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Team USA is being paid to play at the Ryder Cup... but not really

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🚨 Headlines

⚾️ Robo umps are (kind of) almost here: The Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) is officially coming to MLB next season. Human umpires will still call balls and strikes (for now), but teams will have the ability to challenge specific calls using the ABS system.

🏈 Gundy fired: Mike Gundy's run at Oklahoma State is over after 20-plus years and 170 wins. The longtime coach was fired Tuesday on the heels of an 11th straight loss to an FBS opponent. The question now becomes: Can the Cowboys do better?

🏈 Mateer needs surgery: Heisman favorite John Mateer needs surgery on his throwing hand after sustaining an injury in Saturday's win over Auburn. The expectation is that the Oklahoma QB will return "this season."

🏀 Brondello out in NYC: The Liberty are moving on from head coach Sandy Brondello, who led New York to its first WNBA title last year and posted a 107-53 record in four seasons with the franchise.

🏈 Dart named starter: After just three games under center for the Giants, Russell Wilson has been benched in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart, who the team traded up to draft in the first round this past April.

⛳️ Paid to play? Not exactly

For the first time ever, Team USA will be paid for its participation in the Ryder Cup — a change being met, perhaps unfairly, with criticism from all sides.

What's happening: All 12 members of Team USA (and captain Keegan Bradley) will receive $300,000 to go towards a charity of their choosing, plus a $200,000 stipend to spend as they wish, as determined by the PGA of America late last year.

The charitable component is not new, just increased, as American players have received $200,000 for that purpose at every Ryder Cup since 1999.
It's the first-of-its-kind stipend that's causing a lot of noise during a week that should be more focused on golf than money. And perhaps no one is making more noise than the Americans' on-course opponents.

Shots fired: "This isn't a week to get paid," European captain Luke Donald said on Monday. "I feel like, if you have those experiences that you remember for the rest of your life, that's worth more than a couple hundred thousand dollars in the back of your pocket."

That echoes the sentiments of some of his players, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry saying last year that they'd "pay for the privilege to play" in the Ryder Cup. The team, according to Donald, outright rejected the idea of getting money.
But the headline, which implies some sort of American greed, belies the reality of the situation, which is that most if not all of the Americans are planning to donate their entire stipend.

What they're saying: "You guys keep talking about it and trying to make it this negative thing," Xander Schauffele said on Tuesday. "There's a lot of pride that comes into playing in one of these, and yes, we're happy to get paid for this, and yes, I plan on donating it."

"I don't like to give charitable dollars for some kind of recognition," added Scottie Scheffler. "We have something planned for the money that we'll be receiving. I think it's a really cool thing that the PGA of America has empowered us to do."
Even Patrick Cantlay, who made waves at the 2023 Ryder Cup for taking his hat off in what some viewed as a silent protest over not being paid, will be donating his stipend.
"This event is very good at generating lots of noise," said Cantlay. "I think we need to put 100% of our focus on playing the best golf we can and let the noise be exactly what it is — just noise."

My take…

At the end of the day, the stipend debate is less about dollars and more about perception. $200,000 is pennies to these guys, and both teams will walk away without pocketing a dime. But because the U.S. framed it as a payment (that they'll give away) while Europe framed it as a rejection (out of principle), the optics diverged and muddied the story.

The buzzier headline was that a group of rich golfers were being paid to play in a tournament that should instead be about pride and patriotism. Layer in golf's ongoing money drama thanks to LIV, and this was always bound to turn into the week's loudest — and dumbest — subplot.

The fact of the matter is that all the way back in December, Bradley said the plan was for the team to donate the whole sum. But somewhere along the way, that messaging got lost and the story took on a life of its own. If anything, this has been a failure of communication by the PGA of America, which greenlit the stipend.

We've now reached the point where Team Europe is seemingly flexing its moral superiority over Team USA… despite the fact that both teams are not being paid. As the old adage goes, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

🇺🇸 Photos across America

Seattle — The Mariners clinched their second playoff berth since 2001 on Tuesday when they beat the Rockies, 4-3, for their 15th win in their past 16 games.

AL West race: The division title, which has escaped the Mariners for 24 years, is so close they can taste it. Their magic number to clinch is now one after the Astros lost to the Athletics on Tuesday.

New York — The Yankees also clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday with a walk-off win over the White Sox. This will be their eighth postseason trip in nine seasons.

Wild stat: This will be the 60th playoff appearance in Yankees history, by far the most of any franchise. The Dodgers are next closest, having recently secured their 39th.

Minneapolis — The Mercury stunned the Lynx on Tuesday in Game 2, storming back from 20 points down before winning in overtime, 89-83, to complete the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history. The best-of-five series now heads to Phoenix tied at one game apiece.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas: The Aces crushed the Fever, 90-68, to even the series before it heads to Indianapolis for Game 3.

🏈 Week 4 NFL power rankings

Three games down, 14 more to go. How are you feeling about your team?

Dive in.

🏀 Should the Clippers trade for another star?

With the NBA's investigation of the Clippers ongoing, should the franchise push all of its chips to the middle and pursue another star?

From Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh:

Lawrence Frank has a decision to make. The Clippers president of basketball operations is undoubtedly monitoring the progress of the league's cap circumvention investigation and evaluating the team's exposure of possible wrongdoing in Kawhi Leonard's alleged "no-show" job with now-bankrupt bank Aspiration.

The clock is ticking. Evidence continues to pile up. The shadow of NBA commissioner Adam Silver's hammer looms overhead. Frank can preempt all of that by pressing the nuclear option — trading all of the team's available first-round picks.

Because here's the thing: In all likelihood, the Silver hammer won't be dropping anytime soon, if it does at all. Considering the size and scope of the investigation with allegations dating back to 2021, it's reasonable to assume it might take a year or more for the NBA's commissioned firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rose & Katz to file its determinations.

Draft picks, suspensions and contract voidance are all on the line. But that all might not arrive until the 2026-27 season. Which means Frank has something of a free roll for the 2025-26 season.

The Clippers could push all of their chips to the middle and float a draft pick package — say, two unprotected firsts and a 2031 swap — and pursue another star to complement James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal and Ivica Zubac. Can you imagine if said star is the missing piece for the 2026 NBA Champion Clippers? That'd be quite the trophy ceremony.

But really, if the Clippers trade for a star using their picks, what could Silver do about it? As long as the investigation is ongoing, the answer is almost certainly nothing.

It's a fascinating wrinkle to this entire saga. Would Frank dare?

Three potential targets: Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets), Brandon Ingram (Raptors)

Read the full story.

📺 Watchlist: Wednesday, Sept. 24

Cleveland is, somehow, in first place in the AL Central. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

⚾️ Tigers at Guardians | 6:40pm ET, MLB.TV

Cleveland (85-72) hosts Detroit (85-72) in the second game of a high-stakes series that could determine the AL Central champion. The Guardians won the opener, 5-2, to take over first place (via tiebreaker) from a Tigers team that held a comfortable lead not too long ago. Now, they're on the verge of completing an epic collapse.

⚾️ Mets at Cubs | 8pm, ESPN

New York (81-76) won the series opener on Tuesday to move back into playoff position. Another victory tonight would do wonders as they try to fend off Arizona (80-77) and Cincinnati (80-77) for the third and final wild card spot. Chicago (88-69), meanwhile, holds a slim 1.5-game lead over San Diego (87-71) for the first wild card.

Other notable matchups: Paul Skenes takes the mound one last time in a road start against the Reds (6:40pm, MLB.TV); the Blue Jays host the Red Sox in an AL East clash (7pm, MLB.TV); the Diamondbacks host the Dodgers (9:40pm, MLBN); the Padres go for the sweep against the Brewers (4:10pm, MLB.TV).

More to watch:

⛳️ Ryder Cup: Opening Ceremony (4pm, Golf) … Moved up from Thursday due to the threat of inclement weather.
⚽️ MLS: NYC FC vs. Inter Miami (7:30pm, Apple); Vancouver vs. Portland (10:30pm, Apple) … Miami can clinch a playoff spot with a win or draw.

Today's full slate.

🏈 College football trivia

Gundy in 2023. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Mike Gundy (hired in 2004) was the second-longest tenured active FBS head coach before he was fired on Tuesday.

Question: Who is the longest tenured active FBS head coach?

Hint: Hired in 1998.

Answer at the bottom.

🏀 Sister Jean forever

March Madness sensation Sister Jean is retiring from Loyola Chicago at 106 years old. It's thanks to her that we can definitively say there is a nun with a Final Four ring.

An absolute legend.

Trivia answer: Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)

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