The Washington Post - 05.03.2020

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SPORTS

THURSDAy, MARCH 5 , 2020. WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS M2 D

the team that ripped through the early

part of the season looking like a threat to

win the Presidents’ Trophy.

“It’s disappointing that we don’t man-

age to find that game,” e ller said. “ The only

game I can think in the last couple weeks

that we’ve played like that is maybe Pitts-

burgh at home where we won. other than

that, I don’t r eally think we’ve really played

meN’S CoLLege bASKetbALL

At Jackson state (Miss.), a beloved team manager

makes the most of his chance on senior night. D2

bASebALL

the Brewers, reportedly on the verge of a long-term

deal with slugger christian Yelich, signal their intent. D3

oLYmpICS

the mile free is on the women’s swim schedule for

tokyo, and Katie ledecky sure looks ready for it. D4

BY BEN STRAUSS

Jon Greenberg, a Chicago-
based sportswriter, had just
closed on his new house in 2015
when he was laid off by esPn.
Two months later, facing mort-
gage payments and an uncertain
future, he received a LinkedIn
message from an entrepreneur
named Adam Hansmann. He
wanted Greenberg to be the first
employee of a new sports media
company called the Athletic.
“I am not a religious person or
one of these people who read
self-help books about fate,”
Greenberg said recently. “But it
was amazing timing. I was think-
ing that I would have to look
outside of sportswriting for a job.”
In the four years since it

launched, the Athletic has offered

lifelines to hundreds of journal-

ists. When Fox sports fired all of

its sportswriters in 2017, the Ath-

letic scooped up many. When

esPn did layoffs in 2017, the

Athletic was there. Last year,

when the entire staff of the new

orleans Times-Picayune was laid

off, sports editor Jennifer Arm-

strong “was pretty afraid that my

sports journalism career was go-

ing to be over,” she said. Instead,

she landed at the Athletic.

The Athletic is an ever-expand-

ing behemoth at a time when

many of its competitors — daily

newspapers, magazines, websites

— are shrinking or shuttering.

Last year alone, Deadspin

i mploded and sports Illustrated

see AtHletIc on d7

Sportswriting’s future

may rest with the Athletic

Hiring hundreds in four years, the digital start-up

is a withering industry’s lifeline. But will it survive?

America’s
gymnasts should
refuse to settle
their sexual abuse
case until they
have so
bankrupted the
U.s. olympic
movement that
there’s no option but to start
over, with a completely new
governing structure. That would
be justice, and it also would be
the safest thing for everyone’s
kids. We need to get our athletes
out from under this victimizing,
money-siphoning, bungling,
indifferent, predatory system.
U.s. olympic authorities still
haven’t cleaned out the evil
internal rot — that’s evident from
the utterly degrading settlement
“offer” that UsA Gymnastics and
the U.s. olympic & Paralympic
Committee made to the victims
of serial pedophile doctor Larry
nassar. This nauseating
see jenKIns on d4

For victims

of Nassar,

offer is just

latest insult

Sally
Jenkins

JoHn McDonnell/tHe WAsHIngton Post

capitals forward tom wilson scuffles with Flyers defenseman robert Hagg during philadelphia’s win. wilson dropped the gloves twice on a rough night.

JoHn McDonnell/tHe WAsHIngton Post

Victor robles is working on a different swing and a more selective

approach this season after he struggled last year in the playoffs.

BY SAMANTHA PELL

Lars eller met the assembled reporters

after Washington’s 5 -2 l oss to the Philadel-

phia Flyers on Wednesday night with

blunt honesty: The Capitals are not play-

ing to their o wn expectations, t hey haven’t

for a few weeks, and players up and down

the lineup need to step up their play.

The defeat at Capital one Arena left

Washington at 14-14-1 since Dec. 23. The

Capitals are equal-opportunity under-

achievers, losing high-stakes games such

as Wednesday’s to the surging Flyers with

Metropolitan Division ramifications and

falling to also-rans such as the new Jersey

Devils l ate last month.

The common thread, a few players not-

ed after the most recent loss, is a lack of

execution. The Capitals barely resemble

up to the level that we’re capable of in a

while.”

The loss left the Capitals (40-20-6,

86 points) just one point c lear of the Flyers

(39-20-7) in the Metropolitan. The Pen-

guins (38-21-6) are four points back with a

game in hand.

The defeat also was the ninth consecu-

tive game the Capitals have allowed at

least three goals. Meanwhile, the Flyers

scored four or more goals for the seventh

straight game, all wins, the first time they

have accomplished that in more than

27 years.

“Just a change in effort and mentality, I

think,” eller said of what needs to be

altered down the stretch. “We’ve played

some brilliant hockey in the first couple

months of the season, so we have it within

see cApItAls on d7

Heart’s not in fight

FLyERS 5, CaPItaLS 2

Players express frustration

after another lackluster effort

Capitals at Rangers

today, 7 p.m., nBc sports Washington

BY SAM FORTIER

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. —

Washington nationals hitting

coach Kevin Long is fine-tuning

the swing of Victor Robles. The

pair first tinkered early last year,

when pitchers were painting the

outside corner and forcing Rob-

les to break his compact swing b y

extending his arms to reach.

They countered by pushing Rob-

les closer to the plate, about six

inches away, but then he got hit

— a lot.

The risk of injury wasn’t worth

it, so they adjusted again. Robles

moved about eight inches away

from the plate toward the end of

the year, and it helped a little. But

during the nationals’ playoff run,

pitchers still picked him apart.

They pounded Robles with heat

inside and breaking balls away,

and he stood little chance. The

rookie had nine hits in 41 post-

season at-bats, a .220 average.

“He understands that he’s got

some work to do,” Long said.

“There are a few minor adjust-

ments that we’ve got to make.”

With those tweaks and a new

program designed to counter self-

destructive tendencies at the

plate, the nationals want Robles

to develop as soon as possible. It’s

a more pressing issue now than it

was last year, when the young

center fielder’s Gold Glove-cali-

ber defense rendered his offense

gravy. The heightened

s ignificance of his bat is a trickle-

down effect from losing Anthony

see nAtIonAls on d3

Seeking a step forward,

Robles takes a step back

Nationals hope outfielder

can improve at the plate

by standing farther away

Hawks at Wizards
tomorrow, 7 p.m., nBcsW

BY CANDACE BUCKNER

PORTLAND, ORE. — Bradley
Beal’s early years in the nBA were
spent under the wing of players
such as Trevor Ariza. Last season,
when the Washington Wizards ac-
quired the gangly veteran for a
second stint with the team, Beal
affectionately called Ariza “my
o.G.”
on Wednesday night, Beal and
Ariza reunited, this time as rivals,
and the older gentleman won the
matchup.
During the Portland Trail Blaz-
ers’ 125-104 victory over the Wiz-
ards, Ariza hounded Beal on the
defensive end and forced him to
get 29 points the hard way — on
10-for-29 shooting. Ariza h as been
known for swarming opponents
and, recently, for shoulder-check-
ing Trae Young after the hotshot
Atlanta Hawks guard tried to pull
off an embarrassing move against
him.
Though Ariza spared B eal from
any flagrant tactics, he spent m ost
of his 34 minutes tracking,
see wIzArds on d5

Trip west

wraps up

with things

going south

tRaIL BLazERS 125,

WIzaRDS 104