The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: What Lionel Messi Still Has Left to Chase

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/07/01/lionel-messi-argentina-trophy-copa-america-barcelona-contract">
Messi appears to have a level of acceptance combined with a spark of ambition as he maintains his quest for Argentina while looking set to stay with Barcelona.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
On Monday night in Cuiabá, Brazil, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/lionel-messi-argentina-cap-record-mascherano-international-appearances">Lionel Messi became the most capped player</a> in the storied, 119-year history of Argentina’s national team. Let his commitment to the cause never be questioned, even if he’s questioned it himself.
A few days after Messi’s 34th birthday, his peerless precision was still plenty evident as well. Bolivia may have been the weakest side at the 2021 Copa América, but Messi has picked apart plenty of good teams too. He had two goals and an assist in Monday’s first-round finale, a 4–1 Argentina win that sealed the top spot in the group and a Saturday quarterfinal matchup with Ecuador. Messi now leads the competition with three goals and two assists overall.
Speaking after the game, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said, “I think that in regards to Messi, everything has been said. We are proud to have him and convinced that he will give us more joy.”
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTEwNzg0MzAwNTI0ODcy/lionel-messi-points-up-copa-america.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Indeed, it’s all been said, written, analyzed, blustered and memed. Everyone knows the facts: Argentina, a two-time world champion, somehow hasn’t won a major title since the 1993 Copa América. That was 28 years and 19 tournaments ago. It’s a barren stretch that includes seven lost finals and which, unfairly, has become inextricably associated with (or blamed on) Messi. Yes, it's a team sport. Yes, international soccer—especially the modern version contested by exhausted all-star squads—can be unpredictable and bizarre (<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-pks-benzema-mbappe-sommer">see Euro 2020/1</a>). But surely an athlete of such incomparable skill, a six-time FIFA player of the year backed by a domestic developmental pipeline with championship pedigree, should win at least one significant senior international honor.
Instead, there’s been failure and frustration, bad bounces and federation mismanagement. The nadir was the three consecutive lost finals of 2014-16, when Messi and Argentina were a few inches away from a World Cup and at least one Copa crown, but just missed. The weight of the wait, of those close calls, of the criticism and confusion and self-doubt, was crushing. Moments after missing a penalty in the shootout that decided the 2016 Copa América Centenario in favor of Chile, an overwhelmed Messi claimed he was finished with international football. It had produced too much heartache.
“In the locker room, I thought the national team was over for me. It is not for me,” Messi said at MetLife Stadium. He told reporters, “That's it. This is not for me. We've lost again—another final. I'm not meant to be here.”
Messi seems to be a creature of comfort. He values growth and ambition within the confines of loyalty and stability. He’s talked about how challenging his move from Rosario to Barcelona was as a 13-year-old and since then, his preference has been to establish roots. His flight instinct kicks in only when the soil becomes toxic. That happened with Argentina in 2016 and it happened last year with Barcelona, where a decline in on-field fortune coincided with <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/10/barcelona-crisis-messi-laporta-future-champions-league-daily-cover">Messi’s falling out with club president Josep Bartomeu</a>. The infamous burofax was analogous to the mixed-zone meltdown at the Meadowlands.
His comments on Barcelona were similar. They reflected how much he values trajectory, trust and a sense of belonging.
“I believed that the club needed more young players, new players, and I thought my time in Barcelona was over. I felt very sorry because I always said that I wanted to finish my career here,” Messi told Goal last fall.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgxMzM0MjczODA5MTk2MTM1/messi-laporta-future-barcelona.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Time heals, however, and so does new management. <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/03/07/barcelona-election-president-joan-laporta">Joan Laporta reassumed the Barça presidency</a> in March, the club won the Copa del Rey in April and now it appears Messi is content to sign a new contract. His old one, the one he sought to escape via burofax, ended Wednesday.
Similarly, Argentina has been somewhat refreshed—not improved, necessarily, but refreshed. There’s been turnover at the federation and on the national team. Only eight of the 28 players at the Copa América were on the World Cup roster three years ago. And while Scaloni, a promoted caretaker without much managerial experience, faces significant skepticism about his suitability for the job, those questions haven’t scared off Messi. Argentina also appointed retired midfielder Pablo Aimar, a friend and idol of Messi’s, as an assistant.
This is an odd Copa América. It’s been postponed from last year, moved from Argentina and Colombia to empty arenas in Brazil, and overshadowed globally by the Euro. Two guest teams withdrew, and it’s being staged just two years after an edition that also was played in (and won by) Brazil. If there ever was a time for Messi to say “no, gracias” and mean it, it would be now. His contract situation remains technically unsettled. Argentina’s prospects for a title haven’t exactly improved with so many newer players and Neymar’s Brazil positioned as a heavy favorite. It would’ve been understandable if the thought of a seven-game slog under mitigating circumstances didn’t appeal.
Yet here he is, as present and passionate as ever.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTEwNjY0MzA5ODc1ODQz/lionel-messi-argentina-teammates-copa-america.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Argentina's 2018 World Cup coach, Jorge Sampaoli, famously wrote, “Messi has a revolver put to his head called the World Cup and if he doesn't win it, he's shot and killed. As a result, he can't enjoy his talent. What I find is that the negativity surrounding international football damages Messi.”
But Messi can’t stay away. That’s ironic, considering the gusto with which so many countrymen have questioned his affinity and commitment. Nor is he genuinely prepared to relinquish his dream of lifting that elusive international trophy.
"I have to stand up and try again, no matter how many times I fall,” he said in 2019. “This is a good message for the kids—not just in football, but in life. I want to retire having won something with Argentina.”
Speaking this month before the Copa kicked off, he said, “I’m always available for the Argentina national team. My biggest dream is to win a championship with this shirt. I was very close a few times. It didn’t happen but I keep trying. I will always fight for this dream.”
It’s easy to imagine that the environment surrounding Argentina might have evolved in recent years. The national team is no longer at its peak and so rational expectations, if those are possible, should be a bit more modest. The pressure to win with this group and at this juncture is just different. There are missed opportunities to lament, sure, but the calculus has changed. Argentina isn’t as strong and Messi isn’t as dominant. Argentina wasn’t close to being a World Cup contender in 2018, it finished third at the 2019 Copa América and it’s a satisfactory but unspectacular 3-0-3 in 2022 World Cup qualifying. A triumph at the Maracanã in the Copa final would be a surprise. Theoretically, that should lower the revolver a little.
There’s also <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/11/25/diego-maradona-legacy-greatness-argentina">the matter of Diego Maradona</a>, and the relentless and exhausting comparison between the two icons. Messi will not reach Maradona. Napoli named its stadium after Maradona. This week his boyhood club, Argentinos Juniors, unveiled a tribute jersey reading “LA CUNA DE D10S,” or “The Cradle of God.” Similar homages to Messi are unlikely. He will not match the late legend’s mythic standing in the hearts of Argentines, even if he does finally deliver a trophy. <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/11/25/diego-maradona-dies-obituary-argentina">Maradona’s November death at age 60</a> sealed it. He was a falling star, shining brightly and gone too soon, elevated to divine status by his story, his passion, his flaws, the what-was in the summer of 1986 and the what-might-have-beens that followed. The chase is over. Messi should be relieved, and his critics should give it a rest.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTEwNjgxNzU4MTgwNDgz/messi-maradona-argentina-kit.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
“I would have loved to be a world champion, but I don't think I would change anything else I had in my career to have it happen. This is what I was meant to do, what God gave me. It's for a reason,” Messi told Argentina’s TyC two years ago. “What happened is that I’ve lived many things with the Argentina national team and I’ve had to live many things which weren’t fair. But in the end, I tried and I will keep trying.”
His career has been superlative, and his club and individual honors, statistics, durability and consistency comfortably surpass Maradona’s. Messi should be at peace with his path, and perhaps he is. Those comments suggest a certain level of acceptance combined with a lingering spark of ambition. That would explain his return to the national team, especially now, and his recent positivity.
”It’s always special to be with the national team. We want to win. That's the goal,” he told Argentina’s website before the tournament. “I think we have a very united group, with a very good core that has been worked on since Scaloni arrived, with the boys that he's brought in. We've got a very good group and that's the important thing. It's got to be a very strong group for the challenges that await us.”
Scaloni added, “Leo has shown he is well, comfortable, with a new generation that he barely knew. And now he is one of them. He gets along with all. We have managed to make a team in which he can fit.”
If he fits, then bring on those challenges. A win over Ecuador would send Argentina through to a July 6 semifinal in Brasilia against either Uruguay or Colombia. The Copa final is four days later. There are three games separating Argentina from the end of an epic drought, and three games to win if Messi is to close that uncomfortable hole in his résumé. It may not happen. But this summer feels different, regardless of the result. The pressure and scrutiny aren’t the same. Change has come. The end is in sight. Hopefully, for Messi’s sake, maintaining the chase comes with its own sort of satisfaction.
More Soccer Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/lionel-messi-argentina-cap-record-mascherano-international-appearances">Messi Sets Argentina Caps Record, Scores 75th International Goal</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/27/belgium-portugal-euro-2020-thorgan-hazard-cristiano-ronaldo-de-bruyne">Wilson: How Belgium Ended Portugal's Reign at the Euros</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/30/france-euro-2020-failure-rabiot-mbappe-pogba-deschamps">Wilson: Where it All Went Wrong for France</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: What Lionel Messi Still Has Left to Chase

Messi appears to have a level of acceptance combined with a spark of ambition as he maintains his quest for Argentina while looking set to ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Cubs' Milwaukee Meltdown Should Serve as a Warning

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/07/01/chicago-cubs-milwaukee-meltdown-the-opener">
Chicago's matchup Wednesday against the division-leading Brewers played out like a horror show for the Cubs, but they can learn something from it.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
The Cubs began Wednesday’s game against the Brewers with seven first-inning runs and ended it with infielder Eric Sogard on the mound. The intervening baseball played out like a Chicago horror show.
The Brewers turned a 7-0 deficit into a 15-7 victory, running their winning streak to eight games while handing the Cubs their sixth consecutive loss. The win puts Milwaukee six games clear in first place in the NL Central, while bringing to an end what’s been a trying month for Chicago.
The issues for the Cubs were manifold, but they began with a familiar theme for this season: starting pitching. Wednesday’s starter, Jake Arrieta, failed to get out of the second inning, giving up six runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks. Four of the eight balls put in play had expected batting averages above .700. Only five of Arrieta’s 56 pitches resulted in a swing-and-miss.
“Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for us lately,” Arrieta said afterwards, <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2021/6/30/22558145/cubs-suffer-worst-loss-of-the-season-to-the-brewers">per the Chicago Sun-Times</a>. “It’s been tough. I didn’t get the job done, period … This one’s on my shoulders. There’s no way around it.”
A blown lead of this nature is, unsurprisingly, no small feat. Milwaukee’s win was just the sixth time since 1950 that a team trailed by at least seven runs and went on to win by at least seven runs. It was also the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/brewers-historic-comeback-to-sweep-cubs">first game in the modern era</a> (since 1901) that each team held at least a seven-run lead through the first four innings, and only the second time a team lost by at least seven runs after scoring seven runs in the first inning.
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTE0NDc5MzE0NTc2NTE1/willson-contreras-jake-arrieta.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
The outing caps an ugly month for the former Cy Young Award winner. Arrieta’s ERA ballooned to 8.31 in six June starts, three of which were done by the end of the third inning. Arrieta has given up seven home runs in 21.2 innings, with the Cubs losing five out of his six starts.
But the 35-year-old is hardly the only one struggling in the Cubs’ starting rotation. Chicago ranks dead last in starting pitching fWAR on the season, with the third-lowest strikeout rate (19.5%), fifth-highest home run rate (1.53 HR/9) and second-highest FIP (4.98). The group posted a 5.19 ERA in June, averaging 4.31 walks per nine innings.
A <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/27/cubs-climb-nl-central-race-the-opener">strong month of May</a> eased some concern around this group after a disastrous April, but those reassurances have all but completely dissipated. Even the rotation’s top performer, Kyle Hendricks, appears to be skating on thin ice. Hendricks’ expected ERA (4.93) is almost a full run higher than his actual ERA (3.98), while his home run rate (1.94 HR/9) is the third-highest among qualified starters.
A division that was bunched up not too long ago is now the most lopsided in the league. The Brewers hold the largest lead of any first-place team, and they’re the only club in the division with a positive run differential (plus-30). Despite the disastrous last four weeks, the Cubs have actually not been the worst NL Central club this month. That dubious honor belongs to the Cardinals, whose three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks brought their June record to a mere 10-17.
A six-game lead can evaporate pretty quickly, and the Cubs are by no means out of the race. But the starting pitching woes don’t look like they’re going to fix themselves. Barring an aggressive acquisition before the July 30 trade deadline, Chicago’s arms don’t look to be postseason quality, especially when compared to Milwaukee’s three-headed monster of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta.
In the absence of an all-in approach from the front office over these next few weeks, the chances of the Cubs running down the Brewers appear slim. At least there was one promising development on the mound for Chicago at the end of Wednesday's humbling loss—Sogard made his fourth relief appearance this year, and he hasn’t given up a run yet.
<h2>Quick hits:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Even unicorns have bad days. In fact, two of them did in the same game Wednesday night in New York. Shohei Ohtani’s two-way day <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/yankees/news/new-york-yankees-chase-los-angeles-angels-sp-shohei-ohtani-in-first-inning-at-yankee-stadium">failed to escape the first inning</a>, as Ohtani's command faltered in the Bronx. He walked four Yankees and hit another en route to allowing seven runs while recording just two outs. But the Angels put up a seven-spot of their own in the ninth against Aroldis Chapman, who blew the lead with three walks and a game-tying grand slam to Jared Walsh—the first grand slam allowed in the flame-throwing closer's career. A two-run single from Luis Rengifo off Lucas Luetge, in to relieve Chapman, provided the Halos with the game-winning runs in an 11-8 win that Yankees manager Aaron Boone could only lament as a "terrible loss" for the Bombers.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>In a high-scoring day throughout the league, the Braves set the pace by scoring 20 runs against the Mets. Ozzie Albies homered twice and drove in seven runs to lead the charge. Perhaps Atlanta should have saved some runs for Thursday’s opposing pitcher, Jacob deGrom.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Trea Turner sure does know how to celebrate. He became the fourth player in the last 100 years to <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/30/trea-turner-hits-for-the-cycle-third-time">hit for the cycle three times in a career</a>—and he did so on his 28th birthday. The shortstop also stole two bases for good measure, putting him in sole possession of the National League lead with 18. Maybe this is the year he <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/30/all-star-game-players-make-the-case">earns his first All-Star Game nod</a>.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1410366535588147204"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
More MLB Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/30/all-star-game-players-make-the-case">Roundtable: Which Unsung Players Should Be All-Stars?</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/28/sticky-stuff-crackdown-is-working-opener">Sticky Stuff Enforcement Is Already Making Baseball a Better, Fairer Game</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/30/marquez-loses-no-hitter-throws-maddux-the-opener">Marquéz Loses No-Hit Bid, but Achieves Something Rarer in Today's Game</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/29/nationals-kyle-schwarber-history-on-monday-the-opener">Kyle Schwarber Isn't Paying Attention to the Numbers</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Cubs' Milwaukee Meltdown Should Serve as a Warning

Chicago's matchup Wednesday against the division-leading Brewers played out like a horror show for the Cubs, but they can learn somethi...

New on Sports Illustrated: 'It's Going to Be a Clusterf---:' The New Era of College Sports Is Here. Is Anyone Ready?

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/07/01/ncaa-athletes-profit-nil-daily-cover">
College athletes are now allowed to profit off their name, image and likeness, and the landscape may be changed forever.
The Wharf isn’t an unassuming place.
This lavish open-air event space hugs the Miami River, boasts seven distinct bars, a half-dozen food trucks and a waterfront deck normally lined with small yachts. Green artificial grass weaves throughout the complex, ornate flowers drop from the ceiling and a string of lights zigzag overhead.
The Wharf throws some of the city’s most electric parties, frequently playing host to sports and musical celebrities who sip colorful drinks, sign autographs and pose for photos. The list includes soccer superstar David Beckham, actress Priyanka Chopra, singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and, in a more local sense, Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King.
Because of NCAA rules prohibiting college athletes from earning compensation, King’s appearances at The Wharf are only for pleasure—not pay. If he signs a few autographs, he receives only a thank you. If he poses for photos, he gets a (cash-free) handshake. And if he orders a drink or meal, he foots the bill himself.
On Thursday, King is planning another trip to The Wharf.
This time, he’ll get paid.
<figure><img height="814" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTA3NTU0MjE2NjgyNjI3/dcovnil_v.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
“It’s long overdue,” King says. “I’m going to be one of the first people to make money from my name, image and likeness. We are going to show the country it’s here.”
In a transcendent day for American sports, thousands of college athletes across the nation are eligible to do something they never, legally, have before: profit from their own likeness through product endorsements, business ventures and public appearances.
The NCAA’s long-standing constraints on athlete pay finally collapsed this year amid a sweeping political movement against the association’s archaic amateurism model. Two dozen states have passed laws governing compensation,
</a><a href="https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/cs_srgb,dpr_2.0,q_80/MTgyMTA3ODcwNzAyMDg1NDQ4/nil-laws-states-june-29.jpg">as many as 14 of which take effect Thursday</a>.
In response, the beleaguered governing body of college athletics took a wrecking ball to its already crumbling bedrock of antiquated rules, permitting all athletes to earn name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation in a seismic shift for a notoriously old-fashioned organization.
Previously barred from marketing themselves, athletes are expected to dive head first Thursday into an uncharted ocean, hoping to cash in on this billion-dollar industry. Businesses, big brands and even boosters, for so long directing money only to universities, have geared up to explore this untapped market.
In deals weeks and months in the making, high-profile college football and basketball players, and others with large social media followings, were poised to enter into contracts. There are grand announcements planned and live public events scheduled.
For instance, King, using the new digital marketplace Dreamfield, will secure an endorsement deal with The Wharf in an afternoon signing ceremony followed by a paid appearance at the club Thursday night.
Thousands of miles west of here, Fresno State women’s basketball twins Hanna and Haley Cavinder will sign one of the biggest deals yet, inking with Boost Mobile in an endorsement deal.
In Iowa, Hawkeyes guard Jordan Bohannon has a full day. He plans to begin selling his own designer apparel; he’ll enter into an entrepreneurial deal with VIDSIG, an app similar to Cameo where fans can book him for virtual chats; and he’ll finish with a paid appearance at a local business.
“It’s awesome. It’s a special moment in my life. Some athletes are going to be signing some pretty big deals with some national products,” says Bohannon, long an outspoken proponent of athletes’ rights even in the face of those critical of the new freedoms. “It’s good to see all these people pissed off about it happening. It makes me happy.”
While athletes cash in on long-awaited dough, chaos consumes this new space.
In an 11th-hour decision that divided many of its members, the NCAA passed a rule to permit individual schools—residing in states without a law—to create their own compensation rules. <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/28/ncaa-leadership-divided-nil-legislation">Others will follow their state statute</a>.
The move will create precisely what the association worked for months to avoid—a patchwork of differing rules. Disparities will exist <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/24/ncaa-athletes-oppose-ncaa-alternative-nil-proposal">both between state laws and school policies, and among the state laws themselves</a>.
Schools are scrambling to craft policies. Compliance staffs are bracing to be overwhelmed. And agents are offering six-figure advances to some NFL prospects, even if the legality of that is in question.
Most troubling of all, no one exactly knows who is supposed to enforce any of it—and how.
“This is the only play for the NCAA,” says Blake Lawrence, the CEO of Opendorse, one of the largest sports tech companies in the NIL space. “They need chaos. It’s the only way for them to get a federal bill faster.”
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTA3ODcwNzAyMDg1NDQ4/nil-laws-states-june-29.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>NIL laws by state as of June 30.</figcaption>
</figure>
Sonny Vaccaro describes it as a mountain crumbling.
Several years ago, he swung one of the first pickaxes into the NCAA’s amateurism structure, a thrust that started the latest avalanche.
“The NCAA hung onto something that was totally illegal and immoral,” Vaccaro says.
The 81-year-old former shoe company executive was at least partially behind the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit against the NCAA, exposing one of the first cracks in the association’s model. Last week, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Alston case—the NCAA lost, 9–0—<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/29/ncaa-scotus-nil-jeffrey-kessler">further fractured the foundation</a>.
History will view the two cases, both antitrust lawsuits, as small setbacks compared to the latest devastating blow from state lawmakers. Twenty-four states have passed NIL laws, the first in California in 2019 and the most significant in Florida, which set this 2021 timeline.
The state-by-state movement is a representation of the American public’s shift on the idea of amateurism, a striking difference to just seven years ago when Vaccaro and O’Bannon took criticism during the 2014 trial.
“That’s the thing that hurt, to watch Eddie be demeaned,” says Vaccaro, speaking from his California home earlier this week. “But, in the end, we did it. It’s monumental. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life—and I signed Michael Jordan.”
If anyone predicted how this played out, it’s Tom McMillen, the former NBA player and U.S. Congressman from Maryland who is now the president of Lead1, which represents the athletic directors of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
In 1992, McMillen authored a book detailing the doom that may await college athletics in light of the rapid increase in coaching salaries—the driving motivation in the latest athletes’ rights movement.
<figure><a href="https://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover" rel="nofollow"><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NjcyNDIyMTEzMzU1NzM2/daily-cover-promo-new.jpg" width="620" /></a></figure>
“We had just passed the million dollar mark for a coach’s salary,” recalls McMillen. “My comment at the time was, if you don’t slow the arms race down, expect one on the student athletes’ side. That’s the story of the last 30 years.”
Ironically, the spark that lit college football’s big-money inferno came from the same high court that slammed the NCAA earlier this month. The 1984 Supreme Court case, NCAA v. Oklahoma Board of Regents, released television rights to conferences, resulting in the now multimillion dollar league TV contracts and escalating salaries. Fifty of the 130 FBS head coaches last year made at least $3 million, according to a USA Today <a href="https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/">database</a>.
In a fit of irony, it was NCAA president Mark Emmert who, in a way, struck one of the first matches. As LSU’s chancellor in 2004, he made Nick Saban the highest paid coach in the country with a salary of $2.3 million.
Nearly two decades later, as head of the NCAA, Emmert faces the most significant crisis in his nearly 11-year presidency. His 18-month fight for Congress to pass a uniform bill to govern NIL by July 1 failed. The group of school presidents he oversees, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, the true decision-makers within the association, has eschewed a more permanent NIL policy for a temporary, minimalist solution that charges the schools with creating their own rules.
In a way, the NCAA has washed its hands of one of the more significant issues to arrive at its doorstep, a move that further eviscerates its authority and has incensed its highest-ranking member schools. It comes a year after the association’s neutral approach to the COVID-19 pandemic led to a fractured membership.
The NCAA declined multiple requests from Sports Illustrated to interview Emmert.
“This really puts in question the value of the NCAA. Other than running championships, what’s their value?” says an industry source who wished to remain anonymous.
Castigated by U.S. senators, manipulated by state lawmakers and roundly loathed by the American public, the NCAA’s stability is at an all time precarious position. From within, even one of its most powerful executives has routinely landed blows to its broadside.
“I think we all expect more out of the national association than what we’ve seen of late,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told SI in an interview earlier this month. “We have a governance system that is not the most nimble. I’m sure that’s not breaking news.”
Vaccaro, a proverbial passerby witnessing the trainwreck, is awash with satisfaction. But the NCAA’s illegal model isn’t yet destroyed, he says. The fight isn’t over. State and Congressional lawmakers have the NCAA on the ropes.
“Knock them out!” barks Vaccaro.
“The mountain hasn’t crumbled yet, but it’s certainly a good place to be. That last kick, last pounding, that last stone … it’s coming.”
<figure><img height="413" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTA3NzY4NDI4MTc2NzEy/usatsi_15375768.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>Miami QB D'Eriq King is one of the first college players who will benefit from NIL on Thursday.</figcaption>
</figure>
In 2014, in the midst of his junior season at Georgia, Todd Gurley was on a tear.
He had racked up more than 900 all-purpose yards, scored nine touchdowns and was dubbed a Heisman Trophy favorite.
Then, two days before his sixth game, <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2014/10/09/todd-gurley-georgia-bulldogs-suspension">Gurley was suspended</a> amid an NCAA investigation that later uncovered he had earned at least $3,000 from selling signed memorabilia. He missed four games because he made money from his name, image and likeness.
Stories such as this one are plentiful. For instance, just six years ago while at LSU, running back Leonard Fournette says the NCAA forced his family to return thousands of dollars they earned from a product apparel line branded with his BUGA Nation mark.
“How much money would I have made from all of those No. 7 jerseys at LSU?” Fournette says. “I could have been straight (with cash) before I was straight.”
On Thursday, these actions, if reported properly to schools, will be legal. Athletes can earn money along a wide range of avenues: a public appearance endorsing a product at a local restaurant or an autograph session at a grocery; a live youth camp at a hometown park or private instructions in their backyard; their own clothing line or their own shoe brand.
Most athletes’ compensation will come through social media and be arranged via digital marketplaces, allowing them the ease to strike deals from their homes with a push of a button. A majority of college athletes—those without the star power to land powerful agencies and mega deals—have already created profiles on a wide range of these digital marketplaces. <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/04/22/ncaa-athletes-profit-nil-marketplace-july-1">They match players with brands</a> in the same way that a dating app pairs couples.
“We view NIL as not just a financial opportunity, but a balance shift of empowerment,” says Luis Pardillo, CEO and co-founder of Dreamfield, the Florida-based digital marketplace King plans to join. “This puts the power back in the hands of the athletes.”
King’s appearance on Thursday at The Wharf is not only one of the first such live NIL events from a college athlete—it’s also the completion of a journey for two Florida quarterbacks. King and Florida State’s McKenzie Milton will hold simultaneous NIL events Thursday in a plan orchestrated by Dreamfield. Financial details are not being disclosed.
That’s one of the great mysteries of NIL—exactly how much money is in it? No one really knows.
“Nobody has had access to these people—ever,” says Henry Hays, the founder of MatchPoint Connection, a Baton Rouge–based NIL marketplace. “I know one thing, we’re going to see some pictures of athletes at a 9-year-old’s birthday party because they are paid to be there. There’s a market for that in the south.”
Jim Cavale, CEO of INFLCR, another digitally based NIL company, believes some of the NCAA’s top stars and those with a large social media following—of which many women athletes have—can reach the six figures annually. The income for others may depend on how much work they put into their social media brand.
Each social media follower is worth about 80 cents in annual compensation, Cavale says, citing one advertising standard. But that number will fluctuate depending on an influencer’s actions.
Do they interact with followers? Do they post frequently enough? Do they have a defining characteristic or skill?
“Everybody is asking what’s going to happen on July 1,” says Cavale. “While there’s going to be stories of deals, it’s going to only be the beginning for athletes to start building a business. Businesses aren’t built overnight.”
Lawrence, the Opendorse CEO, says he expects hundreds of thousands of individual NIL ventures to be struck on Thursday and in the immediate days after. NIL reports will flood into school compliance offices, who, given the NCAA’s latest proposal, must create policy, enforce that policy and compliantly manage their athletes’ NIL activity.
“Aside from the top of the top, none of the schools are ready for it,” Lawrence says. “Everyone is underestimating how challenging this is going to be.”
<figure><img height="354" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc3NTU2NDc0NTMxMTYxNTYy/ncaa-supreme-court-case.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
You don’t know Kole Taylor, and you might not even recognize his name.
But in the college football hotspot of Baton Rouge, the LSU tight end is famous—at least his shoe is.
During a game between LSU and Florida last December, Taylor’s size 14 cleat was partially responsible for the Tigers’ upset win over the sixth-ranked Gators. In the final seconds, with LSU nursing a three-point lead and in control of the ball, UF defensive back Marco Wilson was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty <a href="https://www.si.com/college/florida/football/florida-gators-football-lsu-tigers-loss-playoffs-crushed-shoe-recap">for tossing Taylor’s shoe</a> 20 yards down the field. It happened after LSU was stopped on third down. Instead of a punt, the Tigers were awarded a game-securing first down.
And thus, <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/12/13/lsu-upsets-florida-shoe-penalty-cade-york">The Shoe Game was born</a>.
“This year, if that happens, Kole would have three offers from shoe stores in Baton Rouge before the team plane lands back home,” says Hayes.
However, in some states, Taylor would be restricted from immediately entering into such contracts. In one of the most notable differences among state laws, some require athletes to have their ventures approved before they are executed. It could mean athletes missing out on income derived from viral marketing sensations like Taylor’s shoe.
While their foundations are similar, <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/04/name-image-likeness-state-laws-congress-ncaa">state NIL laws do differ slightly</a>. Some even include provisions that may be more restrictive than the policies that schools in states without a law eventually create. For example, Mississippi’s state NIL law restricts recruits from entering into NIL deals. Florida’s statute requires NIL education. Texas prohibits athletes from striking deals with a long list of industries, including gambling, alcohol and drugs. Alabama’s law requires a days-ahead approval first from the school.
Long thought to have the advantage, could the schools in states with an NIL law now be behind the curve? It’s a difficult question to answer. It first depends on how athlete-friendly schools in states without laws make their rules and how quickly they can make them (some might not be ready by July 1). Schools have almost complete freedom, aside from NCAA-mandated prohibitions around pay-for-play or recruiting inducements.
Lawrence, who is frequently on calls with university administrators, says programs are split on how restrictive or permissive to make their rules.
In a restricted model, schools are at risk of being lambasted by the public and their own athletes and setting themselves up for a disadvantage against rival programs. In a permissive model, schools are in jeopardy of facing conflicts with their own sponsors or even violating licensing agreements.
“I’ll get off one call and they’re like, ‘How do we maximize this?’” Lawrence says. “Next call is, ‘How do we restrict this?’
“It’s wild.”
One of the most significant provisions schools are weighing involves licensing and trademarks. Should they grant permission for athletes to wear school logos in endorsement deals? At least one state law, Louisiana’s, specifically allows it if the school approves. But the South Carolina law prohibits the use of logos.
The South Carolina law does not take effect until next July, but at Clemson, athletic director Dan Radakovich is modeling his NIL rules off of the law. The Tigers will not allow athletes to use school marks in NIL ventures, he says.
Administrators who spoke to SI say they expect most schools’ NIL rules will mirror a combination of state laws.
For instance, Clemson will not allow athletes to use school marks in NIL ventures, as its state law reads, Radakovich says.
“Is that a big deal?” he asks. “We don’t know. Time will tell.”
Another pressing question: How much involvement can a school have in facilitating NIL deals? In the NCAA’s original legislation, programs were strictly prohibited from such, but the minimalist proposal passed Wednesday isn’t as clear. At least six state laws are silent on an institution’s involvement, presumably making such activity permissible.
One AD in a state without a state law told SI that his policy will be silent on institutional support, providing his program flexibility. He hopes his school doesn’t have to get involved in facilitating athlete deals. But will others?
“That’s my biggest thing,” he says. “As soon as we’re allowed to be involved, it’s a pay for play. People will be brokering and setting up deals.”
State laws still have their advantages, says Darren Heitner, a sports law professor at Florida who helped author that state’s statute. Schools in states without a law have a “very small runway” to create policy and educate athletes, while those with a state law have been gearing up for this for months.
In the last week, even before Thursday, five states saw bills or orders signed into law. State statutes provide schools a guiding set of principles and protection from potential legal issues.
“If the state law says X and the school is following X, someone may want to challenge the state law. That’s O.K., but it gives insulation to the school,” says Greg Clifton, a sports attorney based in Arizona and a former agent.
Also, state laws aren’t unchangeable. In fact, Corey Staniscia, a political aide who helped write Florida’s state bill, says he’s gathering information to potentially amend the Florida bill, if need be, as soon as this fall.
In the end, states might have to change, says Hayes. He believes that most school policies, at least in the Power 5, will afford athletes a mostly unrestricted market. Why?
“They’re in a perpetual state of recruiting. What, are they going to say, ‘no’ to these athletes? That gets out,” he says.
In the meantime, coaches are searching for ways to gain an edge in recruiting. Agents have advised their coaching clients to facilitate contracts for athletes and recruits with local businesses, an industry source tells SI.
“If you’re not having those conversations and lining up deals with your guys, you’re behind,” the person says.
Many inside the industry expect an excessive number of NIL deals, at least for the first two to three years. Booster-owned businesses and big-name brands, they say, will support the team by funneling donations to players in the form of endorsement and appearance arrangements that are, in many ways, now legal.
And if it is not legal, who enforces these state laws or school policies? Can schools, with overwhelmed and understaffed compliance departments, be trusted to report or even uncover violations? Some state statutes don’t even designate an enforcement entity.
It’s a free-for-all.
“Who gets in trouble?” Lawrence asks. “Is the kid arrested? Does the booster get fined?”
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTA3Nzg3MjE4NjU4NDM1/the-wharf-inline.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>The site of The Wharf, where King will hold a signing ceremony and appearance on Thursday</figcaption>
</figure>
Emi Guerra started his career as a college kid at FIU who threw good parties.
Years later, he’s one of South Florida’s most influential hospitality marketers. His crown jewel is The Wharf, where on Thursday a local sports celebrity will make history. King, the Miami quarterback, is scheduled to sign his deal at 4 p.m. from the venue’s deck seating on the bank of the Miami River.
For now, this is a single booking public appearance. But the future might hold more transactions between King and one of his favorite local spots.
“You’re in uncharted territory, but sometimes you’re able to do unique stuff in uncharted territory,” says Guerra. “Being one of the first is unique. Being the first is cool.”
Meanwhile, on the banks of another river, NCAA headquarters braces for a movement that its staff and members have fought against for so long. A new era of college sports has arrived. And for the Indianapolis-based association, the unequal laws and policies across the country are “a disaster scenario” that can be solved only by a federal NIL bill from Congress, says Ekow Yankah, a law professor at the New York–based Yeshiva University. While lawmakers support passing uniform legislation on Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on the scope of a bill. Though talks are expected to reignite soon, some wonder if legislation will get passed by the calendar year.
If Congress does adopt a federal bill, more questions then loom. What happens to agreements between athletes and brands made under state law and school policy?
“Once you let toothpaste out of the tube, you can’t put it back in,” says Bryce Choate, a former Oral Roberts track and field athlete and the student representative on the NCAA D-I Council.
McMillen, the former Congressman, believes college sports needs a new national model of operation. But, he says, “I don’t know how you get there.”
Dan Gale, president of the college athletics consulting firm Leona Marketing Group, compares NIL to a hurricane. It will roar ashore, cause devastation within college athletics and then see the industry rebuild.
“The impact is going to be weird, bad and ugly, because it's dirty,” he says “In three years, we’ll be fine. It will be different, but it will be fine.”
The hurricane is on the doorstep of college sports, its outerbands lashing the coast before a full landfall in the coming days.
“It’s going to be a clusterf---,” says one college athletics source. “Buckle up.”
<a href="https://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover">Read more of SI's Daily Cover stories</a>
More NIL Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/29/ncaa-scotus-nil-jeffrey-kessler">Q&A: Prominent Attorney on NCAA's SCOTUS Shutout, NIL</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/06/29/business-of-football-supreme-court-unanimous-ruling">The Supreme Court Sends a Message to the NCAA</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/04/22/ncaa-athletes-profit-nil-marketplace-july-1">The Hidden Industry of Name, Image and Likeness</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: 'It's Going to Be a Clusterf---:' The New Era of College Sports Is Here. Is Anyone Ready?

College athletes are now allowed to profit off their name, image and likeness, and the landscape may be changed forever. The Wharf isn’t a...

New on Sports Illustrated: Candace Parker, Jonquel Jones Highlight WNBA All-Star Team

<a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/30/candace-parker-jonquel-jones-team-wnba-all-star-game-roster">
The 2021 WNBA All-Star Game will feature a clash between the U.S. Olympic team and Team WNBA, comprised of other top players.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTA1MzQ2NjAzNDkyNDgz/candace-parker-sky.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
Sky forward Candace Parker and Sun forward Jonquel Jones headline the 12-person Team WNBA squad set to face off against
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/21/team-usa-womens-basketball-olympics-2021-roster">USA Basketball's final roster</a> in the league's All-Star Game on July 14. 
This year's All-Star Game will not feature a traditional East-West format, as a result of it taking place in an Olympic year, but will instead pit Team WNBA against <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/21/team-usa-womens-basketball-olympics-2021-roster">Team USA, in what will likely be the U.S. Olympic team's toughest test prior to the Tokyo games.</a>
Parker, the reigning 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, will make her sixth-career All-Star Game appearance, but just her first since 2018. While she's played in just nine games with the Sky, Chicago has posted an 8-1 record in games in which she has played.
Jones, who will be making her third All-Star Game appearance this summer, <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/03/connecticut-sun-jonquel-jones-seattle-storm-noelle-quinn">has been among the league's most dominant players this season</a>, averaging 21.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. She currently also currently leads the WNBA in win- shares per 40 minutes.
<a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/21/team-usa-womens-basketball-olympics-2021-roster">Team USA Unveils Loaded Women’s Basketball Team</a>
Team WNBA features seven first-time All-Stars, including two-time Sixth Woman of the Year and Aces forward Dearica Hamby; last year's WNBA leading scorer, Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale; and last year's Most Improved Player of the Year, Liberty wing Betnijah Laney. <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2020/08/27/satou-sabally-dallas-wings-oregon-rookie-year">Wings forward Satou Sabally,</a> Dream guard Courtney Williams, Sun forward Brionna Jones and <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/05/27/chicago-sky-kahleah-copper-coach-pacific-northwest-university">Sky guard Kahleah Copper</a> also made the squad.
Sun forward DeWanna Bonner, Aces center Liz Cambage and Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot will all be adding to their resumes by making a return trip to the All-Star Game as part of the talented Team WNBA roster. WNBA legends Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson will co-coach the team.
The 12-person Team WNBA roster was determined after the top 36 vote-getters from that voting process who were not members of the USA Basketball five-on-five roster were provided to WNBA head coaches, who then voted for five frontcourt players, three guards and four additional players at any position.
Team USA is equipped with steady veterans, such as Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, as well as talented first-timers like <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/05/19/aja-wilson-las-vegas-aces-profile">reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson</a> and <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2020/11/06/jewell-loyd-seattle-storm-wnba-title-kobe-bryant">rising star Jewell Loyd</a>. Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Chelsea Gray are other newcomers on the U.S. roster, while two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, 2012 MVP Tina Charles, 2017 MVP Sylvia Fowles and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner also anchor the group.
The 2021 All-Star Game will take place in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on ESPN.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on July 14.
More WNBA:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/24/sylvia-fowles-minnesota-lynx-leader">How Sylvia Fowles Has Remained the Lynx' Stabilizing Force</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/05/27/chicago-sky-kahleah-copper-coach-pacific-northwest-university">Kahleah Copper Is the Sky’s Elite Player-Coach</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/10/dallas-wings-arike-ogunbowale-marina-mabrey">The Wings Have Arrived Sooner Than Expected</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2021/06/03/connecticut-sun-jonquel-jones-seattle-storm-noelle-quinn">Jonquel Jones and the Sun Are Rising</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Candace Parker, Jonquel Jones Highlight WNBA All-Star Team

The 2021 WNBA All-Star Game will feature a clash between the U.S. Olympic team and Team WNBA, comprised of other top players. Sky forward...

New on Sports Illustrated: Euro 2020 Quarterfinal Rankings: With France Out, Who Are the New Favorites?

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/30/euro-2020-quarterfinals-power-rankings-belgium-italy-spain-england">
The overwhelming favorite has been eliminated, so which remaining sides are best-suited to win it all?
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
After an opening knockout round like that, with four extra-time thrillers and a thrilling Monday that many are calling the best night in international soccer history, it's hard to imagine how Euro 2020 can get any better. 
But a powerhouse matchup in Belgium vs. Italy, nations like Denmark and Ukraine looking to their national teams for hope and the evergreen "Is this the year for England?" narrative look set to drive us forward into the quarterfinals.
With the elimination of Euro 2016 champion Portugal and <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/30/france-euro-2020-failure-rabiot-mbappe-pogba-deschamps">2018 World Cup champion France in the quarterfinals</a>, a new power is set to emerge, either as a return to glory or as an announcement to the world. Five of the eight quarterfinalists are seeking a first European trophy, and if it's anything like the previous round, the final eight promises to deliver.
Here's how the final eight contenders for the European Championship stack up:
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMDg0ODEzMTcwMTU2Njc1/euro-bracket-quarterfinals-last-8.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
1. BELGIUM
Previous rankings: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">5</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">2</a>
Group finish: 1st in Group B (beat Russia, Denmark, Finland)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/27/belgium-portugal-euro-2020-thorgan-hazard-cristiano-ronaldo-de-bruyne">1-0 win vs. Portugal </a>
Quarterfinal opponent: Italy (Friday, 3 p.m. ET)
Belgium enters the top spot in the power rankings after France's ignominious exit. But <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/11/belgium-golden-generation-euro-2020-lukaku-martinez-daily-cover">Belgium's hopes for its first major trophy</a> may lie in the fitness of PFA Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne (ankle) and Real Madrid's Eden Hazard (hamstring) after the stars left the round of 16 due to injury. Manager Roberto Martinez said the two players avoided structural damage and <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/de-bruyne-hazard-injuries-belgium-euro-2020-portugal-italy">are "50-50" for the quarterfinal</a>, but it remains the big question mark for Belgium. 
The Red Devils showed grit in surviving their toughest test since the 2018 World Cup semifinals to reach the final eight here. Now they will face an upstart Italian side intent on a return to glory, where the winner will surely be considered the favorite to lift the trophy. With its golden generation beginning to fade, it's now or never for Belgium, and there's never been a more opportune chance to win it all.
2. ITALY
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">4</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">3</a>
Group finish: 1st in Group A (beat Turkey, Switzerland, Wales)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/26/italy-austria-euro-2020-extra-time-chiesa-pessina-mancini">2-1 extra-time win vs. Austria </a>
Quarterfinal opponent: Belgium (Friday, 3 p.m. ET)
Italy bulldozed its way through the group stage with three shutout wins but struggled against arguably its weakest opponent yet in the round of 16. Austria gave the Azzurri all it could handle, forcing extra time after a scoreless draw before Italy's depth won out. Second-half substitutes Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina ended up proving the difference in extra time, but Italy looked wasteful in front of goal after taking 27 shots. 
Still, Italy's defensive record and the expected return of Giorgio Chiellini from injury should give Roberto Mancini's side plenty of confidence after extending its unbeaten streak to 31 games, an Italian record. The quarterfinal meeting with Belgium in Munich appears to be the de-facto final and a real test that will show whether Italy has regained its status as a European giant or still has a ways to go. 
3. ENGLAND
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">6</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">4</a>
Group finish: 1st in Group D (beat Croatia, Czech Republic; tied Scotland)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/29/england-germany-euro-2020-sterling-grealish-kane-southgate">2-0 win vs. Germany </a>
Quarterfinal opponent: Ukraine (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET)
On the other side of the bracket, England looks to be the clear favorite to reach the final after a formidable performance against Germany. Raheem Sterling, who has scored three of England's four goals at the Euros, continued his stellar form with the opening goal against Germany, while Harry Kane broke his scoring drought to send Wembley Stadium into hysterics. Moreover, England added to its impressive defensive showing at the Euros with its fourth straight clean sheet as Gareth Southgate's 3-4-3 continued to lock opponents out. 
It'll be easy to overlook a major underdog like Ukraine, but the Three Lions will know that this is a clear shot at their first trophy since the 1966 World Cup with a potential semifinal looming against Denmark or the Czech Republic. England fans have never needed much of an excuse to sing "It's Coming Home," but now they might actually be onto something. A win in Rome would see England head back to London for the semifinal and, potentially, the final in front of its home support. 
4. SPAIN
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">3</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">9</a>
Group finish: 2nd in Group E (beat Slovakia; tied Sweden, Poland)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/spain-croatia-euro-2020-own-goal-morata-luis-enrique">5-3 extra-time win vs. Croatia </a>
Quarterfinal opponent: Switzerland (Friday, 12 p.m. ET)
Other than Switzerland, of course, no one was happier to see France drop out of the tournament than Spain, which now faces the Swiss in the quarterfinals instead of the reigning world champion. La Furia Roja opened that memorable Monday with a hectic win of their own in a roller-coaster of a match vs. Croatia. What started out miserably with that shocking Pedri-to-Unai Simón own goal followed with Spain overcoming a deficit to take a two-goal lead, blowing it in the final 10 minutes and then taking another two-goal lead to advance in electrifying fashion.
The good news for Luis Enrique's side is that it has finally figured out its attack. After scoring only once in the first two games of the tournament, Spain has a combined 10 in the last two matches with six goalscorers—tied for Denmark for the most in the tournament. With that stunning win, Spain is back in the quarterfinals after failing to reach the stage in its last three tournaments. If its recent form continues, a trip to the semifinals and a return to European relevance is certain.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgyMTAzNzUyOTAyMTkwMjEx/belgium-italy-denmark-euros.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
5. DENMARK
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">8</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">10</a>
Group finish: 2nd in Group B (beat Russia; lost to Finland, Belgium)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/26/denmark-wales-euro-2020-last-16-dolberg-eriksen">4-0 win vs. Wales </a>
Quarterfinal opponent: Czech Republic (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET)
Denmark certainly didn't expect to face the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, but that's just how fortune falls for a tournament Cinderella. But after that 4-0 thrashing of Wales, maybe we should stop thinking of the Danes as a fairytale story and start recognizing them as the contender they are. Much like Spain, Denmark has found a spark in the last two games when it's mattered most, with eight total goals, including that <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/22/denmark-russia-euro-2020-group-finale-christian-eriksen-knockout-stage">emotional 4-1 win over Russia</a> to close out the group stage. 
The Czech Republic will still provide a challenge after its strong showing against the Netherlands, but Denmark hasn't been one to overlook any obstacle. We are all too familiar with what befell Christian Erisken in the opening match, but Denmark has turned that story from one of tragic circumstances into one of resilience and inspiration. With a win <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/16/rasim-aliyev-azerbaijan-daily-cover">in Baku</a>, a semifinal never thought possible awaits where the Red and White will like its chances, having already experienced the worst and being made better for it. 
6. SWITZERLAND
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">10</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">13</a>
Group finish: 3rd in Group A (beat Turkey; tied Wales; lost to Italy)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-pks-benzema-mbappe-sommer">3-3 (5-4 penalties) win vs. France </a>
Quarterfinal opponent: Spain (Friday, 12 p.m. ET)
Switzerland was the darling of the round of 16 with its upset of France, and now nothing looks too daunting for the side. After coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the final nine minutes, the Swiss will be motivated to play in their first quarterfinal in a major tournament since the 1954 World Cup that it hosted.
However, they must carry on without their captain, Granit Xhaka, at least for the quarterfinal, after he picked up his second yellow card of the tournament during his dominant, man-of-the-match performance against France. Benfica forward Haris Seferović has had himself quite the week with three goals in his last two games, including two against France, and will surely be counted upon if Switzerland hopes to crack Spain's defense—and crack the semifinals for the first time in the nation's soccer history. 
7. CZECH REPUBLIC
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">16</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">14</a>
Group finish: 3rd in Group D (beat Scotland; tied Croatia; lost to England)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/27/netherlands-czech-republic-euro-2020-de-ligt-red-holes-schick">2-0 win vs. Netherlands</a> 
Quarterfinal opponent: Denmark (Saturday, 12 p.m. ET)
For all of the complaints over the third-place qualification confusion, three of the four third-place teams (sorry, Portugal) have advanced to the quarterfinals, including the Czech Republic. The Czechs held strong against the Netherlands until Matthijs de Ligt's 55th-minute red card gave them the full advantage. Twenty-five minutes later, the Czechs had a two-goal lead and a ticket booked to Baku.
Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick enters the round as the top active goalscorer in the tournament with four goals—just one shy of Cristiano Ronaldo's lead for the golden boot—and is sill the clear favorite to win goal-of-the-tournament for his strike from just over the halfway line against Scotland. There are plenty of worse matchups to have in a quarterfinal than Denmark, and after dispatching the Netherlands, the Czech Republic will feel that the team's fifth Euro semifinal (three as Czechoslovakia) is within its reach. 
8. UKRAINE
Previous ranking: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/10/euro-2020-power-rankings-france-portugal-england-spain-germany">9</a>, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/24/euro-2020-power-rankings-knockout-stage-last-16-france-italy">16</a>
Group finish: 3rd in Group C (beat North Macedonia; lost to Netherlands, Austria)
Last-16 match: <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/29/sweden-ukraine-euro-2020-red-card-dovbyk-zinchenko-shevchenko">2-1 extra-time win vs. Sweden</a> 
Quarterfinal opponent: England (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET)
The fact that Ukraine is in the quarterfinals is quite remarkable given that it squeaked into the knockouts as the last team in. But in a gutsy extra-time triumph, which ended with Artem Dovbyk's thrilling 121st-minute winner, Andriy Shevchenko's side showed that it was ready to make the most of its chance in the knockout rounds.
Against Sweden, Ukraine proved that it wouldn't back down just because it was the underdog, but it will now enter the quarterfinal against England as an even bigger one. All of the pressure will be on England to reach the final now that it has gotten past Germany, meaning Ukraine truly has nothing to lose, having already outdone all expectations. 
More Euro 2020 Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/30/france-euro-2020-failure-rabiot-mbappe-pogba-deschamps">Wilson: Where it Went All Wrong for France</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/29/england-germany-euro-2020-sterling-grealish-kane-southgate">Wilson: England's Approach vs. Germany Winds Up Being Perfect</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/france-switzerland-euro-2020-pks-benzema-mbappe-sommer">Wilson: The Most Stunning Finish to the Most Stunning Day at the Euros</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2021/06/28/spain-croatia-euro-2020-own-goal-morata-luis-enrique">Wilson: Spain Puts Its Pitfalls, Potential on Display in Thriller vs. Croatia</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Euro 2020 Quarterfinal Rankings: With France Out, Who Are the New Favorites?

The overwhelming favorite has been eliminated, so which remaining sides are best-suited to win it all? View the original article to see ...

The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: What Lionel Messi Still Has Left to Chase

New on Sports Illustrated: Cubs' Milwaukee Meltdown Should Serve as a Warning

New on Sports Illustrated: 'It's Going to Be a Clusterf---:' The New Era of College Sports Is Here. Is Anyone Ready?

New on Sports Illustrated: Candace Parker, Jonquel Jones Highlight WNBA All-Star Team

New on Sports Illustrated: Euro 2020 Quarterfinal Rankings: With France Out, Who Are the New Favorites?

Popular Posts

Blog Archive

Labels