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The NCAA's House settlement brings about a new era of college sports

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🚨 Headlines

🏆 Panthers 6, Oilers 1: The defending champs returned home in style, clobbering the Oilers in a physical Game 3 to seize control of the Stanley Cup Final. Tensions flared all night and ultimately led to a full-out brawl in the third period.

⚾️ Final ticket punched: Murray State is headed to the College World Series for the first time ever after upsetting Duke, 5-4, to secure the final spot in the eight-team tournament. The action begins Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.

🏈 NFL succession: Ownership of the Colts has officially passed to Jim Irsay's three daughters in the wake of their father's death last month. The eldest daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, will serve as principal owner and CEO as part of "longstanding plans set forth by Jim."

🥎 Historic viewership: Game 3 of the Women's College World Series final drew 2.4 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-watched college softball game ever. Games 1 and 2 each drew 2.1 million viewers, the largest audience ever for the first two games.

🏈 Chubb to Houston: Four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texans. It's a fresh start for Chubb after knee and foot injuries limited him to 10 games over the past two seasons.

🎓 A new era of college sports

The NCAA's landmark settlement of three antitrust cases was finally granted approval on Friday, ushering in a new era of college sports where schools will pay athletes directly.

Key details:

Revenue sharing: Starting July 1, schools that opt into this new system (most D-I schools) can share up to a certain amount of revenue with athletes annually. The "cap" for Year 1 is projected to be $20.5 million and will go up from there.
Enforcement: A new non-NCAA entity called the College Sports Commission will enforce revenue-sharing rules, while a Deloitte-run clearinghouse dubbed "NIL Go" will review contracts between athletes and third-parties (brands, boosters, etc).
Backpay: The NCAA will pay thousands of former athletes (playing from 2016-2024) a whopping $2.8 billion in backpay from lost NIL compensation.
Roster limits: Scholarship limits will be replaced with roster limits, with a caveat: Schools may grandfather-in current athletes, those who've been cut this year due to the impending limits and recruits who enrolled on the promise of a roster spot.

The money, explained: From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger:

The cap is calculated by taking 22% of the average of certain power school revenues, most notably ticket sales, television dollars and sponsorships. In Year 1, the cap amount is projected to be $20.5 million.

While each school is charged with determining how to distribute those funds, most power conference programs are planning to distribute 90% to football and men's basketball, as those are, for the most part, the only revenue-generating sports for an athletic department.

In Year 1, that's about $13-16 million for a football roster and $2-4 million for men's basketball, with the remaining amount shared with women's basketball, baseball, volleyball and other Olympic sports.

While the 22% cap will remain the same through the 10-year settlement agreement, the cap money figure will rise based on built-in escalators (4% increase in Year 2 and Year 3), scheduled recalculations (after each third year) and additional cash flows into athletic departments.

Ohio State AD Ross Bjork told Yahoo Sports this summer that he expects the cap to break $25 million by the time the Year 4 recalculation happens.

What's next: The settlement's approval is the first in what many college leaders describe as a two-step process to bring stability to the landscape. Step 2: lawmakers producing a federal bill to codify the settlement terms and insulate the NCAA and its members from legal challenges. Five senators have been meeting regularly to discuss legislation, and a bill could be introduced in the House this week.

⚾️ Catch of the Year!

(Tom Wilson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke made one of the best catches you'll ever see on Monday night, scaling the wall at Angel Stadium and nearly launching his body over the fence to rob a home run.

(John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

On the call: "I've seen the list of the greatest catches you're ever going to see in your life. If you don't have room for this one, we're watching two different sports," said A's commentator Dallas Braden. Meanwhile, on the Angels broadcast: "He caught it!! I can't believe it!! How did he do it?!"

Instant impact: Clarke is just 16 games into his big league career, and he's already submitted two entries for Catch of the Year. Monday's robbery came just three days after he put his body on the line to make this sensational catch.

📊 By the numbers

Scheffler signs autographs for fans during Monday's U.S. Open practice round. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

⛳️ +275

Scottie Scheffler, who has won three of his past four starts, is an overwhelming +275 favorite (via BetMGM) to win this week's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Those are the shortest odds entering the U.S. Open since Tiger Woods was +175 in 2009.

💵 $2.8 billion

The attorneys who shepherded the $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement to fruition for hundreds of thousands of college athletes will share in over $475 million in plaintiff legal fees, and that figure could rise to more than $725 million over the next 10 years.

⚾️ 43 multi-HR games

Aaron Judge had his 43rd career multi-HR game on Sunday, tying Lou Gehrig for the third-most ever by a Yankee. Only Babe Ruth (68) and Mickey Mantle (46) have more.

🏀 2 players

How good has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander been this season? He just joined Michael Jordan (1991-92) as the only two players in NBA history to put up 3,000 points, 600 assists, 150 steals and 80 blocks in a single campaign (including playoffs).

⚽️ 89 goals

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku scored his 89th career international goal on Monday, tying Malaysia's Mokhtar Dahari for the fifth-most ever. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (138), Argentina's Lionel Messi (112), Iran's Ali Daei (108) and India's Sunil Chhetri (95) have more.

⚾️ Early grades for top 10 MLB free agents

MLB's biggest offseason signings have yielded mixed results so far. Here are early grades for the Top 10 free agents, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman.

Juan Soto, Mets (B-): The highest-paid player in baseball history should be held to the highest possible standard, and Soto simply hasn't met it yet. But that could change in a hurry as he starts to heat up, with 3 HR and a 1.250 OPS in his last 10 games.
Rōki Sasaki, Dodgers (C): For as special as his splitter is, the Japanese phenom doesn't have a great fastball and his command remains shoddy at best. Hence his underwhelming numbers (4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP) through his first eight big league starts.
Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks (B/Incomplete): Arizona's $210 million ace was ruled out for the season on Friday (Tommy John surgery), ending what had been a strong start to his tenure (2.66 ERA in 11 starts).
Alex Bregman, Red Sox (A-): For all the roster construction drama that has swirled around since his arrival, Bregman himself was thoroughly fulfilling his obligations (11 HR, .938 OPS, 3.0 WAR) until his quad injury last month.
Willy Adames, Giants (C-): It's been a struggle at the plate for San Francisco's new shortstop (.193 BA, .584 OPS, -0.5 WAR), who has been moved down in the order as he looks to find his stride.
Blake Snell, Dodgers (D/Incomplete): The two-time Cy Young winner hit the injured list (shoulder) after just two starts. He's working his way back and is scheduled to throw a bullpen in the coming weeks.
Max Fried, Yankees (A): Fried has been phenomenal (8-1, 1.78 ERA) and his presence has been crucial in the absence of ace Gerrit Cole and reigning ROY Luis Gil.
Pete Alonso, Mets (A): After failing to secure a long-term deal in his first go at free agency, Alonso's red-hot start (17 HR, .990 OPS, league-leading 61 RBI) has him primed to land a deserved, if delayed, monster payday this winter.
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers (B): Los Angeles re-signed Hernández for his bat and he continues to slug. But his complete refusal to draw walks continues to limit his impact (.290 on-base percentage).
Christian Walker, Astros (D+): The veteran first baseman is off to a rough start in Houston (.207 BA, .619 OPS, -0.7 WAR), where his strikeouts have spiked and walks have plummeted.

Go deeper: Grades for the top 25 free agents

📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, June 10

Mauricio Pochettino is 5-0-4 as USMNT manager. (Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

⚽️ USMNT vs. Switzerland | 8pm ET, TNT

The Americans hope to snap their three-game losing streak in today's friendly in Nashville, their final match before the Gold Cup begins this weekend.

⚾️ Yankees at Royals | 7:40pm, TBS

A couple of southpaws with eye-popping numbers take the mound in Kansas City: Cy Young contender Max Fried (8-1, 1.78 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) vs. Royals rookie Noah Cameron (2-1, 0.85 ERA, 0.79 WHIP).

🏀 Sky at Liberty | 8pm, ESPN

The defending champion Liberty (8-0) host the reeling Sky (2-5), who just lost starting PG Courtney Vandersloot for the year (torn ACL).

Today's full slate →

⚾️ Ballpark trivia

Question: What's the name of the ballpark pictured above?

Answer at the bottom.

⛳️ Manicured to perfection

There's beauty in that bunker. (U.S. Open)

Shout out to the maintenance crew getting Oakmont Country Club in mint condition for this week's U.S. Open. Some wielded lawnmowers, some operated heavy machinery and others manicured greens with barber-like tools. The real MVPs.

Trivia answer: Oracle Park (San Francisco)

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