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rantnrave:// Who is a professional sports league's first priority? The fans who buy tickets? The TV networks that bankroll it? Or the players and teams that produce the product? The NBA has a problem: Teams resting stars has reached a tipping point. After Cleveland held out LeBron James & Co. in Los Angeles, ticket holders complained, ESPN and TNT talent accused the league of short-selling their networks, and team decision-makers doubled down. NBA commissioner Adam Silver's call for more urgency and notice and owner involvement in "an extremely significant issue" isn't a fix. The NBA is in a weird spot. In MLB, resting players occasionally over a season twice as long was grandfathered in over time and became an accepted norm. In the NFL, resting players is basically untenable because the season is too short. The NBA must juggle science and capitalism. You can't force LeBron to play and you can't make a wary fan buy a ticket to that same game without assurance he will. This is the NBA's Gordian knot. As always, let Gregg Popovich be a voice of reason. ...

I am more interested in the NFL draft than any regular-season NFL game. I'm not sure what that says about me as an NFL consumer but I know I'm not alone. People love the draft. They love mock drafts. The MMQB's Emily Kaplan tries to figure out why. It's simple: Mock drafts and the draft are blank canvases. They combine two pillars of fandom: hope and self-aggrandized expertise. ... President Trump vs. NFL teams thinking of signing Colin Kaepernick. ... Jonah Keri's MLB trade value rankings is one of my favorite features each year. ... Creamy. Strawberry preserve jelly. One slice whole wheat. ... Hi Julia.

Roger Federer was supposed to be finished. Or at least exiting gracefully, getting on with his transition to post-tennis things. But then, in January, after five years without a Grand Slam and a season sidelined by injury, he went ahead and won again. Not as the unflappable perfectionist but, for the first time, as a rangy underdog.

Rosecrans Baldwin | GQ

Welch, West Virginia, was once a bustling town at the heart of coal country. Now it's a shell of itself. For one weekend each year, residents gather together, cheer and beat one another up.

Wesley Lowery | The Washington Post

The president's hot sports take Monday made him sound like an extra-abrasive sports talk show panelist.

Tim Kawakami | Mercury News

As UConn shoots for its fifth straight championship, it's relying on a sophomore to carry the burden.

Max Holm | OZY

Why spend all that time on a game you can't win?

Mary Pilon | New York Magazine

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

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