Connect with us

Sports

College sports ‘visionary’ Neinas dies at age 93

Published

on

College sports ‘visionary’ Neinas dies at age 93


Chuck Neinas, the onetime Big Eight commissioner whose media savvy and dealmaking helped turn college football into the multibillion-dollar business it is today, died Tuesday. He was 93.

The National Football Foundation announced Neinas’ death, with its president and CEO Steve Hatchell calling him “a visionary in every sense of the word.” A cause of death was not disclosed.

From 1980-97, Neinas was executive director of the College Football Association, an agency created by several big conferences that sought to wrest control of their TV rights from the NCAA.

Two key members, Georgia and Oklahoma, sued the NCAA and a 1984 Supreme Court ruling in their favor effectively made the CFA a separate business from the rest of college sports. It gave Neinas a key seat at the negotiating table.

He brought home deals worth billions in the 1980s and ’90s, and those huge contracts set the stage for today’s industry, currently highlighted by a TV deal worth $7.8 billion for the College Football Playoff.

After the CFA disbanded in 1997 — with conferences taking their TV rights into their own hands and the Bowl Championship Series, the precursor to today’s playoff, about to start — Neinas founded a consulting firm that helped schools create policies and hire athletic directors and coaches.

He was CEO of Ascent Entertainment Group, which owned the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and their arena when they sold to Liberty Media Group in 2000.

But his passion was college sports. He served as interim commissioner of the Big 12 from 2011-12, solidifying that conference during one of many surges of realignment by adding TCU and West Virginia.

In a 2014 interview with The Associated Press, Neinas envisioned a future that looks much like today as he pondered lawsuits against the NCAA that would eventually lead to players being paid.

“There is a need for some changes,” Neinas said. “The auto industry is always trying to improve their model. College athletics should do the same. But the basics are still sound.”

Born in Wisconsin, Neinas was a longtime Colorado resident and was living in Boulder at the time of his death.

After working as a play-by-play man for Wisconsin football and basketball, Neinas got a job with the NCAA, where he served as an assistant executive director from 1961-71. He became commissioner of the Big Eight Conference in 1971 until moving to the CFA.

During his Big Eight tenure, Neinas chaired the committee that recommended the NCAA withdraw from the U.S. Olympic Committee. That led to a major reorganization and the passing of the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act that governs the Olympics in the U.S. today.



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

The unexpected path that led Morgan and Frankie Price to Arkansas gymnastics

Published

on

The unexpected path that led Morgan and Frankie Price to Arkansas gymnastics


MORGAN PRICE STANDS at the kitchen table next to older sister Frankie, trailing her fingertips over the front panel of a well-worn leather vest. The faded, black material is dotted with colorful patches that offer a glimpse at the life of its owner: their father, Chris.

“I mean, shoot, this was the real him,” Morgan said after spotting a particularly playful patch, which read Bad Ass Brother. Seconds later, Frankie swallows a laugh as she finds another.

Chris Price played for the Kansas City Royals in the late 1990s. But when the sisters reach for memories of their dad, he’s often driving off on one of his custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Morgan remembers watching from the laundry room. Frankie is closer, in the garage.

“He would always look back and wave and have the biggest smile on his face,” she said.

But both agree the roaring rumble of the exhaust is a sound they’ll never forget. It punctuates one of the few memories the Prices have of their dad, who died after a 2009 motorcycle accident at age 36. Frankie was 6 years old, Morgan was 4, and their sister Kristin, 2.

Frankie and Morgan say it took several years before they truly understood the impact of the loss. By then, gymnastics had become the outlet through which they honored their father’s memory.

“Chris was very much behind that,” Marsha Price said of the girls’ interest in the sport, “making sure that every day it was, ‘What are you going to do to be better tomorrow?'”

The mantra is a lodestar, left by Chris for his daughters.

“My ‘why’ is representing my last name,” said Frankie, who spent the last four years overcoming injuries and honing her resilience as an Arkansas Razorback. Morgan, meanwhile, repeatedly made history in her three years with Fisk University, which launched the first HBCU gymnastics team in 2023.

But at the end of last season, the sisters came to a crossroads. With a final year of college eligibility left, they each questioned whether or where to spend it.

Individual reflection ultimately led them to the same place: Frankie and Morgan would finish their careers together in Fayetteville.

“We hold it with a lot of pride to be a Price Girl,” Morgan said.


IT’S NINE HOURS before Arkansas’ home meet against fellow SEC foe Kentucky. The Gymbacks warm up on the floor of an empty Bud Walton Arena, sliding over foam rollers as a group before breaking off to perform their own pre-meet rituals.

Frankie heads to a corner of the floor where she will later begin her routine for thousands of Arkansas faithful. For now, she only marks the moves. But her eyes hold an intensity that helps bring to mind the iconic notes of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode,” featuring Snoop Dogg — a song that has been part of Frankie’s floor routines her entire Razorbacks career.

“I am Frank Dogg,” she said. “Like, I got that dog in me, you know what I mean?”

Frankie verbally committed to Arkansas at age 14. She spent high school dreaming of her collegiate debut. But in 2021, just before arriving on campus, she tore her ACL. The 18-month-long recovery process meant she would have to redshirt her freshman season, putting off competition for yet another year.

When she finally entered the Razorbacks vault and floor lineups — with a brace on her right knee, worn ever since — she brought big skills, and an even bigger personality.

“Frankie has this way of just captivating fans and captivating people, even her teammates,” said head coach Jordyn Wieber, who has spent the past seven seasons building Arkansas into a top-10 program. And Frankie has helped make it happen.

In 2023, during her redshirt freshman season, Frankie became the fourth Razorbacks gymnast to tally a 9.975 on floor, good for Arkansas’ highest score since 2014. The following year, she helped Arkansas earn its first 198-plus team score in program history, as well as a spot in the NCAA championship.

Last season, the Gymbacks were in pursuit of a repeat championship appearance. They had already qualified for the regional final when Frankie took the floor in the last routine of the last rotation. But at the end of her first pass, she landed her double layout short and immediately collapsed.

“It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” she said.

Frankie was carried off the floor, later learning she had ruptured her Achilles tendon. Two days later, she cheered from the sideline as Arkansas competed in the regional final — “for Frankie,” Wieber said after the injury. But the Razorbacks finished in the fourth spot, failing to progress to the national championship.

A few weeks later, Frankie, then a senior, found herself in Wieber’s office. “What do you think about one more year?” her coach asked.

“After my injuries that I’ve been through, I had to just kind of take a step back and focus on my ‘why,'” Frankie said. “My ‘why’ is representing my last name. And that goes back to my dad, because I know that he would want me to push through the hard times and do what I can to represent being a Price Girl.”

The answer to Wieber’s question was simple. She would return to Arkansas to spend her fifth and final season as a Gymback.


IT’S THREE HOURS before the meet begins, and the Razorbacks have returned to the arena floor.

This time, however, the subdued mood of the morning has given way to a lighter energy, as teammates pose for photos and recruit each other to record TikToks.

Amid the activity, Morgan pulls Frankie aside for pictures. For a few moments, they stand hip to hip, an arm around the other’s waist, before breaking off once again.

“If you walked in the gym, you wouldn’t be able to tell they’re sisters,” Wieber said, “because in the gym, they’re teammates.”

The separation is subtle. Yet the Price Girls know each has been destined to chart their own path.

In 2021, shortly after Frankie began her freshman year, Morgan also committed to Arkansas. She says her sister did not factor into her decision, citing instead an excitement to be part of a growing program. The following year, however, Fisk announced it was launching a gymnastics team. Morgan saw this as an even greater opportunity to contribute. She decommitted to Arkansas in favor of Fisk.

“I knew that the decision that I was making was bigger than just gymnastics,” she said.

By becoming a Bulldog, Morgan was making history. In 2024, as a sophomore, she won the all-around title at the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitation Championship (then known as the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate National Championships), an end-of-season tournament for limited-scholarship teams. And in 2025, she became the first HBCU gymnast to score a perfect 10.0, before taking home a second WCGNIC all-around title.

After climbing to such heights, she couldn’t help but hear the echoes of her father’s ethos.

“I know my dad would want me to strive to be the best,” she said. “I set and reached all my goals that I wanted to at Fisk, and so I was like, ‘You know what? For my last year, I really want to challenge myself.'”

Several weeks after Wieber asked Frankie about another season in Fayetteville, the head coach received a similar question from her sister.

Morgan says she never forgot how supportive Wieber was of her decision to attend Fisk.

“She cares about us as a person first, and then an athlete,” Morgan said. So Morgan decided to reach out and see how the Razorbacks staff would receive a second commitment. “They were just super excited, fully open arms, and so I knew it was the right decision.”

Morgan would transfer to Arkansas to spend her fourth and final season as a Gymback. In May, the sisters shared the news on social media with a photo in which they stood back-to-back, arms crossed and faces focused. It would be the first of many they’d take in matching cardinal leotards. The following month, Fisk announced it was discontinuing its gymnastics program after the 2026 season, a move that shocked members of the inaugural team.

“I think the fact that we’re able to be together, train together, live together, go through our last year of college together,” Frankie said, “is just a great chance for us to bond even more and just stay connected through life.”


IN THE MINUTES before the meet begins, many of the Gymbacks have already taken the floor, their silhouettes outlined by roving spotlights and the jumbotron’s gentle glow. The voice of the PA announcer fills the darkened arena as he begins to name Arkansas’ upperclassmen.

When Morgan, then Frankie, is introduced, they each take a turn atop the podium in the center of the floor, waving back at the swell of cheers.

“They just carry this swagger about them.” Wieber said. “When we walk into an arena with Frankie and Morgan on our team, that gives the whole program, the whole team, just an extra level of confidence.”

This couldn’t have been more evident in Arkansas’ performance against Kentucky. The Razorbacks began on vault, Morgan in the anchor position. With Frankie, Marsha and Kristin cheering her on, Morgan executed a flawless Yurchenko 1.5, scoring the first perfect 10.0 in Arkansas history. Seconds after the score was announced, Frankie wrapped Morgan in an embrace.

Several Gymback sticks followed on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor, where Frankie scored a 9.925, tying her season high. Morgan was the first to congratulate her, bounding onto the floor to share an enthusiastic double high-five.

Though the regular season meet ended in a tie, Arkansas finished ahead of Kentucky at the SEC championship, placing seventh. The performance helped the Razorbacks secure the No. 9 seed in the postseason, automatically qualifying them for the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Price Girls have spent their entire gymnastics careers in pursuit of “being better tomorrow.” As they reach the close of their final collegiate season, both say they hope it culminates with Arkansas at the NCAA championship.

“The end of it all is that we’re a family,” Frankie said of the team. “No one’s doing it alone — we’re doing it together.”





Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

The 2026 ESPN Fantasy Baseball draft guide: Rankings, tips, stats, strategy and more

Published

on

The 2026 ESPN Fantasy Baseball draft guide: Rankings, tips, stats, strategy and more


Whether you are trying fantasy baseball for the first time or are an experienced vet, the 2026 ESPN fantasy baseball draft guide has everything you need to help you crush your drafts.

From rankings and mock drafts to sleepers, breakouts and who you should — or should not — draft, we’ve got you covered from every angle, all in one convenient place.

This draft guide will be updated frequently, so keep checking in for more insight, analysis, and projections.


Other resources: Sign up! | Projections | Rankings | Depth charts | Eligibility Rules


Rankings, cheat sheets, mock drafts

ESPN expert rankings: Points leagues | Head-to-head categories/rotisserie

Cheat sheet central: Printable PDFs to take to your draft

The 2026 ESPN Cheat Sheet: You’ve read their names all preseason long, it’d be a shame to forget them now

Dynasty rankings: Top 300 players for 2026 and beyond

Prospect rankings: Kiley McDaniel ranks rookies for 2026 fantasy value

“The Perfect Draft” Our experts reveal the ideal outcome for the first two rounds of a 10-teamer from each slot’s POV

Mock draft No. 1 (ESPN points leagues)
Round-by-round picks and a roster snapshot of all 10 teams from our Feb. 10 mock

Mock draft No. 2 (ESPN category-based leagues)
Round-by-round picks and a roster snapshot of all 10 teams from our March 3 mock

Mock draft No. 3 (ESPN points leagues)
Round-by-round picks and a roster snapshot of all 10 teams from our March 16 mock

Fantasy baseball 101

A lapsed fan’s guide to fantasy baseball in 2026
Haven’t been paying attention this offseason? Eric Karabell catches you up

Nine tips to help you win your league
Tristan H. Cockcroft with strategies and angles that will make you a more competitive player

Everything you need to play, draft and run a league
Tristan H. Cockcroft lists the players he wants on as many fantasy teams as possible

Tools of the trade: How to use the ESPN fantasy app to your advantage
Tips for newcomers on how to best use the tools available in ESPN’s fantasy baseball game

Advice and expert intel

Read the warning label before drafting these guys
Who does Tristan H. Cockcroft think will underachieve in 2026? We have the names

20 must-have fantasy baseball draft picks for 2026
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s list of overlooked pitchers with the skills to shine in 2026

2026’s ‘Do Draft’ list: Go get Webb, Freeman and more
Eric Karabell wants these guys on his 2026 fantasy teams. You should too

Kings of Command: Nine fantasy breakout pitchers to draft late
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s list of overlooked pitchers with the skills to shine in 2026

Do NOT Draft: Why PCA, Seager and others could ruin your season
Eric Karabell warns you to steer clear of these players in 2026

Bold predictions for every team: American League | National League
Eric Karabell plants his flag with some bold fantasy-relevant predictions

Jeff Passan’s MLB season preview: Predictions, fantasy tips, more

From Vladdy to Arraez: 33 players who jump out for 2026
Tristan H. Cockcroft highlights the players — and stats — that have grabbed his attention

Should you avoid drafting players taking part in the WBC?
Tristan H. Cockcroft looks at the history of the WBC and how it has impacted fantasy

Don’t forget these injured players on draft day
Eric Karabell’s list of guys to keep on your radar for the last few rounds of your drafts

News or noise: What’s the fantasy baseball impact from news around MLB?
Hearing a lot of buzz, but don’t know what to make of it? Here’s where you should turn

Park factors: What is the true fantasy impact of where MLB teams call home?
Todd Zola breaks down what makes MLB stadiums favor pitching versus hitting

Fantasy baseball’s $100 man: Why you need to break the bank for Ohtani
Tristan H. Cockcroft discusses how much should you bid on fantasy’s top player

Top players to watch this spring: Acuna, Strider lead list
Eric Karabell outlines players in interesting new situations most likely to have fantasy impact in 2026

What to expect from Murakami, Okamoto, Imai and others
Todd Zola dives into the statistics to set expectations

Hot stove: fantasy impact of offseason trades and signings
Expectations for all of the players who have changed teams this winter


MLB betting info: World Series odds | AL futures | NL futures | 2026 Betting guide


Prospect watch

2026 fantasy baseball picks: MLB rookie, prospect rankings
Kiley McDaniel ranks rookie-eligible players for their potential 2026 fantasy contributions

Karabell’s top 10 prospects to consider drafting for 2026 leagues
A gaggle of shortstops leads the list of alluring fantasy newcomers

Ten names to know from the Arizona Fall League
Check out Eric Karabell’s eyewitness account of AFL action


Download the ESPN Fantasy Sports app, have every player at your fingertips.
Available on the App Store and Google Play.


Looking back on 2025

Which pitchers are MVPs, LVPs of 2025?
The best and the worst fantasy hurlers from last season

Which hitters are MVPs, LVPs of 2025?
Some of the top bats that surprised, for better or worse



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Kylian Mbappé: ‘Can’t imagine’ World Cup without ‘big star’ Neymar

Published

on

Kylian Mbappé: ‘Can’t imagine’ World Cup without ‘big star’ Neymar


France star Kylian Mbappé cannot envision his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Neymar missing the World Cup.

Injuries have kept Neymar, Brazil‘s all-time leading scorer, out of the national team since Oct. 2023.

He is in a race against the clock to regain his fitness in time to play at his fourth World Cup this summer.

“The World Cup is a competition of stars,” Mbappé said ahead of tonight’s World Cup warmup game against Brazil.

“All the stars are here, and in my book, Neymar is one of the biggest stars. I can’t imagine the World Cup without Neymar. But in the end, I can’t go against my former coach, [Carlo] Ancelotti. I have to respect his decision.”

Asked if this Brazil squad is that of Neymar or of his Real Madrid teammate Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé said: “Vini now needs to take another step forward with the national team, but Neymar is Neymar. Neymar is a fantastic player.”

Vinícius, meanwhile, is rooting for Neymar to be fit for the World Cup. “The pressure on Ney is normal,” he said. “I’m biased, Ney is one of my idols. He’s doing everything to be 100%, to return to the national team.

“Now, the decision rests with the coach. But we players always want to play with the best.”

Neymar not giving up Brazil World Cup squad dream
Neymar defends fitness ahead of World Cup: ‘Difficult to be me’
Brazil’s Neymar: I might retire at end of ‘important’ 2026

Vinícius is expected to lead Brazil’s attack against France. Ancelotti, who will announce his World Cup squad on May 18, insisted Neymar still has a chance to make the cut provided the Santos forward is 100% fit.

Former Brazil stars have joined the debate on whether Ancelotti should take Neymar even if the player is not at his best.

Asked about the ongoing debate on Neymar’ absence, Ancelotti said on Wednesday: “I observe everything, I listen to everything. But my role is to make decisions. It’s normal that everyone can have an opinion, because football isn’t an exact science.

“Everyone has their opinion, and I have to respect everyone’s opinion.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending