At the first hearing for the Protect College Sports Act in June, Maria Cantwell banged the drum that colleges could fall behind in research — and particularly fall behind China — if spending on sports keeps climbing. Here that is framed around coach salaries, not player play.

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · 11h ago

A statement below from Senator Maria Cantwell after John Thune filed for cloture with the Protect College Sports Act. The bill still needs some things to go its way to reach a floor vote this week. So expect a lot more of this in the coming days.

A statement below from Senator Maria Cantwell after John Thune filed for cloture with the Protect College Sports Act. The bill still needs some things to go its way to reach a floor vote this week. So expect a lot more of this in the coming days.

New newsletter! What were the Nationals going for with their trade deadline strategy? How did they do? And are they really much worse? wfcg.substack.com/p/wfcg-13-tr...

WFCG #13: Trade Deadline Review

You like relievers, eh? How about all the relievers in the world!

wfcg.substack.com

New Raschcast: We talk about the Trade Deadline, and what it says about the front office’s understanding of where the team is and what its capabilities are, with our best friend @jessedougherty.bsky.social.

8.4.26 - The Soft Sell (ft. Jesse Dougherty)

Play 8.4.26 - The Soft Sell (ft. Jesse Dougherty) by The Raschcast on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

m.soundcloud.com

The letter went out to Senate staff a bit earlier and is addressed to John Thune + Chuck Schumer. There's a very tight window to schedule a vote on the Protect College Sports Act this week. For a handful of reasons, most people I've talked to aren't confident that will happen.

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · yesterday

NEW: A group of labor + advocacy groups, including prominent college athlete labor orgs, sent a letter today urging Senate leadership to delay a vote on the PCSA "until the legislation more adequately addresses the needs and concerns" of athletes. See all the groups below.

NEW: A group of labor + advocacy groups, including prominent college athlete labor orgs, sent a letter today urging Senate leadership to delay a vote on the PCSA "until the legislation more adequately addresses the needs and concerns" of athletes. See all the groups below.

This is a great read from @zcrizer.bsky.social that is at least loosely connected to some of the ideas in the column below: bandwagon.ghost.io/hope-arbitra...

Hope arbitrage

The Tarik Skubal trade and the baseball business

bandwagon.ghost.io

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · 2d ago

Paul Toboni and co. deserve the chance to build a foundation without the burden of what happened before they arrived. And yet fans can — should? — be tired of rooting for a team that trades some of its best players every summer. Wrote about the deadline: www.notus.org/sports/natio...

Monday’s trade of pitcher Foster Griffin capped a busy deadline for the Nats — and left fans wondering where the team is headed, writes @jessedougherty.bsky.social

The Nationals’ Confusing Trade Deadline

Monday’s trade of pitcher Foster Griffin capped a busy deadline for the Nats, and left fans wondering where the team is headed.

notus.org

A week before the deadline, a member of the front office asked me: “Isn’t this trade deadline kind of a mindfuck?” Yeah, I agreed, it was and still is. But it was also familiar in a few key ways, no matter the new people in charge: www.notus.org/sports/natio...

Paul Toboni and co. deserve the chance to build a foundation without the burden of what happened before they arrived. And yet fans can — should? — be tired of rooting for a team that trades some of its best players every summer. Wrote about the deadline: www.notus.org/sports/natio...

The Nationals’ Confusing Trade Deadline

Monday’s trade of pitcher Foster Griffin capped a busy deadline for the Nats, and left fans wondering where the team is headed.

notus.org

Paul Toboni and co. deserve the chance to build a foundation without the burden of what happened before they arrived. And yet fans can — should? — be tired of rooting for a team that trades some of its best players every summer. Wrote about the deadline: www.notus.org/sports/natio...

The Nationals’ Confusing Trade Deadline

Monday’s trade of pitcher Foster Griffin capped a busy deadline for the Nats, and left fans wondering where the team is headed.

notus.org

Paul Toboni just did a call with reporters about the deadline. After he repeatedly said he believes in this team still, I asked how him how he would explain to fans the tension of believing in the team but trading away its best pitcher with two months to play. His answer:

The nine pitchers acquired by the Nats this deadline season (in alphabetical order by last name): Jake Bird Jack Cebert Yovanny Cruz Will Dion Connelly Early Joe Glassey Ben Grable Josh Hartle Kendeglys Virguez Heavy emphasis on the first half of the alphabet.

If you're so inclined: Discuss.

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · 2d ago

Since a lot of the trade deadline is on the other site, the Nationals trade Foster Griffin to the Guardians for four players, including three pitches and an outfielder. They also did a one-for-one swap with the Orioles — another Nats-Os trade) — of OF Christian Franklin for a right-handed reliever.

Since a lot of the trade deadline is on the other site, the Nationals trade Foster Griffin to the Guardians for four players, including three pitches and an outfielder. They also did a one-for-one swap with the Orioles — another Nats-Os trade) — of OF Christian Franklin for a right-handed reliever.

A spokesperson for Maria Cantwell pushes back on this, saying: "Not true. Final details are still being worked through.” A handful of Senators are receiving updated bill text this afternoon/evening.

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · 2d ago

College sports/Capitol Hill update: Senate Commerce Committee is planning to send out final bill text soon, according to a committee aide, which comes after the SEC + Big Ten moved to support it Friday night. Still a very tight window to get this voted on before August recess.

College sports/Capitol Hill update: Senate Commerce Committee is planning to send out final bill text soon, according to a committee aide, which comes after the SEC + Big Ten moved to support it Friday night. Still a very tight window to get this voted on before August recess.

If you're trying to make sense of what the Nats are doing at the trade deadline, @jessedougherty.bsky.social sums it all up beautifully:

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · 3d ago

The Luis García trade is a clear win for an organization that needs pitching, pitching, pitching (now and in the future). But for Nats fans, what’s strategically sound can also be emotionally fraught. My latest for @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/luis-...

The Luis García trade is a clear win for an organization that needs pitching, pitching, pitching (now and in the future). But for Nats fans, what’s strategically sound can also be emotionally fraught. My latest for @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/luis-...

So Long, Luis García Jr. (And Hello to Four New Arms.)

On Sunday, the Nats traded García, their longest-tenured player, to the Yankees for four right-handed pitchers.

notus.org

The Luis García trade is a clear win for an organization that needs pitching, pitching, pitching (now and in the future). But for Nats fans, what’s strategically sound can also be emotionally fraught. My latest for @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/luis-...

So Long, Luis García Jr. (And Hello to Four New Arms.)

On Sunday, the Nats traded García, their longest-tenured player, to the Yankees for four right-handed pitchers.

notus.org

Read Flax. #ReadFlax

Andrew Flax@ajflax.bsky.social · 4d ago

It’s a brand new newsletter! I previewed the Nationals trade deadline. If you’re buying and selling, who do you buy, and who do you sell? open.substack.com/pub/wfcg/p/w...

Not sure I’ve across a worse television product than professional pickleball, which I just gave about eight minutes of my time, which was about eight too many. I went straight to the end of Live Free or Die Hard and now I’m wondering why this didn’t get any Oscar noms.

This gave me chills.

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · last wk.

I wrote about Max. For @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/max-s...

This is a great read. I love that baseball is making me feel the things again!

Jesse Dougherty@jessedougherty.bsky.social · last wk.

I wrote about Max. For @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/max-s...

I wrote about Max. For @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/max-s...

Max Scherzer Is Still in the Fight. These Nats Are, Too.

Five years after his trade kicked off the Nationals' rebuild, the World Series hero returned to his former home.

notus.org

The Protect College Sports Act is the latest try in Congress to regulate college sports. The legislative calendar does it no favors. If PCSA doesn't pass, eligibility lawsuits will continue indefinitely. Will Congress ever pass a college sports reform bill? I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Expect More NCAA Lawsuits If Protect College Sports Act Stalls

The Senate's unlikely to vote on the Protect College Sports Act before the August recess. If PCSA doesn't become law expect more eligibility lawsuits.

sportico.com

I wrote about Max. For @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/max-s...

Max Scherzer Is Still in the Fight. These Nats Are, Too.

Five years after his trade kicked off the Nationals' rebuild, the World Series hero returned to his former home.

notus.org

If you're interested in this topic, I imagine there will be a lot to read today from different outlets. I wrote about this new wave of college athlete organizing in the context of labor politics on Capitol Hill and the Protect College Sports Act: www.notus.org/sports/stanf...

A Player-Led Labor Effort Could Be a Sign of College Football’s Future

Stanford players have formed a chapter with the College Football Players Association. They hope more teams follow soon.

notus.org

NEW: Football players at Stanford have organized a chapter with the College Football Players Association. This is not a union, though CFBPA leaders believe it's the foundation for potential unionizing + collective bargaining. Much more for @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/stanf...

A Player-Led Labor Effort Could Be a Sign of College Football’s Future

Stanford players have formed a chapter with the College Football Players Association. They hope more teams follow soon.

notus.org

NEW: Football players at Stanford have organized a chapter with the College Football Players Association. This is not a union, though CFBPA leaders believe it's the foundation for potential unionizing + collective bargaining. Much more for @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/stanf...

A Player-Led Labor Effort Could Be a Sign of College Football’s Future

Stanford players have formed a chapter with the College Football Players Association. They hope more teams follow soon.

notus.org