Good afternoon,

Starting today's newsletter with a correction.

In yesterday's edition, we incorrectly identified Joel Selwood as the former Brisbane Lions player who died this week. It was Troy Selwood, Joel’s brother.

We apologise for the error and any distress this may have caused.

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Stat of the day

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The number of seasons the price of general admission tickets to AFL matches at the MCG and Marvel Stadium has remained the same. As part of the sport’s commitment to keep AFL accessible to fans, the league announced prices for general admission will remain at $27 for adults, $18 for concession and $5 for children under 14. Kids under four go free.

Quote of the day

"Before my last fight, Jesus was knocking on my heart. Then everything went the way it did to bring me closer to God. [This weekend,] everything I pent up on a day-to-day basis is ready to come out. Even Jesus was known to flip a few tables.”
Australian UFC fighter Jimmy Crute in an interview with ABC Sport ahead of his return to the octagon this weekend in Sydney. After losing to three successive opponents, the most recent in July 2023, Crute took some time away from the sport. On Sunday, he will fight Brazil’s Rodolfo Bellato at UFC 312. 

Random fact of the day

England’s Janette Brittin holds the record for the most women’s Test cricket runs. In a 19-year career that began in 1979 and concluded in 1998, Brittin maintained an average of 49.61, scoring 1935 runs in 44 innings.

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In case you missed it…

⛳ Golf’s U.S. Open has created a pathway for LIV golfers to qualify for the tournament based on their performance in the Saudi-backed league. It’s the first pathway to a major tournament based purely on LIV results. One spot at the June tournament will be open to a player in the LIV top three who doesn’t already hold an exemption. Majors like the U.S. Open give exemptions to players based on several different factors, such as being a past winner. 

🏀 The Miami Heat have reportedly traded six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors after a months-long standoff. Butler was suspended by the Heat last month for “a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team, and intentionally withholding services.” Now, he will join forces with four-time NBA Champions Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

🏄‍♂️ Three Australian women - Isabella Nichols, Molly Picklum, and Tyler Wright - will compete in the quarter-finals of the first World Surf League event of the year. The Pipe Pro resumed today after almost a week of organisers waiting for favourable conditions. On the men’s side, there are still six Aussies yet to compete in the Round of 32. 

🏏 West Australian Cooper Connolly has officially made his Test cricket debut for Australia. Connolly was selected in place of Todd Murphy for Australia’s second Test against Sri Lanka, which started today at 3:30pm. The spin-bowling allrounder was the Perth Scorchers’ leading runscorer in the most recent season of the Big Bash, and shared the Player of the Tournament award with veteran Glenn Maxwell.

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NFL set to play annual match in Melbourne from 2026

The NFL has announced Australia will become the first country in Asia-Pacific to host one of its regular season matches. The league has made a multi-year commitment to playing matches at the MCG starting in 2026.

Details

2022 Super Bowl winners the Los Angeles Rams have been designated as the ‘home team’ for the first NFL match on Australian soil. The Rams’ opponent, as well as the date of the match, will be announced later.

As part of the NFL’s global expansion strategy, Australia will become the sixth country outside of the U.S. to host an NFL game. In 2025, the cities of Berlin and Madrid will host matches for the first time. So far, cities in Europe, England, Mexico, Canada, and South America have hosted games.

What they said

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement: "Expanding to Melbourne, Australia, a beautiful city with a rich sports history, underlines our ambitions to become a global sport",

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the game would be a “win for jobs, a win for businesses, and a win for fans”.

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Trump signs executive order to ban trans women from women’s sports

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports. Trump said institutions that disobey the order will be denied federal funding. It follows similar moves by global sporting organisations including World Aquatics and World Athletics.

Context

In 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published guidelines allowing individual sporting organisations to make their own decisions regarding athletes’ eligibility.

This has led to several global governing bodies, including swimming and netball, banning almost all trans women from elite competition. These organisations say going through male puberty gives trans women athletes an unfair advantage over cisgender athletes.

The order

Trump’s executive order is based on his interpretation of Title IX, a law preventing sex-based discrimination in publicly-funded schools. It will mean any education institution will risk losing federal funding if they allow trans women to compete in women’s events.

Executive orders are the U.S. President’s main power, and do not require Congressional approval. This order follows a previous declaration signed on his first day in office requiring the federal government to define sex as either male or female. Trump said the order meant “the war on women’s sports is over.”

Last year, previous President Joe Biden sought to amend Title IX to protect LGBTQ students from discrimination based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. Biden’s proposed changes to Title IX were overruled by a federal judge last month.

Support

Republicans have voiced their support for the executive order, including Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who said it “restores fairness... and defends the rights of female athletes”. Mace has previously sought to ban trans women from women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: “This is a wildly popular position with the American people”.

Criticism

LGBTQIA+ advocacy group GLAAD said the order was “inaccurate and incoherent... but does not change the law or the facts.”

LGBTQIA+ sport organisation Athlete Ally told The Athletic: “Trans youth already experience higher rates of violence, suicidal thoughts and insecurity in housing than their cisgender peers. This... will only serve to exacerbate these issues.”

What’s next?

It’s not yet clear how the order will be enforced. The state of California’s school sporting body has said it will not comply with the order because trans athletes can participate in sport under state law.

Executive orders can be legally challenged in the federal court.

A message from Deakin University

Whether it’s home or away, follow them through every game

The Sport Science degree at Deakin University provides students with the opportunity to acquire world-class knowledge in exercise physiology, biomechanics, and sport psychology - essential areas that contribute to optimising elite performance.

Gain insight into cutting-edge training techniques, injury prevention strategies, and advanced performance analytics used in global sporting events.

By studying at Deakin, you'll be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to support athletes at the highest level, preparing you for a dynamic and rewarding career in the field of sport science.

Looking back…

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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