Huddle Up

A daily newsletter curating the best articles in sports

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

With the Seattle Seahawks selling for a record $9.6 billion, I wrote about the real reason valuations continue to climb so fast: NFL teams are one of the world’s best tax shelters for billionaires.

Read: https://t.co/1c6cN7gDet

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Erling Haaland has returned to Norway, and it looks like he brought home a $750 Whiskey Raccoon from Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas, Texas. What an authentic piece of American culture.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Norway's youth sports model is super unique:

• No scorekeeping until age 13
• Participation trophies for everyone
• No travel teams or national championships
• No online publishing of scores or athlete rankings
• Parents typically spend less than $1,000 per child per year

The result?

A 93% participation rate — 40 points higher than the U.S. — and more Winter Olympic medals than any other country in history, despite Norway having a population comparable to the Philadelphia metro area (5.6 million).

And it's not just winter sports...

Norway now produces some of the world’s best summer sport athletes, including Erling Haaland (soccer), Casper Ruud (tennis), Viktor Hovland (golf), and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (track and field).

So if you want to learn more about how Norway's youth sports system actually works (and what other countries can learn from it), here's an essay I recently wrote during the Winter Olympics that breaks it all down.

READ: https://t.co/PeD07abUY3

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Today's newsletter dives deep into the state of youth soccer in America, including why the USMNT continues to underperform (relative to its population) and what the US can do to close the competitive gap to Europe.

READ: https://t.co/BUR0b2vIUs

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

With the USA, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and Portugal all getting eliminated in the Round of 16, ticket prices for the World Cup Quarterfinals are plummeting.

Get-in Price Before Round of 16:
France - Morocco: $1,485
Spain - Belgium: $3,261
Norway - England: $3,866
Argentina - Switzerland: $2,381

Get-in Price Today:
France - Morocco: $1,097 (down 26%)
Spain - Belgium: $1,223 (down 62%)
Norway - England: $1,805 (down 53%)
Argentina - Switzerland: $1,400 (down 41%)

(Ticket Prices via @TickPick)

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

With the US losing last night (and Portugal/Ronaldo also getting eliminated), the get-in price for Friday's Quarterfinal match in Los Angeles has dropped from $3,000 to $1,200 overnight.

(Data via @TickPick)

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Seattle is such a great place for tonight's match against Belgium. Not only do they love soccer, but the stadium itself is incredibly loud. Since it was built on a small piece of land, the seats are super vertical, and the overhang redirects all crowd noise back to the field.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

So to recap what happened with the USMNT:

• Balogun received a bogus red card
• VAR protocol isn't followed (no slow-mo)
• Trump calls Infantino to ask about the process
• US Soccer lawyers preapre & submit an appeal

FIFA's independent 18-person disciplinary committee then met, approved the appeal, and told Balogun he could play in Monday's match against Belgium.

That's what everyone is complaining about?

All rules were followed, and that same process is open to every other country. The only difference is everyone knows the red card was a mistake to begin with.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Good video explaining why it’s so hard to play/win at the Azteca

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Lutnick was sitting next to Infantino during the USMNT’s last match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is when the red card was given.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

The USA-Belgium Round of 16 match on Monday in Seattle currently has an average ticket purchase price of $2,587.

That makes it the most expensive event ever at Lumen Field.

(Ticket data via @TickPick)

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

WHAT A SCENE!! THIS IS WHY WE LOVE THE WORLD CUP 🤯🤯🤯

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Unreal first touch by Messi

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

FIFA is making so much money off this year's World Cup that the United States will likely host it again in 2038. All you have to do is follow the money.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

Tonight’s Switzerland-Algeria match at BC Place in Vancouver is the cheapest Round of 32 ticket at this year's World Cup. Someone bought a ticket on @TickPick earlier today for $285.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

This Tom Rinaldi feature on Pochettino last night was really good. The joy on his mom's face when she talks about him getting hired by the USMNT is incredible.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

The get-in price for USA vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina tomorrow in San Francisco is currently $1,274.

That makes it the third-most expensive event ever at Levi's Stadium — behind only the 2016 and 2026 Super Bowls.

(Data from @TickPick)

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

It’s surprising to see so many people shocked that The Athletic was paying Dianna Russini $800,000 per year. Top NFL insiders make millions, The Athletic is the fastest growing business at the NYT, and Russini likely drove more paid subscribers than anyone else. It’s simple math.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

FIFA's host city contracts are some of the most lopsided agreements I've ever seen.

Host cities are spending hundreds of millions and giving tax breaks, yet FIFA keeps nearly all revenue — media rights, tickets, sponsorships, concessions, parking.

READ: https://t.co/4N3uK7MEhg

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

My favorite part of the Freddy storyline is that the CEOs of private jet chartering companies keep offering him free flights but he completely ignores them to drive a Toyota RAV4 through the south and fly commercial to Canada. A true man of the people.