Did March sneak up on anyone else?

We have been enjoying the regular season so much that we kind of forgot it’s almost over. But the reality is, the first conference tournament bracket — thanks, Atlantic Sun — is already out. League titles are being clinched. The bubble is bubbling. All of the things!

But that means it’s time for one of our least favorite annual storylines: greedy, grubby fingers trying to wreck something that doesn’t need fixing.

1. NCAA Tournament expansion

On “College GameDay” two weekends ago, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported (almost unprompted) that while NCAA Tournament expansion talks are still ongoing, decision-makers “seem to be down the road” with a concept that would alter the best postseason in sports by growing the field from 68 teams to potentially 76.

“We should know fairly soon,” Thamel said. “Two, three months. Something like that.”

At the risk of calling expansion “imminent,” Thamel isn’t reporting this live on GameDay if it weren’t a serious possibility. And given that timeline, the NCAA and its television partners may settle on an agreement in time to adjust the 2026 tournament. All of which is a long way of saying, this very well may be the last Big Dance as we know it and as we’ve known it since 1985.

Mechanically speaking, what might going to 76 teams look like? An expanded First Four, per Thamel, with eight teams competing in Dayton — where the First Four is held annually — and eight more at another site to be determined (likely outside of the Eastern time zone, for logistical reasons).

Using The Athletic’s latest bracket prediction, let’s consider what this year’s field would look like with 76 teams. All of the following would be included, rather than sweating out their spots:

• Indiana (17-11), which already has announced coach Mike Woodson will be stepping down
• Wake Forest (19-9), which has one Top-25 win all season and has lost consecutive games to 11-17 NC State and 14-14 Virginia
• North Carolina (18-11), which is 1-10 in Quad 1 games with a single victory all season over a team currently thought to be in the field
• SMU (21-7), which has zero top-50 wins all season
• Plus Cincinnati, Xavier, Boise State and TCU, which have combined to go 37-31 in their respective conferences with just two Top-25 wins

Other than SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who wants that?

Regarding Sankey, whose tenure has included going scorched earth on everything college sports hold dear in pursuit of cartoonish stacks of cash, it should surprise no one that Thamel said expansion conversations have been “driven by the power conferences.” Sankey even told The Athletic last spring that automatic bids for smaller conferences should be “part of the review” of the NCAA Tournament. Suffice it to say, it’s obvious how this is going to go: More mediocre high-major teams (like the ones above) will be included while deserving mid-majors get left out in the cold.

Which of these resumes is more deserving of making the Big Dance?

Reasonable arguments can be made for both sides. It’s a coin flip. Do you prefer the total wins and better Q1 record or the metric rankings? Time’s up. Team A is … San Diego State, and Team B is … Georgia. In The Athletic’s latest bracket, those two face off in this season’s First Four.

The point is that both have defensible arguments for inclusion. But does anyone think that many — if any — of those additional bids are going to teams like SDSU? From the Mountain West, Missouri Valley or Big West, instead of the SEC?

If you do, I have a bridge to sell you.

The simple logic is that more games equal more revenue. NCAA Tournament revenue accounts for, at most, five percent of the budget at most high-major schools (although it’s more at mid- and low-majors). That’s not nothing, but in the grand scheme of modern college sports, it’s not the end-all, be-all. The motivation for expansion, then, is as much about “inclusion” as anything else. With Division I men’s basketball having ballooned to 364 teams — which is a story for another day — only 18.7 percent of Division I is represented in a 68-team field. And while 76 teams are only marginally better, at 20.9 percent of teams, that does move the needle at least a little closer to the 25 percent threshold recommended by the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee in January 2023.

But who cares what that committee recommended?

The NCAA Tournament has existed in its current iteration for four decades and has proven time and time again that it needs no alterations. Need anyone be reminded of Saint Peters’ Elite 8 run in 2022? Fairleigh-Dickinson in 2023? Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State in the Final Four? People like Sankey aren’t advocating for more of those opportunities; they’re advocating for more dollars in their pockets and more of their toys in the sandbox — at Cinderella’s expense.

2. It’s time to talk Gonzaga

Gonzaga isn’t going to miss the NCAA Tournament, right?

It’s closer than you’d think and closer than the Zags truly have been to the cutline since maybe 2011. Mark Few’s team went 25-10 that season with just three top-50 wins in the regular season, compared to two sub-100 losses. It ultimately earned a No. 11 seed — one of just three times in the past two decades (the others being 2007 and 2016) that Gonzaga has been a double-digit seed.

Now compare that to this season. Gonzaga’s on the same pace: 22-8 with only two top-50 wins, both of which came in November. And while these Zags don’t have any sub-100 losses weighing down their resume, they don’t have any wins over sure-fire tournament teams. (Baylor and San Diego State — Gonzaga’s two top-50 wins — are solidly on the bubble.) Frankly, the computer rankings are carrying a lot of weight for Few’s team as Gonzaga is in the top 10 in both the NET and by KenPom. After Gonzaga, the next highest-ranked NET team with two or fewer Quad-1 wins is VCU, at 29.

While Few’s team isn’t below the cutline, it would serve the Zags well not to fall flat in their regular-season finale vs. San Francisco on Saturday or in the WCC tournament. Bracket Matrix has Gonzaga as a No. 9 seed, but that’s before Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s results factor in. (The SEC earned several massive bubble wins this week, like Arkansas over Texas and Georgia over Florida.)

With Saint Mary’s sweeping the regular-season series and clinching the WCC outright for the second straight season, it’s the first time since 1990-92 — when Few was still a fresh-faced assistant — that Gonzaga hasn’t earned at least a share of the WCC regular-season title in consecutive campaigns. That speaks to the team’s relative mediocrity as well as anything.

Gonzaga’s at the point where it’s going to get the benefit of the doubt from the committee. And it’s not like it has any bad losses, with an overtime road defeat at 20-win Oregon State as the worst of the bunch.

But it’s a situation worth monitoring during the next few weeks. I wouldn’t bet on the Zags missing the field if the bracket dropped today, but if nothing else, Gonzaga making a 10th consecutive Sweet 16 — which would break its tie with Duke for the longest such streak of the modern era — feels, unlikely.

3. A bubblicious spotlight

Three teams that, for better or worse, won’t go away:

Arkansas: This feels impossible given the Razorbacks’ early season “defense,” but it’s true: Arkansas has the fifth-best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country since Feb. 1, per Bart Torvik, ahead of juggernauts such as Duke, Tennessee and Houston. And it’s not like John Calipari’s team has been playing bad teams this month. Arkansas is 5-3 during that stretch with wins over Kentucky and Missouri, which are both tracking as top-four seeds. So, what gives?

For starters, credit to Calipari, who most of the college basketball universe was doubting weeks ago. And why wouldn’t we? Arkansas defended ball screens about as well as you and I do, dear readers. The proof, from the Hogs’ first SEC game vs. Tennessee:

Does the primary defender stop his man? Nope. How about the screener’s defender stopping the roll man? Also no. It’s not quite a red carpet to the basket, but it’s as close as you’ll find in a high-major conference game.

Now compare that to Wednesday night and Arkansas’ ball-screen defense vs. Texas:

That’s the same primary defender, D.J. Wagner (No. 21), only he looks like a different player. He chased over the screen and prevented the easy drive or pull-up jumper. Meanwhile, Jonas Aidoo (No. 9) stayed level with the screener as soon as he rolled, cutting off any potential passing window. The roll subsequently got blown up on the backside by Johnell Davis. Julian Larry still attempted the post entry, and Aidoo came away with the easy steal. Overall, it was much stickier, stouter coverage.

Opponents have shot only 30 percent from 3-point range against Arkansas this month, per Bart Torvik, and that is a top-50 rate nationally. That’s more like Calipari’s old Kentucky teams, which relied on lanky athletes to disrupt opposing actions. Combine that defensive surge with Zvonimir Ivisic’s offensive ascent — the 7-foot-2 Croatian has the first three 20-point games of his career in the Hogs’ past six games while shooting 40 percent from 3 — and Calipari has a team that suddenly doesn’t look so fun to play against.

Georgia: Maybe the biggest bubble result of the week was Georgia’s shocking 88-83 win over Florida. But the final score doesn’t nearly do that game justice. UGA led by as many as 26 points in the first half before Florida mounted a comeback. The Gators eventually went on a 13-0 run in the final few minutes to take their first lead all night, 79-78, with less than 90 seconds to play. But soon after, Blue Cain delivered what turned out to be the game-winning 3-pointer on his first attempt from deep in the game:

Georgia forced a turnover and a missed deep 3 on Florida’s next two possessions to seal it. Wildly, that completed Georgia’s first AP top-five win since January 2004, and it might be the final piece to the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament resume. A 5-10 SEC record is not anything to write home about, but the overall resume ain’t bad.

A nonconference, neutral-court win over St. John’s has aged marvelously, as has a home win over Kentucky in Georgia’s second SEC game. Plus, every loss is to a top-40 team. And with Texas, South Carolina and Vanderbilt left on the schedule, there’s room for Mike White’s team to stack a few more wins and eliminate any doubt.

North Carolina: Since the NET was first introduced in 2018-19, only one team has made the NCAA Tournament with a single Quad 1 win: Drake in 2021.

That doesn’t bode well for UNC, which is currently 1-10 in Quad 1 games. But the good news? The Tar Heels, who have won four straight behind a revamped starting lineup (albeit against terrible competition), have seemingly rediscovered some confidence, just in time for one last crack at a second Quad 1 win.

The bad news is that the game is against Duke, which looks like the best team in the country and led by more than 30 the first time the rivals faced off in early February.

On one hand, that matchup remains awful for the undersized Tar Heels. But at the risk of getting Tar Heels fans’ hopes up: What if Hubert Davis’ team has found something of late? Because very quietly UNC has posted the fourth-best adjusted offensive efficiency in the country during this winning streak, per Bart Torvik. (Don’t say anything about the 198th-ranked defense.) Admittedly, those wins have come against 12-16 Syracuse, 11-17 NC State, 14-14 Virginia and 16-12 Florida State. But the larger shift behind that surge might carry: Davis once again tweaking his starting lineup and finally adding some size.

He reinserted 6-9 graduate forward Jae’Lyn Withers, who started UNC’s first seven games, into the starting five, which allowed Davis to stop misplaying 6-6 freshman wing Drake Powell as a small-ball four. Those decisions in turn sent sometimes-starters Ian Jackson and Seth Trimble to the bench, although both still see significant minutes. It’s not a direct correlation, but that spacing and lineup balance have contributed to UNC, which shot a middling 34 percent from 3 all season, suddenly knocking down 44.4 percent of its 3s the past two weeks, good for the 15th-best rate in the country.

Is that sustainable? That’s both a Withers-specific and big-picture question. As for Withers, there is a massive discrepancy between his production in UNC’s first 25 games and its past four:

• First 25 games: 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 38.2 percent from 3 in 14 minutes per game
• Past four games: 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 62.5 percent from 3 in 23.5 minutes

Expecting a player who made 13 of his 34 3-point attempts during the first four months of the season to suddenly keep up a 10-for-16 rate is almost definitely setting Withers up to fail. But the spacing he provides might not be fool’s gold and might provide UNC its best chance of countering Cooper Flagg and Duke.

Beating Duke is UNC’s easiest way to push to the right side of the bubble, but even a loss in that game isn’t necessarily fatal if the Tar Heels’ newfound lineup leads them on a mini ACC Tournament run. Crazier things have happened.

​(Top photo of Mike Woodson: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Athletic’s debate series features two writers breaking down a specific topic. In this edition, Chantel Jennings and Ben Pickman debate which women’s college basketball player should win Player of the Year.

 

Chantel Jennings: As we head into the final week of the season, there seems to be one overriding theme in women’s college hoops this year: parity at the top level of the game. We’ve already seen four No. 1 teams, and a handful of others are serious contenders for the national title. This is far more crowded at the top than we’ve ever seen (at least in the modern era of NCAA women’s basketball).

With that, there’s also a significant level of parity in the national Player of the Year race, and I, for one, feel like — just as the AP poll has jostled between a few top teams — I’ve gone between a few players throughout the year.

Ben Pickman: I totally agree. Last season, it was a foregone conclusion that Caitlin Clark would win Player of the Year honors, but it feels like an open question this season. However, there appears to be a top three, in no order: Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, USC’s JuJu Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts.

Where are you leaning?

Jennings: I must admit, I often see way too many sides of an argument (it is my lot as a middle child), so this choice is challenging. In all the years I’ve considered this debate internally (and publicly, on the internet), I reached my decision with a more unique final factor.

With that said, I’m leaning heavily toward Betts.

Every time I watch UCLA, I’m taken with her gravitational pull in terms of opponents’ focus and what that means for her teammates’ abilities. Put aside that she’s a double-double machine, and consider how much her vision and passing have been factors this year. She’s averaging nearly three assists a game and had 11 against Minnesota. She blocks three shots a game while averaging fewer than two fouls per game, and this is all while playing only 30 minutes a game.

Pickman: She’s not my pick, but it’s hard to be unimpressed. She is drawing fouls like never before (7.6 per 40 minutes, up from 5.5 last year, according to CBB Analytics). She remains effective around the rim, and the rest of her scoring within the paint has improved. She shoots 62.2 percent from within four to six feet of the basket, well above the DI average of 52.2 percent.

LB etched her name in the record books last night @laurenbetts12 now holds the single-season blocks record for UCLA Women’s Basketball, congrats Lo!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/O1kpQueeDB

— UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) February 21, 2025

Jennings: Honestly, seeing South Carolina in person recently was a tipping point. I know, it’s weird that a game that didn’t include Betts or UCLA would be why I started feeling more strongly about Betts as my POY pick.

Pickman: Because you came away even more impressed with how she played when UCLA beat South Carolina earlier this year?

Jennings: That game was really impressive. Betts is still one of just two players this season to record a 10-plus point, 10-plus rebound and four-plus assist game against the Gamecocks (the other player was UConn freshman Sarah Strong). But that wasn’t the ultimate deciding factor.

South Carolina looks largely identical to last year’s team except for losing Kamilla Cardoso. And yet, the Gamecocks aren’t playing nearly as efficiently, consistently or quite as impressively as last season. Their outside shooting hasn’t been as solid and their defense isn’t quite as stout. Why is that? Well, they no longer have a 6-foot-7 center holding down everything in the middle of the floor.

Seeing South Carolina with Cardoso and without Cardoso has reinforced to me the value of a player who can clean up the glass, create second-chance opportunities and be an absolute scouting nightmare, while also making each of her teammates better. It’s a familiar argument for point guards, but it also applies to Betts.

I had three overriding thoughts after South Carolina-UConn:

1. UConn can win the national title if it puts six games together like that in March and April.

2. I still feel fine about South Carolina’s chances of making the Final Four.

3. Betts is the Player of the Year.

Pickman: I don’t think there’s much debate that Betts has been the country’s best center. Frankly, she might also be the nation’s most improved player. And yet, I’m leaning toward another Big Ten player: Watkins.

She’s averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and two blocks per game. It’s a gaudy stat line, but it’s sometimes taken for granted because of Watkins’ success as a freshman. But consider this: She has been more efficient as a sophomore. Her usage rate is down, and yet she still leads the conference with 7.9 win shares, per Sports Reference. She controls every aspect of the game and plays with wisdom beyond her years. Her basketball IQ translates into her ability to force timely steals and to avoid fouling if she gets whistled early in a game.

Plus, in USC’s biggest game of the season — against the Bruins — Watkins became the first Division I player with at least 35 points, five blocks and five assists in the last 20 years. It’s hard to overlook that masterclass in this discussion.

Jennings: Watkins certainly does everything for the Trojans, but I don’t love comparing players with total stats because it doesn’t account for Watkins playing 4 1/2 minutes more per game than Betts. When you break down win shares per 40 minutes, Betts edges out Watkins (if only by a hair).

Watkins has been excellent this season while navigating a similar cross-country schedule as Betts, and she has done it with a largely revamped roster around her (unlike Betts). The Trojans said goodbye to a bunch of Ivy League grad transfers and welcomed one of the nation’s top high school recruiting classes and one of the best transfer portal classes. For the second year in a row, a largely new crop of players revolved around Watkins, and, like last season, she has thrived. That’s no easy task.

Absolute magic from JuJu

FS1
USC Game Day App pic.twitter.com/KnlnOCEoPl

— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) February 23, 2025

Pickman: Right. For the second year in a row, she has produced more points than any player in her conference. In my mind — and I’m not alone — she’s the most talented player in the country. Can you imagine USC without Watkins? She is a big reason it could still be a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year, a feat the Trojans haven’t achieved since the 1980s.

Jennings: Hidalgo needs to be in this conversation, too. Even with the ball in her hands slightly less this season because the Irish welcomed back a healthy Olivia Miles, she has managed to increase her contribution to their success. It’s wild to think that six months ago many of us were wondering, “Is there really enough basketball to go around for two elite backcourt players like Miles and Hidalgo?” And the answer, emphatically delivered by both, has been: Oh, yes!

Hidalgo has become even more unguardable with her improved 3-point shooting. Her ability to finish at the rim has remained elite, but her free-throw shooting has increased, too, by 10 percentage points, making the decision to foul her an even tougher gamble. Defensively, she’s averaging fewer steals this year, but ask any coach who has faced the Irish this season and they’ll certainly say that Hidalgo causes even more headaches this season on defense.

But ultimately, I still think Betts has a great impact on her team and influence on the outcome of games for UCLA, so for that reason, she has my vote.

Pickman: Notre Dame is well positioned to get a No. 1 seed as well. All three of the players we’ve mentioned are locks for the All-America team, but each still has a lot to play for.

The Irish close their regular season against Florida State and Louisville, both of whom are ranked. They’re clinging to a slim lead in the ACC regular-season title race. UCLA and USC play Saturday in a matchup that will decide the Big Ten title. Big showings from Betts, Hidalgo and Watkins will impact their teams and also their award candidacies.

(Photo of Lauren Betts, left, and JuJu Watkins: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The groundwork for Joc Pederson becoming a Texas Ranger was laid last September, when Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young sat with Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen. The two men were discussing the divergent paths taken by their teams. After meeting in the World Series the year before, the runner-up Diamondbacks had gotten better. The triumphant Rangers had gotten worse. Young was trying to figure out why.

Part of the difference, Young recognized, was Arizona’s young players had improved while Texas’ group had stagnated. Hazen kept referencing the influence of Pederson, one of the eldest players on the roster, a part-time designated hitter with an outsized influence on less experienced players such as Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy and Pavin Smith. A lightbulb flickered for Young.

“I thought, ‘We’re missing some of that right now in our group,’” Young said.

Three months later, after Pederson inked a two-year, $37 million deal with Texas, Young received a message from Hazen: “He’s going to transform your offense.”

Pederson was the biggest addition for a franchise with an estimated $223 million payroll, a front office geared toward aggression and a roster with championship aspirations led by manager Bruce Bochy.

On the field, Pederson does mostly one thing, using his left-handed swing to crush right-handed pitchers. Not many were better at that than he was in 2024, when he slugged .531 with 22 homers and a .923 OPS against righties. His 151 wRC+ ranked 10th in the sport among hitters with at least 400 plate appearances. It is away from the diamond, though, where Rangers officials hope Pederson can be transformative.

At 32, Pederson acts as a baseball-centric combination of the Pied Piper and the Cheshire Cat, a font of wisdom and a source of insouciance for those trailing in his wake.

“People just gravitate to him,” said San Diego Padres senior advisor Logan White, who drafted Pederson for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

Seven topsy-turvy seasons in Los Angeles provided the foundation for Pederson’s perspective. His fashion sense led to middle-aged men wearing pearl necklaces during Atlanta’s 2021 World Series run. He gifted the San Francisco Giants’ support staff with customized black and orange Air Jordan 1s. When Carroll was floundering last summer, Pederson set him up with his personal hitting coach.

“As far as treating people behind the scenes, clubhouse guys, young guys coming up to the big leagues for the first time, he’s basically the best I’ve seen with that stuff,” former Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said. “He treats people really well — and he treats people really well when no one’s looking.”

Pederson can do all this, in part, because he did not become the player he once thought he might become.

“A lot of superstars, it takes a huge toll on your mental, physical, emotional body to be able to post for 162,” Pederson said. “I’m like right in the next tier — I don’t play for 162. I’m more accessible. Teams you go on, it always seems like, ‘Oh, he’s the best player. That’s his team.’ But rarely does it ever work out like that.”

Pederson carries himself with a blend of self-confidence, self-deprecation and self-awareness. To connect with teammates, he relies upon his wealth of experience, his generosity with time and money, his sneaky sense of humor. After a fantasy football dispute in 2022 led to former San Diego outfielder Tommy Pham slapping him, Pederson established a new peak for droll athletic comedy when he told reporters, as an explanation, “I did send a .GIF in the group chat that was making fun of the Padres.” At his introductory news conference with Texas, he heralded the demise of the Houston Astros’ hegemony in the American League West. “They’ve put together a nice little run,” he said. “It’s coming to an end.”

To make that boast a reality, the Rangers will rely on a resurgence from their homegrown core and a boost from Pederson. Those two hopes are intertwined.

“Some people want to be a—holes to the young guys,” Pederson said. “I don’t get down like that.”

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As the winter unfolded, Rangers officials chatted with Corey Seager, who had teamed with Pederson for six seasons in Los Angeles. Seager, the $325-million shortstop, is an insular presence who dislikes rah-rah speeches and can usually be found before games silently sharpening his swing in the batting cage. Marcus Semien, the team’s other nine-figure infielder, has a similar fixation on his craft; he has played in at least 159 games in every full season since 2018. “How many players can truly relate to being Marcus and Corey?” Young said. Pederson, as became clear to Young in conversations with Seager and others, could fill that void.

“Every team needs that kind of guy, who can keep you light, keep you flowing,” Seager said. “Especially in the down times. He doesn’t get down.”

The down times outnumbered the good for Texas in 2024. The ferocious offense from 2023 turned feeble. Postseason hero Adolis García slumped all year. Third baseman Josh Jung broke his wrist in April. Evan Carter, who starred as a 21-year-old call-up the year prior, suffered a season-wrecking stress reaction in his back. The group finished the season ranked 23rd in slugging percentage, 23rd in OPS and 23rd in weighted on-base average. The team ended up six games beneath .500, a backslide that puzzled Young, Bochy and the rest of the front office.

Owner Ray Davis was unlikely to authorize massive free-agent additions after doling out nine-figure deals in recent years to Seager, Semien and starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who has pitched in nine games and undergone a second Tommy John surgery since signing a five-year, $185 million contract. The largest expenditure for Texas this winter was a three-year, $75 million deal to bring back starter Nathan Eovaldi. Young still sought to change the composition of the lineup and alter the chemistry in the clubhouse.

The adjustments started in December with the acquisition of Miami Marlins infielder Jake Burger. Two weeks later, Texas dealt first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to Washington. Burger replaced Lowe at first base; Pederson took Lowe’s place as a source of left-handed-hitting thump.

Burger and Pederson punished fastballs in 2024 at about the same value as higher-profile sluggers such as Bryce Harper and Max Muncy, according to Sports Info Solutions. The Rangers identified the duo as crucial in a division that includes excellent fastball purveyors including Seattle’s trio of George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert, plus Houston’s Framber Valdez.

“In our division, you’ve got to be able to hit righties,” Young said. “And you’ve got to be able to hit fastballs.”

Pederson does both. He also offered a relatability that Rangers officials thought might benefit youngsters such as Carter and outfielder Wyatt Langford.

“Not every player can be Joc Pederson,” Young said. “The fact that he views himself as more similar to most of the guys on the team, and not the superstars, speaks to his character.”

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On the day before the Rangers’ first official workout, Pederson wandered through the clubhouse with a team-issued beanie cocked halfway up his forehead. On his third loop through the room, a visitor inquired about his meandering.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing,” he said. “I’m just trying to find my way. I’m just trying to find my way.”

He grabbed his iPhone and realized his immediate purpose.

“No,” he said, “I have groundballs at first at 9:30 a.m.”

Pederson did not take the field once for the Diamondbacks in 2024. He likely will fill a similar role for Texas. He has gained weight and lost speed since his days in the Dodgers minor-league system, when team officials dreamed about him becoming a five-tool player in center field. He was a multi-sport star at Palo Alto High in the Bay Area, the No. 1 wide receiver on a football team that also included future six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams. He fell out of the early rounds of the MLB draft in the summer of 2010 because of worries about his willingness to sign.

“The word on the street was $1 million, or he was going to go to USC,” said Logan White, the former Dodgers scouting director.

With Pederson still available in the 11th round, White took a flier. He suspected Pederson was bluffing. One of White’s part-time scouts, Larry Barton Jr., hounded him about getting Pederson to sign. “This guy’s going to be the next Freddie Lynn,” Barton said, as White recalled. As the deadline approached, White upped his offer to $600,000. He called Pederson to make one last pitch to sell the teenager on the Dodgers.

White’s intuition was correct. Pederson did not want to attend college. But the offer was still less than he sought. He asked White for a minute to think. Pederson put down the phone and grabbed a coin. Heads meant college, tails meant pro ball. “Tails never fails,” he said. The story, when White eventually heard it, left the longtime executive flummoxed. “To this day, I don’t know if it’s true or not,” White said. “Knowing Joc, it would not surprise me one iota.”

Pederson zipped through the minors. He was 22 when he debuted in 2014. A year later, he made his first All-Star team. But his performance cratered in the second half and he spent most of the Dodgers’ National League Division Series loss on the bench. As the years passed, his defense in center field degraded and left-handed pitchers picked him apart. He became a platoon player deployed mostly against righties, a designation that frustrated him. As the Dodgers set a franchise record for victories in 2017, Pederson was demoted late in the summer. He shrugged off the insult in time for October. In a rollicking seven-game defeat to the Houston Astros, Pederson hit three home runs and slugged .944.

He did not understand it then, but he was banking experience that would connect him with future teammates. “I’ve been in the ‘best player in the game’ category when I got called up to getting benched after being an All-Star,” Pederson said. “I’ve been sent down and then almost won the World Series MVP. I’ve done a lot of things where I’ve been at the top and the bottom.”

As a young player, Pederson felt welcomed into the clubhouse by veterans such as Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. He often carpooled to Dodger Stadium with Clayton Kershaw when Kershaw wasn’t starting. Pederson also grew accustomed to winning. He never missed the postseason as a Dodger. He excelled against elite pitchers on the October stage, whether it was swatting a game-tying dinger off Max Scherzer in a 2016 elimination game or taking Tyler Glasnow deep in the 2020 World Series.

Heading into free agency, Pederson said he eschewed more lucrative offers to sign a one-year, $7 million contract with the Chicago Cubs for 2021 because the club offered him the chance to play every day. He hit better against lefties but he missed the thrill of contending. A lifeline emerged when the Braves acquired him that summer to mitigate a season-ending injury to Ronald Acuña Jr.

Pederson became a part-timer again. He found he did not mind it, as long as the team was winning. He thumped righties. He lightened up the clubhouse with banter and outlandish fashion statements. After he got attention for wearing a pearl necklace on the diamond, Truist Park sold replicas for $5. He added a second World Series ring to his jewelry collection that October.

The experience crystallized for Pederson how he wanted the rest of his career to unfold. He might never become a perennial MVP candidate. But he could embrace his place within a clubhouse hierarchy and aid those around him.

“I’ve played with so many people who are like, ‘I need to be playing. I need to be playing over this guy,’” Pederson said. “Where they’re just haters, and the word gets around. Like, ‘Oh man, you should hear what f—ing so-and-so’s saying on the bench, he’s just hating on [his teammate] because he’s not in there.’ That’s not it. There are a lot of guys who are like, ‘Oh, I should be playing,’ this and that. And it’s like, ‘This is why you’re always on a f—ing losing team.’”

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On a trip to St. Louis last April, Hazen was chatting with Arizona manager Torey Lovullo about the trajectory of Jake McCarthy, a first-round pick in 2018 who had yet to establish himself. Lovullo offered a reason to feel encouraged. The manager had noticed how McCarthy was leaning on Pederson.

When Arizona signed Pederson to a $12.5 million deal for 2024, team officials were uncertain about his potential role in their clubhouse. Pederson had posted an .821 OPS during his previous two seasons in San Francisco, but the team struggled during those years and his pregame predilection for the Filipino card game Pusoy as the 2023 season capsized aggravated some within the Giants orbit, as The Athletic reported. Zaidi, who had bonded with Pederson during their shared time in Los Angeles, remains steadfast in defending his former player. “In the clubhouse, he really cared,” Zaidi said. “He developed connections with the staff, the front office. He really took after young players.”

As McCarthy started to stabilize, Hazen recognized Pederson might have more to offer than 400 useful at-bats. Hazen began referring to him as “our assistant G.M.” Pederson was invited to pregame meetings with Hazen, Lovullo and the two actual assistant general managers, Mike Fitzgerald and Amiel Sawdaye. “He knows everything about baseball,” Hazen said. “Like, the whole league. So he has an opinion on all the players. He knows everybody. It was valuable insights.”

Lovullo leaned on him, too. “You crush pitchers for us,” Lovullo would tell Pederson. “That’s what you’re here for. But if you have anything left in your tank, can you help out?”

Pederson could relate to players clambering for a foothold. “You talk to him and there’s no ego,” McCarthy said. “He talks to you as an equal.”

He could also relate to struggling stars like Corbin Carroll. After winning the National League Rookie of the Year award and finishing fifth in the MVP race in 2023, Carroll scuffled through last season’s first half. After the All-Star break, Pederson invited him to hit with Marlon Byrd, a 15-year veteran who has moved into private coaching. Carroll connected with Byrd on July 29, as the Arizona Republic reported last year. Across the rest of the season, Carroll posted a .931 OPS.

Pederson paid Byrd to fly to Phoenix for every Diamondbacks homestand in 2024. The two will continue to work together this season. As he has bounced from team to team, Pederson explained, he has come to appreciate the stability of a coach familiar with his approach and his mechanics. He tries to blend that with the information offered by the team’s coaching staff.

“I’m going to do my thing,” Pederson said. “I’ll take in your information, and I’m going to filter it and see what’s good. I’ll do that with every coach. You do that with everything. You read something online: ‘Shohei Ohtani just got traded.’ You would look at the source. ‘Hmm, let me filter this. Does it seem right? Eh …’ You can’t listen to everything people say.”

That perspective is the hard-earned product of more than a decade in the majors. Pederson does not like to advertise himself as an instantaneous clubhouse leader or a vibes guru or a sage for rookies. But reputations spread quickly. Before the Rangers position players were even required to report to camp, Carter sought him out for what Pederson called “conversations about growing, as a human and as a baseball player.”

Pederson did not want to say much more about those conversations. He can be evasive during interviews, uninterested in revealing insight into his psyche. But at the end of a conversation this spring, he offered a parting quip to a reporter that conveyed what mattered to him.

“Don’t make me look like a jackass, all right?”

(Top photo: Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

Last Friday night, Spain’s women’s team played their first game since Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing Jenni Hermoso after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. 

Spain came from 2-0 down against Belgium in Valencia with 20 minutes left to win a thrilling game 3-2. Hermoso was not involved, having again been left out of the squad by coach Montse Tome. But she was on the minds of many.

Today during Spain – Belgium. A woman and her daughter went to the match to give support to Jennifer Hermoso even if she was not in the call-up. pic.twitter.com/7jQnW530OW

— Laia Cervelló Herrero (@Laia_Cervello) February 21, 2025

A day earlier, judge Jose Manuel Clemente Fernandez-Prieto found Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), guilty of sexual assault and issued him with a fine of more than €10,000 (£8,300; $11,400) for the kiss on Hermoso as she received her World Cup winners’ medal. The judge found Rubiales and his three co-defendants — former women’s coach Jorge Vilda, ex-Spain men’s team sporting director Albert Luque and former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) marketing director Ruben Rivera — not guilty of coercion for their efforts to persuade Hermoso to publicly say she had consented to the kiss. Rubiales intends to appeal the decision.

The two-week trial at Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, the country’s high court, in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid demonstrated the RFEF’s lack of respect for Hermoso and her team-mates, going back long before the World Cup.

Spain were far from their best in Friday’s UEFA Nations League game. Belgium’s opening goal followed a mistake by team captain Irene Paredes, who was among the national team players called as witnesses to the trial in Madrid. But they showed impressive collective effort in staging a fightback.

“What we want is to win games,” Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey said in the stadium’s mixed zone afterward. “It’s been a difficult few months for everyone. Now the sentence is out, everything’s been said and done, we’ve come out to win — and in the end, we’ve done it.”

Recently elected RFEF president Rafael Louzan attended the game in Valencia and has spoken about a new era of openness and inclusivity.

But, for many of those within women’s football in Spain, the feeling is that the battle for full respect and equality goes on.

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After the World Cup final in Sydney, many in Spanish society and football spoke about an urgent need for reform. At a moment of intense global focus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other government ministers quickly called for action and change.

Once FIFA suspended Rubiales and the eyes of the world drifted away, the impetus for real change and modernisation at the federation’s Las Rozas headquarters also started to stall.

Rubiales’ handpicked successor Pedro Rocha quickly fired Vilda as coach, but replaced him with his assistant, Tome, who had been in that role at the 2023 World Cup. Hermoso was not called up in her first squad, with Tome claiming she wanted to “protect the player”, which she was asked about when she gave testimony in the Rubiales trial. Tome told the court Hermoso was not selected for “sporting” reasons and that “protecting her came into that because of the situation we were experiencing”.

It was Hermoso and her colleagues who helped force the first real changes. Eighty-one national team players said they would not play for the team until serious reforms were made to end structural sexism at the federation.

After an awkward stand-off — which required mediation from players’ union FUTPRO and government intervention — interim president Rocha agreed to some measures. He fired figures deemed part of Rubiales’ inner circle when he was at the RFEF — former general secretary Andreu Camps, integrity director Miguel Garcia Caba and communications director Pablo Garcia Cuervo.

More of Rubiales’ closest associates were forced out in March 2024, including legal adviser Tomas Gonzalez Cueto, when Spanish police raided the federation’s headquarters as part of an investigation into alleged corruption during Rubiales’ time in charge that is still in the evidence-gathering phase. Rubiales and Cueto have both denied any wrongdoing.

Rocha himself was investigated as part of that operation — and the Spanish government tried to force him out too but he denied being involved in any corruption and clung on to power. As the political and legal struggles continued, attempts to implement better structures for women’s football were stymied.

“We could hardly do anything,” FUTPRO president Amanda Gutierrez tells The Athletic of her organisation’s lobbying on behalf of its members, including Hermoso. “There were many situations we wanted to talk about and negotiate, but it was not possible. They could not take significant decisions as Rocha was not a permanent president.”

A lack of professionalism and concern for the team was again shown in November 2023, when Paredes, Ivana Andres, Esther Gonzalez and Caldentey missed a key Nations League game against Switzerland due to mistakes in submitting the official squad to UEFA and then the teamsheet on the day of the game.

The federation did hire Markel Zubizarreta as sporting director of women’s football in November 2023, filling a role Vilda had occupied alongside his coaching role.

Zubizarreta was the architect of Barcelona’s all-conquering women’s team — who won 16 trophies, including four league titles and two Champions League trophies — and was respected by the players. But less than 12 months later he left to become global sporting director at Michele Kang’s Kynisca Sports group, which runs U.S. side Washington Spirit, Lyon in France and London City Lionesses. 

“One of the changes we asked for was to have a proper selection process for hiring staff, not just placing friends or contacts in roles,” Gutierrez says. “Markel was perfectly qualified, with wide experience in the sector. But we had the bad luck that Kang came and made him an offer he could not refuse.”

During the recent trial, the prosecution pointed out that, before the World Cup, the federation had in place a “protocol of action against sexual violence”, under which Rubiales’ actions after the final should have been punishable.

Rubiales admitted while giving evidence to having ratified this protocol “in a hurry” just before the World Cup, under pressure from the government, but claimed not to know its contents. Hermoso and Tome testified they were not aware it existed.

In the weeks after Sydney, FUTPRO made a formal complaint to a Spanish government body, which in March 2024 mandated the federation update this protocol and make sure everyone at the RFEF know about it. 

Asked whether these changes had been made, an RFEF spokesperson replied: “The problem here before was not the regulations that existed, it is that they were not applied. This is a new era, Rubiales and his people are all gone now, the difference with the past is like night and day.”

The trial also showed how Hermoso was left completely alone after events in Sydney, as the entire federation apparatus was put in place to protect Rubiales — actions that led to the prosecution charge of coercion against the four accused at the trial.

Most of the staff involved in that operation no longer work at the RFEF. Some of those who still do — such as women’s team press officer Patricia Perez — were fully supportive of Hermoso as they gave evidence at the trial.

Other figures still at the federation were not so clear. Tome appeared to try to steer a neutral course. Luis de la Fuente, the European Championship-winning men’s national team coach, appeared more concerned with protecting his reputation than securing justice for Hermoso. He made multiple attempts to distance himself from any of the discussions about Hermoso and how the RFEF dealt with the fallout from the sexual assault by Rubiales. 

“If a player came out today and made an official complaint, the federation would respond,” Arantxa Uria, vice president of Spain’s Association for Women in Professional Sport, tells The Athletic. “There is now more media attention, which offers protection. We still have the doubt about whether — if it was not made public — how they would act. Jennifer was always very alone, and remains very alone.”

At all international tournaments, FIFA mandates that teams nominate a ‘safeguarding officer’, responsible for protecting all those taking part from harm or abuse. For Spain at the World Cup, this was team psychologist Javier Lopez Vallejo, who said in court he had no formal training in this area, and added that he saw nothing during the tournament that he should have been concerned about. The RFEF did not respond when asked if any current staff had taken any of FIFA’s official safeguarding courses.

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While the Rubiales trial took 18 months to be investigated and tried, the regional barons who have long dominated the federation successfully headed off the government’s talk of electoral reform.

Last December, Galician regional president Louzan was elected the new permanent president of the RFEF, despite being found guilty in May 2022 of misuse of public funds during his former job as governor of the city of Pontevedra. That decision was overturned by Spain’s supreme court in February, clearing him to continue in his role at the football federation.

Gutierrez says the idea of a complete outsider — perhaps even a woman — coming in with a clean broom to sweep up the federation was always unlikely.

She argues that some progress has been made. FUTPRO’s lobbying led to Spain internationals Ona Batlle and Patri Guijarro, plus two female referees and two coaches, becoming members of the 142-strong ‘general assembly’, which ultimately controls the federation and elects its president. “That it took until (November) 2024 to have any women’s players in the assembly is crazy, but shows where we are coming from,” Gutierrez says.

In January, a new ‘convention agreement’ was signed between the top division of women’s football in Spain (Liga F) and FUTPRO. That included a strengthening of the league’s own sexual abuse protocol and initiatives to protect mental health — but the minimum wage in Spain’s top division is still just €22,500 a year.

Another high-profile incident took place in Spanish women’s football during the trial. Video footage circulated on social media appearing to show Barcelona defender Mapi Leon inappropriately touching Espanyol player Daniela Caracas during a Liga F clash. 

Espanyol released a statement expressing their “total discontent and condemnation” of an action that they said “violated the privacy” of Caracas. Leon said, “At no time did I violate, nor did I have the intention to violate, the privacy of my professional colleague Daniela Caracas.”

Liga F has not made an official statement on the incident. FUTPRO offered its support to both players to “clarify what happened and help in any relevant way”.

No official action has yet been taken, and Leon — who has not represented Spain since stepping away in protest at problems with Vilda and the RFEF in July 2022 — has continued to play for Barcelona.

There are other ways the convention agreement does not appear to have made a significant difference.

“The new agreement signed recently for the women’s players was promoted as a great step forward,” says Uria. “But the players still earn the minimum salary of any Spaniard. There was no real advance.”

Just before the trial started, the federation named a new director of women’s football — Reyes Bellver, a lawyer who has respect among players and others within the game. 

“They are talking about wanting to change things, a lot,” says Uria. “We will have to wait and see what job (Bellver) does, what measures she can take within the federation structure. Just hiring a woman for a certain role is not enough. We want to see real changes made, not just nice words.”

Louzan’s new board of 30 directors features 15 women, as mandated by Spanish law. These include Liga F president Beatriz Alvarez Mesa and Maria Jose Rienda, a former head of the government’s Superior Sports Council (CSD). Although Alvarez is the only female among the eight vice presidents, RFEF sources — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to speak freely — maintain the new regime is serious about having women in senior positions of power. Other reforms at the federation since Rubiales left include changes made to its government mandated ‘Equality Plan’, a new equality strategy and a new department of equality. 

“We’re going to continue in the line of unity, consensus, hard work and absolute transparency,” Louzan told an assembly meeting that took place during the trial. “The moment has come to do everything that could not be done until now. We’ve initiated a transformation process for this institution, which needs to modernise and adapt to new trends.”

Those words have been welcomed, but everyone involved also knows Louzan was a vice president throughout Rubiales’ presidency. The Galician met with the Spanish government on Monday and issues known to be on the agenda included Spain’s hosting of the 2030 men’s World Cup. There have been very few specific reforms implemented that directly help the women’s team.

Louzan has announced that Liga F will receive €2.5million from the RFEF to develop women’s football. The federation declined to specify how much of its €379.6million budget for 2025 would go towards the women’s game, but said it spent significantly more on women’s football than it earned.

This argument is not accepted by Gutierrez, who pointed to Zubizarreta’s role as women’s sporting director remaining currently vacant.

“The players are not asking for the same salary as the men, they’re asking for the same resources — the same installations, hours, transport, equipment, staff,” she says. “This is our battle. Have we achieved that yet? Obviously not. Hopefully, someday, we will have this equality of conditions, and the players will be free to perform to their best level.”

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As Caldentey said last Friday, Spain’s women’s team are focused on winning games on the pitch. The issue remains whether their undoubted talent is backed up by structures and support from the federation.

The word from the RFEF is that this is a new era, that the guilty verdict should allow all involved to draw a line and move on. It is not so simple.

“The guilty verdict for sexual assault seems correct, but it’s strange there was no guilty verdict for coercion,” Paredes said at a press conference from the team camp last week. “That sums up what the dressing room feels.”

Tome said last week that “each person can have their own thoughts about something” when asked about the effect of the case on the squad. The coach’s own testimony at the trial did not convince everyone that she fully backed Hermoso and it remains strange to see Spain play without their record all-time goalscorer involved.

“The players are professionals, and they have shown (in the past) they are capable of handling anything,” Gutierrez says. “But it’s true that it would be better if these bad feelings did not exist, and that they could just perform to their best level. The space for improvement is so huge. There is still a long way to go.”

(Top photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Who are the best and toughest front offices to deal with in the NHL? Which owners are known for giving players what they need? What does the league need to do to improve?

Asking players these questions can yield some pretty good results, but there are limits to that approach. Players have relatively limited exposure to organizations outside their own. And some shy away from expressing controversial takes — even anonymously.

Want an unvarnished opinion on all things NHL? Talk to an agent. Agents often represent several players, whose employers span multiple teams and divisions. They spend their days talking to players, other agents and NHL general managers. And they’re experts on the business side of hockey.

Over the past several months, The Athletic polled 19 agents, who combine to represent hundreds of NHL player contracts, on 10 key questions facing the league and its future. Agents were granted anonymity to encourage honest and candid answers.

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1. What is the area the NHL can improve the most?

What’s holding the NHL back? Mainly marketing, agents said.

The bulk of responses centered around the league’s perceived failings when it comes to selling the game and its star players, bringing in new audiences and growing hockey-related revenue (HRR). To be fair, though, all agents were polled before the recent 4 Nations Face-Off, which was a grand success for the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association.

“The NHL has a compelling product, it’s the most exciting live experience of any of the major pro sports,” one agent said, echoing the majority of respondents. “Yet (the folks) running the league seemed content for decades to be focused more on fighting the players over using them to grow the game.”

“This is where the NBA has probably done a better job than us and the NFL is hitting on all cylinders,” another said. “Just using the crest and the trophy is not enough anymore.”

One agent, however, noted a hurdle faced by the league in promoting player personalities: the players themselves.

“I would like to say ‘selling their players better,’ but the guys are so humble, it’s hard to sell them,” the agent said. “Other sports leagues do that better, but their personalities are bigger.”

Meanwhile, more than one agent highlighted the NHL’s problem in getting the games in front of viewers.

“We’re missing the opportunity to expand the game to a more casual fan,” one said. “We haven’t quite unlocked what the key is to bringing the live experience to TV in a better way. If you watch old games from the ’60s or ’70s, they’re kind of shot more or less the same way as now.”

How the league sets up the schedule and its key events drew criticism as well. Here are some other areas in which agents feel the league could improve:

On the playoff format: “I wouldn’t mind them going back (to) 1 seed vs. 8 seed instead of the divisional stuff. There’s got to be incentives to having great regular seasons. Same matchups every year in the playoffs.”

On expanding the playoff field: “The league continues to grow and it sounds like we’re going to continue to grow beyond the 32, so I’m really surprised the owners haven’t pushed this for their own selfish reasons. For certain markets, it would create hope right to the end.”

On scheduling: “With the 4 Nations, Olympics, the World Cup — I think the PA, the league have failed the players, the fans, the owners instead of really understanding the wear and tear it has on the product.”

On scheduling: “I’d like to see staggered start times, and I don’t know how we go three or four nights with literally no games or one or two and then all of a sudden everybody plays.”

On player safety: “My thing here lately is the inconsistencies with player safety. For some things that go unpunished and some things that do, I can never get a read on what they’re doing or thinking. Some of these things that should be suspensions and certainly significant fines, they slip by. There’s no punishment. And others that are borderline, there’s heavy stuff. There needs to be a consistent standard.”

On the de-centralization of the draft: “I hate (the change). It’s a big thing for that city to have. I think the draft is an amazing thing.”

The answers in this category offer more evidence of how far the NHL has come in the Sun Belt.

On-ice success is, of course, a big factor here, but so are other areas. Atmosphere, culture and leadership matter a lot, too.

“You have to look at Tampa with the way the owner’s very good at being hands-off,” one agent said. “(Owner Jeff Vinik) sat back, hired the best people and let them do their jobs.”

“Tampa is awesome,” echoed another. “Players want to be there. They’re buying houses there and spending post-career there.”

For similar reasons, the other Florida team ranks high on agents’ lists.

“(The Panthers) are in sync and connected between ownership and management,” an agent said. “They turned things around in short order with (GM) Billy Zito going in there. They’re fair. They’ve developed in short order to become a destination. Those guys take less to go there because of the tax advantages down there.”

In Vegas, one of the league’s youngest franchises has quickly gained a reputation for winning — at all costs.

“They’ve been consistently competitive,” an agent said. “They don’t hesitate to do whatever it takes, although it may be cold-blooded at times to improve the franchise. But if you’re rating them on their ability to execute on a game plan, I think from Day One they’ve been pretty impressive.”

The Dallas Stars also received credit for on-ice success.

“From top to bottom, their scouting is outstanding, their development is outstanding. Obviously management,” an agent said.

Added another: “They’ve just found so many players. And frankly they’re really good people.”

One somewhat surprising entry here might be the Jets. One agent praised the team for on-ice success in the face of attendance and business concerns.

“They are able to draft, develop very well,” an agent said. “The West is a beast, but I’m impressed, for a smaller market, how they’re able to operate.”

The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, received credit on the business side in spite of on-ice struggles (at least in the playoffs).

“I think they’ve outdone the Rangers. They’ve outdone Boston. They’ve outdone Montreal,” an agent said. “So I’ve got to give them their due as far as growing revenues in this business and running it like a corporate enterprise.”

Several agents struggled to limit their answer to just one team, so 25 of the NHL’s 32 teams received at least one vote.

In this category, words like “reasonable,” “accessible” and “honest” carry a lot of weight.

That’s the case when it comes to Tampa GM Julien Brisebois.

“Julien’s pretty straightforward,” one agent said. “Very accessible, easy to deal with. Player-friendly.”

“They don’t mess around,” added another. “I like JB.”

It’s the case with the Wild and GM Bill Guerin, too.

“Bill Guerin’s reasonable and easy to deal with and easy to have a conversation with,” an agent said. “Very honest.”

“Billy G’s always fair,” added another.

Minnesota and Guerin also received credit for staying competitive in the face of salary cap-related issues over the past several seasons.

“It’s truly amazing how competitive they’ve been the last three years spending $13-$15 million less than anyone else. Imagine if they could have fielded full rosters.”

People love Jim Nill in Dallas.

“Classiest, most honest guy in the league,” said one agent.

Some agents noted a desire to deal with former player agents, such as Zito of the Panthers.

“I like dealing with Billy Zito. He’s been on both sides of it,” one said.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is another former agent. His partnership in Montreal with front-office veteran Jeff Gorton was a highlight for one agent.

“Kent Hughes is a very charming guy, and right into it. Jeff Gorton and him, I met with those guys, they were like two brothers fighting when I talked to them. They’re funny. To actually rebuild is hard. They’ve done a nice job over there. They’re on the right track.”

Interestingly, the Ducks and Islanders — Nos. 1 and 2 in this poll’s “most difficult to deal with” category, respectively — each drew a mention here.

“I know it’s a crazy thing to say, but I have such trust in dealing with Lou,” an agent said of Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello. “He’s so honest. What he says is what he means, and vice versa.”

Another agent felt similarly about the regime in Anaheim: “I like the old-school, straight-shooting guys.”

As most agents quipped at first, “This would have been easy a year ago — Arizona. Poor Billy (Armstrong) had his hands tied, but the rest was unstable as hell. Not anymore in Utah.”

Forced to choose a new answer, most agents picked Buffalo due to more than a decade of struggles.

The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since 2011. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2007. They’ve been rebuilding for what seems like forever. And they’re currently holding down last place in the Eastern Conference.

“Buffalo has just decades of mediocrity and is just a mess,” one agent said.

Multiple agents brought up Anaheim: “The Ducks are not run well enough and are so difficult to deal with.”

The Blackhawks garnered votes here for a perceived mismanagement of their rebuild so far — especially after adding Connor Bedard.

“When you got it all, you’ve got to run it like you do. I don’t think they have a plan,” one agent said. “It should be getting done right. For what they’ve been given, Chicago and Detroit are the biggest letdowns. They’ve been given the keys to the kingdom, but my gosh.”

Two agents wondered about the Yzerplan in Detroit.

“They’re really unstable,” one said. “There’s no plan, although they may say there’s one.”

One agent questioned the strategy in Nashville.

“They spent $108 million on free agents this summer — older free agents, but yet they just have five first-round picks just sitting there and not developing. So what’s the plan? What’s the direction?”

One agent described the Ducks front office as something of a throwback.

“When I started, everybody was angry and telling you to go f— yourself,” one agent said. “So I kinda miss that. Anaheim, personality-wise, they’re tough. (GM Pat Verbeek) is cranky and runs the show himself and (assistant GM Jeff Solomon) is a grinder. I like those two guys, but tough. I appreciate when they’re a–holes.”

“Verbeek is ridiculous. He draws lines in the sand and sticks by it irrationally,” one said.

“The guy that makes Anaheim tough is Jeff Solomon,” another added. “He does all their contracts. Something as simple as doing entry-level deals … there’s always something they nickel you.”

A so-called old-school mentality was a theme here. So, no surprise that the New York Islanders, with a front office led by the eldest statesman of NHL GMs, fall into the category.

“They’re the biggest pain in the ass to deal with,” one agent said. “A lot of old-school people, and (Lou Lamoriello) has no ability to let someone else have responsibility. It’s all through him, and every conversation is draining.”

“I respect the Islanders, but Lou definitely holds tight,” an agent added. “When he locks in his heels, he locks in his heels.”

Complaints about Carolina, which tied for second here, centered on owner Tom Dundon’s management style.

“It’s dysfunctional how the owner micromanages everything,” an agent said.

But for the most part, answers in this category came down to how tough a front office was perceived to be in negotiations.

An agent on the Golden Knights: “(GM Kelly McCrimmon) is a tough customer.”

And on the Predators: “Nashville is like pulling teeth dealing with them on contracts at all levels.”

Tampa’s Jeff Vinik has found a winning formula — on and off the ice.

“I think he’s done a wonderful job,” an agent said. “He walked in there and turned the franchise around. First-class all the way. I mean, just look at what the area around the rink used to be like compared to now. He’s got to be one of the best owners in sports.”

Another agent put it simply and enthusiastically: “My players say he’s the best owner ever.”

Added another, “That guy gets it. He got it from Day One. He’s done all the right things and hired the right people and stayed out of it, but also done all the things that he needed to do for the market.”

With all the answers here, high rankings go to owners who have deep pockets and are perceived as willing to spend.

That’s the case in Toronto, one of few NHL teams with a corporate ownership structure rather than an individual owner. Agents appreciated MLSE’s willingness to spend on more than player salaries.

“They have the money to basically do whatever they want,” one noted. “They treat their players great.”

“There’s no cost spared with the Leafs,” added another. “If you need an MRI, they’ll get you 35 of them.”

How about the new guy? Utah’s Ryan Smith isn’t new to sports ownership (he has owned a majority stake in the NBA’s Utah Jazz since 2020) and he’s already garnered at least one solid review in his debut NHL season.

“He’s new, but a $3 hot dog, $3 water, $3 pop? It feels like he’s part of the people. He’s the new wave.”

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon ran away with this category — something that could raise some eyebrows, given the relative success of his organization.

What’s clear from agents’ comments is that this isn’t really about any specific business decision or issues with spending (a more common sentiment the last time we did this exercise in 2022). It’s more about Dundon’s communication and leadership style, with several describing him as overly involved.

“I don’t know how he has the time or the energy. He’s the de facto GM,” one agent said.

“A lot of people in our business hate it that Tom is so f—ing involved, and he is basically the manager and he has a lot of strong opinions, too, and he’s not afraid to tell all of us privately those opinions.”

“His GMs and assistant GMs … have to ask him permission for anything,” added another.

The idea that the owner’s involvement is affecting the culture was raised several times.

“They’ve got some smart people there, but you just feel their culture by not even working there, just being around it. And it’s not a great one.”

One agent joked: “The worst part of Dundon lapping the competition here is he’s probably proud of it.”

Buffalo’s Terry Pegula took the second spot in this category, but the comments were more focused on a perceived lack of involvement — and a lack of on-ice success.

“Buffalo has swung and missed a lot,” one agent noted.

“He has not done anything,” another said of Pegula. “He’s in left field.”

One agent said a lack of involvement was reason for the Ducks’ Henry Samueli to earn votes, too. “Ownership that isn’t involved when they should be frustrates me. Like, get involved.”

“Whatever the f— he wants.”

That pretty much sums up the general feeling on this one.

When Connor McDavid’s current deal expires after the 2025-26 season, the question isn’t whether he’ll become the highest-paid hockey player of all-time; it’s how much he will make.

The current CBA limits a player to 20 percent of a team’s salary cap. With the cap expected to jump above $100 million for the first time as McDavid’s deal expires, could he be the league’s first $20 million man?

“McDavid should make the max. It’s imperative that he does,” one agent said. “He’s the best player in the league. With that carries the obligation to be paid the highest amount possible, end of story.”

“He’s worth every penny at 20 percent,” another added.

“That guy better get 20 percent of the upper limit,” said another. “He’s by far the best player in the game and will be for awhile and should lead the charge. Our whole league works towards a ceiling, and he should be it.”

Some noted the need to balance a desire to get paid and the desire to win.

“He’s got to decide if he wants to win or not,” one agent said. “He has every right to ask for 20 percent and then go backwards.”

“I would suggest it’s going to be whatever Connor McDavid decides is most appropriate,” another agent said. “I’m sure a lot of people know this, but when he did his last contract, the night before he signed it, he called and took a couple million right off the top because he felt he was taking too much money and they needed more to be able to build the team.”

Another agent noted that McDavid’s contract will need to compare favorably to the eight-year, $112 million extension signed by Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl in September, which carries an AAV of $14 million.

“I think Connor realizes Stanley Cups are the most important thing, but obviously Leon’s contract’s out there, so I would say a million dollars more than Leon.”

Another agent agreed on that ballpark.

“I’d say 15 percent of the cap, because you need to leave 5 percent cushion for the team to have money to spend to win,” the agent said. “I think that’s fair. Because if the cap goes to $115 million, that’s $15 or $16 million.”

7a. What is the biggest issue in the next CBA negotiations?

The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2025-26 season, and the NHLPA and NHL appear confident a deal will be reached amicably.

“I think we are in a good place in terms of our collective bargaining relationship, in terms of our overall relationship,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said ahead of the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Indeed, many agents are hopeful the next round of negotiations will feature less animosity than we’ve seen in the past.

What are the big issues likely to arise?

“I hope none,” said one agent. “I hope we’ve ironed them out. We’ve had enough battles in my life — over 30-plus years as an agent. We don’t need a battle.”

Still, this question yielded an array of concerns on agents’ minds. Most of them center around money — and exactly how it is divided between owners and players. Several agents noted, for example, that players should get a piece of expansion fees.

“If it’s going to be a real 50-50 partnership, it should be in respect to everything, and I’m not just talking expansion fees,” one agent said. “I’m talking more along the lines of all the insurance and everything that all comes out of the player’s share. Those expenses should be 50-50 as well.”

Escrow came up with nearly half the agents.

“It’s always escrow,” an agent said. “Escrow will be fine as long as HRR keeps going upwards. It’s just making sure HRR continues to grow so everyone can share and it doesn’t rear its ugly head again.”

But a falling Canadian dollar had some worried about the potential hit to HRR.

“The problem we’re having with the Canadian dollar that’s going to be a huge issue because HRR is driven by Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver — they contribute so much. I think we’re going to be into another pickle a couple of years from now.”

Others had thoughts on adjustments to the salary cap.

“(There should be a) luxury tax for teams that want to spend over the cap,” one said.

Another added there should be focus on keeping the cap floor at a sufficiently high level: “I feel like as the cap goes up you’re going to have more and more teams having self-imposed budgets, so that’s a concern.”

7b. What’s an under-the-radar issue that should be addressed?

This was another question that drew a wide array of responses.

The idea that tax regimes in certain markets make teams more or less desirable to players was raised more than once. Is there a better way?

“The cap should be set off teams with no state tax,” one agent said, echoing a few others. “Meaning Wild or Rangers or whoever could spend their percent difference to that of Vegas. Even (the) playing field.”

Not everyone agreed, though.

“That’s a thing I’m sick of hearing about,” an agent countered. “Nobody was talking about this 15 years ago when the Panthers were terrible. It’s complete bulls—. That’s not why players go there. They go there to win.”

Here were some other popular talking points:

On travel: “Cross-conference travel and rivalries. I think they should add an extra in-division game or two in their conference rather than, say, Tampa go to Vancouver. That travel is so taxing and they don’t draw well.”

On new CHL-college rules: “I think there will be a lot of discussion about the four-year college free agency thing. Teams hate that. Agents love it where the guys can basically walk after four years. I think there’s going to have to be a lot of modification based on the CHL-NCAA changes just to try to get people on some sort of level playing ground.”

On signing bonuses: “The signing bonuses haven’t even kept up with the cost of living expenses. If you’re a rookie in New York and told to get an apartment, you’d rather stay in the hotel for three more months. To me, Connor Bedard making a $95,000 signing bonus is crazy. That’s the same as a college free agent. I go to Hawks games and there’s 16,000 Bedard jerseys. Maybe there should be an exception for first-round picks.”

On player safety: “The player safety department needs to be overhauled.”

On waivers: “That entry-level players have to wait so long before they’re eligible to be put on waivers. I think a team should have two years to assess the talent of a player and develop them.”

“Good players getting trapped in the minors for too long.”

It’s not entirely surprising that an overwhelming majority of agents are in favor of expansion.

After all, as one agent put it, “More jobs. Agents would always be for that.”

“I want the NHL to go to 40 teams. Forty-five teams,” another added. “The more the merrier. If we get to 50, I’d be thrilled.”

Some did note, however, that the league should be careful not to dilute the talent pool.

“I don’t think there’s enough good players to expand,” one said.

Most disagreed, arguing more opportunity will result in more stars.

As for where the NHL should go next?

“Going to strong TV markets is the low-hanging fruit and most important element, so Houston makes the most sense,” one agent said.

“Add teams in the U.S. Avoid the Canadian dollar,” another said. “Add Houston and Atlanta, and then realign. Why’s Utah in the Central?”

Here’s what agents had to say on the options:

On Phoenix: “Phoenix can work with the right owner and building. Utah, you see how much difference ownership makes right off the hop. It changed almost immediately.”

On Houston: “Fourth-biggest market in the U.S., and it never gets mentioned. It’s a no-brainer.”

On Quebec City: “I have no idea why they’re not in the league if Winnipeg is.”

On Quebec City negatives: “I don’t want another Canadian city; we need to generate revenue.”

On Atlanta: “Bad ownership plagued them last time. Horrible ownership actually, so find the right group and location, it could work.”

On Atlanta negatives: “F— Atlanta. We’ve tried that a million times. There’s no way.”

On Atlanta negatives: “I’ll believe this Atlanta stuff when we see it. We’ve been there twice. They seem to think it’ll work a third time. We’ll see.”

On Kansas City: An agent pointed to the NFL’s Chiefs as an example. “Maybe they can get that market.”

On Toronto: “I think it’s the most insane thing in the world that there’s not two teams in Toronto. It’s crazy.”

Several agents described the current NHL schedule as a “grind.” Adding more games is unpopular.

More teams having a shot at the postseason, though? There might be something there.

“I would probably be in favor of some play-in games,” one agent said. “I think it’s worked well in baseball and it’s been good for TV and would be good overall for HRR.”

Another added, “It’s so hard to make the playoffs, so if we can take the teams that were like one regulation loss away from making it, I think that’d be fun.”

Still, there were several who emphasized that the schedule is too long as it is.

“There’s too many games. If anything, I would reduce the number of games,” one of eight agents who responded “no” said.

A main target for reducing the workload: the preseason exhibition schedule.

“The exhibition situation has been so poorly run,” an agent said. “It’s so imbalanced. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it. Most teams, at most, really have one spot you can fight for in training camp if everybody’s healthy.”

One agent said the season needs to start and end earlier.

“Yes (to adding regular season games), but no more than two games and as long as the exhibition season gets cut down to balance it out. And the Stanley Cup needs to be awarded no later than the first week in June. Why not start the season Sept. 15?”

Seventeen GMs-in-waiting garnered votes as the one to watch — including two agents who selected themselves.

Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza received the most mentions, though.

“From the very beginning, even when he was in his last year as a player, he had a thirst for knowing everything he could learn,” one agent said. “He’s very, very thorough in everything he does and is learning every part of the organization. Kyle (Dubas) gave him access to everything in Toronto and now Pittsburgh. Jason approached it like he did everything else – just 100 percent.”

Another member of Dubas’s front office was praised by one agent: Vukie Mpofu, the Penguins’ director of hockey operations and legal affairs.

“One of the sharpest, committed and genuinely good young people. He’s a star,” the agent said.

In the two-vote club, Leafs AGM Brandon Pridham and Panthers AGM Brett Peterson stood out.

“I think he does a lot of work and doesn’t get a lot of credit,” an agent said of Pridham. “He’s quiet, but I think he’s done yeoman’s work there for a lot of years and doesn’t necessarily get on people’s radar.”

Another said of Peterson: “Former agent. He’s very smooth, very smart. He’s in tight with USA Hockey, well schooled by Billy Zito. He’s an impressive guy.”

Speaking of former agents, Canucks AGM Émilie Castonguay — the first Canadian woman ever certified as an agent — received a vote.

“She’s a strong presence. Smart and has the right edge,” an agent said. “Not only does she have a strong legal education, she has navigated the game from all sides, player-agenting and managing. She’s a skilled communicator and strategic thinker.”

(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic)
(Photos: Patrick Smith, Jeff Vinnick, Richard T. Gagnon, Bruce Bennett, Chris Tanouye / Getty Images)

TAMPA, Fla. — Just days after the New York Yankees amended one of the most recognizable rules in American professional sports, another iconic tradition for the organization will change in 2025.

Following losses, the Yankees will no longer play Frank Sinatra’s “(Theme From) New York, New York” as fans exit the stadium. On Sunday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees lost 4-0 to the Detroit Tigers in a spring training exhibition. After Yankees prospect Brendan Jones grounded out to end the game, Sinatra’s “That’s Life” replaced the usual “New York, New York” on the loudspeakers. It is customary for the team to play “New York, New York” as soon as the game concludes, no matter the result.

“We will be rotating through a number of different songs after a Yankees loss this year, none of them will be ‘New York New York,’” a Yankees spokesperson said. There will not be a specific Yankees loss song, the spokesperson added.

The Yankees first debuted the iconic Sinatra song in 1980, after then-owner George Steinbrenner wrote a letter to the singer requesting permission to play it as fans left the stadium. Since then, it has become synonymous with the franchise. Moving forward, the song will only play after Yankees victories with a rotation of different Sinatra songs playing after losses, which is how Steinbrenner originally instructed the Yankees to handle losses.

It’s been a significant week of change for the Yankees’ identity. After 49 years, owner Hal Steinbrenner announced the team would lift its ban on beards, calling the policy “outdated.” Now, after 45 years, another long-standing tradition has been altered.

Since Friday, both Yankees captain Aaron Judge and general manager Brian Cashman have emphasized their desire for the team to carve out its own identity while still honoring its rich history.

“The New York Yankees are different,” Cashman said Friday. “We want to remain different. This is a special place in baseball history. That logo has a lot of meaning behind it. We want our past and present players to recognize that and the future players to recognize that. There’s still going to be things that we’re going to hold on to that are important for us, which is always trying to be a championship-caliber franchise and chase winning.”

(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

Brian Campbell came out on top at the Mexico Open on Sunday night as viewers were treated to some sudden-death playoff chaos between two antithetical player profiles: Campbell, a journeyman and one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour, and Aldrich Potgieter, the 20-year-old South African prodigy who currently leads the tour in driving distance.

Campbell defeated Potgieter after two playoff holes, marking his first PGA Tour win in just 28 starts. The Mexico Open field included just two players ranked in the top 40 in the Official World Golf Rankings, but the 31-year-old Campbell will earn a trip to Augusta National for his first Masters with the victory. He also claimed a spot in the Players Championship, the PGA Championship and five of the remaining signature events on tour.

Ten years of chugging along and 159 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour without a victory defined Campbell’s path to this win at the Vidanta Vallarta Course in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. The University of Illinois alum first graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016 but was quickly relegated after missing 13 of 20 cuts. He finally found a groove last season in the minor leagues, finishing seventh in the KFT’s points ranking to earn his tour card again. Three starts later he played his way into the winner’s circle. It didn’t happen without a few hiccups along the way.

“I’m literally freaking out on the inside, I have no idea what’s going on,” Campbell said to the Golf Channel following the conclusion of the playoff. “To be in this position is just so unreal.”

Potgieter began Sunday’s final round with a one-stroke cushion over Campbell after firing a second-round 61 and a third-round 67 to tie the 54-hole scoring record at the event. Potgieter is only 10 starts into his PGA Tour career, but he is no stranger to competing and winning on the game’s biggest stages. Potgieter’s amateur résumé includes the Amateur Championship, where he became the youngest champion in the event’s history at age 17. With only 12 measured drives thus far on the PGA Tour, Potgieter has emerged as the longest hitter on tour, surpassing Rory McIlroy with an average of 328.7 yards off the tee.

The Vidanta Vallarta Course this week fit Potgieter’s game perfectly, allowing him to use his length off the tee to its full potential, as offline drives are not particularly penal on the Greg Norman design. However, it became apparent that the bombs-away game plan wasn’t the only way to attack the course, as Campbell continued to hang around the top of the leaderboard. On Sunday, NBC commentators compared Campbell’s ball speed to that of a senior tour player. He ranks last according to the tour’s driving distance statistics — 182 out of 182.

“He’s playing a different course than we are,” Campbell said of Potgieter’s game. “It’s been honestly fun to watch.”

Neither Campbell nor Potgieter had their best on Sunday, but both plugged away. Potgieter struggled out of the gates while Campbell floated around even par. The pair finished regulation play tied at 20-under, surpassing Isaiah Salinda’s clubhouse lead at 19-under.

The power of sudden-death pressure was on full display as both players hit multiple wayward shots en route to the final result. On the second playoff hole, Campbell’s drive was headed well beyond the out-of-bounds fence when it ricocheted off a tree and back into play. Potgieter then stood with an approach shot nearly 100 yards shorter than Campbell’s.

Instead of capitalizing on the opportunity, Potgieter’s attempt to reach the par-5 18th hole in two left him short of the green, in a bunker. He failed to get up and down, while Campbell made a birdie with a short wedge in his hands after laying up. After nearly handing the tournament to his opponent off the tee, Campbell couldn’t believe the outcome.

Required reading

(Photo: Hector Vivas / Getty Images)