Tomorrow, Gotham FC and OL Reign will square off in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship game on Bashor Field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. A new champion will be crowned this season; Gotham hadn’t won a playoff game since 2013 and the Reign earned their first playoff win since 2015. Sixth-seeded Gotham snuck into the playoffs with the final berth and proceeded to upset No. 3 North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals and the No. 2 Portland Thorns FC in the semifinals. The Reign entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, beating No. 5 Angel City FC in the quarterfinals and upsetting No. 1 San Diego Wave in the semifinals.

Connor Stalions Resigns

With a dynamic offense and one of the most daunting defenses college football has seen in the last decade, the Wolverines are 9–0 and the No. 2 ranked team in the country. However, for the last three weeks, the spotlight has not been on any specific player; rather, it has been on 28-year-old football analyst, Connor Stalions.

A former Marine Corps officer, Stalions now finds himself in the center of the NCAA’s investigation into illegal off-campus scouting and sign stealing. Stalions bought tickets to over 30 games at 12 Big Ten stadiums and four tickets to non-conference College Football Playoff contenders over a three year span. According to ESPN, Stalions also bought tickets to the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference Championship games via the secondary market. Sign stealing is allowed in college football, but not to the extent of Stalions’ actions. Teams are able to watch film from upcoming opponents’ previous games as long as they do not go off campus and/or use electronic equipment to record a player or coaches voices or signals. NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1 states: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”

On Nov. 3, Stalions resigned amid the growing investigation into the program. He had previously been suspended by Michigan without pay on Oct. 20.

“I love the University of Michigan and its football program,” Stallions told The Athletic regarding his resignation. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with the incredible student athletes, coach [Jim] Harbaugh, and the other coaches that have been a part of the Michigan football family during my tenure. I do not want to be a distraction from what I hope to be a championship run for the team, and I will continue to cheer them on.”

C.J. Stroud’s Historic Day

With 46 seconds left on the clock and two timeouts, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans had the ball down four to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the previous play, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield capped off a 10 play, 61 yard drive by finding tight end Cade Otton open in the back of the end zone from 14 yards out to put the Bucs on top 37–33.

Stroud, the second-overall pick in the draft, proceeded to lead the Texans down the field on a six play, 75 yard drive in 40 seconds to put the Texans on top 39–37, connecting with fellow rookie and second round pick Tank Dell on a post in the back of the end zone from 15 yards out.

Stroud finished the game with an NFL rookie record 470 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and a 147.8 passer rating — the highest single game rating by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. The rookie of the year favorite became the sixth player in NFL history to record over 450 pass- ing yards and five touchdown passes with no interceptions.

At 4–4, the Texans are in the thick of the playoff hunt, sitting one game back of a wild card spot and two games back of the American Football Conference Southern Division leaders, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

NBA Slate Empty Tuesday; Players and Fans Encouraged to Vote

The NBA season is in full-swing, but on Tuesday, Nov. 7, it took a day off. For the second year in a row, the league did not have any games on Election Day.

Last season, the NBA announced they would not hold any games on Election Day in an effort to encourage teams, players, coaches, and fans to vote in their own communities, increasing overall civil engagement among the NBA community. That initiative has carried over into this season.

“The league will continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process,” the NBA said at their 2023–24 schedule announcement on Aug. 18. “As part of this initiative, the NBA will share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.”

In an unlikely matchup in the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series between two wild-card teams, the Texas Rangers dominated, winning in five games over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team’s victory is their first World Series crown in franchise history. The Rangers rebounded well after being crushed in Game 2, giving up just eight runs in the next three games. Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was named the World Series MVP for the second time in his career, joining just three other players as two-time MVPs. Pitcher Max Scherzer, outfielder Adolis García, and shortstop Marcus Semien were other key contributors to the Rangers’ success.

Although the Diamondbacks lost, they had a memorable run to the World Series, having won the fewest regular season games out of any team in the postseason. Furthermore, second baseman Ketel Marte set a record in this year’s World Series — he holds the mark for the most postseason games with a hit at 20. His streak ended in Game 5 but has cemented his name in MLB history.

LA28 Committee Proposes New Sports for 2028 Summer Games

The LA28 Organizing Committee has proposed five sports be added to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles: baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse, squash, and flag football. The first three sports have all been a part of the Olympics in the past — baseball/softball from 1992–2008 and 2020, cricket in 1900, and lacrosse in 1904 and 1908. Squash and flag football would be brand new additions to the Olympic sports catalog. The International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Programme Commission will issue a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board for these sports to become new additions. If the recommendation is accepted, the sports will then be presented to the IOC Session for approval.

For the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, there will be four new sports: breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. All four sports have seen a dramatic rise in popularity in the last few years and have established competition circuits, including the X Games for skateboarding and the World Surf League. 

MLS Playoffs get underway

The 2023 Major League Soccer Playoffs have just begun. In this year’s format, the eighth and ninth best teams in each conference — the Eastern Conference and Western Conference — played one game to determine which team earned a wild card spot. In both conferences, the eighth seed won the wild card game: Sporting Kansas City defeated the San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference battle in penalties, while the New York Red Bulls trounced Charlotte FC 5–2. Kansas City has carried their momentum into the playoffs and demolished the No. 1 seed St. Louis City 4–1. However, St. Louis, and every other team that lost the first game in their best-of-three quarter final matchup, can still make it into the semifinals by winning their next two games. The playoffs continue this weekend with No. 1 seed FC Cincinnati looking to close out the New York Red Bulls and the Seattle Sounders seeking a sweep against FC Dallas.

Pride Tape Reinstated in NHL

In June, the National Hockey League announced that it would be banning the use of “Pride Tape” on hockey sticks, along with all other “specialty” jerseys or gear. The league’s announcement came after players faced backlash last year for refusing to take part in warmups wearing “Pride jerseys,” including defenseman Ivan Provorov, who cited his Russian Orthodox religion. Some teams then didn’t partake in “Pride Night” in an effort to protect their players.

The NHL’s announcement was met with swift and sweeping backlash. Travis Dermott, a defenseman for the Arizona Coyotes, was the first to violate the ban and wrap his stick in Pride Tape. “It’s not like I’m shutting up and going away,” Dermott said in an interview with PHNX Sports. “I know more questions are going to be coming. We’re just going to be as prepared as we can be to just spread love. That’s the thing. It’s gay pride that we’re talking about, but it could be men’s health. It could be any war. It’s just wanting world peace. Everyone’s got to love each other a little bit more.”

In light of the backlash, the NHL reversed their stance on the ban. 

“After consultation with the NHL Players Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season,” the NHL said in a statement.

Fresh off a season where Nikola Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history, the Nuggets faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night to kick off the NBA’s 78th season. 

Less than five months ago, the Nuggets swept the same Lakers team in the Western Conference Finals before beating the Miami Heat in five games to be crowned NBA Champions. Prior to tip-off, the Nuggets received their championship rings with the same Lakers team watching.

Jokić clocked out with a few minutes left in the game when the Nuggets were firmly in control. He finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 119–107 victory. The rest of the Nuggets starting five from the championship team returned to Denver this season and had great games as well.

The Lakers, despite LeBron James’ 21 points and eight rebounds in his 21st year in the NBA,  had no answers for Jokić and were down double-digits for most of the game. Center forward Anthony Davis put up 17 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers in the first half, but shot 0–6 in the second half.

The Nuggets will travel to Memphis, TN to take on the Grizzlies on Friday and the Lakers will play the Kings in Sacramento, CA, on Sunday.

World Series Preview: Texas Rangers Face off Against the Arizona Diamondbacks

After two thrilling seven-game series in the championship round, the Rangers and Diamondbacks will meet Friday night. The Rangers, seeking their first-ever World Series win, will look to carry the momentum from their American League Championship Series against the Astros. After falling behind 3–2 in the series, the Rangers, led by Adolis García’s three home runs, won the next two games on the road. García took home ALCS MVP honors. 

The Diamondbacks are looking to win their second World Series in franchise history. Led by a strong veteran pitching staff and young batters at the top of the order, this year’s Diamondbacks defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games to win the National League Championship Series. Second baseman Ketel Marte, the NLCS MVP, set the record for the longest hitting streak to begin a postseason career: 16 games and counting. Outfielder Corbin Carrol, who is likely to win the Rookie of the Year Award, went 3–4 in game seven with two key RBIs. 

Game one of the World Series starts Friday night with ace Zac Gallen taking the mound for the Diamondbacks and pitching for the Rangers.

Las Vegas Aces Repeat as Champions

The Aces recently celebrated their second straight championship after defeating the New York Liberty in four games, one year removed from defeating the Connecticut Sun. They are the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back championships. 

Two-time MVP A’ja Wilson averaged 23.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game during her team’’s postseason run. The dynamic guard duo of all-stars Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray averaged 18.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 15.6 points, 6.8 assists per game, respectively. 

Next season the Aces aim to be the second three-peat champions in league history, chasing the Houston Comets, who won four years in a row from 1997-2000. 

“We coming back,” Wilson, who took home finals MVP honors, said. “We’re going to do this s—t again.”

Senior Staff Writer

Toy Story Funday Football

For the first time, a football game was played in Andy’s room from Toy Story. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons 23–7 at the London Wembley Stadium, but ESPN, which had the rights for transmission, decided to put a twist on the broadcast. In a demonstration of innovative technology, ESPN was able to track the players on the field and project them as minifigures in Andy’s room in real time. The broadcast aimed to cater to a younger NFL audience and to get them more involved while watching games. The game also had a halftime show in which one of the Toy Story characters, Duke Caboom, attempted an incredible motorcycle jump.

The broadcast comes out of a continuing effort to make NFL games more enjoyable for children. Nickelodeon has been broadcasting a game called NFL Slimetime every year since 2021. The difference is that the Nickelodeon game places effects on top of the actual game.

Canelo Alvarez retains the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship

In an incredible display for the undisputed super middleweight championship, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez beat Jermell Charlo unanimously. Canelo, who is now 33 years old, is regarded as one of the best boxers of all time. He has a record of (60–2–2, 39 KOs), with one of his losses being against Floyd Mayweather. On the other side of the ring was Jermell Charlo, who has a record of (35–2–1, 19 KOs). Charlo is also an incredibly skilled fighter and the light middleweight champion. Canelo won with the scores of the judges being 119–108 and 118–109 twice. It was clear that, after a few rounds of the fight, Canelo was dominating. Charlo was unable to land many punches: Canelo landed 134 shots, with Charlo only landing 71. Canelo landed around 35 percent of his shots throughout the match, besting Charlo and silencing recent rumors that he was losing his ability to fight.

Underdog Detroit Lions Beat Green Bay Packers

The Detroit Lions have historically been underdogs. Their last playoff win was in 1992, and they’ve yet to win a Super Bowl. Their biggest division rivals are the Green Bay Packers, who have a historically strong franchise. However, this season the roles have reversed. The Lions have gotten off to an impressive start with a 3–1 record while the Packers are 2-2. As usual, the Lions were deemed the underdogs; however, with impressive performances by quarterback Jared Goff and running back David Montgomery, the Lions beat the Packers 34–20.

The result is a demonstration of where each team stands. The Lions have a good roster this year, and under the coaching of Dan Campbell, they have been making strides towards greatness in the last few years. The Packers, on the other hand, have been on a decline. The departure of stars like wide receiver Davante Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made it apparent that the franchise is entering a rebuilding stage with the hopes that rookies shine and that players with a couple of seasons under their belts, like quarterback Jordan Love, start to demonstrate what they are capable of. The Lions face the Carolina Panthers in the next game and are the favorite to win, as the Panthers have yet to win a game. The Packers face the Raiders in what should be an entertaining game.

Ronald Acuña Breaks MLB Record

Ronald Acuña Jr., a player for the Atlanta Braves, made history becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases. This is a significant accomplishment, as it is unusual for a player to possess both the speed to steal bases and the power to have a 40-home-run season. Not only that, but a 70-steal season is also rare. These two records certainly put Acuña in the conversation for Most Valuable Player of the Year, and with a team as good as the Braves, he could go on to win the World Series. Acuña is the fifth player ever to achieve a 40–40 season and the first to achieve 40–50, 40–60, and, of course, 40–70. The last player to get 40–40 was Alex Rodriguez with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 1998.

Tigst Assefa, a former Olympian, broke the women’s world marathon record Sunday at the Berlin Marathon in Berlin, Germany. Assefa finished first place in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 53 seconds, averaging a 5:02 mile. She also finished first last year with a time of 2:15:37. The previous record, 2:14:04, was held by Brigid Kosgei from the Chicago Marathon in 2019, who won the silver medal for the women’s marathon at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

Eliud Kipchoge, widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, with two Olympic gold medals and five of the seven fastest times in marathon history, won his fifth Berlin Marathon. He now holds the most Berlin Marathon wins, outranking Haile Gebrselassie. In 2022, Kipchoge also made headlines for the men’s world marathon record, finishing the Berlin Marathon in first place with a time of 2:01:09. 

Red Bull Wins Their Sixth Constructors’ Championship

In Red Bull Racing’s 19-year history of sponsorship in the Constructors’ Championship, they have secured their sixth win through Max Verstappen’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. So far this season, Red Bull has won all but one race and will likely continue securing wins for the remainder of the Formula 1 season. Verstappen won 13 out of those 16 races, and of those 13, won 10 of them in a row — an F1 record. Red Bull has scored 623 points for this championship, vastly outranking the next-highest scoring teams, Mercedes with 305 points, and Ferrari with 285. The team also broke the record for securing the title with the most races remaining.

Individual Sports Cross Over Into Team Events

Last week, two individual sports switched gears and took part in team events. The Ladies’ Professional Golf Association and Ladies European Tour team up every two years for the Solheim Cup, a team competition that features 12 of the best golfers from the United States and 12 from Europe. Since Team Europe had won the last edition of the Cup, it just needed to tie with the U.S. to reclaim victory. Led by Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, Europe tied 14–14 with the U.S. and won its third consecutive title.

This year’s edition of the Laver Cup, a men’s tennis team event featuring the best players from Europe against the best of the rest of the world, was a blowout. After Team Europe, previously led by founder Roger Federer, won the first four editions of the Laver Cup, Team World won for the first time last year and followed up their victory with a dominant performance. Dropping only one match over three days of competition, Team World won 13–2 and will look to become three-peat champions next year in Berlin.

Miami Dolphins Score 70 Points on a Historic Sunday

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins offense scored 70 points against the Denver Broncos, the most in an NFL game since 1966. Tua Tagovailoa, the current front runner to win the MVP award this season, threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Dolphins to a 50-point victory. Running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane tacked on two and three touchdowns, respectively, and backup quarterback Mike White threw for one touchdown in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the Dolphins set multiple records, including becoming the first team to run for and pass for five touchdowns in a game, and becoming the first team to score 70 points and earn over 700 yards in a game. The Dolphins take on the Buffalo Bills Sunday in an AFC East showdown.

In a game featuring star University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes — second-year wide receiver and defensive back phenom Travis Hunter and third-year quarterback Sheduer Sanders — the spotlight was, surprisingly, not on them facing off against the Colorado State Rams defense. Rather, the focus was on the head coaches: Colorado’s Deion “Prime Time” Sanders and Colorado State’s Jay Norvell. Norvell made waves in the press earlier this week when he called Deion out for wearing a hat and glasses when he shakes hands, insinuating that he has no respect. Deion proceeded to give his entire team sunglasses in a viral locker room video. When the game started, the Buffaloes shot out of the gate. Deion’s other son on the team, fourth-year safety Shilo Sanders, had an 80 yard pick-six to get the scoring started. However, the Rams responded well and with 11:22 left in the fourth quarter, led 28–17. Colorado’s offense had been relatively quiet, in part due to Hunter going down early in the second quarter after taking a big hit to the midsection from third-year Rams safety Henry Blackburn. The hit resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and left Hunter with a lacerated liver, which is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. Even without Hunter, Sheduer led the Buffaloes on two straight scoring drives: a 41-yard field goal from second-year Alejandro Mata and a 98-yard drive capped off by a 45-yard touchdown pass from Sheduer to third-year Jimmy Horn Jr. to tie the game at 28 apiece heading into overtime. Both teams scored in the first overtime period, knotting the game at 35–35. Sheduer scored his fourth touchdown when he connected with third-year walk-on Michael Harrison in double OT for Harrison’s second touchdown of the game. Sheduer connected with fourth-year Xavier Weaver for the two point conversion, putting the Buffaloes up 43–35. The Rams could not score on their ensuing drive, and Colorado escaped with a win, defeating the 0–2 Rams to move to 3–0 on the season. According to ESPN, it was the most streamed college football game of the season. 9.3 million people tuned in to see what Sanders — Deion, Sheduer, and Shilo —  and their teammates could do, and they were not disappointed. Viewership records may be broken again next week when No. 19 Colorado travels to Eugene, OR to face the No. 10 Oregon Ducks. 

Browns vs. Steelers: Deshaun Watson’s Struggles Continue

It’s the first play of the game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh: 1st & 10 at the Cleveland 25. Steelers fans are on their feet, Terrible Towels are twirling throughout the stadium, and Browns fans are full of optimism that their team can start 2–0 for the first time since 1993. The ball was snapped and, shockingly, Watson missed tight end Harrison Bryant on a five-yard out route. The Steelers’ Alex Highsmith was there to intercept the pass, and he returned it 30 yards to the end zone to give the Steelers an early 7–0 lead. Those nine seconds sum up Watson’s time in Cleveland—immense optimism and anticipation that hasn’t yet come to fruition. Watson finished the game completing just 22 of 40 pass attempts for 235 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. On top of that, he was sacked six times, including a game-losing fumble that was returned for a touchdown, and called for two 15-yard facemask penalties that negated positive drives for the Browns. For a $230 million dollar quarterback who the franchise also gave up six draft picks to acquire, he’s not playing well enough. Watson, the 2017 Rookie of the Year and 3x Pro-Bowler, is trying to get back to his caliber of play in 2019-20, when he led the Texans to the AFC Divisional Round before losing 51–31 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, Watson has dealt with more problems off the field than on, but the Browns still believed in him enough to build their franchise around him. Following a 26–22 loss to the Steelers, Watson and the Browns will have a chance to get back above .500 next week when they face Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans at home. 

World Record Smashed: Gudaf Tsegay Runs a 14:00.21 in the Women’s 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic

This past weekend at the annual Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, OR, 26-year-old Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia shattered the world record in the women’s 5000m, running an implausible 14:00.21. The previous record, 14:05.20 was set in June by Faith Kipyegon of Kenya. Coming into the race, Tsegay held the fourth-fastest time in history at 14:12.29. At this year’s world championships in Budapest, Hungary, Tsegay won gold in the 10,000m, finishing in 31:27.18. She has now dominated two of the most important events in the last year.

“My focus for today was the world record,” Tsegay said.

Ethiopia now holds six of the top eight times in the history of the women’s 5000m.

At the Stade de France, the host team won the opening game of the 2023 Rugby World Cup 27–13 against three-time champion New Zealand. Though France started off down 5–0 against the All Blacks, Les Bleus’ defense kicked in toward the end of the first half, with fullback Thomas Ramos aiding in the 9–8 home advantage going into the break. The game was no longer in doubt when Melvyn Jaminet scored France’s final try. 

Gauff and Djokovic Win Big at 2023 U.S. Open

Last Saturday, Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam title after an intense start to her match against new world No. 1 singles player Aryna Sabalenka, winning a rocky 3-set battle 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. Gauff took the tennis world by storm after entering Wimbledon in 2019 as a wild card at 15 years old and defeating four-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, a childhood idol. 19-year-old Gauff entered the U.S. Open at world No. 6 and exited at a career-best No. 3.

On Sunday, Novak Djokovic’s return to the U.S. Open resulted in his 24th Grand Slam title, making him the oldest man to ever win the U.S. Open at 36 years old. The Serb cemented his status as one of the greatest players of all time with his straight sets win against Daniil Medvedev, 6–3, 7–6, 6–3. Djokovic had missed out on the 2022 U.S. Open due to his refusal to get the COVID vaccine. In a recent interview with former professional tennis player John McEnroe, Djokovic clarified his stance on vaccination.

“I was never anti-vax,”he said. “I was always pro-freedom to choose.”

Neymar Passes Pele’s Goal Count 

Brazil’s 5–1 victory over Bolivia last Friday was not just a victory for the country, but also for new all-time top goal scorer Neymar Jr., who surpassed the great Pelé. In the 61st minute of the World Cup-qualifying match, Neymar  achieved his 78th goal in his international career. His second goal of the game, which came about 30 minutes later, earned him his 79th international goal. 

“I want to say that I am not a better player than Pelé,” Neymar  said after the match. “I always wanted to make my own story, write my name in the history of Brazilian football and the national team. And today, I did that.”

Germany Wins 2023 FIBA World Cup

Germany was named the 2023 FIBA World Cup champion after defeating Serbia 83–77 and snagging the gold medal for the first time ever. The victory last Sunday capped off an unexpected run for the country through the World Cup — Germany won their last basketball-related tournament at EuroBasket in 1993. Serbia entered the tournament without talented players like reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokić, who could have potentially made a difference in the closely contested final. 

Aaron Rodgers’ Inaugural 2023 Season With Jets Last 75 Seconds

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers made his highly anticipated debut with the New York Jets last Monday. The hype fizzled out immediately when Rodgers was carted off due to an injury just four plays into the game. An update posted to the Jets’ website clarified that Rodgers had torn his Achilles tendon, cutting his 2023 season short. At 39 years old, Rodgers is the second-oldest player in the league, but experts are not ruling out the possibility that with aggressive rehabilitation and surgery, Rodgers could return next season for his 20th year in the NFL. Rodgers ended his Instagram post on Wednesday with a few words of hope for his fans: “The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again.”

International Basketball Federation Men’s Basketball World Cup: The FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup features 32 different countries, ranging from Australia to South Sudan. Players come from the NBA, G League, and international leagues to represent their home countries. For many players, the World Cup is a prime opportunity to build their international reputation.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has garnered the nickname Captain America, leading the US in scoring an average of 17.3 points per game. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading team Canada, averaging 25 points per game to lead all players. Then there’s Slovenia’s Luka Dončić, guard for the Dallas Mavericks, who has dominated international play since his teenage years. The trio of Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dončic have combined for six All-NBA selections, despite all three athletes being under 25 years old.

FIBA rules differ from the NBA in three main ways: the three point line is shorter, quarters are only 10 minutes long, and players are allowed to be more physical.

“Scoring is easier in the NBA just because of the different rules,” Dončić said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

Gilgeous-Alexander and team Canada faced Luka Dončić and team Slovenia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, leading Canada past Slovenia 100–89. They play team Serbia in the semifinals Friday, Sept. 8. Edwards and team USA will face off against Germany in the semifinals, following Canada vs. Serbia.

Betts vs. Acuña; Most Valuable Player Race Heating Up: The National League MVP race is heating up in the last month of the season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ utility player Mookie Betts and the Atlanta Braves’ outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. both leading their respective teams to the top two records in the NL. The two matched up this past weekend, with the Braves winning three out of four games in Los Angeles. Acuña went 6/17 in the series with three home runs, including a 454 foot shot off of Emmet Sheehan at 121.2 mph, the third fastest home run in the statcast era. Betts finished the series 5/15 with two home runs while playing gold-glove level defense at right field and second base.

Betts’ season statline sits at .313/.410/1.019, 38 home runs, and a 7.9 Wins Above Replacement. Acuña’s line sits at .332/.412/.988, 33 home runs, 63 stolen bases, and a 6.6 WAR — the only 30 home runs/60 stolen bases season in MLB history. Betts, 30, is widely considered one of the top outfielders in the league and is on a path to win the second MVP of his career in Cooperstown if he keeps up this pace. Also possibly on a path to Cooperstown, Acuña, 25, is recementing himself among the best young superstars in the game after recovering from a torn ACL. In a race this close, it may come down to who finishes the season on a higher note.

University of Colorado Boulder vs. Texas Christian University: When Colorado hired Deion Sanders last December, lofty expectations were placed on the shoulders of the Hall of Famer, known to fans as Prime Time. Sanders led his previous school, Jackson State University, to a 12–1 record in 2022. The Colorado Buffaloes were coming off a 1–11 season and, in hopes of finding similar success, gave Sanders a contract with money they did not yet have.

Coach Sanders brought in 86 new players this season, an unheard of amount of recruits. The most notable additions to the roster include his oldest son, thirdyear and dual threat QB Shadeur Sanders, and second-year Travis Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback with the potential to be the first constant contributor on offense and defense in NFL history.

The Buffaloes went into Fort Worth and beat No. 17 TCU 45– 42 in a captivating display of offense, athleticism, and star power. In a game where the Buffs were 21 point underdogs to last year’s National Championship finalists, their stars put up impressive statistics. Sanders threw for a program-record 510 passing yards and four passing touchdowns, Hunter had 11 receptions for 119 yards while adding an interception and a broken pass on defense, and four-star first-year running back Dylan Edwards had 159 all-purpose yards with four touchdowns.

Colorado, now with the national media’s attention, heads to Nebraska next week to take on the 0–1 Cornhuskers. Some would say Colorado football is officially prime time.

The club holds space for a community of pet lovers and sports fans who share a love for their animals and the Crimson and Gold. As stated on their website, the club believes that pets and athletics are both about “excitement, playfulness, and a drive for adventure.”

Assistant Director of Athletics Communications and Digital Media Strategist Amanda Phillips was the leading force in the new club. Phillips sat down with Natalie Winkelfoos, Oberlin’s associate vice president for athletics advancement and Delta Lodge director of Athletics & Physical Education, and Creg Jantz, the senior associate director of Athletics, in January 2023 to consider how the club would operate.

It took the team just a few months to put all their ideas into action, and the Oberlin Pet Club became official in the spring of 2023.

Membership is open to all members of the Oberlin community, including students, residents, alumni, faculty, staff, and family. Members who register their pets will receive free Oberlin bandanas. There is no cost to join the club, and club events are also free.

Admissions counselor and women’s lacrosse alum Leah Crowther, OC ’21, who oversees California and Minnesota in admissions, is also helping to pioneer the club.

“The purpose is broadly to create community,” Crowther said. “Because the club is open to students, staff, and Oberlin residents, the idea is to make opportunities to meet new people and encourage maybe some new faces to come to Athletics events. Few of us are immune to the lure of a puppy party.”

Upon graduating, Crowther applied to become an admissions counselor for Oberlin because she wanted to share her love and pride of Oberlin with others, especially prospective students. Crowther also adopted Dolly, a long-haired miniature dachshund. Now three years old, Dolly is the face of the Oberlin Pet Club.

“I like to think I got involved because of Dolly’s sparkling reputations,” Crowther said, “But truthfully I am friends with Amanda and she approached me with the idea. Dolly loves people and pets so we both knew she would be a great club member.”

Dolly’s “petfluencer” counterpart is Ziggy, an orange tabby cat who is a member of Michael and Lillian McFarlin’s family. Michael currently works in Mary Church Terrell Main Library and his daughter Lillian is a third-year on the women’s track and field team.

Phillips is hoping people register a variety of pets, from dogs and cats to bearded dragons and fish.

“We want [the club] to be all-inclusive. We want to see pets of all kinds,” Phillips said. “We’ve got goats in there, we want to see bearded dragons, we want to see your birds, we want to see your pigs, your non-traditional pets.”

For more information on the Oberlin Pet Club, visit goyeo.com/ oberlinpetclub or email Amanda Phillips at aphilli2@oberlin.edu.

On Feb. 15, the Republican-led House of Representatives introduced 52 bills to be referred to House committees. One of these bills is the Save Women’s Sports Act, written into House Bill 6, which is included under the family protection section of the House’s legislative priorities.

Jena Powell, representing Ohio’s 80th District and currently serving in her third term as representative, formally announced her plans to reintroduce the bill to the 135th General Assembly. Powell originally introduced the bill three years earlier in February 2020. However, both versions of the bill failed to make it past their respective chambers of the General Assembly, with the most recent rejection in December 2022.

“The Save Women’s Sports Act is a fairness issue for women,” Powell said when introducing the new version. “This bill ensures that every little girl who works hard to make it on a podium is not robbed of her chance by a biological male competing against her in a biological female sport. We want every little girl to achieve her athletic dream here in the state of Ohio.”

Much of the language of HB 6 is copied from HB 61, the original version of the Save Women’s Sports Act, and there is no new content written into the bill. Un- like previous iterations, it does not explicitly mention how sex would be checked for athletes. Last June, the bill came under fire for including controversial “genital inspections.” Despite the blowback, House Republicans are unwilling to relinquish the prospect of creating an enforcement mechanism for “gender verification.”

“We are working on — or haven’t completed the language on that,” Speaker of the House Jason Stephens said in reference to the genital inspections plank. “I think it’s much, much better — we have over 18 states that have passed similar legislation.”

While there are no requirements for athletes to prove their sex, the bill prohibits accredited organizations or athletic associations from investigating or taking action against schools or individuals for upholding the regulations in this bill. The bill grants two private causes of action, one to schools if they experience direct or indirect harm as a result of maintaining “separate single-sex” sports teams, and one to students who experience retaliation from their schools or deprived of athletic opportunities for reporting a trans athlete on their team.

“Any participant who is subject to retaliation or other adverse action by a school, school district, interscholastic conference, or organization that regulates interscholastic athletics as a result of reporting a violation of this section has a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available against the entity that takes the retaliatory or other adverse action,” the bill reads. HB 6 would apply to all K-12 schools and colleges in the state, both public and private.

As previously reported by the Review, there is only one known transgender high school athlete playing on a varsity high school team in the state of Ohio. Additionally, both college and high school trans athletes must go through rigorous testing. Specifically, trans women are required to have undergone one year of hormone replacement therapy, and they must compete on the men’s team beforehand. No high school trans athlete has ever won a state championship in Ohio.