{"id":867836,"date":"2026-08-25T12:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T12:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/867836\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T12:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T12:12:19","slug":"fist-bumps-for-everyone-plus-shocking-nfl-owner-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/867836\/","title":{"rendered":"Fist bumps for everyone, plus shocking NFL owner news"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! Have some hope today. Coming up:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teamwork, Dream Work: Everyone\u2019s getting along for now<\/p>\n

Two nights ago, my daughter refused to go to sleep well past her bedtime. She claimed she needed a snack. As I relented \u2014 which I always do \u2014 she held out her fist for a bump and told me: \u201cTeamwork makes the dream work, Dada.\u201d Seriously.<\/p>\n

She said it as if it was a maxim of her life, though it was the first time she\u2019s uttered it to either of her parents. Having the confidence of a 4-year-old sounds nice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyway, it\u2019s stuck with me as an indelible memory, and I can\u2019t help but apply it to this cadre of sports news stories. Hold your fist out for some teamwork here:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Serena Williams \ud83e\udd1d Carlos Alcaraz
The two tennis superstars will bridge gender and era gaps to team up for a fun mixed doubles run at the U.S. Open starting today. It\u2019s a massive get for the Open\u2019s mixed doubles competition, which has jazzed up in recent years, with no pairing bigger than this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The only caveat, other than questions about both players\u2019 health: In limited action, Alcaraz hasn\u2019t been great in doubles play. He lost with partner Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals at the Olympics and with Emma Raducanu in the opening round at last year\u2019s Open. Still should be fun. Read more on the setup here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Morgan Rogers \ud83e\udd1c\ud83e\udd1b Xabi Alonso
The new Chelsea player and manager helped deliver a thrilling 3-2 win over Fulham yesterday in the club\u2019s Premier League opener. Each star transfer comes with a caveat that it might take time to meld with a new team. Not so in this case, as Rogers scored the team\u2019s second goal to capitalize on his new surroundings one match in. Not bad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n James Gilbert \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Indiana \u270a The Athletic 138
Preseason college football polls are a funny thing. Chris Vannini highlighted that in his first ranking of all 138 FBS teams this season, slotting the Hoosiers in at No. 1 after a 16-0 season last year. Makes sense, right? The AP poll disagreed, putting Indiana at No. 6. Why are we giving the defending champs bulletin board material? See the full 138 here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also in the rankings pile: Antonio Morales picked a bandwagon team for every conference, which is fun. Give me the Delaware Blue Hens. Also \u2014 please pause for my guffaws \u2014 Alabama is the bandwagon choice for the SEC. Just read the story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Timberwolves \ud83e\udee1 Leos
The NBA offseason was full of intrigue (remember when LeBron James picked the 76ers?), but there may be no more puzzling \u2014 and tantalizing, to be fair \u2014 addition than LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves to pair with Anthony Edwards. Losing Naz Reid is a blow; adding Ball will make the T-Wolves\u2019 offense more dynamic than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And as Law Murray wrote in the latest NBA Power Rankings: \u201cPutting two Leos on the same team will lead to extraordinary results.\u201d More on that here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some honorable mention fist bumps before we move on:\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Mercury \ud83d\udc4b DeWanna Bonner. The WNBA legend is free to join a title contender<\/a> after Phoenix bought out her contract.
\nLeon Draisaitl \ud83d\udc4c Oilers management. Edmonton\u2019s second star supports the controversial decision to hire coach Mike Babcock. Apparently there was a \u201cno-holds-barred\u201d conversation<\/a>.
\nRob Manfred \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f\u201cnegotiation.\u201d Forgive my skepticism, but the commissioner said the plan is for MLB to play next season, of course, and that the league and its players association are \u201cregularly\u201d meeting. I\u2019ll believe it when it happens, but you can read his comments here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Onward:<\/p>\n

News to Know\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sergio Estrada \/ Imagn Images<\/p>\n

49ers owner arrested
Authorities arrested Jed York, owner and CEO of the 49ers, Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio, on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. The charges originally included engaging in prostitution but were later amended. York, 46, also co-owns the Premier League club Leeds United and Scottish soccer club Rangers F.C. Read more on the situation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Browns officially tab Watson
Deshaun Watson will be Cleveland\u2019s starting quarterback in Week 1 this year, Browns coach Todd Monken announced yesterday, and everything about this just feels like an untenable situation. The home crowd loathes Watson, whose contract still looms large on Cleveland\u2019s cap sheet. Something to watch: The Browns begin with two road games this year before returning home for Week 3. I wonder if a slow start changes the decision-making. Two more Watson-related things:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jason Lloyd wondered why Watson would take any accountability for the Browns\u2019 current PR nightmare when he\u2019s never taken any for the mess that has been his entire tenure. I recommend reading this today<\/a>.
\nWatson wasn\u2019t even that good in the preseason, which was a highlight of our lessons learned from this latest batch of games. Read those here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Houston, an overhaul
The Astros are both division leaders (good) and owners of a losing record (bad) as we near September, which prompted franchise owner Jim Crane to fire general manager Dana Brown yesterday. Manager Joe Espada, whose contract is up at the end of the season, could be on the way out, too. It\u2019s an intriguing juncture for a team that\u2019s been a standard of excellence over the past decade, but slowly slipped into disrepair. Chandler Rome\u2019s examination of the situation<\/a> was really, really good.<\/p>\n

More news:<\/p>\n

The Patriots traded receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Texans for a safety and a seventh-round draft pick. Houston wins this trade for now<\/a>.
\nPittsburgh and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. are \u201cat an impasse\u201d in contract negotiations, Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said yesterday. Hm<\/a>.
\nTennessee will start Faizon Brandon, a true freshman, at quarterback this fall. It\u2019s a rarity<\/a>.
\nColorado coach Deion Sanders said lawsuits aren\u2019t distractions, while highlighting his history with them. See his full comments<\/a>.
\nDiamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is on track to return to the lineup next week, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. What a strange saga<\/a>.
\nLess than a year into existence, a WPBL board member has alleged the organization is misusing funds. Read more<\/a>.
\nThe autopsy report for former Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke indicated a history of drug use. Details here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa LLBWS: Elimination games
1 p.m.-7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Another quad pack of cute kids experiencing triumph and heartbreak on national television. It\u2019s fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Soccer: Leeds at Nottingham Forest
3 p.m. ET on Paramount+
These are two Premier League teams but this is not a Prem match. It\u2019s the second round of the Carabao Cup, an annual tournament in England open to all clubs at the top four levels of the professional system. It\u2019s fun. Throw it on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa MLB: Dodgers at Braves
7:15 p.m. ET on TBS
L.A. remains a juggernaut on the field, while Atlanta needs all the help it can get to maintain a slim lead in the NL East over the red-hot Phillies. Good game.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Mitchell Leff \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

One last word on teamwork: You can support (or trash) your NFL team by participating in our Hope-O-Meter survey, which I always find to be a valuable metric. Make your voice heard here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Justin Jefferson thinks the public does not see him as the NFL\u2019s best receiver anymore, and he\u2019s out to change that this year. I would never doubt you, Justin. He seems serious though<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this week\u2019s MLB Power Rankings, freshly printed this morning, our team posed one big looming question each team has to answer this season. Find your team\u2019s quandary here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An interesting question from Manny Navarro: LSU spent $40 million on its roster for this season. So why are the Tigers taking NFL players now?<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Need a lighter topic? Ira Gorawara wrote a heartwarming story about how international students land at American colleges and get indoctrinated into the cult of college football<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t look now, but the F1 title race is alive again thanks to Lando Norris \u2014 and Mercedes is rattled<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Enes Kanter Freedom\u2019s ejection<\/a> from a WNBA game Sunday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday: The Jed York news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":867837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85,747],"class_list":["post-867836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/867837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}