After verbally agreeing to a contract offer with the Dallas Mavericks, free agent DeAndre Jordan is seemingly having second thoughts and will meet with his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. On the surface, it might appear that Jordan can make a lot more money by re-signing with the Clippers, but the difference is actually not that great.

While the final salary cap figure for the 2015-16 season has yet to be set, teams are working under the assumption that it will be $67.1 million. As a player with seven years of experience, Jordan is eligible for a max contract with a starting salary that is 30% of the salary cap, or about $20.1 million. With the Clippers, Jordan can sign a five-year deal with annual raises of 7.5% worth approximately $116.9 million. With the Mavs, Jordan can sign a four-year deal with annual raises of 4.5% worth about $86.1 million.

The difference after four years is less than $4 million. That difference likely goes away completely with the lack of state income tax in Texas. According to Darren Rovell and Robert Raiola, the overall difference in the two deals drops from more than $29 million to about $12 million based just on taxes.

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While the NFL world waits for an update on Jason Pierre-Paul's status after he was injured lighting off fireworks over the holiday weekend, there are reports that Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback C.J. Wilson also suffered a serious hand injury in a fireworks accident.

Ryan Herman of Lincoln Times-News reports that sources close to Wilson's family say Wilson lost two fingers lighting fireworks over the 4th of July weekend.

Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune first reported that Wilson had injured his hand, though the severity of it was unknown:

The Bucs released a statement, but did not comment on the severity of the injury:

Wilson's agent, Joel Turner, declined to comment on the injury when contacted by Business Insider.

Thus far, Herman is the only source to report that Wilson lost two fingers, though ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL's Ian Rapoport both reported it was said to be serious.

Most reports indicate that Pierre-Paul's injury is less serious, and some believe he can be ready for the NFL season. Though the Giants took away his $60 million contract offer, if nothing else, he can play on the franchise tag for a season.

Wilson, however, doesn't have the experience of Pierre-Paul. He has played just four games in two seasons and is on the final year of a two-year deal worth $585,000 and unguaranteed.

If Wilson's injuries are as bad as reported, it's possible that it could end his career.

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The New York Giants are still relatively in the dark when it comes to the status of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who injured his hand in a fireworks accident during a July 4 celebration.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Giants representatives traveled to Florida in an attempt to visit Pierre-Paul in the hospital, but left Wednesday afternoon without ever actually seeing him:

According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Pierre-Paul refused to see team trainer Ronnie Barnes and ex-player/current Giants special assistant Jessie Armstead.

Pierre-Paul entered this past offseason as a restricted free agent. The Giants initially placed the franchise tag on him in an attempt to give them more time to come to terms on a long-term contract. However, Pierre-Paul never signed the one-year $14.8 million franchise tender — which means he's not currently under contract with the them, and isn't obligated to meet with them about the accident.

Speculation has swirled over the extent of Pierre-Paul's injuries, which aren't believed to be career-threatening.

Since the Giants don't know the specifics of Pierre-Paul's injuries, they've reportedly pulled their $60 million offer, which he wasn't going to accept anyway.

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Yahoo has come up with a new strategy that could help revive the struggling Internet company's fortunes: give users the chance to win cash. 

Yahoo launched a daily fantasy sports service on Wednesday, tapping into a new revenue source that could expand its presence in the multi-billion dollar fantasy sports industry.

The new service, called Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy, allows users to win cash rewards by participating in daily fantasy sports games. Yahoo has long been one of the leaders in fantasy sports in which users compete throughout the duration of a season for fun and for bragging rights. But it's never allowed users to win money on its games until today.

"Today, we're taking the game to the next level and giving fans what they've always wanted — the chance to compete with their friends and win cash, everyday. With today's launch, Yahoo becomes the first major sports site and the only technology company of its scale to offer its own Daily Fantasy experience," Yahoo wrote in a statement.

The new daily fantasy league is already up and running on Yahoo. It's also available through a standalone iOS app, or through any mobile browser, it said.

Fantasy sports are online games that allow users to put together their own imaginary teams comprised of real players, and win points based on the players' real-game performances. It's one of the most popular online activities with a user base of roughly 56 million in the US and Canada alone, and is estimated to be at least a $4 billion industry, according to STATS.

The new fantasy sports games could help attract new users to Yahoo, a 21-year-old Internet pioneer which has struggled to attract users and advertisers at the same rate as competitors such as Facebook and Google. 

While sports gambling is illegal in all but four states, placing money on fantasy sports is considered legal in most states because of a law called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The law basically classifies fantasy sports as a "game of skills," not a "game of chance," which has spawned the creation of multiple daily fantasy sports sites, including the near $1 billion-valued DraftKings and FanDuel.

Today's news shouldn't come as a complete surprise to those who've followed Yahoo in the past. During her last earnings call, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said users spend more than 30 billion minutes on Yahoo's fantasy sports sites annually, and hinted at a summer launch of a daily fantasy service.

"Normally we do not announce products before launch but this has been such an area of interest for our fantasy players and our investors that we wanted to announce that we have a new daily fantasy offering in the works that will launch this summer," she said.

SEE ALSO: Why Draft Kings, a $900 million site that allows gambling on fantasy sports, is legal

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This story is only getting worse.

After previous reports that a July 4th fireworks incident led to burns on the hands of New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, it now appears that he may have had a finger amputated.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated. He even has the medical records to prove it.

 Some, like NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport, think the amputation could be linked to speeding up Pierre-Paul's recovery time. 

 Schefter echoed that sentiment, as a medical source told him that Pierre-Paul will play "sooner than people think."

All of this seems to be without  the knowledge of the New York Giants, who are still relatively in the dark on Pierre-Paul's status. According to Schefter, Giants representatives traveled to Florida in an attempt to visit Pierre-Paul in the hospital, but left Wednesday afternoon without ever actually seeing him:

 According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Pierre-Paul refused to see team trainer Ronnie Barnes and ex-player/current Giants special assistant Jessie Armstead.

The situation has an extra wrinkle due to ongoing contract negotiations between the Giants and Pierre-Paul.

Pierre-Paul entered this past offseason as a restricted free agent. The Giants initially placed the franchise tag on him in an attempt to give them more time to come to terms on a long-term contract. However, Pierre-Paul never signed the one-year $14.8 million franchise tender— which means he's not currently under contract with the them, and isn't obligated to meet with them about the accident.

Since the Giants don't know the specifics of Pierre-Paul's injuries, they've reportedly pulled their $60 million offer.

Though Pierre-Paul was going to turn down the offer, this could affect him in the long-run. As FanSided's Matt Verderame notes, Pierre-Paul wanted big money after seeing players like J.J. Watt and Ndamukong Suh get over $100 million the last two seasons. Pierre-Paul, however, has not been as consistent as Watt or Suh, and now has even further injury concerns.

Spotrac recently estimated Pierre-Paul's worth around $69 million — still well short of that $100 million figure:

 With Pierre-Paul likely to play on the franchise tag now, he's forced into a one-year bet on himself. Not only has he lost long-term security, he now has to prove that there aren't any lingering injury concerns and outplay that $60 million offer.

If he doesn't have a great season, he could regret turning down $60 million.

SEE ALSO: New York Giants take $60 million offer off the table after player injures hand lighting off fireworks

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Keith Olbermann is out at ESPN.

Less than two years after the television personality returned to the network, Olbermann has been given the boot, as the network struggles to trim its budget.

The cost-cutting measures reportedly come from the top, as ESPN's parent company, Disney is looking to cut about $100 million from next year's budget and $250 million from 2017's budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

To that end, network executives had asked Olbermann to ditch his leased Times Square studio to work at the network's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut or in Los Angeles, THR reports.

The move could have saved the network tens of millions of dollars.

Finances aside, the network had also floated a challenging stipulation in contract talks with Olberman. As a caveat to an extension of his 2-year deal, the network wanted him to stop offering commentary on his program, citing his handling of a handful of major NFL controversies last year.

Olbermann's departure ultimately comes down to "creative differences," according to one source cited by THR.

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The Los Angeles Clippers have re-signed free agent DeAndre Jordan to a four-year contract, according to widespread reports.

The signing comes just five days after Jordan verbally committed to the Dallas Mavericks and just hours after several members of the Clippers organization came to his home in Houston and didn't to leave until the contract was signed.

In the last 24 hours before the NBA's moratorium on signing free agents was lifted, the tide seemed to shift with an 11th hour play by the Clippers to get Jordan to change his mind. The move seemed to work as Jordan agreed to meet with coach and general manager Doc Rivers and several Clippers players at his home.

Things got weird in the closing hours as a contingent of Clippers, including owner Steve Ballmer, Rivers, and players Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Paul Pierce decided they were not going to leave Jordan's home until his new contract was signed at 12:01 a.m. ET, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Jordan refused to meet with Mark Cuban. ESPN's Tim MacMahon added that Jordan wouldn't even take phone calls from Cuban or Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons, who was heavily involved in recruiting Jordan.

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, Cuban was driving around trying to find Jordan's house, "begging" Jordan's family for the address via text messages.

Things got so weird that Blake Griffin posted a picture of a chair blocking the front door.

However, shortly after midnight, any fears the Clippers had went away as Paul Pierce posted a photo of Jordan signing his new contract to stay with the Clippers.

Shelburne later added that Jordan told one teammate that he felt that his agent, Dan Fegan, had "pushed [Jordan] to Dallas," and Jordan later changed his mind. Fegan was not present at Jordan's house when he signed the contract and instead had the contract certified by another representative from the agency.

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When pro cyclists in the Tour de France need a quick bike or wheel change to get back into the race as fast as possible, they count on a trusty, experienced support staff to be at the ready.

So when a rider gets a flat or has a "mechanical" or decides, for whatever reason, that he wants a different bike, he alerts the backup crew in his team car via his radio and pulls to the side of the road.

For the guys in the car it's an intense moment, one that's often broadcast around the world on live TV, especially if it's a top rider. It's easy to mess up and take too long, which can put a rider at risk of never rejoining the peloton or, worse, missing the time cut. These unsung heroes are trained to spring into action and carry out a series of steps in rapid-fire succession, all in hopes of getting their man back into the race quickly.

Members of the staff don't always get the credit they deserve, yet their actions are critical to the success of every team. What they do might look easy on TV, but ask anyone who's tried to do what they do and they'll tell you it's tricky work.

One Tour mechanic posted a first-person video with the help of a chest-mounted GoPro camera. It shows him helping two riders get fresh bikes, and it gives you a good idea of how good these guys are at what they do.

There are two cars for each of the 22 teams in the race, with two guys in each car, a driver and a mechanic:

The better cars have a sunroof so that the staff can see which bikes they have up on the roof racks, as well as two video screens to follow the race live (one up front and one in back):

The best mechanics know the drill and can do bike and wheel changes in their sleep:

Once they catch up to a rider in need, they spring out of the car and into action, grabbing a bike from the roof or a spare wheel from the back seat:

Pro riders know how to make changes go as smoothly as possible, like transferring water bottles from their first bike and putting them in the cages of their spare bike:

Once the rider is on the bike and clipped into his pedals, the mechanic gives the him a firm, steady push to help him get up to speed fast:

In this case, the mechanic also gives the rider a multitool to give to a teammate up the road so that he can make adjustments to his bike on the fly:

In less than 18 seconds, the mechanic got out of the car, grabbed a bike, gave it to the rider, and helped him with a push. That's fast work, but often this happens even faster. (The driver, meanwhile, put the original bike on the roof.)

Then for the mechanic it's a sprint back to the team car:

He jumps in, and they're off back into the race convoy. From the moment the car stopped to the moment it drove off, it took 32 seconds:

Watch the video below:

This year's Tour, the 102nd edition, started July 4 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and finishes July 26 in Paris.

SEE ALSO: A tiny 25-year-old Colombian rider with a freakish VO2 max has the world's best cyclists terrified going into the Tour de France

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At the tail end of the NBA's free-agency period, DeAndre Jordan created the biggest mess of the summer.

After reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks, Jordan had second thoughts and held a meeting with the Clippers on the eve of the NBA's official signing period to discuss re-signing.

It created an all-out recruiting war, with both Mavs and Clippers coaches, players, and owners traveling to Houston to persuade Jordan to sign with them.

Jordan froze out the Mavs and his agent while he met with the Clippers at his home, eventually deciding to re-sign with LA for a reported five years and $88 million.

For the Mavericks, this is a total disaster. After a free agency that saw them land Jordan and Wesley Matthews, the Mavericks looked like fringe contenders in the Western Conference.

Instead the Mavs lost their biggest signing, but it's just one part of a bigger ripple effect.

In chasing Jordan, the Mavericks let go of Tyson Chandler, a valuable center who has a similar skill set as Jordan's but is a few years older. Jordan would have been an upgrade, but without him the Mavs have a giant hole at center.

The Mavs have salary-cap space again now that Jordan is out, but most of the NBA's top free agents have already agreed to contracts with teams. Omer Asik got $60 million from the Pelicans, Robin Lopez got $54 million from the Knicks, Chandler got $52 million from the Suns, and Kosta Koufos got $33 million from the Kings.

Additionally, the Matthews signing looks riskier by the moment. Matthews was one of the top wing players the past two seasons, but he tore his left Achilles tendon last season. Though Matthews is reportedly already on his feet, practicing on his own, Achilles tears have historically been harmful to players' careers.

The Mavericks traded backup center Brandan Wright last year for Rajon Rondo, along with their 2016 first-round pick (top-seven protected). Now the team seems likely to miss the playoffs and might not even have a draft pick as consolation, and it would be unwise to trade future picks for a player now with a potential rebuilding process looming.

The Mavericks couldn't have seen this coming, so they can't be faulted for being iced out by Jordan at the last second. Nonetheless, they fall from an intriguing playoff contender to a shallow team without backup options.

SEE ALSO: Top free agent DeAndre Jordan re-signed with the Clippers after teammates camped out at his house to block Mark Cuban from talking to him

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Mark Cuban shot back at ESPN reporter Chris Broussard over a report from Wednesday night's DeAndre Jordan free-agency saga.

Broussard tweeted that Cuban was frantically trying to reach Jordan to convince him to stay with the Mavericks while Jordan was meeting with the Clippers at his house:

Broussard later corrected himself, noting that Jordan, the Clippers, and Cuban were in Houston, not Dallas.

Cuban responded Thursday morning with an epic comeback:

It seems that the part of Broussard's tweet about Cuban trying to contact Jordan has some truth to it, though. Cuban said via CyberDust that he hasn't heard from Jordan since Tuesday night, and that Jordan stopped responding to him yesterday:

The message reads:

Dear Mavs fans,

There will be a time when I detail everything I know regarding the last 48 hours.

I don't think the time is right to say anything beyond the facts that he never responded to me at all yesterday. Not once. To this minute I have not heard anything from him since Tuesday night.

More importantly, I specifically told Wes (Matthews) that I would not hold him to his commitment if he wanted to go elsewhere. I can't print his exact response, but suffice it to say he is excited to play for our Mavs. Wes Matthews is exactly the type of player we want in a Mavs uniform and our fans will love him.

He will be in Dallas today so if you see him give him a MFFL welcome.

Whether Cuban was actually driving around and trying to get Jordan's address is unknown, but at the very least, he was likely trying hard to get into contact with his biggest free-agent signing. Jordan apparently wasn't answering calls from Mavs forward Chandler Parsons, who played a huge part in recruiting Jordan to the Mavs initially:

Jordan apparently froze out the Mavs and his agent while he met with the Clippers. The Clippers even took some further measures to ensure their privacy during the meeting:

The whole scenario is a disaster for the Mavericks, who now don't have a center and have very few backup options with most of the best free agents already signed and very few trade assets.

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The DeAndre Jordan saga — where one of the NBA's most coveted free agents backed out of a verbal agreement with the Dallas Mavericks at the 11th hour and re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers — is one of the great NBA offseason stories of all time.

It involved Chris Paul leaving his banana boat behind to join the recruiting effort, the Clippers refusing to leave DeAndre's house until midnight, Mark Cuban calling out an ESPN reporter for saying he was frantically driving around Houston looking for DeAndre's house, and some very good tweets.

Putting the absurdity of the whole thing aside, it's going to have far-reaching effects for NBA free agency going forward.

Until this point, NBA free agency had functioned through a set of unwritten rules. On July 1 teams can start negotiation with free agents. For the next eight days there's a moratorium on signing players, during which the NBA counts its money and determines the next year's salary cap. On July 9, players can officially sign the deals they negotiated during the moratorium.

The loophole here is obvious: The deals negotiated during the moratorium aren't actually binding, even though NBA teams treat them as such. When a player verbally agrees to a contract before July 9 — as Jordan did with the Mavericks five days before the moratorium ended— the rest of the league leaves him alone. There's an unwritten "no poaching" rule, and this gives teams enough assurance to do an extraordinary degree of business before they can actually sign these guys on July 9.

The Mavericks, for example, went about their business under the assumption that they had Jordan locked up. They let Tyson Chandler go to Phoenix. They didn't put in an offer for centers like Omer Asik, Robin Lopez, or Kosta Koufos, all of whom are now off the board. They didn't pull the trigger on a trade for Roy Hibbert, who's now headed to the Lakers. They signed Wes Matthews thinking he'd be a secondary piece on a Jordan-centered team, rather than a primary piece. The Mavs are now screwed, and they're screwed because they followed the standard practice of behaving as if deals agreed upon during the moratorium are set in stone.

Players have backed out on verbal deals before, but never as dramatically and destructively as Jordan did. It's going to change how NBA free agency works in one of two ways: 1. The moratorium rules will stay the same, but the unwritten rules will get thrown out the window and teams and players will have no idea if verbal agreements will hold any weight, or, 2. The NBA will change the rules to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future.

The NBA world seems to believe the second option is the more likely one.

Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote that a proposal to do away with the moratorium is popular among NBA executives:

Finish the damn audit on June 30, set the cap, and start real free agency — signings and everything — on July 1. Kill the moratorium. There would still be some back-channeling ahead of July 1, but since all players are technically under contract through June 30, such pre-free-agency chitchat would fall much more clearly under the league’s tampering rules.

CBS's Ken Berger proposed simply shortening the moratorium to a few days:

The alternative would be to get rid of the moratorium, but that would only invite more chaos — with teams pressuring players to sign deals on the spot at 12:01 a.m. ET on July 1. In most cases, players having time to conduct meetings, weigh their options and make intelligent decisions without being pressured is probably better. If anything, look for the negotiating period to be shortened. Three to five days should be enough time.

Everyone agrees that this is the end of this specific breed of NBA free agency:

While it must be tempting to NBA teams to enter a world where it's okay to steal player and back out of deals, no NBA team wants to get screwed the way the Mavs were. As a result, things have to change.

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Undefeated knockout specialist Keith "One Time" Thurman ripped into Floyd Mayweather for considering Karim Mayfield — a fighter who has lost two out of his past three bouts — as one of his potential opponents for his last fight in September before he retires.

Thurman, who's been campaigning to fight Mayweather for more than two years, told Tha Boxing Voice that Mayweather planning to fight an opponent as inexperienced as Mayfield shows he cares more about his money than his legacy:

"As soon as that man nicknamed himself 'Money' it's apparent what his interest is. It's money. Not legacy, not anything else man. He's all about the money. He wants to throw out a name like Karim Mayfield man? Like you know what I'm saying? Look at his record, look what he's done. And you want to say Keith 'One Time' Thurman isn't ready?"

Thurman's criticism is not without merit. During a press conference before his fight against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in 2013, Mayweather admitted his team "handpicks" his opponents, but said he doesn't care just as long as he continues to make millions of dollars while doing so.

"Sometimes they say, 'Well, Floyd Mayweather's opponents was handpicked.' That's a good thing," Mayweather told The Telegraph, among other news outlets. "If they say these guys were handpicked, they were handpicked to make $40 and $50 and $60 million, then you know what? Keep handpicking them. If they're going to keep paying, keep handpicking them."

ESPN boxing writer and analyst Brian Campbell praised Thurman for once again shedding light onto Mayweather's tactics.

While Thurman isn't one of the six most-likely candidates to fight Mayweather in September, he certainly has built the resume to do so.

Since turning pro in 2007, Thurman has quickly risen through the welterweight ranks, recently defeating the likes of Robert Guerrero, Leondard Bundu, and Julio Diaz in the process. Many consider Thurman, who's currently listed fourth on ESPN's welterweight rankings to be the heir apparent to Mayweather, and boxing's next star, once the future hall of famer retires.

Thurman, however, doesn't want to wait, telling reporters he wants to fight Mayweather now, and he's willing to "fight the world" to do it:

"I've told y'all I'll go fight Marcus Maidana. I'll go following in the footsteps of Floyd — I'll go fight Manny Pacquiao! I'll fight the world man! I told y'all second time I was on HBO, they said, 'Who do you want to fight?' Keith 'One Time' Thurman wants to fight the world. We are here, in the world of boxing, and I'm trying to dominate. It's plain and simple man."

Watch the entire interview here:

SEE ALSO: Here are Floyd Mayweather's potential opponents for his last fight ever

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New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated after injuring his hand lighting fireworks, according to medical records obtained by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It immediately casts a shadow on Pierre-Paul's future. He reportedly wouldn't let Giants personnel see him in the hospital days after the team took a long-term, $60 million offer off the table.

If the offer is still there, Pierre-Paul is left to sign the franchise tender, worth about $14.8 million for one season.

Hugh Douglas, a former all-pro defensive end, told Mark Eckel of NJ Advance Media the harsh truth about Pierre-Paul's situation — he may have to relearn what he does on the field.

"I don't know. I couldn't imagine having to play without your index finger, especially on your right hand. God gave you five fingers for a reason. Just from a tactical standpoint that's your grabbing hand, to not have an index finger it makes it hard to grab. I'm trying to grab a piece of wood right now and not use my index finger, it's hard. You can't grip. For him as a pass rusher, he's going to be losing his power."

...

"He's going to have to relearn everything he does. He's going to have to learn how to use his hand without having an index finger."

Douglas added that it could be "really bad" for Pierre-Paul's future.

On the surface, Pierre-Paul's injury doesn't seem as devastating as that of C.J. Wilson, who reportedly lost two fingers lighting fireworks. As a cornerback, Wilson probably needs his hands a little more to grab balls and make interceptions.

Pierre-Paul, as a defensive end, primarily tackles players and swats balls. Of course, having the dexterity to make interceptions would be nice, but through five years in the NFL, Pierre-Paul has only made two interceptions.

His contract status is just as much of an unknown, however. Nobody is sure whether he'll be ready for the start of camp, but if he can play this season, he'll have to take a one-year gamble on himself and prove he can still play with a missing finger.

If Pierre-Paul does have to relearn everything, it may be a rough season, and he could regret turning down that $60 million offer before the Giants took it away completely.

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NOW WATCH: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The historic 1996 Chicago Bulls championship team

As expected, LeBron James will re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a one-year maximum contract with a player option for a second year, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

The deal is the same as the one he signed last summer, and it allows him to make the most money possible in the long term. The salary cap is set to explode from $70 million this year to $89 million in 2016-17 because of the NBA's new TV deal. By signing a one-year deal that lets him reenter free agency next year, LeBron can make himself an extra $30 million on a long-term max deal, since max salaries are tied to the salary cap.

If he signs another one-year deal next summer and waits until 2017 for the long-term max, he can make an extra $110 million:

It was previously reported that LeBron wouldn't talk to the Cavs until they re-signed Tristan Thompson to a long-term deal. Thompson is represented by Rich Paul, LeBron's agent. 

Signing one-year deals also gives LeBron all sorts of leverage when it comes to team building. The Cavs have spent a ton of money so far to keep their 2014-15 team together, and it could result in a historic NBA luxury-tax bill. But since LeBron has the power to leave at any time, they can't afford to be cheap.

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The winners of the gentlemen's and ladies' singles tournaments at Wimbledon will take home a record $2.9 million (£1.9 million).

This year's prize money is up 6.8% from a year ago ($2.7 million) and up a whopping 63.5% in just three years since 2012 ($1.7 million).

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NOW WATCH: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The historic 1996 Chicago Bulls championship team

Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova for the 17th straight time on Thursday, breezing into the Wimbledon finals with a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Considering these are the two best players of their generation, the extent of Serena's decade-long domination of Sharapova is astonishing. Serena hasn't just gotten the better of her biggest rival; she's beaten her more often than she has beaten anyone else, and she has done it without mercy.

Just look at this domination:

1. Serena is 18-2 all-time against Sharapova. She hasn't lost to Sharapova since 2005, when she was 23:

2. Since their rivalry boiled over in June 2013 — with Sharapova calling Serena a home wrecker before apologizing — Serena hasn't lost a set to her.

3. Since 2010, Serena has taken 26 of 27 sets off Sharapova.

4. Serena has knocked Sharapova out of six Grand Slams. If it weren't for Serena, Sharapova would have at least three more Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal.

5. Serena has beaten Sharapova 18 times, her most wins against a single top-10 opponent. She has played her sister 26 times, but still hasn't beaten her as often as she's beaten Sharapova.

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The San Antonio Spurs are building their strongest team of the Tim Duncan era, and almost everyone is taking pay cuts to do it.

Though Kawhi Leonard got his max contract, LaMarcus Aldridge took less money than he could get from Portland to sign with the Spurs. (Though it was technically still a max). Danny Green took a less than market-value deal to re-sign. David West gave up $11 million to sign, and now Tim Duncan is doing the same.

Duncan, at 39 years old, was a free agent this summer, but his status was unknown after the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs.

According to David Aldridge, Duncan is holding off on retirement and re-signing with the Spurs on a two-year, $10 million deal:

Even though players tend to take pay cuts in the final stages of their careers, Duncan halving his salary from $10 million last year to $5 million next year is still significant. Duncan is coming off one of his best seasons in the last five years and rightfully earned an All-NBA Third Team spot. He is, amazingly, still one of the best big men in the NBA.

Duncan's willingness to sacrifice money stands out, too, compared to other players who have gotten "legacy" type deals from their teams. Kobe Bryant is on the final year of a two-year, $48 million deal he got from the Lakers, despite age and injury concerns. Dwyane Wade won his standoff with the Heat and got a one-year, $20 million deal this summer, even though next summer he'll likely be forced into a pay cut.

Age will be a concern for San Antonio this year. Duncan will turn 40 next April; Manu Ginobili (who will re-sign soon) will turn 38 this summer. West will turn 35 this summer. Tony Parker will turn 34 next May, and Aldridge will turn 30 this summer. Fatigue and injuries could be a real problem for the Spurs, despite the common notion that they're ageless.

Still, the Spurs roster is stacked, and if Duncan and company can stave off decline for one more season, they immediately become title contenders again this season.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have brought back several of their big free agents in Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert, and now LeBron James.

The timing of James' signing is puzzling, however, because the belief was that he would wait to re-sign until the Cavs brought back his entire supporting cast.

A week ago, Tristan Thompson seemed like part of that group when it was reported that he and the Cavs were nearing an $80 million contract.

Since then, talks have suddenly gone silent, and nobody knows the status of Thompson's free agency. Thompson is a restricted free agent, meaning the Cavaliers can match any offer he gets, and he's represented by Rich Paul, LeBron's agent and childhood friend, so the belief was this would get done quickly. The sudden stall-out is puzzling.

On July 6, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported that James' deal wouldn't get done until Thompson was signed:

On a brighter note, dialogue between the sides is active and ongoing. But according to a league source with knowledge of the proceedings, "There's a lot of talking, but no one is saying anything."

With talks stalled, it prevents the Cavaliers from executing the re-signing of LeBron James, whom Paul also represents. Paul has made it clear that Thompson is his main focus. Getting Thompson finalized is essential in moving the Cavaliers' offseason strategy along.

The longer James, the undisputed best player in the game, is dangling out there unsigned, it's only a matter of time before frustration starts to creep into the superstar if it hasn't already done so.

Something seems to have changed since then. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that James' deal on Thursday didn't necessarily mean Thompson's was on the way:

USA Today's Sam Amick wrote that it is "notable" that James would commit before Thompson's deal is done.

Thompson being a restricted free agent is the big kicker here. The Cavs can match any offer he receives, so it's possible the two sides disagreed on a price, and the Cavs told him to go find an offer for what he wants and then Cleveland can match. James may have signed before Thompson under the idea that Thompson's deal will get done eventually.

However, it is interesting that it has gone on this long. LeBron has an unprecedented amount of power within the Cavs, and the negotiations between Thompson, someone James said should be a Cav for life, Paul, and the Cavs could create tension. 

It's almost certain that Thompson will re-sign with the Cavs, if only because they can match any offer he gets, and they'd be crazy to upset LeBron by letting Thompson go. What will be worth monitoring is how long these negotiations drag out, and if it ends up being a shorter deal than expected, thus making Thompson an unrestricted free agent sooner.

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After the US women's soccer team won the World Cup last week and the final became the most watched soccer game in US history, New York City decided to throw them a parade. 

Now the men of Major League Soccer have decided they are going to crash it.

Here's the news, from Empire of Soccer: 

New York City FC, the New York Red Bulls and Major League Soccer will each have separate floats in the World Cup victory lap in downtown Manhattan.

Joining them will be the National Women’s Soccer League and Sky Blue FC — the local NWSL affiliate. As of now, it is unknown whether either organization will have their own float down the Canyon of Heroes. The possibility exists they will instead share space with some of the other attendees on two separate floats. Of course, that can change as logistics continue to be worked on ahead of this unprecedented event.

What? 

Yep. Men are going to have several floats in this parade for the women's team. On the other hand, it's a big moment for soccer in the US, and one could argue that MLS should get to jump on the bandwagon. 

Empire of Soccer also reports that the New York Cosmos got an invitation but "declined the offer in respect to the Women’s victory."

The parade starts Friday at 11 a.m. in Battery Park in Manhattan. 

MLS declined to comment.

UPDATE:

Phil Walzak, a spokesperson for the New York City mayor's office, told Business Insider that MLS is one of the corporate sponsors who's covering about 25% of the cost of the parade, and the floats are a part of that sponsorship deal. The team floats won't feature MLS players, Walzak said.

"The City of New York is very proud to host this event to honor and recognize this tremendous achievement," he told BI. "We're also happy to have support of sponsors to defray the cost for taxpayers."

SEE ALSO: Here's why it's fair that female athletes make less than men

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FIFA published its monthly world rankings for July, and it's even more inexplicable than usual.

We'll get into a full discussion about why the ranking formula is so bad in a little bit, but first check out just how weird these rankings came out:

• Wales is 10th, and has the most FIFA ranking points of any team in the world in the past 12 months (note: Germany won the World Cup 12 months ago).
• Argentina is ranked ahead of Germany, who beat them in the World Cup final.
• Romania is 8th after not qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
• Portugal is 7th after not making it out of their group in the World Cup.
• France is 22nd, one spot ahead of Iceland.
• The US, after beating Germany, the Netherlands, Guatemala, and Honduras in the last month, dropped seven spots to No. 34. 

Here's the top 10:

1. Argentina
2. Germany
3. Belgium
4. Colombia
5. Netherlands
6. Brazil
7. Portugal
8. Romania
9. England
10. Wales

So how does Wales — a country that has never qualified for a European championship and hasn't made the World Cup since 1958 — end up 10th in the world?

FIFA's ranking formula, is how. Let's explain.

To determine this ranking, FIFA assigns a point value to every game a national team plays over the previous four years, with more recent games weighted more heavily. A game's point value is made with four variables: match result, importance of match, strength of opponent, and strength of opponent's confederation. FIFA multiplies these four factors together to find a team's ranking points in a given game, then takes the average of a team's points per game over the last four years to determine their total strength.

Here's the full formula from a post we wrote last year (feel free to skip if you're not into the nitty-gritty):

Points = M (points for match result) * I (importance of match) * T (strength of opponent) * C (strength of confederation)

A breakdown of the four factors:

• M (points for match result): Teams get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss.
• I (importance of match): This multiplier is fixed based on perceived importance of each competition, as follows: 
• Friendly game: 1.0
• World Cup or confederation-level qualifier: 2.5
• Confederation's Cup or confederation-level competition (like the Euros): 3.0
• World Cup game: 4.0

• T (strength of opponent): T= 200 - (ranking of opponent). So if you play, 2nd-ranked Germany, T=198. And if you play 10th-ranked Wales, T=190.
• C (strength of confederation): This multiplier is fixed by the perceived strength of each continent. The mean between the two numbers is used when teams from different continents play each other:
• South America: 1.0
• Europe: 0.99
• Others: 0.85

Multiply those four numbers together, and you get your FIFA ranking points for each game. To get a team's ranking points for each year, FIFA takes the average of its points per game over all four 12-month windows and weights them.

The ranking takes the last four years of games into account, as follows:

• Four years ago: 20% weight
• Three years ago: 30% weight
• Two years ago: 50% weight
• Current year: 100% weight

So that's the entire formula.

You can see the problems here. The formula is rudimentary and lacks the ability to assess games beyond simple win/loss/draw. It doesn't take into account goal differential or home-field advantage, which is more important in soccer than most other sports, according to Nate Silver's numbers. More importantly, you get ZERO ranking points for a loss no matter what. To FIFA's eyes, Spain battling Germany and losing 2-1 in Berlin is the same as Spain getting blown out by the Faroe Islands 5-0 at home.

This system rewards teams from Europe or South America that play a low number of high-stakes games (since it takes the average of ranking points, not the raw total). In other words, this system was built for what Wales has done over the last 12 months.

Wales has played six games in the last 12 months. Here are their results:

• 1-0 win over Belgium (June 2015, Euro 2016 qualifier)
• 3-0 win over Israel (May 2015, Euro 2016 qualifier)
• 0-0 draw with Belgium (November 2014), Euro 2016 qualifier)
• 2-1 win over Cyprus (October 2014, Euro 2016 qualifier)
• 0-0 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina (October 2014, Euro 2016 qualifier)
• 2-1 win over Andorra (September 2014, Euro 2016 qualifier)

For comparison, the US has played 12 games during that same period, and only one of them (this week's 2-1 Gold Cup win over Honduras) wasn't a friendly.

Wales had four wins, two draws, and zero losses, all in European qualifiers that come with the 2.5x multiplier. Unlike almost every other team in the world, they didn't play any friendlies. That helped them immensely because they didn't kill their points average by losing a meaningless friendly. Even if they had played a friendly and won, it would have been worth about half the FIFA ranking points at these other games and dragged down their ranking anyway.

As a result, Wales had a bonkers FIFA ranking number in the last 12 months. Their 817 points in the last 12 months is the highest in the world. Germany earned just 577 points during the same period, even though they won the World Cup during it! And all because they lost two meaningless friendlies and dropped a Euro qualifier game to Poland.

A bunch of European teams who played Euro qualifiers over the last 12 months got a huge boost, while teams that didn't have meaningful continental competitions (sorry, CONCACAF) tumbled in the rankings because the only games they played were friendlies.

It'd be great if these FIFA rankings were completely meaningless. Unfortunately, they're only mostly meaningless because this is the ranking FIFA uses to determine the eight seeded World Cup teams. When the next World Cup draw rolls around in 2017, this stuff really starts to matter.

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