Culture

Watching four games in four days – and what it revealed about the new Premier League season

Published

5 months ago

August 21, 2024

Watching four games in four days – and what it revealed about the new Premier League season

It’s off and running: Premier League season 33 has kicked into action and should the title race goes the distance, nine months and one week from now we will know if, on the banks of the Thames at Fulham, Manchester City have confirmed a fifth consecutive triumph or, at Southampton, if Arsenal have become champions for the first time in 21 years.

Or will Liverpool be celebrating Arne Slot’s first season on the last day at home to Crystal Palace? Could an outsider flourish?

There are familiar faces — James Milner and Ashley Young made their debuts in Premier League season 11. There is freshness, too, in Ipswich Town’s return after 22 years. Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Leicester City and Kloppless Liverpool all have new head coaches. Some clubs have new sporting directors and recruitment heads as well. It’s an evolving league in a developing industry. And in the stands, it remains packed out.

In total, 307 players appeared across the four-day weekend. Young’s sending-off was one of two red cards shown, on top of 38 yellows. There were 20 goals, one from a penalty kick.

Yet City’s long dominance means that, while there was much enthusiasm, there is an underlying tension that will not be eased (depending on the outcome) until those infamous 115 questions are addressed.

That figure hangs in the air, like Mikel Arteta’s joke about 114 points. Then there are questions of club owners, ticket prices and kick-off times, not to mention the video assistant referee (VAR) system and a new handball interpretation. Some of this came up as The Athletic spent Friday to Monday moving from Manchester United to Arsenal to Chelsea and then, finally, finishing in Leicester.

Conversations veered from names such as Joshua Zirkzee to Bukayo Saka to Raheem Sterling. There were unexpected detours into Manchester’s Suffragettes and Henry VIII’s view of St Paul’s cathedral.

But did we get any answers?

Friday night, Old Trafford, and as the Munich clock shows 7.55 a Manchester United fan in an old traditional kit scurries by like so many rushing to make kick-off. It says ‘Edwards’ on the back above the No 6.

As the music booms from inside the stadium — This Is The One by the Stone Roses — outside the East Stand there are still around 200 Fulham fans waiting to get in. They are chanting their version of Country Roads — “Craven Cottage, by the river…”

Despite all the speculation, Erik ten Hag is still the man in the Old Trafford dugout and the opening words of his match programme notes are: “As we kick off the 2024-25 season this evening, I hope you are all as excited as I am.”

Well, Erik.

Ten Hag goes on to list new signings for his squad, such as Zirkzee, and also in administration — Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox — and adds: “I am very excited to see where this new energy takes us.”

Yet Friday morning’s newspaper headlines had featured Ten Hag’s phrase from his Thursday press conference — “not ready” was his verdict on United — and as the game starts there is another familiar sight, that of United struggling for rhythm, creativity, cutting edge. After 19 minutes, the Stretford End breaks into a chorus requesting the Glazer family leave the building — it is 19 years since they arrived.

In the directors’ box on a rare visit, majority shareholder Avram Glazer is surrounded by the new faces of Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover (partial). The Glazers have heard these chants many times before. They have not left.

Avram Glazer in Old Trafford’s directors’ box (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

But others have gone. Not far away, across the Trafford Road Bridge, one of them, Matthew Haley, is talking about it. Haley was 23 in 2005 when he decided he could physically support Manchester United no more and he departed with thousands of others to help form the protest club FC United of Manchester.

There were those who said ‘FCUM’ would not last until Christmas but here they are, three games into their 20th season, with their own stadium in north Manchester, an academy, a women’s team, 2,000 members and three full-time staff. They play in England’s seventh tier, the Northern Premier League. They play in red, white and black.

One member, one vote, FC United own themselves, but who in 2024, Haley is asked, owns football?

“Well, where to begin?” he replies. “The very wealthy, don’t they? They control it, they make the decisions.

“But ultimately, it is the people’s game, isn’t it? The reason football is as popular as it is globally is because working-class communities put their passion into it. As the saying goes, ‘football without fans is nothing’, and it’s so true.

“But over the years, big businesses have got a bigger stake and their best interests — and those of TV companies — are placed ahead of the fans.”

Haley is not here to congratulate FC United, but 20 seasons is “significant”. He says the club has endured because of Mancunian spirit: “Partly bloodymindedness, there’s a lot of stubborn people at FC United. And Manchester, it’s a city of protest — the Suffragettes, the trade unions.

FC United of Manchester fans set up their club in protest at the Glazers’ ownership (Tim Markland/PA Images via Getty Images)

“At the time, I don’t think there was a grand scheme to go on for 20 years. But a lot feel they didn’t leave their football club, their football club left them. It was a protest first and foremost and a way of keeping that protest going.”

FC United do not own protest — angry current United fans invaded Old Trafford in May 2021, forcing the fixture with Liverpool to be postponed, for example. At ‘FC’ there is still interest in all this and “cautious optimism” that Ratcliffe could bring positive change.

Endurance, of course, was well-known at United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Back at Old Trafford, one year after Raphael Varane had scored a late winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers — and Andre Onana got away with a clumsy right hook — Ten Hag introduces Zirkzee. And with an 87th-minute left-foot jab, Zirkzee floors U.S.-owned Fulham.

“We’re top of the league,” says a fan walking away, laughing at himself.

Saturday, north London: there is a broad and understandable sense the Premier League’s return has lacked some hype and anticipation. The European Championship and Copa America did not end until mid-July and were followed by the Olympics. There has been almost no time away from football and sport. It follows us everywhere.

But passing through thronged Upper Street, turning onto equally thronged Holloway Road, amid a red tide bound for Arsenal — and on a beautiful summer’s day — the new-season buzz was inescapable. Maybe it was the throwback 3pm Saturday kick-off, maybe it was last season and how close Arsenal came to ending City’s domination. But the Arsenal stadium was a happy place.

Arsenal fans are in positive spirits, and no wonder (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Can it be more than that?

Seasons sometimes bleed into each other — Ferguson’s United players recall him beginning the charge for the 2013 title on the bus home from Sunderland in 2012 after hearing of City’s Aguero moment. On Friday, Arteta spoke of a post-season dinner and how that near-success can help propel this season. He refers to the players, the club overall — and “how we feel playing at Emirates Stadium is another one”.

Arsenal have not been champions since leaving Highbury for the site at Ashburton Grove and the new stadium has been a drag on finances and, until the club’s recent revival, the subject of hot debates over tepid atmospheres.

If Arsenal are to displace City, then feeling comfortable and superior in their own place is essential. The squad has barely altered and Arteta has it training there more often. It is the sort of marginal gain Arteta calls “huge” and brought back Jurgen Klopp’s phrase when reflecting on Liverpool’s unsuccessful and successful title challenges: “Minutes, millimetres, inches decided things.”

Klopp was correct: in 2021-22, his Liverpool were unbeaten at Anfield and still finished second to City. In 2016-17, Tottenham were unbeaten in their last season at White Hart Lane, racking up 53 points at home, yet came second to Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

On Saturday evening, after a sometimes convincing 2-0 victory over Wolves, Arteta explains his summer tour reference to “114 points” as a jokey response to the question of what Arsenal require to be champions. It will probably be 90 points or above and that generally means getting around 50 at home (though, in the Covid-19 disrupted season, City got only 41 at home; they still triumphed).

Arsenal’s points tally at home has gone from 41 to 45 to 47 over the past three campaigns. They lost twice last season, to Aston Villa and West Ham United. So there is room for home improvements. Admittedly, there is not much for error.

Therefore, Saturday was a solid start in terms of points. In terms of atmosphere, it was also encouraging. There is a newish, curious demand that grounds should be hostile, teeming with noise for 90 minutes regardless of the state of the game, the home team’s performance or the opposition: hence the recent importation from Europe of numbing drummers. “Un-British” as someone called it on Saturday.

Arsenal fans salute their team (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

Arsenal have drums and ‘ultras’ — mocked by Wolves’ fans — but after Arteta’s continuity XI imposed themselves in the visitors’ half from kick-off, their aggression was met with the rising volume set off by the drumbeat and spiralling around the stadium. The first Arsenal corner excited some, then Saka was close with a shot and when Kai Havertz nodded in on 25 minutes, the stadium was already alive with noise. The supporters were feeding off the team and vice versa. It was no library.

It is best not to pretend it was a night match at Galatasaray or Marseille or Rangers, but it was animated and loud. And that’s OK.

After Saka scores a sharp second and the final whistle blows, Wolves manager Gary O’Neil calls this “such a tough place to come” and while he may have been commenting on Arteta’s players’ first-half attitude, he also mentions that “everybody knows these Arsenal fans are smelling another title charge”.

On top of that, all Gunners will be delighted to hear, O’Neil describes this red corner of north London as “an intimidating place”.

Sunday afternoon, west London and one year on from Chelsea displaying their new manager on the front cover of the matchday programme — Mauricio Pochettino — there is a picture of an 11-player huddle minus Pochettino’s successor, Enzo Maresca. But then, as well as managers, Chelsea do like accumulating footballers.

Contrasting matchday programmes, featuring Mauricio Pochettino (left) and the class of 2024 (Michael Walker/The Athletic)

In August 2023, Pochettino was the Chelsea ownership’s third head coach hire (including caretaker managers) in the 15 months since Clearlake Capital acquired the club. Roman Abramovich’s assets had been frozen by the British government in March 2022.

Previously, there was Graham Potter and Frank Lampard for those who, reasonably, may need memories refreshed. Now it’s Maresca trying to maintain order, or the impression of it, and Raheem Sterling’s pre-match statement is an example of the seeming impossibility of that task.

One year ago, before Chelsea faced Liverpool here on the opening day, the CFCUK fanzine called the situation “carnage” and the author of that description, Charles Rose, is in a pub elaborating.

Rose watched his first Chelsea match at Stamford Bridge in April 1968 — against Manchester City — and is a typical, ordinary Chelsea fan, in one sense. In another, as the former chair of the Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC, Rose has a deep knowledge of the club and considered opinions on who owns football in 2024.

“Well, I know who it isn’t,” he replies to the big question, “it’s not the fans. Has it ever been? That’s debatable. But it’s gone further away from the fans than ever before. It used to be owned by patrician local owners, the successful butcher or businessman who wanted to do something for their town. It’s moved to being a geopolitical game, it’s moved to stratospheres beyond what we could ever have imagined.”

The Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), as the name suggests, understand ownership. Formed in the 1980s when it looked as if Stamford Bridge would be sold to property developers, supporters came together and bought the land. The CPO owns the pitch, the stands and the megastore. To take them over requires a 75 per cent vote in favour from shareholders and the closest anyone has come is 61 per cent — Abramovich.

What did Abramovich own then?

“He owned the club itself, the players, and the valuable thing at Chelsea is the marketing,” Rose says. “Chelsea’s value is in its worldwide marketing, that’s what clubs are striving for.”

It is the same for Clearlake, who cannot redevelop the stadium without consultation with CPO, who know details such as Henry VIII’s 16th-century law on being able to see St Paul’s cathedral from various points around London, one of which is in the sightline of Stamford Bridge.

There is minimal contact with the new owners and Rose says, as a fanbase, Chelsea “had a sense of ownership then (in the past), and I still do, I talk about Chelsea in the first person, as ‘us’. But it’s never been more remote than it is now. They’re stripping the essence of what we think of as the club.”

Blue is indeed the colour.

Rose offers the losses of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne as examples of Chelsea’s overstocking and misjudgement of squads, so he probably isn’t amused when Mateo Kovacic, who left Chelsea for City in June of last year, curls in City’s second goal to secure, as predicted, the three points.

Manchester City park the bus at Stamford Bridge (Michael Walker/The Athletic)

As jubilant City fans walk along Fulham Road, past their team buses (plural) they are taking photographs of the ‘CHAMPIONS 4-IN-A-ROW’ livery, while taunting their rivals back in Manchester with this season’s terrace favourite climaxing:

All that money you spent
Since Ferguson went
And you’ll never win four in a row.

City stroll on. Chelsea play Servette of Switzerland in a Europa Conference League qualifier here on Thursday night.

Monday night in the East Midlands: it is past 10pm and Steve Cooper, his Leicester City players and mascot Filbert the Fox are still on the pitch. In the stands, supporters are on their feet. The applause is mighty. These are sights and sounds to behold for a stadium that does not reveal the clear belief Leicester can compete.

And after 45 minutes, those who think it’s all over for the three clubs promoted from the Championship, even before the first weekend is done, are having their opinion justified. Tottenham run away with the first half, scoring once, forcing corners every four minutes or so. There is evidence to support the motion.

At least one Leicester fan was fired up before kick-off (Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

Leicester are losing heavily in lots of ways except the scoreline and the assumption is they, like Ipswich and Southampton on Saturday, will make it three defeats for the promoted trio, possibly without scoring a goal between them.

But football really is that funny old game cliche at times and Jamie Vardy really is that funny old striker. “Not normal” is Cooper’s phrase about Vardy’s fitness at 37.

He is still doing it, leading from the front, cajoling, battling, closing down and then when it matters, putting the ball away. Vardy’s goal here early in the second half, from his first chance, will not go down as one of his classics from his epic Leicester City seasons. But in the context of the night, in the context of the club’s mood and the promoted clubs’ perspective, it really matters.

Leicester fans left in the rain with hope; their fear was it would be with resignation.

“I’ll look at the first half because that’s my job,” Cooper says, late into the night. “But to do what we did in the second half in a really good atmosphere… it’s not a win but we’re up and running. It’s more than just a half-decent result.”

It does feel that way and the result is not just important for Leicester. It will have buoyed Ipswich and Southampton, too. It is premature to deduce too much but, faced with the Premier League clubs who finished third, fifth and seventh last season — Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle — the promoted three conceded only four goals between them.

In 2024, there is a recency bias to the perception the three teams from the Championship will go straight back down. Last season, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town were relegated having come up in 2022-23. The pessimism around the prospects of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are not without foundation.

This weekend 12 months ago, Luton lost 4-1 on their Premier League debut, Burnley conceded three without reply at home to City and did not win in the league until beating Luton in October. Sheffield United lost at Bramall Lane to Crystal Palace and did not win until November.

So when Ipswich’s lunchtime loss to Liverpool on Saturday is followed by Southampton’s at Newcastle, albeit narrowly, optimism dips. Yet Ipswich’s 38 per cent possession at Portman Road tells a story and Southampton’s 78 per cent at St James’ Park tells another.

The focus shifts to Leicester. In the first 15 minutes, Spurs seize almost 70 per cent of possession, win five corners and have one effort cleared off the line. It looks ominous.

But then Vardy strikes, Spurs disappear and maybe some recall that last season was only the second time in the Premier League era that all three promoted clubs went straight back down (1997-98 was the other).

The mood was transformed at Leicester by Jamie Vardy’s goal (Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

In the past seven seasons, Brighton, Wolves and Brentford have established themselves in the middle class. Bournemouth have rebounded from a relegation and it appears Fulham and Nottingham Forest might be able to cement their status.

Each acts as an example of what Ipswich and other clubs can do. They are also barriers to promoted clubs’ progress. That is the fight. Leicester know its scale more than most.

The weekend stops here, with one last question hanging: what are Tottenham?

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

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Culture

‘Everybody listens’: Nick Saban caps a significant rookie season on ESPN

Published

6 minutes ago

January 22, 2025

Press Room

‘Everybody listens’: Nick Saban caps a significant rookie season on ESPN

The Worldwide Leader in Employing Former Coaches and Players has made many prominent hires over the years, but Nick Saban slots into a class of his own.

Multiple eras of ESPN management never hid their desire to bring Saban into their orbit, and I remember reporting an item in August 2014 on Saban’s wowing ESPN staffers during a long conversation at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, Calif., the day before the national championship game. The NFL is ESPN’s most important property, but in many ways, college sports make ESPN go.

Saban, represented forever by CAA, the talent agency that essentially has an office in ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., clearly was intrigued by broadcasting, and ESPN finally landed its man last February. Think of Tommy Lee Jones chasing Harrison Ford in “The Fugitive,” except this story ends with Ford getting a multimillion-dollar deal to talk college football.

Saban was in the middle of the “College GameDay” set Monday night in Atlanta as part of a two-hour pregame show. He also pulled halftime duties. The iconic show now centers around Pat McAfee, who brings energy and unpredictability, and Saban, who has been charged with bringing gravitas.

Saban has delivered that in his opening year. Monday night in Atlanta, he offered a nice piece of copy early in the pregame:

“The most important thing in games like this is who can keep the main thing the main thing,” Saban said. “There’s a lot more disruptions when you are playing in a national championship game. You travel at a different time. You practice in a different place. You have more media obligations. Everybody has won three big games. Both teams won a big game last week.

“How do they handle the whole idea of, ‘Am I relieved that we got to this point or am I going to go get the gold?’ People remember the ‘Miracle On Ice.’ We beat Russia, and that was like what everybody remembers. We had to go beat Finland the next week (Editor’s note: It was actually two days later) to win the gold medal. Somebody has to step up tonight and win the gold medal.”

What GameDay lacked for a couple of years was someone right off the field, whether a player or coach, and that’s where Saban has been significant. Broadcasters do not impact viewership outside of a rare few (maybe Howard Cosell and Charles Barkley), and I’m not sure Saban falls in this category, but the data is the data: “College GameDay” averaged 2.2 million viewers during the regular season, its most-watched season ever and a 6 percent increase from 2023.

Jim Gaiero, who has been the lead producer of “College GameDay” for the past nine years, said he was intimidated by Saban when the former Alabama coach first joined the show.

“Just because he’s Nick Saban,” Gaiero said. “I didn’t really know him that well. I thought he would be that same coach who’s yelling at Lane Kiffin and demanding perfection in everything we do. I was definitely intimidated. Now he busts my chops more than any human being. I am his punching bag, and it’s fun. He’s very funny and a ball-buster.

“He was always good on TV, and when the camera’s on, he’s on. So it was about learning things like how do you introduce a point that leads to an XO tape, or where you direct yourself during a conversation.

“I remember early in the season I was talking to him, and I said, ‘If you are going to go to Dez (Desmond Howard) next, make sure you’re looking at Dez.’ He’s like, ‘Well, why didn’t you tell me this before?!’ I was like, ‘Well, I didn’t want to give you everything at once.’ We’ve added stuff each week, and he’s grown so much since the beginning of the season.

“The thing is, whenever he makes a comment, everybody listens. He doesn’t have throwaway comments. There are some analysts who tend to repeat what their co-analysts just said. It’s almost like an echo. But when he speaks, it’s a unique perspective that nobody else has ever had.”

It is very intentional to place Saban in the middle of the set, as opposed to an end, because Gaiero said it is easier for the other panelists to interact with him. (You don’t want newcomers on the edge of a set because it makes it tougher for them to get acclimated to the conversation.) Gaiero said GameDay benefited from Saban’s already knowing all its on-air members before becoming one.

“The best moments for our chemistry are the Friday meetings because Nick will tell a few stories, and everyone is on the edge of their seats listening,” Gaiero said. “It can be as silly as a recruiting story or the time he played at this stadium. He tells the story, and we’re all laughing, and he’s laughing and smiling. He’s like, ‘I don’t know if you guys want that on the show,’ and we’re all like, ‘My God, that’s definitely in the show!’”

Gaiero said Saban’s best moments this year were his “nothing” speech from October and when he discussed changing his coaching style from transactional to transformative. (They submitted the latter for the Sports Emmy nomination process.)

The next evolution for Saban, according to Gaiero, is to refine his preparation process. The producer wants him to talk to as many coaches as he can during the offseason and, of course, watch tape.

The program would be wise in Year 2 to dial back on the genuflecting of Saban. His resume speaks for itself — no need for the on-air cast to go overboard in deifying him. Saban also has been at his best when fewer people are on set. That was the case in the 7-7:30 p.m. ET hour Monday, when he was prominently featured alongside McAfee, Howard and host Rece Davis.

“He now knows what he needs to do on television,” Gaiero said. “Early on in the season, we might mention 30 games on a production call, and he’d want to know which games I wanted him to focus on. I told him early on to think of everything like a funnel. We’re going to start off with a lot of games and teams, and then as the weeks go by, certain teams are going to fall by the wayside because they’re not going to matter anymore. His preparation can be simplified going into next year.

“I think he definitely sees himself as a broadcaster now, and he’s seeking the feedback to be a better broadcaster. This isn’t just a one-year or two-year thing for him.”

(Photo: Butch Dill / Getty Images)

Culture

The Most Anticipated Book Adaptations of 2025: Movies and TV Shows

Published

8 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

The Most Anticipated Book Adaptations of 2025: Movies and TV Shows

New Year, new reading goals. It’s that season again when anything feels possible: Maybe this is the year you’ll finally tackle that dust-laden copy of “Infinite Jest” sitting on your shelf, or earn your “I finished ‘The Power Broker’” mug. And for binge watchers, it’s also the perfect chance to study up by diving into the books that are being adapted into movies and TV shows in 2025. Here are some of the thrillers, romances, sci-fi page turners and detective novels coming soon to a screen near you.

This is a running list. Check back for more updates as the year goes on.

By Matthew Quirk

Peter Sutherland is an F.B.I. agent who works at the White House, monitoring an emergency phone line that seldom rings. One night, he receives a distressing call from a woman named Rose Larkin, who reports that two people have just been murdered. What follows is a whirlwind of action and suspense as the two become entangled in a conspiracy involving high-level corruption and espionage.

Season 2 of “The Night Agent” premieres on Netflix on Jan. 23.

By Arthur Conan Doyle

There have been no shortage of screen versions of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle’s beloved British detective: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the persnickety genius is the second-most portrayed literary character in the history of film. In “Watson,” the latest adaptation, however, the focus is on Dr. John Watson, Holmes’s loyal confidant and the frequent narrator of his escapades. Though the series is not inspired by a specific book or story, “A Study in Scarlet” is a delectable primer on the two men’s longstanding friendship.

“Watson” premieres on CBS and Paramount+ on Jan. 26.

By Dav Pilkey

In this spinoff of Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” universe, Dog Man — a part-dog, part-human police officer — and his eccentric friends battle villains and solve crimes. Blending humor, action and heart, the graphic novel series teaches young readers about friendship and bravery — all brought to life through colorful illustrations and quirky anthropomorphic characters. It has already been adapted into an Off Broadway musical. Now it heads to the big screen.

“Dog Man” premieres in theaters on Jan. 31.

By Helen Fielding

In this third installment of Fielding’s series about an endearingly hapless British diarist, Bridget Jones is adjusting to widowed life after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy. Raising her two young children as a single mother now in her 50s, she juggles her career and navigates romantic mishaps with characteristic wit and self-deprecating humor. The book, our critic wrote, “is not only sharp and humorous, despite its heroine’s aged circumstances, but also snappily written, observationally astute and at times genuinely moving.”

“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” premieres on Peacock on Feb. 13.

By Michael Bond

Paddington was still in Peru when he first appeared on the big screen in 2014. Now, over a decade later, he returns to his home country with his adopted Brown family in the third installment of this fan-favorite film series, inspired by Bond’s beloved books. Dozens of titles, including novels, picture books and short story collections, have been published since the clumsy brown bear made his print debut in 1958, but “A Bear Called Paddington” remains a perfect introduction to the marmalade enthusiast.

“Paddington in Peru” premieres in theaters on Feb. 14.

By Giuseppe di Lampedusa

In this 1958 novel, now being given the mini-series treatment, Prince Don Fabrizio Corbera grapples with the decline of his aristocratic family’s status in 1860s Sicily, as Giuseppe Garibaldi leads the Risorgimento campaign to overthrow the monarchy and unite Italy as one nation-state. Lampedusa was himself the last in a line of Sicilian princes, and he drew heavily on his own family’s story to craft this tale about the rise of a new bourgeois class and Prince Fabrizio’s struggles to find his place in a rapidly changing world.

“The Leopard” premieres on Netflix on March 5.

By Edward Ashton

Mickey, an “expendable” worker on a remote ice planet, knows he will most likely die on the job. But no matter: Cloning exists in this space colony and, after one version of Mickey dies, a new one will regenerate. After Mickey7 goes missing on a space mission, Mickey8 is immediately created. The only problem? Mickey7 is still alive. (And in case eight regenerations weren’t enough, the director Bong Joon Ho takes it 10 steps further in his film adaptation, “Mickey17,” starring Robert Pattinson as Mickey.)

“Mickey17” premieres in theaters on March 7.

By Dennis Tafoya

Ray and his best friend, Manny, met in a juvenile detention facility. Nearly two decades later, they’ve found a way to make a living by posing as D.E.A. agents and raiding drug houses in Philadelphia. It’s a simple and lucrative grift — until a poorly chosen mark puts them in the cross hairs of a dangerous kingpin. High-speed car chases, bloody violence and many flying bullets ensue.

“Dope Thief” premieres on Apple TV+ on March 14.

By Hilary Mantel

“The Mirror and Light” is the final book in Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” trilogy, which chronicles Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in Henry VIII’s capricious court. It’s a sinewy, imaginative work of historical fiction that delights in the psyche of a man whose political maneuvering and ambitions lead him to the pinnacle of power — and to his own undoing. The actor Mark Rylance, who won a BAFTA for his portrayal of Cromwell in the 2015 mini series that covered the trilogy’s first two novels, returns for this final chapter.

“Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” premieres on PBS on March 23.

Culture

Unrivaled’s an instant hit, but can the new women’s basketball 3×3 league sustain?

Published

16 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Unrivaled’s an instant hit, but can the new women’s basketball 3×3 league sustain?

MEDLEY, Fla. — Outside a custom-built arena on the outskirts of Miami, a line of fans waited to sit on a throne composed largely of basketballs. They wrote personal answers on a sign asking, “What does Unrivaled mean to you?” Empowerment. Leadership. Community. Future. Not even some evening rain could extinguish the buzz that had been building since 2023, when fans learned about the creation of this new 3×3 women’s basketball league.

As fans filed into the 850-seat Wayfair Arena on Friday night for the opening night of Unrivaled, they sported a tapestry of WNBA gear. But many wanted new apparel, too, crowding into the gift shop an hour before tipoff. The least expensive single ticket cost north of $300, but fans flocked to support their favorite WNBA stars and witness a new chapter of women’s basketball history.

At tip-off before the first game of a doubleheader, co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart posed at center court for a photo to capture the moment before they competed against each other.

The nationally televised contests aired back to back on TNT, highlights replayed on SportsCenter, and a clip of Skylar Diggins-Smith sinking the league’s first game-ending shot amassed millions of views across various social media platforms.

In its opening weekend of games, Unrivaled has undoubtedly commanded attention. But to carve out a permanent space in women’s basketball, it needs to accomplish what many other start-up sports leagues have historically failed to do: sustain.

Unrivaled executives say the league’s long-term success has been set up by its stable foundation — signing renowned WNBA stars, attracting big-brand sponsors, capitalizing on lucrative investments and inking a multi-year television deal.

“I think we put ourselves in a great position to be successful right away, but it’s a marathon,” said league president Alex Bazzell, a basketball skills trainer and Collier’s husband. “We’re not running out there from Day 1 trying to get millions of viewers out of the gate. It would be tremendous, but we’re gonna be here for a little while.”

Phee with the steal and Sky got it done 😮‍💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/CtpkLUnznR
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 18, 2025

Before Unrivaled filled its rosters with 22 WNBA All-Stars, it started with just two — Stewart and Collier. Like many of their WNBA peers, the star forwards share a history of spending months overseas during the offseason and competing professionally abroad to supplement their WNBA incomes and sharpen their games.

The routine sparked brainstorming between them. Bazzell first pitched Unrivaled to Stewart in late 2022. “(We were) trying to make women’s basketball continue to be relevant in the offseason from a professional standpoint,” she said.

From the beginning, both players were on constant phone and Zoom calls. They met with investors, relaying their experiences from their years in countries such as Turkey, France, China and Russia. They explained why they believe top women’s basketball players should be marketed in the U.S. during the WNBA offseason and how Unrivaled could offer comparable domestic competition and salaries on par with high-paying overseas clubs.

They wanted to convince stakeholders that Unrivaled wouldn’t be just a novelty but that the league would have staying power. “(Stewart and Collier were) instrumental because when brands come in they act like founders,” Bazzell said.

The two players, alongside other Unrivaled executives, sold their idea to major brands and to deep-pocketed investors, including Gary Vaynerchuk, U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.

Bazzell said the league already has “far exceeded” the first-year revenue expectations it pitched to initial investors. “We’re focused on building a great business, but for the time being we don’t have to worry about money,” he said.

That is partially because of its media rights deal — a six-year $100 million agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a source with knowledge of the agreement — and a robust sponsorship roster.

The day before tipoff last week, Stewart paused for a moment and pointed out a banner displaying some of Unrivaled’s partners: Ally, Under Armour, Samsung Galaxy, Sephora. “People are walking that walk and also talking that talk,” she said.

The question is: Will they continue?

Unrivaled’s launch comes at a time of unprecedented attention on women’s basketball. Record-breaking viewership, attendance and media deals became commonplace for women’s college basketball and the WNBA over the last two years.

“You couldn’t have landed this at a better time,” said David Levy, an Unrivaled investor who is the former head of Turner Sports and current co-CEO of Horizon Sports and Entertainment.

Bazzell said Unrivaled operates with a “startup mentality.” Executives might create rules one day and unload boxes the next. The league, of course, is still unproven. But unlike many other short-lived start-up leagues, key to Unrivaled’s early success is that its most important members are verifiable stars.

“A lot of times leagues go away because they don’t have the best of the best playing in them,” Levy said. “Unrivaled didn’t start with names nobody knew or people that didn’t make the WNBA. This is the best of the best.”

Early on, Unrivaled executives recognized attracting top talent would be critical to creating visibility on TV, with partners and on social media. With nearly two-dozen WNBA All-Stars — Stewart, Collier, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese among them — and seven No. 1 WNBA Draft picks, name recognition isn’t an issue.

To keep so many stars in the U.S., they knew the importance of paying salaries competitive with top overseas clubs. Unrivaled said it is the highest-paying American women’s sports league in history, with salaries averaging north of $200,000.

Its 36 players are more than just talent in Unrivaled, too. A substantial portion of the league’s equity — around 15 percent — is allocated to players. “We’re proud to be here also as investors,” Diggins-Smith said. “All of us being investors, (we) really care about this product and (it) really doing well… You want it to sustain.”

GO DEEPER

How Unrivaled became a welcome alternative for WNBA players’ overseas offseasons

Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are among those not playing in Unrivaled. The league made overtures to rookie Clark, but she elected to sit out the inaugural season, as she recovers from a nonstop last 12 months. Clark’s WNBA salary — around $75,000 — is supplemented by her countless endorsement deals, and she told Time she felt training privately in her own space would be beneficial. Clark, though, didn’t rule out playing in the league in the future. If she does, Levy said, interest in the league will “catapult,” surely propelling its long-term outlook. But he stressed that Unrivaled isn’t built around one person.

Unrivaled already has a high-profile media rights partnership, which is critical to its financial foundation and will be important in its ability to grow.

Initially, Unrivaled executives wondered if the league would need to broker a revenue-sharing deal with a potential TV or streaming partner before getting a licensing deal once the season launched. But they quickly found that multiple parties were interested in a licensing agreement with at least four companies in the final bidding, Levy said.

Bazzell relied on Levy and John Skipper, the former president of ESPN and another early Unrivaled investor, to tap into their professional networks and help find a partner.

Things crystallized this summer when Bazzell met with TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser while in France for the Olympics. Having reach outside of traditional broadcast windows was important to Unrivaled, Bazzell said, as founders recognized the importance — both financially and culturally — of having broad social media reach. Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio including Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and HighlightHer (recently renamed B/R W) made it especially appealing.

WBD was ideal, executives said, because of everything it had under one roof: widespread TV distribution (all games will air on TNT or TruTV, and stream on Max), ancillary production, and social media strongholds, a key component of Unrivaled’s business strategy. Warner Bros. also financially invested in Unrivaled, as a sign of its deep commitment to the league’s success.

Getting WBD and Unrivaled founding partner, Ally, on board were critical in the avalanche of partnership deals that followed. (Ally has pledged a 50/50 media spend to support men’s and women’s sports equally.)

Under Armour senior lead for global sports marketing, Tamzin Barroilhet, first met with Bazzell in the summer of 2023. A former college and overseas pro player, Barroilhet said she was “hooked” on the concept and Unrivaled’s deal with WBD helped convince the apparel brand to sign on as the official outfitter. Unrivaled is Under Armour’s highest-profile women’s basketball partnership, and a number of other brands also struck deals in women’s basketball for the first time. Sephora’s agreement with the league is the beauty company’s first partnership with any sports league.

Unrivaled’s scarcity was also intriguing to prospective investors. The league runs only 10 weeks. Its $8 million salary pool is one of its two largest categorical allocation of funds. As a single-site operation, it has a lower operational cost than many other start-up leagues, which Bazzell said minimizes its burn rate.

“(When you) keep the product at a premium level and ultra-competitive, you have some opportunities to pique interest,” he said.

The league announced in December it had raised an additional $28 million (on top of the $7 million in its seed round) from investors, including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, tennis star Coco Gauff, swimmer Michael Phelps, and South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. A number of its initial investors, including Anthony, Morgan and UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, committed additional capital.

“We have new people trying to rush in and now we’re getting to a point where you have to be selective,” Bazzell said.

Fans flocked to buy merchandise before Unrivaled’s inaugural games in Florida. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

How Unrivaled engages and grows its audience is paramount to its future.

League officials stress TV ratings will be just one aspect of that answer. “It’s part of a puzzle,” Levy said. “How many people are following (on social media)? What are they doing? How many people are sharing? How much is the fan base interacting with it? How much is merchandise going up? There are going to be so many different metrics that I think are going to play into this.”

Part of their build involves recruiting the next generation. Aliyah Boston, the Indiana Fever center and 2023 No. 1 pick, said college players she’s talked to aim to play in the WNBA and Unrivaled. LSU star Flau’jae Johnson has an NIL deal with Unrivaled, and UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who is the presumed No. 1 pick in this April’s WNBA Draft, has an NIL deal and equity in the league. Bueckers plans to play in Unrivaled when she turns pro.

USC’s JuJu Watkins won’t enter the WNBA until 2027, but when she enters the pro ranks, Unrivaled will have a spot for her. She was among the December investors and is optimistic about the league’s future and sustainability.

When those players set foot in Unrivaled, the league will almost assuredly be different. This season, all 10 weeks of action take place at the Florida facility, but a tour model for competition is planned for next year.

GO DEEPER

Can Unrivaled’s 3×3 style benefit WNBA players?

The locations are yet to be determined but Unrivaled is targeting non-WNBA cities and college towns. Bazzell said it wouldn’t visit more than four cities and the league will still have a home base. The operational cost, Bazzell said, would be similar as it’s likely only four teams would travel to a given stop. Important to maintaining a premier player experience, the league would use charter airfare to transport its players.

“We want to go to different markets to help grow the game and bring a touch point to hopefully a lot of young girls around the country that are looking up to these players and haven’t been able to see them play in person,” Bazzell said.

Taking the league on the road will bring logistic challenges, but league executives believe it will help grow Unrivaled’s business and open it to even more fan opportunities. Barroilhet, the Under Armour executive, foresees potential youth clinics and camps in conjunction with Unrivaled’s tour. Brands could produce activations at different venues, furthering engagement and reach.

Ensuring the WNBA’s top players participate will be critical to Unrivaled’s sustainability, and perhaps some are less interested in any travel necessary for touring. WNBA salaries drastically increasing in the next CBA — the league is negotiating a new agreement with the WNBPA — could also diminish part of a player’s financial lure to the new league. Plus, while TV ratings aren’t fully indicative of overall fan interest, they still remain a datapoint that will impact the league’s viability, especially when media rights conversations begin for a second time.

Yet for now, the stars seem delighted to be in the new venture. Throughout Friday and Saturday’s action, Unrivaled athletes from other teams sat around the arena and watched their peers, enjoying the moment. Fans approached players like Jackie Young, Rhyne Howard and Natasha Cloud for selfies. Onlookers cheered not only for athletes playing, but for those wandering the aisles. “It’s a very intimate setting,” Jewell Loyd said.

Maintaining that connection will build fan loyalty. But for television audiences, the game — the appeal of watching the best players in the world perform — will have to remain at the forefront.

“At the end of the day, the product needs to be great for fans to continue to want to watch it,” Bazzell said. “You can capture people’s attention, but how do you keep people’s attention? It’s done through the most competitive product possible, which is really what we’re adamant on, day in and day out.”

(Top photo of Kahleah Copper: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)