Good evening!

Tomorrow the NBA season begins, possibly kicking off one of basketball’s most hotly anticipated storylines.

Will father and son duo LeBron and Bronny James share the court when the Lakers play the Timberwolves?

Well, if they do, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. will be there to witness it. The Griffeys, who played baseball, are perhaps the most famous father-son pairing to share a professional sporting field.

Griffey Jr. said on a podcast: “We made history and now we get to watch history, so that’s what’s going to be cool about it.” Meanwhile, the Lakers haven’t confirmed whether or not Bronny will take the court.

Here’s an epic clip of the Griffeys hitting back-to-back home runs for the Seattle Mariners. Like father, like son?

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Stat of the day

11
The number of minutes between Lionel Messi’s first and third goal for Inter Miami, after coming on as a second-half substitute on Sunday. Inter Miami beat the New England Revolution 6-2 in their final regular season match and will now prepare for the playoffs. The hat-trick was the 59th of Messi’s career, and his second in a week, after scoring three for Argentina in their win over Bolivia last Wednesday.

Quote of the day

"Ezra is a young man, he's a 21-year-old. Unfortunately, in this industry, you need to grow up quickly. That's the price of entry. It's a very privileged role. I am big on personal responsibility and accountability. I am sure there will be that opportunity once the full facts are known."
Brisbane Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy in an interview with 4BC radio regarding an off-field incident involving star player Ezra Mam. The five-eighth was involved in a traffic accident last Friday night. Following the accident, he allegedly failed a roadside drug test. Mam’s management released a statement on Monday evening confirming the player has admitted himself to a rehabilitation facility. The NRL Integrity Unit and the Broncos are investigating the incident.

Random fact of the day

Every men’s and women’s tennis player who has played in at least five grand slam singles finals has won at least one. There are only two players, Australian Jan Lehane and Czech Helena Suková, who have played in four singles slam finals and lost every time. 

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In case you missed it…

🏀 The WNBA Players Association announced that it will opt out of its current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league. It means the players and the league will negotiate a new contract covering their wages and conditions throughout the next season.  It’s expected players will negotiate for an increased share of revenue, as the league grows in popularity and secures more valuable media rights deals. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, “We look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come". 

🏉 The AFLW Rising Star nominee for Week Eight was Western Bulldogs small forward Elaine Grigg. The 18-year-old, the first Kenyan-born AFLW or AFL player nominated for the award, had a career-high 13 disposals, kicked a goal and made 10 tackles in the Bulldogs’ 33-point victory over Carlton. The Bulldogs are in 13th and will play St Kilda (10th) on Sunday.

🏄‍♀️ An Italian surfer has died in a freak accident in Indonesia. 36-year-old Giulia Manfrini was speared in the chest by a swordfish while catching a wave. She was rushed to hospital where she died of her injuries. Manfrini was well known within surfing communities as a coach and founder of a surf travel agency called AWAVE. 

🚴‍♂️ British triathlete Alex Yee secured his first World Championship after finishing third in the final race of the World Triathlon season in Torremolinos, Spain. The 26-year-old, who won Olympic gold in the men’s triathlon in Paris, needed to finish in the top six to win overall. A day earlier, France’s Cassandre Beaugrand also won her first women’s World Championship. The 27-year-old was also an Olympic gold medal winner in Paris.

🏉 Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has named a 34-man squad for the upcoming Spring Tour, including Joseph Sua'ali'i, who recently switched codes from rugby league. Additionally, Samu Kerevi and former captain Will Skelton, who both play club rugby overseas, will return to the team for the first time since the 2023 World Cup. The Spring Tour will see the Wallabies play four games in four weeks across the UK and Ireland. Their first match is against England on 10 November (AEDT).

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Women’s soccer players sign letter to FIFA opposing Aramco sponsorship

106 professional women’s soccer players have signed an open letter encouraging FIFA, the sport’s governing body, to end its partnership with Saudi Aramco, a Saudi-Government-owned oil conglomerate. Aramco is the world’s largest oil company.

Aramco Sponsorship

In April, FIFA announced Aramco as a “major worldwide partner”. The sponsorship is set to last until the end of 2027, meaning Aramco will be a major sponsor of the 2026 men’s World Cup and the 2027 women’s World Cup.

This week, more than 100 players signed a letter protesting the announcement because of Saudi Arabia’s human rights policies. Saudi Arabia holds a 98.5% ownership stake in the company.

In the letter, players urged FIFA to “reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet.”

What they said

The letter read: “The Saudi authorities trample not only on the rights of women but on the freedom of all other citizens too. Imagine LGBTQ+ players, many of whom are heroes of our sport, being expected to promote Saudi Aramco during the 2027 World Cup, the national oil company of a regime that criminalises the relationships that they are in and the values they stand for?”

FIFA responded: “Sponsorship revenues generated by FIFA are reinvested back into the game at all levels and investment in women’s football continues to increase”.

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New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers to meet in World Series

For the twelfth time, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in the Major League Baseball World Series. The World Series is a best-of-seven-game series beginning on Saturday (AEDT). The last time these two clubs met to decide a champion was in 1981.

How did we get here?

The MLB is split into two conferences, the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians to win the AL title and the Dodgers beat the New York Mets to win the NL title. The Yankees and Dodgers are the two teams in the league with the best season records, so it’s only fitting they meet in the World Series.

History

The Dodgers won the competition in 2020 and have now made the World Series four times in the past eight years. The Yankees have not played in a World Series since 2009 when they beat the Philadelphia Phillies. Historically, the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball with 27 MLB titles from 40 attempts. The Dodgers have won seven times in 21 appearances.

Players to watch

Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) will likely be the MVPs for their respective leagues. Both have hit over 50 home runs this season, which is incredibly hard to do.

How to watch

The MLB World Series will be streamed on Kayo. Game One coverage will begin on Saturday at 10:30am.

A message from our sponsor

The Matildas take on Switzerland this weekend in their first match since the Olympics. It’s been just over a year since the Matildas made the semi-final at the 2023 World Cup and re-ignited Australia’s passion for football. Since then, 14 straight sold-out Matildas matches have been set. Here are two continuing impacts of the ‘Matildas Effect’.

The government announced the Play Our Way grant program which was designed to provide opportunities for women and girls to participate in and benefit from sport. The program will run over three years and offer $200 million in funding with the goal of fostering safe and inclusive environments as well as encouraging women to remain involved in sports and physical activity for life.

Following the success of the Matildas in 2023, Australia has been awarded the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Over 24,000 international visitors are anticipated to travel for the tournament, which is expected to boost the economy by $260 million. Expect the Matildas Effect to be back in full swing for the Asian Cup with games being played in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia.

Think Beyond The Field. Study Sport at Deakin.

Looking forward…(All times are AEST)

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