Hello and welcome to another edition of <\/span>Free Agent<\/span><\/i>! Be careful where you <\/span>jump a fence<\/span><\/a> this week, or you might <\/span>face federal charges<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

So a country with a bad government is in the World Cup. Should you root for them, stay away, or maybe it’s not that simple? We’ll dive into the situation with Iran’s men’s soccer team, then move on to what might be the worst new thing about this World Cup (not hydration breaks, sorry!), and close with five thoughts about golf’s U.S. Open.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Locker Room Links<\/b><\/h1>\n

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• Congratulations to Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/span><\/a> on going from Wisconsin’s 7.65 percent income tax rate (10th-worst in the nation!) to Florida’s 0.0 percent. This is going to save him at least $4 million a year.<\/span><\/li>\n
• The PGA Tour has announced <\/span>a major shake-up to its schedule and format<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n
• The <\/span>caddies at Pebble Beach voted to unionize<\/span><\/a>\u2014possibly because their employer moved them from contractor status to full-time employees. “It is believed that this is the first time that elite caddies at a major golf destination have voted to unionize.”<\/span><\/li>\n
• After (wisely!) rejecting a big subsidy for the Chicago Bears, Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spend <\/span>a $425 million subsidy<\/span><\/a> on infrastructure for the Chicago Fire’s stadium.<\/span><\/li>\n
• NASCAR’s race weekend on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego involved “<\/span>no federal spending<\/span><\/a>,” according to documents seen by <\/span>The Athletic<\/span><\/i> thanks to a FOIA request. The Navy got to keep all the money from alcohol sales.<\/span><\/li>\n
• The <\/span>MLB proposed a draft overhaul<\/span><\/a> that would raise the age floor (two years past high school graduation for American players), shorten the draft, create a separate international draft, and make picks tradeable. The players union was <\/span>not happy about it<\/span><\/a>. College baseball fans should be! For better or for worse, I also think a higher age floor will make the draft a more effective way to rebuild.<\/span><\/li>\n
• The Protect College Sports Act, <\/span>which I covered before here<\/span><\/a>, passed a Senate committee vote and <\/span>could get a full Senate vote soon<\/span><\/a>. The bill now <\/span>restricts the Big 12 and ACC<\/span><\/a> from conference expansion (the bill originally intended this only for the Big 10 and SEC). It also tries to <\/span>close a loophole<\/span><\/a> that may have unintentionally allowed for a super league. The <\/span>NFL and NBA players unions<\/span><\/a>, and the NFL itself, support the bill. The SEC and Big 10 are still opposed. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R\u2013Auburn), a former college football coach, suddenly <\/span>withdrew his support<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n
• Elsewhere in <\/span>Reason<\/span><\/i>, the sports takeover continues. On the Giants Pride Night controversy, we have “<\/span>Major League Baseball Teams Have the Right To Offer Pride Uniforms. Should They?<\/span><\/a>” by Billy Binion (<\/span>update here<\/span><\/a>). On the World Cup, we have “<\/span>England Fans Warned Not To Chant ‘Keir Starmer’s a Wanker’ at World Cup<\/span><\/a>,” by our favorite English\/Moroccan\/Egyptian staffer, Reem Ibrahim.<\/span><\/li>\n
• This is why no one outside of New York was rooting for the Knicks.<\/span><\/span>
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  The Knicks overcame the odds and won the NBA championship. <\/p>\n

  We can also overcome the odds, beat the oligarchs and create an economy that works for all, not just the few. https:\/\/t.co\/BrIly7rb9r<\/a><\/p>\n

  — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n