Football fans were shown a “constant bombardment” of advertisements promoting junk food and drinks during matches at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Bristol and University of Oxford created an AI tool to analyse ads which were visible to television viewers during live play in the tournament’s 104 matches, mostly displayed on pitchside advertising boards and around stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
They found that logos and products for brands that produce junk food and drinks – defined by the UK government as being high in fat, salt or sugar – were displayed 65,722 times in total.
And the study also found that those adverts were visible for 28.1 hours’ time across the tournament, or just over 16% of the total time that matches were being played.
The ads were all shown on the international feed of matches during play – meaning they were visible to every viewer in every country broadcasting matches – and do not include ads shown during pre-match coverage, half-time commercial breaks, or the controversial in-match hydration breaks.
The model used by the researchers estimated that there were an average of 576 visible ads for junk food and drink shown during each individual match.
Coca-Cola had the highest number (21,893), followed by McDonald’s (13,915), Powerade (12,777), and Lay’s – the crisps manufacturer known as Walkers in the UK – (12,087).
All four brands are official partners of world football governing body Fifa, with the Powerade energy drink owned by the Coca-Cola company.
In response to the findings, Fifa argued that the vast majority of its revenue is put back into football, including on projects promoting health and wellbeing in which thousands of people participate.
A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa works with a broad, global portfolio of partners, all of which are subject to its governance and compliance frameworks.
“Fifa’s social impact campaigns, including Be Active, delivered messages of unity, inclusion, health and friendship to audiences on an unprecedented scale throughout the World Cup”.
BBC Sport also contacted Coca Cola, McDonald’s and PepsiCo – which owns Lay’s – but did not receive a reply.
Aaron Donald made his triumphant return to NFL relevance on Monday night, and notably so did the Rams.
The team that looked lost in its Down Under debut returned to form against the New York Giants, even with star receiver Puka Nacua watching in street clothes because of hip pain.
Matthew Stafford was surgical with his passing, throwing four touchdown passes in a 28-6 victory. Receiver Davante Adams made several acrobatic catches befitting of the retina-burning yellow “Classic Sol” jerseys that turned the Rams into human highlighter pens.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie, acquired by the Rams in an offseason trade with Kansas City, made the most of his home debut with an interception in the second quarter that snuffed a Giants scoring threat. He broke up a game-high four passes.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald runs onto the field during player introductions before a 28-6 win over the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium on Monday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
SoFi Stadium, meanwhile, was a house of horrors for the Giants, who lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart five minutes into the game when he was sandwiched by Rams defenders Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart and his left leg bent in an unnatural way.
That was a devastating blow to the Giants (1-1), who watched Dart wincingly limp off the field and into the blue medical tent. Later, it was off to the locker room for the second-year quarterback, and TV cameras showed him getting picked up by a cart in the bowels of the stadium, presumably for a more thorough medical examination before he was ruled out with a knee injury.
Surely, Dart could hear the roar of the Rams-heavy crowd as Adams made catch after catch — including a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter and an 11-yarder in the third — and Kyren Williams pitched in with some pivotal plays of his own.
The Rams (1-1) extended their lead to 14-0 in the second quarter when, on third and six, Stafford connected with Williams on a 10-yard touchdown pass. That was set up by a 64-yard reception by Adams.
Stafford threw touchdown passes to Adams and Terrance Ferguson in the second half to take over sole possession of sixth place on the NFL’s all-time list with 427 passing touchdowns.
These were the Rams that most everyone anticipated seeing, the team with designs on ending this season with another Super Bowl at SoFi, where they raised the Lombardi Trophy in 2022.
Losing Dart was a gut punch to the Giants, who also got a scare early in the second quarter when standout receiver Malik Nabers doubled over in pain after a pass breakup. It was a shoulder injury that briefly sidelined him, although he was able to return later in the quarter.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes under pressure in the first half against the Giants.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Dart delirium was growing among Giants fans after the quarterback threw for three touchdowns and had a lofty passer rating of 134.2 in a 28-20 season-opening win over Dallas. So to lose him is a spirit-withering development.
Oddsmakers had the Rams as 7½-point favorites.
By the second half, a somber Dart was watching from the sideline in street clothes. It was a brutal weekend for a few of the NFL’s rising-star quarterbacks. Washington lost Jayden Daniels to an elbow injury, and Chicago’s Caleb Williams was carted off the field in tears, although that hamstring injury apparently wound up less serious than originally feared.
Donald, who spent his entire 10-year career with the Rams, retired after the 2023 season as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. After months of speculation, he decided to unretire and rejoin the Rams, who had traded for star Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett.
Garrett underwent knee surgery after the season-opening loss to San Francisco and was placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss four games. Donald helped pick up the slack Monday, and got a rollicking ovation in pregame as the last Rams defender announced.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald wraps up Giants running back Najee Harris for a three-yard loss near the goal line late in the second quarter Monday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Donald, who frequently commanded double-team blocking, made a memorable play near the end of the second quarter with the Giants — who had feasted on a Williams fumble — threatening to score.
On third down from the three, Donald pushed his way into the Giants’ backfield and wrangled running back Najee Harris for a three-yard loss. The beleaguered visitors opted to kick the first of their two field goals.
The Rams are squarely in the national spotlight with four prime-time games in five weeks. First, the opener in Australia, followed by the Monday night game. Next week, a Sunday night game at Denver, followed by a day game at Philadelphia, and finally another Monday night home game against Buffalo.
The Los Angeles freeway system has its downsides, especially during traffic-jammed weekdays, but the Rams are absolutely looking forward to commuting from their Woodland Hills facility to SoFi Stadium for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants.
After traveling about 16,000 air miles round trip for their season-opener in Australia — and suffering a humiliating loss to the San Francisco 49ers — the home opener requires only a 28-mile journey and offers a chance for a reboot.
And the embarrassed-but-still-Super-Bowl-favorite Rams are eager for the opportunity.
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Aaron Donald will play for the Rams against the New York Giants on Monday, but will Puka Nacua be on the field?
“An eternity,” coach Sean McVay said when asked about the 11-day wait between games. “It has been forever. We’re excited to compete again.”
In the 27-7 defeat by the 49ers, the Rams’ offense never established a rhythm, the defense gave up three touchdown passes and special teams gave up a long kickoff return.
Veteran receiver Davante Adams cautioned about overreaction.
“Everybody’s freaking out, which I understand,” he said. “We didn’t put together the greatest showing out there. But you’re a fool if you think that that’s what it’s going to look like every single week.”
The Rams will be without edge rusher Myles Garrett, who is on injured reserve for at least four games following knee surgery. Star receiver Puka Nacua is listed as questionable because of a hip injury.
But defensive lineman Aaron Donald is expected to give Rams a much-needed boost.
Donald, 35, ended a two-year retirement when he returned to the team a few weeks ago. The three-time NFL defensive player of the year did not travel to Australia for the opener, but McVay is happy to have him available for the first time since 2023.
“Aaron is a stud, and he’s been at the forefront of setting the foundation of everything that we’re about here,” said McVay, who is in his 10th season as Rams coach. “I remember my interview process included meeting with him and he’s looking at me like, ‘This is the guy that they’re thinking about hiring?’”
One of the reasons Donald returned was to play alongside Garrett, a two time NFL defensive player of the year who amassed an NFL season-record 23 sacks last season.
Now that combination — which boasts a combined 236½ sacks — is on hold.
The double- and triple-team schemes Donald thought he had put behind might once again be in full effect.
“You think they’re going to double/triple team me [after] not playing for two years?” Donald quipped when asked about the prospect. “They ain’t worried about me, man. They don’t have to be worried about me.
“They don’t have to worry about me at all. No man, they don’t have to worry about me.”
But does he anticipate getting that kind of attention?
“I don’t know what they’re going to do out there,” he said of opponents. “I don’t know what I’m going to get. All I can know is I got a game plan. I’m going to go out there, execute it, and just try to play ball. That’s it.”
The Giants, under new coach John Harbaugh, are coming off a 28-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, receiver Malik Nabers, tight end Isaiah Likely and running back Cam Skattebo lead the offense, outside linebacker Brian Burns the defense.
Rams players have said that they quickly put their performance against the 49ers behind and were focused on the Giants.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, passed for only 155 yards, with an interception, against the 49ers.
“You get trained, whether it’s a game or a play. Good, bad, and different, move on to the next,” said Stafford, an 18th-year pro. “Don’t think too much about it. Don’t harp too much about it. Just be honest with yourself, play in and play out, game in and game out.”
That next game is here.
The Rams will be “primed and ready,” Adams said, “at the right time.”
If El Camino Real’s boys’ soccer team wins its third consecutive City Section championship this season, then Cal State Northridge soccer fans should be feeling good because three of the team’s players are taking their talents to CSUN.
Jayden De La Cruz, Diego Apolinar and Roman Holiday are teammates at El Camino Real, play on the same club team and also will be college teammates next year.
Holiday is the goal scorer, with De La Cruz and Apolinar serving as the playmakers to get him in position to score.
The Royals will be this year’s City title favorite, but rival Birmingham is lurking, and the two teams are scheduled to open West Valley League play on Jan. 6 at El Camino Real.
When asked if the team was ready to face Birmingham, Holiday suddenly got excited.
“Oh my God, yes,” he said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Be careful what you wish for when you’re wishing for a new offensive coordinator.
Chargers fans were so over Greg Roman. Anything would be better than his run-heavy scheme stunting quarterback Justin Herbert’s anticipated ascension. Anyone would be preferable to the man holding the reins while the Chargers scored just three points in last season’s wild-card loss to the New England Patriots, after which Roman was fired.
Somehow, after just two games, the Chargers’ offense under McDaniel has Bolts fans wishing anyone else was running the show. Roman included.
Because Roman wouldn’t have overcomplicated a third-and-inches play-call. He wouldn’t have had the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Herbert line up in shotgun and call for motion.
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The Chargers lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 26-14 on Sunday, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier for them moving forward.
And the subsequent snap wouldn’t have hit receiver Tre’ Harris before it got to Herbert. And instead of losing five yards and having Herbert, in a rare show of emotion, slapping the turf in frustration, the Chargers probably would have gotten a fresh set of downs.
So far, McDaniel’s brief Chargers’ tenure hasn’t just been a disappointment. It has, through two games, been a disaster. Because the Chargers really needed these first two wins against opponents who both won only three games last season.
Instead, the Chargers’ offense looked as disjointed and discombobulated in Sunday’s 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders as it did the previous week in their 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
It was an unwanted second helping of “humble pie,” as McDaniel described the Chargers’ Week 1 defeat. And it was nasty.
Now the Chargers’ schedule is about to come at them fast, with their next games against the Buffalo Bills, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and then the Rams, the preseason Super Bowl favorites.
After consecutive 11-win seasons under Jim Harbaugh — who’d never lost to the Raiders and never previously lost two consecutive games to start a season — the Chargers might blink and find themselves 0-7.
What’s worse than frustratingly quick postseason exits? Not making the playoffs at all.
And the Chargers are going to need to engineer a quick turnaround if they’re going to be among the 15% of teams that start a season 0-2 and still reach postseason play.
Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel walks on the sideline before a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 20.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
To do that, they’ll need to score more points. They’ll need to stop shooting themselves in the proverbial feet and take some better shots downfield. Stop dropping the ball — figuratively, literally. They fumbled six times Sunday!
And stop thinking so much. Sundays are for reacting, and any amount of thinking is overthinking.
Maybe it’s personnel? The fact that, outside of Ladd McConkey, the Chargers are short on receivers who can reliably create separation.
Maybe it’s just a matter of time that the Chargers don’t have much of, cramming to learn McDaniel’s methods, to dial in the timing and coordination.
Or maybe, for McDaniel, it’s as simple as simplifying what he’s trying to do with this Chargers offense.
When he was hired in January, the prevailing thought was that the cerebral partnership between McDaniel and Herbert would prove a perfect match.
Even though McDaniel was dismissed after the Dolphins missed the playoffs two consecutive seasons, the coach — who’d developed a reputation as a talented offensive mind under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers — was a hot commodity on the coaching market.
McDaniel reportedly drew interest from the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bills and Raiders. But he opted to come to L.A. to work with Herbert as the All-Pro QB’s fifth offensive coordinator in seven seasons (following three offensive coordinators in his four years at Oregon).
Starting over again, in these two games with McDaniel, Herbert has thrown for a modest 401 yards, just two touchdowns and three interceptions — though one of them bounced off David Njoku’s hands Sunday.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert watches a pass attempt fall incomplete after he is hit by Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce during the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
There have also been protection problems, fumbles, a missed field goal, and lots of penalties — including four on star left tackle Joe Alt, who was called for a hold that resulted in a safety on an anything-that-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong Sunday.
“I’m not looking in any one direction,” Harbaugh said Sunday. “I’m looking at it all.”
On TV, Herbert appeared to be looking off into space on the sideline as McDaniel sat chattering beside him, the game mercifully winding down.
Asked what McDaniel’s message was to the offense, Herbert said: “I haven’t been able to speak with him after.”
There’s a lot to talk about, but be careful what you ask.
Fox Sports announcer Tom Brady might have spoken for all of us when viewing the play in which Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Brady said an expletive on the air, expressing a genuine reaction to the gruesome sight of Daniels’ joint bending in the wrong direction after he planted his left hand to break a fall.
The same expression was no doubt used by countless Commanders fans who had seen their quarterback miss much of the 2025 season with the same injury to the same elbow.
Chicago Bears fans also probably reacted with similar words when star quarterback Caleb Williams was carted off the field with a hamstring injury.
The coaches of both teams had injury updates Monday about the quarterbacks who were selected first (Williams) and second (Daniels) in the 2024 draft. Bears coach Ben Johnson told WMVP in Chicago that Williams appears to have avoided a major injury but would “likely miss some time.”
Hours later, however, Johnson told reporters he wasn’t yet ruling out Williams for the Bears’ “Monday Night Football” game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He said Williams underwent an MRI scan on Monday and that the team received news that was “somewhat encouraging.”
“He’s right now working through every avenue that he’s got available to get back on track here,” said Johnson, who added that Williams probably would not practice this week. “We’ll see what that looks like. Here’s what I know: This guy’s a little bit different than the average human being. … He gets back, he has in the past, a lot faster than what people can anticipate. I’m not putting a timeline on this. We’re going to say week to week.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn told reporters that Daniels underwent imaging that morning and would see specialists the following two days.
“We’ll go through the process from there,” Quinn said. “I know you’ll have some questions regarding timelines, but until we go through that process, I’d be guessing to give you any.”
Quinn did say that veteran backup Marcus Mariota would start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks and that he might have an update on Daniels on Thursday or Friday.
Williams, after going 5-12 as a rookie, threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards while leading the Bears to an 11-6 record and the NFC North title. He got hurt during Chicago’s 9-3 loss Sunday while scrambling deep in Minnesota Vikings territory midway through the fourth quarter.
Williams was replaced by Tyson Bagent, a fourth-year player who has appeared in 13 games and is 2-2 as a starter. Johnson told reporters Monday that he was confident in Bagent should he have to start any games in Williams’ place.
“If it goes that route, I feel strongly about what he’s capable of, and our team does, too,” Johnson said. “They know he’s a darn good football player.”
Daniels was an immediate star in Washington, leading the Commanders to a surprise appearance in the NFC championship game his rookie season, but he missed all but one game in the second half of last season after dislocating the same elbow Nov. 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.
He injured it Sunday on a play from the Dallas one-yard line with three seconds remaining before halftime. Left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels’ foot as he backed away from center and the quarterback threw a wild incomplete pass as he braced himself on the ground with his other hand.
Mariota replaced Williams in the second half and completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards with one touchdown.
Versatile forward Nicolas Batum is retiring following an 18-year NBA career and a long stint with the French national team.
The 37-year-old Batum announced his retirement in a social media video with his son on Monday.
“I decided to retire from basketball for several reasons,” Batum told 10-year-old son, Ayden, in the video. “I want to come home and be with you. I’m going to take care of you and make room for others. I think I’ve done my time. My time with France ended two years ago. And the NBA is over too. You know, when you’ve played as much basketball as I have, at some point, you have to know when to stop. … I’ve done everything I needed to do.”
Batum played two seasons in the French league before being selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-7 forward spent seven seasons in Portland before playing the next six with Charlotte.
Batum spent most of his final six seasons with the Clippers, with a short stint in Philadelphia in 2023-24. He also was a stalwart on French national teams that won silver medals in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.
Batum averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 37% from three-point range during his NBA career.
Townsend, who won 13 caps for England, said that he did think it was strange to see two rollers either side of the pitch during the warm-up.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’ve never seen that before in my career, what are they doing?’ But we got called to warm-up. Didn’t think anything of it,” he said.
“The next I saw him was when I was literally underneath him and thankfully no serious damage. A couple of bumps and bruises but managed to walk away unscathed, luckily.”
Townsend, who has had numerous setbacks with injuries during his career, said the roller incident was “definitley not going to stop me from continuing”.
“They (his team-mates) were very surprised that I continued the warm-up. They were telling me to go to the doctor,” he said.
“It was quite heavy, but I was able to kind of lift [it], force it off me. So when it was completely on me, I was getting crushed a little bit.
“I was able to get my left arm up and relieve some of the pressure, and then I was able to get my team-mates around me who were able to lift it, and I was able to squeeze out but at that moment where it was crushing my left leg, it was quite terrifying, I must say.”
Townsend was concerned his ankle and left knee, which have both been operated on, would be damaged in the incident.
He said: “I thought, either my left ankle was going to snap or my left knee is going to snap. I thought I was done. I was very fortunate that I was able to hobble away and recover within a few minutes.”
The midfielder made light of the incident on Instagram, referencing one of his recent posts in which he compared a sun-drenched Thai away trip with previous visits to Stoke’s Bet365 Stadium.
He wrote: “It turns out Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all.”
The Clippers hired John S. Gibson as interim CEO and governor on Monday, taking over the roles previously held by team owner Steve Ballmer, who is serving a one-year ban by the NBA.
Ballmer recently said he won’t fight the league’s salary-cap circumvention punishment in a reversal of the team’s initial defiance and vow to fight against what it called “a heavily biased investigation.”
The league suspended Ballmer for one year, fined the team $30 million and forced it to forfeit five first-round draft picks. Ballmer said the team has paid the fine.
Gibson will immediately oversee the team’s basketball and business operations and represent the Clippers in league voting matters. He’s a long-time Clippers season ticketholder.
“I am honored to take on this responsibility and grateful for the opportunity to serve an organization I have supported for many years,” Gibson said in a statement. “My focus will be on supporting our people, providing steady leadership, and helping the organization continue moving forward.”
Gibson spent the last six years as a trial lawyer and litigation partner at DLA Piper in Los Angeles, where he co-chaired the firm’s U.S. Business & Commercial Litigation practice. He previously advised and represented major corporations, technology and health care companies, pro sports organizations and business leaders.
Maybe this is what the Chargers are — lurching, sputtering and unable to consistently move the football, despite an offensive overhaul packed with lofty expectations.
Just as they did in their abysmal season opener, the Chargers struggled at home Sunday and failed to establish a rhythm on their way to a 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chargers lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 26-14 on Sunday, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier for them moving forward.
In another bit of sad synchronicity, both the Raiders and Cardinals won just three games and fired their coaches last season.
“Not deterred,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, off to his first 0-2 coaching start in college or the pros. “No one in that locker room is deterred.”
If so, the Chargers are showing far more determination off the field than on it. Because their play Sunday could buckle the resolve of even true believers.
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Dodgers sweep the Giants
From Kevin Baxter: Only the Pirates and Cubs have met more often than the Dodgers and Giants, who faced off for the first time in 1889. And over all that time, the Dodgers are just two games better, with 1,294 wins to the Giants’ 1,292.
The Dodgers and Giants have also won more pennants, made more World Series appearances and have more players wearing their caps in the Hall of Fame than any other National League teams, all of which fueled a rivalry that was once among the most visceral and passionate in American sports.
But that was then and this is now.
After Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Giants, the Dodgers’ 14th win in their last 17 games, the team could finish a season with 100 wins for the fourth time in six years. The Giants have had just one winning record in that time.
The Dodgers (96-60), who have won five straight division titles, are headed to the postseason for a record-tying 14th consecutive year. The Giants will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season.
So is the rivalry dead? That depends on who you ask.
“It’s always a rivalry,” Giants pitcher Logan Webb. “We’d like to make it a little closer when it comes to the standings. But I definitely feel it when I throw against them.”
But then Webb, who is from Northern California, grew up with the rivalry and, as the longest-tenured Giant, pitched against the Dodgers in games that mattered. Giants coach Ron Washington, who made his major league debut with the Dodgers when the rivalry was still a thing, said many players on San Francisco’s roster don’t know that background.
Times sports reporter Kevin Baxter wants to talk to a few Dodgers fans for an upcoming story. If you are interested in speaking with him, please email him at kevin.baxter@latimes.com
Angels shut out by Twins
Alan Roden hit a three-run homer and drove in a career-high four runs, and Dean Kremer yielded one hit over six stellar innings in the Minnesota Twins’ 8-0 victory over the Angels on Sunday.
Josh Bell had three hits and two RBIs for the Twins (73-83), who have won three of five overall after splitting four games at Angel Stadium with two shutout victories. Brooks Lee added three hits and scored three runs.
Roden had three hits in his first major league game this month, punctuated by a shot to right in the seventh for his third career homer, his first since Aug. 6, 2025.
Angel City cruised to a 3-0 road victory over a shorthanded Utah team that received two red cards in the first half.
Defender Paige Cronin and midfielder Ana Tejada were ejected by the 24th minute. Two minutes later, Ally Sentnor converted the resulting penalty kick past goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn to put Angel City (11-8-6) ahead in Sandy, Utah.
Two minutes after coming off the bench for the second half, Taylor Suarez made it 2-0 with a one-touch finish off a pass from Gisele Thompson.
Leslie, a two-time WNBA champion and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, became the first female professional athlete to receive a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. After the ceremony, the Sparks earned a 105-84 win over the Portland Fire.
Leslie’s friends and family gathered outside the arena for the unveiling of the statue Leslie dubbed “The First Lady,” celebrating her 12-year pro basketball career in Los Angeles. Many speakers, including former Sparks coach Michael Cooper and Lakers legend Magic Johnson, noted Leslie’s accomplishments while also saluting her as a kind person.
Leslie became the second WNBA player to be honored with a bronze statue outside of a U.S. pro basketball arena, joining the Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird.
1940 — For the first time in the history of photo finishes a triple dead heat for first place is recorded, at Willow’s Park, Victoria, British Columbia.
1955 — Rocky Marciano knocks out Archie Moore in the ninth round at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.
1980 — Richard Todd of the New York Jets completes an NFL record 42 passes and throws for 447 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-27 loss to San Francisco.
1982 — NFL players begin a 57-day strike.
1985 — Michael Spinks wins a 15-round unanimous decision over Larry Holmes Las Vegas to win the world heavyweight title.
1985 — Montana State’s David Pandt catches 21 passes for 169 yards against Eastern Washington to set an NCAA record.
1986 — Ken O’Brien’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Wesley Walker at 2:35 in overtime ends one of the highest scoring games in NFL history as the New York Jets defeat the Miami Dolphins 51-45. O’Brien passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns, all to Walker. Miami’s Dan Marino passes for 448 yards and three touchdowns as both quarterbacks set a record with 884 combined yards passing.
1991 — U.S. Basketball announces “Dream Team” for the 1992 Olympics.
1994 — The North Carolina women’s soccer team wins its 89th straight game, setting the unofficial record for the longest winning streak in college sports. The 5-1 victory over rival N.C. State broke the mark of 88 in a row set by the UCLA men’s basketball team during the early 1970s.
1997 — The Buffalo Bills stage the third-biggest comeback in NFL history, overcoming a 26-0 deficit to beat the Indianapolis Colts 37-35. The Bills made the greatest comeback in the 1992 AFC playoffs, wiping out a 35-3 deficit to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime.
2003 — Sam Hornish Jr. wins the fastest open-wheel race in history at California Speedway. Hornish’s Chevrolet-powered Dallara averages 207.151 mph in the Toyota Indy 400 — breaking the previous closed course race record of 197.995, set here last year by Jimmy Vasser in a CART Champ Car event.
2008 — The United States take back the Ryder Cup with a 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory over Europe. It’s the largest margin of victory for the Americans since 1981.
2008 — Miami wins for just the second time in 22 games, ending New England’s NFL record 21 straight regular-season wins with a 38-13 win over the Patriots. Ronnie Brown scores a Miami-record four rushing touchdowns and passes for another. The 25-point loss is New England’s biggest in seven seasons at Gillette Stadium.
2014 — Tom Brady passes for 234 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ 16-9 win over Oakland. The win is Brady’s 150th career victory as a starting quarterback, joining Brett Favre (186) and Peyton Manning (169) as the only quarterbacks to accomplish the feat.
2018 — English golfer Oliver Fisher shoots the first round of 59 in the 46-year history of the European Tour. Fisher makes an eagle and 10 birdies on a par-71 course in the second round of the Portugal Masters held at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Club in Vilamoura.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1934 — Daffy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers for 3-0 victory in the second game of an Ebbets Field doubleheader. Daffy’s brother Dizzy, held Brooklyn hitless until the eighth inning in the opener and won 13-0.
1947 — Boston’s Johnny Pesky had two hits in each game of a doubleheader and finished the day with 202 hits. Pesky surpassed the 200-hit mark for the third time in as many major league seasons. He is the only player to lead a league in hits in his first three seasons in the game.
1964 — Manager Gene Mauch’s first-place Phillies lost 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on Chico Ruiz’s steal of home in the sixth inning. It was Philadelphia’s first of 10 straight losses, a streak that cost them the NL pennant.
1970 — Oakland’s Vida Blue pitched a no-hitter in his eighth major league start, beating Minnesota 6-0.
1995 — Colorado’s John Vander Wal set a major league record with his 26th pinch-hit of the season with a home run in the seventh inning against San Francisco.
2000 — Colorado’s Jeff Cirillo doubled twice in a 13-4 win over San Diego, giving him 51 doubles for the year. Cirillo and Todd Helton (57) became the seventh pair of teammates in major league history to reach 50 doubles in the same season.
2001 — Albert Pujols hit a grand slam and doubled in a run in St. Louis’ 9-5 win over Pittsburgh. The slam gave him the major league record for extra base hits by a rookie (83), one more than Johnny Frederick’s total for Brooklyn in 1929.
2001 — Ranger infielder Alex Rodriguez hits his 47th home run tying the major league record for home runs in a season by a shortstop. Cubs legend Ernie Banks established the record in 1958.
2006 — David Ortiz hit his 51st and 52nd homers, breaking the Red Sox record for most homers in a season of 50 set in 1938 by Jimmie Foxx. The homers also set the major league record by a designated hitter at 45, two more than he hit when he set the record last season.
2008 — Baseball said farewell to Yankee Stadium, the home of baseball’s most famous team. What began with a Babe Ruth home run on an April afternoon in 1923 ended with Mariano Rivera retiring Brian Roberts on a grounder to first baseman Cody Ransom, completing a 7-3 victory over Baltimore.
2013 — Matt Carpenter broke Stan Musial’s team record for doubles by a left-handed batter in a season and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2. Carpenter’s fifth-inning double was his 54th of the season, one more than Musial’s total in 1953.
2016 — Rookie Gary Sanchez hit two more homers and drove in five runs to lead the New York Yankees to an 11-5 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays. Sanchez homered in his fourth straight game. The catcher hit a three-run shot in a four-run second off Alex Cobb and added his 19th homer in 43 games this season on a solo drive in the sixth against Justin Marks. Including two games last season, Sanchez became the first player in major league history to hit 19 homers in his first 45 games. Wally Berger, with the Boston Braves in 1930, went deep 19 times in his first 51 games.
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.
At just 19, Luke Littler has won every major trophy in darts.
He is a multi-millionaire with lucrative sponsorship deals and his own TV show.
But has his rapid rise turned some against him?
This past weekend the teenager was once again subjected to boos and whistles from sections of the crowd as he took to the stage at the World Series of Darts in Amsterdam.
What is surprising though is that it came as ‘The Nuke’ was on a quest to complete a darts clean sweep by becoming the first player to win all 10 major televised tournaments in a calendar year.
But Samuel Gill, editor of Dartnews.com, suggests Littler’s future in the sport could be at stake.
“There’s a real fear that within a few years he’ll just turn around and walk away from the sport,” Gill told BBC Sport.
“So, I think for fans, ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’. If people keep taunting him and don’t want him to win, he might end up just walking away and not bothering anymore.”
Amsterdam was the latest tournament where Littler has faced what some might describe as an overly hostile reaction from fans.
A vibrant pantomime-style atmosphere is part and parcel of the darts experience and Dutch and German crowds are amongs the most raucous – but it is clear Littler believes he has been unfairly targeted.
The referee stopped the match during his narrow win against Nathan Aspinall in the last-16 on Saturday to warn the hostile crowd about its behaviour, before play resumed.
It followed Littler also being booed during his win against home favourite Danny Noppert on Friday.
The teenager’s quarter-final defeat to Jonny Clayton ended Littler’s quest for the clean sweep, but the Warrington native clearly felt fans had been unduly harsh towards him.
Littler has now withdrawn from a series of upcoming events.
“Just no point in me travelling, wasting my time while I’m getting booed,” said Littler.
Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman has returned to Chicago a day after being hit in the face by a foul ball while standing in front of the on-deck circle during a road game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Bregman shared that information — as well as a photo that appears to show that his left eye remains swollen shut — Monday morning on his Instagram Stories.
“Back in Chicago,” wrote Bregman, who also appeared to have a cut and bruising near his left cheekbone where the ball off teammate Michael Busch’s bat made contact during the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 9-1 victory.
It was the second photo and update posted by Bregman since the gruesome injury occurred. On Sunday evening, the three-time All Star shared a photo that appeared to have been taken in the team’s clubhouse. In addition to his eye being swollen shut and cheek cut, Bregman also has gauze inserted in his left nostril, where some bleeding had occurred.
“Thanks for the messages yall,” Bregman wrote. “I’ll be back.”
Before the incident occurred, Bregman hit a run-scoring single in the first inning and walked and eventually scored in the third. He was standing several feet in front of the on-deck circle when Busch fouled off a pitch by Cincinnati’s Luis Mey on a checked swing.
Bregman lost his bat but maintained his footing as the ball struck him. He covered his face with his left hand and was able to jog toward the Cubs dugout, where a trainer helped him down the steps and into the clubhouse. The 11-year veteran was taken to a hospital for testing.
“It’s a terrible, terrible accident,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the game. “We hope he’s OK.”
Bregman is batting .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs in his first season with the Cubs. He is probably best known to Los Angeles fans as a member of the Houston Astros team that defeated the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series and were later found by MLB to have illegally used technology to steal signs during that season. Bregman and the Astros also won the 2022 World Series.
Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice have all pulled out of England’s squad for forthcoming Nations League matches.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and Everton‘s James Garner have been called into the squad by manager Thomas Tuchel and will join the squad on Tuesday.
Tuchel said on Friday that 26-year-old Gibbs-White, who has six international caps, was close to being included in the initial squad.
Palmer, 24, had been recalled by Tuchel after being controversially left out of England’s World Cup squad but has withdrawn with a minor injury.
Tuchel previously said Palmer had a “point to prove” and needed “to step up” to “keep his shirt and justify the nomination”.
The Three Lions face World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday, 26 September, then travel to the Czech Republic (29 September) and Croatia (3 October) before hosting the Czechs on 6 October in an extended international break.
Manchester United duo Rashford and Mainoo were assessed by their club after being taken off in the closing stages of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Rice, who played the full game for Arsenal in their 3-0 defeat by Brighton, will also be unavailable to Tuchel, along with Livramento, who has been limited to three substitute appearances for Newcastle United this season.
The England medical department and all their counterparts at each of the clubs have agreed the five players can withdraw. No specific details have been released to the media on the nature of the injuries.
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where we’ve reached a critical fork in the road for the Lincoln Riley era.
The soft part of the schedule is behind USC. Oregon awaits next Saturday. The time is now for Riley and USC, just like the billboards around L.A. have been insisting for months.
That this moment arrives after Saturday’s uninspiring escape from Rutgers only amplifies the pressure on USC’s coach. Against arguably the worst team in the Big Ten, the Trojans were once again plagued by many of the same road woes that Riley has failed for four years to solve. USC’s defense, now on its third coordinator under Riley, was largely a disaster. Even the offense, with another Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, looked clunky and out of sync.
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Now, Riley is out of time to iron out these issues. Because there is no more important game for USC this season than next Saturday. Outside of the 2022 Pac-12 title game, which went quite poorly for him, I’d argue it’s the most important game of Riley’s entire tenure to date.
Riley has yet to beat Oregon as USC’s coach, while Dan Lanning and the Ducks have run circles around the Trojans, on and off the field, during the four-plus years they’ve both been coaching out West. Oregon may have never won a national title, but has been to the College Football Playoff in three out of those four years. USC has never been to the Playoff. The two teams have become legitimate rivals over that time. But in two meetings with Oregon under Riley, there’s never been any doubt about who’s the better team.
For a brief moment, early in this season, it seemed like that might be shifting. Oregon was stunned by Oklahoma State, just two weeks ago, leading to real questions about whether the Ducks are the Playoff contender they were made out to be.
That loss, though, actually ratcheted up the importance for Riley. With Oregon appearing this vulnerable, there are no excuses for USC or its coach if they don’t win this game. No matter the situation that Riley inherited, the Trojans should have what it takes, by Year 5, to compete with Oregon. Full stop.
That’s the standard that USC was expecting in shelling out over $11 million per year to its football coach. But in four-plus seasons under Riley, the Trojans have just six wins against ranked opponents and have consistently blown their biggest games.
Think, for a moment, of Riley’s biggest win at USC. Are you having a hard time conjuring it? That’s because of the six ranked teams that USC has beaten under Riley, all of them finished with four losses that season.
Clay Helton had three top-five wins at USC through his first 18 games as head coach. Meanwhile, in almost five years and 57 games, I’d argue Riley still doesn’t have a single great win.
He can change that Saturday. But if Riley can’t lead USC past Oregon now, after all this time, who’s to say he ever will?
“House of Troy”: Chapter 1 drops Sept. 22
Pete Carroll when he was coaching USC.
(Getty Images)
Twenty five years ago, USC’s football program was in a bad spot.
The Trojans hadn’t been relevant in over a decade, and Paul Hackett had just been fired as head coach. USC needed a new direction. But its search for Hackett’s replacement was going poorly. Two coaches — from Oregon and Oregon State, no less — had already turned them down. That’s when Daryl Gross, the USC official in charge of the search, turned his attention to a twice-failed NFL coach.
Pete Carroll.
His hire would turn out to be a seminal moment in the history of Trojan football. But that was not how folks saw it at the time.
“There’s legendary stories of fax machines just blowing up and paper after paper coming through,” said Rocky Seto, who was a grad assistant at the time. “People weren’t happy.”
Bill Plaschke, The Times columnist, wrote a column at the time ripping the hire. Carroll himself called Plaschke after that, begging for a shot.
“All he kept saying,” Plaschke said, “was just gimme a chance.”
Well, it turned out OK for Carroll and the Trojans. They won back-to-back national titles and nearly won a third during his tenure as coach.
It’s what came after that, as USC tried to cling on to the Carroll era, that’s the subject of a new narrative podcast series from LA Times and LA Times Studios, House of Troy. Starting with Carroll’s hire a quarter-century ago, we’ll walk you through how USC rose to college football prominence and how it all came crashing down once Carroll left.
The first chapter of House of Troy drops on Sept. 22, with new episodes coming every week after that. Before then, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
King Miller runs past Rutgers defensive lineman Farell Gnago in the first half.
(Adam Hunger / AP)
—King Miller is the clear RB1 at the moment. USC may view Miller and Waymond Jordan as starting running backs, but there’s no doubting who has taken the reins at the top of that rotation. Both are averaging over five yards per carry. But Miller has at least 15 carries in all four games, while Jordan hasn’t eclipsed 11. Personally, I’m a bit surprised by that divide given how great Jordan looked before his injury last season. It makes me wonder if he’s all the way back from his ankle surgeries.
—The receiver rotation is still up in the air right now. With Trent Mosley out indefinitely, USC opened the game with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Corey Simms and Zacharyus Williams as its top three wideouts. Dixon-Wyatt is deservedly locked in that spot, while Simms balled it in his 20 snaps, catching four passes for 72 yards despite missing some time during the game due to injury. Hines ended up playing more snaps, but had a key drop on third down that we’d be talking much more about if USC hadn’t gone for it and converted on fourth. Williams played in the slot, but had just one catch. The real mystery here is Terrell Anderson, who was dressed and not on the injury report, but didn’t play a single snap on offense. Anderson was viewed, at one point, as a key contributor, so it’s not clear what happened.
—Kaylon Miller replaced Hayden Treter as the starting left guard. The move was a bit unexpected, given how Treter played through three games. Treter still played 28 snaps to Miller’s 40 against Rutgers, but with a very good Oregon defensive line on tap, the offensive line will be tested next week unlike it has all season. Miller has always had the respect of offensive line coach Zach Hanson. We’ll know at the start of the game next week whom he trusts the most in that spot.
—USC isn’t built to withstand injuries in the secondary. No unit on the entire roster has more doubts about its depth, and against Rutgers, USC had to test that depth more than it would like. Top corner Jontez Williams only played 22 snaps, while slot corner Alex Graham only played 15. Kennedy Urlacher and Rock Hill took their places, and while they did a fine job, the ripple effects of one injury on the position could be significant. Behind those players are a lot of question marks. So USC better hope that they’re all healthy heading into Oregon.
—USC men’s hoops will play four Big Ten road games in 10 days to start 2027. Which, on its face, seems patently insane. But after a screwy start to the Big Ten schedule a year ago, coach Eric Musselman actually asked for a slate exactly like this. The reason? His team doesn’t have to travel back and forth twice to the East Coast. In this case, they will have to travel from Bloomington, Ind. to College Park, Md. But that’s much more doable than an extra 10 hours of flying.
This week, in 2006 …
After hosting College Gameday and beating No. 19 Nebraska at home, USC opens its Pac-10 season on the road with a dominant defensive performance at Arizona, winning 20-3.
Led by new inside linebacker Rey Maualuga, the Trojans didn’t allow a single point until the fourth quarter. The offense, meanwhile, finally found a running back to lean on. With Reggie Bush and LenDale White both off to the NFL and USC still waiting for someone to step up in their place, Emmanuel Moody heeded the call. He rushed for 130 yards and a score as the Trojans stood pat at No. 3 in the AP poll.
Polling the people
We asked, “After three comfortable wins in the non-conference schedule, do you feel better about the Trojans’ trajectory than you did at the start of the season?”
After 1,523 votes:
Nothing has changed, 47.4% Yes, I feel better, 45.8% No, I feel worse, 6.8%
Olympic sports spotlight
A brutal start to the season isn’t getting much better in Big Ten play for USC’s women’s soccer team. After starting the conference slate by being shut out, 5-0, by Michigan State, USC was shut out again by Purdue, 2-0, and then managed a tie against Oregon, 1-1.
The Trojans have scored one or fewer goals in seven of their nine matches this season and are 0-5-2 in those scenarios. They need to produce more offense — and stat.
What I’m watching this week
Domhnall Gleeson as Ned in “The Paper.”
(Aaron Epstein/Peacock)
It tends to take at least a season for a sitcom to really find its rhythm, and so far, that’s been the case for “The Paper,” the spinoff of The Office which dropped its second season on Peacock recently. The first season got the journalism right, but the narrative was a bit clunky, as it sorted out who of its characters should be leading the way.
Fortunately, it seems like they’ve figured it out. Especially in the case of Domnhall Gleeson’s lead editor character, Ned Sampson, who I find far more likable in Season 2.
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Teacher/coaches are always teaching lessons, but what lessons do they learn from players?
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Coaches learning lessons
Tom Harp, the longtime girls’ volleyball coach at Granada Hills.
(Craig Weston / For The Times)
Coaches are trained to be good teachers, which means offering life lessons and sports lessons. But what do they learn from their players?
For months, a simple questions has been asked: What’s the best lesson a player taught you?
Very few coaches asked could immediately answer. They needed to think long and hard, which meant the question was good.
It was the battle in the trenches between Orange Lutheran and Sierra Canyon, which won 28-10.
(Craig Weston / For The Times)
Sierra Canyon and Orange Lutheran engaged in a penalty-filled nonleague game that should get both teams ready for league play. Thanks to running back Jaxsen Stokes, Sierra Canyon won 28-10. Here’s the report.
Bishop Amat made JSerra pull out every trick before the Lions prevailed 37-28 behind quarterback Hayes Cloutier. Here’s the report.
One of the best games of the week was Corona del Mar holding off La Serna 30-24. Here’s the report.
The Long brothers growing up, with the youngest, Grady, now the quarterback at La Serna.
(Long family)
The quarterbacks in the game are youngest brothers from families that combined to produce six quarterbacks. Here’s the report.
Receiver Paul Turner had five catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns to help Birmingham win its first game against a Southern Section opponent, beating Burbank 23-18. The Patriots play unbeaten Harvard-Westlake on Friday before switching to City Section action.
Marshall improved to 5-0 with a 28-27 win over Marquez, stopping a two-point conversion try in the final minute.
Marshall quarterback Nathaniel Cadet started work for his senior season on New Year’s Eve.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Marshall quarterback Nathaniel Cadet was jump roping. He practices morning, afternoon and night trying to put himself in position to play college football. He has led his team to a 5-0 start.
JSerra is 17-0 and keeps beating one challenger after another. The Lions will face Trinity League rival Orange Lutheran at home Tuesday. The Lancers’ only loss was to Orange Lutheran.
El Camino Real, which looked competitive with top City Section teams during the summer, will make its debut this week.
The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Southern California, Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei, played in the championship of the Durango tournaent in Las Vegas. Mater Dei handed the Trailblazers their first defeat by sweeping both sets.
Girls Volleyball: The 13th Annual Chatsworth Invitational Is In The Books! Oak Park Claims Gold, ECR Takes Silver, GHC Captures Bronze & Roosevelt Brings Home Copper. Full Tournament Results From A Packed Weekend Of Volleyball! @CIFLACS#RepTheCitypic.twitter.com/PVnJjdWy3R
This was supposed to be the year another team in boys water polo was supposed to rise up and end Newport Harbor’s domination.
Last week’s South Coast tournament showed Newport Harbor isn’t going away without a fight.
The Sailors won the tournament title with lots of drama, beating Cathedral Catholic 16-15 in the semifinals, then winning the championship in three overtimes over Miramonte 11-10.
The DeShaun Jackson Story
A documentary on former Long Beach Poly and NFL receiver DeShaun Jackson debuts Sept. 24 on Prime Video.
(Amazon MGM Studios.)
Former Long Beach Poly and NFL receiver DeShaun Jackson gets the documentary treatment beginning Thursday when Amazon Video runs, “Going deep: The DeShaun Jackson Story.”
The story is told from his Pop Warner days through the NFL.
Notes . . .
The PE teachers at El Camino Real welcomed back Josh Lienhard and Jason Grider. Eric Choi also will be back. His mother recently passed. RIP. pic.twitter.com/PB7PQKIbrp
Baseball coach Josh Lienhard was reinstated as a teacher and coach at El Camino Real and returned Wednesday. He was one of three coaches placed on administrative leave last month after school officials had questions why his CPR and first-aid courses he said he completed were not in the Red Cross database. The school spent thousands of dollars on an investigation that remains uncompleted. Two other coaches, tennis coach Jason Grider and girls soccer coach Eric Choi, also were allowed to return….
Junior Karl Robinson from Santa Margarita has committed to Notre Dame for lacrosse….
Catcher Logan Miller of Mater Dei has committed to San Diego State….
Shortstop Zion Avina of Orange Lutheran has committed to USC….
Junior pitcher Jax Janeski of JSerra has committed to USC….
Junior infielder/pitcher Griffin Doane of Santa Margarita has committed to UC Santa Barbara….
Junior Theo Swafford of Sierra Canyon has committed to Texas….
Standout guard Maxwell Scott of Corona del Mar has committed to Harvard….
Tess Oldenburg from Etiwanda has committed to Nevada for women’s basketball….
Former Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett said he’s a volunteer at Lawndale, where he “coaches the coaches.”…
Offensive lineman Dylan Felli of Mission Viejo has committed to the University of San Diego….
Eliana Corona from La Habra has committed to Cal Baptist for softball….
Longtime basketball coach Joe Reed has been reinstated as the head coach at Huntington Park. He had been coach since 1991, then lost his position when placed on administrative leave for 14 months because of an investigation. After being cleared to return, he was not given his coaching position back….
Evan Guadalupe from Summit has committed to Loyola Marymount for baseball….
Cody MacArthur has been promoted to interim football coach at Royal. He took over after the head coach was dismissed following an incident when he angrily kicked a football that struck a Royal player and was dismissed….
The Woodbridge Classic in cross country featured lots of race winner from outside Southern California. Here’s the results. …
Servite’s baseball team has one player signing with USC next month and another with UCLA. Let the rivalry begin.
From the archives: Cody Decker
Once a baseball player at Santa Monica High and UCLA, Cody Decker has taken his personality and ability to talk about anything to sports talk radio as a morning co-host for 97.1 with Crespi basketball coach Derek Fisher.
He had 11 at-bats in major league baseball with the San Diego Padres.
He showed off his entertainment and singing skills by getting the top role in the school production of “The Music Man.” He had 18 home runs when he was playing catcher, then singing, so he knows how to multi-task.
From the Star-Telegram, a story on a top high school baseball pitcher being ruled ineligible in Texas for transferring for athletic reasons.
From the Daily Bulletin, a story on a 6-7 tight end who’s overcome the death of his father when he was 4 to become a top athlete at Webb School.
From Wyomingnews, a story on former Banning football standout Steve Perez.
Tweets you might have missed
I have never seen a photo where one 7-footer towers over another 7-footer. St. Francis’ twin towers 7-1 Yann Kamagate and 7-5 Cherif Millogo (he’s clearly grown). The high-low pass will be something to see. Please keep track of dunks. pic.twitter.com/DLJLXqchei
🧵Last week was a big week for Oaks Christian graduates. Max Emberson, Class of 2026, earned Folds of Honor medalist honors (-11) while leading Georgia Tech to the tournament title in his collegiate debut. Emberson outpaced junior Daniel Bennett (Texas) by two strokes. pic.twitter.com/IdM2xPN10L
Santa Margarita girls golf are champions of the prestigious Lady Tritons Invitational (6th time in a row) at San Clemente Municipal GC (Par 73), hosted by San Clemente High School. 1st: Santa Margarita / 357 2nd: Peninsula HS / 380 3rd: Huntington Beach HS / 390 SMCHS Junior,… pic.twitter.com/pY4S7QRraA
— SANTA MARGARITA Catholic High School (@SMCHSEagles) September 15, 2026
Tatianna Griffin, one of the top girls basketball players in the nation, is listed in the Southern Section transfer portal “under review.” She left Ontario Christian for Mater Dei. There’s questions whether Mater Dei’s head coach coached her in club basketball. That needs to be…
L.A. Jordan has dropped flag football. Not enough players. The boys 11-man team also has forfeited this week’s game against Santee. Not enough players.
Paul Sutton was the athletic director, basketball coach, track coach and cross-country coach at Providence in Burbank. He died in 1999 at the age of 41 of cancer. The school created a memorial in the gym foyer with his photo and a plaque. Now it’s been taken down. His widow,…
They’ve been best friends since kindergarten. La Serna raised in Whittier. What a game tonight for Landon Armenta and Grady Long in loss to Corona del Mar. pic.twitter.com/aZ4nmN5gUG
Mil’Von James did not coach Inglewood on Friday against Long Beach Poly at SoFi Stadium. His absence comes as Inglewood looks into an ineligible player who allegedly played in a game in Texas.
I did not know this was happening in high school football but a coach confirmed: He’s now hearing from agents about players wanting to transfer to his school. AGENTS. Welcome to 2026.
#60 (2030) Noah Austin 6’0” (Fairfax High) Austin put on a show at Pangs this past weekend recording two 30 point games. His ability to get down hill and put pressure on the defense was extremely impressive. He’s definitely a freshman to keep an eye on. Crafty with the ball. pic.twitter.com/dR0ZRUfOQa
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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UCLA head coach Bob Chesney, offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy and starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava were all in alignment after UCLA’s Week 2 win over San Diego State.
The Bruins’ offense had to get better.
UCLA wasted no time following through on their promises, scoring 21 first-quarter points against Purdue — the most UCLA has scored in the inaugural quarter against a conference opponent since 2016 against Oregon State.
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While the Bruins’ offense exploded, their defense imploded, giving up 38 points and 488 yards to the Boilermakers.
But in a homage to “Pac-12 After Dark,” it was only natural that UCLA outpaced Purdue, rumbling to a 52-38 win over the Boilermakers on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in the Bruins Big Ten opener.
Here are three key takeaways from UCLA’s third win of the season, matching its victory total from last season in just three games.
Running backs are elite
UCLA running back Anthony Woods is hoisted up by offensive lineman Julian Armella after scoring against Purdue at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
UCLA has returned to its roots.
With a rich history of churning out premier tailbacks, including Maurice Jones-Drew, DeShaun Foster and Zach Charbonnet, the Bruin offense has lacked a formidable rushing attack the last few years and finished as the nation’s third-worst ground unit in 2024.
But the Bruins may have struck gold in 2026.
UCLA ranks third in the country in rushing yards, first in rushing scores and fourth in yards per carry. Leading the charge is fifth-year tailback Wayne Knight who has 345 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in just three games — matching the Bruins’ total rushing touchdown mark from last season. Knight finished with his third multi-touchdown game of the season against Purdue, reaching the end zone twice to go alongside 200 all-purpose yards.
Through three games, Knight is exceeding the yardage and touchdown output from Reggie Bush’s 2005 season and Mark Ingram’s 2009 campaign — both of which featured Heisman Trophy wins.
But what makes UCLA’s ground attack so special is that it is a four-headed monster. And the Bruins proved it for the third straight week against the Boilermakers.
All three starting running backs — Knight, fifth-year Anthony Woods and senior Jaivian Thomas — reached the end zone and averaged more than six yards per carry in at least nine rush attempts. And Iamaleava added 55 rushing yards of his own to the 369 total the offense tallied.
After three games of consistent rushing dominance, it is becoming less of a coincidence and more of a pattern — UCLA may have one of the most potent rushing attacks in the country.
And one of its most valuable assets is the ground game’s ability to open up the passing offense.
Iamaleava answers the call
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava hurdles over Purdue defensive back Hudauri Hines during the fourth quarter at the Rose Bowl Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Iamaleava challenged himself to play better after a shaky start to the 2026 season.
After failing to complete a touchdown pass while throwing two red zone interceptions during the first two games, Iamaleava and Chesney knew that the signal caller left plays on the table.
“It’s not his best game, he knows it’s not his best game,” Chesney said after beating San Diego State. “I just think that the grit and the toughness that he played with though when he needed to get a couple first downs that really, really mattered to keep drives alive and put his body on the line and you know peeled himself off that ground and just kept fighting for his teammates, that’s special. But there’s a whole lot we got to do there.”
Iamaleava responded Saturday night, going 19-for-31 through the air for 276 yards and three touchdowns.
Not only did Iamaleava light up the stat sheet, but more important, he also passed the eye test. After looking impatient against San Diego State, consistently leaving the pocket early and failing to let plays develop downfield, he looked like a totally different player Saturday night.
Iamaleava looked poised in the pocket, going through multiple reads and hitting pass catchers across the field in an array of spots and formations. He also protected the ball against a solid Purdue defense.
But what was most impressive from the Bruin signal caller was his resilience and toughness on the field. After taking some bruising hits during the Bruins’ first two games, Iamaleava was fearless on scrambles and designed quarterback runs against Purdue, taking big hits downfield to gain extra yards. He also looked willing to take hits in the pocket to make deep or layered throws.
Although some of the hits led to time off the field — he cut a finger on his throwing hand and later took a crushing hit to his throwing shoulder that left him lying on the turf for some time — he always returned to the game. Chesney said he repeatedly asked Iamaleava whether he was sure he could continue playing and the senior kept insisting on returning to the game once he was cleared by the UCLA medical staff.
“He’s just a straight dog, there really isn’t much to say about that,” Knight said. “He’s battling. He gets hurt and he gets back up. He plays the next play. He’s doing this for his brothers.”
Same defense, different opponent
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne scrambles out of the pocket while being chased by UCLA players Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Purdue’s offense revealed glaring holes the San Diego State offense could not expose.
Aztec quarterback Jayden Denegal only threw for 45 passing yards against UCLA, consistently missing open receivers downfield that had gained considerable separation on the Bruins’ cornerbacks. And even when he did find them, the receivers were not able to haul in catches.
Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne, on the other hand, had no problem picking apart the UCLA secondary. Browne went 19-for-30 for 378 yards and three scores, and while he did throw an interception to cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, it came with less than six minutes remaining when the Bruins were already up two scores.
Purdue’s slot receivers tore through the UCLA secondary, running through multiple layers of coverage. Receivers Asaad Waseem and Xavier Townsend combined for 14 receptions, 311 yards and two touchdowns.
Not only did the Purdue offense score five touchdowns, but the pace at which the team scored illustrated the lack of resistance the Bruins’ secondary gave the Boilermakers. Three of the five touchdown drives took less than two and a half minutes, with the first touchdown coming on one play — courtesy of completely broken coverage.
When asked about the impact of Purdue’s receivers Wednesday, defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler said he would have to wait for the game to answer certain questions.
“When you have 10 personnel and that many receivers that can catch the ball, it can create mismatches, and we play a lot of man, so who’s going to fold first?” Hitschler said. “Are we going to be able to man them up or are we having to play more zone? Those are questions that will play out as the game dictates by who’s winning the one-on-one matchups. It’s the chess match that always happens in any game.”
It was obvious who won the chess match.
Two forced fumbles from linebacker Sammy Omosigho and a formidable run defense that held tailback Fame Ijeboi to 2.8 yards per carry helped mitigate the defense’s problems.
How many games UCLA can win the rest of Big Ten play may rest on the defense’s ability to rebound from a brutal win over Purdue the way the Bruins’ offense did after an ugly win over San Diego State.
Few have felt the transformation quite as deeply as Iamaleava, who was the face of both teams.
“Shoot, it means everything,” Iamaleava said of the team’s 3-0 start. “I think that just speaks to the growth of the team and speaks to Coach Ches, of how he got us to buy into this process and his winning, his winning ways. It feels good to be 3-0, and we’ve got to keep going.”
Women’s soccer scores signature win
The UCLA women’s soccer team has take on grueling schedule, facing off with four teams ranked in the top 25 so far this season.
The No. 21 Bruins (5-3-1, 2-1-0 Big Ten) made the most of their fourth opportunity for a signature win, earning a 1-0 win at No. 5 Ohio State (6-1-1, 2-1-0) on Thursday night. It was the Buckeyes’ first loss this season.
Kara Croone set up Leena Powell for the game winner fired from just outside the box in the 25th minute. UCLA goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor recorded five saves to maintain the shutout victory.
“Amazing performance for the girls,” UCLA women’s soccer coach Gof Boyoko said. “We needed a solid performance, and they did it. We scored a good goal, we didn’t concede, and we were strong defensively.”
UCLA alum Jordin Canada, who has dealt the ball with expert precision this season, had 11 points and 10 assists for the WNBA-playoff bound Dream.
UCLA alum Gabriela Jaquez, who has enjoyed a strong rookie season with a rebuilding Sky team, finished with 14 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist. Chicago was eliminated from playoff contention, but Jaquez has been a bright spot for the team all season.
Bruins on deck
Here are all UCLA games scheduled to be played this week across all sports, with all times Pacific:
Monday, Sept. 21
Women’s golf at Canadian Collegiate Invitational, All day
Tuesday, Sept. 22
Women’s golf at Canadian Collegiate Invitational, All day
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this report.
The fight had initially been discussed for November but, with negotiations over the venue dragging on, it now looks set for December.
Staging an open-air stadium fight in the UK at that time carries immense risk.
While Wembley offers unmatched prestige, exposing tens of thousands of fans and a massive international broadcast operation to potentially freezing temperatures, wind and rain was deemed unacceptable.
Moving the event indoors to an arena like London’s O2 would eliminate weather risks, but at the cost of sacrificing tens of thousands of ticket sales.
The Principality Stadium’s retractable roof allows organisers to capture the immense scale, atmosphere and gate revenue of a stadium show while offering full protection from the elements.
The venue’s official seated capacity is just under 74,000, but boxing configurations allow for even larger crowds.
Joshua has already proven he can sell out the venue, having defended his WBA and IBF titles there against Carlos Takam in front of nearly 80,000 fans in 2017 before adding the WBO belt against Joseph Parker five months later.
On the appointment of Edwards, England head coach John Mitchell said: “Since his time with France ended, we have had a conversation about our game, and he expressed an interest in working in an international women’s set-up for the first time.
“He has a huge amount of respect for the Red Roses and what we stand for; he sees it as a privilege to join our environment.
“His coaching credentials are exceptional and his experience at the highest level of the game speaks for itself.
“Defensively, Sarah Hunter is relishing the opportunity to learn from him, alongside the rest of our coaching group, as we head into another exciting Test match against New Zealand.”
Last week, Edwards expressed his desire to return to coaching and be a part of next year’s men’s Six Nations.
Only the Pirates and Cubs have met more often than the Dodgers and Giants, who faced off for the first time in 1889. And over all that time, the Dodgers are just two games better, with 1,294 wins to the Giants’ 1,292.
The Dodgers and Giants have also won more pennants, made more World Series appearances and have more players wearing their caps in the Hall of Fame than any other National League teams, all of which fueled a rivalry that was once among the most visceral and passionate in American sports.
But that was then and this is now.
After Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Giants, the Dodgers’ 14th win in their last 17 games, the team could finish a season with 100 wins for the fourth time in six years. The Giants have had just one winning record in that time.
The Dodgers (96-60), who have won five straight division titles, are headed to the postseason for a record-tying 14th consecutive year. The Giants will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season.
So is the rivalry dead? That depends on who you ask.
“It’s always a rivalry,” Giants pitcher Logan Webb. “We’d like to make it a little closer when it comes to the standings. But I definitely feel it when I throw against them.”
But then Webb, who is from Northern California, grew up with the rivalry and, as the longest-tenured Giant, pitched against the Dodgers in games that mattered. Giants coach Ron Washington, who made his major league debut with the Dodgers when the rivalry was still a thing, said many players on San Francisco’s roster don’t know that background.
“It should be a rivalry. But I don’t think the young kids we got know anything about a rivalry. They’re not history buffs.”
Webb said it’s the responsibility of the veterans on both sides to keep that history alive by explaining the enmity to the young players.
“I think there are still guys that came up in the system that know what it’s like,” he said. “It’s my job to kind of hype these guys up to play a game like this.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who played for the Dodgers and Giants during his 10-year career, agrees the rivalry now exists more in the history books than the current standings, where the Giants have been overtaken by the San Diego Padres, who will finish second to the Dodgers in the N.L. West for the fourth time in five seasons.
“It’s certainly a rivalry in the sense of the history, the fan bases,” Roberts said. “But obviously it’s about relevancy. The Padres have been successful the last handful of years, and so it’s certainly built some momentum. The geography lends itself to that too.
“But Dodgers-Giants is always fun.”
It hasn’t been so much fun for the Giants lately. San Francisco hasn’t won the season series with the Dodgers since 2021 and has lost more than 90 games this year for the first time in nine seasons.
On Sunday they went in front three batters into the game with Johan Cox working Dodger opener Jack Dreyer for a leadoff walk, then making his way around the bases on Dreyer’s throwing error, a stolen base and a one-one single by Victor Bericoto.
San Francisco would get just one more hit — a single by Jung Hoo Lee with one out in the sixth.
That allowed the Dodgers to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth on Tommy Edman’s seventh home run of the season just inside the right-field foul pole. An inning later they went ahead to stay when Max Muncy singled under a sliding Cox at second, moved to third on a single by rookie Josue De Paula and scored on Kiké Hernández’s double to center.
Josue de Paula hits a double in the fifth inning Sunday.
(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
A two-out single by Muncy, his second of the game, scored Teoscar Hernández, who also had two hits, in the eighth inning with the final run.
Even the slumping Freddie Freeman contributed to the Dodgers’ 11-hit attack, ending an 0-for-11 slide with a broken-bat single in the fourth then singling again in the eighth.
Sunday’s result helped clarify the Dodgers’ once-muddy playoff picture. With six games left in the regular season, the Dodgers lead Atlanta by four games in the race for the second seed in the National League playoffs, which would give them a first-round bye and the homefield advantage in the division series.
The team’s postseason roster may be getting clearer as well. Right-hander Emmet Sheehan, who made 22 starts this season, came out of the bullpen for the first time Sunday and was brilliant in his audition for the playoffs.
“If there is a role in the postseason, it will be out of the [bull]pen,” Roberts said of Sheehan, who gave up just a hit and walk, striking out nine — one off his season high — in 5 1/3 innings.
De Paula, meanwhile, whose third multihit game extended his modest hitting streak to four games, appears to have secured a job as the team’s left-handed bat off the bench while utility player Hyeseong Kim, who has spent the last four months in the minors, will rejoin the Dodgers after the triple-A playoffs and be considered for a roster spot as a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive replacement.
“My expectation is that Hyeseong will be here during the off week and potentially be a conversation for the postseason because he has the ability to run, play defense, and steal a base,” Roberts said.
After Monday’s off day, the final break of the regular season for the Dodgers, the team is expected to activate Andy Pages, Roki Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani from the injured list during its three-game series with the Padres.
“We’ll get Andy back on Tuesday, which will be great, and then shortly thereafter we’ll get Shohei back. So yeah, things are starting to come together,” Roberts said. “We’re in a good spot.”
There is now a three-week international break with no Premier League games until 10 October.
We are five matches into the league season and there is a long way to go in the campaign, but which teams have impressed so far and who have disappointed?
You can have your say in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Arsenal: Solid start to their title defence until they were ripped apart by Brighton having survived a penalty scare at Sunderland. 7
Aston Villa: Signs they are beginning to move in the right direction after losing so many key players during the transfer window. 6
Bournemouth: If games lasted 80 minutes the Cherries would be near the top of the table. Need to cut out conceding so late. 6
Brentford: Demolished Spurs and Chelsea without fuss during a highly impressive unbeaten start. Can they keep it up and challenge for Europe? 8
Brighton: Kings of entertainment after hitting 16 goals in five top-flight games, including three against champions Arsenal. A joy to watch. 9
Chelsea: After a strong start under Xabi Alonso, the Blues have lost two of their past three – and were picked apart by Brentford. Are they really moving in the right direction? 6
Coventry City: You could hear the sighs of relief in the away end at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Will Frank Lampard’s side kick on after that win? 6
Crystal Palace: Room for improvement after one win and three defeats. 5
Everton: Despite a transfer window to forget, David Moyes has made the Toffees hard to beat. 6
Fulham: Decent draws against Liverpool and Manchester United but need a win. Ipswich (away) followed by Hull (home), Coventry (away) and Crystal Palace (home) offer hope when they return from the international break. 5
Ipswich Town: Defensively vulnerable but two late winners, against Sunderland and Crystal Palace, have earned them six points and shown their fighting spirit. 5
Leeds United: Fifth in the league, unbeaten and with the joint-best defensive record. They showed what they are capable of with a superb 4-1 win over Newcastle. 7
Liverpool: Unbeaten but have been far from their best. Three clean sheets in their past three games, but more is expected from Andoni Iraola’s side. 6
Manchester City: Five league games, five victories. Managed to win at Manchester United despite going down to 10 men midway through the first half. With Erling Haaland already top scorer, City fans will expect a real push to win the league. 9
Manchester United: Disappointing performances to lose at Hull and draw at a Fulham side who were bottom of the league. Their only win so far came against Ipswich and they were denied a victory at Everton by a late equaliser. 4
Newcastle United: A mixed bag under new manager Matthias Jaissle. They impressed in a draw against Liverpool, won comfortably at Tottenham, but were also terrible in a loss at Leeds, although they responded well to beat Hull. 6
Nottingham Forest: Their best results have come away, drawing at Liverpool and winning at Aston Villa. But their home form will be a huge worry – yet to score a goal and with only one point from three matches at the City Ground. 5
Sunderland: After coming seventh in 2025-26, Sunderland fans will have wanted a better start to this season. The Black Cats gave good accounts of themselves against Arsenal and Manchester City, but lost both matches. 5
Tottenham Hotspur: After spending more than £300m in the summer, Spurs have been poor, failing to score in their opening four league matches. Supporters will be demanding an instant improvement after the international break. 2
