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Newly appointed Canada coach Jesse Marsch has criticized U.S. Soccer over its treatment of him during the process of hiring the U.S. men's national team coach last year. Marsch, who previously managed Leeds United in the Premier League, was thought to be the leading contender for the USMNT job after Gregg Berhalter's contract expired following the 2022 World Cup. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL more (U.S.) But Marsch's agent, Ron Waxman,  surprisingly announced in June that Marsch would not be getting the job. The following day, Berhalter was rehired by U.S. Soccer. "My respect for U.S. Soccer is big, but I went through a process with them, right? And I'm not going to go into it, but I wasn't treated very well in the process," Marsch told CBS' "Call it What You Want" podcast. "And so, whatever man, that's in the past now. The minute it was done I was like, 'OK, I'm moving forward, and I'm going to...

The WNBA's new chartering program will be in full effect by early next week, a league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN. "As the league previously announced, we would be phasing in the program at the start of the season and can share that beginning May 21 all teams will be flying charter to games," the spokesperson said in a statement. Trips between Chicago and Indiana, and Connecticut and New York, will remain charter bus rides due to proximity. Some teams began chartering flights to games this week -- the opening week of the 2024 campaign -- after commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced May 7 that the league would be moving to a full chartering program. The league said the new full-charter plan will cost about $25 million per year over the next two seasons. Before this season, WNBA teams flew commercial and could only charter flights in limited circumstances. Last season, they could charter during the playoffs, for back-to-back games requiring air travel and for the...

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi is Major League Soccer's highest-paid player with a total guaranteed compensation of $20.45 million, according to data released by the MLS Players Association. The amount reflects just the playing portion of Messi's compensation, with the Argentine also set to benefit from other revenue streams such as his endorsement deal with Adidas and a revenue-sharing agreement with league broadcast partner Apple. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) According to Sportico, Messi stands to earn up to $150 million over the life of the 2½-year contract he signed with Miami and MLS last year. Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne ranked second with a guaranteed compensation of $15.44 million, followed by Messi's Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets at $8.77 million. Chicago Fire forward Xherdan Shaqiri, the league's top earner at this time a year ago, is in fourth position at $8.15...

Rimas Sports, the agency founded by recording artist Bad Bunny, has accused the Major League Baseball Players Association of "placing a death penalty" on the agency through "a discriminatory, biased, and pre-determined investigation" into Rimas' business practices, according to a federal lawsuit the company filed Thursday. On April 10, the MLBPA decertified Rimas agent William Arroyo and prevented Rimas executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda from seeking certification after accusing the agency of providing improper benefits to players. Additionally, Rimas' other MLBPA-certified agent, Michael Velasquez, was threatened with decertification and quit the company, according to the lawsuit. In a 27-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico, Rimas sought a temporary restraining order and injunction against the penalties levied by the union, which the company argued were "designed to put Rimas Sports permanently out of business." The suit alleged that the...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tiger Woods was 1 under after 16 holes of his opening round at the PGA Championship on Thursday, a good start in his attempt to stick around for the weekend at Valhalla Golf Club. But Woods, a four-time PGA Championship winner, carded bogeys with three-putts on each of his last two holes for a disappointing 1-over 72. Woods was tied for 87th after the first round, 10 strokes behind leader Xander Schauffele, who posted a 9-under 62 to match the lowest round in a major championship for the second time in his career. Woods said he "three-whipped" his last two holes, the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth. On the eighth, he pulled his tee shot and his ball stopped 39 feet left of the hole. He blasted his putt about 10 feet past the cup, then his next one stayed low. A bogey dropped him back to even par. On the ninth, Woods hit his drive to the left side of the fairway. He had 144 yards left to the hole and hit his approach shot to 34 feet. He...

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand said  Sam Bennett "got away with one" when he struck Marchand's head in Game 3, but that opponents seeking to injure each other is just a part of playoff hockey. "People don't want to say it, but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team. The more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has," said Marchand, speaking for the first time after leaving Game 3 against the Florida Panthers with an injury. "Every time you step on the ice, someone is trying to hurt someone. That's just how it goes in the playoffs. That's part of the benefit of having a physical group. That's why you rarely see teams that are small and skilled go far. Because they get hurt," he said. Marchand missed the past two games of the series, with the Bruins losing Game 4 but avoiding elimination with a Game 5 win in Sunrise, Florida. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night in Boston, with Florida leading the series 3-2. Coach...

The New York Jets landed a record number of prime-time games over the first three months of the 2024 season because the appeal of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers was too great to ignore, the NFL acknowledged Thursday.  "Yes, it's an awful lot of prime-time games early in the season, but, obviously, I feel like Jets kind of owe us one," Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning, said on a video conference with reporters. The Jets have six night games in the first 11 weeks, the most for any team since the 1970 merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The NFL and its TV networks went big on the Jets last season -- five games in prime time -- but it backfired when Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1. "When we had this conversation a year ago, we were -- all of us -- all-in on the Jets, and for that guy to last four plays was disheartening for many of us," North said. "I feel like we could run it back, and certainly our broadcast...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Xander Schauffele is picking up right where he left off. For the second time in a less than a year, the third-ranked player in the world tied the record for the lowest round at a major championship by shooting an opening-round 62, this time in the first round of the PGA Championship. A year after he shot a U.S. Open-record 62 in the first round at the Los Angeles Country Club, Schauffele's 9-under round Thursday featured nine birdies and no bogeys and broke the Valhalla Country Club course record of 63 set by José María Olazábal in 2000, which had been tied for the PGA Championship record. "I can't nitpick," Schauffele said when asked to compare the two rounds. "I'll take a 62 in any major any day." Schauffele, who started on No. 10, birdied five of his first nine holes and carded a 31 before turning over to the front nine and continuing his birdie march. Over the final eight holes, Schauffele made four birdies to open a 3-stroke lead on the...

Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career, and Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved up to second after his sensational switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, and Forbes said the 39-year-old's estimated total earnings were in the region of $260 million, an all-time high for a footballer. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) His on-field earnings amounted to $200m, and his off-field earnings were $60m thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers. Ronaldo said on Wednesday that he intends to continue his football career "at a high level" despite nearly entering his 40s. Two-time major winner Rahm joined LIV Golf in December in a big-money move that sent shock waves through the sport after media reports said the world No. 5 would be...

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Fresh off officially signing his new four-year, $212 million contract extension Thursday morning, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff spent a couple of minutes thanking those close to him. Goff's fiancée, Christen Harper, joined him at the Lions' practice facility as he spoke to media members about the new deal and noted "security" and his no-trade clause as the biggest things he was considering during the process. The deal negotiated by Goff's agent, Ryan Tollner of Excel Sports Management, also includes a $73 million signing bonus -- the largest in NFL history. However, being signed through 2028, when Goff will turn 34, was just as intriguing. "It was mostly security. You can go back and forth on the numbers and whatnot, and that wasn't really the thing that was ever something I was extremely concerned with," Goff said. "It was the security and the no-trade clause and all of that stuff, knowing that all that was in there and...

The UFC has booked a pair of title fights to headline its first trip to Manchester, England, since 2016. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards will seek his third title defense against Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304 on July 27 at Co-op Live arena. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall will defend his interim heavyweight championship against Curtis Blaydes in a rematch of a bout that took place two years ago in London. UFC CEO Dana White announced both title fights Thursday. Edwards and Aspinall both fight out of England. Edwards has defended his title once on English soil, in a trilogy bout against Kamaru Usman in 2023. Edwards (22-3) has turned into a pound-for-pound candidate in recent years. He took the title in shocking fashion in 2022, when he knocked out Usman with a head kick in the final round of a five-round main event in Salt Lake City. He is coming off a decision win over Colby Covington in...

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be among the 27 participants in the NFL's fifth accelerator program, an event hosted by the league to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates for front office and coaching positions, at the league meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, next week. Flores, a longtime New England Patriots assistant before becoming the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21, filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the NFL and several teams alleging racial discrimination in its hiring practices. After being fired by the Dolphins, Flores spent a season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach before taking the Vikings defensive coordinator position in 2023. Last July, a federal judge ruled that Flores can proceed to trial with his claims against the league and three teams: the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans. The judge ruled last...

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Defending champion Rose Zhang withdrew from the Mizuho Americas Open on Thursday because of illness after completing only three holes of the opening round. Zhang started on the back nine at Liberty National. She shot par on No. 10, double bogey on 11 and par on 12. Zhang, 20, ended Nelly Korda's record-tying run of winning five straight LPGA tournament starts by finishing first last week at the Cognizant Founders Cup. It was her first victory in almost a year.

DALLAS -- After dazzling at cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado in 2023, Travis Hunter often hears people describe him as a video game player. Now he is on the cover of the long-anticipated return of the college football video game from EA Sports. Hunter, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards share the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, set to be released July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The popular game, which has been on hiatus since 2014, will include all 134 FBS teams and the names, images and likenesses of a large majority of current players. Eight days after EA Sports set up NIL deals for current college players, more than 10,000 had opted in to the game. Each player who opted in will receive $600 and a copy of the game, valued at around $70. Hunter and Ewers were among the first high-profile players to opt in. The main cover shows Hunter in the middle with Ewers to his...

Arkansas hired John Calipari to lead the men's basketball program to its first national title since 1994, the year Nolan Richardson won the crown with the Razorbacks and their "40 Minutes of Hell." Richardson told ESPN on Thursday that Calipari has the "support" and capabilities to end the 30-year drought and win a national title. "I don't see why it wouldn't be a job where [Calipari] could come in and win a national championship," Richardson said. "I can see that they can. I don't know another coach who could do it better than Calipari because of his recruiting." Richardson said he spoke briefly with Calipari after he accepted the job last month following his lengthy stint at Kentucky and congratulated him. Calipari has since added a decorated collection of talent in his first offseason at Arkansas. Boogie Fland, the five-star recruit who had originally committed to Calipari at Kentucky, and Johnell Davis, who led Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, anchor a...

Veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons on Wednesday. He made the announcement in an Instagram post and said in an accompanying video, "I'm retiring from the game of football, y'all. I'm hanging up them cleats, man." He thanked God, his wife, Faith, his fans and the Rams and Lions, the two teams he played for in his career. Selected 14th overall by the then-St. Louis Rams in 2012, Brockers played his first nine seasons with the organization. From 2014 to 2020, he helped form a stout tandem with Aaron Donald on the Rams' defensive line. The Rams traded Brockers to the Lions in 2021. He played two seasons for Detroit before he was released last year. "I Truly want to thank all My Fans for supporting my family and I during these 11 beautiful yrs. I want to personally thank the Rams and Lions organizations for taking the risk on me to represent their teams," Brockers wrote in his Instagram...

Even though the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will not occur until almost the midpoint of the season, NFL fans will be treated to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in the kickoff game, while the Los Angeles Rams are at the Detroit Lions in the Sunday night game on Sept. 8. The two playoff rematches in Week 1 are among nine on this year's regular-season schedule, which was released by the league Wednesday night. The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, won by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. It also marks the second straight season the Chiefs will have a Super Bowl rematch after...

OKLAHOMA CITY --  Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, quite intentionally, had no complaints Wednesday night. Doncic entered the pivotal Game 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder determined not to expend any energy arguing with referees. He vented frequently during a frustrating Game 4 loss, as Doncic often does. But on Wednesday, he decided that joy would be the dominant attribute of his approach to this critical contest in the hostile Paycom Center. "Just focus on basketball," Doncic said after the 104-92 victory that moved the Mavericks within one win of the West finals. "Remember the thing I love, the thing I love to do. Just play basketball." Doncic, who has been dealing with a sprained right knee, sore left ankle and the smothering defense of Thunder stopper Luguentz Dort while struggling by his All-NBA standards in the first four games of the series, responded with his best performance of these playoffs. He had 31 points, 10...

BOSTON -- After Cleveland saw its season end in a 113-98 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday night, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wants to continue being the team's head coach. "Yeah," Bickerstaff said when asked that during his postgame news conference. "We have continued to build this thing the right way. Every single year we've improved, continued to get better, play-in, playoffs, win a round ... players have gotten better. Guys have had great years. "This is definitely a place I want to be." When Bickerstaff was later asked if it was a place he expects to be, he laughed and said, "I mean, no one's told me I'm not. "So, I'll keep showing up 'til they tell me not to."  ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, citing sources, reported Wednesday that the Cavaliers plan to take time to evaluate Bickerstaff's future, but the organization remains fond of him. Bickerstaff has been the head coach in...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Luka Doncic stopped worrying about calls and just played. It worked. He scored 31 points in a triple-double, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Doncic didn't voice his displeasure with the officials nearly as much as usual, though he had words with fans a few times. "I'm just trying to play basketball, just focus on basketball," he said. "Sometimes I forget this is the thing I love, the thing I do. My mental focus was just go out there and play basketball with a smile on my face and just go." Doncic, the league's leading scorer in the regular season, had struggled some in the series against Oklahoma City. Playing through a sprained right knee and a sore left ankle, he had averaged just 22 points on 39% shooting through the first four games. He made 12 of 22 field goals in Game 5 and had 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his sixth...

Even though the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will not occur until almost the midpoint of the season, NFL fans will be treated to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in the kickoff game, while the Los Angeles Rams are at the Detroit Lions in the Sunday night game on Sept. 8. The two playoff rematches in Week 1 are among nine on this year's regular-season schedule, which was released by the league Wednesday night. The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, won by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. It also marks the second straight season the Chiefs will have a Super Bowl rematch after...

Caitlin Clark's debut for the Indiana Fever drew 2.1 million viewers across all platforms on Tuesday night, making it the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN. Viewership peaked at 2.3 million viewers for the game between the Fever and Connecticut Sun. The Sun prevailed 92-71. The game was the most-watched WNBA game since the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets averaged 2.45 million viewers on NBC for a 2001 Memorial Day contest. The previous most-watched WNBA game on ESPN networks was for the 2004 WNBA debut of Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, which drew an average of 1.43 million viewers. Clark scored 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting and committed 10 turnovers in her Indiana debut. Clark is used to being part of television records. Clark and her Iowa teammates played against South Carolina in this year's NCAA women's championship game, and the telecast on ESPN averaged a record 18.7 million viewers.

BOSTON -- The Celtics were heavily favored to beat the Cavaliers even before Cleveland had three of its top six players -- including star guard Donovan Mitchell -- missing for Game 5 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night. And yet, despite that, Boston found itself in a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter -- staring down the possibility of yet another painful loss on its home court in the postseason, an all-too-familiar scenario in recent years. Led by 25 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists from Jayson Tatum, plus a motivational performance from the team's oldest player, Al Horford, Boston escaped with a 113-98 victory -- and, with it, a trip to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season, and the sixth time in the past eight years. "Close-out games are tough. It's a level of stress, anxiety, desperation; it takes what it takes," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "You got to play 48 -- hopefully,...

Even though the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will not occur until almost the midpoint of the season, NFL fans will be treated to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in the kickoff game, while the Los Angeles Rams are at the Detroit Lions in the Sunday night game on Sept. 8. The two playoff rematches in Week 1 are among nine on this year's regular-season schedule, which was released by the league Wednesday night. The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of last season's AFC championship game, won by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. It also marks the second straight season the Chiefs will have a Super Bowl rematch after...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Tyson Fury danced and sang along to some of his favorite hits during a light workout Wednesday evening, three days out from his undisputed heavyweight championship clash with Oleksandr Usyk. England's Fury, 35, wrapped his hands to the tune of AC/DC's anthem "You Shook Me All Night Long." He glided around the ring with trainer SugarHill Steward and pumped his right fist to the beat of The Killer's "Mr. Brightside." "I'm having fun. I always do, don't I?" Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) told ESPN following his 15-minute workout at the open-air entertainment hub Boulevard City. "All these fight weeks I enjoy." But Saturday's fight is a bit more special. The winner will be crowned boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion since November 1999, when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch. Lewis, who will be ringside Saturday, and Holyfield, are two all-time greats, and so are Fury and Usyk. It's rare for any heavyweight to be recognized as one of the...

MIAMI -- Odell Beckham Jr. feels at peace with where his NFL career has taken him. The 10-year veteran wide receiver made three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the  Los Angeles Rams  before signing with the Miami Dolphins this offseason, where he will assume a role behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who have combined for more receiving yards over the past two seasons than any other duo in the league. Beckham is comfortable with a support role at this point of his career, and he chooses to look forward rather than backward. "I think we all just push each other. And for me, at this place in my life and my career, I haven't been the No. 1 in a minute," Beckham said Wednesday. "You could go look at targets, you could go look at anything, that's not really where I've been at. So just understanding your role and how can you be the very best at that role, maximize those opportunities. Don't look for more or less, just stay within...

Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami's match against Orlando City on Wednesday night at Inter & Co Stadium, after suffering an injury to his left knee during his team's 3-2 MLS win over Montreal on Saturday. Montreal defender George Campbell fouled Messi in the 40th minute of the match, forcing the forward to go down while holding his knee. Miami's medical team rushed to the scene before clearing Messi to play the rest of the game. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Despite his participation throughout the 90 minutes, Miami assistant coach Javier Morales confirmed Messi "felt the knock" while doing regenerative work on Monday. Robert Taylor replaced Messi in Gerardo "Tata" Martino's starting XI. "He suffered a hit to the knee on Saturday versus Montréal, he continued playing through the end of the game and then iced it when finished," Morales said. "He trained with the players yesterday who did regenerative...

PITTSBURGH --  Steelers defensive lineman and reigning Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Cameron Heyward has not participated in voluntary offseason workouts and does not plan to attend OTAs as he seeks a contract extension, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Heyward, set to become a free agent in 2025, has never missed an offseason program. Heyward, 35, has registered the most defensive stops in the league since 2019 with 242, via Next Gen Stats, and the third-most sacks among interior rushers during that span with 58.5. He plans to play several more years and is healthy again after last year's core muscle injury, a source told Fowler. Heyward started dealing with the core muscle injury during the 2023 training camp and ended up missing six games when a fall tore his groin muscle in Week 1 and required surgery. But he returned ahead of schedule to play the final 10 games. The longest-tenured Steeler and a longtime captain was adamant in his desire to continue...

BOSTON -- The Cleveland Cavaliers were without three of their top six players -- led by star guard Donovan Mitchell -- for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Mitchell is dealing with a left calf strain;  Jarrett Allen is ailing with a bruised rib; and Caris LeVert, who replaced Mitchell in the starting lineup for Game 4 before being added to the injury report Tuesday, is out with a bone bruise in his left knee. All were sidelined for what could be Cleveland's final game of the season. The Cavaliers, trailing 3-1, need a win Wednesday to force the series back to Cleveland for Game 6 on Friday night. Mitchell missed Cleveland's 109-102 loss in Game 4 on Monday night with the same injury, which occurred late in the fourth quarter of Boston's Game 3 victory Saturday. Mitchell began limping on the court after playing more than 22 consecutive minutes in the second half. Mitchell...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rory McIlroy called Jimmy Dunne's departure from the PGA Tour's policy board a "huge loss," and the four-time major champion said his confidence in the tour getting a deal done with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to reunite men's professional golf is as low as ever. Dunne, one of the architects of the framework agreement the PGA Tour signed with the PIF on June 6, resigned from the board Monday. In his resignation letter, the Wall Street dealmaker said his vote and role had become "superfluous" because player directors outnumbered independent directors on the board. Tiger Woods was added as a sixth player director to the board in August. There were five independent directors, including Dunne. "Yeah, honestly I think it's a huge loss for the PGA Tour, if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF and trying to unify the game," McIlroy said Wednesday at Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week's PGA Championship. "Jimmy was basically the...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rory McIlroy called Jimmy Dunne's departure from the PGA Tour's policy board a "huge loss," and the four-time major champion said his confidence in the tour getting a deal done with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to reunite men's professional golf is as low as ever. Dunne, one of the architects of the framework agreement the PGA Tour signed with the PIF on June 6, resigned from the board Monday. In his resignation letter, the Wall Street dealmaker said his vote and role had become "superfluous" because player directors outnumbered independent directors on the board. Tiger Woods was added as a sixth player director to the board in August. There were five independent directors, including Dunne. "Yeah, honestly I think it's a huge loss for the PGA Tour, if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF and trying to unify the game," McIlroy said Wednesday at Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week's PGA Championship. "Jimmy was basically the...

Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco, who was ejected from Tuesday's game after umpires found a foreign substance on his glove, has been suspended 10 games by MLB, it was announced Wednesday. Blanco also was fined an undisclosed amount. Astros general manager Dana Brown said that the right-hander will not appeal, meaning it becomes effective Wednesday night as the Astros continue their series vs.  Oakland. Brown said Blanco and his agent initially thought about appealing the suspension, but they determined that they want to "move forward" and "get back out there." "Ronel Blanco is a good human being, a good dude and he's worked his butt off to get into the starting rotation," Brown said. "I think he sees it as, 'Look, I don't want to be out. I don't want to extend this any longer. I want to get back to the business of pitching.'" Third-base umpire Laz Diaz ejected Blanco after a check of his glove before he threw a pitch in the fourth inning. His glove was...

Wolverhampton Wanderers have lodged a motion to scrap the use of VAR in the Premier League, with a vote to be held at next month's meeting of the 20 clubs. Wolves will need the backing of 13 other clubs at the annual general meeting June 6 to pass the resolution, which would see the video assistant referee removed from the English top flight with immediate effect. Any club has the right to submit an item to the agenda, with the league operated as a democracy. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL more (U.S.) A statement issued by Wolves on Wednesday read: "There is no blame to be placed. We are all just looking for the best possible outcome for football and all stakeholders have been working hard to try and make the introduction of additional technology a success. "However, after five seasons of VAR in the Premier League, it is time for a constructive and critical debate on its future. "Our position is that the price we are paying for a...

For the second straight Christmas, the NFL will provide the gift of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Netflix announced Wednesday that it will stream two games -- the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans -- on Dec. 25. The streaming network will broadcast at least one game on the holiday for each of the next three years in a new agreement with the NFL. The four teams involved this year will play rare Wednesday regular-season games. "There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We're so excited that the NFL's Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said in a statement. This marks back-to-back Christmas games for the Chiefs and Ravens. On Christmas last season, the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 33-19 and the Chiefs were upset by the Las Vegas...

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy find themselves in familiar territory atop the betting odds list heading into the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club: first and second, respectively. That's the same order for five of the past six tournaments in which they've both played. As of Wednesday afternoon on ESPN BET, Scheffler shows +425 odds to win his third career major championship, up from the +350 he showed in the week prior. Some sportsbooks have Scheffler, 27, as short as +300, while others are as long as +450. McIlroy, meanwhile, is +700 on ESPN BET, with odds ranging from +600 to +750 at other major sportsbooks. The next closest players on ESPN BET are Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele at +1400. The 1-2 betting punch of Scheffler and McIlroy is fitting given the pair are, respectively, first and second in the Official World Golf Ranking and in PGA Tour wins this season. Despite taking almost a month off for the birth of his first child,...

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday the pending litigation with Florida State and Clemson is "disruptive" and "harmful" but it has not changed the dynamic between them as the league wrapped up three days of meetings. Phillips and league representatives, including athletic directors, football coaches and men's and women's basketball coaches met to discuss a big list of topics -- including a possible settlement in the House vs. NCAA case, CFP expansion, revenue distribution and changing the perception around the league. But with Florida State, Clemson and the ACC engaged in lawsuits against each other over the league's withdrawal penalty and grant of rights, uncertainty continues to hang around the league as it charts a new course with three new members joining in the fall. Cal, Stanford and SMU also participated in the league meetings. Phillips acknowledged what remains ongoing with Clemson and Florida State, saying, "It's difficult, it's disruptive,...

Former Colorado cornerback Cormani McClain, who headlined coach Deion Sanders' first recruiting class with the Buffaloes, is transferring to Florida, his agent, Hector Rivas of Disruptive Sports, told ESPN. McClain, ESPN's No. 14 recruit in 2023, visited Florida last week with his mother and Rivas. The Lakeland, Florida, native will return to his home state after entering the transfer portal last month. After a slow start to last season, he started four games and appeared in nine for Colorado, recording 13 tackles and two pass breakups. McClain initially committed to Miami but flipped to Colorado in January 2023, shortly after Sanders was hired. In a YouTube video posted shortly after he entered the portal, McClain said he planned to "bring the old version of me out and change the narrative of [what] everyone's thinking of my name, be part of a real and a great program that's going to impact me at my best abilities." He noted that academics have never held...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants are finally going to be on the long-running HBO docuseries "Hard Knocks," albeit with a little twist: It will be the first offseason version of the franchise. "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" will premiere July 2 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, the network announced Wednesday. The five-part series, which comes as the Giants prepare for their 100th season, will be available to stream on Max. The Giants being on "Hard Knocks" in any capacity is a concession given the franchise's reluctance in the past. Co-owner John Mara made that clear to the New York Daily News back in 2010 that he had no interest in opening their doors for the cameras. "That announcement will come," Mara said at the time, "when I'm next to my father in the Gates of Heaven cemetery." Mara is still the president and CEO of the Giants. But this version of "Hard Knocks" they agreed to will be a little different -- it's the first time the show will focus on...

Netflix will air two games on Christmas Day this season and at least one game on the holiday each of the next two years, the streaming network announced Wednesday. No matchups for the Christmas Day games were revealed prior to the full 2024 schedule release Wednesday night, but the four teams involved this year will play rare Wednesday regular-season contests. "There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We're so excited that the NFL's Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said in a statement. This will be the first time Netflix has aired an NFL game. Three games were played on Christmas in the 2023 season, when Dec. 25 fell on a Monday. "The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans," Hans Schroeder, NFL...

Former UFC welterweight title contender Darren Till will be the latest to make the jump from MMA to boxing when he steps into the ring for his professional boxing debut against former WBC world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight is scheduled for six rounds and will be contested at cruiserweight with a weight limit of 190 pounds. Till, 31, makes his professional boxing debut after a successful UFC career as both a welterweight and middleweight with an overall MMA record of 18-5-1. The product of Liverpool, England, challenged Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title in 2018 but fell to a second-round submission loss. After starting his MMA career 17-0-1, Till went 1-5 over his next six fights with losses to Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker and current UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. The loss to du Plessis...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Some of the NFL's newest potential stars -- and one of its oldest -- will be showcased in the league's five international games in 2024. Six of the top 11 picks in the most recent draft and veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers highlight a schedule that begins Week 1 in Sao Paulo and concludes Week 10 in Munich. Three games will be played in London this season, beginning with Rodgers and the New York Jets playing the Minnesota Vikings and rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy (No. 11 pick) on Oct. 6 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Rodgers went 17-11-1 against the Vikings when he was with the Green Bay Packers. He previously played in London during his final season with the Packers -- a 27-22 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 9, 2022. Rodgers fractured his right thumb on the final play of the game, a Hail Mary, and it probably affected him for the remainder of the year -- the worst statistical season of his career. The ...

DENVER --  Nikola Jokic received his third Most Valuable Player trophy from NBA commissioner Adam Silver then celebrated by dominating Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Denver Nuggets superstar exploded for 40 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds with no turnovers to lead Denver to a 112-97 victory Tuesday night in Game 5 at a raucous Ball Arena. Denver now leads 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinal series and can advance to the conference finals with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Minneapolis. "I didn't see any weaknesses [in our defense]," Minnesota star guard Anthony Edwards said. "I seen the MVP. He showed that he's the MVP." Even by Jokic's brilliant MVP standards, the center put on a clinic against Gobert, the newly minted four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and the best defense in the NBA this season. Jokic converted 15 of 22 shots but was 8-of-9 when Gobert was his primary defender. "Incredible," said...

NEW YORK -- Fans at Madison Square Garden saw a shift in their team a little more than halfway through the first quarter Tuesday, when the Knicks began an 18-7 run against the  Pacers to close the period. But guard Miles McBride, whose insertion into New York's starting lineup gave the team a tangible lift, said the boost took place far before that. "I think the shift started in the locker room in Indiana. We talked about it and knew we had to respond," McBride said, referring to the players-only meeting the Knicks held after their embarrassing 32-point loss in Game 4 on Sunday. The result was the polar opposite in Game 5: The Knicks drilled Indiana 121-91 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. They'll travel to Indianapolis with an opportunity to close out the Pacers and advance to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2000 on Friday night. Jalen Brunson shook off an awful Game 4 showing to again star for the Knicks, notching 44 points and...

They got championship rings and a banner, a pregame talk from Tom Brady and a WNBA season-opening win. It was quite a night for the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Las Vegas celebrated its back-to-back crowns ahead of its 89-80 victory over the Phoenix Mercury behind 30 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists from forward  A'ja Wilson. "We're back," team owner Mark Davis told the sellout crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena on Tuesday night. "Not only are we back, we're back-to-back world champions. All I can say is let's three-peat." However, seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady, a minority owner of the Aces, told the team in a locker room visit before the game not to get too caught up in focusing on a three-peat. "He was saying, 'The banners are always going to be there, so you don't have to try to defend that. Just go do what you've been doing,'" Wilson said. "That message made the night for me. Because I feel like we get so caught up in, 'Oh,...

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Jeremy Swayman backed up his victory vow with 28 saves, Charlie McAvoy added to the list of disputed goals in this matchup with the go-ahead score and the Boston Bruins staved off elimination by beating the Florida Panthers 2-1 in Game 5 of their NHL playoff series on Tuesday night. Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins, who improved to 2-0 in elimination games this season -- they also won a Game 7 over Toronto in Round 1 -- and finally found a way to hold the Panthers' offense in check. Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots. Florida, which saw its series lead cut to 3-2, had 15 goals on 107 shots in Games 2, 3 and 4 combined, all of them Panthers wins. But on Tuesday, the Panthers were held to 29 shots and Swayman looked in total control the whole way. Game 6 is in Boston on Friday. Game 7, if necessary, would be back in Florida on Sunday. "The reality is that we're going to go...

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Caitlin Clark scored a team-high 20 points but committed 10 turnovers, the most in a career debut in WNBA history, as her Indiana Fever fell 92-71 to the Connecticut Sun in their season opener Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Clark, NCAA Division I basketball's all-time leading scorer and the No. 1 pick in this year's WNBA draft, didn't get on the board until the 5:24 mark of the second quarter when she converted on a drive to the rim off a steal. "I'm disappointed, and nobody likes to lose, but I don't think you can beat yourself up too much about one game," Clark said. "I don't think that's going to help this team. "Just learn from it and move on." The game had the bustle and energy of a WNBA Finals matchup. Fans donning Sun, Fever and even Iowa gear lined up to get into the arena more than 2½ hours before the tip. The Sun handed out more than 170 media credentials, with ESPN's "WNBA Countdown" desk stationed near the...

What was billed as "the greatest roast of all time" turned out to be anything but for Tom Brady, who expressed regrets at the impact it had on his three children. "I loved when the jokes were about me," Brady said Tuesday on "The Pivot" podcast with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. "I thought they were so fun. I didn't like the way it affected my kids. "So it's the hardest part; the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and all of a sudden you realize 'I wouldn't do that again' because of the way it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world." Brady's comments came at the end of the 56-minute podcast, when he was asked by Taylor -- his teammate with the  New England Patriots in 2009 and 2010 -- if he learned anything about himself from the roast. Taylor's question was delivered more in the context of his connection with teammates and how it seemed to reflect their bonds formed in the locker room over...

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Florida State athletic director Michael Alford was asked Tuesday during ACC spring meetings whether any part of the university's future with the league was salvageable, considering it has filed a lawsuit against the conference. "We'll just wait for that to play out," Alford said. "We have great partners in this conference, great relationships. But at the end of the day, we've got to do what's best for Florida State and look at the changing environment of collegiate athletics and make sure we're there to be successful." Alford reiterated that his school has not declared its intention to withdraw from the league, despite a pending lawsuit challenging the ACC grant of rights and withdrawal fee. Both Florida State and Clemson have filed lawsuits against the ACC, while the league has filed lawsuits in defense of the grant of rights -- which gives it control over each of its league members' media rights through 2036. Clemson athletic director Graham Neff did not...

CHICAGO -- As Bronny James leaned back in his chair and surveyed the swarm of media members that had surrounded him Tuesday night at the NBA draft combine, he acknowledged the extra attention that comes with being the son of  Los Angeles Lakers star  LeBron James can be "a lot sometimes." Yet, the 19-year-old USC guard reiterated that his goal is simply to play in the NBA, not necessarily on the same team as his father. "I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad," Bronny James said. "That's not my mindset or not at all. I'm just trying to put in the work and see where it takes me from there." LeBron James, who at age 39 completed his 21st NBA season in 2023-24, has repeatedly expressed a desire to team with his son before his career ends, even though he said following the end of the Lakers' season that he "hadn't given it much thought lately." Bronny James did not grant interviews during his freshman season at...

What was billed as "the greatest roast of all time" turned out to be anything but for Tom Brady, who expressed regrets at the impact it had on his three children. "I loved when the jokes were about me," Brady said Tuesday on "The Pivot" podcast with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. "I thought they were so fun. I didn't like the way it affected my kids. "So it's the hardest part; the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and all of a sudden you realize 'I wouldn't do that again' because of the way it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world." Brady's comments came at the end of the 56-minute podcast, when he was asked by Taylor -- his teammate with the New England Patriots in 2009 and 2010 -- if he learned anything about himself from the roast. Taylor's question was delivered more in the context of his connection with teammates and how it seemed to reflect their bonds formed in the locker room over years, but...