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Fyre meme sensation Andy King is reuniting with fraudster Billy McFarland for Fyre Festival II. The event planner who became internet famous when he talked about his, um, dedication for trying to make the disastrous event actually happen confirmed to Yahoo Entertainment he's back for the new iteration.

"I look forward to working with Billy and our partners to share FYRE with the world," he said over email on Tuesday. "I'm so grateful to have support to help us execute the ultimate redemption."

King wouldn't elaborate on their partners (or their plan for ultimate redemption), but added a formal announcement will be coming soon.

Over the weekend, McFarland revealed that Fyre Festival II will take place sometime next year in the Caribbean. There are no dates, except that it's "targeted for the end of 2024," lineup or location listed other than the "Caribbean Sea." There's already a disclaimer on the official website that "FFII date is subject to change." Even with Fyre's disastrous history, the first drop sold out, per the website.

McFarland shared Tuesday on Instagram that "all ticket sales will be held in escrow until the final date" for the festival is confirmed.

The first 100 tickets were the cheapest people could buy, starting at $499 and going up to $7,999. One hundred people clearly put their trust in McFarland, who was released from prison last year as he was convicted of fraud for throwing the ill-fated 2017 event that left concertgoers stranded in the Bahamas. He served almost four years of a six year sentence.

In a YouTube video posted with the announcement, McFarland credited solitary confinement with helping him come up with FFII.

"It has been the absolute wildest journey to get here, and it really all started during a seventh-month stint in solitary confinement. I wrote out this 50-page plan of how it would take this overall interest and demand in Fyre and how it would take my ability to bring people from around the world together to make the impossible happen," he shared, thanking the "best partners in the world."

It's unclear if Ja Rule is among those partners, but it doesn't sound like it. The rapper was an original co-founder, but was dismissed from $100 million class-action lawsuit filed by Fyre Festival attendees. In April, he told People he wouldn't be involved should the event be revived.

"I don't know nothing about it!" he exclaimed. "I don't know nothing about it. I ain't in it!"

A rep for the musician didn't respond to Yahoo's request for comment.

The first iteration of Fyre Festival was branded as the ultimate luxury music concert. Blink-182 and Migos were among the alleged performers and the "exclusive" event was promoted by influencers and models, including Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber. Any guests who were able to arrive at the private island were met with practically no food, shelter or music. Many travelers became stranded after spending thousands of dollars.

Fyre Festival was the subject of dueling Netflix and Hulu documentaries. King became a social media star following Netflix's Fyre, in which he revealed just how far he'd go to secure water for festivalgoers. King, who is openly gay, claimed McFarland asked him to give oral sex to a customs official and he was "fully prepared" to do so.

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Fyre Festival II: Andy King confirms he's working with Billy McFarland for 'redemption'; 1st drop sells out - Yahoo Entertainment

Paul Skenes isn't MLB-ready. Yet. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Heading into the 2023 MLB Draft, the dominant narrative around LSU right-hander Paul Skenes was that he was the most pro-ready prospect in years, an already MLB-level pitcher playing in college.

It's rarely that simple.

Skenes, the first overall pick of the 2023 Draft, made his debut at Double-A with the Pittsburgh Pirates-affiliated Altoona Curve. His final line: four earned runs, three hits, two walks, two strikeouts in 2/3 of an inning of work. He didn't make it out of the first inning.

Per MiLB.com's Gameday feature, all three of the hits Skenes allowed came on pitches in the middle-middle section of the strike zone, including this RBI single by Aaron Bracho:

That's not quite the start the Pirates envisioned when they pushed him to Double-A after he threw four scoreless innings in three appearances between the Single-A Bradenton Marauders and the Pirates' FCL affiliate.

He at least got some strikeouts in:

It should be clearly stated here: one bad inning does not mean Skenes is anywhere close to a bust. Pirates fans should not be panicking. Skenes is still one of the best prospects in baseball. Saturday just goes to show that the distance between college ball and MLB is still very large, and very few players, if any these days, can make that jump without at least some seasoning in the minors.

The recently retired Stephen Strasburg, arguably the best pitching prospect ever and a person to whom Skenes has been compared many times, made 16 starts as a minor leaguer before his electric debut with the Washington Nationals in 2010. Gerrit Cole, another former No. 1 overall pick out of college, needed 31 starts to go from the draft to the Pirates' big league club.

Saturday was the true start of Skenes' adjustment to professional baseball. It could easily get smoother as he learns what won't work against hitters who regularly see triple-digit heat and nasty breaking balls, or he might need a little more time than expected. With stuff as outrageous as his, it will still probably be worth the wait.

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Pirates first overall pick Paul Skenes doesn't make it out of 1st inning in Double-A debut - Yahoo Sports

Jamaica may have reigned over the sprint world for a time, but the United States has taken it back.

On Saturday in Budapest, Hungary, the American men's and women's 4x100 meter relay teams won gold at the World Athletics Championships, just the third time the U.S. has swept the events at worlds and the first since 2007.

On the men's side, Noah Lyles won his third gold medal of the meet, anchoring his team to victory in 37.38 seconds. For the women, Sha'Carri Richardson ran a phenomenal anchor to fend off Jamaican rival Shericka Jackson, as the Americans posted a championships record time of 41.03 seconds.

It was the ninth world title in the event for the U.S. on both the men's and women's side. Lyles is the first man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to win gold in the 100, 200 and 4x100 at the same worlds.

The men were favorites on paper, especially since they had the last three World 100 gold medalists: leadoff Christian Coleman won in 2019, second leg Fred Kerley won in 2022, and Lyles won earlier in the week. The third leg was Brandon Carnes, who was fourth in the 100 at the U.S. Championships last month.

Not surprisingly given the ignominious history of the men's 4x1 team at worlds, the handoffs were not clean, but thankfully it didn't matter Coleman ran up on Kerley, and Kerley ran up on Carnes (meaning the outgoing men started their takeoff acceleration late). The U.S., Jamaica, Italy and Great Britain were all quite close when Lyles got the baton, and he used the 200 speed that has garnered him three straight world championships in that event to pull away from the pack.

Italy was silver medalist in 37.62 seconds, and Jamaica won bronze at 37.76.

The American women were favorites as well, though Jamaica's team was predictably strong.

Youngster Tamari Davis, the 20-year old who finished third at the U.S. Championships in the 100 and qualified for the final in that event here, showed she isn't afraid of the big stage with her leadoff leg. TeeTee Terry, who anchored the gold-medal winning team last year, was the second leg alongside Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Terry handed off to 200 silver medalist Gabby Thomas, who gave Richardson the lead that she never relinquished to Jackson.

Jackson was the 100 silver medalist and 200 gold medalist, running the second-fastest time in event history in the process.

Jamaica was the silver medalist (41.21 seconds) and Great Britain took bronze (41.97).

Also on Saturday, shot putter Chase Ealey defended her 2022 gold medal with a season-best of 20.43 meters (67 feet, 1/3 inch). She is the only American woman to ever win gold in the event, and her win also meant a U.S. sweep: world record holder Ryan Crouser won his second consecutive men's shot put gold on Day 1 of the meet.

With one day of competition remaining, the United States is dominating the medal table with 27 total (11 gold); Jamaica is closest in the count with 11 medals (three gold).

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U.S. men and women sweep gold in 4x100m relay at World Championships - Yahoo Sports

Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales said in a Monday video that he "made a mistake" when he kissed Jenni Hermoso. (Photo by Maja Hitij/FIFA via Getty Images)

Luis Rubiales, the Spanish soccer federation president whose antics tarnished Spain's Women's World Cup title Sunday, publicly apologized Monday for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso during a postgame ceremony.

Rubiales forcibly kissed Hermoso on the lips during an enthusiastic embrace shortly after Hermoso received her winners medal on an on-field podium. The moment was captured by live TV broadcasts and triggered an international outcry.

"It seems unacceptable to me," Spain's minister for culture and sport, Miquel Iceta, said in a TV interview. "We're in a moment of equality, of rights and respect for women. We all have to be particularly careful in our attitudes and our actions. I think it's unacceptable to kiss a player on the lips to congratulate her."

Others pointed out that the federation's policy on sexual violence stipulates that "forced kisses" are considered "unacceptable conduct with immediate consequences." Fans, media members and a wide array of soccer figures called for his resignation or removal.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation has not yet announced any punishment. On Monday, it released a video to various media outlets that included Rubiales' apology.

"I made a mistake, for sure," Rubiales said in Spanish. "I have to accept it. In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened, happened, in a very spontaneous way, with no bad faith from either side.

"We saw it as something natural and normal," he continued in the video which was not posted on federation's social media channels. "But on the outside it has caused commotion, because people have felt hurt by it, so I have to apologize; there's no alternative. I have to learn from this and understand that a president of an institution as important as the federation above all in ceremonies and that kind of thing should be more careful."

In the more immediate aftermath of the kiss, Rubiales had dismissed his critics as "idiots everywhere." He'd said on Spanish radio: "When two people have a minor show of affection, we can't heed idiocy."

He addressed that comment in his Monday video as well.

"There are also some declarations I made where, within this context, I said [the outcry] seemed like idiocy because on the inside, nobody considered it important," he said. "But on the outside they had. So, I want to apologize to those people.

"I'm also saddened, because this is the biggest success in our history in women's football, the second World Cup that we've won, and this has affected the celebration."

He did not address his postgame locker-room declaration that he would marry Hermoso; nor his celebration shortly after the final whistle, which included grabbing his crotch; nor the battle with women's national team players that he publicized and inflamed last September.

FIFA has not yet commented on Rubiales' actions or any consequences.

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Spain soccer president Luis Rubiales apologizes for kissing player, as calls for his resignation mount - Yahoo Sports

COVID cases are once again on the rise. Are schools doing anything about it? (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images)

After a relatively quiet spring and summer, the U.S. is seeing a surge in hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. The increase in serious complications of the virus seems to coincide with the rise of the EG.5 variant (aka Eris), which now makes up more than 20% of new COVID cases in the U.S.

Unfortunately, this increase in cases is happening at the same time as schools reopen their doors across the country. What does this mean for students and staff, and what can parents do to keep their kids safe? Here's what you need to know.

Many schools across the country aren't yet back in session, but some are. Here's what a few have planned for COVID-19 protocols.

Southern California's Chula Vista Elementary School District is offering free weekly COVID-19 and flu testing as part of a partnership with Campus Clinic. (The district is also offering two free counseling sessions to staff to support mental health.)

Chicago Public Schools is reportedly considering a plan to spend up to $5 million on COVID-19 rapid tests for students and staff. The district is also offering a slew of vaccinations at health clinics.

The Charleston County School District in South Carolina is reportedly offering in-school vaccinations to children with parental consent. A van will travel from school to school to give vaccinations to those who want them.

Mississippi's Monroe County schools plan to fog classrooms and buses on a weekly basis to tackle pathogens. The district has also added family nurse practitioners at schools for COVID-19 testing and wellness checks.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, which has historically been very conservative with COVID-19 precautions, is encouraging parents to send their kids to school when they have a mild cold or cough in an effort to boost attendance.

Teachers across the country have their own thoughts about COVID precautions heading into the 2023-24 school year. To protect their privacy, the teachers who spoke to Yahoo Life asked to not disclose their last names.

Sam, a college professor in Florida, plans to keep his distance from students and will have a policy to excuse students from attending class when they're sick. He doesn't plan to wear a mask. "Masks are hard to wear in classrooms that are too warm," he says. "It's hard to project your voice while wearing a mask. And masks are uncomfortable."

Molly, a high school teacher in New York City, tells Yahoo Life that she felt like she was "the only teacher left at the end of the school year last year wearing my mask." She originally planned not to wear a mask to school this coming year, but with the recent surge, she's not sure. "I definitely plan to take the new booster when it comes out, but I still may wear my mask in the school building," she says. "I may be the only one doing it, but that doesnt matter to me because my safety and the safety of my loved ones is paramount. I have two elderly parents and visit them every Sunday to do family dinner, so I have to always think about them first."

Aaron, an English teacher in Orange County, Calif., says he plans to wear an N95 or similar mask in class. "I choose to wear a mask, because scientific, peer-reviewed research has shown that, coupled with social distancing, frequent handwashing and hand sanitization, masks are proven to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 particles," he says. Aaron notes that his school district has also provided over-the-counter home COVID-19 rapid tests to staff.

Doctors say the increase in COVID-19 cases at the start of the school year isn't ideal, but it shouldn't cause parents to panic. "It doesn't raise an increased level of concern compared to other variants, and it doesn't seem to be causing more severe disease," Dr. Thomas Russo, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York, tells Yahoo Life. "Eris may be a whiff better at evading immunity, though."

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, agrees. "Eris is a subvariant of Omicron, and it has the characteristics of Omicron," he tells Yahoo Life. "It's highly transmissible but not apt to produce more serious disease."

Dr. Danelle Fisher, a pediatrician and chair of pediatrics at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., cautions that Eris has caused a range of illnesses in patients. "Some kids have had pretty significant illness with this," she says. "On the other hand, some kids have mild cold-like symptoms. Parents just need to be aware that COVID-19 is still out there."

Fisher recommends going over COVID-19 safety protocols again with your children, since it's likely been a while. That includes talking to them about hand hygiene, encouraging them to steer clear of people who are sick and refraining from picking their nose, which research has shown can raise the risk of getting sick.

"If you know there are high transmission rates and your kid always brings everything home, don't be afraid of masks," Fisher says. "They're a wonderful and fabulous way to prevent the spread of illness." Given that many children won't wear a mask, Fisher suggests making sure your children understand why a mask will help protect them so they can feel better equipped to advocate for themselves and actually keep the mask on.

She also recommends encouraging kids to get enough sleep at night, eat healthy meals and exercise regularly "the simple things to help the body have its natural defenses."

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, Russo says it's important to test them, both to know if you should contact your doctor about getting your child on an antiviral medication and to help protect others.

There will be a new COVID-19 booster available this fall that's better targeted toward the Eris strain, Russo says. "But those boosters are still probably several weeks away," he says. "Many schools will start before they're available."

More COVID-19 coverage:

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COVID cases are rising. What are schools doing about it? - Yahoo Life

Nicolas Batum and France were knocked out of the FIBA World Cup early on Sunday in Indonesia. (Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

Nicolas Batum is not looking forward to the return trip to France, and its hard to blame him.

The Los Angeles Clippers forward and French national team veteran was stunned on Sunday after Latvia rallied to beat France 88-86 in their Group H game in the FIBA World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. The loss sent France, who had finished third at the past two World Cups, home before the tournament's knockout stage.

Ive never been ashamed with this jersey, but this is the first time Im ashamed, Batum said, via CBS Sports. Im scared to go home because we let a lot of people down. A lot of people believed in us to do something special. We didnt do it.

France struggled throughout the World Cup this summer, something very few expected. The team was a medal favorite for the tournament, and entered the event ranked No. 5 in the world by FIBA.

On Friday, Canada dominated France in the first game of the tournament. France lost by 30 points, the largest loss by the countrys top team in a major event since 1987.

Then on Sunday, despite holding a 13-point lead in the second half, France stumbled again. Latvia rallied in the final minutes, and didnt take the lead for the first time in the game until there were 37.7 points left. Rolands Smits dropped 20 points to lead Latvia to the win, and Davis Bertans added 15 points.

Evan Fournier led France with 27 points. Guerschon Yabusele finished with 18 points, and Rudy Gobert added nine points and seven rebounds.

The win sent Latvia, who beat Lebanon in its opening round game, and Canada into the knockout stage. France and Lebanon will play on Tuesday, though France cant finish any better than 17th.

When you lose in the semis or quarterfinals, its different. I mean, at least you compete, Batum said, via The Associated Press. We didnt even get past the first round. We have high expectations. Im ashamed.

Despite the poor showing in Asia, France is still widely expected to compete for a medal in the Olympics next summer in Paris. Batum, Fournier and Gobert are expected to return to the team. San Antonio Spurs rookie and reigning No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama is expected to join the team, too. He skipped the World Cup this summer to prepare for his rookie NBA season. France has also been trying to lure 76ers star Joel Embiid to its national team for the Olympics.

While France has a year to figure it out before competition heads to Paris, this latest outing for the French was unquestionably rough.

"It's very hard," Fournier said, via The Associated Press. "Very tough. Not much to say. We didn't think we would leave the tournament like this. We have to learn from it and come back next year. There isn't anything else to do."

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Nicolas Batum ashamed and scared to go home after France is knocked out of FIBA World Cup - Yahoo Sports

Viktor Hovland ended the PGA Tours season with a dominant win on Sunday afternoon.

Hovland rolled to a five-shot win on Sunday to win the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which officially won him the FedExCup Playoffs. He posted a final-round 7-under 63 on Sunday, which concluded his second straight win to end the Tours season.

Hovland's huge outing came on the heels of his win last week at the BMW Championship. Hovland carded a course-record 61 in his final round outside of Chicago to overtake Scottie Scheffler and grab his fifth career win. He then built up a six-shot lead entering Sundays final round in Atlanta, and rolled to his sixth career win without any issue.

With his win on Sunday, Hovland earned himself an $18 million check. That bumped his career earnings up to about $44.6 million. The FedExCups bonus pool hit $75 million this year, and the top eight finishers this week each earned at least $2 million. Emiliano Grillo and Taylor Moore, who finished tied in last, still brought home more than $500,000 each.

Xander Schauffele finished in second at 22-under, and U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark finished in third at 16-under 11 shots back from Hovland.

Heres a look at the payouts from the Tour Championship:

1. Viktor Hovland | $18 million

2. Xander Schauffele | $6.5 million

3. Wyndham Clark | $5 million

4. Rory McIlroy | $4 million

5. Patrick Cantlay | $3 million

T6. Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa | $2 million

T9. Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, Adam Schenk, Keegan Bradley | $990,000

T14. Russell Henley, Sepp Straka | $780,000

T16. Rickie Fowler, Tyrrell Hatton | $710,000

T18. Lucas Glover, Jon Rahm | $670,000

T20. Si Woo Kim, Tony Finau, Tom Kim | $620,000

23. Brian Harman | $580,000

24. Sungjae Im | $565,000

25. Nick Taylor | $550,000

26. Corey Conners | $540,000

27. Jordan Spieth | $530,000

28. Jason Day | $520,000

T29. Taylor Moore, Emiliano Grillo | $505,000

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Tour Championship: How much did Viktor Hovland, others earn at East Lake? - Yahoo Sports

The Chicago Cubs were one of baseball's hottest teams after the All-Star break. They significantly cut into the Milwaukee Brewers' division lead.

But the Cubs never caught the Brewers. And then Milwaukee got hot.

The Brewers came back Sunday to win their eighth game in a row, the longest current streak in baseball. The only good news for the Cubs is they have also been playing well and despite Milwaukee's winning streak, they trail the Brewers by only four games in the division.

The Cubs and Brewers start a three-game series Monday in Chicago that is huge in the NL Central. The Cubs are -125 favorites for the opener at BetMGM.

Chicago gets one more shot at Milwaukee after this series. The two teams finish the regular season with a three-game series against each other, though that will be in Milwaukee. The Cubs don't want to fall too far behind.

Chicago has been playing well. The Cubs have lost just one series since mid-July. They've been great for bettors. But they'd be at least five games back in the division if they don't win this series, and the wild-card race is tight too.

Milwaukee's starting rotation started to get healthy, and then they took off. Brandon Woodruff finally is off the injured list. Freddy Peralta has been pitching very well. Then Milwaukee's offense suddenly came alive in the eight-game winning streak.

This week's series at Wrigley Field should have a bit of a playoff feel. The Brewers' winning streak pushed the Cubs' odds to win the division to +275. If the Cubs want to win the division, this three-game series is crucial.

Here's a first look at the sports betting schedule for Monday:

There are 14 games in MLB on Monday, with the other Central division having a showdown between first and second place. The Cleveland Guardians are fading and might get their last chance to stay in the AL Central race this week against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins' lead in the division is up to six games. The Twins are -165 favorites.

The Seattle Mariners continue their homestand against the Oakland A's, and they have overtaken the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros for the lead in the AL West. The series against Oakland gives Seattle a chance to extent the lead; they're -275 favorites in the opener.

The Las Vegas Aces are up to an astonishing 30-5 this WNBA season, though they are coming off a loss. For Monday's game, Las Vegas is an underdog for the first time this season. The New York Liberty are a 1.5-point favorite over the Aces.

We'll go with a total. Zac Gallen is starting for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night, and he has been excellent lately. Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers has as well. The Dodgers can put up a big number, but I'll trust Gallen to put in a good start and take the under 8.5.

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The Daily Sweat: Cubs get chance to cut into streaking Brewers' NL Central lead - Yahoo Sports

Ryan Preece was able to get out of his car after an incredibly scary wreck during the final laps of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on Saturday night.

Preeces car turned over in various directions 12 times after it got airborne while sliding down toward the infield grass. After exiting his car, Preece laid down on a stretcher and was taken by ambulance to the infield care center.

From there, Preece was taken to a nearby hospital and kept overnight for observation. Stewart-Haas Racing said in an overnight statement that Preece was "awake, alert and mobile" and he was released from the hospital on Sunday.

Not long after his crash, Preece posted that he was "coming back" on social media.

The crash happened with six laps to go in the 160-lap race. Drivers had taken it easy for much of the final stage of the race before their final pit stops. Once teams pitted for their final fuel stops of the evening, drivers got aggressive as they raced for the win.

The race restarted with two laps to go after the caution for Preece's crash. Chris Buescher got pushed to the lead by Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Brad Keselowski and wasn't challenged over the final lap to win his third race of the season.

Buescher's win meant Bubba Wallace grabbed the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Wallace entered the race in the final playoff position but would have been knocked out of the playoffs had a winless driver outside the top 15 in the points standings won the race.

With Wallace in the playoffs, Chase Elliott misses for the first time in his Cup Series career. Elliott missed seven of 26 regular season races because of a broken leg and a one-race suspension. Elliott finished fourth Saturday night and scored enough points per race to make the playoffs, but simply didn't compete in enough races to qualify for the postseason via points.

Elliott was fortunate to drive his way through a 16-car wreck at the end of the second stage. Ty Gibbs got turned while racing for the lead with Ryan Blaney and his car sent Blaney head-on into the outside wall in a massive hit.

While Elliott is out of the driver playoffs, his No. 9 car qualified for the owner playoffs because of the performances of the drivers who subbed for him. The owner playoffs help determine financial payouts at the end of the season.

"Yeah, it's a bummer, for sure," Elliott said of missing the playoffs. "Hate the season has worked out like it has. The good news is the car got in in the owner's points. That's a big deal. Credit to [crew chief Alan Gustafson] and everybody for continuing to work and scratch and claw while I was out to keep our team alive and to give ourselves a chance. That's a big deal, probably much bigger than a lot of people realize to our team."

"Looking forward to these next 10. Try to make a little noise on that side of things and just try to get ready and prepared for next year."

Martin Truex Jr. clinched the regular-season title and 15 extra points for the playoffs at Daytona. He starts the playoffs tied for first with William Byron. Byron led all drivers with five wins over the first 26 races of the season.

Wallace is in the playoffs for the first time in his career. He's the only driver in the field who has not been a part of the playoffs before.

"Proud to be locked into the playoffs. [23XI Racing], third year in, getting both cars in the playoffs," Wallace said. "We've gone through a lot of trials and tribulations. So proud of the effort we put in."

"No matter how much we set ourselves back, we know that we have a kick-ass group and can bounce back from everything."

Buescher will start the playoffs in fourth after his win and is four points behind Denny Hamlin in third. Here's how the playoff field looks before the first round at Darlington, Kansas and Bristol.

1. William Byron, 2,036 points

2. Martin Truex Jr., 2,036

3. Denny Hamlin, 2,025

4. Chris Buescher, 2,021

5. Kyle Busch, 2,019

6. Kyle Larson, 2,017

7. Christopher Bell, 2,014

8. Ross Chastain, 2,011

9. Brad Keselowski, 2,010

10. Tyler Reddick, 2,009

11. Joey Logano, 2,008

11. Ryan Blaney, 2,008

13. Michael McDowell, 2,007

14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2,005

15. Kevin Harvick, 2,004

16. Bubba Wallace, 2,000

1. Chris Buescher

2. Brad Keselowski

3. Aric Almirola

4. Chase Elliott

5. Joey Logano

6. Alex Bowman

7. Kyle Busch

8. William Byron

9. Kevin Harvick

10. Corey LaJoie

11. Ty Dillon

12. Bubba Wallace

13. Michael McDowell

14. Austin Hill

15. Chandler Smith

16. Christopher Bell

17. Ross Chastain

18. Erik Jones

19. JJ Yeley

20. Daniel Suarez

21. Justin Haley

22. Josh Berry

23. BJ McLeod

24. Martin Truex Jr.

25. Tyler Reddick

26. Denny Hamlin

27. Kyle Larson

28. Harrison Burton

29. AJ Allmendinger

30. Chase Briscoe

31. Ryan Preece

32. Todd Gilliland

33. Austin Dillon

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

35. Ty Gibbs

36. Ryan Blaney

37. Austin Cindric

38. Riley Herbst

39. Brennan Poole

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NASCAR: Chris Buescher wins at Daytona after Ryan Preece's car flips at least 10 times in terrifying crash - Yahoo Sports

Brandon Copeland (left) is shown with Jim Cavale. (Photo credit: AO)

Amid the wave of conference realignment that rocked college sports earlier this month, a thought crossed Jim Cavales mind: What do the athletes think?

Despite a few softball players from Washington and Oregon publicly criticizing their schools move to the Big Ten, few athlete voices were heard.

In this era of college athlete rights, Cavale says there exists a missing piece: a central hub for athletes to communicate, collaborate and even vote on important issues.

That may be about to change.

Cavale, a power player in college sports who founded the NIL marketplace INFLCR, is partnering with recently retired NFL pro Brandon Copeland in creating Athletes.org, a free membership organization open to all college athletes. Athletes.org, abbreviated as AO, is structured in a similar way to a players association. Members are able to join chapters within the organization based on the sport and conference in which they participate.

Using a phone app, AO gives member athletes a place to discuss and even vote on key issues while providing on-demand support through an array of experts in the legal and medical field. Using the uniform and collective voice of the athletes, the group will advocate for improvements such as medical coverage and scholarship protections.

There are a lot of things happening in college sports. NIL and the transfer portal are only the beginning of where we are headed, said Cavale, who stepped away earlier this month from his role as CEO of INFLCR to start up AO. There have been associations for the colleges, coaches and even the athletic directors for a long time. Its a time where athletes need to finally have their own association.

In the most revolutionary era of college sports, athletes hold more power, influence and money than theyve ever possessed. Pressures from the public, state lawmakers and the courts have toppled many of the NCAAs amateurism foundations, bringing sweeping, pro-athlete changes to the industry.

A players association and its potential power to collectively bargain is seen by many as a solution to the problems emerging from an unruly system of NIL state laws.

What were going to do for athletes is not only give them a place for a unified voice, but to create community, said Copeland, a 10-year NFL pro who graduated from Penn and taught financial literacy classes there. Knowledge, access and protection stems from lack of conversation and lack of staying connected. Its 2023. Its time somebody created a solution.

AO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by a group of strategic partners, said Cavale. He declined to reveal any of the partners aside from On3, a media network covering college sports and specializing in NIL activity. For now, AO employs an eight-person staff with plans to grow more.

However, the organization has on retainer dozens of experts to assist athletes, including pro-bono attorneys, accountants and doctors. Athletes can access such tools from a directory in the app. The organization provides a form of NIL protections for athletes as well with a verified registry that certifies NIL agents and school collectives, all of which can be found in the app.

From a collaborative perspective, the company plans to create an athlete ambassador program for different sports. Ambassadors will act as leaders in debate and discussion. Player ambassadors are expected to be announced later this fall.

College athletes arent the only ones who can be involved. High school prospects who have committed or have a scholarship offer letter can join.

Its important that the perspective of college athletes is included in a lot of the key decisions that are being made in the future structure of college sports, Cavale said. Do they want to be employees or not? Do they want to have their school realign to another conference geographically far away?

As with many startups, its leaders are spreading the word. Cavale and Copeland are launching later Wednesday a media blitz in New York, with appearances on NFL Network, CNBC and other outlets.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Sports, Cavale made clear that Athletes.org is not a union and has no such plans of unionization. The organization is meant to work collaboratively with college administrative leaders for the betterment of the industry.

As you know, unionization has been attempted before at the college sports level and its very difficult, Cavale said. Athletes arent employees. Even if they are employees, a lot of them would be employees of state and public institutions with state laws that would prevent unionization from happening.

Athletes.org is the best thing for the entire industry. This is not an us-versus-them situation between college athletes and the schools administration and the conferences. Thats not what this is.

Similar movements have unfolded in the recent past.

In 2015, Northwestern football players petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to seek to form a union. By unanimous decision, the board denied their claim that they are university employees and should be allowed to collectively bargain.

In many respects, players associations in college exist today. Ramogi Huma presides over the National College Players Association based in California, and Jason Stahl leads the College Football Players Association in Minnesota. The two entities have had varied degrees of success in similar pursuits achieving more rights for athletes.

Last summer, quarterback Sean Clifford, in conjunction with leaders from the College Football Players Association, led a movement at Penn State that ended after school and Big Ten administrators learned of the issue. Clifford released a statement Wednesday heralding Athletes.org as bringing a players association to the industry that is a long time coming.

Over the last several years, the NCPA has spearheaded a legislative and legal effort to pursue more rights for athletes. In a resounding win for the NCPA and Huma, the National Labor Relations Board announced earlier this year that it is pursuing charges against the NCAA, Pac-12 and USC for unfair labor practices an ordeal that many expect to end with athletes ruled as employees of their universities. A court case in Pennsylvania could do the same.

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With college sports more in flux than ever before, new players association group emerges - Yahoo Sports