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Black America Web
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
Op-Ed: We Should Let Athletes Decide
Source: Diamond Images / Getty Before I served in the Michigan Legislature, I was a student-athlete. I played football at Michigan State University, where I earned a degree while competing at the highest level. But I still remember the restrictions. No one could buy us even a sandwich without risking our scholarship. That's changed. Student-athletes now have the ability to earn compensation through their name, image, and likeness—what we call NIL. It's a right they've fought for. And now, it's a right we have to defend. House Bill 4643 would do just that. The bill prohibits any entity—including the NCAA or athletic conferences—from limiting a student-athlete's ability to enter into NIL contracts. It reinforces what Michigan law already makes clear: student-athletes should be able to earn compensation like any other student, without outside interference. Recent developments—specifically the NCAA's antitrust settlement—threaten to change that. The proposed settlement would allow the NCAA and conferences to impose severe NIL restrictions, including new disclosure and clearinghouse requirements. That conflicts directly with Michigan law. Our statute doesn't permit that kind of gatekeeping. There's a real cost here. If conferences attempt to force universities to violate state law, it could cost Michigan student-athletes tens of millions of dollars a year in NIL earnings. Nationwide, the losses could exceed $2 billion. These aren't just theoretical numbers. We've seen firsthand that most NIL contracts are not high-dollar endorsements. They're often $5,000 or $10,000—a meaningful difference for students who aren't on full scholarships and are covering tuition, housing, and putting food on the table, all on their own. No one questions the right of coaches or administrators to negotiate seven-figure contracts. Student athletes deserve that same freedom. They shouldn't need NCAA approval to sign a deal. They shouldn't be punished for accepting a legitimate offer. And they shouldn't have to choose between playing the sport they love and supporting their families. Michigan should lead here. Our laws not only protect the rights of student-athletes, they offer schools a competitive edge. When families and recruits see that Michigan is serious about NIL freedom, that becomes a factor in their decision. If we're serious about attracting talent, this matters. We created the path. Now we need to protect it. Joe Tate is a Michigan State Representative, the first Black Speaker of the Michigan House, a Marine Corps veteran, and a candidate for U.S. Senate . SEE ALSO: The Coco Gauff Experience: Following The Young Tennis Star's Rise To Fame How Has Kobe Bryant's Net Worth Changed Since His Death? SEE ALSO Op-Ed: We Should Let Athletes Decide was originally published on
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Dolphin Raheem Mostert rips team following trade of Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith: 'Be a Pro-Bowler, get treated like s***'
Raheem Mostert has candid thoughts on Monday's NFL trade that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's happy for his former Dolphins teammates. But he's clearly not happy with his former team. The ex-Dolphins running back who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason had this to say on social media: Hot take: Be a Pro-bowler on the Dolphins, get treated like sh*t. Happy for my guys though! GO BALL OUT!! The Pro Bowlers in this instance are Ramsey and Smith. The Dolphins traded both to the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday morning in exchange for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a deal that also included pick swaps. Advertisement Mostert didn't expound on his displeasure with the Dolphins. But he appears to be unhappy with his own exit this offseason after three seasons in Miami that included a Pro Bowl selection in 2023. Raheem Mostert appears to be displeased with how his own Dolphins tenure concluded. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images) Why so mad? Mostert joined the Dolphins from the 49ers as a free agent in 2022 on a one-year, $2.1 million contract. After starting 14 games in 2022, Mostert re-signed with the Dolphins on a two-year, $5.6 million deal. He followed up with the best season of his career in 2023 that featured 1,187 yards from scrimmage, an NFL-best 21 touchdowns and his first career Pro Bowl selection at 31 years old. That effort earned him an extension through the 2025 season worth up to $9.1 million over two years that included $3.71 million in newly guaranteed money. Advertisement The following season, Mostert took a secondary role in the backfield to second-year standout De'Von Achane. Mostert finished 2024 with 439 yards from scrimmage after making just one start. He didn't see the second, non-guaranteed year of his contract extension. The Dolphins released Mostert in February as part of a series of veteran cuts in an effort to get under the salary cap. The move saved Miami $3.065 million in cap space. Mostert later signed with the Raiders on a one-year, $1.6 million deal, a pay cut over the non-guaranteed money he would have made had he remained in Miami. And he's clearly not pleased with how the end of his Dolphins tenure transpired.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Browns QB battle, Shemar Stewart vs. Bengals and more minicamp storylines to watch!
How likely is it that Shedeur Sanders will start Week 1? Or at all? Minicamps are underway and the Inside Coverage crew is breaking down all of the biggest storylines. Starting with the four-way QB battle between Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Yahoo Sports NFL writer Jori Epstein joins Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab from Cleveland to discuss her biggest takeaways from her day with the Browns. Later, they speed through a roundup of minicamp storylines from around the league, including Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart's contract disputes with the Cincinnati Bengals. They finish things up with another round of Rise, Repeat or Retreat. This time they're previewing the NFC North! Advertisement (1:30) - Jori's takeaways from Browns minicamp (21:45) - Most concerning minicamp holdouts (35:00) - Top minicamp storylines (43:35) - Rise, Repeat or Retreat? NFC North Browns QBs Shedeur Sanders and Kenny Pickett at minicamp. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) 🖥️ Watch this episode on YouTube Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why the buzz over Jac Caglianone? He once hit a ball 120.9 mph, showing the type of power the Royals desperately need
First things first: it's pronounced cag-lee-OHN. Not cag-lee-ah-NOHN. That's important to know because there's a strong chance Jac Caglianone is about to become a pretty big deal. The Royals' top prospect is set to make his Major League debut on Tuesday, just 324 days after Kansas City selected the University of Florida product with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Raised in Tampa, Caglianone attended H.B. Plant High School, the same program that produced Kyle Tucker and Pete Alonso. An elbow injury steered Caglianone to Florida, where he blossomed into one of the most dynamic college players of the century. During his draft year in Gainesville, 'Cags' slashed a ridiculous .419/.544/.875 with 35 long balls. Advertisement In the time since, Caglianone has rocketed up the minor league ladder while rocketing baseballs with elite exit velocities. After impressing in big league spring training, the 6-foot-5 left-hander posted a .322/.389/.593 line with 15 homers across 50 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. That all came as Caglianone, who played first and pitched in college, was learning the outfield for the first time. Here's everything you need to know about the young slugger. Jac Caglianone isn't shy about going after pitches out of the zone but he has shown much improvement in the minor leagues. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images) Why is he a big deal? Put simply: he hits the baseball really, really, really hard. Earlier this minor league season, Caglianone laced an opposite field single at 120.9 miles per hour. That top-of-the-scales juice puts him in rarified air. Only six players in the Statcast Era (since 2017) have hit a ball that firmly: Giancarlo Stanton, Oneil Cruz, Gary Sánchez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr. and Aaron Judge. Advertisement That's the offensive ceiling we're talking about here, which is remarkable considering that Caglianone was a full-time two-way player in college. So why isn't he the top prospect in baseball? Heading into spring training, public prospect lists, on average, had Caglianone slotted around No. 40. Granted, that was before Cags impressed in spring training and before he obliterated minor league pitching for the better part of two months. But still, this is a player with multiple warts. Coming out of college, Caglianone was considered to be a high-risk prospect, in large part because he chased so much. His out-of-zone swing rates at Florida were just below the 40 percent mark, a red-flag figure that had many teams concerned about how Caglianone would adjust to better pitching in pro ball. Advertisement But pro reps and a slight mechanical adjustment have allowed Cags to push that chase rate down to a still-high, but not panic-inducing mark of 34 percent. That would be around the 87th percentile of qualified MLB hitters this season, near some superstars (Bryce Harper, Corbin Carroll) and some chase-happy scufflers (Keibert Ruiz, Trevor Story). Another name in that range, young Rays starlet Junior Caminero, feels like an interesting comp for what Caglianone's offensive profile could look like this season Defense is the other major reason that Caglianone has not been considered a top-shelf prospect. When he wasn't pitching at Florida, Cags was DHing or playing first base. Because the Royals have something of a DH/1B log jam (Vinnie Pasquantino/Salvador Perez), Caglianone saw the majority of his time in the outfield this season and should be out in the grass a lot in the bigs. He's still a work in progress in both spots, but the bat has such potential and the Royals' offense has been so dreary that the club had no choice but to promote Cags right now. He's fast and athletic enough that Caglianone shouldn't be a total butcher in an outfield corner, but don't expect any Gold Gloves from him either. Hey, wait. Wasn't this guy a two-way player? He was! But not anymore, sadly. Advertisement Caglianone's two-way exploits at Florida helped him cross over into the larger baseball consciousness in a way that few college players do. For instance: In 2023, during his sophomore season, people started calling him 'Jac-tani' in a not-so-subtle reference to the Japanese superstar. Not many living beings can throw a baseball 99 miles per hour with their left hand; only 24 big leaguers have done that since the start of 2024. Even fewer can hit a baseball 119 miles per hour; only four souls — Cruz, Stanton, Guerrero Jr and Shohei Ohtani — have done so over that same span. Caglianone was, preposterously, doing both. As a college student. And yet, as the Gator superstar continued to drop jaws on both sides of the ball during his junior year, talent evaluators were beginning to realize that Caglianone's pro future was almost certainly going to be in the batter's box. The eye-popping velocity led to an impressive dossier of pitching highlights, yes, but the rest of his on-mound profile — secondary stuff, repeatability, command, control, fastball shape — left much to be desired. Advertisement So even though the Royals announced Caglianone as a two-way player when they selected him last July, it was an open secret in the industry that Kansas City would develop him exclusively as a hitter. So far, that's paid off big time. Jac Caglianone brought the heat on the mound at Florida but his arsenal wasn't diverse enough to seriously consider him a two-way player in MLB. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Why'd the Royals promote him now? Because they can't hit. Coming off an invigorating postseason campaign in 2024, this year's Royals have stagnated somewhat. It's been more treading water than massive cannonballs off the high dive as Kansas City's offense ranks near the bottom in most offensive categories. The Royals are last in home runs, last in walk rate, third to last in runs scored and fifth to last in OPS. Advertisement Only two hitters — reigning MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Maikel Garcia — have an OPS+ above league average. Pasquantino has been much better recently after a rough start, but all the secondary pieces like Michael Massey, Jonathan India and Drew Waters have underwhelmed. Most concerning has been the steep fall-off from franchise icon Salvador Perez, who has gone from an All-Star a year ago to a bottom-20 qualified hitter in baseball. The Royals' stellar pitching and defense has kept this team in the mix. Heading into play on June 3, they are 31-29, one game out of a wild-card spot. But this lineup needs a jolt. Caglianone should help.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jac Caglianone gets called up & Shohei Ohtani falls asleep mid-World Series rematch
Could the best hitter on the Kansas City Royals have been sitting in the minor leagues this season? Everyone is about to find out as one of the top prospects in baseball, Jac Caglianone, gets the call. Jake and Jordan reflect on his impressive collegiate career and discuss how it may translate in the majors. Advertisement Even some of the best athletes in the world get sleepy at work. Shohei Ohtani was caught falling asleep in the dugout during a World Series rematch vs. the New York Yankees this weekend. Jake, who may or may not have slept through his alarm before recording this episode, has some (hypocritical?) thoughts on what happened in LA. A full weekend of baseball with sweeps, mops and even some college drama occurred. The guys give a full recap on all that happened in the world of baseball. Start off your week with the Baseball Bar-B-Cast Jac Caglianone gets called up Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (1:51) - How Sweep It Is (2:46) - Blue Jays mop A's (10:18) - Brewers sweep Phillies Advertisement (20:02) - Mets sweep Rockies (24:11) - Orioles sweep White Sox (30:44) - Tigers over Royals (32:40) - Jac Calgianone called up (37:35) - Mariners over Twins (41:07) - Nats over Diamonbacks (44:57) - Dodgers over Yankees (51:48) - Shohei falls asleep (55:02) - Turbo Mode (1:05:18) - College Baseball (1:09:24) - Lou Gehrig Day Follow the show on X at @CespedesBBQ Follow Jake @Jake_Mintz Follow Jordan @J_Shusterman_ 🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
