Category: Sports

Sports

The Joker Effect: How playmaking centers have revolutionized college basketball

When Fred Hoiberg left a front-office job with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010 to coach Iowa State, he was ahead

Sports

March Madness upset picks: Bracket Breakers chooses its 10 most likely first-round stunners

Welcome back to Bracket Breakers! We know you’ve missed us, and we can’t wait to overwhelm you with our unique

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As the Dodgers enter their Shohei Ohtani Era, failure is not an option

PHOENIX — Flags only fly forever if you raise them. At Dodgertown, the ancestral home of the Los Angeles Dodgers

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Feeding the ‘demon inside’: Ex-employee tells how and why he stole $22 million from Jaguars

Feb. 2, 2023 began like any other morning for Amit Patel. He was sitting in his cubicle on the ground

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Nottingham Forest handed four-point deduction for breaching Premier League’s financial rules

Nottingham Forest have been handed a four-point deduction following a breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs).

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What happened to the 2021 NFL Draft QBs? Why Justin Fields and others are with new teams

They entered the NFL with great fanfare and lofty expectations of one day ranking among the best collections of talent

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Carlos Alcaraz is making magic again. Watch out.

It happens every time that guy Carlos Alcaraz takes the court. One outrageously zany point where he does something that

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How did Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball fall so far?

Editor’s note: The University of Michigan announced Friday afternoon that Juwan Howard will not return as head basketball coach next

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The gap-year road trip that healed an Ivy League hoops star

NEW YORK — She stopped working at the sushi restaurant, laid two mattress pads in the back of her Jeep

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From unknown to underdog: Qwan’tez Stiggers’ storybook rise as an NFL Draft prospect

Qwan’tez Stiggers sat alone in a dark hotel room, a thousand miles from anything familiar. He drew the curtains tight

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2024 MLB ‘Wild-Card Era’ Franchise Rankings: Rangers break into top 10, Cubs fall out

As Jonah Heim squeezed the final strike of the 2023 postseason and Josh Sborz spiked his mitt on the mound

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What we know about Kamilla Cardoso’s suspension, the NCAA Tournament implications of South Carolina-LSU fight

The rivalry between SEC foes LSU and South Carolina reached new heights when an altercation broke out during the conference

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A mysterious illness halted his promising NHL career. Eight years later, hope and a comeback

The game was already won when the puck slid to Cody Hodgson for the tap-in. The Milwaukee Admirals of the

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Dissecting Haaland vs Van Dijk: When the league’s best striker took on its best defender

The best striker in the Premier League versus the best defender in the Premier League in a one-on-one showdown with

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NAACP urges current, future college athletes to reconsider public Florida schools

In an open letter published Monday, the NAACP urged Black college athletes to “reconsider any potential decision” to attend a

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Michael Edwards – the Liverpool visionary FSG simply cannot live without

This is an updated version of an article first published in June 2020. Perhaps the best place to start is

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Thirty years ago, Chris Farley and college basketball collided in an unforgettable way

Thirty years later, Christian Laettner isn’t sure he knew it was coming. In 1994, he was in the NBA, his

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How Paul Mullin – via a text from Rob McElhenney – ended his rare goal drought

Rob McElhenney takes the duty of care he has as Wrexham’s co-owner seriously. When Phil Parkinson was still coming to

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How love, Warriors basketball and poetry brought Tom Meschery back

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The poet has been upstairs in his office, tapping at the keyboard on various projects. Most of

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Max Verstappen’s father: Red Bull could be ‘torn apart’ if Horner stays amid controversy

Stay informed on all the biggest stories in Formula One. Sign up here to receive the Prime Tire newsletter in your inbox

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NFL Scouting Combine: What we’re following for all 32 teams in Indianapolis

Draft season kicks into high gear this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as teams will put prospects

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Neville’s ‘blue billion-pound bottle jobs’ line will immortalise Chelsea’s pain

Not all losses are created equal — and no defeat in football is worse than a banter one. “In extra

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Jerry Reinsdorf’s White Sox era takes another turn with new stadium push

For all his mishegas and misdirection, Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is right on one thing: It’s either now

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Jordan Chiles stepped up at the Tokyo Olympics — now it’s time for Paris

Jordan Chiles is smiling, the beam nearly as bright as the green sweatshirt she’s wearing and the Olympic ring flex

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Which MLB teams, front offices and managers are feeling the most pressure? Insiders weigh in

As the February sunshine beams down on all of baseball, and the standings say that everyone is undefeated, it’s easy

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The public shouldn’t pay to rebuild Manchester United’s stadium for a billionaire

“I think if it’s a national stadium and is a catalyst for the regeneration of that part of southern Manchester…

Sports

Eli Manning’s popular ‘Chad Powers’ skit to be made into Hulu comedy series starring Glen Powell

The name’s Powers. Chad Powers. And he’s coming (back) to a screen near you. Hulu ordered Eli Manning’s character “Chad

Sports

Dani Alves – from 43 trophies to four years in prison

Dani Alves, who was this morning sentenced to four and a half years in prison in Spain after being found

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Man on a mission: NFL great Alan Page’s quest for justice in football and beyond

MINNEAPOLIS — A few times each month, Alan Page visits Justice Page Middle School, one of two schools named in

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Manchester United, Old Trafford, Sheikh Jassim and Mason Greenwood: Full transcript

On Tuesday evening, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS completed their purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United, as the

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Robert Lewandowski was Barcelona’s big post-Messi gamble. It hasn’t entirely paid off

“Everything Robert won at Bayern Munich, the goals he scored, it was all with the aim of ending up where

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The fearless mindset of the Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski: ‘He’s got a delusion to him’

SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly a year ago on the dot, Mike Dunleavy, the Golden State Warriors’ future general manager, and

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2024 NFL free agency rankings: Brian Burns, Saquon Barkley, Kirk Cousins lead top 150

NFL free agency is fast approaching, offering the first window for teams to improve this offseason, provided they sign the

Sports

‘His legs have gone’: Unpicking the four words no footballer wants to hear

Last season, it was a Brazilian midfielder at Liverpool. This season, it’s been his international team-mate at Manchester United. “I

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For Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball, facts say patience may soon run out

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Warde Manuel is a patient man. Patient to a fault, some would say. The job of

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Does the PGA Tour have a juice problem, and will Sunday solve it?

LOS ANGELES — It was all going to be so perfect. It had stars. It had records. It had one

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Intensity, alter egos and ‘Benjamin Button’: Dan Hurley’s quest to become king of two in a row at UConn

STORRS, Conn. — It is 1 p.m. on a dismal January afternoon and, aside from a few managers, Gampel Pavilion

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Kylian Mbappe is leaving PSG: Thank god that’s finally over

Ice ages haven’t lasted as long as this. Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid… it has been a thing for about

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Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and the row that dislocated a finger and rocked South Korea’s Asian Cup

The physical altercation that left Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea captain Son Heung-min with a dislocated finger had been a

Sports

Patriots ‘Dynasty’ documentary reveals how bad Brady-Belichick relationship had gotten

In the video, Tom Brady sits with his legs crossed and looks into the camera. He’s trying to express just

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Bay FC sign Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF for world-record fee

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side Bay FC have signed Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF for a world-record

Sports

How Maple Leafs staff helped save a rec-leaguer from a skate cut to the throat: ‘I thought I was going to die’

It was inside the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room that Ike Werner first allowed himself to believe he was going

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Lakers honor Kobe Bryant with statue outside Crypto.com Arena

The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue to honor Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena in a ceremony Thursday. The

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Super Bowl 2025 odds: 49ers are early favorites; Chiefs, Ravens and Bills among top teams

The Chiefs beat the 49ers in overtime to win Super Bowl LVIII. Is it too early to start looking ahead

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Caitlin Clark’s green-light range made her the gold standard in women’s college basketball

IOWA CITY, Iowa — It’s impossible to pinpoint the exact moment when it was determined in Iowa that any shot

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Fake Man United news: Tracking down the people making thousands out of fictitious stories

Did you know Manchester United have agreements in place to sign superstars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior? Or that Sir

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New ESPN, Fox, WBD streaming venture won’t solve much — at least not yet

LAS VEGAS — One day, the brilliant TV executives are all going to unite and put their programming under one

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The remote Swedish town that produced a generational NHL talent

LANDSBRO, Sweden – There are no signs for Landsbro on the long road from Stockholm. This village in southern Sweden

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What are the NFL’s gambling rules for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas?

The NFL’s rules on gambling have generated widespread criticism and questions leading up to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas,

Sports

LIV Golf had a big opportunity Sunday. Did it take advantage?

LIV Golf was given an opportunity on Sunday. The PGA Tour’s final round was pushed off due to some truly

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From Salah to Neymar to Kimmich: The big stars with contracts expiring in 2025

What do Mohamed Salah, Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lionel Messi have in common? Their contracts are all

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Six days on the bubble with America’s most eclectic team

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s 9:40 a.m. in the southeast parking lot at The Pit, and a man in black-and-white face

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NHL player poll: Why 78 percent say there should be no neck-guard mandate

Mandatory neck guards are coming to youth hockey in the United States. Already required in Canada and many other countries,

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Hey NBA, Knicks’ Jalen Brunson is damn good and proving the naysayers wrong

After yet another disappointing, early-season loss, Jalen Brunson stood at his locker, ready to speak with the media in Milwaukee.

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Anonymous NHL player poll 2024: Who’s the best player? Most overrated? Best goalie? Worst road city?

Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon or Nikita Kucherov: Who’s the NHL’s best player? It’s gotta be McDavid, right? Not so fast,

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Why Joel Embiid deserved better, and what his injury says about NBA’s 65-game rule

SAN FRANCISCO — Joel Embiid didn’t speak. Not with his words, anyway. The Philadelphia 76ers big man who had been

Sports

How the PWHL’s youngest player is adjusting to a new league — and a new language

OTTAWA — Nearly 6,000 miles away from her hometown in Hokkaido, Japan, Akane Shiga was being asked about the weather.

Sports

After Jackie Robinson statue is destroyed, Wichita rallies around a baseball league

It was around noon last Thursday when Bob Lutz walked outside of his work and headed home before the start

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Adam Johnson: Coroner suspends investigation into death of former NHL player

A senior coroner probing the death of former NHL and Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson has suspended her investigation as

Sports

Thompson: LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry is still the NBA’s best theater

SAN FRANCISCO — The frustration seethed in Stephen Curry. Until it boiled to the surface. Until he let out a

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Mike Macdonald lets the Ravens defense do his talking

If Mike Macdonald’s ascent to one of the NFL’s hottest coordinators and a legitimate head-coaching candidate feels meteoric, that’s probably

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‘Don’t move … improve’: Can L.A.’s newest star revive a storied women’s basketball program?

LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins’ hands didn’t feel quite right. They were tingling in a way that seemed unnatural, and

Sports

Where are all the January transfers in the Premier League?

The rumour mill is still. The gossip columns are sparse. The Sky Sports News totaliser sits dormant. Fabrizio Romano seems

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Gary Sheffield, one of baseball’s great offensive forces, is still defending himself

However you perceive Gary Sheffield — icon or problem child, steroid user or public-opinion victim — one image almost certainly

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How a Stanford professor helped lay the foundation for this 49ers era

The Athletic has live coverage of 49ers vs. Packers in the NFC Divisional Round matchup For his first few frenetic

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Medvedev’s 3.40am finish is latest absurd example of why tennis has to change

It happened again. Of course it did. Two tennis players, starting near midnight, battling nearly to sunrise in front of

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Jim Harbaugh is chatting with the NFL. Who replaces him at Michigan if he leaves?

Jim Harbaugh did everything Michigan fans could’ve hoped the former Wolverines star quarterback would do when he returned to Ann

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Remembering the Zambia air disaster – ‘The boys would say: ‘This plane will kill us”

“The spirit of the 1993 team will always be there for Zambia.” Kalusha Bwalya, Zambia’s former football captain, is reflecting

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As Draymond Green returns, can he and Warriors wind down a dynasty the right way?

In the backyard of Draymond Green’s $10 million home in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood, where white columns and

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Christian Pulisic interview: ‘I want to show the world what the U.S. can do’

Christian Pulisic is perched on a bar stool in the old clubhouse overlooking the first-team training pitch at Milanello, AC

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Peacock’s wild-card game likely just the start of the NFL’s playoff streaming era

The only place a reverse happens in the NFL is on the field. The league rarely moves backward when it

Sports

After years of American growth, has F1’s U.S. fandom plateaued?

As Donny Osmond sang the opening notes of “Star-Spangled Banner,” wearing a Las Vegas Grand Prix letterman jacket, the Sphere

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The footballers who escaped one of the most dangerous countries on Earth

“We see potential spies and enemies everywhere,” says David. “It can be at border control or it can be in

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Elina Svitolina: Ukraine’s unbreakable spirit is a big motivation for me

By now, nearly two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is a familiar rhythm to Elina Svitolina’s days.

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Naomi Osaka, The Comeback Interview: A tale of pregnancy, fear and a ballerina

It was late September when Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion and transcendent star of her sport, finally got

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Alabama hires Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to replace Nick Saban as coach

By Christopher Kamrani, Bruce Feldman, Kennington Smith III and Chris Vannini The man chosen to succeed the greatest college football

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Cutter Gauthier received death threats for not wanting to play for Flyers, says he wouldn’t wish them on ‘worst enemy’

From the moment he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, Cutter Gauthier has been pilloried in some circles,

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There’s no world juniors for women. What would it take to make it happen?

The top under-20 men’s players from Czechia, Finland, Sweden and the United States will vie for a spot in the gold

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The Super Bowl winning coach and his family who have fallen in love with Wrexham

Where does a former NFL coach with a Super Bowl title to his name go on holiday for the new

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Why Wayne Rooney was sacked by Birmingham City – 15 games into ‘long-term project’

When Wayne Rooney was told his time as Birmingham City manager was up after just 15 games, he was shocked.

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Behind the scenes with Curt Menefee, ‘leader’ and ‘therapist’ for ‘Fox NFL Sunday’

LOS ANGELES — Terry Bradshaw spills a cup of coffee, but Curt Menefee doesn’t flinch. Menefee leans toward a tray not

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Why the Patriots’ Bill Belichick-Robert Kraft partnership is on the verge of a breakup

Confetti rained down around Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as the two hugged near midfield, Super Bowl champs together for

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Regan Smith’s long road back to the Olympic spotlight

Editor’s note: This article is part of our “Origin Stories” series, focusing on the backstories of athletes and topics around the Summer Olympics.

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Six teams, one draft and loads of Ikea furniture: How the PWHL was made in six months

TORONTO — The line began at the gates of Mattamy Athletic Centre and stretched a full city block. Women’s hockey

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Valencia’s Nou Mestalla ‘ghost ground’: After 15-year delay, will it finally be built?

The cheers rang long and loud around Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium as fans celebrated Hugo Guillamon’s late equaliser against Barcelona in

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Free agents in 2024 – the players who can now sign pre-contract transfer agreements

This season’s winter transfer window is now open, meaning clubs can officially start the scramble to add reinforcements or offload

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Michael Penix Jr. led Washington to soaring heights while overcoming deep lows: ‘I was scared to play’

The Athletic has live coverage of Texas vs. Washington in the College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl. He has

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One year of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

It was one of those rare days when nothing comes off for Cristiano Ronaldo and he cannot conceal his rising

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Ever wonder what NFL travel is like? Take a peek behind the scenes with the N.Y. Giants

When Giants rookie running back Eric Gray took his first NFL road trip in August for joint practices and a

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Professional tennis is broken. Here’s how to fix it

Tennis is doing what it does every 10-15 years or so — having a reckoning with its endless schedule, its

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Israeli sisters find strength, support and safe place in college basketball

In the days after Oct. 7, in which Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people, Yarden Garzon struggled to eat and

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The football stadiums that never were

Peter Storrie can remember visiting the London studio of Herzog & de Meuron, the renowned Swiss architects, and being shown

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MLB’s weirdest injuries of 2023, from a pool basketball mishap to a toilet setback

Every year at this time, we marvel at the many creative ways baseball players find to make an appearance on

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NFL’s best touchdown celebrations of 2023: A favorite from all 32 teams

Scoring touchdowns during each offensive possession is the unspoken goal for every NFL team. For decades, celebrations have been the

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Longest losing streaks in sports history: What pantheon of ineptitude could Pistons be joining?

The Detroit Pistons will knock on the door of historic ineptitude Tuesday night. Losers of 26 straight games, the Pistons

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MLB’s 20 most mind-blowing hitting, pitching feats of 2023 — with Kyle Schwarber leading off

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … except for one thing: It’s no longer baseball season! But that’s

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First World War Christmas truce: How much football was actually played?

It’s one of the best-known stories about the First World War: the Christmas truce of 1914, when soldiers from both

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NFL playoff picture after Week 16: Ravens close in on AFC’s top seed; NFC up for grabs

The Baltimore Ravens scored their most impressive victory of the season Monday night, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 33-19. Along

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Shorter pitch clock, new runner’s lane among MLB’s rule changes for 2024

A tighter, 18-second pitch clock with runners on base … a new, wider runner’s lane between home and first base

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In a league of offensive masterminds, this NFL coach stands out

Todd Monken has been predictable enough for the Baltimore Ravens coaches and players to know what was coming next. So

Sports

The tragedy of Wayne Harrison, Liverpool’s teenage wonder

The scrapbook is meticulously preserved, a series of newspaper clippings saved and collated by a proud father. It charts almost

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Kenny Payne returned to save Louisville. Now a school and a city wonder what’s next

LOUISVILLE — Kenny Payne sounded like a man looking for hope in a hard reality. His Louisville basketball team came

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Dunking hurts: Why players hate — and love — the NBA’s greatest feat

The dunk is basketball’s most lionized play. The most iconic ones are canonized, referenced fondly and often, debated for their

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Golf with a purpose: How The Park dared to be different

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s lunchtime on a mid-November Saturday afternoon and the word of the day is eclectic.

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No Hit League? The ‘lost art’ of body checking in the NHL

Seventeen years and more than 1,200 games ago, Andrew Cogliano remembers how difficult it was to traverse the state of

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Data dive: Caitlin Clark vs. Steph Curry and other top shooters

In a nearly empty arena in late November 2020, Caitlin Clark shot her first college 3-pointer. Time was ticking down

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Football conspiracy theories: Are we in a ‘golden age’ of fan paranoia?

One of the most eye-catching bios on X, or Twitter as we all know it, belonged to a sports writer

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Mary Earps: Goalkeeper, brand, icon

If you take a stroll along Sir Matt Busby Way, heading towards Old Trafford, and take a left down Railway

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NFL Power Rankings Week 16: 49ers, Ravens on top, plus a surprise from every team

We’re coming down the stretch of the NFL season, and the playoff seedings and Power Rankings are starting to sort

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How Celeste Taylor found the perfect fit at Ohio State

Celeste Taylor did everything she could at Duke. The 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor was a big

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Warriors’ Draymond Green starts counseling, expected to miss at least 3 weeks: Sources

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has started counseling and is expected to remain sidelined via suspension for at least

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Sean Payton’s flare-up at Russell Wilson puts coach-QB relationship back in spotlight

(Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Dec. 18, 2023.) Sean Payton blasting quarterback Russell Wilson on the

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‘For the District?’ Yeah, right; Ted Leonsis will take Wizards, Capitals angst across the river

WASHINGTON — The Prince of Potomac Yard spoke of water. “When I first came to this site,” Ted Leonsis said

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The flight of N616RH: When Shohei Ohtani’s contract saga jumped the shark (tank)

The Athletic has live coverage of Shohei Ohtani’s first Dodgers press conference On Friday morning, Robert Herjavec was tracking to

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Can Kyle Neptune get Villanova back on the Wright track?

VILLANOVA, Pa. – The new block of cement, untouched by time or the elements, proudly proclaims in all capital letters

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Alcoholism, ayahuasca and the enlightenment of an NFL player

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. — The Buffalo Bills have a new safety this season. He sometimes plays close to the line of

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Jesse Lingard is a non-footballing footballer – he won’t be the last

It’s Jesse Lingard’s birthday. He turns 31 today and, at this stage of his life, he must realise it is