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Afternoon Edition

April 11, 2025

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Many of the NFL’s top-rated helmets from just a few seasons ago are now off-limits. The league is continuing to evolve its most critical piece of equipment, even after a historic drop in concussions last season.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

NFL’s Helmet Evolution Continues: Several More Models Are Banned [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The National Football League’s new list of approved player helmets for the upcoming 2025 season is seen by the league as “a seminal moment” in the push to reduce on-field concussions.

The league released the results [[link removed]] of its annual helmet performance and safety study Friday, conducted with the NFL Players Association, and is banning seven additional models for next season. Three others have been moved to a “not recommended” category, but notably, all 10 models in question were deemed top performers by the league as recently as 2022.

Taking their place are a series of upgraded helmets that include more force absorption and additional customization for individual positions. Ten recommended helmet models now perform well enough that they are considered “Guardian Cap optional,” exempting players with those helmets from also using the caps during training camp and practice.

“The helmets are getting better, the technology is getting better, players are getting more choices, and they get to see how those helmets actually perform and what their risk profile is,” said NFL EVP Jeff Miller, who helps lead the league’s health and safety efforts.

The results arrive as the league saw during the 2024 season its lowest recorded number of concussions [[link removed]], with a 17% reduction from 2023. The NFL’s move last season to the dynamic kickoff, made permanent at last week’s annual league meeting [[link removed]], and the reduced speed of player impacts in that play is a significant factor in the reduction of concussions. So, too, is the accelerating pace of helmet technology, as well as the increasing acceptance of the use of Guardian Caps.

“While we’re thrilled that we saw the fewest number of concussions ever in the NFL last year, we believe that based on equipment alone, we can see an enhanced ability to protect players this season,” Miller said.

Miller acknowledged there is a sentiment within the NFL to pursue a more aggressive “mandate” and prohibit a greater number of helmet models, but the league is balancing that stance with that of the union and is more oriented to player choice.

Each of the NFL’s helmets for 2025, meanwhile, will also be part of a newly liberalized uniform program [[link removed]], boosting the frequency of throwback and alternate looks.

SPONSORED BY LOVB

The First-Ever LOVB Finals Are Here

The wait is over— professional volleyball has arrived [[link removed]].

On Friday and Sunday, the inaugural LOVB Finals will take over Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center, showcasing six world-class teams and 19 Olympians battling for the first-ever championship. This is more than a tournament—it’s a turning point for volleyball in the U.S.

With elite talent, national TV coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN+, and thousands of young athletes witnessing their future firsthand, the LOVB Finals are setting the stage for a new era of professional volleyball. Don’t miss this historic moment as champions are crowned and the sport reaches new heights.

Discover how LOVB is molding the future of the game [[link removed]].

Potential Lakers-Warriors Playoff Series Could Be NBA Ratings Gold [[link removed]]

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The NBA has faced criticism all season for its declining ratings [[link removed]]. But with the postseason starting in less than a week, the league may be rewarded with a gift to counter its detractors: a playoff series between the Lakers and Warriors.

As of April 11, Los Angeles has an 88.9% chance to secure the No. 3 seed [[link removed]], according to Basketball Reference. It would then face the No. 6 seed in the first round, which currently belongs to Golden State.

There is still a lot that can change in the final four days of the regular season—especially considering five teams jockeying for seeds No. 4 to No. 8 are separated by one game (Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves). However, Golden State has the best odds of securing the position (28.7%). Each team has two games remaining.

A Warriors vs. Lakers playoff duel would feature two of the league’s marquee franchises led by its two most famous, albeit aging, stars in Steph Curry and LeBron James. The two have played 28 games against each other in the postseason—but there’s no guarantee that they will face off again before one—or both—calls it a career.

When the two teams played in conference semifinals in 2023, the series drew 7.8 million viewers—the most-watched semis in 27 years.

Both teams also made high-profile midseason acquisitions (Lakers: Luka Dončić, Warriors: Jimmy Butler) that have turned each team into more credible contenders for the championship.

Based on this season’s viewership data, a series between the two teams, even in the first round, would likely draw massive numbers for the NBA. The Christmas Day game between the two teams [[link removed]] on ABC drew 7.9 million viewers, the most-watched regular-season game in five years. The Jan. 25 battle between the two West Coast teams on ABC averaged 3.05 million viewers, the second-most-watched non–Christmas Day game this season.

Their final meeting of the year was last Thursday, and it drew 2.5 million viewers on TNT, the second-most-watched game of the regular season on cable (excluding opening day). It was also the only game between the two teams this year when both Dončić and Butler played.

Even if Golden State does not finish in sixth, finishing with the No. 7 seed, which it has a 26.3% chance of receiving, could open the door to a second-round meeting between the two franchises. A lot would have to happen to get there—the Warriors would have to win their first play-in game and win a first-round series without home court advantage—but a semis duel would likely drive even higher viewership numbers for the NBA.

NBA ratings have recovered from a weak start to the season [[link removed]] and should end the year at close to equal with last year’s numbers [[link removed]].

MLS’s Move to a Global Schedule Is Harder Than It Looks: Here’s Why [[link removed]]

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Major League Soccer is more committed than ever, at least conceptually, to shift its schedule to the sport’s international standard of fall-to-spring. Getting there, however, is proving to be tougher than expected.

The league’s board of governors, meeting this week in Chicago, agreed to expand its exploration of the move. A possible shift coming out of the men’s FIFA 2026 World Cup in North America will not happen, though, and any pivot will not happen until at least 2027—and perhaps much later than that.

“We’re not there yet,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber. “No decision has been made, and frankly, sitting here today, I’m not sure whether or not we have all the support we need to be able to achieve that.”

Since MLS’s 1996 debut, the league has operated on a winter-to-fall schedule, beginning this year in February, with the postseason to follow starting in October and the MLS Cup in early December. A handful of other leagues follow a similar model, including the United Soccer League [[link removed]] and Canadian Premier League, but fall-to-spring remains the dominant model across the world.

A variety of business issues related to an MLS shift—including media, sponsorship, and venue-related deals—all remain substantial hurdles. Climate-related and geographic concerns also come into play, with MLS’s 30 clubs spanning broadly from warmer locales such as South Florida to three teams in Canada.

“Though there’s momentum to try to get that done, there’s a lot of things that need to happen,” Garber said. “We’ve got to figure out the commercial impact. We’ve got to get closer to researching our players to get a sense as to what their point of view is. We’ve got facility issues to look at.”

Moving to a fall-to-spring schedule is also seen as a tool to help MLS increase its global standing, particularly relating to the player transfer window. Both commercially and competitively, the league is currently seen as trailing many of the major European ones [[link removed]], including the Big Five of the U.K.’s Premier League, Spain’s LaLiga, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, and France’s Ligue 1.

STATUS REPORT One Up, Three Down

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ja Morant ⬇ The Grizzlies star has pivoted away from his three-point celebration in which he mimicked shooting a gun. After receiving a fine of $75,000, Morant has followed his three-point makes over the last two games by throwing a fake grenade [[link removed]]. He said before Memphis’s game Thursday that he won’t change the celebration [[link removed]] “until somebody else has a problem with it.”

Liverpool ⬆ Mohamed Salah signed a new, two-year contract with the Premier League club after lengthy speculation about his future. The 32-year-old’s contract was set to expire in the summer, and it seemed he was ready to part ways with the club despite a dominant season. Liverpool sits atop the EPL table by 11 points over second-place Arsenal.

Kentucky ⬇ Top-25 men’s basketball recruit Acaden Lewis decommitted from the Wildcats [[link removed]], ESPN reported Thursday. Lewis was ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s 2025 high school recruiting class and had committed to Kentucky in November.

UCLA ⬇ Despite the program’s first run to the women’s Final Four [[link removed]], the Bruins have six players in the transfer portal, including all four members of their freshman class. UCLA is still expected to be a top program next year due the returning duo of Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice alongside Betts’s sister, Sienna, the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 high school class, according to ESPN.

SPONSORED BY TEAMWORKS

The Man Behind USC’s Comeback

Next Up with Adam Breneman [[link removed]] returns this week with a deep dive into one of college football’s most ambitious rebuilds. In this episode, USC general manager Chad Bowden [[link removed]] shares how he made the leap from Notre Dame to join Lincoln Riley at USC in just 24 hours—and why he believes the West Coast is home to the best high school football talent in the country.

From NIL (name, image, and likeness) realities and roster construction to culture-building and USC’s Big Ten transition, Bowden offers an unfiltered look at the GM role reshaping the sport [[link removed]] from the inside out.

This conversation is part of a larger look—presented by our partners at Teamworks [[link removed]]—at how NFL-style general managers are changing college football. Their end-to-end solution, Teamworks GM [[link removed]], is purpose-built for this new era.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel laid out team rules in his first speech to players, which included treating staff with respect. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Mercedes-Benz gifted Bernhard Langer with a personalized car for his final Masters Tournament. Take a look [[link removed]]. The Golden State Valkyries announced Sephora as a founding partner, official beauty partner, and presenter of their new performance center in Oakland. Check out the announcement video [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Cowboys Scion Charlotte Jones Backing NFL Flag Football Bid [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]The Cowboys co-owner is backing a Dallas flag football group. How the Hawks Ended Up With Two College GMs on an NBA Roster [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Trae Young and Terance Mann are actively working for their schools. ESPN Reporter Jeff Darlington Could Become Free Agent [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Darlington is one of the network’s top NFL and golf reporters. Advertise [[link removed]] Honors [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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