“Boring” products can make for revenue that funds riskier bets.
In January 2024, Office 365 quietly reached 400 million paid seats. Microsoft(MSFT 0.26%) products are as integrated into our professional lives as meetings that could’ve been emails, but these “boring” and decades-old tools are the fuel Microsoft is using to compete in the artificial intelligence (AI) race.
As AI progresses and automates away chunks of the professional world as we know it, the legacy suite of Microsoft 365 products shows no signs of slowing down. This ability to quietly and reliably generate revenue is funding Microsoft’s riskier AI bets.
Office products generated $54.9 billion in fiscal year 2024 (the 12 months ended in June 2024). That was 22% of all of Microsoft’s revenue. Microsoft 365 will keep the company on the leaderboard of AI innovators for years to come. This is great news for long-term Microsoft investors.
Image source: Getty Images.
Microsoft’s lagging AI strategy
Microsoft is still playing catch-up when it comes to generative AI. OpenAI leads with more than 200 million weekly active users and set the gold standard with the release of ChatGPT in 2022. Alphabet‘s Google and Meta Platforms both have models nearly equivalent to OpenAI.
Compared to these companies, Microsoft got a late start in deciding on an AI strategy. However, it has since closed the gap significantly by partnering with competitor OpenAI and, as of the end of 2024, was beginning to build models in-house.
Microsoft also purchased billions in Nvidia chips and continues to innovate on its cloud computing platform, Azure, and agentic powerhouse, Copilot. These strategic moves are, thus far, keeping pace with the other major players in the AI industry.
Microsoft requires immense amounts of capital to remain competitive in the AI landscape. Fortunately, its decades-old productivity and business lines are the stable engine propelling Microsoft into its new, automated era.
The Office moat
Normally, when one thinks of a legacy business, it’s of an outdated, shrinking portion of revenue. That is not the case with Microsoft’s Office products. Microsoft 365, including the applications Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook, is still growing by double digits year over year.
This indicates these product lines are not only here to stay, but are so universally adopted by businesses and individuals alike that it’ll be nearly impossible to dethrone them anytime soon.
These products are also mostly recession-resistant, as businesses are unlikely to cut them in an economic downturn. Microsoft also switched to a subscription model more than a decade ago, making revenue from these lines of business extraordinarily predictable and dependable.
The significant growth in the legacy products is also great news for the capital-intensive investments Microsoft will need to continue making for the next several years. Microsoft reports that it’s on track to invest approximately $80 billion to build out AI-enabled data centers for training and deploying AI models and applications.
Microsoft’s AI revenue is exploding
In its earnings call on July 30, Microsoft revealed Azure’s income for the first time: a whopping $75 billion, an increase of 34%, according to chairman and CEO Satya Nadella.
The CEO added, “Cloud and AI is the driving force of business transformation across every industry and sector. We’re innovating across the tech stack to help customers adapt and grow in this new era.”
Microsoft’s market cap is approaching $4 trillion, and there seems to be quite a bit of room left for growth, particularly if the company’s big AI bets pay off.
Microsoft remains a top competitor
For investors, Microsoft remains a solid long-term play, largely because of the stable products users have known for years. With a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, investors are rewarded on both the value and growth side, though the dividend yield is under 1%. Microsoft’s burgeoning agentic and innovative technologies will continue to produce massive revenue alongside mature, reliable products.
Overall, Microsoft’s total revenue increased 18% from Q4 2024 to Q4 2025. There’s plenty of risk associated with investing in AI technologies, but thanks to Microsoft’s steady lines of business, the downside is far less than that of many competitors.
Catie Hogan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
We’re about a month away from an official number, but estimates for next year’s COLA are moving higher.
Social Security may be the most valuable retirement asset most Americans have. The pension for retired workers accounted for 20% of families’ total wealth in 2022, according to a study by the Congressional Budget Office. That’s based on a calculation valuing all future payments at present value.
Those future payments get a boost every year, which could make them even more valuable to Americans. The annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) helps benefits keep up with inflation. And while we won’t have the official 2026 COLA number until mid-October, it looks like it’ll come in higher than what analysts anticipated at the start of the year.
But a bigger COLA isn’t necessarily reason for Social Security recipients to celebrate. Here’s what retirees need to know.
Image source: Getty Images.
What’s pushing the 2026 COLA higher?
The annual COLA is based on a standard measure of inflation published every month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics called the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W.
The CPI-W is one of several Consumer Price Index measurements the government publishes. The BLS surveys thousands of businesses and households across the country to collect pricing data on over 200 line items. Those prices are then indexed to a standard price from when the BLS first started collecting data, and weighted according to typical spending patterns of the group the index is supposed to follow. In the case of the CPI-W, the basket of goods represents the spending of working-age adults living in cities.
The Social Security Administration calculates the COLA by taking the average year-over-year increase in the CPI-W during the third quarter, i.e. July, August, and September. The BLS just published August’s CPI numbers on Sept. 11, with the CPI-W climbing 2.8% year over year. That follows a 2.5% increase in July. The final reading to determine the 2026 COLA will come out on Oct. 15.
Based on expectations for that reading, both The Senior Citizen’s League and independent analyst Mary Johnson have published their expectations for next year’s COLA. The former expects it to come in at 2.7% while the latter expects retirees to receive a 2.8% bump. Both estimates are higher than the 2.5% initial estimate The Senior Citizen’s League published before the start of the year.
The reasons for a higher COLA are bad news for 70 million beneficiaries
A bigger-than-expected raise is usually great news for those receiving it, but in the case of Social Security’s 70 million beneficiaries, it signals a challenging economic environment.
The biggest challenge is that the CPI-W doesn’t perfectly match the spending of most seniors. Most people don’t spend their money in retirement the same way they did when they were working age. They probably commute less and spend less on new clothing. They probably have different dining habits. And it’s almost certain that their medical bills have climbed higher as they grow older.
To that end, some of the biggest expenses seniors face are climbing faster than the overall CPI-W numbers. Medical care services were notably 4.2% higher this August than the year before. While gasoline prices were down, utilities were way up. Shelter expenses climbed 3.6%. Despite a 2.7% or 2.8% raise coming in January, most seniors have seen their real cost of living climb much more over the past year.
Rising medical costs are most prominently seen in the Medicare Trustees’ estimate for next year’s Medicare Part B premium. They expect the program will have to charge a standard monthly premium of $206.20 next year, an 11.5% increase from 2025. For those keeping track, that far outpaces the expectations for Social Security’s COLA. Beneficiaries age 65 and older enrolled in Medicare will see that amount come right out of their new monthly payments.
The Senior Citizens League contends this situation isn’t unique to this year’s COLA. It ran a study that estimates the buying power of someone’s benefits who started Social Security in 2010 has decreased 20% through 2024.
The best economic environment for Social Security has historically been slow, steady, and predictable inflation. Under the current administration, which has gone back and forth on trade policies numerous times since the start of the year, prices have become anything but predictable. While many businesses have taken preemptive steps to curb and delay the impact of tariffs, the costs will eventually get passed through to consumers. That could result in even more pain for those on a fixed income next year.
While a 2.7% or 2.8% raise might be bigger than anticipated, many seniors may find that it doesn’t go far enough next year.
Sept. 15 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Monday that American public companies shouldn’t have to report quarterly earnings, and should instead change to a six-month schedule.
Trump said on Truth Social: “Subject to SEC Approval, Companies and Corporations should no longer be forced to ‘Report’ on a quarterly basis (Quarterly Reporting!), but rather to Report on a ‘Six (6) Month Basis.’ This will save money, and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies. Did you ever hear the statement that, ‘China has a 50 to 100 year view on management of a company, whereas we run our companies on a quarterly basis???’ Not good!!!”
Trump mentioned this potential change during his first term in office, too.
This would change the way U.S. companies do business, and it would more closely align with how public companies report in other countries.
The change requires approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has required quarterly reporting since 1970.
Wall Street closely follows quarterly results to determine the financial performance of companies. Many public companies host earnings calls after they post their results, which is a chance for investors to ask questions about the company’s decisions.
But Apple says it doesn’t actually save battery life at all.
“You should only close an app if it’s unresponsive,” Apple said.
The iPhone maker continued: “Typically, there’s no reason to quit an app.
“Quitting it doesn’t save battery power, for example.”
In fact, it could even be making things worse.
After you move to a different app, the old one will be “suspended”.
“After you’ve switched to a different app, some apps will run for a short period of time before they’re set to a suspended state,” Apple explained.
“Apps that are in a suspended state aren’t actively in use, open or taking up system resources.”
iPhone 16e review – I’ve secretly tested Apple’s cheapest mobile and I love the new button but that’s not the best bit
They’re kept in a suspended state so that it’s quicker and more power-efficient to relaunch them.
But if you fully force-quit an app, it will need to reboot from scratch, which is slower and takes up more power.
So it’s better to just leave them in a suspended state unless there’s an actual issue with the app – like it keeps freezing or crashing.
HOW TO CHECK WHAT’S REALLY DRAINING YOUR BATTERY
So what are you supposed to do if your iPhone’s battery life isn’t as good as you’d like?
3
You can quickly investigate your iPhone’s battery drain to see what’s responsibleCredit: Apple
Well you can very easily check to see which apps and features are draining the most battery.
Just go into Settings > Battery and you can look at a long list of apps order by how much charge they’re using.
If there are any high-drain apps you don’t really care about, consider deleting them.
Or try turning off Background App Refresh for that app if you don’t want it to periodically check for new info (like email notifications). Just note that this might make the app work less well.
BATTERY SWAP
Another option is to check up on the health of your iPhone’s battery.
Over time – as you charge and discharge them – phone batteries get worse. This is just the nature of lithium ion batteries.
That means the more you use your iPhone, the less charge it will hold over time.
So your iPhone will run out of battery more quickly.
IPHONE BATTERY SWAP – HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Here’s how much you’ll pay for iPhone battery replacements in the UK and the US..
iPhone 5 Series
iPhone SE Series
iPhone SE (1st gen) – £N/A / $69
iPhone SE (2nd gen) – £65 / $69
iPhone SE (3rd gen) – £65 / $69
iPhone 6 Series
iPhone 6 – £N/A / $69
iPhone 6s – £N/A / $69
iPhone 6s Plus – £N/A / $69
iPhone 7 Series
iPhone 7 – £65 / $69
iPhone 7 Plus – £65 / $69
iPhone 8 Series
iPhone 8 – £65 / $69
iPhone 8 Plus – £65 / $69
iPhone X Series
iPhone XR/XS Series
iPhone XR – £85 / $89
iPhone XS – £85 / $89
iPhone XS Max – £85 / $89
iPhone 11 Series
iPhone 11 – £85 / $89
iPhone 11 Pro – £85 / $89
iPhone 11 Pro Max – £85 / $89
iPhone 12 Series
iPhone 12 mini – £85 / $89
iPhone 12 – £85 / $89
iPhone 12 Pro – £85 / $89
iPhone 12 Pro Max – £85 / $89
iPhone 13 Series
iPhone 13 mini – £85 / $89
iPhone 13 – £85 / $89
iPhone 13 Pro – £85 / $89
iPhone 13 Pro Max – £85 / $89
iPhone 14 Series
iPhone 14 – £95 / $99
iPhone 14 Plus – £95 / $99
iPhone 14 Pro – £95 / $99
iPhone 14 Pro Max – £95 / $99
iPhone 15 Series
iPhone 15 – £95 / $99
iPhone 15 Plus – £95 / $99
iPhone 15 Pro – £95 / $99
iPhone 15 Pro Max – £95 / $99
iPhone 16 Series
iPhone 16 – £95 / $99
iPhone 16 Plus – £95 / $99
iPhone 16 Pro – £109 / $119
iPhone 16 Pro Max – £109 / $119
Picture Credit: Apple
You can get to see how degraded your iPhone’s battery has become by going into Settings > Battery > Battery Health.
Normally you’d expect to be at around 80% capacity versus new after two years – or roughly 500 “charge cycles”, which are full charges and discharges.
That means your phone only holds 80% of the charge it held when it was new.
There’s no way to fix that beyond getting a new battery.
3
Check your iPhone’s battery health – it might be worse than you realisedCredit: Apple
Apple will replace your iPhone’s battery at the Apple Store. It usually costs somewhere between £60 and £100 / $60 and $100 depending on the model, but it could be more or less than that.
This will give you like-new battery life, and costs far less than buying a new iPhone.
You might even find that your iPhone’s performance improves, as sometimes processor speed can be limited as a protection feature if your battery is severely degraded.
WASHINGTON — The man who oversees the nation’s military reposted a video about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote and should “submit” to their husbands.
The extraordinary repost on X from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made Thursday night, illustrates his deep and personal connection to a Christian nationalist pastor with extreme views on the role of religion and women.
In the post, Hegseth commented on an almost seven-minute-long report by CNN examining Doug Wilson, co-founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, or CREC. The report featured various pastors of the denomination advocating the repeal of women’s right to vote from the Constitution and parishioners saying that women should “submit” to their husbands.
Hegseth’s post received more than 12,000 likes and 2,000 shares on X. Some users agreed with the pastors in the video, while others expressed alarm at the Defense secretary promoting Christian nationalist ideas.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said Friday that Hegseth is “a proud member of a church” that is affiliated with CREC and he “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”
In May, Hegseth invited his personal pastor, Brooks Potteiger, to the Pentagon to lead the first of several Christian prayer services that Hegseth has held inside the government building during working hours. Defense Department employees and service members said they received invitations to the event in their government emails.
“I’d like to see the nation be a Christian nation, and I’d like to see the world be a Christian world,” Wilson said in the CNN report.
Toropin writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press journalists Mike Pesoli in Washington and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has issued fresh travel guidance following hostilities between Israel and Iran, and it says visiting certain nations could invalidate your travel insurance
People queue in departures (file image)(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Brits are warned not to travel to Jordan and Israel amid the latter’s conflict with Iran, which saw Iran fight back on the weekend. Brits already in these countries should follow local authorities’ advice, the FCDO stressed.
With reference to Jordan, it added: “Ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Iran could escalate quickly and pose security risks for the wider region. There are reports of military debris falling in various locations.
“Travel disruption, including flight cancellations and airspace closures may occur. Demonstrations and protest activity may take place. Jordanian airspace is open but airports and airspace may close at short notice.”
Due to this, the FCDO says Brits should not travel to Israel too. Airspace there has been closed since the violence ramped up on Friday morning. The FCDO continued: “Following Israeli strikes against targets in Iran, Iran has launched multiple rounds of missile and drone attacks against Israel. On 13 June, a nationwide state of emergency was declared in Israel. Israeli airspace remains closed and Ben Gurion Airport is currently closed. No travel can be guaranteed safe.”
Ignoring any advice from the FCDO may invalidate your travel insurance, the agency added. Those planning trips to Jordan or Israel should monitor local and international media for the latest information, and be vigilant and follow the instructions of local authorities.
The FCDO’s new advice comes amid the fast-moving situation which poses significant risks as it could deteriorate further, quickly and without warning. Mr Trump acknowledged this late on Monday UK time (6.30pm in Washington).
The US President posted on Truth Social: “Iran should have signed the “deal” I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.”
The Israeli Air Force yesterday sent fighter jets over central Iran on the fourth day of its military operation to strip away Iran’s capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Among the targets hit by Israel was a building used by Iran’s state TV – and the attack was caught live on air.
Israeli officials put the death toll from Iran’s overnight strikes at eight people after the Islamic Republic punctured Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, hitting targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa. In total, 24 Israeli civilians have died as a result of Iranian strikes. Meanwhile, in Iran, the country’s health ministry reported that the death toll has climbed to 224 people in the 72 hours since the war began.
Surprise! The Times of Troy is back by popular demand in your inbox, here to help ease you back into your week after what we hope was a relaxing holiday weekend.
I was honored and humbled to hear your thoughts — most of them very kind — about the newsletter’s debut season. So much so that we’ve decided to bring it back before our scheduled return in July.
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We’ve got some new ideas in the works for Season 2. But between now and July, when we turn our full attention to previewing the upcoming Trojans football season, we’ll land in your inbox periodically as the moment calls for it.
Now feels like one of those moments.
One of college football’s most storied rivalries is at a crossroads. A century after it was played for the first time, the historic series between USC and Notre Dame is at serious risk of ending. A lot of fans, former players and college football purists are upset about it. Most of them are pointing fingers at USC — and at Lincoln Riley especially.
I think there’s a little more to the situation than that. But the reason USC’s coach finds himself at the center of that frustration stems from comments he first made last summer during Big Ten media day, comments that explain quite transparently where USC stands right now, almost a year later.
USC and Mississippi had just canceled a home-and-home series, and rumors were swirling that Riley had pushed administrators to pull out of last September’s matchup with Louisiana State too. When he was asked what led to those changes, Riley didn’t hide his feelings about how scheduling should be handled. Why would any power conference school schedule marquee nonconference games in the future, he wondered aloud, unless there were “more guaranteed [College Football Playoff] spots in some of these conferences.” Otherwise, he predicted, those games would happen “less and less.”
“Our schedules are already going to be so good,” Riley said. “At some point, you’re like, alright, is the juice worth the squeeze in terms of playing these games?”
Before we address how that logic applies to Notre Dame — and before you start screaming “COWARD!” at your phone/computer screen — let’s acknowledge the fact that Riley has a point. (Ducks.) He is paid — more than all but a few coaches in the sport — to get USC to the College Football Playoff. Period. And as the playoff is currently constructed, there is no real incentive, on paper, for a coach such as Riley to want an extra marquee nonconference game on the schedule. Remove 95 years of context with the Irish and, to his point, the juice probably isn’t worth the squeeze.
This issue runs far deeper than just Notre Dame and USC, but let’s address the golden-domed elephant in the room, since Notre Dame’s athletic director has the college football world worked into a lather.
This is what Riley said about the rivalry last summer:
“If you get in a position where you’ve got to make a decision on what’s best for SC to help us win a national championship versus keeping that, shoot, then you gotta look at it. I mean, listen, we’re not the first example of that. Look all across the country — there’s been a lot of other teams [that] sacrifice rivalry games. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but you know, as we get into this playoff structure, and if it changes or not, we’re in this new conference, we’re going to learn something about this as we go.”
And boy did USC learn something on the road in its Big Ten debut. The Trojans unraveled on all four of their conference road trips. They realized how hard it would be to mix in an October trip to South Bend during that annual gantlet. No other Big Ten teams have that challenge on the Trojans’ particular timeline. Not to mention there’s a possible Southeastern Conference-Big Ten crossover matchup to consider in the future.
Automatic qualifiers to the College Football Playoff are the quickest way to solve this problem, as far as USC is concerned. It would give teams such as USC comfort that a loss to a nonconference opponent in September wouldn’t keep them out of the playoff. However, it would also mean rendering games such as USC-Notre Dame mostly meaningless as far as playoff resumes go.
USC is choosing to take the cold, calculated route when it comes to this quandary. And I understand why. Why should the Trojans be expected to carry the water for the soul of college football at the cost of their own playoff odds, while the rest of the sport’s leaders, USC’s own included, have made clear just how much tradition actually means to them?
Don’t get me wrong. USC isn’t being brave with its stance. It’s openly acknowledging that it is choosing the route of least resistance, no matter how its fans may feel about it. That’s not exactly valiant. And by calling them out for holding up negotiations, Notre Dame’s athletic director has already won the PR battle. If the rivalry ends after this season, the narrative will forever be that USC killed it with cowardice.
I do think that narrative would ignore some key points. Notably that USC hasn’t said it wants to end the game. Only that it doesn’t want a long-term contract before it understands the parameters of the playoff. Nor was Notre Dame interested at all in having a conversation about any concessions to USC’s situation, such as an early season date for the game, to help get a deal over the finish line. If these negotiations were simply about maintaining the rivalry, Notre Dame would have agreed to play next season already. This isn’t a one-sided stalemate.
I know that USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen would prefer to continue the rivalry with Notre Dame. I know she understands how much equity she could lose if it doesn’t continue.
I also have no doubt that she will take the heat, if necessary, for its demise, if it means putting USC on a better path to the College Football Playoff.
Is that hope of a playoff worth losing a storied rivalry? I’d understand if you said no. But USC leaders have made abundantly clear how they feel about that question. Let’s hope they never have to answer it.
USC-Notre Dame poll
Let’s hear from you. Could a smoother path to the College Football Playoff be worth losing the Notre Dame-USC rivalry? Vote here and let us know. Results announced in the next Times of Troy.
Will Saint Thomas walk onto the court with the Trojans next season?
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
—USC basketball still has two roster spots available for the 2025-26 season. One is currently being held for Saint Thomas. But it’s not clear how much longer Eric Musselman and his staff are willing to wait on Thomas’ appeal to the NCAA. The sentiment within the program was that Thomas had a compelling case for a mental health waiver, but the gears of justice grind slowly with the NCAA, and Thomas is running out of time. Summer practice kicks off on June 9. If he isn’t granted an extra year, expect USC to fill that spot with a low-major, all-conference-type point guard who could initiate the offense when called upon.
—Six-foot-10 sophomore forward Jacob Cofie is one to watch this summer. USC’s staff is very bullish on the young big man. One person with close knowledge of the program told The Times that they expect Cofie to be on draft boards by the start of Big Ten season. Along with Utah transfer Ezra Ausar — who stands 6-8, 242 pounds — Cofie should give USC much more of a physical presence in the paint, something it sorely lacked last season.
—Leaders from the Power Four conferences are floating a binding document that would force schools to fall in line with the new NIL enforcement entity … or else. It won’t work. I, for one, would love to see the Big Ten try to kick USC or Michigan or Ohio State out of the conference for not bending the knee to the new College Sports Commission. But more critically here, there’s no way that such an agreement would pass legal muster. College sports can’t supersede state law, no matter what some galaxy-brained commissioners might think.
—The College Football Playoff field will no longer give the four highest-rated conference champions an automatic first-round bye. That change to “straight seeding” was unanimously approved last week by CFP leaders, after the initial format last season was received poorly pretty much everywhere outside of Tempe, Ariz. In the new format, the committee’s top-four rated teams will be ranked one through four and get that coveted bye, no matter if they won their conference or not. That might sound like a tedious change. But this is better for everybody.
—Former USC point guard Kayleigh Heckel finally has a transfer destination. Heckel is joining Connecticut months after losing to the Huskies in the Elite Eight in her last game at USC. No one would’ve anticipated that turn in the immediate aftermath of that loss in Spokane. But hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, I guess.
When I was a kid, still just dreaming up the possibility of writing about sports, I would flip on ESPN every afternoon after school to try and catch Bill Plaschke or Woody Paige or Jackie MacMullan on “Around the Horn.” It was the show that taught me, in my ways, how to talk about sports.
That feels more and more like a lost art these days. And maybe that’s why ESPN unfortunately saw it fit to end “Around the Horn’s” run after nearly 5,000 shows. But I will always hold the show near and dear and forever respect its host, Tony Reali, for reminding the world all these years that sports talk can still have a soul.
Until next time….
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
The YULA and Shalhavet baseball teams have been banned from participating in next year’s Southern Section playoffs and placed on probation for pulling out in the middle of this year’s playoffs to participate in a Jewish baseball tournament in Ohio.
CIF rules do not allow schools to play in non-authorized events during the season of their sport.
Messages left for YULA have not been returned. A Shalhavet athletic representative said he was not allowed to comment.
YULA and Shalhevet baseball ineligible for next year’s playoffs as sanctions for pulling out this season to play in a Jewish tournament. pic.twitter.com/uz9rNBXeyX
The fact two Jewish schools decided a Jewish tournament was more important than the Southern Section baseball playoffs is fine — if they had not accepted playoff invitations. But they won their first-round playoff games, then forfeited to play in the Jewish tournament.
It provides clear evidence that whoever is in charge doesn’t take participating in CIF sports seriously and that should be a concerning message to parents and athletes at the two schools.
It’s tough enough for kids of Jewish faith to be taken seriously when they play sports and want to be the best. This episode perpetuates stereotypes and harms the progress made at the two schools by other coaches and other athletes.
