Capitalism, Baseball, Community, and Loss

Homestand is a book about baseball, and the author is a Mets fan. Thus, Homestand is a book about loss. It’s not only about loss, of course, and the Mets are only in the background. The 2022 Batavia Muckdogs, the centerpiece of Homestand, win most of their games, including an exciting playoff run. And Homestand isn’t only about baseball, either. It’s also about capitalism and community—and about the complicated relationship between the two.

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University of Maine Flinches, Agrees To Protect Women’s Sports Following Trump Admin Funding Threat

The University of Maine (UMaine) system decided to “side with sanity,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), agreeing not to allow male athletes to compete in female sports following a federal funding threat from the Trump administration. According to USDA, the UMaine system (a network of eight universities) will comply with President Donald […]

University of Maine System falls in line with Trump's prohibition on men in women's sports



The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Feb. 22 that it had "initiated a compliance review of the University of Maine following the State of Maine's blatant disregard for President Trump's Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports."

Weeks later, the University of Maine System, which consists of seven universities and a law school, revealed that its funding from the USDA has been temporarily paused pending a review of its compliance with Title IX and Title IV, which ban sex and race-based discrimination.

The USDA announced Wednesday that the UMS has fallen in line with President Donald Trump's directive to keep men out of women's sports but coupled the news of restored funding with a threat: "Any false claim by the UMaine can, and will, result in onerous and even potentially criminal financial liability."

'The choice for the rest of Maine is simple.'

Compliance apparently meant the UMS confirming to the Trump administration that it does not permit male athletes to identify as females in order to establish individual eligibility for National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned women's sports; that it does not permit men to participate in individual or team contact sports with women; and that it complies with NCAA regulations, specifically the prohibition on male student athletes participating in NCAA-sanctioned women's sports.

"UMaine's decision to side with sanity is a win for women and girls in Maine," the agency said in a statement. "The choice for the rest of Maine is simple: protect equal opportunities for women, as required by law, or lose funding."

The agency previously indicated that it has funded the University of Maine to the tune of $100 million in recent years.

According to the UMS, the University of Maine received nearly $30 million in USDA awards for research and various initiatives in fiscal year 2024. The Portland Press Herald indicated that the UMS has $56.1 million in active USDA grants.

UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy expressed confusion when the funding was first paused, claiming that the university system had already complied with the administration's rules and requests. The Maine Morning Star indicated Malloy sang the same tune Wednesday when the USDA made its announcement.

"The University of Maine System has always maintained its compliance with state and federal laws and with NCAA rules," Malloy said in a statement, adding he is "relieved to put the Department’s Title IX compliance review behind us."

'We will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls.'

Whereas the USDA had good news for the UMS, the Department of Health and Human Service's Civil Rights Office put other Maine institutions in the dog house, declaring that the Maine Department of Education, the Main Principal's Association, and Greely High School were each in violation of Title IX for enabling men to compete in women's sports.

A subpar male athlete from Greely High School in Cumberland stole first place in the girls' pole-vault competition at the Maine Indoor Track Meet on Feb. 17. This was possible only because the Maine ED told schools in the state to defy Trump's executive order banning male transvestites from competing in girls' or women's sports. The Maine Principals' Association followed suit.

"The Maine Department of Education may not shirk its obligations under Federal law by ceding control of its extracurricular activities, programs, and services to the Maine Principals' Association," Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, said in a statement. "We hope the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association, and Greely High School will work with us to come to an agreement that restores fairness in women's sports."

When Trump signed his executive order banning male transvestites from competing in girls' or women's sports, he stated, "Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls."

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EA Sports doubles NIL compensation for NCAA football players ahead of new game release



Electronic Arts will increase its payments to college athletes this year for their name, image, and likeness, more than doubling the payouts from 2024.

In email to Division I NCAA athletes on Tuesday, EA Sports announced it would increase payments from $600 to $1,500 to football players for their inclusion in the upcoming college football video game.

Players included in the deal will also receive a copy of the deluxe edition of College Football 26, a bonus they similarly received for the last game. Some players will again serve as brand ambassadors for the game and receive further compensation.

Discussions did not go so easily for EA Sports last year. Many accused the game giant of undercompensating athletes, something Texas quarterback and legacy player Arch Manning seemed very aware of.

The nephew of Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch held out on negotiations until the 11th hour, when Electronic Arts eventually caved and paid a reported $50,000 (or more) to have the young star appear in the game. Soon thereafter, Manning released a promotional video with his uncle Eli to promote the title.

"I'm IN the game," Manning wrote, along with the signature "horns up" emoji representing Texas.

College sports reporter Pete Nakos told Blaze News at the time that cover athletes for the game received payments in the low six figures.

Texas QB Arch Manning held out for a reported 84x pay increase for his inclusion in NCAA Football 25. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

More than 8,000 players agreed to be in to the previous game within days of being offered a deal in 2024, with a total of 14,000 athletes opting in. This averaged out to about 85 players per team.

NCAA Football 25 was the first video game of its kind in 10 years, and fans flocked to stores and online retailers to make it the highest-selling sports game of all time. It was reported last July that the game had taken in a reported $500 million in just a few weeks, according to On3.

Speaking on the new NIL deal, EA Sports executive Sean O'Brien said the company's approach "empowers each athlete to make their own decision."

"College sports are growing and changing," O'Brien continued. "Our focus at EA Sports is on continuing to put athletes first as we bring them in the game in College Football 26 and beyond."

Agency OneTeam Partners has a multiyear contract with EA Sports to negotiate group licensing rights and reportedly claims to advocate on behalf of the players due to their lack of unionization. However, EA still makes the final decision in terms of how much the company will pay the college athletes.

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Peacock announces WNBA sitcom created by female-centric production company: 'Ceilings are being shattered'



NBCUniversal announced a new sitcom focused on the WNBA with hopes to push a future where women "win big" and continue to break barriers.

The new half-hour comedy will follow a WNBA rookie, just a year after Caitlin Clark completed her monumental first season in the league.

While "The W" has yet to be filmed, the story surrounds a new player and her inexperienced agent, a plot that mirrors the life of former WNBA player and producer Chiney Ogwumike, rather than Clark.

Ogwumike is a WNBA All-Star who played in the league from 2014-2023 and is noted for having hired a 24-year-old agent, Allison Galer, upon entering the league.

The story was further described rather generically, focusing on what was described by Deadline as the ups and downs of women's professional basketball and the "glamour and grind" of women's sports.

'We are in an era where barriers are being broken.'

Ogwumike and Galer will serve as two of a whopping seven executive producers through Ogwumike's production company, Victorious. The former basketball player described her company's mission as wanting to "build a future where women in sports can win big."

The Texas-born athlete then pointed to the idea that women are still breaking barriers, which her project would further help facilitate.

"One of the most invaluable lessons that I have learned as a professional athlete, broadcaster, and ambassador is that we no longer have to wait for opportunities, we can create them. We are in an era where barriers are being broken, ceilings are being shattered and the world is finally taking notice. And with our groundbreaking first project, we will bring the main topic to the mainstream. In that spirit, Victorious is a purpose-driven platform that will forge new pathways for us to celebrate our own wins."

Chiney Ogwumike was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2014. Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Galer described the new company as a way to create "meaningful opportunities that show women in sports winning at the highest levels."

The sports agent continued to describe the new endeavor in a way that is typically coupled with political activism, claiming that women's sports have an "exceptional ability to capture hearts and minds."

Galer added, "Victorious will be the go-to vehicle for women’s sports stories to reach and captivate global audiences."

While the new show is the first project for Victorious, Ogwumike and Galer previously produced a documentary for ESPN Films that followed the 2020 WNBA season during the COVID lockdowns.

Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive were announced as the writers for "The W." The pair are most known for their Netflix show focused on female wrestlers in the 1980s; "GLOW" ran for three seasons between 2017 and 2019.

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'Keep grifting': ESPN host trashes critics after Jackie Robinson webpage is restored to government website



ESPN reporter Mina Kimes told critics to stop telling her how to do her job following backlash over her defense of a government webpage dedicated to Jackie Robinson.

The 39-year-old, along with fellow ESPN reporter Jeff Passan, took grave issue with the Department of Defense removing a webpage dedicated to the baseball legend's military service as part of their anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. Despite the page's origins dating back to just 2021, the reporter went on a full offensive to get the story republished.

Passan started with a complaint late Tuesday about the page's removal, calling government officials "ghouls" before he demanded they "fix this now."

On Wednesday afternoon, Passan published a response he received from Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot on the issue:

"As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department," the Pentagon official explained. "Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services' core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed -- either deliberately or by mistake -- that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content accordingly."

— (@)

Less than 30 minutes later, Passan posted an updated statement from the government entity that said the DOD "loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others."

The department still stood with its anti-DEI message, however, and said it saluted the heroes for their "heroic service" but did not view their achievements "through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex."

"We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever (sic) other American who has worn the uniform," the department added.

— (@)

However, it took less than 40 minutes after the DOD's first statement was posted for the agency to restore the Jackie Robinson page, which highlighted the legendary player's athletic and military history.

Enter Kimes, who appeared on ESPN's "Around the Horn" later that evening to echo similar sentiments to Passan, despite it being after the fact.

"Jackie Robinson was known for many things, but above all, first and foremost, it was his ongoing courage in the face of racial discrimination. In fact, in addition to crossing the color barrier in baseball, he served in a segregated unit in the army and, in one instance, refused to move to the back of the bus, was arrested and acquitted. That matters," Kimes said on the air.

"That history cannot be erased. It cannot be undone, and it must be recognized to fully understand and celebrate his legacy."

Fans reacted strongly to her video, criticizing ESPN for its never-ending battle in favor of DEI initiatives.

"It's unfortunate you haven't learned," one football fan wrote. "Most of the public views sports as an escape from politics, divisiveness, DEI, racial talks, etc."

Kimes gave a snarky reply, "Thanks for the career advice but Im good."

Fans did not let up, though.

"I miss when it was about sports and not about liberal women needing to inject soft social science BS," a female viewer added.

"Mina [is] trying to finish ESPN off," another football fan joked.

Kimes then responded to conservative commentator Jesse Kelly, who told his followers there was a time when sports shows stuck to sports, but now hosts scold fans like they "forgot to take out the trash."

— (@)

Kimes then trashed Kelly as a grifter and said he is not a sports fan, which she felt she aptly displayed by including a screenshot of Kelly saying he had "checked out" on NFL and NCAA football.

The host soon alluded to sexism when responding to her supporters, claiming that despite other hosts echoing her sentiments, critics chose to focus on her:

"We know what they're doing. The funny part is when they pretend to care about sports," Kimes wrote.

Furthermore, Kimes strangely agreed when a viewer stated that she is mostly known for her political and social takes, ignoring the fact that those views were indeed presented on a sports program.

Kimes then tripled down and said the reason was because Kelly does not watch sports, again calling him a grifter for sharing his opinion on the matter.

"Once you realize that 99% of these grifters are the same way it becomes obvious."

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US men's soccer coach says Trump can help the United States win the World Cup: 'All is possible'



United States men's soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino thinks he can win it all when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026.

The legendary coach from Argentina has been at the helm of the U.S. soccer team for just two years, but he already sees great success on the horizon.

The United States will host the national tournament along with Canada and Mexico, and Pochettino thinks support from American fans and from the president is the key to a monumental run.

In an interview with Sky Sports reporter Gail Davis, Pochettino was asked what he would say if President Donald Trump wanted to know if the United States could win the World Cup.

"Yes. Yes," Pochettino quickly replied. "I will say 'yes.' If he asked me, I say 'yes, President, with your help, with the fans in behind hosting the World Cup, all is possible.'"

The 53-year-old spent about 15 years coaching across Europe's top leagues and had his longest tenure with England's Tottenham Hotspur from 2014 to 2019. Pochettino is credited with transforming the franchise from a mid-tier club to consistently competing for the English Premier League's top five positions, which landed them spots in Europe's most prestigious international club tournaments.

'If you say football, it's "no, no, no, no! Soccer!"'

Pochettino told Sky Sports he was hoping to receive an invite to the White House, along with the team, especially after FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the Oval Office to reveal a new World Cup trophy.

"Hope, yes. Hope our president invite the national team," the coach confirmed.

The new manager was also asked how he has adjusted to using the term "soccer" as opposed to "football."

Pochettino said he fully understood that soccer is not yet a predominant sport in the country but that it is on the rise.

"If you say football, it's 'no, no, no, no! Soccer!' It's true, it's soccer because it's not football, because too many difference and still they need to, many [need] to, discover [it] there in USA," he explained.

The legendary coach said that while soccer is "not the principal" sport in the United States currently, he believes interest in the game is "growing a lot," rapidly.

If Major League Soccer's expansion is any indication of American interest in the sport, then the last decade has shown incredible growth.

MLS had added 12 teams since 2015, starting with New York City and Orlando. In 2017, teams in Atlanta and Minnesota were added.

A steady stream of franchises have been introduced since, starting with Los Angeles (2018) and followed by Cincinnati (2019). Miami and Nashville followed (2020), then Austin (2021), Charlotte (2022), St. Louis (2023), and finally San Diego (2025).

This brought the league to a massive 30 teams, separated into two conferences. Typically, European soccer leagues max out at 20 teams and operate under a relegation system where the bottom two or three franchises are bumped down to a lower league, while the top teams from the second-tier league gain promotion each year.

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Imane Khelif dares Trump administration to stop him from defending gold medal at 2028 Olympics: 'I am not transgender'



Imane Khelif said President Donald Trump's executive order does not matter in terms or whether or not the boxer will be able to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Khelif has become a controversial figure after beating women in boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite multiple groups concluding he is male. The International Boxing Association and the World Boxing Organization determined Khelif to be a man, as did a team of endocrinologists who reportedly revealed a pelvic MRI of Khelif that showed the "absence of a uterus" and the presence of "gonads in inguinal canals," meaning testicles in the abdomen.

During a recent interview, Khelif continued to deny these allegations and added to his months-long campaign of accusing public figures of hate speech.

"I won the gold medal, which was the best response after all the bullying I was subjected to. My response during the Paris Olympics was always in the ring. And responding by winning the gold medal was even better," Khelif said.

"I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one," the boxer later added.

Imane Khelif attends the Bottega Veneta fashion show in Milan. Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Khelif told ITV that his victory in the women's boxing category was the most important triumph at the last Olympics, because it not only came with "ethical" and "athletic" implications, but also was significant for the idea of "sportsmanship," as well.

The Algerian admitted to being shocked when "heads of state, famous figures, and former athletes" spoke about the ordeal, which is likely what led to the boxer filing criminal hate-speech complaints in France, including claims of "aggravated cyber harassment."

Author J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and President Trump were all accused by the athlete of being far too mean in their criticisms.

Still, Khelif said critics were speaking "without any reliable or documented information," calling all the sources that accuse the boxer of being male not "trustworthy."

"The IBA is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee, which means this federation lacks credibility and is not trusted within the Olympic Games," Khelif claimed. "At this point, I can say that the IBA is a thing of the past."

'Those who have nothing to hide should have no fear.'

The 25-year-old insisted that President Trump's executive order aimed at preventing men from competing in women's sports would not be an issue at the Olympics in Los Angeles, which will take place during Trump's term.

Bluntly, Khelif said he is not transgender.

"I will give you a straightforward answer: The U.S. president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response."

Khelif went on, "As we say in Algeria, those who have nothing to hide should have no fear."

The controversial gold medalist fully intends to compete at the games in Los Angeles, and with reports that the IOC will be asked to ban athletes purporting to be transgender, there could be a very public standoff leading up to the 2028 games.

The IOC typically leaves athlete testing and rules up to governing bodies that pertain to each sport, but after the IBA was dropped by the Olympics before the 2020 games, the IOC decided to govern boxing on its own, which involved no gender testing.

"Of course, I defend with everything I have, this gold medal," Khelif concluded. "I continue my dream, my everything."

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D.C. Decision Makers Could Kill College Sports By Giving NCAA Big Dogs A Legal Monopoly

The NCAA is broken, but handing the keys to a few fat cats will make it even worse.

Controversial Christian UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell says opponent Jean Silva is 'possessed by a legion of demons'



UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell believes he is fighting an opponent who is possessed.

Mitchell became a fan favorite with impressive wrestling and jiujitsu skills that saw him jump out to a 15-0 record and shoot up the UFC rankings.

Furthermore, Mitchell gained more notoriety for his strong support of Christian values and his America-first mentality. In May 2024, Mitchell made headlines when he said he wanted to homeschool his children to prevent them from becoming "gay" or "communist."

Mitchell has had a rough start to 2025, though, after he received a plethora of criticism over comments he made about Adolf Hitler on his podcast "ArkanSanity."

UFC President Dana White soon disavowed Mitchell's remarks — but did not fire him — and called the fighter "dumb" and "ignorant."

'Even the demons believe in God.'

At the beginning of March, Mitchell had a viral exchange of words at a press conference for UFC 314. There, his opponent Jean Silva rallied the crowd against Mitchell, starting, "F*** Bryce Mitchell," chants and even barking at him.

Mitchell responded by saying Silva was "barking up the wrong tree, motherf***er," which turned the crowd's boos into raucous cheers.

Silva also brought a globe to the press conference to taunt Mitchell about his apparent belief that the Earth is flat.

"Oh, so now you're a scientist?" Mitchell asked in response.

The two then had a fiery exchange about religion and belief.

"You have 'lord' on your chest, I have the Lord within my heart," Mitchell said, referring to Silva's tattoo, which seemingly signals the Brazilian is of the Catholic faith.

"Calm down," Silva replied. "Everyone here believes in God, right?"

Mitchell retorted, "Even the demons believe in God, but do you live by the word?"

'I'm not just fighting a man.'

On Monday, Full Send MMA posted a video of Mitchell doubling down on his assertion that Silva may be demonic.

"I need all my Christian warriors to pray for me that I will have peaceful sleep," Mitchell began. "Every single night since the day before the press conference, I have had demonic dreams. Legions of demons are attacking me every single time I sleep, not one time have I seen any peaceful sleep since that day."

Mitchell continued, "These demons surround me, and they try to fight me and provoke me to anger and then the dream will switch, and then they'll send beautiful women, and they are trying to get me to lust and cheat on my wife. ... I'm not just fighting a man on April 12, I'm fighting a man possessed by a legion of demons."

Silva responded just a few hours later, stating on his X page that Mitchell's comments were made out of fear.

"Bryce, two things, these are not demons, it's just you being afraid to face me and second about the beautiful women you have a hormone called testosterone and you probably have problems with it. Just be ready for April 12th, because I will be."

— (@)

The conflict between the featherweights certainly mirrors the debates between light heavyweight fighters Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira last summer.

Prochazka, a Catholic from the Czech Republic, said that former champion Pereira was using Brazilian shamans, spiritual forces, and rituals to win fights. Unfortunately for the Czech, Pereira's alleged use of spirits propelled him to two wins against Prochazka.

However, perhaps Pereira's magical forces have since run dry, as the Brazilian recently lost to Russia's Magomed Ankalaev.

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