Minnesota Vikings fans celebrate from the stands following a road victory over the New York Giants, reacting to the 28-10 result on Oct 6, 2019, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as Minnesota secured a convincing win during Week 5 action at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services.
Minnesota Vikings fans want a change to the status quo — they do not want more of Rob Brzezinski as the primary general manager. We polled Twitter (X) this week, and the verdict is decisive: people say it’s time for something new.
The poll was informal, but the result still shows where fan sentiment currently sits.
The Vikings’ search for a general manager is ongoing, and the club should announce a decision within the next couple of weeks.
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Fans Prefer a New Voice in Minnesota
Do you prefer Brzezinski or someone new?
Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski speaks during an interview segment with Vikings.com’s Gabe Henderson focused on organizational philosophy and front-office structure. Brzezinski discussed leadership alignment, roster-building strategy, and the hiring of Kevin O’Connell during the feature recorded on Feb. 17, 2022, as Minnesota mapped out its long-term football vision. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.
Vikings Fans: Get Us a New GM
Minnesota fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at the end of January, about three and a half weeks after the end of the 2025 regular season. The timing was strange, but most believe the Vikings’ owners saw Sam Darnold advance to the Super Bowl and said to themselves, “I’ve seen enough.”
Brzezinski took over in an interim capacity, with his hat in the ring for the permanent gig.
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But fans would rather Brzezinski not continue. Here’s the poll:
Who would you hire as the Vikings’ next general manager?
One hundred eighty-six people responded, and the poll was not scientific.
Brzezinski’s Track Record
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Despite fans’ hesitation, the longer one considers Brzezinski as general manager, the more sense it makes. He has already managed the Vikings’ free agency cycle and draft following Adofo-Mensah’s departure.
His deep knowledge of the organization’s budget, contracts, and cap sheet provides him with a thorough understanding of internal operations — a sweet advantage. While NFL general manager roles are often perceived as solely focused on scouting and roster vision, the financial aspect is paramount, and Brzezinski has been entrusted with it for years.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talks with owner Zygi Wilf during training camp at TCO Stadium while the franchise prepared for the upcoming season. The conversation came during practice activities on Aug. 3, 2023, in Eagan, Minnesota, with leadership continuing to shape roster expectations and organizational priorities. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
Vikings fans have long dubbed him the “cap wizard,” a reputation that should warrant him a genuine shot at the top job.
The arrangement also aligns perfectly with the Vikings’ recent actions. By firing Adofo-Mensah but retaining Kevin O’Connell, the team fundamentally altered its GM search. Most NFL teams link the head coach and general manager, with their fates typically intertwined. Minnesota, however, kept O’Connell, effectively positioning him as the primary figure in their football operations.
Within this model, Brzezinski emerges as an ideal fit.
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O’Connell can maintain significant involvement in roster vision, while Brian Flores can heavily influence defensive personnel decisions. Brzezinski, in turn, can oversee the front office, manage the salary cap, handle contracts, and ensure operational efficiency. The Vikings demonstrated the viability of this distributed structure during the recent draft.
Furthermore, this approach provides ownership with considerable flexibility. Should the season underperform — finishing, for instance, with a 6-11 or 7-10 record — Minnesota could reset without a major structural upheaval. O’Connell could be dismissed, Brzezinski could revert to his previous role, and the team could then pursue a new GM-head coach pairing. Conversely, if the Vikings succeed, the move will appear steady, logical, and perhaps even long overdue.
Otherwise, if a poor season unfolds, the new non-Brzezinski general manager will have lived in both worlds: working with players that O’Connell, Flores, and Brzezinski drafted while carving out his own vision.
The Outside Candidates
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The Vikings’ owners announced last week the general manager search would be private — but then updates started spilling into public view on Wednesday.
Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray watches from the sideline as the Pittsburgh Steelers host Buffalo at Acrisure Stadium. Gray has emerged as a notable NFL executive name during recent hiring cycles because of his scouting background and front-office experience. The appearance occurred on Nov. 30, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra wrote, “The Minnesota Vikings have identified their first general manager candidate outside the organization. The Vikings requested an interview with Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray for their GM job, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday, per a source.”
“Gray has been with the Bills since 2017, but spent 11 seasons with Minnesota as a scout, so he is well-known within the building. Prior to his stint with the Vikings, Gray worked in the Kansas City Chiefs’ front office.”
Gray will be the first of many, and the process evidently won’t be so secretive after all.
Some have hinted that a different person inside the current front office, too, such as Ryan Grigson, could walk away with the job.
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How We Got Here
The Vikings need a new general for two primary reasons:
From 2022 to 2025 — four drafts — Adofo-Mensah picked underwhelming players, connecting on only about 15% to 20% of selections. Adofo-Mensah’s best pick might be a kicker (Will Reichard). A team cannot draft poorly and hope to win a Super Bowl. It is impossible.
Last offseason, Minnesota had several quarterback options, including Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers. It landed on J.J. McCarthy as the sole QB1 solution. He struggled, while Darnold, Jones, and Rodgers played better. Darnold won a Super Bowl, and his success appeared to be the final nail in Adofo-Mensah’s coffin.
Therefore, the next general manager — Brzezinski, Gray, or someone else — must draft at a normal or stellar hit rate and make responsible quarterback decisions. It’s really that simple.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
Arsenal’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid sparked ‘record surge in broadband traffic’
Peak downstream traffic on the network surged by 17 per cent compared to an average Tuesday evening, marking an unprecedented event in Virgin Media’s broadband history.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 21:03
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HT Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
Bayern Munich have had the most possession with 58% compared to PSG’s 42%.
The hosts have also had nine shots but only one of those has been on target.
PSG in comparison have had six shots and half of those have been hitting the goal.
It’s all going PSG’s way so far.
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Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:59
HT Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
Ousmane Dembele has the only goal of the game tonight. Is there a way back for Bayern?
Ousmane Dembele scored the opening goal for PSG (AP)
(Reuters)
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:55
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Half-time! Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
45+2 mins: Just the two minutes of added time played at the end of this first half and Bayern can’t cut the deficit.
The teams head into the break with PSG in full control of the tie.
They’re two goals to the good and don’t look like conceding… yet.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:50
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Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
A backheel flick from Olise gives the ball to Musiala who drives to the box.
Kane drags the central defenders away allowing Musiala to shoot bu Safonov drops low and pushes the ball away from the target!
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:46
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Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
Olise slips a pass down the right side and finds Musiala’s diagonal run.
Musiala takes the ball to the byline and pulls it back into the middle for Kaneonly for Safonov to slap the ball away from the striker.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:44
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Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
39 mins: It feels as though Bayern need a goal before half-time just to get themselves into the game.
The early goal is still hurting them and Vincent Kompany is issuing more instructions from the sidelines.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:42
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Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
36 mins: Dembele stands over the corner kick and plays it short. The ball comes out to Vitinha whose shot from range is deflected out for another corner by Olise.
The second attempt is also played wide of the box and it’s Nuno Mendes who shoots this time but the ball loops intothe air and Neuer claims it.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:37
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Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
A long free kick is sent into the far side of the Bayern box and Joao Neves is there.
He nods the ball down into the pitch but Neuer leaps to the left and pushes the ball behind for a corner.
Mike Jones6 May 2026 20:36
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Bayern 0-1 PSG (4-6 agg)
32 mins: Another appeal for handball!
The referee waves this one away too. It’s inside the penalty area and Vitinha’s clearance smokes Joao Neves on the left hand.
His hand is away from his body but the ball was smashed at him. There’s a VAR check but Bayern are left disappointed.
Gerard Pique has been given a six-match ban and suspended from official football activity for two months by the Spanish football federation after an argument with a referee.
The former Spain and Barcelona star, who retired from playing in 2022, is now co-owner of FC Andorra and the dispute took place during his side’s 1-0 defeat by Albacete last week.
Referee Alonso de Ena Wolf quoted Pique in his post-match report, saying that he told him to “leave with an escort so nobody attacks you” and “in another country they would beat you up, but here in Andorra we are a civilised country”.
A disciplinary committee said that Pique’s two-month ban is “for notorious and public acts that undermine sporting dignity and decorum, based on the facts recorded in the referee’s report”.
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The 39-year-old was also given a separate six-match ban “for acts involving minor violence toward the referees”.
Other members of Andorra’s staff were also involved in the confrontation.
Club president Ferran Vilaseca was issued a four-month suspension, while the sporting director Jaume Nogues was banned.
Andorra are currently 10th in the second division table.
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Pique won nine La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies with Barcelona, and was part of Spain’s World Cup and European Championship wins in 2010 and 2012.
Drew Stoltz, the co-host of GOLF’s popular Subpar podcast, is back with a second season of Emergency 9, presented by Cobra. Readers of this space may remember that last year, Stoltz’s Emergency 9 series covered a number of topics, from gear explainers to tips on how to get an edge on your buddies in your next match.
For this season of Emergency 9, Stoltz is kicking things off with a review of Cobra’s OPTM family of drivers.
There are four OPTM driver models to choose from: LS, X, Max-K and Max-D. As a fast player who wants to minimize spin, Stoltz was fit into the OPTM LS.
Last year, Stoltz was impressed Cobra’s FutureFit33 technology, which was introduced in Cobra’s DS-APAPT products. FutureFit33, which allows you to adjust the loft and lie of your metals by plus or minus 2 degrees in every direction — enabling 33 total setting options — is also available in the OPTM line. But there’s more! With the OPTM family, Cobra prioritized POI — Product Of Inertia — modeling to re-engineer mass placement and weight positions on the driver heads to reduce the 3D twisting on off-center hits, resulting in tighter dispersion and better accuracy.
“I loved the last line honestly and wasn’t sure I was going to put this in the bag just because I had no complaints about the last one,” Stoltz said. “But I think I get everything I had out of that last driver plus some with this, a little more face stability.”
The OPTM’s game-changing Hot Face technology enabled Stoltz to hit bomb after bomb.
“The forged face insert creates space flex when you hit it, which basically means you get the most pop out of your drive, the most speed that you can possibly get,” Stoltz explained. “Next up, we’ve got an advanced weighting system here. There’s three different places where you can place weight.
“The one on the toe is where I put my heaviest weight,” he continued. “I like everything to go left to right to encourage a fade, so I put the most weight up in the toe. This also helps me get the shot shape that I like.
“No matter what kind of golfer you are, what kind of shot shape you like to hit, there’s a fitting here on the FutureFit33 that will help your game.”
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Stoltz worked with Cobra’s Ben Schomin to dial in his specs.
“We went through a number of different settings, a number of different lies, lofts, all the things, till we finally came up with this combination here,” Stoltz said. “The 10.5-degree head moved down almost 1.5 to around 9, and then we’ve also flattened it 1 degree too. So I have a little left-to-right missile-hitter right here.
“I do have to issue a warning before you hit the OPTM driver,” he said. “This does come with highly addictive accuracy and dangerous levels of stability.”
WEST CALDWELL, N.J. — Michelle Wie West is busy this week. On top of the duties that go along with her role as tournament host of the Mizuho Americas Open, the 36-year-old is also playing in this week’s event.
Wednesday at Mountain Ridge Country Club was evidence of the hectic schedule Wie West has to juggle in this (temporary) return to competitive golf. Her morning started with a press conference with the assembled media. Next, she entertained sponsors with a short-game clinic alongside Rose Zhang. A quick lunch followed, and then she trudged into the New Jersey drizzle to warm-up for her pro-am, her routine repeatedly paused to talk with fans or take calls with tournament stakeholders.
In typical Wie West fashion, she’s taking the chaotic week in stride.
“I can use this experience to hopefully become a better tournament host,” she said. “It’s almost like I’m an undercover employee so to speak this week, so I’m really enjoying it.”
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Pulling double duty as a player and host is always a challenging proposition (see: Tiger Woods at the Genesis), but Wie West has another factor working against her: she hasn’t played a competitive tournament round in almost three years. With her 10-year exemption for winning the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open expiring after this summer, she announced earlier this spring she would tee it up at Riviera in June. As a part of preparations for her final farewell, she opted to use a sponsor exemption on herself this week to get some competitive reps in.
Nearly three years since her last competitive round, Wie West has been working diligently on her game to ready herself. Ahead of her return to competition, GOLF.com caught up with the five-time LPGA Tour winner for a breakdown of how she’s prepping for the week.
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How Michelle Wie West got her game back in shape
1. Relearning how to practice
Getting ready to compete among the game’s best doesn’t happen just by going through the motions. It’s about practicing with purpose and being efficient with her time on the range. For Wie West, that meant relearning how to practice. For help with that, she reached out to her peers and gathered new ideas, piecing together a routine that worked for her again.
“At first, it was really awkward,” Wie West said. “I’d get there and realize I had no idea what I was doing. It’s amazing how you kind of forget how to practice.”
2. Using SportsBox AI
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After Wie West got her feel back for how to practice, she needed to figure out what to practice. That’s where the swing analysis app SportsBox AI came in.
“It’s been really amazing,” she said. “I really wish I had it back in the day because it would have shortened my practice time.”
Wie West explained that when she isn’t hitting the ball well, she notices that she sways too much throughout the swing. With SportsBox AI, she can easily zero in on her chest and pelvis sway measurements to make sure she stays within a tolerable range.
3. Gym work
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Dialing in her swing didn’t happen just through hitting buckets of balls — it was also the result of plenty of time in the gym. Especially considering the swing faults that creep up in her swing.
“Sway really comes from your body being a little bit lazy,” she said. “Not loading and unloading the right way.”
Wie West’s workouts emphasize glute activation, rotational strength and movement patterns that translate directly to her swing. By addressing the physical foundation of her swing, she’s creating more reliable mechanics and a move that will hold up even during long weeks on — and off — the course.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s reaction to dropped catches (Screengrabs)
NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had a frustrating outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad after his teammates repeatedly dropped catches off his bowling. SRH batters made full use of those missed chances and piled up a huge total of 235 on a batting-friendly Hyderabad pitch.The dropped catches became a major talking point, especially because Chahal had created several wicket-taking opportunities. However, Punjab’s poor fielding let the match slip away.
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi India debut: The calls are getting louder
Statistics showed that six catches have now been dropped off Chahal’s bowling this IPL season — the highest for any bowler in IPL 2026.Shashank Singh was at the centre of the fielding troubles, accounting for four dropped catches this season, the second-most by any fielder in the tournament. During the SRH match, he dropped a straightforward chance offered by Heinrich Klaasen at deep backward square leg. Instead of a wicket, the ball slipped away for four runs, adding to Punjab’s misery.The dropped catch left Chahal in disbelief, with his reaction going viral across social media platforms.Watch:Klaasen and Ishan Kishan both survived after chances were missed off Chahal’s bowling and went on to punish Punjab heavily. Their innings helped SRH post a massive score that proved too difficult to chase.On a surface where bowlers had very little help, fielding mistakes became even more costly. Chahal, one of Punjab’s main wicket-taking bowlers this season, was visibly frustrated as crucial chances went begging.The sloppy fielding ultimately played a big role in SRH’s dominant performance and added another disappointing chapter to Punjab’s disappointing run of three defeats.
The 2026 WNBA regular season begins May 8 — and the league’s 15 teams are starting to trim their rosters in time for tip-off on Friday.
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Players will make their way through waivers in the coming days, as teams try to whittle down their roster sizes to the maximum 12 players allowed under the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Teams will have up to 48 hours to make a waiver claim if they believe there is a fit; if not, the player will reach unrestricted free agency and can sign with any organization.
As of Wednesday morning, the Indiana Fever have cut down their roster to 13 players, following the decision to waive three guards and move 2026 draft pick Justine Pissott to a developmental pool spot.
As Indiana tries to find the optimal balance behind All-Stars Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, The Sporting News will track which players the Fever are letting go before the new season.
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Fever roster cut updates
Meghan McConnell
The Fever waived a trio of guards on Wednesday, starting with McConnell — the sister of Indiana Pacers point guard TJ McConnell.
Megan McConnell played one game for the Phoenix Mercury in 2025, accruing 13 minutes before she suffered a season-ending tibial plateau fracture. In the offseason, she played in Australia before Indiana signed her to a training camp contract.
Though McConnell did not score a single point in the preseason, the former Duquesne star could latch on with another WNBA organization given her potential — she averaged 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 points per game while playing for the Bendigo Spirit.
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Jessica Timmons
Timmons was just drafted by the Fever, as Indiana used the 40th overall selection in last month’s rookie draft to take the high-scoring guard out of Alabama.
Timmons, a former five-star recruit, was a strong 3-point shooter in the NCAA who averaged 16.3 points per game in her final collegiate season. She is a bit undersized at 5’8”, but given her scoring ability (16 points in three preseason games), Timmons could find her way back to the Fever via a developmental spot if no other team claims her on waivers.
Kayana Traylor
Traylor, the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, played eight games for the Minnesota Lynx in 2023 before heading overseas for a couple years. She played professionally in France and Israel before she signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Fever.
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Traylor scored 22 points with two assists and one rebound across three preseason games.
While most of the discourse ahead of the highly anticipated UFC 328 main event has revolved around the animosity between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, it ultimately shouldn’t be much of a factor once the cage door locks on Saturday night in New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
Unless Chimaev completely abandons his typical wrestling-first game plan, the undefeated middleweight champion’s path to success against Strickland is a clear one.
Chimaev, who’s also currently the No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound talent on the UFC roster, is regarded as the most dominant grappler in mixed martial arts. His first title defence may simply come down to whether he can put Strickland in unfamiliar territory.
Strickland, the former champion and brash 35-year-old from California, is usually able to prevent his opponents from deciding where the fight will take place.
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His above-average 76 per cent takedown defence has been tested against many of the division’s best fighters, but Chimaev is an entirely different beast when it comes to the grappling aspects of the sport.
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Chimaev landed his first of 12 total takedowns on Dricus Du Plessis within 10 seconds of the first round starting last summer at UFC 319 en route to winning the UFC middleweight title. He controlled Du Plessis for 21:40 out of 25 total minutes and landed more than 500 total strikes — albeit nearly all were pitter-patter shots and only 37 were registered as significant strikes.
Strickland has not shied away from being critical of Chimaev’s character and controversial political connections, so perhaps Chimaev will put more force behind any potential ground-and-pound strikes he throws at Strickland.
In the past 10 years, only two fighters have been able to land more than one takedown on Strickland. One was former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman when he won a three-round decision over Strickland in 2017, and the other was when Strickland lost the title to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in early 2024.
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Strickland was taken to the mat six times by Du Plessis in that fight, but was only controlled on the ground for 2:08 out of 25 minutes. He was consistently able to get back to his feet but those takedowns were ultimately the difference in a close split decision and he lost the title.
The consensus opinion is that it’s inevitable Chimaev will take Strickland down and it’s just a matter of if he can find a submission, finish with ground strikes, or do to Strickland what he did to Du Plessis.
If Strickland can manage to work back up from underneath Chimaev, it’ll be a massive accomplishment and his primary key to victory.
Watch UFC 328 on Sportsnet+
Khamzat Chimaev puts his middleweight title on the line against former champion Sean Strickland. Watch UFC 328 on Saturday, May 9 with prelim coverage beginning 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Strickland told reporters earlier this week during a media scrum that he brought out former Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen to help him prepare for Chimaev’s wrestling-based style.
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“My growth as a fighter comes from a love of the sport,” Strickland said of his improvements over the years.
If he can stay on his feet long enough to find a home for his accurate and bothersome jab, maybe then he’ll be able to generate some momentum. Strickland’s cardio is proven, which could be an advantage, since Chimaev has slowed down in a couple of his fights that made it out of the first round.
Chimaev is 15-0 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC coming off consecutive wins over past champions Usman, Du Plessis and a jaw-crushing submission of Robert Whittaker.
The 32-year-old was born and raised in Chechnya, Russia, began his MMA career while living in Sweden, and now competes under the flag of the United Arab Emirates. He has fans from all around the world, including in the New Jersey area, so even though Strickland is an American fighting in the United States, the fans in attendance might be somewhat split come fight night.
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Strickland is coming off a terrific performance against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez less than 80 days ago. Hernandez is also a relentless wrestler and Strickland was able to pass that test. In fairness, though, Hernandez does not have the same level of physical strength as Chimaev and Hernandez only attempted one takedown against Strickland before abandoning that game plan.
Strickland would be wise to assume Chimaev will be far more aggressive pursuing takedowns and submissions than Hernandez.
The high-volume, defensively sound striker has landed more than 100 significant strikes in 10 of his 14 appearances since 2020.
Chimaev, on the other hand, is notoriously difficult to hit, though, since most of his fights consist of him controlling and dominating his opponents. Chimaev has only absorbed 1.04 significant strikes per 15 minutes during middleweight competition in the UFC, which is the lowest average of all active 185-pounders. He also ranks first in the division in both control time percentage and top position percentage.
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Oddsmakers have Chimaev listed as roughly a six-to-one betting favourite over Strickland ahead of UFC 328. Strickland hasn’t been this wide an underdog since he upset Israel Adesanya to initially win the title in 2023.
UFC 328 also features a men’s flyweight title fight in the co-main event when Joshua Van attempts to defend his title against Tatsuro Taira.
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeuhas claimed that the Catalan giants nearly lost Lionel Messi after the club were reportedly set to receive a record breaking €400 million offer to sign him.
Speaking in an interview with Cadena SER, Bartomeu opened up on his heavily criticized stint at Barcelona. The ex-president made a shocking revelation about a potential blockbuster offer to sign a prime Lionel Messi.
Thanks for the submission!
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Following Neymar Jr‘s shock departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, he claimed that the club were made aware of a reportedly massive offer to snatch away Messi from the club. He explained that the club became aware of a €400m operation attempting to sign the Argentine superstar. He said(via GOAL):
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“A few weeks after Neymar’s departure, rumours began to circulate that a club was preparing €400 million (£346m/$470m) for Messi – the amount of his release clause. Funds from an Arab country were transferred to accounts in Europe”
“It doesn’t matter now… that’s old news; it was years ago. There are very few clubs in England, or state-owned clubs, that can afford such sums. There was a team willing to pay €400 million. I don’t want to name names, but it wasn’t City”
Bartomeu didn’t disclose the name of the club trying to sign Messi but ruled out Manchester City. The ex-president claimed that the threat of losing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner forced the club to draft a contract that was one of the most lucrative in sporting history. He said:
“What we did was talk to Lionel Messi and his father and discuss the matter: we had to raise the release clause,” Bartomeu explained. “At the time, the clause was 400, so we raised it to 700, which is a very high figure. If you raise the release clause, you also have to raise the player’s salary and compensation.”
The new contract effectively ended the pursuit but played a major role in Lionel Messi’s exit from the club in 2021.
Secret Barcelona contract offered to Lionel Messi before Miami switch revealed
According to SPORT(via beIN Sports), Messi reportedly received a contract offer from Barcelona before sealing his move to Inter Miami. The deal would have seen Messi return to the club, designed to give him the farewell he didn’t get in 2021. Former manager Xavi acted as a bridge between the club and Messi’s team to make the deal possible. Unfortunately, Barcelona’s massive salary limit prevented LaLiga from approving the deal. The dream ended after Xavi was informed by Lionel Messi’s father that any potential deal was impossible.
As LIV Golf prepares for its first tournament since the news that it will no longer be funded by the Saudi PIF following this season, questions continue to swirl about what will happen to the league and its players.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil spoke at length on Tuesday at Trump National D.C. about a business plan, momentum and strategic changes going forward. Although, as Jon Rahm noted, O’Neil and other LIV executives “have a lot of hard work to do” to secure funding for the future.
Rahm said Tuesday he has several years left on his contract. But as for LIV’s most prized possession, Bryson DeChambeau? He’s only signed through the end of 2026. What he does next is one major storyline, not only for the long-term health of LIV but the future of the pro golf landscape.
He already has ideas if he doesn’t return to LIV or if the pathway back to the PGA Tour doesn’t pan out.
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“I think, from my perspective, I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau told a few outlets, including ESPN and SI, on Tuesday. His YouTube channel has 2.7 million subscribers. “I would love to. I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”
DeChambeau told them he had conversations with the PGA Tour but did not discuss what a return could look like.
Brooks Koepka went from LIV to the PGA Tour earlier this year via the Returning Member Program but paid a hefty price to do so. DeChambeau — along with Rahm and Cameron Smith — also had a chance to return under those same circumstances but declined. A potential path back to the PGA Tour will likely be different now, especially since DeChambeau, unlike Koepka, was once involved in a lawsuit against the Tour.
Although despite LIV’s uncertain future, DeChambeau said the PGA Tour “isn’t doing great either.”
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“Let’s be honest about the situation,” he told reporters. “They’ve got the media. They’ve got everybody on the side that helps pump it up. But they’re reducing field sizes, cutting employees and restructuring their business too.”
O’Neil was asked Tuesday how DeChambeau’s contract situation (whether he has one or not) affects funding efforts for next year.
“Well, that’s an interesting question,” he said. “I’m not sure. We’ll sort through and work through. I appreciate the question. It’s just Bryson’s special. He’s different and special. You want to talk about a business partner, we’re literally talking about the future of LIV Golf, I’m talking with him about how does he see, not just the golf, but the business. He’s smart, he’s driven, he’s committed, and he’s a heck of a partner.”
DeChambeau told GOLF.com he sees the current LIV uncertainty as an opportunity.
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“Any time a door closes, another one opens,” he said. “I don’t think if a door closes, you’re just locked in forever. For us, this is the opportunity that we have in this country and also internationally, the freedom and the opportunity to build businesses. If it’s restructured in the right way, and people see the value of team golf, and want to be a part of something special, I think there’s opportunity out there.”
;)
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