LOUISVILLE — Kenny Payne sounded like a man looking for hope in a hard reality. His Louisville basketball team came close, so painstakingly close, to finally doing it — winning one of those games upon which corners are turned. Instead, No. 19 Texas pulled away late, handing Payne his 30th loss in 36 games as…
The dunk is basketball’s most lionized play. The most iconic ones are canonized, referenced fondly and often, debated for their merits and significance. The sport’s language has created so many names for it: jam, yam, slam, poster, stuff, hammer. It’s a unique club that only few on this world can join. It’s marvelous. And it…
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s lunchtime on a mid-November Saturday afternoon and the word of the day is eclectic. I’ve just finished my morning round at The Park with a three-putt for par on the forgiving 18th hole, and I saddle up at the cabana, the bar/small bites stand strategically located at the front…
Seventeen years and more than 1,200 games ago, Andrew Cogliano remembers how difficult it was to traverse the state of California. The Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks were three of the biggest, heaviest teams in the league. If you had to play all three in succession? Well, good luck. Not only…
The private plane was mostly quiet. There was a nervous energy for the three Oklahoma football coaches onboard. They’d never done what they were about to do. It was Sunday, Dec. 1, 2002, the first day coaches were allowed to visit high school juniors for recruitment. A day earlier, these coaches had been on the…
In a nearly empty arena in late November 2020, Caitlin Clark shot her first college 3-pointer. Time was ticking down in the first quarter of the Hawkeyes’ matchup against Northern Iowa. Clark forced a steal at midcourt and weaved her way to the right wing. With two defenders around her, she rose up. Her attempt…
One of the most eye-catching bios on X, or Twitter as we all know it, belonged to a sports writer with one of the UK’s biggest national newspapers. It was plain and simple and boiled down to five words: “Biased against your football club.” Which is true. If you’ve followed football for any length of…
If you take a stroll along Sir Matt Busby Way, heading towards Old Trafford, and take a left down Railway Road, Mary Earps is waiting to greet you. Not in physical form, obviously, but in her iconic celebratory pose, arms wide and fists clenched, mouth wide open as she roars in joy. Earps is the…
We’re coming down the stretch of the NFL season, and the playoff seedings and Power Rankings are starting to sort themselves out, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some surprises along the way. Today, we’re going to look at one surprising aspect of each team’s season. And then we’re going to start looking forward…
Despite a dramatic regular season punctuated by an investigation over alleged sign-stealing, No. 1 Michigan rolled to a 13-0 record heading into the College Football Playoff matchup in the Rose Bowl against No. 4 Alabama. But college football coaches The Athletic spoke to for this scouting report are convinced Michigan hasn’t been the same team…
Celeste Taylor did everything she could at Duke. The 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor was a big reason why Duke reached its first NCAA Tournament since 2018. From the moment she arrived in 2021, she was the player coach Kara Lawson leaned on to help establish the culture she wanted. Among finding…
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has started counseling and is expected to remain sidelined via suspension for at least the next three weeks, league sources said. The NBA announced an indefinite suspension for Green on Wednesday for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during a game one night earlier. Joe Dumars,…
(Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Dec. 18, 2023.) Sean Payton blasting quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline, then suggesting he was merely upset about officiating, invited all sorts of speculation. It’s hard to fault Payton for losing his cool when officials wiped out a Broncos touchdown with an offensive offside call…
On Friday, Michele Kang announced she has acquired London City Lionesses FC, an independent club competing in the FA Women’s Championship. The English club is another “foundational block” in her vision to grow her global multi-club organization, following her agreement earlier this year to take over OL Feminine and ownership of the Washington Spirit. “As…
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The new block of cement, untouched by time or the elements, proudly proclaims in all capital letters the space between the Finneran Pavilion and the Davis Center as Wright Way. It is an homage to Jay Wright, the man who took Villanova to two national titles and four Final Fours and spearheaded…
LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. — The Buffalo Bills have a new safety this season. He sometimes plays close to the line of scrimmage, even lining up in the gaps and banging helmets with interior linemen. They use him as a hybrid linebacker in a three-safety dime package. He has played free safety, strong safety, outside cornerback, inside…
It’s Jesse Lingard’s birthday. He turns 31 today and, at this stage of his life, he must realise it is not going to be easy shifting some of the perceptions that come from being a non-footballing footballer. For now, at least. Speak to Lingard’s former team-mates and they will talk about a guy who has…
WASHINGTON — The Prince of Potomac Yard spoke of water. “When I first came to this site,” Ted Leonsis said Wednesday, “and stood on top of the roof of the building next door, and looked over, we forget the power of having two rivers flow right into this community. And, iconic real estate is incredibly…
DETROIT — Some faces were defeated, others in shock. Some eyes peered down at the floor, others gazed into the abyss. The only noise heard was that of players taking off their shoes. The spirit of a young, vibrant Detroit Pistons basketball team heard just hours earlier was sucked out of each and everybody and…
There can’t be many footballers who have gone from playing for a military team to the cover of Vogue in a few months. But that’s just one of the ways South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung’s life has changed in the last year or so. Last year was a decent one for Cho. He joined Jeonbuk…
It’s Week 15 in the NFL, which means millions of Americans are sweating their fantasy football team’s playoff positioning because this is the week the playoffs begin in most leagues. Pride, cash and the dreaded last-place punishments all are on the line. The Power Rankings is getting into the spirit with a fantasy focus for…
On Friday morning, Robert Herjavec was tracking to be on time for a 9 a.m. flight out of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., until his 5-year-old twins, Hudson and Haven, announced in the car that they were hungry. Herjavec, a Canadian businessman and star of “Shark Tank” and “Dragons’ Den,” was traveling solo…
It’s not just that DK Metcalf is learning American Sign Language and using it on a national stage — it’s that, even as a discernible novice, he’s doing it with a level of finesse that shows he just gets it. “He has the swag with it. And that’s half the battle sometimes with signing,” said…
In the refurbished gym at Aston Villa’s training ground, players are regularly put through their paces, spend time building up their strength and flexibility and develop the team bond that is such a key part of their incredible current form. Another regular sight in the gym has been head coach Unai Emery putting in the…
The 2024 WNBA Draft order is set. Indiana won the draft lottery Sunday, giving the Fever the first pick in what could be one of the deepest drafts in league history. Could is the operative word, as every draft-eligible senior in this class has the opportunity to return to college for a fifth season due…
It might be time to start taking the Dallas Cowboys seriously as Super Bowl contenders. Because they’ve never looked better in the Dak Prescott era, and their quarterback’s never played better. The knock that’s trailed the Cowboys throughout this season — their lack of a signature victory over a legit contender — was silenced quite…
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Tell me about your mom. Whoosh. Back to 1985. To the perfect family — Mom, Dad, older brother, younger sister — and their suburban Virginia home. Narrow driveway. Basketball hoop out front. That big window on your right when you walk in the front door, with a little ledge to sit…
This is the moment it all becomes normal. When it’s no longer a spectacle, controversial, or even taboo. When it’s not about right or wrong or strong opinions or sticking it to the man. Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf is imminent, and it feels like the final confirmation that this is simply the way…
Shohei Ohtani’s singular pursuit of history, one man’s quest to rewrite the baseball world’s understanding of what is possible, reached another summit on Saturday when he agreed to the largest contract in the annals of major North American team sports, a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his agency CAA announced. Ohtani…
In 2017, Joye Lee-McNelis began writing her obituary. Where she was born. In the southern Mississippi community of Leetown. Preceded in death by. Then a blank space, not knowing if she would die before her parents. A note of thanks to her family, to the players she had coached, to the staffs she had worked…
Ryan Miller hears the whispers each weekend on college campuses across the country. There’s Ben. Is it Ben? That’s Ben! Miller is usually behind the scenes, handling logistics and working with ESPN talent as a production coordinator on “College GameDay,” but Ben the golden retriever draws attention when they go for walks every Saturday. “He’s…
Raheem Mostert and Alec Ingold have been doubted by fans, opponents and even their own teams. It’s why they could never doubt each other.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — David Tepper thought he’d nailed it this time. After firing Matt Rhule in October 2022, the Carolina Panthers owner was determined to get his second head-coaching hire right. Tepper, the hedge-fund billionaire who bought the team in 2018, ran a more thorough search in looking for Rhule’s successor, focusing on coaches with…
By Tim Britton, Grant Brisbee and Stephen J. Nesbitt The trade Yankees get: Juan Soto, OF, Trent Grisham, OF Padres get: Michael King, RHP; Drew Thorpe, RHP; Jhony Brito, RHP; Randy Vásquez, RHP; and Kyle Higashioka, C Tim Britton: Every team would get better if it added Juan Soto. But maybe no team needed Soto more…
NASSAU, Bahamas — At least one person says it’s monstrous. Others say they don’t understand the anger. But everyone has opinions. The decision by the USGA and R&A to “roll back” golf balls universally across all levels of golf is now one of the most debated topics in the game. After three years of a “notice…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the College Football Playoff committee Tuesday and said he is asking for $1 million in the state’s budget to let Florida State sue the committee over its decision to exclude the team from the Playoff. DeSantis spoke about the decision at a news conference related to his spending proposal, which…
Corey Perry’s focus is not on hockey right now. As the veteran forward made clear in a statement released after the Chicago Blackhawks terminated his contract for a material breach, Perry is prioritizing his family and his health in this period in which he’s not employed by a team during the NHL season for the…
It’s the photo that has defined the weekend’s Premier League action — and caused debate across the world. Erling Haaland reacted wildly to referee Simon Hooper’s decision not to play an advantage in the final moments of Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Haaland was fouled in the City half but Hooper…
Cover 7 | Monday A daily NFL destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Monday, Mike Sando breaks down the six most impactful takeaways from the week. Football fans love a good MVP discussion. We are going to have one here after Brock Purdy’s San Francisco 49ers ran the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles off their…
ATLANTA — The head coach bent over at the waist and rested his forearms on the press table, seemingly pressing all of his weight into his elbows. His ears covered by headphones as he prepped for a postgame interview, he hung his head, peering up only with his eyes to answer questions. His body language…
Next year, all this College Football Playoff arguing will be moot with the CFP expanding to 12 teams. Arguing over Nos. 3, 4 and 5 is very different than 10, 11, 12 and 13. You lose your benefit of the doubt when you lose games. Even in the SEC. But this year is still a…
