlikely motion to vote against, the NCAA Division I Council will approve on Wednesday an increase from 31 to 32 games, beginning with the 2026-27 season, sources told CBS Sports.”

***UPDATE*** – Later Wednesday evening, Norlander confirmed the deal was done. The change will apply to both men’s and women’s college basketball.

Norlander added that multiple team events (MTEs) are in the middle of the decision to expand. Events such as the Player’s Festival in Las Vegas can produce as many as four games in the later portion of November. Adding a game to the overall total gives schools more flexibility.

Finding some better high-profile nonconference matchups appears to be another goal, especially in the later portion of the regular season. Norlander said, “The additional game should also enable more teams to bring back nonconference opportunities in January or February.” Duke facing Illinois last year is an example, as is the Blue Devils recently agreeing to a matchup against Michigan in 2026.

As of now, no mention of expanding the calendar as to when the season begins. Early November appears to still be the target date. For example, this season’s opening night will take place on Nov. 4, spanning all the way to the first Monday in April for the national championship game.

Decision on NCAA Tournament expansion expected soon

Will the NCAA Tournament expand beyond the current format to include more teams? We should know soon enough.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the decision or whether to expand the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments for 2026 “is expected to come in the next few weeks.” Thamel notes that the expansion would be to no more than 76 schools, which would be a maximum increase of eight new teams from the current format.

Thamel also notes that the NCAA remains engaged in talks with its media partners over any potential changes. That’s no surprise, as the primary driver in any decision is likely to be maximizing viewership and revenue.

The last major expansion to the NCAA Tournament field came in 2011. At that point, the field expanded from 64 teams to 68 teams. That brought about the advent of the play-in game.

On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report

Link

NIL

How NIL money is reshaping the NBA draft | Sports

Will Wade’s work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college. It wasn’t a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year’s draft […]

Published

49 minutes ago

June 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Will Wade’s work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college.

It wasn’t a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year’s draft starts Wednesday night with its lowest total of those prospects in at least 10 years.

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Link

NIL

NIL Money Affecting NBA Draft

This year’s drop is significant when compared to the years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. There was a spike of college players jumping into the draft in the pandemic’s aftermath, when they were granted a free eligibility year to temporarily make even a fourth-year senior an “early” entrant. But those numbers had fallen as those five-year […]

Published

52 minutes ago

June 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

But those numbers had fallen as those five-year players cycled out of college basketball, and they’re now below pre-pandemic levels. That decline coincides with NIL’s July 2021 arrival, from athletes doing paid appearances or social-media endorsements to boosters forming collectives offering NIL packages amounting to de facto salaries.

As a result:

— Eighty-two players appeared on the NBA’s list of early entrants primarily from American colleges with a smattering of other teams, down 49% from 2024 (162) and nearly 47% compared to the four-year average from 2016-19 (153.5);

— Thirty-two remained after withdrawal deadlines, down from 62 last year and 72.0 from 2016-19;

— Adding international prospects, 109 players declared for the draft, down from 201 last year and 205.0 from 2016-19;

More college players weighing options

Duke coach Jon Scheyer understands draft dynamics, both for no-doubt headliners and prospects facing less clarity. He sees college athlete compensation as a “legitimate gamechanger.”

“Hopefully it allows players to decide what’s truly best for their game,” Scheyer told the AP. “It allows them to analyze: ‘Am I actually ready for this or not?’ Where money doesn’t have to be the deciding factor. Because if money’s the deciding factor, that’s why you see kids not stick. The NBA’s cutthroat. It just is.”

The Blue Devils are expected to have three players selected in the first-round Wednesday, including presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg alongside top-10 prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. They also had players sorting through draft decisions.

Freshman Isaiah Evans — a slender wing with explosive scoring potential — withdrew instead of chasing first-round status through the draft process. Incoming transfer Cedric Coward from Washington State rapidly rose draft boards after the combine and remained in the draft.

“There’s no substituting the money you’re going to make if you’re a top-15, top-20 pick,” said Scheyer, entering Year 4 as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. “But if you’re not solidified as a first-round pick, why risk it when you can have a solid year and a chance to go up or be in the same position the following season?”

College compensation is re-shaping the draft pool

Langdon, himself a former Duke first-rounder, sees that evolution, too.

His Pistons had their first playoff appearance since 2019, but lack a first-round selection and own a single pick in Thursday’s second round. Fewer candidates could make the already imperfect science of drafting even trickier in this new reality.

According to the NBA’s 2024-25 rookie scale, a player going midway through the first round would make roughly $3.5 million in first-year salary. That figure would drop to about $2.8 million at pick No. 20, $2.3 million at No. 25 and $2.1 million with the 30th and final first-round draftee.

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Link

NIL

Flagg's endorsement portfolio well north of $28 million prior to NBA Draft

Published

54 minutes ago

June 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Flagg's endorsement portfolio well north of $28 million prior to NBA Draft

Cooper Flagg is anticipated to join the Dallas Mavericks as the No. 1 NBA Draft pick, potentially boosting his $28M endorsement value.

The partnerships don’t stop there. Several other brands, ranging from internet providers to a furniture business, have also partnered with Flagg.

Here is a breakdown of Flagg’s endorsements and their estimated worth:

New Balance

Fanatics

Gatorade

AT&T

CORT Furniture

New Era

NIL Store

If the 6’9″ forward does become a Mav Wednesday night, his NBA rookie contract is estimated to pay him $13.8 million. Over four years, his contract will be worth $62.7 million.

If Flagg stands in a position to sign a second contract at the end of the four years, the five-year deal would be worth more than $350 million.