Welcome back to MoneyCall, The Athletic’s weekly sports business cheat sheet. (Want to get this delivered through email? Sign up here.)
Name-dropped today: Gianni Infantino, the Village People, Lionel Messi, Lane Kiffin, Michele Kang, Dick Vitale, Charles Barkley, Leon Marchand, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Maya Brady and more. Let’s go:
Driving the Conversation
On Friday, it is very possible more sports fans around the world will be paying attention to one unique event than any other this year: picking names randomly out of a pot.
Welcome to the 2026 World Cup draw, the delightfully analog tradition for determining World Cup pool groups, being held at the Kennedy Center (awkwardly) in Washington, D.C., with President Donald Trump likely in attendance (along with the Village People) and the rest of the world locked in.
Think of it as March Madness Selection Sunday squared, a real-time lottery that will help set the global sports agenda for the next six months and ignite billions of hours of discussion, analysis, predictions, TikToks and group-chat lamentations.
To oversimplify the process: The 48-team World Cup field is divided into four 12-team pots, roughly based on the teams’ form (host countries automatically go into Pot 1, despite not necessarily being top-12 teams). A selection of pickers (FIFA execs, former star players, celebrities) draw names and assign teams to their groups.
We might not know the precise 48 pool members until the spring (when the final six at-large slots are qualified for), but come Friday at noon ET, we can begin to see:
The outlines of the U.S. path to the knockout round (or the path of whichever country you care about most);
The opponents for Lionel Messi and defending champ Argentina;
And — a personal favorite — which teams are in the most famously titled quadrennial quartet in sports: the “group of death,” the nickname given to the toughest pool.
And all of that will be based, both metaphorically and literally, on the luck of the draw.
While not random (in fact, quite the opposite), NFL schedule release day holds a similar appeal for NFL fans, and of course, Selection Sunday is the most exciting day of the season for so many college hoops fans, even casuals. The College Football Playoff bracket and bowl calendar will be revealed Sunday, with plenty of drama around those final in-or-out decisions by the selection committee.
Across all these sports, why is a scheduling detail — a calendar invite — such a compelling piece of sports programming? Partly, it’s that idea that it will determine so much of how we live our lives as fans for the next year.
But, also, the World Cup draw is one of the last true surprises left in sports — not even FIFA honcho Gianni Infantino knows how it will sort out as the draw unfolds.
In an era of prediction markets and real-time, play-by-play, win-expectancy percentages, pure random chance will always have a special place with fans.
Get Caught Up
Kiffin’s perplexing LSU deal, plus latest on WNBA negotiations
Lane Kiffin’s $91 million LSU deal: The most amazing detail is that if his ole team, Ole Miss, advances in the College Football Playoff, Kiffin gets paid bonuses by LSU. If you need to catch up on the entire situation, David Ubben has you covered.
WNBA labor negotiations: It is a promising sign that CBA talks are largely playing out behind closed doors, without a ton of leaks and politicking through the media. (Although they are welcome!) Maybe the six-week extension agreed to earlier this week is just so everyone can have a relaxing holiday season, but it’s better than things imploding.
Messi in MLS Cup: Let’s set some expectations for Saturday’s league final. Last year’s MLS Cup final drew fewer than 500,000 viewers (scheduled against the SEC Championship Game, plus no Messi). This year, it is in the window before that SEC tilt, so let’s set the 2:30 p.m. ET audience on Fox at a Caitlin Clark Effect-worthy 1 million even. Can Messi deliver?
Michele Kang backs initiative to advance women’s sports research: In partnership with U.S. Soccer, the prolific women’s sports investor and Washington Spirit owner has launched the Kang Women’s Institute to focus specifically on advancements in women’s soccer through science, innovation and research.
MJ vs. NASCAR trial: I’ll quote the headline. “This is really happening.” (That link is a good “what you need to know” from Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi.)
Jets owner donates $1M to women’s college flag football: Kudos to Woody Johnson for supporting the meaningful expansion of women’s flag. Love the ECAC for championing the largest college flag league in the country. One of these days, the power conferences will realize how huge this is going to be, and invest accordingly.
Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley calling games together: Just ahead of the calendar flip to 2026, ESPN will deliver my favorite media mashup of the year — two of the most distinctive basketball voices ever (Rushmore-worthy, both), calling a college hoops game together on Dec. 13 (then again in March during the First Four, giving Vitale the chance to finally broadcast an NCAA Tournament game on TV).
Other current obsessions: The MLB “fan council” … anything that offers a smidgen of hope Serena might come back … the Team USA hockey jerseys … the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo … CFP politicking …
What I’m Wondering
The legacy of “The Shuffle”
On this date in 1985, “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was released. I was 12 years old and a *die-hard* Bears fan. Jon Greenberg has your legacy column on what I would argue is the single most fascinating sports x culture crossover in U.S. history.
I shot Greenberg a DM to commiserate over a beloved childhood memory: What is the legacy of “The Super Bowl Shuffle”?
💬 “The ’85 Bears didn’t need a hit song to be a legendary NFL team. They were 15-1 and mauled their way to a Super Bowl championship. But by adding a hit song to their already-impressive ledger, they went from legendary NFL team to iconic NFL team. Seriously, find me a more singularly memorable NFL team in the history of the league. I think they benefited, in terms of legacy, by being a double dose of one-hit wonders.”
Grab Bag
Name to Know: Léon Marchand
My second-favorite Marchand, behind Andrew. My colleague Matt Futterman sat down with the French swimmer, one of the biggest Olympic stars in the world (four individual golds in Paris), to talk about LA28 and Marchand’s plans to win over the U.S. — in and out of the pool.
(One more: Maya Brady — yes, Tom’s niece — the new face of the AUSL.)
Happiest Premier League Fans?
Sunderland tops our ranking, which shouldn’t surprise you if you look at the current table spot, No. 6, relative to preseason expectations.
(For more context on the team’s success over a multiyear roadmap, this was an excellent interview with Sunderland’s 28-year-old chairman, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.)
Data Point: 16,014
The new record for U.S. attendance at a women’s pro hockey game, as the Seattle Torrent fans packed Climate Pledge Arena last Friday. (Filing that data point away for next year’s top women’s sports cities ranking.)
Ratings Watch: 5.488 million
Thanks to a convenient Thanksgiving lead-in from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, Fox set its record for a college basketball game with UNC-Michigan State.
Clip This Quote: NIL
“The market is what the highest person is willing to pay.”
That’s a good summary of our in-depth investigation into what high school football recruits are getting for NIL offers. Of note: QBs top the market, of course.
(For reference: “Five-star quarterbacks typically get between $750,000 and $1 million annually, according to three industry sources.”)
Holiday Gift Guide SZN
Loved this from my colleagues Brooks Peck and David Betancourt. I’ll have some picks of my own next week.
Beat Dan in Connections: Sports Edition
Puzzle No. 436
Dan’s time: 00:27
Try it out for yourself!
Worth Your Time
Business-adjacent reads for your commute or downtime:
There are few management or turnaround success stories in sports (or elsewhere) more dramatic or compelling than the way Curt Cignetti came in and completely changed Indiana football. Brian Hamilton has a definitive profile of the “cocky nerd” Hoosiers coach.
Two more:
(1) Managers/leaders: How do you hold your star performers accountable? This Peak review talks with folks who have tried (and also failed).
(2) Just in time for the World Cup draw, surprise and delight your friends with this list of quirky facts about all 64 potential Cup teams.
Back next Wednesday! Text your colleagues this link so they can get MoneyCall every Wednesday for free. And check out The Athletic’s other newsletters, too.