Sports
We just watched the last great golf story
“May you get what you wish for.”
—The third Chinese curse
When Rory McIlroy settled down in front of the media in the aftermath of his great, chaotic, cathartic victory at the Masters, he began his opening statement with a joke: “What are we all going to talk about next year?”
It landed. Everyone laughed, and he laughed, too. As far as I could tell, his tone was congenial, and McIlroy of all people—subject of unbearable scrutiny here and at every other major for a decade and more—had earned the good-natured dig. Behind it, though, as the night went on and I tossed the words around, I detected some deeper, more uncomfortable truth. And the truth felt ominous, and it kept me awake.
Because, actually…what are we going to talk about?
Don’t mistake me—I don’t regret McIlroy’s win. Not even a little.
There’s a rule in sketch comedy that within a scene, you never, ever solve the problem. The comedy comes from tension, so you play the problem, you prolong the conflict, and when you’ve extracted all the humor you can, you bail out. Resolution is not funny—it cuts the tension, and it’s unsatisfying for the audience. Take the famous SNL cowbell sketch as an example. Imagine if, after a minute, one of the band members had successfully stopped Will Ferrell from playing the cowbell. Party’s over, right? The two critical ingredients of that sketch are that one, the bandmates must want him to stop playing the cowbell, and two, he must never stop playing the cowbell. Whatever it takes, including the intervention of Christopher Walken’s weirdo producer, that conflict must be preserved. Extrapolate from there to the narratives of professional golf, and you could argue that McIlroy needed to keep losing majors in order to heighten the tension and prolong the action. Resolution, in the form of him winning a major, meant we would lose the story for good.
But sketch comedy is called “short form” for a reason, and in longform drama (or whatever combination of drama and comedy real life represents), delaying the resolution eventually hits a point of diminishing returns. This weekend at Augusta, that time had come; there was only one satisfying end to the long saga of Rory McIlroy’s 11-year sojourn in the desert of major championship golf:
Victory had been deferred as long as possible, and, admittedly, to great dramatic effect. Just when you thought we had run out of ways to see his heart break in the most public forum possible, fate delivered: he blew the fairytale ending at the Home of Golf, he missed the unmissable putt at Pinehurst, twice. Each loss, importantly, was an escalation on the one that came before, a dramatic heightening, and that itself is a key ingredient of a great story.
To lose at Augusta, as he threatened to do at least half a dozen times on Sunday, would have been just as unbearable, but—critical difference—it would have been unbearable in a way that undermined the journey. Pinehurst had been the absolute limit of a decade of escalations; at this point, he had been hurt a little too much. Heartbreak at Augusta would look less like an interesting setback, and more like celestial sadism.
“There’s something cruel in this,” my friend Chris said to me as we watched McIlroy dump his undumpable pitch into the water on 13. He put the words to what we all felt, and that’s when the epiphany hit: there was no longer anything interesting about Rory blowing a major. It would be a dark farce, but also a tedious one, a gratuitous one, and it would pay off emotionally only for those who enjoyed suffering for its own sake.
Whoever is writing the Rory saga seemed to get it. A decade of losses got us to where we are today, but one more loss would, paradoxically, undermine the carefully built tension. The win that transpired, on the other hand, unleashed a staggering catharsis, emphasizing the incredible competitive resilience of the “eternal optimist” whose greatness was a static fact and whose ultimate triumph came from a heroic refusal to stop trying. He was Odysseus, hellbent on getting home no matter how the gods tried to break him, until even the gods began to love him again.
McIlroy became great with the early wins, but he became heroic through his failures, and he became larger than life through his suffering. If you wanted him to win on Sunday, as I did, it wasn’t because of his real-life personal qualities, or the deficiencies of his opponents, but because you couldn’t bear to see this kind of extended suffering go unrewarded. Whatever you think of him, whatever complications you see in his actions, hadn’t he earned this? Didn’t he deserve it?
There was no better ending than Augusta. No better ending than a thousand obstacles at the threshold, convincing you he might be eternally cursed. No better ending than unbearable tension and agonizing delays right until the very end, until finally, can you ****ing believe it, victory. He’s the greatest story in sports, and I am in awe of the author who stuck the landing.
So despite a certain melancholy attached to passing time, I’m not upset that the story had to end. The string had played out. After Pinehurst, another journalist told me that golf would get a lot less interesting if McIlroy ever actually won, and I took his point, but yesterday the alternative looked even less appetizing. It was time for a series finale.
But now, to attempt to answer that original question, what are we going to talk about next?
If McIlroy’s journey had a heroic quality to it—and again, the comparison to Odysseus is too obvious not to reuse—the conclusion to that journey leaves me with a certain cynicism about what comes next. Look around, and what you see seems less like a clean slate and more like a vacuum.
What if Rory wins more majors? He might—he probably will—but none will carry the same weight. Not even close.
What if other players emerge and go on great runs? They have, and they will, but do any of them connect like McIlroy, for good and bad? Each passing generation becomes more media-trained, more single-minded, and—outside of the golf course but perhaps on it too—so much less interesting. How can they inspire anything close to the same strong feelings?
What about stories off the course? Sure, there will be plenty of those, but have you enjoyed what you’ve seen lately? Are you excited for more years of the endless PGA Tour-LIV power struggle, or the hyper-injections of money that steadily rob professional golf of it soul? Is that what we have to look forward to?
What about Jordan Spieth? OK, fair point.
Aside from a few flickering torches, though, it’s a dark landscape, and while people like me will always find something worth spending words on, what will tug on the heartstrings of the average fan?
In 1992, in the years immediately after the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukayama wrote a book called ‘The End of History and the Last Man,’ in which he argued that, to quote the simplified summary on Wikipedia, we had reached “the end-point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” Fukayama is often mocked for being very wrong about this, and the implication of my argument, that we have seen the last of professional golf’s great heroic epics, may look equally short-sighted with time. I may be a victim of the moment, influenced by a certain fatigue with the world in 2025. I’m not afraid to tell you it has happened before.
But it feels like professional golf had two great, mythic cards to play in the last decade, and it played both cards to perfection at the most mythic battlefield in the sport, Augusta National, in 2019 and 2025. What remains in the wake feels faint and ineffectual, just a shadow of the spectacle we were lucky enough to witness on Sunday.
To answer McIlroy’s question literally, there will be plenty to talk about. There always is. But to stare into the abyss of the subtext, I’m not sure it will be quite like this ever again. Even as the players get better, the stories get worse, and I can’t shake the feeling we are in the twilight of the gods.
BABSON PARK, Mass.— After a 2025 spring season that was highlighted by four All-East region selections and one athlete competing at the NCAA Championships, Babson College veteran head men’s and women’s track & field coach Russ Brennen officially announced the 2026 schedule on Monday.
For the second year in a row, the Beavers will open the season in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational on March 19-21. The Green and White come back to New England for the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Invitational on March 28.
Babson starts a busy month of April at the Coast Guard Invitational in New London, Conn., on April 4. The Beavers will be in Medford, Mass. the following weekend, beginning with day one of the Tufts Multi-Meet on April 10 and day two as part of the Tufts Invitational on April 11. The Green and White will wrap up the regular season at MIT’s annual Sean Collier Invitational on April 18.
The post-season begins with the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships at Coast Guard on April 24-25. The Division III New England Championships are slated for May 1-2 in Springfield, Mass.
Top qualifying competitors will go to the Farley Inter Regional Meet at Williams College on May 8-9. Selected Beavers will compete in the Last Chance qualifying meet at MIT on May 14, attempting to qualify for the NCAA national championships, which are at Veteran’s Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisc. on May 21-24.
IRVINE, Calif. – The University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team was picked second in the preseason Big West coaches’ poll while a trio of Rainbow Warriors were named to the seven-member preseason team – setter Tread Rosenthal, outside hitter Adrien Roure, and opposite Kristian Titriyski.
UH received 22 total points and trailed preseason favorite Long Beach State (24 points, 4 first-place votes). UC Irvine (21 points) was third followed by a three-way tie for fourth between CSUN (9), UC San Diego (9), and UC Santa Barbara (9).
Hawai’i returns five starters — Tread Rosenthal, Adrien Roure, Kristian Titriyski, Justin Todd, and Louis Sakanoko — and 12 lettermen from last year’s squad that finished 27-6 and advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals. Rosenthal and Roure were AVCA first-team All-Americans while Titriyski was named to the second team.
LBSU had two players on the preseason team – Alex Kandev and Skyler Varga – while UCSB (George Bruening) and CSUN (Jalen Phillips) both had one.
The Rainbow Warriors, who captured their fourth Big West Championship title last season, were picked No. 2 in the AVCA Preseason Top 20 Coaches poll behind UCLA. Hawai’i garnered seven first place votes, two more than Long Beach State, who was third.
2026 Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rk. Team – Points (1st Place Votes)
1. Long Beach State – 24 (4)
2. Hawai’i – 22 (2)
3. UC Irvine – 17
T4. CSUN – 9
T4. UC San Diego – 9
T4. UC Santa Barbara – 9
2026 Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team
George Bruening, R-So., Outside Hitter, UC Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, Calif.
Alex Kandev, So., Outside Hitter, Long Beach State, Sofia, Bulgaria
Jalen Phillips, R-Jr., Opposite Hitter, CSUN, Anaheim, Calif.
Tread Rosenthal, Jr., Setter, Hawai’i, Austin, Texas
Adrien Roure, So, Outside Hitter, Hawai’i, Lyon, France
Kristian Titriyski, So., Opposite Hitter, Hawai’i, Sofia, Bulgaria
Skyler Varga, R-Sr., Opposite Hitter, Long Beach State, Muenster, Saskatchewan
#HawaiiMVB
Phillips earned a nod to the preseason team for the first time, joining George Bruening of UC Santa Barbara, Alex Kandev and Skyler Varga of Long Beach State, along with Tread Rosenthal, Adrien Roure, and Kristian Titriyski of Hawai’i on the Preseason Coaches’ Team.
Phillips, a first-team AVCA All-America and first-team All-Big West selection in 2025, became the first Matador named to the AVCA first-team since Kevin McKniff and Jacek Ratazczak in 2010. He was a three-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week (Jan. 20, Feb. 24, Apr. 14) last season, leading CSUN with a career-high 456 kills, while averaging 4.22 kills per set, which ranked second in the Big West and fourth in the nation. Phillips also finished his sophomore season ranked third in the Big West in points, averaging 4.81 per set, and was 13th in hitting percentage at .293.
In the Preseason Poll, the Matadors received nine points from the conference’s head coaches and were predicted to tie for fourth with UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, which also received nine points.
Defending national champions Long Beach State earned the top spot in the poll for the second straight season, picking up four first-place votes and 24 total points in the voting. Hawai’i earned the other two first-place votes and 22 total points for second, with UC Irvine earning 17 points for third. With nine points, the trio of the Matadors, Tritons, and Gauchos round out the polling in the vote by the league’s six head coaches.
“I’m sure the Big West will be exactly what we expect it to be; it’s the best volleyball conference in the country,” said head coach Theo Edwards. “All six Big West teams are ranked in the preseason top-20 of the AVCA national poll, so I know the guys on this team will embrace the challenge ahead and are poised to make some noise in the Big West this season.”
As they’ve done 21 times in the last 22 seasons, the Matadors open the season at the annual UCSB Invitational at Robertson Gym. CSUN will meet Maryville University, Harvard, and Kentucky State over the three-day tournament, which runs from Jan. 8-10.
In addition to Phillips, CSUN returns a host of starters in 2026, including outside hitter Joao Avila, middle blockers Joao Favarim and Shane Nhem, and libero Chris Karnezis. The Matadors also welcome a talented group of newcomers in 2026, including redshirt sophomore setter Owen Douphner, who steps in for departed senior All-American Donovan Constable.
The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship at the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine from April 23-25, 2026. All six conference members will vie for The Big West’s automatic berth into the national postseason bracket.
#GoMatadors
LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball was picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the 2026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the conference announced today.
The loaded Big West also sees all six of the conference’s teams ranked in the national AVCA preseason poll. The Tritons are No. 10 nationally.
Long Beach State was picked to win The Big West by the conference’s head coaches after winning the national championship last season. UC San Diego’s projected fourth place finish is the same as the Tritons’ actual finish in 2025 after they went 18-12 overall and 3-7 in Big West play.
The 2026 Triton men’s volleyball season begins at home on January 6 against Jessup. The team’s Big West opener will also be at home as the Tritons host CSUN on March 3. Season and single game tickets are both on sale now.
The Tritons will face each Big West opponent home and away this season with the exception of Hawai’i, who will play in La Jolla twice. The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2026 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship will be April 23-25 on the campus of UC Irvine.
| 2026 Big West Men’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll | ||
| Rank | Institution | Points |
| 1. | Long Beach State | 24 (4) |
| 2. | Hawai’i | 22 (2) |
| 3. | UC Irvine | 17 |
| T-4. | UC San Diego | 9 |
| CSUN | 9 | |
| UC Santa Barbara | 9 | |
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West Conference released its 2026 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Preseason Team on Monday, with UC Santa Barbara’s George Bruening earning preseason honors. Bruening was named to the team alongside players from No. 2 Hawai’i, No. 3 Long Beach State, and No. 11 CSUN.
Bruening exited the 2025 season with a spot on the All-Freshman team as well as a First Team Honorable Mention. He was also recognized as the SBART Men’s Volleyball Athlete of the Year. He averaged 2.97 kills per set and hit .299, the highest on the team.
Additionally, UC Santa Barbara was voted to finish fourth in the conference. Their first match of 2026 will take place on Jan. 8 at 2:00 p.m. versus Kentucky State in Rob Gym.
The Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| Rank / Institution | Points (First Place Votes) |
| 1. Long Beach State | 24 (4) |
| 2. Hawai’i | 22 (2) |
| 3. UC Irvine | 17 |
| T-4. CSUN | 9 |
| T-4. UC San Diego | 9 |
| T-4. UC Santa Barbara | 9 |
The Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team
| Student-Athlete | Institution | Position | Year | Hometown |
| George Bruening | UC Santa Barbara | OH | R-So. | Newport Beach, Calif. |
| Alex Kandev | Long Beach State | OH | So. | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Jalen Phillips | CSUN | OPP | R.-Jr. | Anaheim, Calif. |
| Tread Rosenthal | Hawai’i | S | Jr. | Austin, Texas |
| Adrien Roure | Hawai’i | OH | So. | Lyon, France |
| Kristian Titriyski | Hawai’i | OPP | So. | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Skyler Varga | Long Beach State | OPP | R.-Sr. | Muenster, Saskatchewan |
Lindsey has served as an Academic Advisor at SIUE since 2008 and graduated from OVC member institution UT Martin, where she was a standout volleyball student-athlete and helped the Skyhawks to two regular season conference championships. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2002 OVC tournament.
“This is heartbreaking for all who knew Lindsey,” said Andrew Gavin, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics. “She has long been a beloved member of our athletics family, because of her infectious energy, positive attitude, and incredibly helpful and loving heart. She has provided so much support and love to countless current and past Cougar student-athletes.”
Lindsey was a member of the student-athlete success team at SIUE, working hand in hand with Deputy AD Jaci DeClue for nearly two decades. Lindsey’s support and passion helped student-athletes at SIUE achieve incredible results academically, with 39 consecutive semesters posting a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. In November, SIUE was recognized as having the top Graduation Success Rate nationally among Division I public institutions.
“Lindsey was a source of light and warmth to all who knew her, with the remarkable ability to make everyone feel seen, valued, and special through her kindness, humility, and genuine care for others,” DeClue shared. “During her 17 years at SIUE, she played a vital role in building an academic support program that served thousands of student-athletes, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, excellence, and lasting impact.
“It was truly an honor to work alongside Lindsey for the past 17 years and to witness firsthand the difference she made every single day. She will be deeply missed by her colleagues, students, and all whose lives were made better by knowing her, and SIUE Athletics will not be the same without her.”
In 2024, she was awarded the Thurston Banks Award by the Ohio Valley Conference, an award that recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to OVC student-athletes’ academic success and learning and development.
KPD: Fake youth sports team scams West Town Mall visitor out of $1,600
If Parents Want Youth Sports To Keep Going, It’s Time To Step Up
Tribute Ride: KOHR Motorsports Unveils No. 60 Mustang GT4 Honoring Greg Biffle at Daytona
Track & Field Releases 2026 Schedule
Can NIL Buy a National Championship?
Men’s Volleyball No. 2 In Big West Preseason Poll
Phillips Named to Preseason Coaches’ Team, CSUN Picked to Tie for Fourth
Tritons Picked Fourth in Preseason Big West Coaches’ Poll
Wyoming Won’t Consider FCS Despite Severe Lack Of NIL Money
Bruening Named to Men’s Volleyball Preseason Team
OVC Mourns the Loss of SIUE Academic Advisor, Former UTM Volleyball Player Lindsey Schmidt
Creighton volleyball lands Wisconsin transfer outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres
Major college football program predicted to be clear frontrunner for 4,000-yard QB
Discover Kalamazoo says tourism down in 2025, but will improve by 2027 | WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo
Sports Tourism Emerges as Economic Engine for Regional Growth
SoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
Donny Schatz finds new home for 2026, inks full-time deal with CJB Motorsports – InForum
Black Bear Revises Recording Policies After Rulebook Language Surfaces via Lever
Bowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
Robert “Bobby” Lewis Hardin, 56
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Release 2026 Indoor Schedule with Opener Slated for December 6 at Home
David Blitzer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
How Donald Trump became FIFA’s ‘soccer president’ long before World Cup draw
Wisconsin volleyball sweeps Minnesota with ease in ranked rivalry win
Michael Jordan’s fight against NASCAR heads to court, could shake up motorsports
Rick Ware Racing switching to Chevrolet for 2026
DeSantis Talks College Football, Calls for Reforms to NIL and Transfer Portal · The Floridian
JR Motorsports Confirms Death Of NASCAR Veteran Michael Annett At Age 39
Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener
#11 Volleyball Practices, Then Meets Media Prior to #2 Kentucky Match
-
Motorsports3 weeks agoSoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
-
NIL3 weeks agoDeSantis Talks College Football, Calls for Reforms to NIL and Transfer Portal · The Floridian
-
Sports2 weeks ago#11 Volleyball Practices, Then Meets Media Prior to #2 Kentucky Match
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoSunoco to sponsor No. 8 Ganassi Honda IndyCar in multi-year deal
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoNascar legal saga ends as 23XI, Front Row secure settlement
-
Motorsports3 weeks agoAccelerating Inclusion: Breaking Barriers in Motorsport
-
Motorsports3 weeks agoNorth Florida Motorsports Park led by Indy 500 Champion and motorsports legend Bobby Rahal Nassau County, FL
-
NIL3 weeks agoEd Orgeron: Paying players via NIL would only require a ‘minor adjustment’
-
Motorsports3 weeks ago
NASCAR, 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports announce settlement of US monopoly suit | MLex
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoWNBA’s Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers in NC, making debut for national team at USA camp at Duke