Beyond The Press
Posts
🏀 The Injury Bug is BACK...

🏀 The Injury Bug is BACK...

December 15, 2022

Good morning Beyond The Press family! Last night we had an action-packed NBA slate with multiple upsets across the board. Not to mention a superstar that went down with an injury that could be worse than expected. We also had an exciting showdown in the World Cup as France beat Morocco 2-0 in order to advance to take on Argentina in the Final on Sunday. Finally, it looks like UCLA has been given the approval to join the Big Ten. We break it all down right here on Beyond The Press!P.S. Christmas is just ten days away so make sure you don't forget your holiday shopping!

Finish the week off strong!

INJURY BUG

Warriors Move to DEFCON 1 After Curry Injury

This is the last thing the Warriors needed. Steph Curry was in the middle of another brilliant performance Wednesday night before injuring his shoulder on a defensive play. Before his injury, Curry scored 38 points, with five threes on 11 of 19 shooting, in less than three quarters of work. But without him on the court, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers were able to take care of business.

It goes without saying that losing Curry for any significant amount of time would be catastrophic for these Warriors. Not only is he massively important to everything they do from an offense and culture standpoint, but this team hasn't exactly lived up to expectations. Going into last night, they were 14-14 and an abysmal 2-13 on the road, a far cry from what we expect from our reigning champions.

Thankfully, Curry seemed to be in good spirits in the locker room after the game but was reportedly not using his left arm much, even for things as simple as opening a door or taking things out of his locker. But given he’s a righty, not sure that should be a major cause for concern. Curry will be getting an MRI later today in Philly — let’s all hope for the best.

'ON THE MOVE'

UCLA Finalizes Shocking Move to the Big Ten

UCLA and USC shocked the world five months ago when they announced their intention to defect from the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten, and as of last night, UCLA’s move is officially a go. The UC regents board held a special meeting yesterday to approve UCLA’s move but did so with several conditions. In short, UCLA has to fork over stacks of cash.

UCLA will be responsible for increasing its investment in student-athlete resources up to $12.2M, as well as providing a $2M-$10M subsidy to its former sister school, UC Berkeley. Berkeley has been hit extremely hard by USC and UCLA’s dissent, and it expects to see a dramatically lower value in its upcoming media rights deal, hence the need for a big old UCLA check. This subsidy might not be a one-time deal either!

While many people are excited about the possibilities this will bring to college football, this move is not without its detractors. The Big Ten move will significantly increase student-athlete travel (and carbon footprint), and it's expected to devalue highly regarded Pac-12 powerhouse women's sports like basketball, softball, and soccer, as well as their legendary Olympic sports like gymnastics.

WORLD CUP PREVIEW

France Advances, Sets Up Epic World Cup Final

The 2022 World Cup has easily been one of the most chaotic and dramatic World Cups of all time. For starters, you have Argentina in the Finals, despite being nearly eliminated out of the gate with a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia. Since then, Messi has put together his best World Cup and has La Albiceleste one win away from glory.

But that was hardly the only upset. South Korea defeated Portugal, Japan won their group and eliminated Germany in the process, and Morocco bested Belgium and proceeded to become the first African nation to make a semifinal! France making the Final was maybe the most predictable outcome, but even they had to overcome the adversity of losing the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, Karim Benzema, and the sensational Paul Pogba due to injuries.

The stakes could not be higher for the Final. Can the arguable-GOAT Leo Messi finally win the one trophy that has eluded him, or does the narrative begin to shift as the 23-year-old French phenom (and coincidentally club teammate) Kylian Mbappé wins his second consecutive World Cup? One thing is for sure — this match is going to change football’s history.