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Welcome back to MoneyCall, The Athletic\u2019s weekly sports business cheat sheet.<\/p>\n
Name-dropped today: Sebastian Sawe, Tigst Assefa, Brendan Sorsby, Allyson Felix, Diego Pavia, Zohran Mamdani, Hannah Vanbiber, Eric DeCosta, Steve Cohen<\/strong> and more. Let\u2019s go:<\/p>\n It\u2019s gotta be the shoes? Well \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n In a mega sports year that was supposed to be dominated by the Olympics in Italy and World Cup in North America, the clubhouse leader for 2026\u2019s most astonishing sports result just happened on a spring Sunday in London.<\/p>\n Sebastian Sawe of Kenya broke the two-hour marathon barrier \u2014 1:59:30 \u2014 while obliterating the men\u2019s world record by a minute.<\/p>\n Take your pick for the second-most mind-bending stat: that Ethiopian runner-up Yomif Kejelcha ALSO broke the sub-2 barrier or that it was Kejelcha\u2019s first competitive marathon. (Third-place finisher Jacob Kiplimo also had a time that would have broken the world record, a heck of a footnote.)<\/p>\n Women\u2019s marathon champ Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia also set a world record for a women\u2019s-only marathon (previously held by \u2026 her).<\/p>\n Adidas was another big winner: Its new Adios Pro Evo 3 super-shoe, weighing in at an absurdly light 3.42 ounces (97 grams), was on the feet of Sawe, Kejelcha and Assefa. Less than half the weight of lots of high-end marathon shoes.<\/p>\n The shoe\u2019s $500 sticker price didn\u2019t stop a near-instant sellout for a limited release on the day after London (spotted for $1,800 on eBay yesterday).<\/p>\n I checked in with a Friend of MoneyCall, Daniel-Yaw Miller, whose SportsVerse newsletter is my go-to for the intersection of sports and culture, about the marathon\u2019s impact on Adidas.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cThere couldn\u2019t have been a better way for a sportswear brand to launch a new $500 shoe, especially in the running category, than for two athletes wearing it to break such a monumental record. When it goes on wider release in the fall, it will no doubt sell out. But the real commercial benefit will be the halo effect it has on the rest of Adidas\u2019 running assortment, which is equally popular and more reasonably priced, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the race result? Even bitter Adidas rival Nike tipped its cap to Sawe, posting an ad that said, \u201cThe clock has been reset. There is no finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n (More insight about this shoe situation in \u201cWhat I\u2019m Wondering,\u201d fewer than 60 seconds of skimming below \u2026)<\/p>\n Big talkers from the sports business industry:<\/em><\/p>\n College football\u2019s massive new gambling issue<\/strong>: One of January\u2019s most-sought transfer QBs, Texas Tech\u2019s Brendan Sorsby, checked himself into rehab for a gambling problem. This begs so many questions beyond \u201cWill he play next season?\u201d Jason Kirk\u2019s Until Saturday newsletter yesterday helped me understand this a lot better. Justin Williams covers a slew of really good Qs, but I\u2019ll go with: \u201cIs the NCAA even remotely ready for what\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/p>\n March Madness expanding to 76?<\/strong> I know this news will be polarizing, but every expansion in tourney history (Men\u2019s: 8 \u27a1\ufe0f 16 \u27a1\ufe0f 22 \u27a1\ufe0f 32 \u27a1\ufe0f 40 \u27a1\ufe0f 48 \u27a1\ufe0f 64 \u27a1\ufe0f 65 \u27a1\ufe0f 68) has arguably made it better. If you enjoyed VCU crashing the Final Four in 2011 as an inaugural participant in the much-derided \u201cFirst Four\u201d \u2014 and who didn\u2019t? \u2014 why not keep an open mind? (Valid counterpoint: \u201cWorrying.\u201d)<\/p>\n MLS relocation?<\/strong> The Vancouver Whitecaps are not long for Canada, in the absence of new ownership that wants to keep investing there. Instead, the franchise looks like it is inevitably headed to the U.S., with Las Vegas a leading contender. (Vancouver\u2019s mayor: Rightfully upset!)<\/p>\n WNBA TV FTW<\/strong>: The league will offer unprecedented national TV exposure, with 216 games airing nationally across eight networks, including a seven-day-a-week strategy:<\/p>\n Monday: Peacock or USA Notably, every single one of Caitlin Clark\u2019s Indiana Fever games will air on national TV. Speaking of women\u2019s sports on TV \u2026<\/p>\n Launching today: Rose City Sports Network<\/strong>, a Portland-area over-the-air regional sports network focused on live games featuring the city\u2019s WNBA and NWSL teams.<\/p>\n LIV Golf cancels New Orleans event in June<\/strong>: Not exactly CEO Scott O\u2019Neil\u2019s \u201cexactly as planned, uninterrupted and full throttle\u201d statement two weeks ago. (Yesterday\u2019s statement from the league called it a \u201cstrategic decision.\u201d)<\/p>\n NASCAR impresario Jim France steps down as CEO<\/strong>: Current NASCAR president Steve O\u2019Donnell will replace him, which our Jeff Gluck calls \u201cmajor for NASCAR, even if it\u2019s not radical change.\u201d<\/p>\n My colleague Jordan Bianchi talked with O\u2019Donnell about the transition, getting his thesis: \u201cWe chased some other sports. And the reality of it is, we have an unbelievable sport right now, and we need to be ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Yankees\u2019 jersey brouhaha<\/strong>: We get it \u2014 \u201cwhite with pinstripes at home and gray on the road.\u201d But if players want to mix it up with an alternate road jersey that is a simple navy (already worn in spring training), not only do I think fans won\u2019t mind, but I think the jerseys will sell. Also, to Aaron Judge\u2019s point, the Yankees\u2019 current uniforms have ads on the sleeves, so how precious about all this can anyone actually be?<\/p>\n (You know which team\u2019s alt-uniforms rule? The Braves. I\u2019m not saying \u201clook good, play good\u201d is a guarantee, but given the standings, more teams should follow Atlanta\u2019s model.)<\/p>\n Other current obsessions<\/strong>: Carson Hocevar, NASCAR\u2019s Next Big Thing \u2026 Allyson Felix\u2019s 2028 Olympics comeback attempt \u2026 the World Cup tailgating scene in Boston, revived \u2026 the NFL future of Diego Pavia \u2026 the Washington Spirit\u2019s lucky plastic coyote \u2026 the NHL\u2019s league-wide fondness for the word \u201cgrind\u201d \u2026 Maryland and DC approve state-wide HS girls\u2019 flag football varsity status \u2026 YouTube TV (finally) announcing complete make-your-own-quad-box multiview functionality \u2026<\/p>\n But WAS it the shoes?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m no biomechanical engineering PhD like my father-in-law, but I would imagine that significantly reducing weight on a running shoe, along with the fancy carbon-plate tech, all compounded over 26.2 miles, could yield enough energy adjustment to help account for SOME of a sub-2 marathon result.<\/p>\n But \u2014 to paraphrase Nike\u2019s Mars Blackmon \u2014 was it the shoes? I jumped on Slack, accounted for the time change between D.C. and the U.K., and pinged my colleague Liam Tharme, who covered Sunday\u2019s race, to ask for his expert take:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cThey played a part. These Adidas shoes (the third iteration of the Pro Evo model) are the best design, and the data they\u2019ve presented (assume in-house testing) is really good. But it was also down to good weather conditions, phenomenal athletes (Sawe has run 2:02 on repeat, Kejelcha is second-best in the half marathon all-time) running together deep in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss Tharme\u2019s interviews with Sawe and Assefa.<\/p>\n Data Point: 805,000<\/strong> One more: 1,116,497,<\/strong> the PWHL\u2019s record-setting attendance during the 2025-26 season, the first time the league has gone over 1 million fans. It felt like the PWHL\u2019s single-game attendance records were a constant presence in MoneyCall, a testament to its \u201cTakeover Tour\u201d barnstorming strategy. Arrow up on this league.<\/p>\n Name to Know: Robert Lopez<\/strong> More Derby: 2026 fashion trends<\/strong> Case Study: Affordable tickets<\/strong> MoneyPoll: Running shoe budget<\/strong> Last week\u2019s MoneyPoll results<\/em>: 35 percent of respondents weren\u2019t watching the NFL Draft on TV *or* following on their phone. (TV ratings were down a bit this year, and that was with rolling up every network it was available on.)<\/p>\n Beat Dan in Connections: Sports Edition<\/strong> Great business-adjacent reads for your downtime or commute:<\/em><\/p>\n Management case study<\/strong>: Draft week with Ravens GM Eric DeCosta. There were more than a half-dozen details in this awesome behind-the-scenes reporting from Michael Silver that had me mesmerized. I think the best one is at the end \u2014 no spoilers, but the Ravens owner puts his GM hat on.<\/p>\n Two more:<\/em><\/p>\n Has Mets owner Steve Cohen been a disappointment?<\/strong> That\u2019s Ian O\u2019Connor\u2019s thesis. Given Cohen\u2019s willingness to spend profligately on this team \u2014 which sets him apart from many owners \u2014 I\u2019m inclined to say that, in this case at least, the problem ain\u2019t the big boss.<\/p>\n What happens to Tottenham\u2019s finances if the club is relegated?<\/strong> Chris Weatherspoon dug into the answer (and it\u2019s as bleak as you would imagine).<\/p>\n Back next Wednesday! Text your colleagues this link so they can get MoneyCall every week for free. And check out The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDriving the Conversation<\/h2>\n
Get Caught Up<\/h2>\n
Tuesday: ESPN
Wednesday: USA
Thursday: Prime Video
Friday: ION
Saturday: ABC or CBS
Sunday: NBC, CBS, ABC or ESPN<\/p>\nWhat I\u2019m Wondering<\/h2>\n
Grab Bag<\/h2>\n
That\u2019s how many people converged on the NFL Draft compound in Pittsburgh over three days last week, a record that seems to get broken during every year of the league\u2019s emphasis on turning the draft into the year\u2019s biggest football festival. Coming next year: D.C., with early estimates that a million people could come through.<\/p>\n
He is the head chef at Churchill Downs, ultimately responsible for the food experience for the 150,000 people who will come through on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby. That includes 17 full-service kitchens and more than 100 executive chefs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery expert we spoke to said this year\u2019s look is all about \u2018main character energy\u2019 \u2014 this intentional type of maximalism is showing up on runways, trickling down to red carpets and events like the Derby.\u201d \u2014 Hannah Vanbiber, with a must-see Derby fashion preview<\/p>\n
The partnership between the NWSL\u2019s Gotham FC and NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani to release 1,000 game tickets priced at $5 \u2014 which sold out nearly instantly, as you\u2019d expect \u2014 is a spin on the wider \u201caffordability\u201d story that more teams should embrace. Getting new fans in the door through low-cost tickets is a great way to engage.<\/p>\n
Assuming not many of us are ready to spend $500 on a pair of running shoes, what ARE you willing to spend? (Get MoneyCall via email to vote in our featured poll on Wednesdays.)<\/p>\n
Puzzle No. 583
Dan\u2019s time: 00:34
Try the game here!<\/p>\nWorth Your Time<\/h2>\n