Michael Malone Is Out In Denver

…A few months ago, Justin Thomas begged PGA Tour members to talk to the media more, insisting the game would benefit. Now, golfers like Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa are saying, “We aren’t like other leagues [that have contractual obligations to speak to the media], we do what we want.” 

Under Armour is tackling pollution caused by the fashion industry, one bury-able piece of clothing at a time. The brand says its new plant-based regenerative sportswear line is free of microplastics and makes great dirt. Hopefully, it makes great clothing, too.

Mattel announced it’s releasing a LeBron Ken doll as part of their ‘Kenbassadors’ line. Since he’s the only men’s hooper to be a Barbie, there will be no debates about who the GBOAT is.  

Everyone is repping Paige Bueckers. Historians (aka sports teams) are searching high and low to find photos of Paige in their jersey so they can claim her as their own. So far, the advantage goes to the Celtics, Vikings, Spirit, and Twins. 

The Sports Emmy nominees have been announced. Will your fave personalities and TV shows and broadcasts win?  

The Nuggets are dealing with some serious drama. Stan Kroenke et al. fired head coach Michael (not Mike, do not call him Mike, thank you very much) Malone and their general manager Calvin Booth seemingly out of the blue yesterday—and right before playoffs.

For the second time this year NBA fans were wondering if Shams was hacked. It left fans so speechless that they wondered if something more sinister was afoot. (It probably isn’t). 

Some reports say Malone and Booth were 86’d because of infighting about line-ups between the two.

Regardless, it has players of opposing teams on edge, too.  

And Melo, Monica McNutt, and The Kid Mero got the news mid-podcast record and couldn’t believe it. 

And actually, let’s back up a sec. Other internet users were quick to point out that Malone isn’t the only successful head coach to be let go recently. Of the last six coaches to win a title, four have been fired. What the heck is going on? 

Why are all these coaches being fired? Has a pox been put on the households of those who come out of the NBA season victorious? Is it contagious? Are we next? No, thankfully, we haven’t won anything. If you’ve got a conspiracy theory, let us know on social, @offball. We’ll quote tweet you and say, “hmmm not sure about that one…” or something like that. 

When an athlete makes the jump from college to professional ball, they have to change their diets, conditioning, and training schedules. They have to get to know their new teammates and build chemistry. Those are all things that take time to develop. 

But when it comes to WNBA players, there’s less than a month between the draft and the first game. If you’re Paige Bueckers this year, you finished the NCAA Tournament on April 6, will be drafted on April 14, might play in your first WNBA preseason game on May 2 (ish), and might play in your first regular season game on May 16. 

For high-profile athletes, like Paige this season or Caitlin and Angel last year, before the season even starts, they also have Olympics appearances, GQ shoots, fashion week events, courtside tickets to games, and such a busy schedule that everyone wonders how they’re doing all of this.

Downtime? They don’t know her. 

After the college season, because of the time of year, the cultural calendar is jam-packed, too. With new brand deals poppin’ up left and right for women athletes before they head into the big leagues, and invites to high-caliber events like the Met Gala, the gorls are probably tired. 

This makes it all the more impressive when a player has near-immediate success in the league. It also might lead to more injuries, according to some fans. 

They may have a point, considering just last season Cam Brink, Angel Reese, Charisma Osborne, Nika Muhl, Kamilla Cardoso, Kate Martin, Brynna Maxwell, Mackenzie Holmes—to name a few—were injured as rookies. Gulp. 

How does that phrase go, “no rest for the women”?