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rantnrave:// How do you make a season-ticket plan that works for fans and team? It's a conundrum. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer discussed it at length, running through the push-pull of fan and organization and how the demands of each butt into the other's. Fans need the discretion to sell their tickets when they want. With PSLs, rising prices, parking, concessions and fees, teams are crowding out fans. Buying season tickets can be an investment as much as a luxury -- sell half to pay off the rest. Yet, teams want to control who gets in the door and the ownership chain of their tickets. Ballmer mentioned a supporters' group, like the ones EPL teams use, that limits who can buy tickets. But that would cut off resale value and add another cost (to get in the group). Does it cut into a team's profit too much for it to make a more drastic price progression -- increasing prices for courtside seats and cutting them more the further up you go -- leaving more tickets for the most loyal fans? Is there a long-term cost to teams to having a larger segment of fans who experience game day from the couch, not in person? ... When athletes leave the playing field, they can find themselves in trouble. Here are the true crime stories that have ruined careers and lives. Indulge sports' true crimes in our REDEF SportsSET "The Sports Stars Who Turned to Crime". ... Ibtihaj Muhammad wrote a letter to President Trump explaining American ideals and values. ... Like I've always said: It isn't about how you play golf, it's about how you use it. ... Your favorite soccer stadium made out of Legos. ... This is a spectacular GIF. ... I assumed Monday's congressional hearing on Russian interference in the U.S. election would be highly partisan but I didn't know it would be Texas Tech vs. Texas. Is Vladimir Putin a Red Raiders fan? ... The FBI helped find Tom Brady's jersey but FBI Director James Comey still hates the Patriots. ... All athletes should stick to sports, right?

Shawn Kelley always wanted to work in Washington. He thought it would be on Capitol Hill instead of the Nationals Park mound.

Jorge Castillo | The Washington Post

Two years ago, Rico Harris vanished. The former L.A.-area high school basketball star who once played for the Harlem Globetrotters was en route to start a fresh new life.

Nathan Fenno | Los Angeles Times

The man who made "The Catch" has a simple request -- and everyone should work to grant it.

Mark Purdy | Mercury News

A new play spotlights the era when female players were sidelined by the FA and shows they are still kicking against prejudice today.

Catherine Love | The Guardian

Reckless driving, low drunk-driving enforcement and the cash from pro baseball contracts have too often proved a deadly mix for some players in the Dominican Republic. Players such as Edwin Encarnacion are leading a charge to educate their countrymen on the dangers.

Jared Diamond | Wall Street Journal

"It's not enough to be smart. You have to be curious."

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