Michael DeCourcy

Sporting News college hoops columns, Big Ten Network studio analyst, NCAA brackets for FoxSports. NFL, soccer @CoachingforLit Ambassador

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

Didn’t mean this to be a multi-day thing.
And then my bosses made that beautiful announcement.
So this is here to explain how I came to be a sportswriter, why I was so lucky to be at @sportingnews and why it feels right to step back.
And to thank you! ❤️

https://t.co/PomciLQfYD

[Pittsburgh Soccer Now @pghsoccernow]

"I'm optimistic, but I'm slightly traumatized from last season. So, I'm cautiously optimistic."

Ben Waldrum & @Pitt_WSOC open their 30th anniversary season tonight vs Youngstown State with a veteran spine & high-flying freshmen.

📝 @RachaelKPalmer

https://t.co/aWLBRscuyO

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@MDortheimer @MLB KC was one of three champs from outside top 15 metro areas since 2000.
(And is 22 games under .500 now.)

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

When the @MLB apologists start telling you how much competitive balance there is because of Brewers' success, feel free to hit them with these facts. Among 10 teams from smallest metro areas:
1 team in playoff position
2 winning records
Overall record: 567-624
Parity!! 🙄

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@MDortheimer @MLB It’s the No. 4 metro area in the nation.
8.5 million people live there.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@jimfurtado @MLB Because incremental isn’t good enough. The sport is broken. 26 seasons with three champions from outside top 15 markets shows the vast imbalance, and it’s gotten more extreme in the last decade.

[The Sporting News @sportingnews]

Fever HC Stephanie White had an impassioned speech at her pre-game press conference today.

"The hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that's trying to hijack our league will not win. It won't win. We are united. We are connected. We will not be divided."

(via @TonyREast)

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@MarkMaske @FOS @FOSAdam @readDanwrite @dpyoung13 @BenAxelrod Way to go, Mark!

[Brian Hamilton @_Brian_Hamilton]

Quite the comment from Caitlin Clark, after Fever coach Stephanie White's emotional pregame statement:

"I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick, to be honest."

[GreggDoyelStar @GreggDoyelStar]

Here's our news story on Fever coach Stephanie White's pregame firestorm, per @chloepeterson67.
I've got a #columncoming soon, and yeah, you'll see Micah Beckwith's name in there. But first, the latest on Stephanie White:
https://t.co/jmfMOEHTHn

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@echockeyfan @MLB Worth it.
Because this is broken

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@AllenMcDuffie2 @MLB I’ll have to assume you’re not kidding.
So:
A larger market has more people to buy tickets and more people to whom to sell advertising and therefore more value for television broadcasts.
Which matters in baseball because of importance of local television revenue.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@wswduke1441 @MLB The difference between the cap and floor is meager.
In NFL, merely spending to floor annually is not allowed.
In NBA, no one does it.
So we’re talking only about hockey.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@jimfurtado @MLB Owners ought to make concessions on early control.
Of course, the PA would have to care enough to ask for it.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@JeffDavid311588 @MLB One market gets $30 million from local TV.
Another gets $190 million.
And get another gets $340 million.
And you claim there’s no difference.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@echockeyfan @MLB I think they’d lose millions of fans in that scenario.
But I also believe recent developments have made a cap system a goal for a larger number of teams

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@blamberty @MLB I’m not making up numbers here.
Do you want me to drop to outside top 20? Because MLB numbers will still stink.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@blamberty @MLB Baltimore isn’t a small market.
It’s just not LA

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@blamberty @MLB You mean like: Everyone has a chance as opposed to, “Don’t worry, we got a different rich team winning most years, we’ll pretend that’s parity.”

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@jimfurtado @MLB The luxury tax system isn’t working.
It doesn’t work for the league.
It certainly doesn’t work for a massive percentage of players.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@MDortheimer @MLB Dallas is the fourth largest metro area in the United States.
That ain’t a small market, Michael.

[Michael DeCourcy @tsnmike]

@echockeyfan @MLB MLBPA isn’t stronger.
Just dumber.