According to BetOnline, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is in line to be the next speaker of the House after Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out. Currently, Scalise has even odds to be elected as the next Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

At even money, Scalise has an implied probability of 50% of being elected. The betting odds indicate that Scalise doesn’t have much competition. Following Scalise, Rep. Patrick McHenry and Rep. Elise Stefanik has the second-best odds at +500.

Interestingly enough, McCarthy is the third-likeliest Speaker of the House. Per BetOnline’s odds, McCarthy is +600 to regain his seat as speaker. However, McCarthy reportedly informed House Republicans that he will not run again.

On Tuesday, McCarthy was canned following a 216-210 vote. In a last-ditch effort, McCarthy and some of his colleagues introduced a vote to stymie his removal. However, the attempt failed and McCarthy was subsequently voted out of his position.

Rep. Matt Gaetz Behind Republicans Push To Unseat McCarthy

On Monday, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz started the formal process of removing McCarthy as the House speaker. Referred to as a “motion to vacate”, Gaetz proposed a vote to pull McCarthy from the House.

“I believe the basis for the motion to vacate is Kevin McCarthy’s repeated breach of the agreement that he made in January,” Gaetz claimed.

Gaetz disclosed several objections to McCarthy’s job as Speaker. In particular, Gaetz was not pleased with President Biden and McCarthy’s deal to increase the debt limit and higher spending over the next two years.

Additionally, Gaetz raised questions regarding McCarthy’s involvement in relying on votes from Democrats to pass a spending bill to prevent a government shutdown. On Saturday, President Biden signed a stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown for at least the next 47 days.

Lastly, Gaetz has been critical of McCarthy’s rumored agreement with the White House to pass more government funding for Ukraine. With roughly a dozen Republicans siding with Gaetz, there was enough support to remove McCarthy.

JUST IN: Matt Gaetz calls Kevin McCarthy a “feature of the swamp” after reporter tells Gaetz that people think he is a narcissist.

“It’s the benefit of this country that we have a better Speaker of the House than Kevin McCarthy.”

“Kevin McCarthy couldn’t keep his word. He made… pic.twitter.com/58I9DCFpjs

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 3, 2023

With growing distrust from Democrats, McCarthy faced long odds to remain as the Speaker of the House. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was absent from the vote, but clarified where the Democrat Party stood on the issue:

“The Speaker of the House is chosen by the Majority Party,” Pelosi wrote on X. “In this Congress, it is the responsibility of House Republicans to choose a nominee & elect the Speaker on the Floor. At this time there is no justification for a departure from this tradition. The House will be in order.”

At +600 odds, McCarthy has an implied probability of 14.3 percent of getting his speakership job back. However, according to his comments regarding not running, McCarthy has a 0 percent chance and his odds should be taken off the board.

Patrick McHenry Installed As Interim House Speaker

Until a vote to elect a new speaker is held, North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry will serve as the interim speaker. No official date has been held to elect a new speaker, but it could come as soon as next Wednesday.

In McHenry’s first act as speaker, he ordered Pelosi to vacate her Capitol hideaway office. At the moment, Pelosi serves as the Speaker Emerita after resigning from her position as House speaker in 2022.

McHenry claimed that her office is scheduled to be used for speaker space. The former speaker quickly denounced the request by McHenry.

“Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems to be important to them. Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let’s hope they get to work on what’s truly important for the American people,” said Pelosi.

McHenry has +500 odds of being elected as the House’s new speaker. In January, McHenry was at the top of McCarthy’s list of replacements in case of his absence. McHenry has been a longstanding ally of McCarthy.

Former President Donald Trump is eligible to be elected as the Speaker of the House, with at least one Republic is on the board with the idea. Texas Rep. Troy Nehls will reportedly file paperwork to nominate Trump as next Speaker of the House.

However, BetOnline does not currently offer odds on Trump becoming the next speaker.

There is a new odds-on favorite to win the 2023-24 NFL MVP award. The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen is the new betting favorite to be crowned league MVP at the end of the season. Allen throttled up the board, as he went from the third-best odds (+700) to the betting favorite (+350) at BetOnline.

Allen surged past Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa to become the new NFL MVP favorite. The Bills’ star QB has an implied probability of 22.2 percent to win the NFL MVP.

Before Allen’s standout performance against the Dolphins, Allen had an implied probability of 12.5 percent. Allen was +800 to win the NFL MVP entering the season. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow had the second-best odds at +750, while Mahomes was favored at +650 odds.

Through Week 4, Mahomes has dropped into a tie with Tagovailoa to win the NFL MVP. Currently, Mahomes and Tagovailoa have +500 odds to win. With 2023-24 NFL MVP odds at +1800 going into Week 1, Tagovailoa has been one of the biggest odds movers.

Allen and Bills Torch Dolphins In Statement Win

Allen’s performance against the  Dolphins sent his NFL MVP odds soaring. The two-time Pro Bowler scorched the Dolphins’ defense for 320 passing yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions on 21/25 passing.

His presence was felt on the ground, too. Allen ran for 17 yards and a touchdown on the Dolphins. Allen’s effort led the Bills to a season-high 48 points in a 48-21 win in Week 4. Following the win, Allen said that the Bills were looking to score on every possession.

“Our thought process every time we touch the ball is to score, whether that be six or three,” stated Allen after his team’s blowout win over the Dolphins. “No turnovers today, which is great, but I still think there’s some things we can clean up.”

Due to the big win, the Bills lead the AFC East at 3-1 on the season. Currently, they own the tiebreaker over the Dolphins. The New England Patriots and New York Jets are not considered a threat to the Bills and Dolphins in the AFC East.

Allen’s numbers have taken a much-needed hike since beating the Dolphins. Overall, this season, Allen has passed for 1,048 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions. He has been incredibly efficient, with a completion percentage of 74.8%.

Bills’ Super Bowl 58 Odds React To Win

The ultimate goal for Allen and the Bills is to win Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Following the 48-21 victory, the Bills’ Super Bowl 58 odds reacted favorably.

The Bills have moved from +1000 to +700 odds of winning Super Bowl 58 at BetOnline. Conversely, the Dolphins’ Super Bowl odds dropped from +900 to +1200.

Bettors are not confident in the Dolphins being equipped with a strong enough defense after they were chased off the field by the Bills. Confidence in Tagovailoa’s MVP chances suffered a hit as well.

In Week 5, the Bills are scheduled to head to London for an international matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are in what many people consider a “get right” spot against the New York Giants.

Joe Burrow’s NFL MVP Odds Tanking

As Allen’s NFL MVP odds surge to the top of the odds, his AFC rival, Joe Burrow, has witnessed his odds fall off considerably. Excluding Aaron Rodgers’ injury, Burrow has had the most significant dive in the NFL MVP betting markets.

Burrow entered the season trailing only Mahomes for the best NFL MVP odds. However, he has fallen off the map since then. Currently, Burrow has +7500 odds to win the top individual award in football.

Burrow’s calf injury has had an impact on his play this season. The 26-year-old has passed for 728 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions on 57.6 percent completions. In addition to the injury, the Bengals as a team have not been playing fundamentally sound football.

Allen and Burrow are expected to meet at Paul Brown Stadium on November 5. 

If you want to continue posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, there might be a mandatory fee soon. Last week, Elon Musk suggested that he is considering charging a monthly fee to combat bots on the platform. The Over-Under for the price of X is at $2.99, according to Bovada.

During a discussion with Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk claimed charging a monthly fee could be an effective method for combatting bots on X:

“It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” claimed Musk. “Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny — call it a tenth of a penny — but if somebody even has to pay a few dollars, some minor amount, the effective cost of bots is very high.”

The planned subscription fee differs from X Premium. Formerly Twitter Blue, X Premium starts at $8 a month. The premium membership offers a variety of features, including a blue checkmark on member’s profiles.

Musk’s new idea involves all X users paying a fee. Otherwise, they will not be able to post on X. The pay-to-play format would be a first among the major social media outlets.

Musk States That Monthly Fee Will Be Small

It’s important to note that Musk mentioned a minor fee. If you intend to wager on this prop bet at Bovada, Musk is not expecting to charge another $8 subscription fee to use the service. Regardless, this would not be a popular change among X users.

What a minor amount means to Musk is left up to interpretation, but in his comments to Netanyahu, Musk said ‘if somebody even has to pay a few dollars’. A few dollars would equate to $3, or $2.99 if you want to remove a penny.

In 2021, then Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, revealed Twitter Blue to the public with a monthly fee of $2.99. The ability to undo tweets, ad-free articles, and create longer videos was at the forefront of the initial features.

After Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion, he brought the subscription-based social media model to another level. Now, he plans on a groundbreaking fee in order to just log in and make a post on his platform.

X In Heavy Debt With Negative Cash Flow

Is the real reason, Musk is charging a monthly fee to use X, to counteract bots or help take some debt off the books? Reducing bots may very well be true, but there could also be another motivator.

In July, Musk stated that Twitter’s cash flow was negative as a result of ad revenue declining. Following a number of staff cuts at the company, advertisers responded by stopping their advertisement campaigns from X.

Earlier this year, The Information reported that over 500 advertisers had halted their ads since Musk purchased the social media firm in October 2022. The source reportedly came from a senior Twitter manager, which also noted a 40 percent drop in revenue.

Seven months later, Musk clarified that the company’s revenue had fallen by 50 percent. With lucrative advertisers showing no signs of returning to X, the monthly subscription fee for users has to be a ploy to generate more revenue to squash debt.

Per Statista, there are currently 353.9 million X users. Even if roughly 10 percent of 353.9 million users signed up for X at $2.99 a month, the company would be in better shape financially.

There is certainly a financial incentive behind Musk’s scheme, but is there enough interest? It could be a last-minute Hail Mary play from Musk to make X a sustainable social media platform.

According to Musk’s comments to Netanyahu, and the Over-Under odds at Bovada, it appears that $2.99 is the most likely price for a monthly membership on X. If this comes to fruition, all bets will be deemed a push and a refund for bettors.

Five years after trading for Kawhi Leonard in a shocking NBA deal, the Toronto Raptors’ Masai Ujiri could have another blockbuster trade in the works. According to BetOnline, if Portland’s Damian Lillard isn’t traded to the Miami Heat, the Raptors are the front-runners at +125 odds to acquire the current Trail Blazer in a trade.

If Lillard doesn’t go to the Heat or remain with the Trail Blazers, the Raptors have an implied probability of 44.4 percent to trade for the 33-year-old point guard. Prior to the news breaking regarding the Raptors, the Boston Celtics had the next best odds to trade for Lillard behind the Heat.

However, the Celtics’ Lillard trade odds have since collapsed to +600 odds. The Celtics have the fourth-best odds and are now the fifth-likeliest team to successfully trade for Lillard. Ahead of the Celtics in the Dame sweepstakes odds are the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and then the Raptors.

The 76ers have the second-best odds behind the Raptors. With +325 odds, the Raptors are the only team close to even money to land the seven-time NBA All-Star. The 76ers have an implied probability of 23.5 percent to trade for Lillard, and then the odds significantly drop off.

Raptors’ Lillard Trade Odds Soar On Report

Why did the Raptors’ odds to trade for Lillard suddenly jump? It all boils down to what NBA insider Marc Spears was reportedly told by two high-ranking NBA executives.

“The hottest name I’m hearing right now is the Toronto Raptors,” Spears said on ESPN. “I talked to two really high-ranking team executives today, and they said that Toronto is the front-runner, and they wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in the Six.”

Per Spears, the Trail Blazers and Ujiri have been in discussions surrounding a Lillard trade. At the moment, there is no evidence to corroborate Spears’ claims, but the betting markets have reacted to the report swiftly.

On July 1, it was revealed that Lillard had demanded a trade request from the Trail Blazers. The 33-year-old native of Oakland, California, has spent the first 11 years of his career in Portland. He has averaged 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in his All-Star career.

Lillard is coming off a career-high with 32.2 points per game and matched his previous career-high 46.3 percent field goal percentage. There are some questions regarding teams trading away young prospects for an aging 33-year-old superstar, but Lillard is still playing at a high level.

In fact, the Trail Blazers are reportedly interested in Raptors’ rookie Gradey Dick. Dick was selected by the Raptors with the 13th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. He has yet to play a game with the Raptors.

Trail Blazers Removing Heat From Trade Talks?

As reports of the Raptors and Trail Blazers were publicized, there were rumors that the Trail Blazers are no longer interested in trading Lillard to Miami.

This comes on the heels of statements from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and TNT’s Chris Haynes. Wojnarowski notes that the Heat have not been part of recent negotiations for Lillard:

“Those talks have intensified this week with Lillard. But still, there’s no trade imminent. So far the one element that has not been a part of these talks are the Miami Heat. But we know in trade talks, in conversations, that can change in one moment with one call.”

According to Haynes, the Heat have been frustrated with how the Trail Blazers have handled Lillard’s situation.

On the “This League Uncut” podcast, Haynes reported, “Portland is telling them to, ‘Bring us your best offer’. Miami would like to know what does Portland want and Miami is not getting that answer. And so they feel like things could be moving on a little bit quicker if Portland would say exactly what it is they want…”

Two anonymous NBA executives report that they expect Lillard to be traded prior to NBA media day. NBA media day is scheduled for October 2.

According to the latest Heisman Trophy Odds, there is a new strong contender to win the 2023-24 Heisman Trophy. Per BetOnline, Oregon QB Bo Nix has +800 odds to win the Heisman Trophy after leading the Ducks to a 42-6 victory.

The +800 odds represent a +1700 change from the previous week. Prior to torching Colorado, Nix held +2500 odds to win the Heisman Trophy.

Currently, Nix’s Heisman Trophy odds signify an implied probability to win of 11.1 percent. Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, and Michael Penix Jr. have better odds of winning the Heisman Trophy than Nix.

At the moment, Washington’s Penix Jr. has the best odds to win at +375. Penix Jr. overtook Williams after an impressive showing in a 59-32 win over Cal.

Nix and Oregon Throttle Colorado

Was Nix perfect on Saturday afternoon? I am going to have to say no. Despite Nix’s Heisman odds taking off, there were some areas that he could clean up after watching game film.

Nix passed for 276 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He connected on 28-of-33 passes for an efficient afternoon at home. However, Nix badly underthrew one of his targets in the second quarter for an interception.

It would have been an NFL throw if he threaded the needle to the sideline, over the cornerback, and in front of the safety. Nevertheless, Nix had a hitch in his throw, and it ended up in the arms of a Colorado defender.

Another mishap from Nix was in the third quarter with an opportunity to go up 49-0. On third down at the goal line, Nix sailed a ball over an open receiver’s head off play action. Are we being too critical of Oregon’s QB?

When you are betting on a player to win the Heisman Trophy, you have to examine the good with the bad. Currently, though, there isn’t much separating the Heisman Trophy favorites through the first month of the season.

In four games, Nix has passed for 1,169 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception. The 6-foot-2 senior has completed 79.4 percent of his passes in his second year at Oregon.

The nature of the Oregon offense, which is predicated on wide receiver screens, has helped his numbers. With starts against Portland State, Texas Tech, Hawaii, and Colorado, he has not faced an elite defense, though.

History for Bo Nix 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AHGL8z2js2

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 23, 2023

Oregon Remains Outsider To Make College Football Playoff

BetOnline oddsmakers are not ready to declare Oregon a Top 5 contender for the 2023-24 National Championship.

While Oregon’s National Championship odds have jumped since the start of the season, they are not a College Football Playoff team, according to oddsmakers at BetOnline.

In August, Oregon had +3500 odds to win the national title. Following Saturday’s win, the Ducks are +1400 to capture the 2023-24 CFP National Championship, at BetOnline.

At +1400 odds, Oregon has the sixth-best odds to win the College Football Playoff. Texas, Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan, and Georgia are all under +1000.

There is a decent drop-off from Texas at +850 to Oregon at +1400. So, Ducks fans will have to pump the brakes before they get too excited.

We will learn more about Oregon in a couple of weeks when they face off against Penix Jr. and the Huskies. Also, with USC and Utah remaining on their schedule, the Ducks have yet to enter the toughest part of their schedule.

Shedeur Sanders’ Heisman Trophy Odds Crater

Colorado has been the media darling of college football through the first month of the season. Deion Sanders’ son, QB Shedeur Sanders, is at the forefront of the hype surrounding the Buffaloes.

Sanders opened as a +12500 longshot to win the 2023-24 Heisman Trophy award. After upsetting TCU in Week 1, Sanders’ Heisman odds exploded to +2600. Prior to kickoff against Oregon, he was +1800 to win the award.

According to BetOnline’s current odds, Sanders is a +15000 longshot to win the Heisman Trophy. As the biggest Heisman Trophy liability to sportsbooks, that was exactly the performance that oddsmakers wanted to see from the Buffaloes and Sanders.

How much of it was Sanders’ fault? He was running for his life behind an incredibly shaky offensive line. Oregon had consistent pressure throughout the game, which ultimately resulted in seven sacks, the most for the Ducks since 2017.

Colorado has another difficult challenge in front of them next week. On Saturday, the Buffaloes welcome Williams and USC to Boulder.

Oregon is scheduled to head to Stanford as they attempt to avoid a major letdown against the Cardinal.

As we approach the WNBA Semi-finals, the 2023 WNBA Championship odds continue to favor the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces entered the season as a +115 favorite to win back-to-back WNBA titles. According to the latest WNBA Championship odds, at BetUS, the Aces are -160 to win the championship trophy.

Becky Hammon’s squad dominated the Western Conference en route to a regular season record of 34-6. The Aces finished with a 12-game advantage over the second-place Dallas Wings.

They wrapped up the regular season on a four-game winning streak and then swept the Chicago Sky in a best-of-three series to reach the WNBA Western Conference Semi-finals.

The Aces’ opening-round playoff series against the Sky wasn’t close, in the least. After an 87-59 win, the Aces pummeled the Sky for a 92-70 victory in Game 2. The Aces’ performance solidified their position as the betting favorite to repeat as champs.

A year ago today we won our first-ever @WNBA Championship and brought the first major professional championship home to Vegas 🏆#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/67fzQO3h79

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 18, 2023

Aces Expected To Boat Race The Wings

Oddsmakers at online betting sites do not foresee the 2023 WNBA Western Semi-finals being a competitive series. Currently, the Aces have a series price of -1100 to beat the Wings.

At -1100 odds, the defending WNBA champs have an implied probability of winning the Western Conference title of 91.7 percent. There aren’t many people giving the Wings much of a chance in this best-of-five series.

It isn’t anything new for the Wings. They were big underdogs going into this season. In May, the Wings had +3300 odds to win the 2023 WNBA Championship.

Now, the Wings’ WNBA Championship odds sit at +2500, which is the worst of the teams left in the playoffs. They had little issues with the Atlanta Dream to open the playoffs.

The Wings looked sharp in two double-digit wins to sweep the Dream. However, it wasn’t good enough in the eyes of oddsmakers, as they’re not expected to make this a competitive series.

After the Aces and Liberty, there isn’t much money coming in on the Wings or Connecticut Sun. The Wings are +2500 while the Sun are +2000 to capture the WNBA title in 2023.

Aces and Liberty Split Regular Season Series

All attention is on the Aces and Liberty in the WNBA Semi-finals. The WNBA odds heavily favor the Aces and Liberty reigniting their rivalry in the 2023 WNBA Championship.

New York has -400 odds to make it to the championship round. While the Aces ran the Western Conference, the Liberty did the same in the Eastern Conference. Hammon’s former team went 32-8 to put them two games off the pace of the Aces.

It was an evenly played series between the Aces and Liberty in the regular season. The Aces won two games, while the Liberty won three games. Although, New York has had the upper hand recently.

The Liberty have won two of their previous three meetings, including the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup Championship on August 15.

Jonquel Jones was in impressive form, as she scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, Marine Johannes was efficient from deep, with five three-pointers and 17 points.

The Liberty have been getting production across the board in the playoffs. Four players averaged at least 18.5 points per game in a first-round sweep of the Washington Mystics. 

A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart Battle Down Stretch For MVP

The 2023 WNBA MVP odds did not overwhelmingly favor Wilson or Stewart in the final days of the regular season. Wilson was able to close as a small favorite over Stewart for the WNBA’s top individual honor.

After a red-hot final week of the season, Wilson edged ahead as a -110 favorite to win the MVP. Earlier this month, Stewart held the best MVP odds at even money.

Stewart was the most prized free agent in the WNBA this past year. The Liberty were able to attract her to New York, where she turned the franchise around and set a single-season WNBA points record with 861.

In her first season with the Liberty, the 29-year-old native of North Syracuse averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Conversely, the Aces’ Wilson notched 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Stewart and Wilson are on a collision course for one final duel at the 2023 WNBA Championship.

The spring football landscape could look much differently next year. Per Axois’ report, the XFL and USFL are in the advanced stages of negotiations to agree on a merger. If the merger is approved, the two spring football leagues will combine to form one organization.

In 2022, spring football returned after the XFL folded two years earlier. The USFL was revived by the Fox Corporation following a nearly four-decade hiatus. When the league collapsed in 1986, the USFL was in the hole for $200 million.

The USFL closed up shop shortly before the league was planning on going head-to-head with the NFL in the fall. In its second iteration, the USFL went down the safer route and launched in the spring with the intention of attracting football-staved fans.

However, it didn’t take long for the USFL to gain a new competitor. Days before the USFL kicked off in April 2022, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson officially announced that the XFL was resuming play in 2023.

XFL Bleeds Money In Return To Field

In 2020, Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners purchased Alpha Entertainment LLC’s assets, which included the XFL, for roughly $15 million.

Founder of Alpha Entertainment LLC, Vince McMahon, brought the XFL back to life for one season. Despite getting off to a promising start, the league was forced to close its doors prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson and his business partners viewed this as an opportunity to buy the XFL at a discount. The 2023 XFL season began a week after Super Bowl LVII in February and continued through May.

In its first season with Johnson at the helm, the XFL lost approximately $60 million and subsequently had to make job cuts.

Nevertheless, Johnson and Garcia remained undeterred about the XFL’s future potential. In June, Garcia said, “We’re extremely well-capitalized for the long-term. This is our new WWE. The next massive live property.”

Considering the XFL’s failures in the past, comparing the spring football league to the WWE is rather optimistic. The XFL produced mediocre results for ESPN, which paid the XFL $20 million for the television rights to the league’s games.

This past season, an average of 622,000 viewers watched the XFL’s ten-game regular season. The XFL Championship and Week 1 netted the most viewership for the league.

According to ESPN’s vice president of programming and acquisitions, the TV ratings met expectations: “It performed within our expectations. We ended on a high note.”

Juxtaposed to the USFL, the XFL has been the loser in the battle for revenue. The USFL’s estimated annual revenue is roughly $7.5 million, according to Fox executives. Backed by a media empire, the USFL appears to be in a much better position than the XFL. 

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Details of Merger Undisclosed

Officials from the XFL and USFL have not commented on a potential merger between the football leagues. Several specifics will need to be addressed before a season can be played.

There are a few questions in particular that we as football fans will be interested in learning more about. For instance, what will happen to the current XFL and USFL teams? Also, which rule book will be adopted for the new league?

The XFL and USFL each have eight clubs in their leagues. The USFL is split into four hubs: Detroit, Memphis, Canton, and Birmingham. Whereas, the XFL plays out of their home markets.

Will the merger retain all the teams to form a 16-team league? Additionally, the rules vary slightly between the XFL and USFL. It will be interesting to see if the rules are combined, or if one rule book is adopted.

While both leagues have been publicly adamant about the future success of their brands, the only way forward for spring pro football may be a merger between the XFL and USFL. Any merger will need to obtain regulatory approval before it can become official.

In the absence of Cooper Kupp, there were some serious concerns for the Los Angeles Rams’ offense going into the 2023-24 NFL campaign. However, rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua has answered the call and taken advantage of Kupp’s unavailability through the first two weeks. According to BetOnline, Nacua has the third-best NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds at +500.

Nacua was an unheard-of commodity among most NFL fans going into this season. Selected in the fifth round out of BYU, Nacua figured to eventually etch out a role as a slot receiver with the Rams. Did anyone foresee Nacua catching on with Matthew Stafford this quickly?

Certainly, oddsmakers did not expect Nacua to get off to a record-breaking start to the season. Nacua had +10000 odds or greater to win the 2023-24 Offensive Rookie of the Year prior to Week 1.

There were online sportsbooks with NFL awards odds that didn’t even have a line on Nacua to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Typically, players selected after the second round are afterthoughts when it comes to the NFL Rookie of the Year odds. Never mind, a fifth-round pick out of BYU.

Puka Nacua Breaks Multiple NFL Rookie Records

On September 10, Nacua made his NFL debut against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. The 6-foot-1 receiver made his presence known immediately.

Nacua collected 10 receptions for 119 receiving yards to lead the Rams to a 30-13 win on the road in Seattle. Beginner’s luck, right? In Week 2, Nacua was determined to prove that his NFL debut was not a one-off.

Nacua was Stafford’s favorite target against the San Francisco 49ers, too. Despite Nacua not being a secret any longer, he was able to find room in the secondary to haul in 15 receptions and 147 yards.

Between the two games, Nacua recorded 25 receptions and 266 yards. He has been targeted by Stafford an incredible 35 times in his first two NFL appearances. Nacua had an impressive training camp, but there were no indications that he was going to get off to this start.

Nacua’s 15 receptions against the 49ers is a single-game NFL record for a rookie. However, this wasn’t the only record that Nacua broke in the 30-23 loss to the 49ers.

The 22-year-old rookie broke an NFL record dating back to 1980. He snapped Earl Cooper’s reception record with 25 through his first two NFL games. Additionally, Nacua is the first rookie to have a 10-reception and 100-yard receiving game in back-to-back outings to open an NFL career.

He is only one of four players to finish with more than 100 receiving yards in consecutive games as a rookie receiver. Over the last 20 years, only DeSean Jackson, 2008, and Will Fuller V, 2016, were able to accomplish that same feat.

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Bijan Robinson Favored To Win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award

Bijan Robinson opened as the betting favorite to win the 2023-24 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Nothing has changed in that respect, as Robinson is the +190 favorite to capture the top offensive honors for a rookie in the NFL.

Robinson’s Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have shortened slightly since the preseason following a star-studded performance in Week 2. The former Texas Longhorn galloped for 124 yards on 19 carries to help lead the Atlanta Falcons to a 25-24 win over the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to Robinson ahead of Nacua’s Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, Indianapolis Colts’ QB Anthony Richardson has better odds than Nacua. Currently, Richardson has the second-best odds to win the award at +350. Richardson’s odds opened at +550.

Week 5 is the earliest that head coach Sean McVay hopes to see Kupp back on the field for the Rams. Nacua will have a minimum of two more games to play the leading role in the offense. When Kupp does return, he should eat into Nacua’s numbers.

That said, Nacua should continue to expect to see targets from Stafford regardless. He has earned his trust, and Kupp promises to take attention off Nacua in the secondary.

In the most drastic step the NBA has made to counter load management, teams can now be fined for resting healthy players. As expected, the Clippers are the favorites to receive the most fines for the 2023-24 season.

Currently, at BetOnline, the Clippers are +200 to receive the first fine, while they are +150 to have the most fines this season.

At +200 odds, the Clippers have an implied probability of 33.3 percent of receiving the most fines for load management. Considering how Leonard and George have become synonymous with load management, a 33.3 percent chance might seem a touch too low.

There is no doubt that injuries played a role in the superstar duo sitting in street clothes on the bench this past season. In 2021, Leonard suffered an ACL tear in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz.

Well before his knee injury, the 32-year-old ex-Spur and Raptor was taking advantage of load management. The term was popularized during Leonard’s time with the Raptors in the 2018-19 season.

Breaking: The NBA Board of Governors approved new rules strengthening resting policy rules and punishments for star players that include national TV games, in-season tournament games and sitting out multiple All-Stars together in regular season games, sources told @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/8EpTfegxGO

— ESPN (@espn) September 13, 2023

Raptors Load Manage Kawhi Leonard To NBA Title

Resting healthy players was not invented when Leonard arrived in Toronto. However, it wasn’t nearly as prominent or noticeable prior to the Raptors’ approach to Leonard during their championship season.

The two-way offensive and defensive star was coming off a quadriceps injury suffered during his time with the Spurs. The Raptors wanted to keep Leonard’s body fresh for big games, and most importantly, the playoffs.

In all, Leonard played 60 out of 82 regular season games and did not play back-to-back games. The Raptors went 17-5 without Leonard on the floor in the regular season. The plan was a major success, as Leonard was at peak conditioning for the playoffs.

Leonard would go on to lead the Raptors to their first NBA title in franchise history. The load management strategy was viewed as a significant success. Other teams took note, and resting healthy superstars against inferior opponents became normalized.

Much to the chagrin of basketball fans, especially ones attending games hoping to see their favorite players , load management is not looked at favorably. The NBA is introducing the load management rule to keep stars on the floor for fans, hence more profits for the league.

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Spurs Fined For Resting Players In 2012

This will not be the first season that an NBA team has been fined for resting healthy players. We need to go back more than ten years to find one of the first instances of a team being fined.

In 2012, then NBA commissioner David Stern levied a $250,000 fine against the Spurs for resting all of their best players. Head coach Gregg Popovich sent all of his best players home before a matchup against the Miami Heat.

“The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in the facts in this case,” Stern said. “The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early season game that was the team’s only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league in a timely way. Under those circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.”

The fine was in response to an NBA policy implemented in 2010. Stern noted that the Spurs were in violation of resting players in conduct “contrary to the best interest of the NBA”. Now, 13 years later, the NBA has introduced a policy with clearer language to prevent teams from resting healthy players.

New NBA Load Management Rules

Under the Player Participation Policy (PPP), NBA teams will be unable to rest multiple stars in the same matchup. Additionally, teams will not have the power to rest star players exclusively on road games, and stars can’t sit out the in-season tournament or nationally televised games.

Moreover, teams are strictly forbidden from “shutting down” players for an extended period of time if they are healthy (i.e. tanking for a higher draft pick). If players are absent from the game, they must be visible to fans on the bench.

Teams that are found to be in violation of the Player Participation Policy can be fined $100,000 for a first-time violation, $250,000 for a third, and $1.25 million for a third. After a third violation, the fine will grow up to $1 million more than the previous fine.

After months of speculation, the UFC and WWE are officially one company. In a $21.4 billion merger, UFC and WWE will operate under the TKO Group Holdings banner.

The assets of the biggest organizations in MMA and pro wrestling are officially combined to form one entity. While there are no immediate plans to make drastic changes to the UFC and WWE, the merger opens up the door for crossover opportunities in the future.

WWE and the UFC will be under the same roof of the publicly traded TKO Group Holdings. In its stock market debut, TKO Group Holdings was up 2.6 percent on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

The deal was structured so Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. owns a 51 percent controlling interest in TKO Group Holdings. Meanwhile, WWE shareholders currently own a 49 percent stake in the newly formed company.

According to CBC, the value of UFC is $12.1 billion, while WWE has an evaluation of $9.3 billion. However, the merger still requires regulatory approval following the green light from Endeavor and WWE.

Vince McMahon Executive Chairman of TKO Board

In July 2022, WWE founder Vince McMahon announced that he was stepping down from his position as chairman with the WWE amid sexual misconduct allegations.

Despite the move, McMahon remained the largest shareholder of WWE. Currently, McMahon has 28.84 million shares in the newly merged company.

The 78-year-old pro wrestling mogul reportedly paid $12 million in hush money to four women over allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity. His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, took over his role following his resignation.

Meet TKO Group Holdings, Inc. a premium sports, entertainment, and media company made up of @ufc and @WWE.

Join us in celebrating its listing of $TKO 🔔 pic.twitter.com/ZWEmyWGUCq

— NYSE 🏛 (@NYSE) September 12, 2023

In January, Stephanie resigned from her role as chairman and co-CEO. She reportedly stepped down following her father’s return to the helm of WWE.

In McMahon’s return to a prominent role in the company, he was elected executive chairman of the board by the WWE’s Board of Directors and spurred rumors that a sale was imminent. Now, McMahon remains an important fixture in TKO Group Holdings.

As a result of the merger, McMahon is set to collect $111 million in TKO dividend payments in two weeks. TKO Group Holdings revealed a one-time dividend payment of $3.86 per share, shareable on September 26, 2023.

As the executive chairman of the TKO board, McMahon will continue to be responsible for decision-making. On Monday, McMahon released a statement regarding the WWE and UFC merger:

“Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity. The new company will be well positioned to maximize the value of our combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster our strong stable of brands.”

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanual is scheduled to be named the CEO of TKO Group Holdings. Current WWE CEO, Nick Kahn, will be the new president for WWE. Moreover, UFC president Dana White is expected to take over as CEO of the UFC.

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More Brand Mergers Planned

The biggest takeaway from McMahon’s statement is that TKO Holdings Group intends to form strategic mergers and acquisitions. In short, the ownership group wants to add more brands under the TKO Holdings Group umbrella.

What could this mean for smaller pro wrestling and MMA promotions? In January, the Khan family was interested in purchasing WWE through a merger. Currently, however, they have shown no interest in selling AEW to WWE.

Nevertheless, that could change in the future if WWE wants AEW badly enough and the finances work for both sides.

With respect to other popular American pro wrestling promotions, Ring of Honor was purchased by the Kahn’s in 2022 and operates under the AEW banner. Per Dave Meltzer, Triple H reportedly made a push for WWE to buy Ring of Honor in 2018.

Earlier this year, Anthem Sports CEO, who controls IMPACT Wrestling, discussed a potential WWE sale. He noted that IMPACT Wrestling could be brought to another level or have its costs cut.

As for MMA promotions, Paramount has been interested in selling Bellator. When asked about buying Bellator earlier this month, White proclaimed, “Why on God’s green f****** Earth would anybody buy Bellator?”.

Clearly, White has no interest in UFC swallowing up Bellator’s assets. However, we will see if that sentiment changes following the merger between the UFC and WWE.