CONCORD, N.C. — UniFirst Corp., a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products, will serve as a primary sponsor on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Chase Elliott this year.

UniFirst will be a three-race primary sponsor with its updated green corporate logo adorning the No. 9 Chevrolet on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway, May 16 at the All-Star Race and Sept. 27 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In addition, UniFirst will be a full-season associate sponsor of the No. 9 team.

UniFirst will continue to serve as the official workwear provider of Hendrick Motorsports, supplying work clothing and uniforms to the team and sister company Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held retail automotive organization in the United States.

“As a Hendrick Motorsports partner, all of us at UniFirst have been closely following Chase throughout his career and we’re incredibly impressed with his long list of accomplishments,” said Adam Soreff, director of marketing and communications for UniFirst. “Most notably, his performance last season having won three races, four poles, and the most popular driver accolades for the second year in a row! To say we’re thrilled to have him as our driver is an understatement.

“Millions of NASCAR fans are anticipating an exciting 2020 NASCAR season with Chase behind the wheel and all of us at UniFirst can’t wait to see our dynamic new race car paint scheme that is sure to impress on the track.”

UniFirst has been a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports since 2016, when they backed Kasey Kahne in two races. The company sponsored William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet in select events for the last two seasons.

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Brendan Gaughan will put a cap on his 23-year NASCAR driving career with a four-race NASCAR Cup Series program, starting with the 62nd annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 16 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway.

The 44-year-old racer from Las Vegas will compete for Beard Motorsports, driving the No. 62 Beard Oil Distributing/South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro.

Gaughan’s City Lights Shine, a whiskey moonshine produced by his 17A Stillery – the first legal distillery in the history of Las Vegas – will serve as an associate sponsor.

After Daytona, Gaughan will return to the seat April 24-26 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Aug. 27-29 at Daytona and Oct. 2-4 at Talladega for what will be his final NASCAR Cup Series start.

Gaughan has made 12 NASCAR Cup Series starts with Beard Motorsports, all coming at Daytona and Talladega.

“I love racing, and competing with Beard Motorsports these last few years have made for some of my most enjoyable moments in NASCAR,” said Gaughan, who currently has 62 NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to his rookie season in 2004. “We do a lot with a little, so when we run up front and lead laps, it’s very satisfying because you know all the work that went into it.

“I wouldn’t want my last races as a NASCAR driver to be with any other team. Mark Beard Sr., and his entire family are passionate about racing, and NASCAR in particular. We’re all competitive and want to perform, but we’re going to have fun doing it,” Gaughan continued. “That’s how we all got started in the sport – because it was fun. And as I wrap up my career, I’m going to make sure it stays fun.”

Beard Motorsports has proven to be the little team that could, a modern-day David competing against the Goliaths of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Owned by Mark Beard Sr., president of Beard Motorsports and various family businesses, Beard Motorsports has taken a strategic approach to its racing endeavors, forming a technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing and running only the superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega.

With cars constructed by RCR and powered by ECR-built engines, Beard Motorsports has scored two top-10 finishes, the most recent being an eighth-place drive last April at Talladega, where Gaughan led five laps.

“Brendan brings a lot of experience to our race team and that has allowed us to be competitive despite not having all the resources of the bigger teams that compete week in and week out,” Beard said. “We have a lot of respect for what those teams do, and it’s an honor to be able to park in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, unload our racecar and see where we stack up. We take a lot of pride in the effort we put forth, and the effort our partners put into Beard Motorsports.

“Richard Childress and the staff at RCR provide us with top-notch equipment. We’ve worked with them since 2017 and it’s easy to understand why they’ve been in the sport for 50 years,” Beard added. “We’re proud to continue our technical partnership with RCR and we look forward to making Brendan’s last races as a NASCAR driver memorable.”

Beard Motorsports is part passion project and part corporate initiative, with the race team serving to market Beard Oil Distributing and TTS Logistics.

Beard Oil Distributing is a third-generation, family-owned company that services the nation’s pipeline construction industry. TTS Logistics is an international freight company delivering an assortment of goods via ground, air and sea.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – John Ray, one of Talladega Superspeedway’s treasured family members whose diesel big rig sporting a giant American flag became iconic during the track’s national anthem performances, has died.

The former NASCAR driver was 82 years old.

Since 2001, few sights in sports have been more patriotic than that of Ray’s gold, brown and chrome Peterbilt truck, adorned with the red, white and blue whipping in the wind, making its way down the Talladega frontstretch prior to the start of races.

Over the years, a tremendous chorus has exploded into cheers by hundreds of thousands of fans during each pass by, creating a tradition that has left many emotional and full of American pride – but none more so than the man who started it all.

“National anthems at Talladega Superspeedway are the most iconic, and it’s because of our great friend John Ray,” said Speedway President Brian Crichton. “What he brought to our fans can’t be duplicated. He was an incredible, passionate man who supported the track and all of motorsports with everything he had. His spirit will live here forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ray family.”

Ray’s story at the superspeedway started in the form of volunteering as he always loved to give back. For more than 40 years, he was a member of the White Flag Club, a dedicated service group of local businessmen from surrounding communities that assist during race weekends.

In 2001, however, he really stepped up.

That year, after the horrific terror attacks of 9/11 and the tragic passing of his longtime friend Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ray – along with then-track chairman Grant Lynch, looked to see what they could do to boost the morale of a country and a fan base that had gone through tough times.

They looked at Ray’s love for 18-wheelers and patriotism and found the answer.

“It was 2001, we just had the 9/11 attacks and Dale had also passed away earlier that year,” said Ray, who lived down the street from the track in Eastaboga, three years ago. “I had a crazy idea to run my rig out on the track with an American flag attached to the back. It started off as a tribute to the country and to Dale.

“I never thought it would become the heart-felt moment that it has over the past some-odd years, but I’m glad it has become a tradition that means so much to the fans and the Talladega family. It represents such a sense of pride that we all share together as a nation and as a community. It is my honor and privilege to do it,” added Ray, who eventually gave up the driving duties of his big rig and handed them off to his late friend Roger Haynes, and last year to his son Johnny.

The laps he drove around the high banks of Talladega that October day in ’01 weren’t his first at the 2.66-mile track.

Ray, who owned “John Ray Trucking Company” since the early 70’s, actually set the world speed record for a semi-truck and trailer around the mammoth track at 92.083 mph in 1975 – in a powerful Kenworth diesel that hissed and hummed through the tri-oval at a break-neck speed one fall afternoon.

“We were testing brakes for a company out at the track,” Ray said. “One thing led to another – and there I was … truck, trailer, and all – making my way around the track, trying to set a speed record. It was something else.”

But, Ray at that time was not just a trucker – he was a racer. He actually drove in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1974-1976. He competed in eight races, four at Talladega (his best career finish was 22nd at ’Dega in 1974), but an accident at Daytona in ’76 ended his driving career.

He continued on as a car owner and essentially gave one of the sport’s greatest legends one of his first opportunities: 10-time Talladega winner Earnhardt. It would be Earnhardt’s third career start.

Behind the wheel of Ray’s No. 77 Chevy with crew chief Buddy Parrott that November afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Earnhardt totaled the car.

However, the Intimidator and Ray would stay friends their entire lives. They would go fishing and hunting together, sometimes with another friend and driver, the late Neil Bonnett, who was more than happy to belong to the group.

Often, Earnhardt would stay at Ray’s home during his trips to Talladega.

Ray graced motorsports and Talladega Superspeedway with such pride and dignity that no one will ever quite compare.

A man who was defined by an 18-wheeler and a small town demeanor – will inevitably be remembered not necessarily as a racer, but as a trucker – and one of the all-time members of the Talladega racing family.

He will always, like his pre-race lap, be iconic to Talladega Superspeedway.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Blue Jackets signed forward Eric Robinson to a two-year contract extension on Monday.

The 24-year-old Robinson was pressed into action at the NHL level this season because of a rash of injuries to regulars. He has responded with five goals, four assists and a +10 plus/minus rating in 31 games. He scored his first NHL goal Nov. 12 at Montreal.

Robinson, who played college hockey at Princeton, would have been a restricted free agent this summer. Contract terms were not disclosed.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced the move as the Blue Jackets began their NHL-mandated winter break. They return to action Feb. 1 at Buffalo.

A total of 17 nationalities have been represented in at least one NHL game so far this season. Nine nations were represented at this weekend's NHL All-Star Game. And while Canada remains the largest producer of NHL talent, the demographics of the league have shifted rather significantly in the past 10 years.

In 2009-10, the NHL was 53.5% Canadian, per QuantHockey.com. Today, that number is 43.2%, with Americans accounting for 25.5%, Sweden claiming 11.7%, Finns making up 5.1%, Russia producing 4.9% and the Czech Republic responsible for 3.5%.

While alarm bells may be sounding in Canada over this shift, the more notable takeaway is the improvement in the other countries to narrow the gap and continue to put elite players in positions to succeed. Just look at Sweden, which doubled the number of players it contributes to the NHL in a 10-year span (5.6% in 2009-10) despite having a hockey-playing population that is roughly the same size as that of the state of Michigan.

Canada's importance to the game is difficult to overstate. They're still the largest producer of high-level players and are unlikely to relinquish that title soon. There are more rinks and more opportunities for exposure to the game than any other country can dream of. The U.S. has a population advantage, but only a small fraction of that large pool plays the sport. That the North American hockey powers' numbers are significantly larger than the rest is hardly a surprise, but it makes what is happening with relatively small hockey populations in Finland and Sweden, in particular, worth watching.

MOSCOW -- Last season, CSKA Moscow became the first team in KHL history to finish first in the regular-season standings and then go on to win the Gagarin Cup. Now they have a chance to do it twice in a row. At 32-10-3, Red Army has the league's best record and an astounding plus-76 goal differential. A big reason why? Two names that are familiar to North American hockey fans: goaltender Ilya Sorokin (.934 save percentage, 1.54 goals-against average, six shutouts) and winger Kirill Kaprizov (23 goals and 47 points through 46 games).

Sorokin, the reigning Gagarin Cup MVP, was a third-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2014, and has long been viewed as their goaltender of the future. Kaprizov, a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2015, scored the game-winning goal in the Olympic gold-medal game in 2018, which made him a national hero.

Scouts have buzzed about Kaprizov as he has developed in the KHL and on international stages; if what his peers in the KHL think is any indication, he'll quickly be a star in North America. Said former NHL winger (and KHL All-Star) Nigel Dawes: "I think everyone sees it. It's kind of a no-brainer. ... He'll have a lot of success in the NHL."

Both Kaprizov, 22, and Sorokin, 24, are under KHL contract through this season. What comes next is a little murkier.

There's a widespread belief in Russia that this is Kaprizov's last season in the league. "Kaprizov will probably go over," former KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko said earlier this month, before stepping down last week when he was appointed by Vladimir Putin as a new deputy prime minister. Many people in Russia I talked to compared Kaprizov's situation to that of Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who spent three seasons in the KHL after getting drafted, because he wanted to develop as a player and make sure he was ready for the transition to North America.

Kaprizov, however, isn't ready to make any declarations just yet.

"I'm concentrating on the final year on my contract, and that's what's in my head now," Kaprizov said through an interpreter. "Of course, I do have a wish to go over to the NHL and test myself there, but I don't want to make any hasty statements at this point because this season is a priority. So we'll see."

Sorokin was similarly cagey. When asked if he knows what he wants to do next year, Sorokin said (also via a translator): "I will know after the last day of the [KHL] season."

Sorokin said he met countryman and current Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov three years ago and called him "a great guy and great sportsman." When asked whether Varlamov's presence would impact his decision, Sorokin laughed and said, "I'd be fired tomorrow if I answered that."

And so we'll have to wait. Sorokin said he has not had much contact with the Islanders. New Wild general manager Bill Guerin, meanwhile, traveled to Moscow in December and met with Kaprizov; signing Kaprizov next season would be considered a huge coup for the rookie GM, as his team needs an infusion of youth.

Both Sorokin and Kaprizov speak conversational English but didn't feel comfortable enough doing an interview in their non-native language. "As far as what I'm worried about if I go over, nothing really comes to mind. I'm pretty chill about it," Kaprizov said. "I've never been to the States. I think language might be a bit of an issue at first, but we'll see once I'm there."

Jump ahead:
What we liked this week | What we didn't like
Three stars of the week | Biggest games coming up

Emptying the notebook

This is the last season the KHL will have a flexible salary cap. Next year will have a hard cap -- roughly $14 million -- and a hard floor of roughly $4 million, which will be raised to roughly $6.5 million over the next few seasons.

An NHL and KHL crossover event -- whether it be an exhibition or a combined all-star game -- could be captivating. But don't expect it to happen anytime soon. As mentioned earlier, Chernyshenko recently took a new job in the government. But when we spoke in Moscow, he discussed the appetite from both sides. "Everyone dreams to have it, like the old [summit] series," Chernyshenko said. "But this is a matter of the calendars and the schedules. What's convenient for us is not convenient for them." Chernyshenko sat down with NBC recently and said they "tried to invent how it could be possible, and how to create it, but we couldn't find any dates."

Chernyshenko, who served as president of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Organizing Committee, also commented on NHL players' participation in the Olympic Games. "Maybe the NHL business is so strong that they don't need the additional boost of the participation of the NHL players," he said. "They think that the NHL finals and playoffs are more important than the Olympic Games. I don't know. If they are not going to go to the Olympic Games, that's fine for them. It's more advantageous for Russia. But for the spectators, it's a shame. The spectators really deserve to have the best players there."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated the NHL's stance at NHL All-Star Weekend: "We believe -- and our experience both with going to five Olympics and then not going to Pyeongchang tells us -- that going is extraordinarily disruptive to the season. ... I know it maintains itself as a priority for the players' association, but having said that, we were very comfortable with not going to Korea."

NHL officials have been using the words "international flavor" as they rethink the format for the 2021 All-Star Game, which will be held in Florida. The NHL and NHLPA are hashing out details now and throwing some ideas on the board, but it sounds like teams could be determined by players' nationalities. That likely would alter the selection process for All-Stars.

The excitement of 3-on-3 hockey has led many fans to wonder whether the NHL would ever extend the five-minute overtime period, and potentially get rid of the shootout altogether. Some players, though, aren't necessarily champing at the bit for that change. Consider Capitals defenseman John Carlson, who said playing 3-on-3 is "one of my favorite things." But he added: "The one thing I would say definitely against it -- because I definitely enjoy it -- is it takes a toll on the guys that would play it. And after a long game, to potentially be stuck out there for two-, three-minute shifts, that it doesn't seem conducive to players' health. The season is long and hard. The game is just getting faster and more physical and at some point you have to say no. ... That's a lot to ask from top players."

What we liked this week

• T.J. Oshie, who spent the first seven years of his career in St. Louis, was voted into his first All-Star Game. When he scored to give the Metropolitan Division a 3-2 lead on Saturday, he shared this sweet moment with his father, Tim, who has Alzheimer's disease:

A special moment between @TJOshie77 and his dad after he scored in the #NHLAllStar Game. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jI0yifv1ol

— #NHLAllStar on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 26, 2020

• Speaking of fathers and sons, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang brought 7-year-old Alexander Letang to St. Louis with him, including on the podium for his two media scrums. Alexander stole the spotlight:

One of the biggest stars of NHL ASG: Kris Letang's 7yr old son Alex who crushed both of his media sessions.

"I really wanted to be at All Star game and not miss it and I really wanted to see my dad and I really wanted to go and I really had a good time and I love hockey so much" pic.twitter.com/7mQLFdf809

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) January 26, 2020

• Elias Pettersson was the lone forward to compete in the hardest shot competition (won by Shea Weber), and the look on his face when he saw his speed was priceless:

102.4 for Pettersson ???? pic.twitter.com/FbWp5aE5GY

— Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang) January 25, 2020

• Cheers, Canadians:

Thanks ⁦@CammiGranato⁩ and USA all-stars for delivering on the bet!@BudweiserCanada #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/94h6zeVyQx

— Jayna Hefford (@J16H) January 26, 2020

• Pretty cool hearing the Great One support women's hockey. As Wayne Gretzky told me on Friday: "I think this is a big step forward for the NHL to reach out and say, 'We want you to be part of the NHL at one of its biggest events.' And I could see the NHL getting more and more involved in women's hockey."

What we didn't like this week

• We finally got details on Connor McDavid's knee injury from the meaningless last game of the 2018-19 season, and the severity was a lot worse than we had realized. McDavid controlled his own narrative by chronicling his rehab process in a documentary, and it turns out, McDavid playing in the 2019-20 season actually was in doubt. It's a fascinating watch. "Obviously a 22-year-old kid at the time and you never want to miss a season," McDavid said at All-Star Weekend. "You never want to go through a season -- you never want to call it risky or something like that, but there were lots of questions. It's not an ACL, which doctors can do in their sleep. It's a PCL, which very few people can do and hasn't really been mastered. Yeah, there definitely was pressure."

• The inaugural 3-on-3 women's hockey event was spectacular, and it achieved its goal of amping up visibility for the sport. But I wish they would have sent the Zamboni out before the game, not after -- when it really wasn't needed anymore -- to give the players a clean sheet of ice.

• IIHF president Rene Fasel's strategy of giving the NHL deadlines for 2022 Olympic participation isn't exactly working. "He also said last summer that he wanted an answer by December, and he didn't get one," Bettman said in his pre-All-Star Game address. "So we're going to have to see. I actually think that the deadline is really more one that we would have to impose in terms of logistics. My guess is if at a point in time we said we wanted to go and we could handle the timing of it, my guess is the IIHF could as well. That doesn't mean that I don't take Rene seriously, but he already gave us one deadline that came and went."

Three stars of All-Star Weekend

David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins

Pastrnak was so good on Saturday -- four goals and two assists in two games -- he won All-Star MVP (and a Honda CR-V hybrid) in a losing effort for the Atlantic Division.

Ann-Renée Desbiens, G, Canada

The goalie stopped 17 of 18 shots -- including a glove save at the buzzer -- to cement a 2-1 win for Canada in the inaugural 3-on-3 women's game at NHL All-Star Weekend. She was sensational.

Mathew Barzal, C, New York Islanders

Taking down a three-year defending champ is no easy task, especially if it's Connor McDavid. But Barzal dethroned McDavid in the fastest skater event with a blazing time of 13.175 seconds.

Games of the week

Wednesday Jan. 29: Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers

The Battle of Alberta got spicy ahead of the All-Star break, including a war of words between players and troll-job billboards fund-raised by the fan bases. Things cooled down when Matthew Tkachuk, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Mark Giordano and David Rittich all teamed up for the All-Star Game, and spouted nothing but ... compliments. But we have a feeling this battle isn't totally over yet.

Friday, Jan. 31: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (ESPN+)

This should be a good one. The Pens, of course, have welcomed Sidney Crosby back, and he has eight points in five games. The Flyers blanked Pittsburgh right before the break and have posted impressive wins lately against three of the other best teams in the league (besides the Penguins): Washington, St. Louis and Boston.

Saturday, Feb. 1: Chicago Blackhawks at Arizona Coyotes

These teams have been frequent trading partners over the last few years, leading to plenty of familiar faces for both sides. The Blackhawks cruised into the break red-hot, winning five of six, and are now only three points out of the second wild-card spot. The Coyotes, currently holding the first wild card, are well within striking distance of first place in the wild Pacific Division.

Quote of the week

"I did see some of it. I heard a lot of F-bombs too. I was like, is this OK? But, good entertainment." -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on Green Day's, uh, colorful performance in St. Louis.

Jordan Spieth is back in action, but his pronounced slide through the Official World Golf Ranking continues.

Spieth made his 2020 debut this past week at the Farmers Insurance Open, but his T-55 result after a final-round 74 at Torrey Pines didn't earn him any OWGR points. He slid six spots in the latest rankings to No. 51 in the world as a result, marking the first time he's been outside the top 50 since he lost a playoff to Patrick Reed as a rookie at the 2013 Wyndham Championship.

Spieth was ranked No. 1 for a total of 26 weeks, and this time last year he was still ranked 20th in the world. But he has had just one top-5 finish since the 2018 Masters. Spieth is in the field at this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open and will need to move back inside the top 50 by Feb. 17 or risk potentially not qualifying for next month's WGC-Mexico Championship.

Marc Leishman moved up eight spots to No. 20 in the world following his win in San Diego, while Lucas Herbert went from No. 223 to No. 79 with his victory in Dubai. Tony Finau rose three spots to No. 13 with a T-6 finish at Torrey, while a T-3 result bumped Brandt Snedeker from 48th to 43rd.

The top 10 remained the same, although the gap between world No. 1 Brooks Koepka and No. 2 Rory McIlroy continues to narrow. Jon Rahm remained No. 3 after his runner-up finish at Torrey Pines, with Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele and Tommy Fleetwood rounding out the top 10.

A late rally at the Farmers Insurance Open left Jon Rahm one shot short of catching Marc Leishman. But as it turns out, that development was a surprising revelation for the Spaniard.

Rahm started the day with a one-shot lead at Torrey Pines, but he quickly moved into chase mode after playing his first five holes in 4 over. He clawed back over the inward half on the South Course, and a birdie on No. 17 combined with a Leishman bogey in the group ahead meant that Rahm headed to the 18th tee at 13 under, one shot off the lead.

But speaking to reporters after the round, Rahm revealed that he didn't look at another scoreboard the rest of the way. That meant he was unaware of Leishman's 72nd-hole birdie ahead of him that pushed the Aussie to 15 under and meant Rahm needed to make eagle - not birdie - to force a playoff. Rahm reached the par-5 green in two and barely missed a lengthy eagle putt before turning to caddie Adam Hayes expecting to prepare for overtime.

"When Adam told me the news, he's like, 'Hey, good try.' I'm like, 'What do you mean? We're in a playoff,'" Rahm said. "He's like, 'Nope, (Leishman) birdied 18.' And I didn't hear any roars or anything, so I just assumed he parred."

Rahm was attempting to emulate the result from three years ago, when he broke through for his first PGA Tour victory thanks to a lengthy eagle putt from the back of the final green at Torrey Pines. While this time his ball ran out of pace from a similar position, he explained that he wouldn't have changed anything about how he played the last hole had he known the true target score.

"I wouldn't have changed anything. I hit a great drive and a great second shot," Rahm said. "The putt, that's a tough putt. You can't just ram it by 10 feet by, it's just not going to go in. So I did hit it with trying to make it with perfect speed, thinking a two-putt would get into a playoff."

An ethereal entity calling itself the “World Golf Group” is either a dire threat to the PGA Tour or a preposterous pipe dream.

Its plan to form the “Premier Golf League” is too fantastical to comprehend right now.

It’s also troublingly mysterious.

At the moment, we are like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, being told to pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, and yet we don’t even have a giant, bulbous green head to approach with our questions.

There’s no face to this league.

So far, there’s just smoke and bombast.

Until somebody steps out from behind the curtain and identifies himself as the face of the Premier Golf League, there’s no credibility in what is being proposed.

None, zilch, nada.

There’s just a skeptic’s sense of surreptitious manipulation.

Back in the mid-90s, the proposed World Golf Tour had titans Greg Norman and Rupert Murdoch out front in its bid to overhaul the game’s competitive structure, and it never got off the ground. The PGA Tour squashed that threat like an Australian Witchetty Grub.

So, who possesses more might and moxie to pull this off than the former world No. 1 and Fox media mogul?

That’s the only question that matters right now.

Any reporting beyond that is a stooge’s work.

Anything beyond feels like a bid to dupe us into generating PR with no real foundation.

This ethereal entity can present the most compelling, well-conceived plan in the world, but the credibility in all of it lies in who is floating the idea.

So, whoever you are at the World Golf Group, do us all a favor and show yourself.

Ultimately, that’s what Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion and the rest of us want to know before this goes any further and before we invest any more interest.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t worth talking about, but we can’t begin to take it seriously until we know who’s behind it.

Originally, news of this ethereal entity’s plan emerged two years ago, with a lot more specifics emerging last week. That, apparently, prompted somebody at the Premier Golf League last weekend to email a sort of manifesto to select media, in the form of an anonymous Q&A.

The release wasn’t identified as a manifesto, but that’s really how it reads, if you’re the PGA Tour or European Tour.

As a plan, it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pretending it isn’t “taking on the establishment,” but, instead, is seeking to “work with it.” That’s amusing salesmanship. As outlined, the plan would reduce the PGA Tour and the European Tour to developmental feeder systems. The disingenuous nature of such a noble depiction adds to the already daunting question of credibility here.

As detailed in the manifesto, the Premier Golf League would:

• Guarantee that “the world’s best players” compete in 18 events for $10 million purses, with additional individual and team bonus monies.
• Feature 54-hole, individual stroke-play championships in all but the season-ending match-play event, with a team component to the entire schedule.
• Establish a “superior model for sponsors” and TV networks.
• Be a new company, owned and operated by the World Golf Group, with the support of an existing shareholder base with assets of more than $20 billion, a base that includes the Raine Group LLC, a sports, media and entertainment investment group.

Again, the World Golf Group’s plans may be worth hearing more about, but not until we meet the brains behind them.

To take this seriously, we need to know who’s leading this venture. We need to know what players and agents have the guts to volunteer they’re already on board. Right now, we need to know more about “who” than “what."

So, whoever you are behind the curtain, do you mind stepping out and introducing yourself?

We need to look you in the eye.

Arsenal's deal to sign Flamengo defender Pablo Mari has collapsed, sources have told ESPN Brasil.

Mari, 26, arrived in London on Saturday to complete a transfer to the Emirates but the defender is now set to stay at Flamengo.

- Transfer Grades: All the big moves rated
- When does the transfer window close?
- All major completed transfer deals

Sources have told ESPN Brasil that Flamengo were opposed to the terms of Arsenal's proposal and Mari has already returned to Brazil after undergoing a medical in London.

He was expected to become the club's first signing since Mikel Arteta took charge but Arsenal will need to explore other options before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Mari, who was on Manchester City's books from 2016-2019, enjoyed a stint at Deportivo La Coruna before moving to Brazil. Despite never playing a single match at the Etihad, Mari is said to be close with Arteta.

Mari has played for Flamengo since July 2019, and was instrumental in the Rubro-Negro winning the domestic and Copa Libertadores crowns.

Sources have also told ESPN Arsenal are likely to miss out on Paris Saint-Germain target Layvin Kurzawa who is set to join Juventus in exchange for Mattia De Sciglio.