Sports

Nearly 20 years ago, Conrad Piccirillo attended his first Indiana Fever game. The WNBA franchise was just five years into its existence and on the brink of its best year to date, but he admittedly was not there for the basketball. His daughters, 10-year-old Caitlyn and 11-year-old Claire, were members of the Fever Inferno’s youth dance team, and he was there to cheer them on during their performances.

Eventually, his daughters aged out of the dance troupe, but by that point, Piccirillo was hooked. He bought six season tickets and invited friends, reveling in the Fever’s 2012 WNBA championship. Yet, when the Fever hit hard times with consistent losing records for nearly a decade, Piccirillo found it harder to convince friends to join him at Fever games in his free courtside seats.

Flash forward to 2024 and he hasn’t had that problem again thanks to Caitlin Clark. His cohort is part of the legion of fans who have made Fever games the hottest ticket in the WNBA. He attended all but one game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season, soaking in the energy and environment as he watched waves of fans fall in love with the Fever and the WNBA the same way he did.

“I think she’s the perfect fuel on a fire that had been really growing,” Piccirillo said about Clark.

Clark’s rookie season marks a new era not only for the Fever franchise, but also the city of Indianapolis, the state and the WNBA. Clark was a spectacle at Iowa unlike anyone women’s college basketball has ever seen with her logo 3s and competitive fire. The WNBA and the Fever — who had the No. 1 draft pick — hoped her dazzle and appeal would carry over to provide a similar spark for the league.

This was a blast! Best fans in @WNBA – @GainbridgeFH – FEVER NATION is alive & well! @IndianaFever pic.twitter.com/LYrCfGHqCh

— Eddie White (@eddiewhite3) September 16, 2024

As the playoffs began Sunday — even with an opening loss by the Fever at Connecticut — the payoff of banking on Clark is evident on TV, in the stands and in the marketplace. Before Clark even stepped on the court in a Fever jersey, she surpassed expectations.

Only once in the 2000s had a WNBA game garnered 2.4 million viewers on TV, but on draft night, even more fans tuned in to watch the league commissioner call Clark’s name. Since then, Clark has continued to help the Fever and WNBA smash television records.

Six different league television partners set viewership records this year for its highest viewed WNBA game, and all six included the Fever. ION, which broadcast 43 WNBA games, experienced a 133 percent increase in viewership year over year, and each of its seven broadcasts that topped 1 million viewers included Fever games. Per Yahoo Sports, NBA TV set its own WNBA viewership record eight times this season — each of those a Fever game.

ESPN, a longtime WNBA partner, had its most successful year of broadcasting the league.

The 2024 #WNBA regular season on ESPN platforms was the most-watched EVER! 🎉

🏀 1.2M avg. viewers
🏀 WNBA Countdown: 508K avg. viewers pic.twitter.com/FrnWHOp11h

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 11, 2024

The first regular-season Fever-Sky game — with Clark and rookie rival Angel Reese taking center stage — marked the most-viewed WNBA game in 23 years across any network, with 2.35 million viewers. That record was broken a month later when the WNBA All-Star Game brought in a whopping 3.4 million viewers, making it the third most-watched WNBA game in history.

But it’s at Fever home games where the buzz is palpable.

Attendance in Indianapolis hit a record high — 17,036 per home game to lead the league in attendance for the first time. Fever season ticket sales were already on the uptick, but when Clark announced in February that she was forgoing her fifth season of college eligibility, demand for Fever tickets became unprecedented.

According to Across the Timeline, the Fever hadn’t been in the top half of WNBA average attendance since 2016.

Piccirillo, the longtime Fever season ticket holder, now wears earplugs inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and his AppleWatch frequently notifies him during games that the decibels he experiences could be reaching damaging levels. “It is like watching Pacers playoff games — that’s how loud it is,” he said. “In my mind, I think it’s even louder.”

It wasn’t just in Indiana where Clark bumped attendance. Before the season started, four Fever opponents — Las Vegas, Atlanta, Washington and Los Angeles — moved at least one of their home games against Indiana to larger arenas to accommodate more fans.

Tamika Catchings, a Hall of Fame forward who spent her entire 14-year career with the Fever, still lives in Indianapolis. She was excited last season when Indiana, led by 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, experienced an eight-win increase. “But last year to this year is insane, how much energy is around,” she said.

She’s noticed big-box stores that never sold Fever gear now displaying merchandise front and center. Fans enter her local tea shop, Tea’s Me Cafe, and ask her about Clark, Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. “(Fans) get excited when they see me because they want to talk about the Fever,” she said. “In (past) years, it might be that they get excited about seeing me, but that’s it. You can tell there’s a genuine energy and interest in: ‘What are your thoughts about the Indiana Fever?’”

Indianapolis comes to life when the Fever play. An executive with the city’s tourism department said hotel and rentals spiked this summer when the Fever played.

During the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament, Brent Drescher, general manager of the downtown Indianapolis bar The District Tap, said fans began stopping in to watch Iowa women’s basketball, anticipating Clark’s future arrival to town. Fans of the Pacers, who made a run to the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals, often frequented his bar, showing up around 5 p.m. for late tip-offs, Drescher said. Fever fans are even more engaged. “They are coming in as early as 4,” he said.

Jeff Metson, general manager of Taxman CityWay, notices a similar buzz. A brew pub with a beer garden and only four TVs inside, it isn’t a typical sports bar, but because it’s on the same block as the Fever’s arena, it’s become a pregame destination — to the point that he’s often had to double his staff. During Fever home games, he said, the Taxman welcomes as many as 400 patrons compared to about 250 on a typical Friday or Saturday night.

“Not only do we fill up the entire restaurant pregame, but like clockwork, two hours after the game starts we have people starting to walk down the street, right in front of us,” he said. “Unlike the others — Pacers and Colts games — our postgame crowd fills the restaurant again. The other sports don’t do that.”

Jaden Brown and his fiancee had never bought season tickets for any sport before buying them for the Fever this year. They were stunned to see even a small pizza shock packed with fans before the Fever’s first preseason game.

“You just see this flood of Fever, Clark, Iowa jerseys,” Brown said. “It’s like a pregame with strangers. But they’re not strangers because you’re all there supporting the same team.”

However, it’s not just bars and restaurants in the Indy area that have seen the Caitlin Clark Effect up close. Portland’s The Sports Bra — a bar that has created buzz by showing only women’s sports on its TVs since opening in 2022 — is more than 2,000 miles away from Indianapolis and in a city currently without a WNBA team. When the Fever play, owner Jenny Nguyen said, there’s a 56 percent increase in the number of bar bills and a 52 percent increase in revenue.

A framed Clark No. 22 Iowa jersey, next to photos of Serena Williams and Diana Taurasi, hangs on a wall at the bar. But that’s not surprising, considering Clark apparel can be found anywhere.

The laws of supply and demand are evident around Fever games. Fans did not flinch to shell out money despite significant ticket price increases for Fever games.

Heading into the playoffs, the get-in price for the Fever-Sun game as of Saturday was significantly higher on TicketMaster at $89 than the league’s other three Sunday games, which averaged $15 per game. This follows a season-long trend. The five highest average ticket prices this season all featured the Fever.

Those numbers alone are impressive, but compare them to the same matchups from last season. The average price when the Fever visited the Sky in June 2023 was $45.  When Indiana traveled to Washington twice in July 2023, tickets went for $59 on average in July 2023 when the Mystics hosted the Fever, and they sold for $55 when Indiana played at Dallas last September. The hottest ticket for any game last season was $120 for a regular-season game between the Aces and the Dream.

Across the board, WNBA ticket pricing followed suit — jumping from $62 per game in 2023 to $109 per game in 2024 (through mid-September), according to Vivid Seats. But no team experienced quite as drastic a jump as the Fever, whose home game tickets averaged $110 this season, compared to the rest of the W, which averaged $79 per home game.

Despite the higher price point, even more tickets were sold this year.

“The fans in Indiana love basketball, and I’m glad to see them back in the seats, especially for the Fever,” said Briann January, who played the first nine seasons of her career with the Fever and is now an assistant coach with the Sun. “For that team to be recognized and supported the way they should be makes me so happy.”

During the first week of the season, the WNBA said it saw a 236 percent increase year over year in merchandise sales, with jerseys for Clark, Reese and Cameron Brink all in the top five. Through the first two months of the season, four Fever home games set single-game sales records at the arena’s team store, according to the Fever. Total items sold grew 694 percent year over year, and the store’s net sales increased more than 1,000 percent. Jersey sales were up 1,193 percent heading into the All-Star break.

Clark collectibles have been in high demand as well. Her signature Wilson basketball sold out in 40 minutes earlier this month, prompting a restock for the latest drop on Monday. A one-of-a-kind autographed Clark WNBA Draft card — the first showing her in a Fever jersey — sold at auction for $84,000.

The sense something big was coming in Indianapolis was looming for months. Before Clark’s Fever debut, the city hung a 150-foot banner of her on a building near Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark’s image seems to be staring across the city.

Now, for the first time in eight years, the Fever are back in the playoffs. Indy’s past greats already can recognize and appreciate her impact. “Playing basketball in Indiana is different, whether it be in Indianapolis or one of the smaller cities, basketball is bred differently,” Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller said in an email. “So watching the excitement the Fever have brought to the city and state has been fun to witness.”

A Fever road win over the Sun on Wednesday would guarantee a series-clinching Game 3 in Indianapolis. Catchings predicts a crazed crowd showing up to watch Clark try to lead the Fever to their first semifinals since 2015.

“It’s like Fever basketball and women’s basketball has been rejuvenated,” Catchings said. “Especially here in Indy.”

(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; Visual data: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos: Luke Hales / Getty Images, G Fiume / Getty Images, Brian Spurlock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, Calif. — In the days leading up to Mike Trout’s expected return from a torn meniscus, team officials asked the three-time MVP to sit down with them.

They had cobbled together videos depicting the evolution of his swing since 2016. The Angels were trying to discern why Trout was striking out more, walking less and trending away from his once-robust offensive profile.

“You’re trying to find similarities to what he did when he was the best player in the game,” Angels hitting coach Johnny Washington said. “You’re trying to find commonalities of what he did before, and compare to now, to piece that thing back together. I think if he can get close to that, we should see a better version of Mike Trout.”

Trout’s baseball existence is now focused on that singular goal: To resemble the singular talent he was before injuries derailed his career. His eventual place in Cooperstown remains assured. But his time as one of baseball’s best players appears to have ended. The milestones that once seemed so assured — 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBIs — may be out of reach, as he has averaged only 66 games per season since 2021 and hasn’t played in more than 140 since 2016.

At 33, limited by a knee injury to only 29 games in 2024, he has often referenced “my old self” or “the old Mike Trout” in the context of recapturing his former greatness, the form that carried him to three American League MVP trophies and 11 All-Star appearances.

“It’s in there,” Trout said, “for sure.”

The Athletic sat down with Trout earlier this month, and spoke to others in the Angels’ orbit to better understand how he’ll navigate his future amid a spate of physical ailments, elongated recoveries and a notable drop in offensive production. Some requested anonymity to speak freely about a player who still commands respect and admiration from current and former Angels players, coaches and executives.

After this lost season, Trout still has six years and $216 million owed to him on the 12-year, $426 million extension he signed heading into 2019. The contract has become an albatross in the eyes of some rival executives. The only way to salvage the deal would require a revival from Trout. Which invites a host of questions. Can he stay healthy? Will he be able to navigate his aging body? And will he be able to accept being a very good player, even if he might never be among the best again?

At his apex, which began during his Rookie of the Year breakout in 2012 and continued into his final MVP campaign in 2019, Trout dominated in all areas of the game. During those eight seasons, he was worth 23.4 more wins above replacement than the next most valuable player, according to FanGraphs. His effort was palpable on the bases, in the field and at the plate. He played with such exertion that some Angels officials wondered if a breakdown was inevitable.

The past few years have been far less productive. In 2021, Trout suffered a calf strain in mid-May. He was supposed to miss six to eight weeks. Instead, he never returned. In 2022, he missed a month with a back injury. Last year, a broken hamate in early July forced him to miss the season’s entire second half, save for one game. And, now, in 2024, Trout required three months to come back from a torn meniscus, then tore it again before playing in another major league game. During the past four seasons, Trout ranks 49th in WAR, wedged between Ian Happ and Teoscar Hernández, a pair of quality outfielders who are unlikely to join him in Cooperstown.

“I’m not really looking at the Trout of old because he’s got some years on him,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “But Mike Trout is Mike Trout. And I’ll take Mike Trout if he’s Mike Trout, healthy.”

To understand Trout is to understand that behind the friendly demeanor is a fanatical perfectionist.

One executive estimated only one in 10 players arrive at spring training even in the range of their specific offseason goals. Yet if he says he wants to come into camp at 218 pounds with a specific body fat percentage, then that’s exactly what he’ll do, nearly to the decimal point. He thrives on competition, no matter the forum. Playing games of H-O-R-S-E in the batting cage before games, chucking water bottles into a tiny trash can with teammates, dueling with friends in video games like “Clash of Clans.” A video went viral in the spring of 2020 capturing his monstrous drive at a Phoenix-area Top Golf.

Yet on the baseball field, he has had fewer and fewer opportunities to compete over these last few years. And at times, he has eschewed chances to return when, at least in theory, he could have played — though, crucially, he might not have been at his best. In April, he was given the option to DH all year instead of getting surgery for his torn meniscus. “It was an option they put out there,” Trout said. “I felt the best option for me was to get it right.” And last season, Trout returned for only one game after breaking his hamate six weeks prior, instead opting to shut himself down for the season. Both instances would have required playing at less than 100 percent. And in both instances, the team was not in the playoff race.

Trout flatly denied that his elongated recoveries from injuries had anything to do with a hesitancy to play if he couldn’t perform up to his own expectations.

“Nah,” he said, then repeated it quickly seven more times.

The absences and the delayed returns do still beg the question of how Trout can navigate the realities of aging to stay on the field, and remain productive.

“I really haven’t felt right at the plate in the last three or four years,” Trout said. “I don’t know what it is. There are some things that I think it is, but I’m not going to go into any specifics. I think there’s some things over the years where I just created a habit, and I’ve just gotta get out of the habit.”

Trout’s power remains, but his swing-and-miss has risen and his average dropped in recent years. (Duane Burleson / Getty Images)

The evidence resides in the swings and misses. Trout has begun whiffing more often in recent years — 27.5 percent in 2021, 30.2 percent in 2022 and 29.3 percent last year. In the four seasons prior, that number never rose above 20 percent. He has begun missing more pitches in the strike zone, the sort of pitches he used to punish. His whiff rate on fastballs reached 31 percent in 2022, compared to 18.6 percent in his 2019 MVP campaign.

This year, in 29 games, Trout hit 10 homers. But his batting average was just .220 — nearly 80 points below his career average of .299.

“Sometimes when your head’s moving so much and you’re not in the right spot, you get defensive,” Trout said. “Instead of being up there thinking you’re going to drive the ball, you’re just trying to see it.

“My first 10 years in the league, I’m going in the box, and you’re not getting me out. That’s the mentality. The mentality has been the same the last few years. But the results are not there.”

“I don’t think it’s one size fits all with Mike,” Johnny Washington said. “A lot of times, most hitters, it’s a lower half issue. Getting the lower half into a better position, and that way syncing up the body to where you can work. … I think it’s finding out where he was most consistent, then trying to piece it back together. Which takes time. And hopefully we get there.”

All of this is why Trout has become more open to making changes next season. In 2022, when manager Joe Maddon floated the possibility of Trout moving out of center field, Trout balked. Earlier this season, he scoffed at the idea of becoming a regular DH.

Trout stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 235, with a build more commonly seen from a bulky NFL safety or an undersized linebacker. The Angels believe his size has played a role in his various ailments. Various people referred to them as “freak injuries.” They’re all in different places, and all areas where he’s never been hurt. The common thread is a large physique, pushed on a daily basis at a premium position. He acknowledged, after 13 years in the bigs, all of that could be playing a role.

That’s why he’s now said he’s willing to move off center field and DH more. Anything to be a great hitter again, and simply stay on the field.

“When stuff’s not going your way, you’ve got to make adjustments,” Trout said. “If moving over, and the statistics say that the corner outfield helps you with your legs, then it’s something you’ve got to explore.”

For the first time in a long time, Trout is fed up with the situation around him. Or, at least, he’s willing to publicly express it.

“A couple additions in the offseason could make a big difference,” Trout told The Athletic. “It’s all up to the owner. I think that’s where we’re at.”

Directly calling out team owner Arte Moreno was a novel concept to Trout before this season. His Hall of Fame resume and massive contract arguably make him the most powerful employee in the organization. Trout has seldom chosen to leverage that power, often opting to toe the company line.

At the start of spring training, following a dormant offseason, he conveyed a desire for the team to continue adding in free agency. It didn’t happen. Now, the Angels are at risk of completing their worst season in franchise history.

“It’s been 10 years now since we’ve made the playoffs,” Trout said regarding his newfound willingness to speak out. “I think that has something to do with it. I think the fans want playoff baseball like everybody else.”

His contract runs through his age-39 season. At the time he signed his extension, the Angels were in a competitive lull. That lull has become an annual downward spiral. Nine straight years of losing records. Ten since their last postseason berth. Fifteen years since their last postseason win.

The juxtaposition of Trout’s greatness with the club’s futility has long generated questions about a trade. Maddon suggested that Trout might only be able to flourish for a team besides the Angels.

“If I had one wish, it would be that he’d be able to participate with a team that has a chance to get to the playoffs,” Maddon said. “A team that’s able to rest him on a consistent basis — even if he may not want that. Or put him in a position that takes a little stress off him. Just to get him on the field.”

That possibility, suggested Maddon — who was fired by the Angels midway through the 2022 season — is unlikely in Anaheim. “It’s not easy with everything that’s gone on there over the years,” Maddon said. “It’s just been tough. It’s a tough place to be right now.”

Reality suggests Trout is unlikely to leave. Given the age, injury history and financial commitment, one executive said the Angels would have to eat more than half the money just to bring a potential partner to the table. Asked how difficult it would be to move Trout, another rival executive said, “Incredibly.”

Beyond the financials, there’s an oft-forgotten no-trade clause attached to Trout’s contract. Trout is nothing if not loyal. He’s obsessed with his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. He married his high school sweetheart. He’s stayed with his agent, Craig Landis, whose primary responsibility is representing his star client.

Trout proudly displays his love for the Philadelphia Eagles. (Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Trout has made clear he wants to stay with one team his whole career. He wants to know what success tastes like with a franchise that’s desperate for it. But on top of that, Anaheim offers comfort. A low-stakes environment with fans that will love him no matter what. That certainly would not be true in Philadelphia, New York or Boston.

Calling on ownership in the spring to make a change is a step. But team sources said it did little to register with Moreno. And there remains little recourse for him to move teams. Because of all that, he faces the very real possibility of playing out the string of a Hall of Fame career for a franchise without obvious reasons for hope, watching his production slip as he tries annually to stay healthy.

That trajectory reminded one former Angels official of another high-octane, five-tool star whose production cratered when injuries wrecked his 30s.

Trout, the official mused, once wore the nickname “Kiiiiid” on his back for Players Weekend.

“Who else had the nickname, the Kid? (Ken) Griffey Jr., did. They played that way. They come up, they’re so impactful, and they’re like, ‘Man, I can do this forever.’”

Looking at the comparable career arcs offers an obvious conclusion: You can’t be a kid forever.

Earlier this season, veteran Angels outfielder Taylor Ward called 24-year-old catcher Logan O’Hoppe “our captain.”

“I think he is the leader of this team,” Ward said. “I believe wholeheartedly in him. He’s a leader. A born leader.”

It was not a shot at Trout. It was a compliment to O’Hoppe, who certainly has natural leadership characteristics. But it’s hard to hear that and not think of the 13-year all-time great, whose stature and presence would make him the de facto leader in many clubhouses.

He might not be the prototypical lead-from-the-front type; Trout won’t flip over a table, or dress down a rookie. But he will grab an iPad in the dugout and go over an at-bat with a teammate if he feels he can help. Doing that more, he said, is the only silver lining in this entire experience.

During his first weekend as a big league pitcher, rookie Caden Dana got a surprise offer. The Angels put the 20-year-old up in a hotel 10 minutes from the ballpark. Typically, players staying at the hotel will gather into cars to shuttle back and forth. After this game, however, the Angels’ No. 1 prospect had a different means of transportation. Trout wanted to give him a lift.

“A lot of guys that come up, they’re walking on eggshells,” Trout said. “I think for me to be able to calm him down a little bit. It’s having a conversation with him, just to get to know him.

“I had a lot of great conversations with the younger guys too, like (Logan) O’Hoppe and (Zach) Neto about how to be a true Major League Baseball player. I had this in the beginning of the season, just what you’re going to go through, and how to get out of it. And how to stay of one mind about what your ultimate goal is.”

Much has waned for Trout. His health. His abilities. His pathway to ever carry a team to a World Series. But this is one area where he still thrives.

When he does play again, Angels general manager Perry Minasian said that he expected Trout to hit 70 home runs next year. He predicted another MVP would be added to his trophy case.

Perhaps it was hyperbolic. Minasian was likely speaking more to his hopes than his beliefs. The actuarial tables offer little reason for that kind of outsized optimism given the last four seasons. A regularly injured player is unlikely to round back into MVP form as he prepares to turn 34 years old.

“Two years ago, he hit 40 home runs in 118 games,” said Phil Nevin, Trout’s former manager. “And he started off this year on that same pace. So it’s all still there.”

But, Nevin also acknowledged a fact that, for Trout and everyone else, is unavoidable.

“Is anything going to look, when you’re 32, like it does when you’re 22? No, I don’t think there’s ever been a player like that.”

After Trout re-tore his meniscus, the normally accessible superstar opted not to speak with the media for a month.

He almost never appeared in the Angels clubhouse during the press window or on-field batting practice. During that time, he never offered an explanation as to how he re-injured his knee. It hadn’t happened during his brief rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake. But how did it happen? It wasn’t until last week that Trout said he wasn’t sure how it happened.

Trout is typically a front-facing figure. He signs for fans constantly, and takes pictures with them if they ask. Anything the team asks of him — meeting a kid on-field pregame or going out in the community, he’s game.

Speaking would have generated the public buzz rife with questions about his future and his fitness. Re-ignite the public narrative of his perceived decline. He chose to simply avoid allowing for that conversation altogether.

For so long, the only narratives surrounding Trout were of his greatness. The only controversy was whether he’d been snubbed out of an AL MVP award.

When people talk about Trout now, it’s in the context of how injuries have shaved years off his prime. It’s about how he’s trapped on a team unable to field a winning product around him.

“Trout’s been through a lot, he’s seen a lot,” said Torii Hunter earlier this season. Hunter was Trout’s teammate when he was first called up, and quickly became a mentor.

“He’s been through injuries and strikeouts and struggles and slumps. A guy like myself, all I can do is help him remember. Sometimes you’ve got to remember where you’ve been and what you’ve been through in life.”

Torii Hunter was among those who helped Trout learn the ways of MLB early in his career. (Jared Wickerham / Getty Images)

He’ll always be one of the game’s greatest hitters, and a surefire Hall of Famer. But there’s a good chance he won’t have the counting stats or postseason accolades that typically accompany other Cooperstown inductees. A fact that he recognizes.

“A lot of things go through your head,” Trout said, “when you’re sitting on the bench watching your teammates play and you can’t get out there.”

The Angel Stadium team store remains a shrine to Trout. There’s one rack of Anthony Rendon jerseys. Another for shortstop Zach Neto. Nearly everything else has “Trout” or “27” or both.

Trout’s relevance in the baseball world has subsided. In years past, even when he was hurt, he was still voted an All-Star game starter. He did not merit consideration this year.

The question now is if Trout will stay what he is — a marketable figurehead in a city that will always love him. He may still be in pursuit of being the old Mike Trout — even if those around him believe he needs to accept no longer being the best in order to be the best version of himself.

“Those things will come if I’m on the field. That’s plain and simple,” Trout said. “I think if I’m on the field and playing my game, then all that other great stuff will follow.”

(Illustration by Kelsea Petersen, The Athletic; Photos: Brandon Slotter / Getty Images; Baltimore Sun/ Getty Images; Paul Rutherford / Getty Images)

BERLIN — “As far apart as you are on a tennis court, you can actually feel the other one very intimately.”

The Athletic is sitting courtside in Berlin at the Laver Cup next to Andre Agassi, as he explains the rhythms and dynamics of the sport he once conquered. Agassi won eight Grand Slam titles in an illustrious career, before withdrawing from a sport that took him to the edge and which, in his seminal autobiography Open, he admitted to often hating.

Since retiring in 2006, Agassi has largely kept away from tennis. But from next year he will captain Team World at the annual exhibition event, established by Roger Federer and his sports and entertainment company Team8 in 2017. It has designs on being the tennis version of golf’s Ryder Cup, which chairman Tony Godsick — also Federer’s agent — admitted this week “has a 90-year head start on us”.

Agassi will be up against Team Europe and its incoming captain Yannick Noah from 2025; Noah is replacing Bjorn Borg. Agassi, who is replacing John McEnroe, is in Germany to get a feel for the environment of the tournament, which will next year move to San Francisco.

“Do you want to just nerd out about tennis or talk about anything else?” Agassi asks soon after we begin. But when he talks, it tends to be both at once. When asked how important understanding the psychology of a player is, Agassi responds: “It’s not what you say, it’s what somebody hears.

“In life and in relationships.”

This is how to watch a tennis match through Agassi’s eyes, as Grigor Dimitrov and Alejandro Tabilo battle in Berlin.

GO DEEPER

60 minutes and 14 years: A Manhattan drive out of the tennis wilderness with Andre Agassi

Having spent much of his retirement in Las Vegas with his family — 22-time major champion Steffi Graf, and their two children, Jaden and Jaz — Agassi, 54, has made a tentative return to wider public life this year.

Tennis-wise, his role as a Laver Cup team captain will arguably be his most significant in the sport since retiring — he has coached Dimitrov and Novak Djokovic in spells.

He plans to be in communication with the Team World players all year round, arguing that even for a one-off exhibition tournament, the principles of coaching should not change.

“Just parachuting into someone’s life for one week is not going to create buy in,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to interacting with the guys throughout the year and getting that level of understanding, through the learning I do, and the trust you earn.”

As Dimitrov and Tabilo prepare to get under way, Agassi explains how he will approach his captaincy role.

“Some of the players I know well and we’re in communication anyhow,” he says, with three key members of the Team World cohort being fellow Americans Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.

“I can’t help but watch someone’s game and first of all put myself in the skin of their opponent and think, ‘What would I do against this guy?’ and work my way back from there.”

Andre Agassi (middle, right) with fellow incoming Laver Cup captain Yannick Noah (middle, left), flanked by Bjorn Borg (left) and John McEnroe (right) (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

The match starts, and a few things become clear about how Agassi watches tennis. Throughout his career, he was regarded as having one of tennis’s sharpest analytical brains — a supreme returner seemingly able to read the mind of his opponents. Most famously, he was able to anticipate where Boris Becker, who possessed one of the most lethal serves on tour, would aim from the way that the German’s tongue would curl out to the side, pointing where his serve was about to go. Agassi ended his career with a 10-4 winning record against him.

Appropriately enough for a Las Vegas inhabitant, his analysis starts with a casino analogy — that of one player being the house and the other being the gambler.

“My whole objective when I was playing was to be the 51 per cent,” he says.

“If somebody has a fundamental advantage then they’re the house, and the other person’s the gambler,” Agassi explains. “Tennis is all about trying to make sure you can control the match without doing anything too special. Playing up here (he raises his hands) is not where you want to be.

You don’t want to be the one hitting on 16 if you’re playing Black Jack. The dealer doesn’t have to hit on 16.”

Logic says that Dimitrov, the higher-ranked player (No. 10 to No. 22) playing on a surface he favours, would consider himself the house. Were this on clay, Tabilo would probably consider himself the house.

“If the gambler plays smart and they’re good with their money management then they can create a better chance of winning,” Agassi says. Then it’s time for him to demonstrate that trademark serve clairvoyance — which he plays down.

Both players start the match serving big, but Agassi correctly guesses where a few of their deliveries are going to go.

“I didn’t have an amazing ability, I had a sensibility,” he says.

“Certain times the players had tells. But more than anything you have a sensibility so you can pretty much guess. I’m guessing a hell of a lot closer to 75 per cent than 50 per cent.

“You know what their most viable serve is in the biggest moments, when they’re going to go for it as their default. In a lot of cases, players have more confidence in their biggest serves, but not at the biggest moments. Going for a big serve at 30-0 doesn’t tell me anything.

“A big serve down the T at a big moment would communicate a different narrative — ‘You need to know I believe in this’. It’s like a poker hand — there’s a narrative and the second you depart, you’re telling your opponent you don’t believe in it.”

Agassi then introduces another concept: the “meat and potatoes” of a match.

Alejandro Tabilo (sitting) gets advice between games (Maja Hitij / Getty Images for Laver Cup)

After Tabilo hits an effective drop shot, Agassi explains that his meat and potatoes is dominating from the back of the court and stopping Dimitrov from being proactive. The drop shot is the disruptive counterpoint that keeps Dimitrov thinking.

In the next game, serving down 1-2, Dimitrov gives an indication of his meat and potatoes. “Decent serve, controlled aggression and then he comes forward and all of a sudden locks down the point,” Agassi says as Dimitrov moves up 15-0.

Agassi’s warming up now, starting to feel the rhythms of the match.

Dimitrov goes down a break point, saving it with a lucky net cord off a backhand. He then brings up game point, and looks keen to get this done and escape with a hold for 2-2.

“OK, second serve, best case would be forehand body serve to give yourself some margin.”

“Make him take a swing at it.”

Dimitrov does exactly that and wins the point. “Yep,” Agassi says, in one of many moments of clairvoyance.

“He went, ‘I know you need to be aggressive. Your backhand is a shorter swing, so maybe you can direct the second serve. The forehand you have to put a cut on it and the ball’s low coming through. I’m going to put a big target on it which I know I’m going to make. I want to get out of this game and you’re going to have to put a clean cut on it.’”

Agassi starts to take the temperature of the players and the room. “Grigor’s going to calm down.

“He’s played four games, he’s settled emotionally, the blood pressure has come down. He’s got a feel for where he can hurt him and where he can’t. Grigor should use the scoreboard to do some prodding, be a bit nastier with his slice.

“Let him know he has another gear to go to. Let him know he better keep stressing out. Try and make him feel like he’s going to have to go up another level.”

GO DEEPER

‘One of the worst things’: How Grigor Dimitrov shook off ‘Baby Fed’ label to find himself

When Tabilo holds for 3-2, Agassi imagines himself in his role of captain next year. “It’s about taking risks but not always feeling like he has to take that risk,” he says.

“When I was doing my job well, I would never feel the pressure at 2-3, I would be telling myself I’m going to tell this story, and it’s only when this story stops working that I have a big decision to make.

How do players make that decision? What can you do for instance if up against an opponent who’s dominating with their serve?

“A bigger serve doesn’t mean anything if you’re holding serve (yourself),” Agassi says, busting one of tennis’s great myths in 10 words.

“Your narrative then becomes more important at certain times. When I played a huge server like (Ivo) Karlovic, the first two points on my serve had a lot of urgency. If you’re playing someone where you know you’re going to get a lot of chances, I can treat those first two points with purpose, but less urgency.”

After a big point with Dimitrov serving at 4-3 and both players — and the capacity crowd — pumped up, things turn to the impact of teammates and captains on the sidelines — a rarity in one of the most isolating sports there is.

Grigor Dimitrov fed off the energy of his teammates on the side of the court (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images for the Laver Cup)

“I think some people from team sports envy the destiny of an individual sport,” Agassi says, but a player who won 30 of 36 Davis Cup matches in helping the USA to three titles can also see the value in camaraderie.

“I felt like if I was connected to something bigger than me then I could always get 100 per cent out of myself.

“A lot of times in my life it was easier to care more about others than myself.”

We’re level at 4-4, and Tabilo continues to serve big, giving Dimitrov little to work with. Both players are playing with a high first-serve percentage, which Agassi correctly intuits as around 70 per cent for Tabilo (it ends up at 72 per cent for the first set).

“As a returner, you tell yourself he’s serving big but he’s catching some edges.”

Dimitrov makes a few returns, though, and we’re at deuce. Typical tennis.

“Suddenly it feels like you’re swimming upstream,” Agassi says. “It’s like a staring contest.”

At 4-4, deuce, we’re at the tensest point of the match so far. What would Agassi do if returning right now?

“There’s no way he’s going to beat me down the centre and I’m not going to be late.

“My return was different. I play with two hands, I would have banged that thing, are you kidding. I’m not saying I’m better than these guys but if I’m ready for a serve and it comes to where I anticipate, my intention was to hurt.”

Tabilo does indeed go down the centre, which Dimitrov anticipates but can’t make a return.

Dimitrov gets to deuce again, but misses the return again too. The cliche is that a player should feel better after a missed chance if they know they’ve done the right thing. Agassi shoots down.

“It’s more frustrating when you know what’s going to happen, you stacked the deck and it’s played out how you want but you don’t execute,” he says.

That doesn’t mean Dimitrov should stop believing in himself as the “house” in the match.

“It washes out,” Agassi says. “The house loses money in certain hands.”

At the change of ends, Captain Agassi takes over again. “I’m saying to Grigor, ‘Get back to controlled 85 per cent aggression. Don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t future trip’.

“If I’m coaching Tabilo I’m saying, ‘Roll with that momentum. If you get a ball and you like it, make him pay. Take some chances. Take chances with court position and targets’.

“Create that storyline in his head. This is the time to get a little creative.”

When Dimitrov misses a first serve up 15-0 in the next game, Agassi says: “I would get a little spicy with this if I’m returning. He needs to send a message.”

Two games later, with Dimitrov about to serve to stay in the set, the same idea — with a small tweak for the business end.

“If you get a shot, take your chance,” Agassi says.

“But if he gets up 0-30, I’d be happy with him locking down and applying scoreboard pressure. He needs to show Grigor that he’s willing to take it. If he goes into lockdown too early then he could be encouraging a dynamic that he’s going to lose more than he wins.”

Dimitrov again serves well though, and the set heads for a tiebreak. How does Agassi see it going?

“The math says this is a 7-4 breaker for Grigor.”

His prediction is spot on.

Agassi is full of energy now, bounding into the suite just behind us where broadcasters and former players Jim Courier and Todd Woodbridge are watching the match.

The insights are flowing and Courier quips that he should talk about this sport for a living, while Agassi forecasts what will end up a 7-6, 7-6 victory for Dimitrov and Team Europe.

Agassi, the commentator — there’s a thought.

As we say our goodbyes and he shuffles off with that familiar pigeon-toed walk to watch the second set elsewhere, it’s hard not to feel a little envious of the Laver Cup players who, for the next couple of years at least, will receive his wisdom.

“Who are you as a player?” is the question Agassi wants to ask the most.

“Are you someone who’s going to take chances if your opponent misses? What dynamic do you want to see and what dynamic don’t you like?

“There’s a subtlety to it.”

(Top photo: Christophe Gateau / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS — Fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. It’s the time to use one of your best, go-to plays. It’s time to send in a call that you’re 99.99 percent certain will work for a touchdown.

What did offensive coordinator Shane Waldron call for the Chicago Bears against the Indianapolis Colts in that situation in the second quarter Sunday?

A speed-option play to the left with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and running back D’Andre Swift.

Seriously. That’s what Waldron sent in for Williams after three consecutive runs by running back Khalil Herbert out of shotgun got the Bears from the Colts’ 4-yard line to within inches of scoring.

“It’s a play we’ve practiced,” tight end Cole Kmet said after the Bears’ 21-16 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“We wanted to get a certain look. I don’t know if we got the look we wanted on it. So that’s something I’ll have to take a look at. I can’t really for sure say what went into all that. But we wanted to get a certain look that they were showing on film at the goal line and you got to give them credit, they played it right.”

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We’ll get into the details of that “look” shortly. But the more you watch the Bears flounder on offense, the more you wonder if Williams’ development is in good hands with Waldron.

Williams did throw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Rookie receiver Rome Odunze made six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Kmet made 10 receptions for 97 yards and a score.

Williams showed signs of development, but more questions were raised, starting with: Why did you run the option on fourth-and-goal from 1? Waldron won’t meet the media until his regularly scheduled window Thursday at Halas Hall, leaving Williams, Kmet, Swift and coach Matt Eberflus to discuss it.

“That was a tough one being right there on the inch-yard line or so, the 1-yard line, and to not get that,” said Williams, who was 33-for-52 passing. “It’s a play we practiced all week, understanding that when they get around the 5-yard line to the 1-yard line, their defense changes and they get into those 6-1 defenses and things like that. They normally crash (the defensive ends).

“I guess I maybe didn’t get on the edge fast enough or whatever the case may have been. But they didn’t crash how they normally do or how we saw on film. They made a good play. They had an extra overhang player over there and it may have been because of the pistol (formation) or whatever the case may have been.”

Instead of a 6-1 look, the Colts had two linebackers and five down defensive linemen. The extra “overhang player” was linebacker Zaire Franklin. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis didn’t crash on Williams as the Bears predicted.

Franklin, though, was the difference-maker. Williams pitched the ball from the 5-yard line back to Swift near the 8. Franklin went unblocked and chased Swift past the 10-yard line, where Lewis eventually stopped him for a 12-yard loss on a play that was less than a yard from the end zone.

“It was called,” Swift said. “It’s on us to execute. See what I could have done differently to make it happen.”

Access denied. 🚫

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/JVzddH6p0F

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 22, 2024

It was the Bears’ worst play during a first half in which they ran 49 plays of offense but scored zero points. It raised more questions and concerns about Waldron’s play calling but also his game planning considering that every player who was asked about it said they practiced the option play plenty last week.

The whole sequence for the Bears from the 4-yard line felt baffling. Why did Herbert replace Roschon Johnson after Johnson fought for a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from the 5 to put the Bears in that scoring situation? Why did the Bears not go under center once for three consecutive runs to Herbert, which included a wildcat run?

And, generally speaking, why does it continue to be so darn hard for the Bears to run the ball, including against the Colts, who allowed 261 rushing yards last week to the Green Bay Packers?

On fourth-and-goal, Williams said he had the option to change the option play but that the Bears broke the huddle with 10 seconds left on the play clock. The ball was then snapped with five seconds left, according to the broadcast.

“I didn’t want to get up there and alert the play or change the play … having around five (seconds) or so or whenever everybody got set,” Williams said. “At that point, you got to call and run it and get going.”

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Williams said he might have changed the play if he had more time. This just leads to more questions about the Bears’ offensive process. Why are seemingly late play calls becoming a trend?

“We liked the play,” Eberflus said. “We just got to get to the second level, get to the linebacker there, zone up to him and get him there on that. We were going to pitch off the end man on the line of scrimmage. We got to execute better.”

It wasn’t a rookie moment for Williams but another bad moment for the entire offense, starting with Waldron’s decision to call it.

Another one was a coaching gaffe. The Bears sent out their field goal unit after their first touchdown, called a timeout and then failed on their two-point conversion. The plan should have been established well before Williams hit Odunze for the first NFL touchdown of their careers.

“We have to be better there,” Eberflus said. “That’s on the coaches. We got to be better there, from the top to the bottom, from upstairs down to the bottom. So we got to do a better job there.”

A lot should be on the Bears coaches right now. It was a messy game Sunday, but much of that mess was of their own making.

“We’ll keep slinging it. We’ll keep working on run game,” Williams said. “And we’ll keep getting better definitely as an offense. We’re going to get this going here soon.”

(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — For the second time in six weeks, Justin Herbert is in a walking boot.

And as the Los Angeles Chargers return home after more than a week on the road, something must be asked of this organization: Who is going to protect Herbert from himself?

Herbert aggravated his right high ankle sprain in the third quarter of Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The final blow was a sack Herbert took on the second drive of the second half. Herbert dropped back off play action. Linebacker Elandon Roberts surged off Herbert’s right side on a free rush. Roberts wrapped up Herbert initially. Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward finished the sack from the left. Herbert’s already injured right ankle was caught awkwardly in the mayhem.

Herbert could barely move. He managed to stick a handoff into J.K. Dobbins’ belly on the ensuing second down. And that was the end of his day. Herbert was pulled for Taylor Heinicke and did not return.

Justin Herbert is walking off and Taylor Heinicke has stepped in pic.twitter.com/maJClHgIo8

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024

“I had a tough time walking on it, moving on it, pushing off of it,” Herbert said after the game.

It had been building to this moment. Left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a left pectoral injury late in the first half. He went to the locker room and got fitted with a brace to try to make a return. Slater was out there for the first drive of the second half. On his second snap, he was beaten to the outside by Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig, who had a clean run at Herbert. Slater very clearly had no power in his left arm. Herbig got home for the strip-sack. Herbert missed an open Ladd McConkey on the next play.

Slater was pulled after that series.

Herbert admitted after the game that “a couple hits” led to the ankle aggravation. He was also in a walking boot for most of training camp because of a plantar fascia injury in his right foot.

“I pushed myself,” Herbert said Sunday, “and I couldn’t go anymore.”

GO DEEPER

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Should Herbert have even been in the game?

The Chargers have faced this question before. One time can be explained as an aberration. Two times is a trend.

Think back to Week 3 of 2022. The Chargers were blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars at home. The previous week, Herbert had fractured his rib cartilage in a road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He fought through immense and noticeable pain to start and play against the Jags.

The game was a disaster. Slater and edge rusher Joey Bosa both sustained long-term injuries. (By coincidence, both Slater and Bosa were injured in Sunday’s game; Bosa aggravated a hip issue on the opening play of the game). With 4:54 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars led 38-10. It was over. And yet Herbert returned for the final drive of the game. He took multiple unnecessary hits.

“I just didn’t want to quit on my team,” Herbert said after that loss.

The Chargers could not keep him off the field in that game, even when it was out of reach.

Almost two years later to the day, the Chargers have a new coach in Jim Harbaugh. Herbert is a $262.5 million franchise quarterback. Still, Herbert’s otherworldly toughness is leading him into dangerous positions.

Against the Jaguars in 2022, Herbert avoided catastrophe.

On Sunday, he did not.

Now only an MRI can reveal how much time he is going to miss and how much this worsened injury will impact him for the remainder of this season.

Herbert offered a familiar sentiment after the game: “My responsibility as a quarterback is to give everything I can to this team, to my teammates.”

together. pic.twitter.com/gU8pnaDPqD

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 22, 2024

Sometimes, giving everything means knowing when to take a week off.

Who in this organization is going to take the necessary long-term, 10,000-foot view?

“I’ve been in that position before,” said Harbaugh, who played 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback. “With warriors, you give them the shot. And that’s what I wanted to do.”

Harbaugh did remove Herbert from the game. At that point, though, Herbert could not walk. The damage had been done. Too little, too late.

It was too little, too late by the time the Chargers removed Justin Herbert from Sunday’s game. (Barry Reeger / Imagn Images)

“My plan was the first sign of any limp, then he was coming out of the game,” Harbaugh said.

He added: “It wasn’t ever going to be his decision to play today or to stay in.”

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Harbaugh said Herbert “was able to move around much better” during the Chargers’ Saturday walk-through, and that influenced his decision to start Herbert against the Steelers.

Herbert said he “really kind of tested” the ankle during the Saturday walk-through and “felt comfortable going out there.”

But the reality is he was not moving well in warmups. He took a few under center snaps and was struggling to move laterally while evading quarterbacks coach Shane Day. On a throw early in the second, he hit Quentin Johnston on a comeback route to the right sideline, into the far side of the field. Herbert completed the pass, but he did not drive off his right ankle, his plant leg. The ball only got there because of Herbert’s prodigious arm strength.

The signs were there.

Tony Romo talks about how Justin Herbert’s injury will impact the Chargers’ offense against the Steelers today pic.twitter.com/GYzAOIl55w

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024

“Felt like he could protect himself,” Harbaugh said. “He was in a position to be able to effectively play the position.”

Herbert was effective in the first half. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. But once Slater injured his pec, the protection unraveled. The Chargers moved Trey Pipkins III from right guard to left tackle, a position he has not played in a game since 2021. They tried Jamaree Salyer at left tackle for one snap late in the first half. He was beaten immediately by Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith. Pipkins replaced Salyer at left tackle on the next play, and Salyer moved inside to right guard. Harbaugh stuck with that configuration up front for the second half after Slater left the game.

The Chargers gave up three sacks on their final two drives after Heinicke replaced Herbert. Rookie right tackle Joe Alt, who was injured on the final offensive play of the game, allowed one of those sacks to Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.

“It was just a lot of moving pieces,” Pipkins said. “We just got to be able to roll with the punches and do what we need to do whatever the circumstances are.”

Heinicke completed two passes for 24 yards.

“I wish we were giving him a little bit more time there to operate,” Harbaugh said.

The defense kept the Chargers in the game. But the unit was on the field for more than 20 minutes in the second half. The dam eventually broke on a 55-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III that put the Steelers ahead by 10.

Late in the third quarter, after Herbert left the game, the Chargers were called for three penalties on a Steelers go-ahead field goal drive. Two of them were personal fouls on third downs — an unnecessary roughness on safety Derwin James Jr. and a roughing the passer on Khalil Mack.

“We just didn’t make enough plays on defense,” James said. “The drives were just bleeding us a lot today.”

The Chargers face the Chiefs next week at SoFi Stadium.

They have not beaten Kansas City at home since 2013. That game was played in San Diego.

The buildup should be centered around Herbert and the new-look Chargers trying to make a statement against Patrick Mahomes. About the Chargers trying to even the scales of what has been a lopsided rivalry for over a decade.

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Instead, it will be about Herbert’s ankle.

About an injury that was avoidable.

Herbert is always, always going to try to play, to push through whatever is ailing him. It is his very nature.

The organization’s job is to protect its greatest asset. To look at the situation, do the cost-benefit analysis and make the right decision: One game missed in Week 3 to potentially have a healthier Herbert for the rest of a long season.

The Chargers did not have anyone to make the right decision in the waning moments of that Jaguars game. And they do not, apparently, have anyone to make that right decision in 2024, either.

Who is going to protect Herbert from himself?

(Top photo: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images)

An hour after the final whistle has blown on Sunderland 1-0 Middlesbrough, Chris Rigg re-emerges onto the pitch where he has just settled a local derby with a piece of improvised magic, a backheel from nowhere that has made a stadium gasp and a national audience take note.

The netting has been taken down and Sunderland’s groundsmen are mowing the grass noisily behind Rigg, but the boy who was 17 in June agrees to be taken back through his brilliant moment with The Athletic.

Even he seems slightly surprised when talking us through it, but then a winner of this type is a dream, an instinct, it’s not the plan.

The 24th-minute goal originates with Sunderland’s goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, and by the time his long pass out is with Romaine Mundle on Sunderland’s left, Rigg is in the centre circle readying himself to move forward.

“Probably just follow in,” he says when asked what is going through his mind at this point. “Because I know when Pat gets the ball he likes to shoot. And sometimes you get lucky. And I got lucky there. Just follow in.”

Pat is Patrick Roberts, Sunderland’s left-footed right-winger, who has been found by Mundle. When Roberts takes possession, he runs at the defence and shoots, as Rigg expects.

The expectation is moderate as the ball is drilled low and into the Boro defence. But Rigg is still running.

George Edmundson sticks out a leg to block the shot and diverts the ball back towards goal. Goalkeeper Seny Dieng is wrong-footed and prostrate on the ground. The ball is loose.

Following in, as he says, Rigg gets to it first. How was his first touch?

He smiles at its imperfection, then demonstrates with a roll of both feet how he tried to regain control. “It takes the ball away from the ’keeper,” Rigg says of the first touch. “It was the only thing I could have done because it dropped right in front of him, so I had to take it away from him. I was like ‘Aw, no, I’ve took it too wide’.”

And then? “Then the only thing I could do was backheel it.”

It was not the only thing. The ball was bound for the goal line, the angle was narrow and at best it looked as if Rigg could keep it in play. But then he produces a backheel on the run. Not many would think of it, never mind perform it, especially someone who turned 17 three months ago playing against men in front of 43,000 fans.

Chris Rigg, take a BOW! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jwCquWElwG

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 21, 2024

17-year-old Chris Rigg with a lovely back-heel goal for Sunderland 😱 pic.twitter.com/O1tI5cdIhP

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 21, 2024

“It went in, I was buzzin’ after that,” he says as watches the footage of his team-mates jumping on him.

“How cool is that? How cool is that?” shouts the commentator on Sky Sports.

We ask if he has done that in training. Rigg laughs: “I’ve not, nah, I’m not even that good in training.”

Another angle of Riggy’s back-heel… why not? 🎬🤩 pic.twitter.com/xYuYhC1iUL

— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) September 22, 2024

Self-deprecation will take him far, so will self-confidence. Rigg speaks of how he first joined Sunderland aged five and of first playing on the pitch as half-time “entertainment” with the under-nines: “That was unbelievable. I was probably more nervous then.

“It’s just so good to do. Even though it’s half-time and it’s half empty, that’s what you dream of as a boy, to play in a stadium in front of fans.”

Rigg roars with delight after his moment of magic (Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)

He made his senior Stadium of Light debut, aged 15, in January last year, before he played here in the FA Youth Cup. He does get nervous, he says, though he does not show it, and of his style he says: “I could say I’m just a traditional midfielder. I love to attack, I love to defend. I can do both. I can add to it. And as you can see I love a tackle as well. Kind of a box-to-box midfielder.”

When asked about midfielders he admires, it suddenly dawns that they may be still playing, so young is Rigg. Sure enough, “Modric” is the first name he mentions; plus “you watch clips of Zidane and Lampard and Gerrard”.

Then a flash of self-determination, as seen on the field: “I don’t want to be Steven Gerrard, I want to be Chris Rigg. But those sorts of players.”

He is measured in his tone. Maintaining the balance between legitimate anticipation about Rigg and knowing the harsh realities of professional football is up to the rest of us. His youthfulness needs to be stressed and re-stressed — he will still be 17 when the season ends.

Rigg’s is the name most mentioned in a youthful side developing at pace. Scouts from across Europe are now requesting seats at the Stadium of Light. The average age of Saturday’s team was 23.1 and this was a fifth win in six Championship games under the summer’s new appointment, Regis Le Bris.

GO DEEPER

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There is excitement building as autumn takes hold of Wearside and Rigg, who was persuaded to sign his first professional contract in July, is the teenage flagbearer of a team that is second in the table. Watford away is next.

“I don’t think the age is a problem,” Le Bris said. “You can have a high level of maturity at 17 and a low level of maturity at 30. It depends on the personality and the players.

Le Bris’ young team have won five of their first six games (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“Chris Rigg is a good symbol of what we want to create and build as a team and a club. He still wants to improve, he still wants to understand the game. He has this personality and character to play whatever the circumstance. I like that.”

Le Bris, though, does not offer grand projections of where Rigg’s career is headed. There is a chuckle from the Frenchman when asked if the England Under-18s captain can go on and win senior international caps in the future.

“I hope so,” he said. “It’s the consistency. You can perform one, two, three, four, five games, but the reality of the high level is to perform for a whole season and multiple seasons. He has many things to develop but this attitude is very interesting.”

One step — or backheel — at a time.

(Top photo: Rigg contorts his body to score his backheel; by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)

The Week 3 slate brought a reality check for some, and some glimmers of hope for a couple of the NFL’s winless teams. It also featured some significant moments for a couple of coaches and quarterbacks.

SAQUON BARKLEY 65-YARD TOUCHDOWN.

📺: #PHIvsNO on FOX
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— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

The Minnesota Vikings continue to assert themselves, Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles avoided disaster, and the Pittsburgh Steelers might have found their quarterback. The Athletic NFL writers Tim Graham, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on all of these storylines and more.

Is it time to re-think the Vikings as a Super Bowl contender?

Graham: The Vikings are a fun story because the much-maligned Sam Darnold is enjoying moments in the sun, and the combination of Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson has been must-see TV. But let’s throw some bouquets at Brian Flores’ defense. Minnesota entered Sunday ranked third in points allowed and top-10 in both yards per carry and yards per pass attempt. With help from U.S. Bank Stadium, they annihilated the AFC South favorites on Sunday. The Vikings tormented C.J. Stroud with two interceptions and four sacks, and they’ll have the Texans’ offensive line flinching tonight in their sleep. Get a load of outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who recorded three sacks against his old club and played a large part in Houston’s offensive line committing four straight pre-snap O-line penalties at the end of the first half, turning a third-and-4 at Minnesota’s 25-yard line into a punt. Four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil was flagged three times apiece for false starts and illegal formations. Minnesota stopped four runs behind the line and let Cam Akers gain just 2.3 yards per carry.

Nguyen: Flores’ defense had a boom-or-bust factor to it this year and they still live on aggression and causing confusion, but it’s hard to deny how good they’ve been. Last week, they shut down the 49ers and this week, they had C.J. Stroud, who is normally very good against the blitz, completely flustered. This is Stroud’s first multi-interception game in which he was also sacked four times in his career. The Vikings’ offense is explosive on the ground and through the air — sixth in explosive play rate — but the old careless Sam Darnold doesn’t show up from time to time. Kevin O’Connell has been excellent calling plays. I think they have a formula to win a lot of games and maybe make noise in the playoffs but until we see Darnold string together some elite games, it’s hard to say that they’re Super Bowl contenders. And that’s not a knock on the Vikings and their excellent start to the season, but it will take more to put them in that tier.

Pompei: The Vikings are better than almost anybody thought they would be. That’s about as far as we should go after three games. Two of their next three are against the Packers and Lions — we will have a much better feel for them then. Being excellent for 17 games is a much different challenge than being excellent for three, and January is a long way away. But it probably wouldn’t be wise to doubt that Kevin O’Connell will continue to get the best from Darnold, and if Darnold keeps playing the way he has, the Vikings should be a playoff contender. And history tells us every team in the playoffs is a Super Bowl contender.

Does Sunday’s win over the previously unbeaten Saints cool down Nick Sirianni’s seat, or does the uneven offense and fourth-down backfires keep the heat turned high?

Graham: We know how it works in Philadelphia, where winning sometimes isn’t nearly enough. Sirianni got too cute, and that’s borderline unforgivable. One long Saquan Barkley run and Vic Fangio’s defense bailed out the head coach. You have to cut Sirianni some slack with an already-bruised roster that got beaten up some more on Sunday, losing All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson and leading receiver DeVonta Smith to head injuries. All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay also left the game late. But the fake Brotherly Shove gaffe right before halftime and being shut out for three quarters isn’t going to cut it in Philly, let alone the NFC East. Sirianni better hope his luck lasts because he won’t last much longer if he keeps coaching cute.

Nguyen: It certainly cools down his seat but the Eagles have been very good for most of this season. They dropped a bad game against the Falcons but they could easily be sitting at 3-0 right now. The defense has potential to improve as they continue to learn Fangio’s system. The run defense was excellent against the Saints, who were incinerating teams. The offense is handicapped by Jalen Hurts’ inability to get the option game going and the absence of A.J. Brown, but Kellen Moore has been able to dial up explosive play calls at the right time. Sirriani has had several questionable fourth-down decisions — ones that the analytics would even recommend against (like going for it on fourth-and-1 instead of kicking a field goal at the end of the first half). The Eagles are dealing with injuries and they’re adjusting to new coordinators on both sides of the ball, but this team looks too talented to falter. However, the standard for Sirrianni might be to contend for the Super Bowl with the roster they have.

Pompei: The seat of the Eagles’ coach is always hot, right? This is the organization that fired Andy Reid even though he clearly was one of the best head coaches in football, and the one that fired Doug Pederson three years after he led them to one of the most improbable Super Bowl championships in history. High expectations and a roster that most would say is loaded won’t help Sirianni’s job security. But it’s kind of crazy to talk about considering the Eagles are 2-1 and Sirianni has a 36-18 record as their head coach. If the Eagles fire Sirianni, his wait to become a head coach somewhere else won’t be long.

Do the Steelers have their quarterback in Justin Fields?

Nguyen: The Steelers are 3-0 and Fields has made improvements in every game. He’s had multiple big throws wiped away by questionable penalties in the first two games. His game against an extremely stingy Chargers defense was by far his most impressive of the season. He completed nearly 80% of his passes — he threw several short passes but that was part of the gameplan against one of the best pass rushes in the league. Fields made downfield throws in key moments. The most impressive part about his start to the season is his ability to avoid sacks, which has been the biggest struggle of his career. Despite poor pass blocking, Fields has only been sacked six times in three games. If he had a bad game against the Chargers’ defense, it might have been easy to hand over the reins to Russell Wilson in Week 4 — but I don’t think there’s any way you can do it now.

Graham: The Steelers have had quirky success with backup quarterbacks in the past. But this dude is no Mason Rudolph, Duck Hodges or Tommy Maddox. As maddening as Fields was in Chicago, he has been wonderful so far in Pittsburgh, an organization that won’t force a player into a gig just because it’s paying him. The Rooneys and Mike Tomlin will stick with whomever has earned it. Fields has been effective at avoiding sacks and turnovers, throwing his first interception today. You certainly can’t argue with 78 percent accuracy (or with passing and rushing for touchdowns against the Chargers on Sunday). If the Steelers still believe Russell Wilson, who will turn 36 in a couple months, remains their best chance to win, then more power to them, I suppose. But I believe the Steelers’ leadership is smarter than that. Besides, as Crash Davis once said, you never (mess) with a streak. Wilson will have to wait.

Pompei: The Steelers have their starting quarterback for their game against the Colts next week because you don’t bench a quarterback who is 3-0 unless the player he’s being replaced with was performing at a much higher level prior to his injury. (That wasn’t the case with Wilson.) But it’s a safe bet that Wilson is going to be starting games for the Steelers this season, maybe in the not-too-distant future. It’s also possible Fields will reclaim the starting job at some point. Fields has a history of up and down performances. Maybe he’s becoming more consistent in his fourth season and in a new environment, but that remains to be seen. Unless Fields (or Wilson if he replaces him at some point) is consistently outstanding and the team keeps winning, there will be a possibility of change.

Is it good or bad for Caleb Williams to be taking all these lumps early on?

Pompei: Taking lumps is never a good thing for a young quarterback. How has it worked out for Bryce Young? Getting playing experience is good, but there must be validation at some point. There has not been much so far for Williams. He hasn’t had much help from play calling, blocking or the running game. And he hasn’t helped himself much either. Williams and the Bears offense need to crawl before they walk, and they often look like they’re trying to fly. Having a more conservative approach would help everyone.

Nguyen: I don’t think it’s ideal to put a quarterback who wants to take his time to create behind this offensive line, but I don’t think you can reverse course after naming Williams the starter at this point. He isn’t playing as poorly as his numbers suggest, and he’s impressively handling a lot of the Bears’ pre-snap operation while getting better. He hasn’t been able to get the ball downfield in the past couple of weeks but he threw for 363 yards today and found a rapport with Rome Odunze, who had 112 yards — that’s progress! In a perfect world the Bears block better, but as long as Williams is improving, you have to play him. Even when the lumps come, you have to play him.

Graham: There are lumps and then there are lumps. Although the Bears’ offensive line isn’t doing him many favors, Williams isn’t exactly getting the David Carr or Archie Manning treatment yet. This has been precious experience for Williams, and you don’t want him to be thrown into the Bin of Demoralization alongside Bryce Young as players who’ve already lost their jobs as kids and need to have their confidence built back up. Williams already has a victory under his belt and has been showing those flashes of brilliance you’d expect. He threw for 363 yards today, the kind of fat stat line that will keep Chicago (and fantasy managers) excited and not on the verge of booing him out of town. Bears fans have to hope his TD toss to Rome Odunze today is just the start of a beautiful relationship. Give Williams all the opportunities. He’s doing fine so far.

(Top photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)

Hello, and welcome to my weekly College Football Playoff bracket. I’ll be updating every week based on new results. They are based solely on my own opinions and likely will differ from Austin Mock’s much smarter, scientifically based projections. Also, be sure to check out David Ubben’s Bubble Watch every Monday.

My five conference champions — Ohio State (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC), Miami (ACC), Utah (Big 12) and UNLV (G5) — remain the same as last week. The seeding, however, is more fluid, including Tennessee moving up two spots to No. 6 after its win at Oklahoma.

GO DEEPER

What we learned about the CFP in Week 4: Clemson, Utah emerge while USC tumbles

For one thing, it’s the first time I’ve given all my at-large berths to SEC (four) and Big Ten (three) teams. USC, despite the close loss at Michigan, moved in, and Kansas State, which got hammered by BYU, fell out. The Trojans’ potential for nonconference wins against both LSU and Notre Dame gives them a great shot to get in even if they miss the Big Ten title game.

In weeding through the potential resumes of Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss, it’s clear the committee could have its work cut out for it with the order if they’re all around 10-2. All could finish with multiple Top 25 — and perhaps even top 10 — wins.

UNLV remains my Group of 5 team for now, but Boise State will tempt me to flip them if the Broncos handle Washington State next week.

GO DEEPER

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Remember Travis Hunter’s dominance. Plus, ‘new’ CFB is here

(Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — More than four months have passed since Caitlin Clark began her WNBA career at Mohegan Sun Arena against Connecticut Sun on opening night of the 2024 season. But during the Indiana Fever’s playoff debut Sunday against those same Sun, it felt a lot like May.

Connecticut was the more composed, veteran team, and executed as such in a 93-69 win. The Sun’s defense — along with some odd clock issues in the first half — prevented the Fever from ever establishing a flow on offense, as they swarmed the passing lanes and used their length to deter shots.

Indiana didn’t succumb to turnovers as it did earlier in the season, but holding on to the ball didn’t help generate good looks, as it shot under 40 percent for only the seventh time this year.

Meanwhile, Connecticut had its usual balanced attack from the floor. Just as she did in the two teams’ first meeting, Alyssa Thomas had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. She now owns four of the six triple-doubles in WNBA playoff history and collected her latest on the day she finished fifth in MVP voting, one spot behind Clark.

Thomas’ fiancé DeWanna Bonner was equally productive. She was tasked with the Clark defensive assignment and was superb against the rookie, preventing her from getting to her stepback going left and swallowing up Clark’s drives. Bonner had 22 points, five assists and two blocks, and the Sun were a game-high plus-22 in her minutes.

Connecticut also had some unexpected success from beyond the arc. Marina Mabrey — pushed into heavier minutes due to a first-half injury to Ty Harris — found her stroke in the third quarter and ended the game with five triples. The Sun finished with nine as a team, just the 11th time all season they’ve had at least eight in a game (which, you guessed it, includes opening night); they are 10-1 when they hit that total from the 3-point line.

Although the margin ballooned in the fourth, Connecticut was in control against the Fever from the middle of the second quarter onwards. The Sun weathered the early excitement from their youthful opposition and then dominated in a familiar way the rest of the game.

Game 2 between Indiana and Connecticut will be Wednesday from Mohegan Sun Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Required reading

(Photo: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)