The match statistics alone showed what a threat Ngumoha can be.
He had 12 touches in the opposition box, completed seven out of eight dribbles, and registered two crucial assists.
But watching Ngumoha is more than just a numbers experience. There’s a fearless nature to his play that can get the crowd going, and he was the one bright spark in a first half where Liverpool lacked any sort of rhythm.
In a game increasingly focused on structures, Ngumoha’s raw ability to take a man on is what helps to set him apart.
“He was magnificent tonight,” said former Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge on Amazon Prime.
“On the ball, this kid has so much potential – and I say ‘kid’, but he’s a young man. He has so much quality and it’s stuff that you can’t teach to be honest.
“What he does with the ball at his feet – that is God-given ability – and his hard work on the training pitch, doing things day in and day out, and being ruthless, is what he said in his interview, and I like that. He wants to be decisive, and I love that.”
Ngumoha, who has grown up playing down the left, has struggled to get minutes on his preferred side this season, especially with Cody Gakpo and Barcola often playing down that flank.
But head coach Andoni Iraola wants his wingers to be able to play on both sides and Ngumoha’s improvement on the right flank has been impressive in such a short space of time.
Ngumoha also spoke about his rapid development on the right on Saturday, after Liverpool beat Brentford.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot better playing there from the Newcastle game [at the start of this season] until now,” Ngumoha said.
“I’m understanding it more. And going away with England helped a lot as well. I like playing on both sides. It gives me another tool in the toolbox.”
Ever since Uefa announced its plans to alter the format of the Champions League in 2021, the impact on matches has been a hot topic. Scrutiny has only increased since the changes were implemented in time for the 2024-25 season.
After beginning life as a six-team invitational tournament in 1955-56 before growing to a 32-team knockout tournament in 1967, the Champions League as we know it began in 1992.
A group stage was added, with the last 16 entering a knockout phase. There was a brief spell with two group stages, but this was reverted back to the single group-stage format for the 2003-04 tournament.
The group stage previously featured 32 teams in eight groups of four, with the top two sides from each of those groups qualifying for the last 16.
For the start of the 2024-25 season, the group stage was replaced with a 36-team league phase, with each side playing eight one-off fixtures instead of six games against three teams.
The top eight finishers qualify directly for the knockout stages, with those placed ninth to 24th entering a two-legged play-off stage.
The bottom eight are eliminated, meaning that after eight matches, 24 sides are still in the competition. Some argue that that creates a lack of jeopardy, which encourages teams to play more expansively.
But do more goals equal better quality?
“I think the entertainment has gone up, although I’m not sure the quality has gone up,” The Times football writer Tom Arnott told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“If I’m looking at the games it’s brilliant to watch and thrilling because the football itself is fantastic – but what do they mean?
“The lack of jeopardy, why would PSG and Barcelona play for a draw, why not go for it? If you need five wins from the eight games you know you’ve got some margin there. If you lose it’s OK. I think the format allows all the teams to loosen up.
“The entertainment value is there but I think you come away from these matches sometimes and still think ‘what does it all mean?’. The lack of jeopardy early on does deliver entertainment.”
The World Series is upon us, and this one should be a delight: The team with the best record in the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers, against the team with the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays.
The players are about to take baseball’s grandest stage. Yet this has somehow become a strange national obsession: not how Jacob Misiorowski or Junior Caminero might shine in the series, but how many people might watch it.
Should you care? Not really. Have you ever thought about watching a World Series game and thought, “Hmmm, let me consider what the ratings might be before I decide to tune in?”
Major League Baseball cares, of course, because its owners count on billions of dollars from the sale of television rights, and those rights are worth more money when more people watch the games. And, since the fog of a collective bargaining war has enveloped the sport, the ratings make for an intriguing subplot in the World Series.
This World Series is what owners say they want: less of, say, the Dodgers and the New York Yankees, more of teams from smaller markets that seldom advance through the playoffs, if they even get there. Neither the Brewers nor the Rays have won a World Series.
Yet the ratings for the Dodgers-Yankees World Series in 2024 almost doubled those for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers in 2023, and this year’s ratings should be much closer to 2023 than 2024.
So, in a sport that already generates the majority of its broadcast revenue in national rather than local packages, amid the collapse of regional sports networks, are the owners taking a risk of making less money on the World Series?
Fox currently airs the World Series as the jewel of a seven-year, $5.1-billion deal that expires in 2028.
Ed Desser, a Santa Monica-based consultant who launched NBA TV and helped negotiate the Dodgers’ record SportsNet LA deal, said the value of a World Series featuring teams such as the Dodgers and Yankees goes beyond the large audiences they command because they play in large markets.
“It’s commonplace for people to hate the Dodgers, hate the Yankees — and, to some extent, that’s good for business, because it’s another rooting interest. Anything that gets people to focus their attention is good,” Desser said. “It’s easy to hate a team that’s in a glamorous place and spends more than almost anybody.
“I’m not sure that anybody has an ax to grind against the Rays or the Brewers. Sports is about passion.”
That said, neither Desser nor Bob Thompson, the former president of Fox Sports Networks, believes MLB is setting itself up for a big fall in revenue from the Fall Classic.
For Fox — and whatever other bidders might emerge come 2028 — ratings would be important, but not as much as you might think.
“Does expected audience matter? Of course,” Desser said. “They’re in the media business, and the way you monetize is by selling subscriptions to your channel and selling advertising.
“But, typically, you’re taking a much longer viewpoint. You’re making a deal that might be five, eight, 12 years. When you do that, you have an expectation that some teams get better, some teams get worse, sometimes you get a large market, sometimes you get a small market. It kind of evens out.”
This is the fifth season of the current Fox contract. The 10 World Series berths have been spread among nine teams, with the Dodgers appearing twice.
To a broadcast outlet, Thompson said, financial success in the World Series is not just about ratings.
“It’s about how good the matchup is and how long the matchup goes. The bulk of the advertising is sold up front (before we know the teams),” Thompson said. “Ratings for the series aren’t going to be a huge deal, unless you’re selling time in, say, Game 6 and Game 7, where you can really be jacking your rates.”
Last year’s Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series extended to seven games, attracting viewers amid a dramatic finish and ultimately getting a higher rating than the 2024 Dodgers-Yankees series, even though Canadian viewers weren’t included in that Nielsen count. The Dodgers-Yankees series lasted five games, and the Dodgers beat up on the Yankees when the Yankees weren’t beating themselves.
Even if the World Series itself might be worth less with more lower-profile teams competing, Thompson said MLB could include it as part of a larger package, or dangle it as an incentive for streaming outlets or other new bidders.
He also noted that the latest MLB collective bargaining proposal calls for fewer regular-season games and more postseason games.
“Playoffs are going to get you a premium over regular-season games,” Thompson said.
And, to the extent that postseason ratings might be in decline, ratings for everything — sporting events, awards shows, news shows, dramas, comedies, you name it — are in decline. Only the NFL is immune to lower ratings.
“Big events matter more than they used to, even with smaller audiences,” Desser said. “The World Series is still a big event, and there is a premium for that.”
The three most-watched shows on broadcast television in the week of Oct. 5-11, according to Nielsen: Sunday Night Football (Atlanta Falcons vs. Baltimore Ravens) with 17 million viewers; SEC Football (Alabama vs. Georgia) with 12 million viewers; NLCS Game 1 (Dodgers vs. Brewers) with 11 million viewers.
The top entertainment show that week: Tracker (CBS), with 7.4 million viewers.
The owners will make their money on the World Series, one way or another.
“Even at a lower expectation for audience, there is still going to be that value,” Desser said. “It’s one of the biggest things happening in October.”
Two months ago, legendary NASCAR driver and longtime Fox Sports broadcaster Darrell Waltrip stepped away from public life at age 79 because of a progressive brain disease. His family said in a statement that his frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) diagnosis was complicated by possible chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — “likely from injuries incurred during his racing career.”
Now Fred Lorenzen — another Hall of Fame NASCAR driver — has been diagnosed posthumously with CTE, according to a statement Tuesday from his children, Chris Lorenzen and Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom.
His is the first known case of CTE in a NASCAR driver, according to the Concussion & CTE Foundation. CTE can only be diagnosed after death through a microscopic examination of brain tissue during an autopsy.
Lorenzen, who went by the nicknames “The Golden Boy” and “Fast Freddie” when he dominated NASCAR in the 1960s, died Dec. 18, 2024, at age 89. He lived with dementia for 20 years, yet had the foresight in 2016 to pledge to donate his brain for research. Lorenzen had been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame a year earlier — one of the first 25 drivers to be enshrined — but was already living in a nursing home, unable to walk. His son, Chris, delivered his Hall of Fame speech for him.
Researchers at the Boston University CTE Center — a renowned research facility that conducts high-impact research on repetitive brain trauma in athletes, military personnel, and first responders — diagnosed Lorenzen with Stage 3 CTE, the second-most severe of four stages.
Although safety precautions for drivers have vastly improved since the heyday of Lorenzen and Waltrip, concussions and the prospect of CTE remain a constant fear within the sport.
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch was forced to end his full-time racing career after sustaining a severe concussion during a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway in 2022. Dale Earnhardt Jr. estimates that he suffered as many as 50 concussions over his 20-year racing career and 10 years ago tweeted that he intends to have his brain donated for concussion research after his death.
CTE is most closely associated with football players. A study published in the British Medical Journal in August reported that 315 of the 338 brains studied from players who died between 2008 and 2021 were diagnosed with CTE. It is becoming clear that NASCAR drivers may also sustain the kind of brain trauma that can cause the condition.
Lorenzen’s children made a $1 million donation to the Concussion and CTE Foundation, creating the Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine to help drivers and their families find care when necessary.
Outgoing and friendly during his career, Lorenzen was the first driver in series history to earn $100,000 in prize money in a single season. He was voted NASCAR’s most popular driver in 1963 and 1965.
He won 26 races from 1961 to 1967, more than “The King” Richard Petty, and won the Daytona 500 in 1965 and the World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600) in 1963 and 1965. He also won six times at Martinsville Speedway, famously launching the tradition of giving the winner a Ridgeway grandfather clock.
Put away the holochess board, C-3PO is going to the 2027 Super Bowl!
An animated “Star Wars” version of Super Bowl LXI featuring characters from the galaxy far, far away will air live, simultaneously with the game, on Feb. 14 on Disney Channel and Disney XD, the NFL announced Monday along with partners ESPN, Lucasfilm and Disney. “Star Wars Funday Football” will also be available on Disney+ and the ESPN app.
Anthony Daniels, who has portrayed C-3PO since the original “Star Wars” trilogy, will voice the worry-prone protocol droid in the live alternate telecast. If the brief teaser video is any indication, C-3PO will be joined by his favorite astromech, R2-D2.
“Star Wars Funday Football” will feature live-animated avatars of all of the players on the field as they play the game. Viewers can expect “Star Wars” characters to sub in during special moments, as well as various Easter eggs to appear throughout the game.
The “Star Wars” themed telecast follows previous “Funday Football” installments that were themed to “Toy Story,” “The Simpsons,” and “Monsters, Inc.” This marks the first time that the Super Bowl is getting the “Funday Football” treatment.
The traditional telecast, featuring announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman with reporters Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge, will be available on ESPN, ABC and Disney+.
Super Bowl LXI will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Details for the halftime performance have not officially been announced, but Jay-Z is rumored to be the headliner.
Following “Star Wars Funday Football” and Super Bowl LXI, a newly restored version of “A New Hope” will return to theaters on Feb. 19. “Star Wars: Starfighter,” a new standalone film starring Ryan Gosling as Kade Auberon, is slated to hit theaters May 28.
The 67-year-old sportscaster didn’t actually injure himself demonstrating the so-called “Peanut” punch with CBS broadcast booth partner J.J. Watt — who is 37 and a three-time former NFL defensive player of the year — during the Buffalo Bills-Las Vegas Raiders game on Sunday.
He seems to feel foolish though.
“I learned a lesson,” Nantz said Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” “You got J.J. Watt cradling the ball like this. What am I — I’m going to like knock it out of his hands? Come on, the thing was vacuum sealed into his chest.”
Named after retired cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, the “Peanut punch” has become an effective method for defensive players to cause fumbles. While showing viewers how offensive players should hold the football to counter the maneuver , Watt encouraged Nantz to “give that a good punch.”
“Really?” Nantz asked.
“Hard as you got, brother,” Watt replied.
So Nantz delivered a solid blow to the ball, which didn’t budge in Watt’s arms.
“I did kind of go aggressively here after this ball because J.J. encouraged me to do so,” Nantz told McAfee while watching a clip of the incident.
Back on the broadcast, Nantz immediately winced and grabbed his hand.
“I did not think you were going to go that hard,” Watt laughed. “That was so much harder than I thought you were going to go.”
Nantz clearly was in discomfort, but he chuckled about it as well.
“My wrist is broken,” he told his booth partner. “Like I’m going to knock it out of your hands.”
“Get Jim some ice,” Watt joked as they were going to commercial.
After halftime, Nantz could be seen in the booth with his hand wrapped. That led some people to believe he had seriously injured himself.
“I heard from people you can’t believe,” Nantz told McAfee. “[Bills quarterback] Josh Allen texted me an hour after the game and said, ‘Did you just break your hand? I hear you broke your hand.’ I heard from a former president of the United States, reached out and wanted to know if my hand was broken.”
McAfee and company speculated that the former president was Barack Obama, but Nantz did not reveal his identity.
After the game, Watt joked on X: “CBS Injury Report Week 7 — Jim Nantz: Questionable (Wrist/Hand).”
The NFL joined in the good-natured fun, posting the clip on Instagram and writing, “the peanut punch isn’t for everybody,” along with a laughing emoji.
While Nantz admitted his hand and wrist “did hurt for a while,” he told McAfee that any reports beyond that were “greatly exaggerated.”
“It did sting, I’m not going to kid you,” Nantz said. “But I gave it my best, and as soon as I did it, I regretted it because I felt like everything had been compressed. And I did think I was going to wake up Monday with this thing about triple the size, but I’m fine. I’m not going to be on the injury report this week. I’m going to be good to go. No broken bones.”
The Rams moved to augment their struggling special teams on Tuesday, signing veteran kicker Brandon McManus.
The Rams worked out McManus and veteran Matt Prater on Tuesday and then chose McManus to replace Blake Grupe, who is on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury during his Rams debut in an 18-16 defeat by the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
McManus will be the third kicker on the roster this season for a team that opened as the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI but is now struggling with a 2-4 record heading into Sunday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Harrison Mevis, signed by the Rams at midseason in 2025, was released last week after making only five of nine field-goal attempts this season. Grupe kicked a 44-yard field goal against the Cardinals but was injured on the ensuing play when he knocked a Cardinals kick returner out of bounds.
Punter Ethan Evans kicked an extra point that put the Rams ahead, 17-15, with less than a minute remaining before the Cardinals kicked a winning field goal.
McManus, 35, has made 297 of 362 field-goal attempts (82%) during a 12-year career that has included stints with the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers. In 2025, he made 24 of 30 field-goal attempts for the Packers.
The Rams also placed receiver Davante Adams and defensive lineman Poona Ford on injured reserve because of hamstring and triceps injuries, respectively. Coach Sean McVay said Monday that Adams would be sidelined six to 10 weeks and that Ford is out for the season.
To many observers, the Manchester United left-back situation was one that could have been anticipated and should have been addressed in the summer.
The fact United spoke to Manchester City about Algeria international Rayan Ait-Nouri on deadline day suggests they did view it as a potential issue.
After starting all 38 Premier League games last term and the first three this, Shaw has played only twice since, and the number of games missed could reach double figures before the 31-year-old returns.
When Diogo Dalot lined up at left-back against Leeds, he became the fifth different player to start there for United in six games.
Aside from Shaw, none of the quintet could be regarded as a natural left-back.
However, after it was suggested Martinez’s post-match outburst following the defeat by Atletico Madrid was partly down to 20-year-old Ayden Heaven playing at left-back, sources did point out the youngster played more often in that role than in the centre during his youth days at Arsenal.
It was also suggested in the summer that United’s coaching team did not believe 19-year-old Harry Amass, who was Shaw’s stand-in during pre-season, was yet at the right level.
Amass’ single appearance so far this season, as a substitute for the final 18 minutes against Sabah, backs up that view, although Carrick has countered it.
“He’s right in contention,” Carrick said.
“At some point, young players need an opportunity. It’s just finding the right time.
“Sometimes it’s because there’s an unfortunate thing happened to somebody else. Sometimes it’s just you’re doing so well we have to give you a chance.
“All the young players are in a similar boat. There’s maybe four, five, or six of them trying to make that next step in terms of getting into the team and trying to start games, and Harry’s definitely one of them.”
Manchester United targeting Lewis Hall and Adrien Truffert, Real Madrid remain interested in Riccardo Calafiori and Liverpool and Arsenal both keen on Xavi Espart.
Manchester Unitedare plotting a major defensive overhaul next summer and will revisit a deal for Newcastleand England left-back Lewis Hall, 22, who is keen to move to Old Trafford. Bournemouth and France defender Adrien Truffert, 24, is also a target. (i news) , external
Real Madrid remain interested in signing Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori, butArsenalhave made it clear an extraordinary offer would be required for them to sell the 24-year-old. (CaughtOffside), external
Liverpooland Arsenalare both interested in Spanish defender Xavi Espart, but Barcelona would reject offers for the 19-year-old, who has a release clause in excess of £84m. (Teamtalk), external
Newcastle are keen on making a move for AC Milan and England defender Fikayo Tomori when the 28-year-old becomes a free agent in the summer. (Football Insider), external
Arsenalare targeting a January move for Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi, 22, with the German reportedly valued at £42m. (Sun), external
Argentina midfielder Emiliano Buendia is set to sign a new contract at Aston Villa, while talks with Sweden’sVictor Lindelof, 32, and 19-year-old Englishman George Hemmings are also progressing. (Athletic), external
Tottenham and Spain right-back Pedro Porro, 27, would “seriously consider” the chance to join either Barcelona or Real Madrid.(Football Insider), external
Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan has been named among 147 football club officials to receive 45-day bans from the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) for breaching betting rules.
In September, it was announced 448 people had been provisionally suspended and referred to the TFF’s professional football disciplinary board over allegations they had placed bets while in office.
Like players and coaches, match officials are forbidden from participating in betting activities by TFF regulations, as well as those of Fifa and Uefa.
The TFF said the people involved had held posts at clubs in the top two divisions in Turkish football over the previous five years.
Of those, some 147 were found to have breached betting rules and will be barred from carrying out duties within football during the suspension period.
There were insufficient grounds for disciplinary action in the other 301 cases.
The Turkish football authorities have clamped down on betting in the sport over the last year.
Saracens owner Dominic Silvester says he has “full confidence” in chief executive Ed Coetzee and dismissed a newspaper article suggesting there was “executive-level chaos” at the club.
In an open letter on Saracens’ website, external, responding to an article in The Times last week, Silvester said Coetzee had achieved an “extraordinary amount” since being appointed in July.
“The board has full confidence in Ed and his team,” Silvester wrote.
“We believe they have the experience, capability and determination to raise standards across every area of the club, strengthen our financial sustainability and ensure that Saracens continues to be an organisation of which our players, staff, partners and supporters can be proud.”
The Times article, published on Friday, external, claimed the 2022 takeover in which Silvester assumed control from former owner Nigel Wray had “triggered a period of executive-level chaos”, pointing to Coetzee being Sarries’ third chief executive in two years and alleging a high turnover of staff.
“With such a churn in executive staff, club sponsors may well be reluctant to engage in relationship-building,” the article added.
But Silvester used his open letter to reject the suggestions and listed Coetzee’s achievements, such as bringing the all-female athletics meeting Athlos and the Gaelic football fixture between Mayo and Kerry to the club’s StoneX Stadium.
He also highlighted the securing of new commercial and hospitality partnerships and a beefed-up executive team, with Jason Thomas as chief financial officer and Rob Cook as chief operating officer.
“Together, Ed, Jason and Rob bring significant experience, complementary expertise and a clear commitment to building a financially sustainable business while maintaining Saracens’ high-performance sporting ambitions,” Silvester wrote.
“We are ambitious about our future, realistic about the work required to achieve our goals and united in our commitment to taking Saracens forward.”
A FedEx truck parked near the sprawling grading center of Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) in Santa Ana was robbed a week ago of trading cards worth nearly $1 million, the Santa Ana Police Department said.
PSA reported to police that two stolen pallets of about 100 packages of cards apiece had an approximate value of $963,000. About 50 packages from a third pallet were also stolen, and their value was still being calculated as of Tuesday morning.
The cards had been sent from all over the country to PSA to be graded, a necessary step for collectors in authenticating their wares. Items included primarily sports cards and Pokémon cards, as well as one-of-one pieces. The cards had been graded and were set to be returned to their owners when they were stolen.
The FedEx driver left the vehicle, which was parked near PSA’s shipping and receiving address at 1610 E. St. Andrew Place, for an hour to 90 minutes, police said. The truck lock was busted and packages stolen while he was away.
“It remains an open case,” Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia told NBC News, “and we have not made any arrests or recovered any stolen goods.”
PSA said it was taking measures to prevent the stolen cards from circulating through the usual venues and marketplaces while also reimbursing card owners for at least a portion of their losses. Trading cards and other collectibles are verified and assigned condition grades by PSA, which establishes their value and protects them by assigning serial numbers and certification information. PSA said it has deactivated the certificates tied to the stolen items.
“We have deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items,” PSA said in a statement. “Our customer service team has contacted affected customers directly and is arranging compensation based on fair market value.”
PSA sent a letter to affected cards owners, detailing the steps taken to make the owners whole.
“After leaving our PSA facility in Southern California, a FedEx vehicle transporting PSA orders was burglarized, and items were stolen,” the letter read, continuing with a list of items titled “What we are doing.”
Among the items are deactivating the serial numbers on the affected items, notifying commerce partners across digital, auction and other selling platforms so they can look out for stolen items; aiding FedEx and law enforcement in their investigations; and studying what happened so a repeat can be avoided.
Nick Andrews, whose social media persona is the Boston Card Hunter, is keeping track of items reported stolen, a number that had exceeded 1,000 by Tuesday morning. He wrote on X that one victim had cards worth $500,000 stolen.
Card trader Sky-B said on a video that 104 of the cards he collected over the past two years are missing. They had been certified at PSA and were being returned to him in Michigan when he learned about the theft. He said he spent $8,000 on grading, and the cards carried insurance of up to $156,000, less than their market value.
“There were cards in that order that you can’t replace,” Sky-B said.
Longtime sports business reporter Darren Rovell, an avid trading card and memorabilia collector since childhood, said on social media that expensive collectibles are at risk any time they are shipped. Not only can shipping labels and declared insurance values reveal their potential contents, “the simple name PSA or Collectors in the address box is the threat,” Rovell wrote.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has called an early finish to what she described as “one of the most challenging” seasons of her career.
Poland’s Swiatek failed to qualify for the end-of-season WTA Finals – for the first time since 2019 – after pulling out of the Ningbo Open on Tuesday with a thigh injury.
Shortly afterwards, the 25-year-old announced she was bringing a largely barren season to a close, in order to recharge over a longer period of time before returning in 2027.
Former long-time world number one Swiatek – who has ended a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2021 – has dropped to ninth in the rankings.
“The past few months, or actually the past couple of years, have been incredibly intense,” said Swiatek, who will have an opportunity to complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January.
“I feel I need to rest and recover my body fully, so that’s exactly what I will do – [for] a bit longer this time.”
Her most recent Grand Slam triumph came at Wimbledon last year.
Swiatek has managed one WTA title this season – the Canadian Open in August – and ends 2026 with a 42-16 win-loss record.
On Saturday, she lost to fellow Pole Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open semi-finals, only her fourth defeat in 23 matches.
“I’m especially proud of the work we’ve done in the second half of the year and the progress that came with it,” said Swiatek, who needed treatment on her thigh but played on against Chwalinska.
“It gives me a lot of confidence in what’s ahead.”
U2 is coming to SoFi Stadium for the first time — and performing during a Rams game for the first time in nearly 25 years.
The legendary Irish rock band will headline the halftime show for the NFL’s first Thanksgiving eve game as the Rams host the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 25. The game will stream live on Netflix.
The only other time U2 has performed at halftime of an NFL game was at Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002, when the New England Patriots defeated the then-St. Louis Rams 20-17 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
“There’s a reason U2 has headlined stadiums for decades: they don’t just perform, they deliver iconic moments audiences remember forever,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “We’re thrilled that they’ll bring that same magic to the NFL stage on Netflix. It’s going to be an unforgettable night for football fans and Netflix members worldwide.”
U2’s halftime show will feature special guests, the streaming service said.
Netflix has featured big-name halftime performers during some of the previous NFL games it has streamed, including Beyoncé on Christmas day in 2024 and Snoop Dogg on Christmas last year.
U2 — which features singer Bono, lead guitarist the Edge, bass player Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. — celebrated their 50th anniversary last month with a concert. The group performed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where the four members were students when they first got together as a band in 1976.
The band has won 22 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Its 16th studio album, Carnival de Luz, is set to drop on Nov. 13.
Vicky Lagos, the City Section commissioner, was watching last week’s King/Drew-Crenshaw football game on the sideline when she noticed problems with the chain crew.
She proceeded to become part of it, holding the down marker and helping educate the inexperienced students.
It was another example of her versatility and ability to improvise and intervene when needed.
Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter and welcome back to real NBA games.
The regular season begins Tuesday with a triple-header. It’s the first time in eight years that the Lakers are watching the opening day action at home. That could be a small sign of where the Lakers stand in the NBA pecking order now.
Not many people know what to make of this team. There are nine new players. Another ownership change is pending. The Western Conference has two juggernauts at the top.
But within this summer of change, the Lakers managed to maintain one key partnership.
All things Lakers, all the time.
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Two-headed monster
With more than half of their roster wearing the purple and gold for the first time, some Lakers might still be getting on the same page after less than three weeks of practices. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are already playing a completely different game.
“They’re always, like, playing chess out there,” guard Collin Sexton said.
After an offseason of change, it’s still the Lakers’ two most established stars who will control the season’s fate. Doncic and Reaves were 30-11 in games played together last season. In 1,092 minutes, lineups with Doncic and Reaves together outscored opponents by 8.9 points per 100 possessions, the third-best net rating on the team for any pair of regular rotation players. Their established chemistry gives the Lakers a strong foundation for the season.
“Austin and Luka, they kind of see things before it happens,” Sexton said. “And I feel like that allows them to be so good offensively and be able to score, but also to put us in the right situation to be successful as well.”
The duo that could be one of the most offensively potent pairings in the league proved that they could have success last season, helping the Lakers surge up the Western Conference standings during a magical March. Doncic scored 600 points during the month, despite missing one game because of a technical foul accumulation suspension. Reaves averaged 5.8 assists, his highest average for a month with more than six appearances last season. With LeBron James serving as the most heralded third option in the history of basketball, the Lakers went 15-2.
It was painful but a little poetic that Doncic and Reaves — whose wholesome friendship became the envy of NBA Twitter — suffered injuries during the same game to end the hot streak.
Doncic told Sports Illustrated this summer that he “regret[ted]” coming back into the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after he felt a twinge in his hamstring during the first half. The severity of the injury kept him out for the rest of the season.
“I thought we had a team that could compete for a championship,” Doncic said during training camp. “So I was kind of disappointed, kind of let the team down, so it’s definitely motivating for this season.”
Reaves returned during the postseason after an oblique injury, but couldn’t regain his consistency. He played in a career-low 51 games last season and missed out on what could have been his first All-Star selection.
Determined to fortify his body for another long season, Reaves hired former Lakers head strength and conditioning coach Ed Streit to work with him. He hoped that having a dedicated strength coach, which stars including James and Doncic already have, would help him take “the next step,” Reaves said.
After waiting and learning behind veterans such as James and Anthony Davis, Reaves is now an undisputed top-two player on the Lakers. He signed the richest contract ever for an undrafted player this offseason. Doncic was among his most vocal supporters.
“We talked about it even middle of last year, towards the end of last year, continuing this partnership for as long as we can,” Reaves said. “I enjoy being around him so much that coming back and being a Laker was the main thing when the season ended.”
Initially Reaves didn’t know if he would establish a close bond with Doncic after the former Dallas superstar was shockingly traded. Doncic was quiet when he first arrived in L.A. Now Reaves, who loves to hate his newest best friend, is sad to admit that they’re so similar.
They share a creative style of basketball. They’re ruthless competitors. They love golf.
The most important thing is another shared obsession.
“At the end of the day, we care about winning,” Reaves said, “and that’s all that matters.”
General managers voted on the top four teams in each conference, with four points awarded for each first-place vote, three points for second place, two for third and one for fourth, and the Lakers received 10% of fourth-place votes and 1% of total available points, which placed sixth in the total score.
The San Antonio Spurs, who were also the general managers’ choice to win the NBA title, had 53% of first-place points in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder were effectively tied in the survey, with both teams getting 34% of the available points. With two young, deep teams at the top of the conference, all roads seem to lead to an encore of last year’s Western Conference final.
But this league celebrates its parity. Eight champions in eight years? Almost nothing compared to more than the 40 years since a repeat Western Conference finals matchup. The West hasn’t had a conference finals sequel since the Lakers and Spurs in 1982 and 1983.
The season could turn unexpectedly for one of the top teams, opening the door for another team to crash the party. NBA general managers don’t think the Lakers would be first inside the velvet ropes, but executives believe the team could be an enigma. In response to a NBA.com survey question on which team’s success is the toughest to predict this season, the Lakers received the third-most votes.
The league can’t tell the type of team the Lakers will be. They at least have their goals clear.
“Realistically, I would say championship,” Doncic said at the Spectrum broadcast desk on media day. “If that’s not your goal, I don’t know what you’re doing here.”
Poll question
Where do you think the Lakers will finish in the Western Conference?
It’s here! The opener! The Lakers should be familiar with the Warriors after playing two preseason games against their in-state rivals. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg emerged as an immediate impact player, averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds on 56.9% shooting during the preseason.
Friday vs. Clippers, 7 p.m. PDT
Old friend Rui Hachimura returns with the Clippers, who have moved on from the Kawhi Leonard Era but begin the season without Brandon Ingram (Achilles) and Max Strus (foot). Rookie guard Keaton Wagler could be one of the few bright spots for the struggling franchise this season.
Sunday at Jazz, 2 p.m. PDT
The Lakers’ first road game is a homecoming for Walker Kessler, returning to the franchise that drafted him, and a reunion with another former Laker Jaxson Hayes. Hayes, who signed a two-year, $12-million contract with the Jazz, is in line to get significant minutes for Utah after an early injury to Jusuf Nurkic (foot).
Favorite thing I ate this week
Poke from Redondo Beach’s Jus’ Poke.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers did not bless us with a tropical training camp (looking at you, Clippers and Warriors) so a trip to Redondo Beach’s Jus’ Poke will have to be the closest I get to Hawaii for now. The poke selections are always fresh and stand out for their simplicity and execution. No superfluous toppings and sauces. Just, as the name suggests, really good poke.
The same cannot be said of Duran, who is thriving in a Celtic shirt and has 14 goal contributions – nine goals and five assists – in 15 games, many of which have come while playing in a wide role.
However, O’Neill has said that the Colombia international prefers to play centrally, and Halliday believes he can offer Celtic much more in that position – but what does that mean for Hogh?
“You look at Duran as a number nine on Sunday, the part he plays in the third goal, the fourth goal,” Halliday said.
“When Jamie McCart takes a loose touch, Hogh wouldn’t be close enough or quick enough to get on to that loose ball and spring Celtic into attack. Duran isn’t just a goalscorer, he’s so much more than that – and you saw that on Sunday.
“O’Neill still reckons Hogh will score 20 goals this season. It’s hard to suggest he wouldn’t, given his previous record at Bodo/Glimt, but at this moment in time, he isn’t doing enough to be in Celtic’s attack.
“O’Neill’s searching for his best team and best front three, and the three you saw on Sunday are that.”
Their face is gone, LeBron James getting kicked to a Philly curb.
Their voice is gone, longtime public address announcer Lawrence Tanterdying last month at age 76 after more than four decades of dulcet downtown tones.
Meet the 2026-27 Lakers, a team that will look different, sound different, feel different, play different and behave different from their recent predecessors in every way but one.
They’re still not winning a championship.
They’re still not getting to the conference finals.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic enters this season as the face of the franchise after LeBron James’ departure.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
They’re still destined to a sixth seed and a first-round knockout in the impossible West, a mediocre finish that is sure to convince new ownership to make massive changes — look out Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick! — and start all over again next season.
So call this a gap year.
They’ve graduated from LeBron, but they’re still not quite sure what they want to do with the rest of their life.
They’re planning on majoring in Luka Doncic, minoring in Austin Reaves and specializing in Walker Kessler, but there are flaws in all three, and the rest of the proposed curriculum is an unknown collection of ideas that have yet to be put together in a cogent package.
For now, the league’s biggest roster overhaul includes names that are just names, the likes of Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney. Who knows where they will fit? Who knows what they can do?
Then there’s the name Bronny James, whose future here took a nosedive when his pops moved to Philadelphia and he had a lousy training camp. Who knows how long Bronny will stick around, but at least the Lakers are out of the LeBron family drama business, which is good, because this team will create enough drama on its own.
First, there’s Doncic, and the risk in building around him, considering he’s missed an average of 20 games a season the last three years. He’s appeared in a total of five playoff games since leading the Dallas Mavericks to the Finals three years ago. He’s 27, but sometimes he trudges around the court like he’s 50.
Lakers guard Bronny James dribbles during a preseason game against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 8.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Now that this is Doncic’s team, will he act like it?
Every centerpiece player in Laker history — from Mikan to West to Kareem to Magic to Kobe to Shaq to Pau to LeBron — has carried their group to a championship. They’ve not been considered a true Laker until they have done so. In the case of LeBron, one was not even enough.
Is Doncic prepared to shoulder this burden? He says yes. He says he’s done this before, although he’s never won an NBA title, so, um …
“It feels great,” he told reporters at media day last month. “Obviously, it’s a new challenge. I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me. But I feel great. I feel excited, and like I said, I’m ready to go. It’s been a long time since I played basketball, so I’m ready.”
He got off to a good start this summer when he flew the team to his native Slovenia to spend a few days bonding. He is already acting like a captain. Now he needs to play every day like one.
“I see myself in this role, nothing new, but it’s very important,” Doncic said. “Everybody on the whole team, you know, look up to me, I have to look up to them. And it’s just, there should be many leaders, you know. You should be able to hold each other accountable.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves dribbles past the Kings’ Nique Clifford during a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 8.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Many leaders? Probably only two, Doncic and his newly minted $180-million running mate Reaves.
The Lakers were 30-11 when the two gunners were on the court last season, and no NBA duo averaged more points, but, again, this year is different.
Last year they both had LeBron as a safety net. This year, it’s all on them.
Just like Doncic, Reaves said he is ready to help guide his new teammates on this arduous journey.
“The expectation here of being a Laker is higher than it is anywhere in the world,” Reaves said. “The media presence, you know, every day something is going to come out about us, and just being able to know how to navigate that and help others navigate that is the main thing. One second we’re going to be the best team in the world. And the next you lose two in a row, you’re the worst team, you can’t figure it out. So, helping these guys understand that none of that really matters, it’s all about what goes on within these walls, is the main thing.”
Actually, for Reaves, the main thing is the postseason, where he has mightily struggled, even taking into account the slight guard usually enters each spring with all sorts of bumps and bruises. He’s been a lousy playoff shooter. He’s been a clumsy playoff playmaker.
But one of the greatest undrafted free agents in recent league history appreciates and embraces every chance to change the narrative, and he’ll have no greater chance than this season.
“You’re going to have failures within this long season,” he said. “But every single night you’re going to have an opportunity when you take the floor, especially for this organization, for this fan base to show the world what you’re capable of. So, you’re going to have every single opportunity to do good with the opportunities that you’re given.”
No Laker, it seems, will have a greater nightly opportunity to write his legacy than Kessler, who was acquired this summer from the Utah Jazz for the princely sum of two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps.
He is being projected as a perfect lob and pick-and-roll partner for Doncic and a long-awaited rim protector, but let’s be real.
He played in five games last year and never started a full season in his four years in Utah and even for a perpetually tanking team, that’s not a big resume. What sort of NBA center he will be is anybody’s guess.
The Lakers are guessing huge, and at least he sounds like he’s ready for it.
Laker Walker Kessler fouls the Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg during a preseason game on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas, Nev.
(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
“And as far as the belief that they’ve shown in me, I mean, it makes me excited for this year,” he said. “It makes me feel like I can run through the wall for this organization, this team, my teammates, so yeah, I’m just so excited.”
Good thing about that wall, because with this unsettled bunch, there will be plenty of them.
But, hey, at least one looming question has been answered. During media day, new power forward Mamukelashvili gracefully explained how to pronounce his last name.
“So, a lot of people think it’s hard, but I don’t think so,” he said. “It is Mamu-kela-shvili. So if you take like, I feel like, two letters at a time, and “shvili” at the end, it’s not that hard.”
If only the rest of this season would go so smooth.
The Clippers will have their hands full when the season opens trying to contend in the always tough Western Conference after being slapped with the harshest penalties in league history for violating salary cap circumvention rules.
With Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac gone from last season’s team, they’ll focus on developing a new core of stars, including rookie Keaton Wagler, when they open play Wednesday by hosing the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome.
Another positive for the team: Tyronn Lue is a proven asset as coach and he’ll be tasked with developing and blending in the younger players. Wagler spent the summer building up his body and has potential to be a strong defender.
The league’s year-long investigation is over and the Clippers have a clear path, albeit rocky, to move on and again become competitive in the West. They finished ninth in the conference last season and were eliminated by the Warriors in a play-in game.
Now fully recovered from a foot injury, two-time All-Star guard Darius Garland will be counted on to provide floor leadership. Also returning are former All-Star guard Bradley Beal, guard Kris Dunn, forward Derrick Jones Jr. and center Brook Lopez.
“I think we can surprise a lot of people,” Garland said.
Garland is fully recovered from toe and foot ligament injuries. In 19 games last season, he averaged 19.9 points with 6.4 assists. With a full offseason and training camp, Garland is expected to be one of the team’s top players.
Other young players to watch are guard Kobe Sanders, who had a productive rookie season when averaging 7.3 points and nearly 20 minutes a game as part of the rotation, and center Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who had his rookie season end early because of a foot injury but he showed promise over 41 games.
Forward Brandon Ingram, driving against Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. last season, is now a teammate after the Kawhi Leonard trade was completed following the salary cap circumvention investigation.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Additions include All-Star forward Brandon Ingram and guard Gradey Dick, who were part of the Leonard trade to Toronto, wing Max Strus, guard Jalen Pickett, forward Baba Miller, forward Isaiah Jackson and forward Nick Martinelli.
“I know [there are] little to no expectations for us this year,” said Ingram, who will miss the start of the season while recovering from May surgery for a partially torn Achilles. “We have enough in the building to compete. This is what we love to do. So, we’ll go out and compete every single night, learn, go on to the next game and get better and better.”
Strus also will be out for a while after injuring his right foot during training camp.
Departed from the team are forward John Collins, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, forward Nicolas Batum and wing Bennedict Mathurin.
Also noteworthy: owner Steve Ballmer won’t be sitting courtside after being banned by the NBA for a year as part of the team’s steep punishment for circumventing salary-cap rules. Top basketball executive Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months. The penalties included the loss of five first-round draft picks.
“I give our players a lot of credit … the leadership is great [and] the morale is great, even in these tough situations,” Lue said at the start of training camp. “That’s good to see, when you have your players coming in every day, giving everything they have; a lot of teams don’t have that.”
From Gary Klein: Other than the missing 23 carats of diamonds, the replica Super Bowl LVI rings fans received on Sunday at SoFi Stadium looked like the real thing.
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Chargers fall to 0-6
From Kathleen Gier: The Chargers hit the road to face the undefeated, AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs, still looking for their first victory of the season.
They were unsuccessful, falling 22-6 on Sunday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers are 0-6 to start the season for the first time since 2000, when they finished 1-16. They’ve also lost nine straight games since last season, tying a franchise mark for most consecutive losses.
“I truly believe and was confident that we would win this game,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. “We have to address everything, guys, and especially offensively.
“We’re not scoring enough points. That’s the bottom line.”
The Chargers’ offense, already weakened by a series of injuries to its offensive line and receiving corps, struggled mightily, recording their second-lowest output of the season at 259 total yards. They also lost wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who was ruled out midway through the second quarter with a concussion. He had just one catch in his return from a foot injury that kept him out last week against Denver.
Miami is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2002, No. 2 BYU has its highest ranking since its 1984 national championship season and Notre Dame and Georgia stayed in the top five Sunday after both lost close games.
The UCLA Bruins, who are 6-0 after defeating Wisconsin, moved into the top 10 at No. 9, while idle USC moved up three spots to No. 16.
The Hurricanes took over the top spot from Georgia, which lasted one week at No. 1 after losing to Auburn at home. The Bulldogs were the second No. 1 team in two weeks — Texas was the other — to lose to an unranked opponent.
The Hurricanes received 40 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel and were just 22 points ahead of BYU, which won a thriller at home over Notre Dame. The Cougars got 20 first-place votes and were 26 points ahead of Ohio State. The Buckeyes got nine first-place votes and were well ahead of No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Georgia.
Miami is the first No. 1 team from the Atlantic Coast Conference team since Clemson in 2020. Other than Clemson, there had not been another ACC team ranked No. 1 since Florida State in 2014.
MLB postseason schedule
All times Pacific
NLCS
No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers at Milwaukee 2, Dodgers 1 (box score) at Milwaukee 7, Dodgers 4 (box score) Milwaukee 6, at Dodgers 2 (box score) Milwaukee 6, at Dodgers 4 (box score)
ALCS
No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 2 Cleveland Cleveland 7, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score) at Tampa Bay 3, Cleveland 1 (box score) at Cleveland 3, Tampa Bay 2 (box score) Tampa Bay 7, at Cleveland 3 (box score) Tampa Bay 3, at Cleveland 1 (box score) Monday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max *Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
World Series All games at 5 p.m. PT All game on FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One
No. 1 Milwaukee vs. TB/Cleveland Friday at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One Saturday at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One Monday, Oct. 26 at TB/Cle., TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One Tuesday, Oct. 27 at TB/Cle., TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Wed., Oct. 28 at TB/Cle., TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Friday, Oct. 30 at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One *Sat., Oct. 31 at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One
* if necessary
This day in sports history
1940 — Alabama snaps Tennessee’s defensive scoreless streak of 71 quarters but still loses 27-12. Tennessee hadn’t allowed a point since Oct. 29, 1938, when it beat LSU 14-6.
1957 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens scores his 500th goal in a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
1960 — After 13 years in Minneapolis, the Lakers opened their inaugural season in Los Angeles with a 140-123 loss at Cincinnati.
1966 — Bobby Orr makes his NHL regular season debut for the Boston Bruins.
1985 — Robbie Bosco of Brigham Young passes for 585 yards in a 45-23 victory over New Mexico.
1985 — Dale Klein of Nebraska ties an NCAA record with seven field goals in a 28-20 victory over Missouri.
1986 — Lloyd Burruss of Kansas City intercepts three passes and returns two for touchdowns to lead the Chiefs to a 42-21 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
1994 — Duke beats North Carolina 3-2 in women’s soccer to end the Tar Heels’ unbeaten streak of 101 games.
1997 — Pittsburgh goaltender Tom Barrasso makes 22 saves to earn his 300th victory with a 4-1 win over Florida. Barrasso becomes the first American-born goaltender and 13th overall with 300 wins.
1997 — Sandy Alomar of the Cleveland Indians hits the 700th World Series home run.
2002 — Avon Cobourne becomes the fifth Division I-A rusher with four 1,000-yard seasons as West Virginia beats Syracuse 34-7. Cobourne has 108 yards in the game for 1,002 yards this season.
2012 — The National Hockey League announces the cancellation of the 2012-13 regular-season schedule through November 1. A total of 135 regular-season games are now lost from Oct. 11 through Nov. 1.
2014 — Peyton Manning breaks Brett Favre’s NFL record of 508 career touchdown passes and he throws four TD passes in Denver’s 42-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The record-breaker was an 8-yarder to Demaryius Thomas with 3:09 left in the first half. Manning reaches the milestone in his 246th regular-season game. Favre needed 302.
2014 — DeMarco Murray becomes the first running back in NFL history to start a season with seven straight 100-yard games in a 31-21 win over the New York Giants. Murray, with 128 yards and a touchdown, breaks Hall of Famer Jim Brown’s 56-year-old record.
Compiled by the Associated Press
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 houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
