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Morning Edition
April 21, 2026
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What looked like a runaway race for Arsenal to capture the Premier League title is now anything but, and the implications on and off the pitch are significant.
— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]
First Up Some Masters fans are worried the Green Jackets are trading decades of sporting tradition for social media relevance and more TV eyeballs. Read the story [[link removed]]. The Mets are on a historic run of losing, but the team is just one of several big-spenders off to a tough start in 2026. Read the story [[link removed]]. After Nike said its “Walkers Tolerated” ad in Boston “missed the mark,” the running giant’s competitors took advantage of the marathon-week stumble. Read the story [[link removed]]. While leagues including the NBA have faced issues with teams tanking for a shot at a better draft pick, the PWHL’s approach takes tanking off the table. Read the story [[link removed]]. Premier League Title Race Tightens With Big Money on the Line [[link removed]]
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
What looked to be a glide path for Arsenal to claim its first Premier League title since 2004 has become a particularly rocky road as top challenger Manchester City is looking to reassert itself as a global power.
Man City topped Arsenal 2–1 on Sunday at Etihad Stadium to come within three points in the standings behind Arsenal, controlled by Stan Kroenke, also the owner of several U.S.-based teams, including the NFL’s Rams, NBA’s Nuggets, and NHL’s Avalanche.
Arsenal has been leading the Premier League for nearly the entire season, and less than a month ago had a nine-point cushion in the standings that appeared secure as the May 24 end to the season approaches.
The situation, however, has dramatically changed as Arsenal has lost four of its last six matches, spanning all competitions, after losing just three of the prior 49. A win for Man City, which has a game in hand, against Burnley on Wednesday, could push the City Football Group-owned club atop the standings based on either goals scored or goal differential.
Arsenal has finished in second place each of the last three seasons, and has been trying to break the championship hold that Man City and Liverpool have collectively had on the Premier League since 2018. Man City, meanwhile, is attempting to return to its dominant ways that included an unprecedented four-peat between 2021 and 2024, and back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019—and the club is now favored to do so at many sportsbooks.
“The Premier League starts again,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “They have a game in hand, we are three points ahead, five games to play, so game on.”
Big Stakes
The financial implications of winning the Premier League are significant, helping show the stakes at play in the final weeks of the season.
Last season’s final payouts to the 20 clubs in the league serve as a guide. Liverpool, the 2024–2025 winner, received a total of $71.9 million (£53.1 million) in merit-based payments from the Premier League [[link removed]] last summer, while Arsenal, as the runner-up, garnered $68.2 million (£50.4 million).
Individual club earnings, though also reflecting income from other sources such as the Champions League, showed a similar difference. Liverpool reported club-record revenue of $951.4 million (£702.8 million) for the year ended May 31, 2025, boosted by hefty commercial activity surrounding the Premier League title run and fueling a subsequent spending spree [[link removed]] in the transfer window.
Arsenal, by comparison, generated $935 million (£691 million), also a club record.
Man City, meanwhile, had $934.1 million (£694.1 million) in revenue last season in what was considered a down year for the club, and that total could be dwarfed by earnings for the current campaign—particularly if the club completes its comeback and claims the title.
“So far, they are the best team in England,” Man City manager Pep Guardiola said about Arsenal after Sunday’s high-profile win. “Of course, we extend the chance and the hopes to fight until the end. … It was a good advert for the Premier League.”
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$6.5 million
How much former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson said Miami offered him to transfer.
Simpson is a projected late first- or early second-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft. His fringe draft status means he could take a pay cut in the NFL compared to Miami’s offer, depending on where he ultimately lands. A growing number of college athletes are weighing their NIL earnings against going pro at a discount.
Read the story [[link removed]].
Can you rank the top five MLB players in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in the 2025 season?
[[link removed]] FOS NEWS Bonzi Wells and Damon Stoudamire Explain ‘Jail Blazers’ Era
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Bonzi Wells joins Front Office Sports alongside Damon Stoudamire to revisit the early-2000s Portland Trail Blazers teams that had the talent to reach back-to-back Western Conference Finals—and still became known as the “Jail Blazers.”
They discuss how that label followed them for decades, its racial undertones, and how they are reclaiming their narrative.
Watch the full interview [[link removed]].
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The wins that stay with you—you know, the ones that actually mean something—they never happen alone. They’re earned because you never stopped showing up for one another. And that’s exactly what U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking and Savings [[link removed]] are designed to do: work together, so we can reward you even more. Because you truly deserve a bank that’s always in it with you, every single step of the way. That’s the power of us.
Editors' Picks LIV Golf Moves On to Trump D.C. Event After Rocky Week in Mexico [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]Jon Rahm won the $4 million first-place check at LIV Mexico City. Joe Flacco Sounds Alarm on 18-Game Schedule [[link removed]]by Ben Axelrod [[link removed]]The veteran QB warns such expansion could hurt the playoffs. NFL Draft’s QB Class Thin at Top, but Reshaped New Era of College Football [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]College football’s transfer portal and revenue-sharing picked up in 2025. Question of the Day
Do you think Arsenal will hold onto the lead to win the Premier League title?
YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]
Monday’s result: 60% of respondents said they expect more first-round trades than usual in this NFL Draft.
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